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JANITARY 1M3
CHURCH
DEVELOPMENT-
New beginnings;
new Brethren
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11
14
16
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The Name Above Every Name. Are we still into childish "Dear
Jesus" prayers ... or do we actually worship Jesus as the Son of God,
giving him the same place and praise that the New Testament does? Bible
study by Chalmer E. Faw.
Caring About Khmers. Antelope Park (Lincoln, Neb.) congrega-
tion risked much when it doubled its membership by taking in dozens of
Cambodian Khmer refugees, but the risk was nothing compared with the
personal risks the Khmers had taken. Story by Christopher Keating.
A Church in the Mind of God. When James H. Lehman visited
the new Good Shepherd (Blacksburg, Va.) congregation, he found every-
one in agreement that all evidence suggests God really wanted that church
in that community at this time.
New Beginnings . . . Eleven New Faces in the Church
of the Brethren. Judd Blouch surveys some of the new church
development projects in the Church of the Brethren and finds an amazing
variety of places, people, and strategies.
Caesar's incense. Vemard Eller points out the weakness of the case
for draft registration, and scores those who would tell other people where
and how their consciences should be allowed to operate.
In Touch profiles Chamnan In and Bopha Soy, of Lincoln Neb.; Sadie Kreider of
Quarryville, Pa.; and Kwang Suk Kim of Panorama City, Calif. (2) . . . Outlook
reports on NCC meeting. Red Cross agreement. Film award. Nuclear war survey.
Penn anniversary. Bethany Hospital. Overseas workers. War taxes. Grace
Brethren. Evangelism. Draft registration. Gay rights. Allegiance oath. Religious
TV viewing. Disaster relief funds. El Salvador (start on 4) . . . Underlines (7) . . .
Update (8) . . . One's Voice, "I Change, Not God," interview with Phyllis
Carter, by James H. Lehman (9) . . . Column, "A Vote for Vancouver," by
Ramona Smith Moore (21) . . . "A Century of MESSENGER" (22) . . . "Editors
and Window-Looking," by Kenneth L Morse (22) . . . Resources, "Family
Ministry," by Ralph L. Detrick (23) . . . Film Review, "Gandhi: Lessons in
Nonviolence We Need Today," by Bea Rothenbuecher (24) . . . "The World's
Most Christ-like Person," by Shantilal Bhagat (24) . . . Book Review "Reading
on Stewardship, Mental Illness, Peacemaking," by Fred W. Swartz and Thomas
W. Goodhue (26) . . . People £f Parish, "Heritage Fair: A Family Affair," by
Debi Peterson (28) . . . Opinions, "The NCC: Not Without Faults," by Dale W.
Brown (30) . . . Turning Points (31) . . . Editorial (32)
EDITOR
Kermon Thomasson
MANAGING EDITOR
Wendy Chamberlain
EDITORIAL ASSISTANT
Judd Blouch
FEATURES
Fred W. Swartz
SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES
Ruth Anne Gulp
PROMOTION
Kenneth L. Gibble
PUBLISHER
John D. Metzler Jr.
VOL. 132, NO. 1
JANUARY 1983
CREDITS: Cover. 2 Kermon Thomasson. 1 Jack
Winand Photography. 3 lower Richard Keeler. 4
American Red Cross. 5 Evangehcal Hospital Associ-
ation. 6 Judd Blouch. 9 art by Kathy Kline. 10
Religious News Service. 12 top Journal-Star Printing
Co., Lincoln, Neb. 14-15 James H. Lehman. 19 art
by Kermon Thomasson. 24 Columbia Pictures
Industries, Inc. 25 Randy Miller. 28-29 Debi Peterson
Messenger is the official publication of the
Church of the Brethren. Entered as second-class
matter Aug. 20, 1918, under Act of Congress
of Oct. 17, 1917. Filing date, Nov. 1, 1982.
Messenger is a member of the Associated
Church Press and a subscriber to Religious News
Service and Ecumenical Press Service. Biblical
quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are from
the Revised Standard Version.
Subscription rates: $10 one year for individual
subscriptions; $18.50 two years. $8 per year for
Church Group Plan. $8 per year for gift sub-
scriptions. School rate 50<t per issue. If you move
clip address and send with new address.
Allow at least five weeks for address
change. MESSENGER is owned and
published monthly by the General
Services Commission. Church of the
Brethren General Board. 1451 Dundee
Ave., Elgin, 111. 60120. Second-class
postage paid at Elgin, 111., Jan. 1983. Copyright
1983, Church of the Brethren General Board.
1
STUDYING THE REFLECTION
Some of our brothers and sisters are disap-
pointed unto cancellation in the fact that Mes-
senger is not a true reflection of the gospel. I
can only assume that too many pages are
dedicated to such concerns as the ERA, social
justice issues, the NCC and WCC, world peace,
and refugees.
The basic question has to be, "What is the
gospel that we are to reflect and proclaim?" If
this means just scriptural study or our own per-
sonal salvation and joy, then I would have to
agree that many Messenger pages are wasted on
these other types of issues.
But the gospel is broader than this. Our Lord
summarized the essence of the gospel when he
replied that we should love God totally and our
neighbor as ourselves (Matt. 22:37-40). This
sounds pretty simple in itself, but the struggle
comes in trying to understand how our Lord's
answer is expressed and carried out in a very
complex and fast-changing world.
Perhaps being a true "messenger" includes that
struggle where we seek to follow God's will, ex-
press our love and faithfulness to him and to try
to learn how to love all of humankind as much as
we love ourselves in the complex world where we
live. In that case, perhaps these so-called social
concerns are really gospel concerns in that they
are some of the ways in which we really express
and live our total love of God and his will for the
world and our love of our neighbor. In that case,
Messenger is a reflection of the full gospel as we
struggle to apply scriptural truths to our daily
human concerns.
John Att.away
Tampa, Fla.
TESTIMONY TO GOD WITH US'
Recently I was home on sick leave — body and
spirit aching and drained from over-exertion and
mental fatigue.
Then the October gospel Messenger arrived. I
had not intended to read it; I was too tired to
concentrate. But as 1 glanced through the con-
tents, 1 was drawn inside its pages and into its
many gospel messages.
The "Halloween Clown," by Chuck Simmons,
confirmed the good news that new life can come
to me even on a sick day — something I knew, but
of which I needed to be reminded. Jim Lehman's
interview with Lila McCray urged me to slop and
listen, to stop and wait on the Lord. The poem
"Burning Bush," by Ken Morse, seemed to be
urging me to stop relying on my own strength,
and experience anew the miracle of God's power
and strength in my life.
And 1 could go on and on for every article
relating the good news, an active gospel shared in
styles as varied and brilliant as the autumn
leaves. Each writer spoke differently, out of per-
sonal experiences, but all spoke of God's move-
ment in, through, or around them.
Messenger is filled with the good news of
Christ -but it is not, nor should not, be our
Bible.
May the editors and writers keep up the good
work and continue to be sensitive to the leading
of the Spirit as they share through the ministry of
the written word.
Theresa Cocklin Eshbach
Thomasville, Pa.
BACK IN THE OLD WAYS
Ralph Watkins (Opinions, November) seems
to have forgotten the Apostle Paul's admonition
to "pray without ceasing" in his analysis of
"standing in line." To me, the sanctioning of
school prayer does not hinder anyone from hav-
ing "free prayer."
As a school teacher, I believe it teaches teen-
agers to have an attitude of prayer realizing that
Almighty God's presence is necessary in the
health of any nation. Solomon said, "The wicked
shall be turned into hell, and all nations that
forget God."
Does Ralph Watkins think that George Wash-
ington and Abraham Lincoln forgot God? I
think not!
The government and schools have an obliga-
tion to respect God without trying to play
church. Paul tells us to "purify our hearts with
prayer." Our hearts are just about the most im-
portant part of life, spiritually as well as
physically. 1 am one of the 70 percent of the peo-
ple in the USA who want to get "back in the old
ways" of school prayer. Our gratitude to Mes-
senger for the opportunity to express our heart-
felt conviction.
Harry E. Wenger
McConnellsburg, Pa.
ROGER WILLIAMS HAD A POINT
Ralph Watkins gives an excellent argument
against government-sponsored school prayers
("School Prayer Is Imitation Prayer,"
November). But for most people this is an emo-
tional issue. They do not think the question
through to its logical conclusion, which is a posi-
tion opposite from that of the "believers church."
In my public school days in Pennsylvania,
schools had to read 10 verses from the King
James Version of the Bible and pray the Protes-
tant version of the Lord's Prayer. This created
problems for Catholics and others. It almost
meant irreverence, indifference, and a hurry to
get through all that.
But the biggest problem was the loss of
religious liberty. If you don't have religious liber-
ty for all, you don't have it for any. I still think
Roger Williams had a point.
Jason Hollopeter
Selinsgrove, Pa.
STOP CODDLING CRIMINALS
I disagree with Bob and Rachel Gross on
prison reform ("Justice, Only Justice," October).
It is commendable to visit people in jail, but far
better to give one's support to the victims of
crime.
Too much time and money have been spent
coddling criminals who have forfeited their right
to freedom and to sympathy. The people of
America have had their fill of "bleeding-heart"
reformers, endless appeals, and soft-hearted
judges. The tide of sentiment is being directed
toward the victims of crime.
William J. Phillips
Sebring, Fla.
(A statement on Ministry to Victims of Crime
was adopted at the 1982 Annual Conference, and
it urges Brethren to become involved in that
ministry. See August, page 25. —Ed.)
WHY ARE MIMEOGRAPHS FIRST?
It was encouraging to see an article on
alcoholism ("Common Jeopardy") by Dale
Aukerman in the November Messenger. There
used to be a related lesson once every quarter in
the International Lesson Series. A paper was
passed a few years ago at Conference on the
problems of alcohol, but I recall no follow-up.
Recently a minister in our church asked me,
"Why did we learn more about operating the
mimeograph in seminary than we did about
alcoholism?" He is currently directing a program
which offers help to alcoholics.
Why are we as a church neglecting to face such
a universal social problem as alcohoHsm? Might
it be related to an observation that many
Brethren in places of influence enjoy social
drinking to the extent that they have little incen-
tive to face the problem? We do become con-
cerned about most social epidemics which
destroy human life and personality. Our sense of
stewardship ought to compel us to speak out on
this problem as well.
I would welcome more discussion on the sub-
ject in Messenger as well as in other church
publications and at our colleges and seminary.
D. Eugene Lichty
McPherson, Kan.
THE COST OF SELF-DOUBT
Carl Marcy , former chief of staff of the Senate
Committee on Foreign Relations, writing in the
October 1982 Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
says:
"A self-confident society would not have
decided to punish the Soviets for their transgres-
sions in Afghanistan and Poland by curtailing
exchanges of persons and programs, as we (the
USA) have done. We should have expanded
those programs. Consider, for example, that at
the cost to the United States of about $1 million
per year — one-half the cost of one neutron ar-
tillery shell — the Fulbright exchange program
with the Japanese over the period of 25 years has
brought more than 5,0(X) Japanese leaders and
scholars to the United States, 32 of whom now
serve as Japanese ambassadors, 16 as presidents
of national and public universities, four as vice
ministers, three as members of the Japanese
Diet, and one as Chief Justice and one as Justice.
Had an equivalent exchange program been in ef-
fect between the United States and the Soviet
Union for 25 years, might it by now have had an
ameliorative effect on US-Soviet relations?"
E. Paul Weaver
Everett, Pa.
O) O (O (^ (Q
Wh
hen Kenneth L. Gibble was asked to
write a biography of Slim Whitman, he
asked, "Who's Slim Whitman?" I am happy
to report that when I asked Ken to become
promotion consultant for Messenger, he
didn't ask, "What's Messenger?"
That would hardly have been his response,
since it was Messenger that gave Ken his
first break as a writer. Ken tells me that his
article, "A Man and His Dog," in the Janu-
ary 19, 1967, Messenger was his first
published work.
Since then he
has published so
many articles in
Messenger that I
didn't bother to try
to count them.
And he has had
three books pub-
lished by The
Brethren Press, in-
cluding Mr. Song-
man, the story of
Slim Whitman
(whom he now
knows). Kenneth L. Gibble
Numerous other religious journals besides
Messenger have carried the Gibble by-hne,
including Christianity Today and The Chris-
tian Ministry. Ken was a speaker at the Pitts-
burgh Annual Conference in I98I .
A native of Manheim, Pa. , Ken grew up in
the East Fairview congregation and was li-
censed and ordained there as a minister.
After his graduation from Bethany Theo-
logical Seminary in 1969, he became pastor
of Ridgeway Community Church of the
Brethren in Harrisburg, Pa. He and his wife,
Ann Earhart Gibble, and daughter, Katie,
age 6, are still in that congregation. Ken is
now interim associate pastor.
Why is Messenger hiring a promotion
consultant? Simple. Subscriptions have de-
clined from a peak of 30,000 in January 1 978
to about 26,500 in the fall of 1982. It ap-
parently takes more than a system of con-
gregational representatives to keep the
subscription hsts growing.
Ken begins his work with us January 3.
We are confident that, with his en-
thusiasm and expertise, an upward trend in
subscriptions that began this past fall will
continue and gain momentum. While Mes-
senger does not rely solely on subscrip-
tions to survive, the mere thought of only
27,000 Brethren out of 172,000 being in
touch with their denomination's program is
not a cheering one to contemplate.
You will be hearing from Ken Gibble,
soon. -The Editor
January 1983 messenger 1
in
C^
Chamnan In and Bopha Soy:
Unity in traditional dancing
What do you have left when your home,
your property, even your family are de-
stroyed and you are a refugee, a stranger
in a foreign land?
For 17-year-old Bopha Soy, the answer
is your rehgion and your traditions. "My
father had been killed and our family
scattered. We did not know who had sur-
vived and who had not. In the refugee
camp, my mother encouraged me to
dance. 'Learn our people's traditional
dances,' she said. They will help to keep
us united, to remember our heritage.'"
So Bopha and other Cambodian
children whiled away the months in the
Thailand refugee camp learning the old
dances, dances that tell simple stories of
Cambodian folklore, traditions, and ways
of life.
"In Cambodia, many Christians were
taught to despise their traditional dances,
to consider them a form of 'idol
worship,'" Bopha explains. "But my
mother did not agree, and urged me to
keep dancing. Now I believe God is
pleased when I dance. I see dance as a
way of praising the true God for loving us
and staying with us in our trouble."
Bopha and the remnant of her family
now Hve in Lincoln, Neb., and are part of
the Khmer fellowship in the Antelope
Park Church of the Brethren.
Chamnan In was luckier than Bopha.
He and his parents and his six brothers
and sisters escaped from Cambodia
together. His father was a leader of the
Christians in their Thailand sojourn and
was attracted to Lincoln from New York,
because he was seeking a Christian com-
munity to rejoin. Chamnan is 19. He
learned to dance, just as Bopha did, in a
Thailand refugee camp.
Among the 48 Khmer families of
Antelope Park was Sam Nang Soch, who
had been a drama teacher in Thailand.
When the Khmers were casting about
for a way to be givers as well as receivers
at Antelope Park, Sam Nang encouraged
the young people to revive their dancing.
Chamnan and Bopha became excited by
the idea. Together they organized and
2 MESSENGER January 1983
coached a dance
troupe of 12 people,
ranging in age from 8
to 24.
"It took a lot of do
ing," relates Antelope
Park pastor Glenn
Frazier. "They had
their hands full of
problems and teenage
conflicts. But Bopha
and Chamnan were
great at reconciliation, while keeping the
kids working day after day . . . drilling
and rehearsing. Some of them had never
danced before."
A repertoire of about a dozen tradi-
tional Cambodian dances was perfected.
The dancers met at Sam Nang Soch's
home, cut out fabric, and created
costumes. They made many of their own
rhythm instruments. One of the Khmer
group, 21-year-old artist Sa Rut Tourn,
painted stage scenery depicting the famous
temple ruins of Angkor Wat in Cam-
bodia.
This past August the troup premiered
its dances at an appreciation dinner for
the congregation. A week later they were
on the road, performing at the Western
Plains district meeting in Ottawa, Kan.
The Brethren will be seeing a lot of this
new element of their denomination . . .
and will be enriched by their contribution.
At their performance in Ottawa I forgot
my function as photographer as I
watched, enchanted by the other-worldly
beauty of what I saw. The matter of who
had been giver and who receiver when
Antelope Park took in its Khmers was
blurred. So were my eyes.
"Dancing is our way of showing our
unity, our love for each other, and for
God," softly explain Chamnan and
Bopha.
1 think of the long trail of atrocity and
tragedy that brought these beautiful and
gentle Khmer people to our midst, and I
am humbled and awed that they can still
smile. Though their tears come easily,
they can still talk of God's love, they can
still talk of gratitude . . . and they can
still dance.
Let the dance go on.— K.T.
*Dan' Kim: God led him
When Kwang Suk ("Dan") Kim arrived in
the United States from his native Korea,
he had never heard of the Church of the
Brethren. Today he is pastor of the Valley
Korean Church of the Brethren in
Panorama City, Calif., the first Korean-
affiliated congregation to join the
Brethren.
Affable Dan Kim expressed his appreci-
ation personally to several hundred Breth-
ren who were gathered at the first New
Church Development Banquet of Pacific
Southwest District, held in La Verne,
Calif., this past October. He and his con-
gregation had become official earlier in
the day from a unanimous Pacific South-
west vote.
For Brother Kim, how he became
Brethren is a matter God decided for him.
In 1973, he came to the US with the in-
tention of earning a doctorate in educa-
tion, but language problems and disap-
pointing financial strains thwarted his in-
itial efforts.
"God pushed me to learn about the
Brethren," he declares. "If I had finished
my studies, I probably would have gone
back to Korea."
Instead, three years ago, he and the
Sadie Krieder: Mission outreach next door
The spirited discussion in the Mechanic
Grove Church of the Brethren congrega-
tional business meeting was evenly
weighted between the pros and the cons of
a possible building expansion program. In
the midst of the debate, a visionary "older
servant" arose, was granted the floor and
said, "Brothers and sisters, if we like what
we have, and it means so much to us, why
do we keep it all to ourselves? Why do we
not think about sharing it? Should we
send some of our families into a com-
munity next door instead of building
larger?" And with that, Sadie Kreider sat
down.
The lively debate suddenly fell silent as
people contemplated the impact of Sister
Kreider's challenge. Who ever heard of
sending missionaries next door? The idea
of "reaching out" was revolutionary.
Sadie Kreider insisted that an adjacent
community was legitimately a "field white
unto harvest." Her positive faith coupled
with persistent accountability became the
seed from which the Lampeter Fellowship
was conceived. In the meeting that very
night, the Mechanic Grove church ap-
pointed a study committee to explore with
the district (Atlantic Northeast) the bold
adventure of commissioning church
families to a mission outreach next door.
On Charter Day, Dec. 31, 1978, when
the worshiping community was recognized
as a fellowship, it was Sadie Kreider who
represented the Mechanic Grove church
in presentation of a check of $7,600 to H
purchase the first acre of ground on the ■
proposed site for the new church building.
Eventually 35 members and their families
were challenged by her vision and agreed
to leave the comfortable home church for
a mission outreach next door.
Whether she is packing clothes for
relief, hosting summer seminary student
pastors with husband, Clayton, or sitting
in the delegates section of Annual Con-
ference, Sadie radiates a faith in Jesus
Christ that is both caring and contagious.
Sadie is a woman of deep faith who
sees potential in the least of circumstances
and people. A Sunday school teacher,
board member, and business woman,
quiet, vivacious Sadie Kreider embodies
the scriptural adage in Joel 2:28: "Your
old men (women) shall dream
dreams."
Keep on dreaming, Sadie. We need to
hear from you.— Earl K. Ziegler
Earl K. Ziegler is pastor of the Mechanic Grove
Church of the Brethren, QuarryviUe, Pa.
) the Brethren
members of the then Korean Evangelical
Church, approached Wayne Zunkel,
pastor of the Panorama and Glendale
congregations of the Church of the
Brethren, for use of their faciUties. Fre-
quently thereafter, the Panorama and
Glendale churches worshiped with the
Koreans in joint service. Dan conducts
services in his native Korean language.
Wayne Zunkel soon discovered that
there are 370 Korean congregations in Los
Dan and Hyangsun Kim
Angeles alone, and only about half are
related to any American churches. One
day he mustered up his courage and in-
vited Dan and his congregation to be a
part of the Church of the Brethren. Dan
smiled and said he had been thinking the
same thing.
The wheels were set in motion through
a fellow Brethren and Korean family,
Howard and Soo Yu of McFarland, Calif,
(see "Howard Yu: Foxhole Convert," July
1981, page 2).
Christianity influenced Dan's life from
his birth, through his mother, whom he
aptly calls his "prayer mother." That
Christian upbringing persuaded him as a
young man to attend Seoul Theological
Seminary, from which he graduated in
1964.
Dan Kim's plans for the future include
introducing a hotline service and nursery
school in Panorama City. As a new
Brethren he is eager to participate in a
revered Brethren ordinance, the love
feast. He also is making plans to attend
Annual Conference in Baltimore this
year.
And still farther in the future, the
minister who so recently had not heard of
the Brethren hopes to help establish many
more Korean Church of the Brethren con-
gregations in the United States. He even
dreams of some day having Brethren
engaged in mission in Korea. — Richard
Keeler
Richard Keeler of Claremont, Calif, is a
graduate student at the University of La Verne, and
is a former intern on the MESSENGER sKfff
January 1983 messenger 3
Human rights dominates
NCCC board meeting
Various human rights issues dominated
the November meeting of the National
Council of Churches Governing Board.
The board also made a change in the
timetable for voting on the membership
application of the Metropolitan Commun-
ity Churches.
Guests from the churches of South
Africa and Poland; a report on child day-
care in the US; a cluster of resolutions on
militarism and threats to peace in Central
America, Japan, and Micronesia; resolu-
tions on domestic issues related to racism;
and a newly approved study document on
bioethics all drew the board's attention to
the many ways in which human rights are
being violated.
The council's Child Advocacy Working
Group reported the flndings of one of the
most extensive surveys ever done of day-
care, and said that churches are the
largest single provider of child daycare.
Calling the survey a "landmark," Sen.
Christopher J. Dodd (D — Conn.) urged
the churches to become actively involved
in advocating public policy for children.
The survey indicated that three-quarters
of centers receiving public funding say
they're being hurt "severely" by Federal
budget cuts.
As part of a report on South Africa,
the board heard from Allan Boesak, a
mixed-race South African theologian
recently elected president of the World
Alliance of Reformed Churches. Boesak
said there are no signs that either the
govermnent or the dominant white church
is relenting on its apartheid position, and
he criticized the US government's ap-
proach toward South Africa.
A visiting delegation from the Polish
Ecumenical Council told the board that
one unforeseen blessing of the military
crackdown in their country was an up-
surge of spiritual renewal and improved
relations between Catholics and the
Protestant-Orthodox minority. The group
thanked the NCC for relief goods, food,
and medical supplies that have been sent
through Church World Service.
The first vote on the membership ap-
plication of the largely-homosexual
Metropolitan Conununity Churches had
been scheduled for the next meeting, in
May, with the final vote coming in
November. The board delayed the voting
Disaster office and Red Cross sign agreement
A newly revised statement of understanding between the American Red Cross and the
Church of the Brethren disaster office includes the disaster child care program and com-
mits both organizations to "continue working in a relationship that will best benefit the
disaster victims," says R. Jan Thompson, director of the disaster office.
The agreement was signed by George Elsey (left), president of the American Na-
tional Red Cross, and Robert Neff, general secretary of the Church of the Brethren.
process to allow time in the May meeting
for a full discussion of the issues raised.
The Governing Board heard a progress
report from the Presidential Panel, which
is chaired by Robert Neff, general
secretary of the Church of the Brethren.
As part of the report. Mayor Andrew
Young, an honorary co-chairman of the
panel, said, "Our churches' relationship to
society springs from our proclaiming the
Word of God. Only as we have dared to
follow Christ's teachings has the resulting
controversy resulted in change."
Neff said, "We need to speak out with
one voice with greater power. The
testimony of Jesus Christ must be to a
holistic life."
Among other actions, the board:
• received a study document on bio-
ethical concerns;
• responded to recent issues such as
school prayer and busing by expressing
opposition to "any efforts to curtail the
jurisdiction of the Federal courts";
• referred for further study a proposed
resolution supporting conscientious objec-
tion to draft registration;
• called upon the US to "reverse its
policy of seeking miUtary solutions to the
conflicts in Central America.
'Thing of Wonder' wins
2 international awards
"A Thing of Wonder," a film about the
Church of the Brethren in Nigeria, has re-
ceived two awards: a Golden Eagle cer-
tificate from CINE, the Council on Inter-
national Nontheatrical Events; and a
bronze award at the New York Interna-
tional Film Festival.
The film is now eligible for forwarding
to other international festivals for wider
competition.
"A Thing of Wonder" was produced for
the Church of the Brethren General Board
by Frost Media Associates, Inc. Howard
Royer, director of interpretation, was ex-
ecutive producer, and Ruby Rhoades,
World Ministries Commission executive,
narrated the film.
4 MESSENGER January 1983
The 20-minute film highlights Ek-
klesiyar 'Yanuwa a Nigeria (EYN), the
Church of the Brethren in Nigeria, and
examines the place of the church within a
society of massive change.
Profile compares views
on religion and freeze
A Lancaster County profile of religious
support on nuclear issues shows that peo-
ple who rate themselves as having conser-
vative religious beliefs are more likely to
take a "militaristic" stance.
The study was conducted last March by
Donald B. Kraybill, Charles L. Davis, and
Jacqueline Hagmayer of the Social
Research Center in Elizabethtown, Pa.,
and consisted of 213 telephone interviews
in Lancaster County.
People with conservative religious
beUefs and those with a high degree of
religious interest were more likely (40 per-
cent against 27 percent) than people with
liberal religious beUefs to want the US to
maintain arms superiority over the Soviet
Union, and they were much more opposed
to unilateral disarmament and pacifism.
Sixty-one percent of Catholics, com-
pared to 48 percent of Protestants, ap-
prove of the US taking small, unilateral
steps of nuclear disarmament.
The researchers found that people with
conservative religious beliefs, as well as
those professing a high religious interest,
were also twice as likely (45 percent to 26
percent) as their liberal counterparts to
say that they were not worried at all
about nuclear war.
In sharp contrast, the study indicated
that support for a nuclear freeze won sup-
port from people all across the board,
regardless of religious beUefs.
Enten Eller assigned
two years of service
In a hearing on Dec. 8, Enten Eller was
assigned two years of public service to
begin July 1 , after he graduates from
Bridgewater College in Virginia.
Eller had been convicted Aug. 17 of
failure to register for the draft, with
probation terms that included complying
with the draft registration law within 90
days. In the hearing Dec. 8, the prose-
cuting attorney agreed to accept modi-
fied terms of probation that required
Eller to give two years of pubhc service.
Judge James C. Turk said this modified
probation is irrevocable — that is, no
probation officer can change it now.
Three years from the date of convic-
tion, if Eller has complied with the
modified terms of probation, the felony
can be removed from the record because
his case is being considered under the
Youth Corrections Act.
He was the first person convicted of
failure to sign up since mandatory
registration for the standby draft was
revived in 1980. He could have been
sentenced to as much as six years in
prison.
The two years of service must take
place in the Western District of
Virginia. Eller said that he wants to
cooperate as much as possible, and will
serve at whatever organization is agreed
upon by the court and the probation
officer.
In response to reporters who asked if
he felt he had won a moral victory,
Eller replied that a moral victory is one
where you remain true to your con-
science, and no court can decide that.
Bethany Hospital holds
'topping-out' ceremony
The Bethany Hospital "topping-out"
ceremony in October attracted local
residents as well as officials from the
Evangelical Hospital Association and the
Church of the Brethren. Visitors signed their
names on a beam, which was hoisted into
place as part of the new roof. Of the
$2-million goal, more than $1.25 miUion had
been raised by the end of October, said Olin
Mason, director of church relations.
Two invited to teach
in India and Nigeria
In its first official invitation to the Church
of the Brethren, the Church of North India
(CNI) has invited former missionaries Glen
and Betty Campbell to return to India this
month for three months of teaching in the
Gujarat Diocese. The Campbells served in
India from 1953 to 1970.
Glen Campbell, pastor of the Monticello
and Pike Creek congregations in Indiana,
will give refresher courses to pastors, hold
retreats, and teach a course at the Gujarat
United School of Theology.
CNI is providing living arrangements
and transportation within India. The
World Ministries Commission and the
Campbells' two congregations are pro-
viding the remaining support.
An invitation to teach in Nigeria has
been extended to Donald Miller, professor
of Christian ethics and education and
director of graduate students at Bethany
Theological Seminary.
Miller will be guest teacher from
January to March at the Theological Col-
lege of Northern Nigeria, at the request of
the general secretary of Ekklesiyar
'Yanuwa a Nigeria, the Church of the
Brethren in Nigeria. He is accompanied
by his wife, PhylUs.
Mennonite tax struggle
is temporarily stalled
The General Conference Mennonite
Church has put on hold a war tax lawsuit
against the Internal Revenue Service.
The suit would have tested the constitu-
tionality of laws that require the church to
withhold taxes from employees' pay-
checks. The conference's General Board
deferred the suit because of recommenda-
tions from church attorney William B.
Ball, of Harrisburg, Pa. Ball cited a re-
cent Supreme Court ruling that disallowed
exemptions for Old Amish from Social
Security (see June, page 4), calling it
"most threatening to (the General Con-
ference's) position."
But rather than scuttle the proposed
suit altogether, the board agreed to con-
sider it again after the church's triennial
sessions later this year. Many board
members agreed that a legal test of the
laws would be an important pubhc witness
and worth further consideration.
January 1983 messenger 5
Grace Brethren beliefs
face new challenge
The Fellowship of Grace Brethren
Churches is facing a controversy over its
feetwashing, love feast, and communion
beliefs. Like the Church of the Brethren,
the Grace Brethren are a branch of the
German Baptists. They broke from the
Brethren Church in 1939.
A part of the church's statement of
faith says that Christians should observe
"threefold Communion service," celebrat-
ing love feast, feetwashing, and commu-
nion together.
But the group's largest congregation,
Grace Brethren church of Long Beach,
Calif., has begun to observe communion
monthly, with threefold communion tak-
ing place only three times a year. Other
congregations have followed suit, and the
matter became a major controversy at the
annual conference of the Grace Brethren,
held in Palm Springs, Calif.
Traditionalists argue that this practice
diminishes the importance of feetwashing
and love feast. Long Beach pastor David
L. Hocking says the issue is not one of
beHefs but is one of freedom of practice.
A two-year study is underway and will
be presented at the 1983 annual con-
ference of the Grace Brethren.
Draft registration law
is invalid, says judge
A Federsd judge has dismissed charges
against a draft registration resister, saying
that the registration law is invalid because
it was improperly instituted.
Judge Terry J. Hatter Jr. agreed with
the defendant's lawyer that the law went
into effect "a mere 21 days" after its
publication in the Federal Register in July
1980, rather than the 30 days required.
In dismissing the charges against David
Alan Wayte, Judge Hatter also ruled that
the government failed to prove that it
hadn't singled out Wayte for prosecution.
Lawyers for the Justice Department
said they will appeal the decision to the
Ninth US Circuit Court of Appeals in San
Francisco. The decision, pending appeal,
doesn't bar the continuation of registra-
tion, but casts a legal cloud over the
process.
Judge Hatter's ruling pertains only to
Wayte's case unless it is upheld by the ap-
peals court.
Committee studies evangelism from Brethren view
The first meeting of the Evangelism Strategy Committee, held in October, was "very
positive" and concentrated on team and community building, said chairman Paul Mundey.
The meeting included conversations with several people who have influenced
Brethren evangelism philosophy. Dr. Win Arn of the Institute for American Church
Growth (above left), met with Mundey and the committee for a Friday night dinner.
One of the goals for the first meeting was to formulate working definitions of
evangelism and church growth. The committee tried to steer away from a narrow under-
standing of these concepts toward a more inclusive one that clearly affirms both
evangelism and the ministries of peace and justice as important aspects of the church's
growth and outreach, said Mundey. They aim to have a written strategy by October.
Churches take actions
on gay rights issues
The highest judicial body of the 9.6-
million-member United Methodist Church
has ruled that there is nothing in church
law to prohibit homosexuals from being
ordained to the ministry.
About the same time, the Minnesota
Council of Churches issued a statement
voicing strong support for gay people.
The statement is the most far-reaching
made by an ecumenical organization in
the nation, says the council's executive
director.
The Methodists' unanimous ruling came
after churches in Texas, Georgia, and
Colorado complained about Bishop
Melvin Wheatley Jr.'s appointment of a
gay minister to the staff of a Denver con-
gregation.
"We are sensitive to the issues and con-
cerns involved," the nine-member judicial
council said. "Our authority, though, is to
interpret the existing law of the church,
and we find no provision making same-sex
orientation a disqualification for ordina-
tion."
The issue of homosexual ordination has
been a subject of heated controversy
among Methodists for years and is ex-
pected to be an issue when the denomina-
tion's General Conference meets in 1984.
The statement by the Minnesota Coun-
cil of Churches urges its members to
welcome homosexuals into their congrega-
tions and to support legislation that pro-
tects their rights. While the statement
stops short of saying that homose.xuality is
a natural phenomenon, it says it is "not
necessarily a matter of choice. Evidence
continues to suggest that there is a given-
ness about it."
6 MESSENGER January 1983
Northern Plains district executive
Charles Lunkley, who is a delegate to the
Minnesota Council but was not present
for the vote, pointed out that the state-
ment speaks not for member churches but
for the council only. Though the docu-
ment is causing "a lot of static," Lunkley
feels "it's trying to be very sensitive to the
issue."
Allegiance oath deemed
to be unconstitutional
State officials in North Carolina no longer
have to swear allegiance to the state.
A state law enacted in 1781 had re-
quired all public officials to take an oath
of allegiance to North Carolina, allowing
only Quakers, Moravians, Mennonites,
and Brethren the privilege to take an
alternate oath.
But Marilyn S. Moore, a legal secretary
who would not take the oath to become a
notary public, wjis not a member of one
of the privileged churches.
Moore filed suit in December and the
law was struck down because its limited
protection violated the equal protection
clause of the Constitution.
Now the oath has been changed so that
people being sworn into public office will
be required "to support the US Constitu-
tion" and "to carry out the duties of
office."
Survey will examine
religious TV viewing
A two-year study of the effects of
religious television viewing, funded by 27
Christian organizations, is being con-
ducted by the University of Pennsylvania's
Annenberg School of Communications
and the Gallup Organization.
Among other things, the project will
seek to determine whether religious broad-
casting brings people into churches or
keeps them away, and how the programs
affect the attitudes of viewers.
The project was launched by the Na-
tional Council of Churches, the US
Catholic Conference, and the National
Religious Broadcasters. The study is being
funded by more than $165,000 in grants
from 27 Christian groups ranging from
the liberal to the conservative sides of the
theological spectrum.
The Church of the Brethren has con-
tributed $1,000 to the project.
yoi](^(t[rl[n](t^
ON AND OFF THE JOB ... A 26-year Elgin staff member, Doris
Walbridge, shifts her responsibilities this montJi to become
coordinator of church resources, related to the marketing de-
partnnent of The Brethren Press and Parish Ministries. . . .
E lea no re Hardt, a secretary in Parish Ministries, retired
Dec. 31, after 25 years of service.
NAMES YOU KNOW . . . I_.W_. Moomaw , former India missionary and
internationally-known voice on world relations, humanitarian
causes, and agriculture and ecology, was honored in October
with a citation from Florida/Puerto Rico District. . . . Peace
activist M.R_. Zigler' s 91st birthday was celebrated Nov. 9 at
three locations and covered by several newspapers .... Wayne
Buckle was named Executive Vice President Emeritus of the
American Federation of Government Employees, AFL-CIO, in
August at the union's convention, telling the gathering that
"I have a dream of peace." . . . Fumi taka Matsuoka , General
Board member and pastor of the Oakland and Fremont churches in
California, had an article about Japanese Catholic novelist
Shusaku Endo published in the October issue of Theology Today.
. . . Cyrus Bomberger has been given a "Farmer of the Year"
award. Cyrus's grandfather, also named Cyrus, is the subject
of the song "Grandaddy Was a Farmer" by Brethren balladeer
Andy Murray . . . . Earl Hess , moderator of the Conestoga
(Leola, Pa.) church and owner of Lancaster Laboratories, has
been named to the 1982 list of 50 Distinguished Pennsylvanians .
. . . Linda Faw Neher of the Quinter, Kan. , congregation, dis-
played her paintings last November and December in a show
called "One Day in the Life of Africa," at the Stone Gallery
in Hays. . . . Roger E_. Sappington, a Brethren historian and
professor of history at Bridgewater College, has contributed
a chapter about the history and development of Shenandoah
District to the book Mission in the Mountain State, published
by the West Virginia Council of Churches. . . . Ronald E_.
Keener, formerly on the communications staff in Elgin, is now
editor of Healthcare Financial Management, a monthly magazine
published in Oak Brook, 111.
GOING HOME
A two-week Brethren Heritage Tour of Euro-
pean shrines of each Dunker's devotion will leave New York
July 5. The tour, directed by Kenneth Morse and Kenneth
Kr eider , will visit sites in Germany, Switzerland, France, and
Holland. For details, write Kreider Friendship Tours, 1300
Sheaf fer Rd. , Elizabeth town, PA 17022. The tour is sponsored
by the Brethren Historical Committee.
REMEMBERED ... Howard Surbey , 72, an elder in the Dunkard
Brethren Church and retired editor of the church's publication
Bible Monitor, died Oct. 14. He was a member of the editorial
board and board of directors of The Brethren Encyclopedia . . .
Former Nigeria missionary (1952-60) Dulcie Williams Cover, 91,
died in Sebring, Fla. , Nov. 2. Her daughter Mary Cover Bowman,
with her husband, Clarence, recently served in Hiroshima, Japan.
Her grandson Robert Cover Bowman is on the Parish Ministries
staff. . . . Grace Hollinger, 74, of Lititz, Pa., died Nov. 30.
A 31-year employee of the General Offices, she served as ad-
ministrative assistant to the first three general secretaries.
January 1983 messenger 7
^P(^(0]t^(t
WORKING WOMAEN . . . The steering committee of the Church of
the Brethren Womaen ' s Caucus gathered for a planning weekend
at the Westminster (Md.) church in October. The 10 women
tentatively scheduled a conference on pacifism and feminism
for May 1984; decided to explore the possibilities of pub-
lishing a daily devotional guide for and by women; and initi-
ated a training session to encourage women to be more active
in Annual Conference. The Caucus marks its 10th anniversary
this year, and is looking forward to financially supporting
the celebration in 1985 of the 100th anniversary of the ad-
vent of women's work in the Church of the Brethren.
POSITION AVAILABLE . . . Annual Conference Central Committee
has announced the resignation of Matthew M. Meyer as Annual
Conference manager, effective July 31, 1983. (He will con-
tinue his position on the General Board staff as consultant
for spiritual life.) Those wanting more information about
the two- thirds- time position should contact Annual Conference
moderator Paul Hoffman. Applications should be sent to him
before Feb. 28, at 1000 E. Euclid, McPherson, KS 67460. Tel.
(316) 241-0731.
MORE MEETINGS
The Church and Health Conference will
convene in Modesto, Calif., April 7-10. For more information
write to Jay Gibble, health and welfare consultant for the
General Board, at the Elgin offices. . . . The Long Beach
(Calif.) church will host a Hispanic Assembly April 21-24
under the auspices of Comite de Enlace Hispano (Hispanic Net-
work Committee) .
The Heatherdown (Toledo, Ohio) congregation
6 to
MILESTONES
had a special service and congregational dinner Nov
celebrate the burning of the mortgage on the church's educa-
tion building. ... On Sept. 26 the Long Run (Lehighton, Pa.)
church celebrated its 50th anniversary with the help of
speakers Kenneth Hershey and Howard Bernhard. The Hempfi el d
(East Petersburg, Pa.) congregation burned the mortgage on
its new church building on Sept. 26.
AID TO AFRICA
When the Pasadena (Calif.) congregation
committed itself to the Brethren mission in Sudan, it meant
business. The congregation presented a $4,000 check desig-
nated for the Sudan mission at the last Annual Conference and
is continuing with a program of education and fund raising.
WINDSOR WORKSHOP
A Refugee Resettlement Workshop was
held at New Windsor Service Center Nov. 8-10, and included
reports on Somalia, El Salvador, and Ethiopia, and also a
report by Ralph Watkins of the Brethren Washington office on
immigration/refugee policy and advocacy. The program also
included a trial run of a workshop for use in local churches.
HISTORICAL HAGERSTOWN
The Ha gre rstott^n (Md.) church will
publish a congregational history, written by Cathy Huffman,
as part of this year's centennial celebration. Copies can
be ordered for $10 now or $12 after publication, from Eliza-
beth Arnett, Route 3, Box 2, Hagerstown, MD 21740.
8 MESSENGER January 1983
Funds sent to N. India
and Love Canal area
Emergency Disaster Fund allocations have
been made to assist in repairs after floods
in North India and to the Ecumenical
Task Force of the Niagara Frontier, which
works in the Love Canal area and other
chemical landfill dumps.
The $5,000 for North India has been
channeled through the Commission on
Interchurch Aid, Refugees, and World
Service of the World Council of Chur-
ches. More than 25 miUion people have
been affected by what is said to be the
worst flood ever known in some of the
stricken areas. The Rural Service Center
at Anklesvar is within the flood area.
The $1,500 to the Ecumenical Task
Force is in response to a special appeal by
the group, which is involved in direct aid,
public policy, and education. According
to R. Jan Thompson, director of the
Church of the Brethren disaster office,
"This is the best public forum we have to
work through the courts and to educate
the general public as to the potential
devastation of our landscape due to waste
disposal and improper land use."
Western Airlines ceases
El Salvador 'death' runs
Western Airlines will stop transporting
Salvadorans deported by the US govern-
ment because of pressure from church
stockholders and religious groups.
Western had been flying about 25 Sal-
vadorans on daily "death flights" from
Los Angeles to Mexico City for at least a
year, said the Rev. Michael Crosby of the
Midwest Capuchin Franciscans, a stock-
holder in Western. He said at least some
of the deportees would face the possibility
of death upon return to El Salvador.
The Franciscans and five other reUgious
groups, working with the Interfaith
Center on Corporate Responsibility, filed
a stockholder resolution at Western's an-
nual meeting, asking the company to re-
view the situation.
A Western spokesman said the company
took a closer look at its procedures because
of the arguments raised by these groups.
Father Crosby said Western had been
unresponsive to telephone calls and letters
of protest, but started paying attention
when boycotts and continued pressure
from churches were threatened.
one s voice
I change , not God
Phyllis Carter
interviewed by James H. Lehman
Phyllis Carter is articulate and well-
groomed, aggressive in conversation, and
ardent in faith — an unusual combination
of style and conviction. Formerly a
Quaker, she's now an outspoken advocate
for the Brethren. She and her husband
used to operate a farm, but now she is an
ordained minister and the executive of the
District of Florida and Puerto Rico. She
begins with the story of how she met the
Brethren.
I married my husband when I was just a
teenager. He was a birthright Quaker and
so I became a convinced Friend. Then
along through the years John was at a
peace conference and met Dan West. We
wanted to Hve out our discipleship in a dif-
ferent way and talked about where we
wanted to go. John said, "Well, if all the
Brethren are hke Dan West, that's the
place for us."
We went into a membership class, and
on the final night of the class, we had not
yet decided we wanted to be Brethren.
Love feast and communion were taking
place in the congregation. We walked out
to the car and decided between us we'd
like at least to attend. I said I'd like to
observe; my husband said he'd like to par-
ticipate.
At the end of that service, we both knew
that we were at home, that those symbols
spoke of what we wanted to Hve out in
discipleship. So from that conversion ex-
perience almost, we came in on our letters
from the Quaker church.
I became more and more active, and as I
began to do some sharing at various
places, it became difficult for me to speak.
I had never had any difficulty in public
speech before. My husband suggested
perhaps the time had come for us to con-
sider baptism. I recognized that that was
what I needed. It was another step on the
journey to say, "No strings attached! I'm
committing my total self to the life of the
church."
I needed to make a pubhc confession of
an inner commitment or covenant with
God that I was going to live a very serious
Ufe of discipleship. It was no longer some-
thing that I could promise to God, but I
had to promise it to the community as
well, and they would hold me to it.
Just prior to the moment of baptism,
the pastor offered me a bathing cap, and I
recognized that pride included how your
hair looks. That was an important symbol
for me — that there's no control. I decUned.
I didn't want to have to worry about one
more step along this road of conversion
and renewal. For a dry-cleaned Quaker,
that was a real wet- wash!
Have you ever felt God was speaking
directly to you? Have you ever heard
God's voice?
The voice of God? You know, I could
tell you mystical experiences, but that's no
big deal. It's the community! My ex-
periences traveling in India and seeing
those hands reaching — is that the voice of
God? I sat with people in Africa and had
fellowship over a meal. Is that God speak-
ing? Is it in my prayer time, when I am
nudged or when I think about someone
and telephone them? I can't separate any
of that to say one is God speaking and
one is not God speaking.
When one is trying to live open to the
Spirit of God, then one assumes that God
is in the experiences of life. Anna Mow
has reminded me, "Why should God send
an angel to say you shouldn't do that,
when you've got a husband to tell you?"
So the Holy Spirit works in the mundane
and the ordinary of life.
I'm an impatient person. I tend to push,
and I must remind myself that in the
church we don't push. We are servants.
Anger is another part of that. The
reason I am a pacifist is because I
recognize that anger is very much a part of
who I am. The more angry persons are,
the more they ought to submit themselves
to the discipline of being a pacifist.
I want that unruly side of me to be con-
verted. I'm grateful that God doesn't do
that in one fell swoop. It's a progressive
journey of correction and growth in the
church, and for me it's been very gentle.
I fuss and I quarrel with God, and he
handles that. Then at the bottom Une, I
know that the answer is that God is with
me. There are things I want or think I
need, and I'm a Uttle disturbed when God
doesn't come through on my time schedule
or in the way that I think he ought to
behave. But I know that God is bigger
than anything I can conceive of. That
holds me through those angry times. But it
doesn't bother me to be angry at God. I
figure he's big enough to handle my anger.
So it's okay to quarrel with God?
I hope so! And he never loses the argu-
ment! I change; God does not! D
James H. Lehman is a free-lance writer and pro-
ducer of audiovisuats. This interview was done for the
videotape production "It Is the Same God, "shown at
Quest II in October 1981. Audio cassette copies of the
soundtrack are available for $4. 75 (includes postage)
from the Spiritual Life office, Church of the Brethren
General Board, 145 1 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120.
January 1983 messenger 9
Listening to the Word
The name above every name
by Chalmer E. Faw
Therefore God has highly exalted him and
bestowed on him the name which is above
every name, that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bow . . . (Phil. 2:9-10).
The best way to approach the study of the
Bible, as well as begin a day, is to focus
on Jesus. Christ Jesus, co-creator with
God, has always been Lord of the
universe, but each generation and each in-
dividual seems to have to learn this anew.
Take the original disciples of Jesus.
They knew about the Christ, the promised
Messiah, but at first they saw Jesus as a
man like themselves, and so he was. It
was not until later, and especially after the
resurrection, that they saw him in his
divine glory. Then on the day of
Pentecost they knew him to be Lord of all
and the giver of the Spirit into which they
were now "baptized" (Acts 1:4; 2:32-36).
They took his name and in his name cast
out demons, healed the sick, even raised
the dead, and preached his gospel to a
needy world.
Saul of Tarsus, whom we know as the
Apostle Paul, also came this route, in an
even more dramatic way. He had long
known about Jesus the man and had op-
posed what seemed to him the fanaticism
of his followers. When he was met by this
Jesus, now risen from the dead, he
became a believer and worshiper and went
forth to proclaim this name.
Let us listen carefully lo the Word, as
found in Philippians 2:5-10. Christ Jesus
existed in the form of God from the
beginning and was equal to God. He was
willing, however, in fulfilling his redemp-
tive mission, to give us this exalted pos-
tion, empty himself, become as the lowest
of human beings, submitting to the most
demeaning of all deaths, that on a cross.
Because of this, God has now highly ex-
alted him and bestowed on him the name
that is above every name. Having thus ful-
filled his will through Jesus, God has re-
turned him to his original status. Before
him every knee in the whole universe will
bow, either willingly or grudgingly, so
great is his power and authority (Phil.
2:5-11).
It is here that you and I come into the
picture. Quite likely we too, like the early
Christians, have, at some time in our
lives, known Jesus as only a man.
Although we may have begun as children
thinking of him along with God, praying
our "Dear Jesus" prayers to him, many of
us have thought of ourselves as out-
"The Savior of the Fiery Eye " is a 14th-
century painted icon from the first Cathedral
of the Assumption, in the Kremlin.
growing this childhood practice as we got
older. No doubt we held onto certain
teachings of Jesus about love and peace
and even honored him above all other
human beings.
But do we, even now, actually worship
him as the Son of God, giving him the
same place and praise that the New Testa-
ment does? Perhaps we are like some
Christians of our day who gladly take the
"inasmuch as you have done it unto the
least of these" teaching of Matthew
25:3 Iff and leave out the second coming
of Christ, his lordship over our eternal
destiny, and the complete submission of
all humankind to him which give that
teaching meaning.
The early Christians were amazing in
their attitudes toward the risen Jesus.
Thomas, known to us as a doubter, called
him "my Lord and my God" (John 20:28).
The dying Stephen saw him enthroned at
the right hand of God and prayed directly
to him, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit"
(Acts 7:56-59). Paul, writing to Titus,
calls him "our great God and Savior Jesus
Christ" (Tit. 2:13). In Jesus, says Paul,
"all the fulness of God was pleased to
dweU"(Col. 1:19).
They were not blurring all distinctions
within the Godhead, but at the same time
they did not shrink from worshiping him,
praying to him, and making his their ab-
solutely highest authority for their life and
work.
A text we Brethren have taken seriously
throughout our whole history is Matthew
28:16-20. We have used it as the source of
our missionary endeavor and from it have
derived our threefold form of baptism.
What we have tended to overlook,
however, is the way the passage begins.
When the 1 1 surviving disciples saw Jesus,
they worshiped him (28:17). He deserves
to be worshiped for, as Jesus himself goes
on to say, "All authority in heaven and on
earth has been given to me" (verse 18). He
is, as Thomas had asserted, their Lord
and their God.
True, some people doubted, the passage
says. But before Pentecost was over this
same Jesus had made beUevers of them
all. It was this beUef in Jesus as co-
existent with God — along with the actual
presence of the hving Lord through his
Spirit — that gave the early Christians
throughout the Book of Acts their power.
We begin our Bible study, then, listen-
ing to the Word with Jesus as central,
praising his name, and going forth with
that Word sustaining us. The name that is
above every name is upon us, his
followers. Our very life is in him. D
Chalmer E. Faw, Quinler, Kan., is a mind Bible
teacher and missionary, who with liis wife, Mary,
forms a learn for spiritual life renewal.
10 MESSENGER January 1983
by Christopher Keating
Inside Glenn Frazier's stately, 19th-century
frame house in a run-down section of Lin-
coln, Neb., known as "Little Phnom
Penh," three Cambodian men and one
woman study a Bible passage that they
will, in turn, teach in a Khmer language
Sunday school class at the Antelope Park
Church of the Brethren.
Glenn is pastor of Antelope Park. He
leads the discussion on Deuteronomy
6:21, but since he cannot speak Khmer he
relies on their limited understanding of
EngUsh to make his points understood.
Using Khmer Bibles, the group gradually
begins to comprehend the lesson.
One of the men, Chhan In (considered
an "elder" because of his experience
leading Bible studies in refugee camps),
reads the verse in his well-thumbed Khmer
version.
"You shall say to your son, 'We were
Pharoah's slaves in Egypt; and the Lord
brought us out of Egypt with a mighty
hand.'"
Chhan In reflects a moment, leans for-
ward, and says in English: "For us, Pol
Pot Pharaoh."
For many of the nearly 200 Cambo-
dians who have been resettled in Lincoln,
Chhan In's comparison rings true. Those
oppressed by the tyrannical despot Pol
Pot have been led by the hand of God in-
to a new and promising country.
Antelope Park began its ministry to
Cambodians in October 1981. At that
time, the congregation voted to take part
in an ambitious program that quickly
doubled its size and changed the entire
focus of its ministry.
In the words of one Antelope Park
family, the church switched from "talking
about ministry to doing it."
The story began the January before,
when Glenn and his wife, Mary, visited a
refugee camp in Thailand. In September,
when Mary's employer, Catholic Social
Services, decided to sponsor 10 refugee
families, Glenn found it easy to approach
Teacher Nancy Hadley encourages Hiek Tuy in one of Antelope Park's integrated classes.
Caring
^,, about
Khmers
What if your congregation suddenly doubled,
and the new members had a different culture,
a different language, a different religion?
the church board. He asked the board to
consider helping to meet the spiritual
needs of a primarily Buddhist people
who were basically unfamilisir with Chris-
ianity.
While material needs are important,
Glenn maintains that resettlement isn't
fmished when you give a refugee a job.
The spirituiil needs of a community and
religion are necessary in making accUma-
tion to a new culture complete.
Although the Cambodians come from
January 1983 messenger 11
If I ever get to the point where I'm afraid of
taking risks, ail I have to do is think of where
these Khmer people were under Pol Pot . . .
77/ never have to face those . . . risks. *
different parts of the impoverished na-
tion, hving together in Lincoln has
become a strong factor in making the
transition to America easier.
"We are a community," says Sokhum
Oum. "We know how to live together."
The former French instructor adds that
the church members "help us learn how to
live in the US."
When the Khmer people joined the
Brethren on their walk of faith, a spiritual
partnership was born that assumed both
blessings and problems. The most im-
mediate problems related to space and
finances. Antelope Park is bursting at the
seams as once-adequate Sunday school
rooms and the sanctuary fill to capacity.
And since the refugees have only limited
resources, some might call them added
baggage on the congregation's pilgrimage.
Other concerns, like pastoral and
spiritual needs, eiIso come into play as this
unique intercultural church sorts out the
direction it is to take.
But Glenn says, "These people are gifts
to us from God. We're joining the people
in solving common problems."
Certainly no one could be more
dedicated to meeting people's needs than
Glenn Frazier, who puts in 85 to 95 hours
a week. But this becomes a point where
some in the congregation differ from the
pastor.
Gary Jones is critical of the program,
but still gives it full support. He and
his wife, JoEva, members since 1969,
are both active in the Cambodian
ministry, teaching, driving, helping. But
he's quick to add that he thinks the
ministry suffers from a lack of direction
and ownership from the congregation as
a whole.
The ministry has appeared to be "more
Glenn's than the church's," says Gary.
"The program is going great. But it could
be farther along if it wasn't run by one
person, who has reached the point of
fatigue."
Long-range goals were adopted by the
church council in May. But there's not
total agreement on the form such plan-
ning should take.
"Every time you make long-term plans,"
says Alan Berndt, chairman of the
Stewards Commission, "they backfire on
you." He points out that the ministry is in
a state of continual change. "We can't get
too specific in our planning."
Below left: Kay Marks volunteered to teach an English language class for Khmer women.
Right: English and Khmer speakers are worship leaders each Sunday. Prayers and scripture
are in both languages. From left: Chhan In, reading; Clyde Keller, pastor Glenn Frazier.
Glenn hopes that a second staff pastor
will be hired to alleviate some of the
burden of ministering to an expanded
congregation. And he admits that owner-
ship of the program has become a prob-
lem, since the departure of coordinator
Naomi Fast in May.
One way of addressing that problem
has been a one-on-one family matching
that seems to have struck success for both
cultures. In most instances, one Cam-
bodian family is matched with an
American family. The one-on-one relating
includes doing things together as families
to better understand both cultures and to
help build oneness in the church.
Basically, says board chairman Bill
Wrightsman, the church has been "accept-
ing" of the ministry and knows that the
enrichment gained from the cultural
PIP-
-i_ ita
s
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12 MESSENGER January 1983
challenges has been worthwhile.
Alan Berndt agrees. Despite numerous
problems, Antelope Park is now more
"tolerant" of different people, customs,
and ways of doing things together, he
says.
Perhaps the spiritual ministry of the
church reflects this more than any other
aspect. Things once taken for granted are
now being relearned and rediscovered.
For example, when a sizable number of
Khmer young people started attending the
youth group, the group was forced to
slow down because of the needs of the
refugees. In the process, Glenn feels that
the gospel is really being learned — by both
One of the most beautiful things coming
from the Khmer experience has been a
dancing "ministry. " Looking for a way to
show their appreciation to Antelope Park,
the Khmers decided to perform some tradi-
tional dances. The idea led to the forming
of a dance troupe and a revival of a Khmer
tradition that serves purposes beyond that
of the original appreciation performance.
Two Khmer teenagers, Bopha Soy and
Chamnan In (couple at left) trained the
other dancers and formed a troupe that
fosters unity and pride among the Khmers
and helps to bridge the cultural gap between
them and the other Antelope Park mem-
bers. (See story, page 2.)
American and Khmer youth — despite
grumblings that the pace became too
slow.
A two-hour baptism service was held
for Khmers and others (nearly 40 in all)
who joined the church in March. It
became an emotional "mountain-top ex-
perience" for both groups in the congrega-
tion. For Glenn, the task of preparing for
the baptism helped him to rethink his
presentation of the gospel.
Of the nearly 200 Khmers, about 10
percent were Christians before arriving in
Lincoln. Glenn says, "I perceive that 1 am
giving them a gift — the greatest gift that I
or the church can give them: Jesus
Christ."
At an appreciation service held in honor
of the American church members to thank
them for nine months of support, the
Khmers sang 'How Great Thou Art" in
Below right: Keith Funk, who plans to enter the ministry, leads a weekly Bible study.
Right: The Khmers are enthusiastic students of the Bible, available, happily, in both Khmer
and English. From left: Hoeut Tuy, Roeun Thong, Phothong Phaisan, Vanna Suong.
their language, while Americans hummed
along. Its deep meaning was apparent to
all — that God is one who is great enough
to overcome even the worst obstacles.
Sokhum Oum said to the congregation,
"First, we share praises to God who
brought this about. We offer our ap-
preciation to all of you for reaching out
in love to a people you didn't have any
reason to love, other than Christ in your
hecuts."
Is Lincoln the promised land for these
refugees? In many ways it is a promise
just beginning to unfold, a promise for
both Americans and Khmers as they
discover ways that we all are refugees
seeking promise of community— a com-
munity resembling the Apostle Paul's New
Testament churches.
As in those churches, there is a certain
element of risk. Antelope Park Brethren
are beginning to see that facing up to
those risks is a part of being a member of
the body of Christ.
"If I ever get to the point where I'm
afraid of taking risks," says Glenn
Frazier, "all I have to do is think of where
these Khmer people were under Pol Pot,
and the risks that they took to escape. I'll
never have to face those kinds of risks." n
Christopher Keating, of Upland, Calif., is a University
of La Verne student who served as a summer intern
with MESSENGER in 1982.
January 1983 messenger 13
A church in the mind of
Pastor Norman Harsh. He knocked on
almost 600 doors to launch Good Shepherd
Church of the Brethren.
Talking too much
about 'the will of
God' can make some
Brethren uneasy, but
it seems like an apt
expression when you
talk about what's
happening at
Blacksburg.
by James H. Lehman
You have to be careful when you talk
about God's will. The airwaves are full of
this kind of talk. Even ballplayers see
God's purposes in hits and runs and play-
off victories. And maybe they are right,
for if God's eye is on the sparrow, maybe
it also follows with interest a ball hit over
the right field fence. But by and large,
Brethren do not like to talk this way. Our
faith is quieter, we are wary of spiritual
pride and excessive enthusiasm, and we
don't Uke giibness. Talking too much
about the will of God can make Brethren
very uneasy with one another.
So I was fascinated to hear this phrase
or phrases like it when I visited the Good
Shepherd Church of the Brethren in
Blacksburg, Va. Good Shepherd is a new
church only 16 months old, with 15 peo-
ple on the charter roll and a Sunday
morning attendance of 35 to 50. It meets
in the Hethwood Community Center in a
pleasant, carpeted room with a cathedral
ceiling and windows that look out over a
swimming pool.
Virlina District selected Blacksburg
because it is one of the fastest growing
areas in Virginia and because nearly 90
Brethren students attend Virginia Poly-
technic Institute and State University
(Virginia Tech), a school of 20,000 whose
campus is only a mile or so from Heth-
wood.
Don Flory, pastor of the nearby Chris-
tiansburg church and chairman of the
district steering committee for Blacksburg,
described the fmancial campaign, the
pastoral search, and the site negotiations:
"Everything seemed to fall into place just
about the same time. Glenn Kinsel
(district board chairperson) talks about
how it had to be the hand of God because
the property popped up at the right time,
and it was the primary place that had
been suggested to us."
They signed the papers for that prop-
erty in July 1980, having completed the
fmancial canvass two months earlier, go-
ing $10,000 over their goal of $225,000.
On Nov. 1 , they called Norman Harsh to
be their pastor.
Norman is a slender, energetic man who
Ukes to have a method, and then, when he
knows what to do, goes and does it.
Never having started a church before, he
felt he needed to learn how. He found
that the Lutherans offer workshops on
new church development and that they
had one scheduled for the end of January.
So he and his wife, Lois, moved their
things to Blacksburg and set off im-
mediately for Milwaukee for the week-
long seminar.
"I am eternally grateful for that work-
shop," Norman said. "I wouldn't have
known the first thing to do, except to
follow seat-of-the-pants judgments. The
Lutheran system is a very carefully
crafted, step-by-step process. I wouldn't
want to do it any other way. It was provi-
dential that I had the opportunity to go to
Milwaukee the week before I was official-
ly on the payroll in Virlina."
o,
'ne of the early steps of the method
Norman learned was to knock on doors,
almost 600 of them throughout Heth-
wood. Phil and Torsten Sponenberg, a
couple in their late twenties who had
moved to Blacksburg so Phil could take a
position on the veterinary faculty of the
university, met Norman this way.
"He knocked on otir door about two
days after we moved in," said Torsten.
"Phil was taking a nap; we were ex-
hausted from having moved in. So I said,
'Could you please come back?* I know he
must have thought, 'Oh, these people are
putting me off.' When he came back, I
was out of town, so Phil will have to take
up the story."
"We had a conversation," Phil went on.
"I grilled him and he grilled me. And we
seemed to have a lot of theological points
in common. We came from a small
church, and we were hoping to find a
large church where we could sit on the
back pew and be ignored. After he
knocked on the door, I really prayed
about it. I think God has a sense of
humor. To be in town two days and then
have this guy from this new church knock
on your door! It seemed pretty funny. But
I think it's where God wanted us to be.
He was making sure we didn't make any
other commitments."
Norman called it "providential" that he
14 MESSENGER January 1983
God
knocked on their door just two days after
they moved in.
"Because I was the first one who came
to invite them, they at least came and
checked out the Church of the Brethren.
They liked what they saw and heard and
the people they met. You couldn't ask for
more devoted people than the Sponen-
bergs."
Nancy Bowman, one of the organists at
Good Shepherd and director of the
County Office on Youth for Montgomery
County, said, "I do think it was God's
will that a church be in Blacksburg, Va.
I'll just give you an example. None of us
has any ability in finance. And suddenly
there is George Ferrell, who is looking for
a church. George has all the expertise and
he fits in. Now, I don't think that just
happened. We needed him and his family.
Whatever our needs are God will
provide."
The strength of the new group has
come from constant prayer, said Jim
Craig, geology professor at Virginia Tech.
"There are an awful lot of people who
really are peuticipating in this effort — peo-
ple we've never met, whose names we've
never heard. Yet we know we have their
prayers. I think that's a tremendous
strength.
"I think everyone involved in the church
has really prayed constantly that we would
move at the will of God, not at our own
will," Jim adds. "It's very easy to get
ahead of things in your own will. I think
this is how God has led throughout."
Don Flory, speaking about the joint
planning between the steering committee
and the service committee (Good
Shepherd's preliminary church board),
said, "We need to have the vision come
from God and from the people of God,
not so much from preconceived notions
and from what other churches look like.
We have to set goals deliberately and
slowly enough from the Bible, from our
own spiritual needs, and from the way the
Lord guides us, so what will be built will
minister in that community best."
Don tells a story about the decision to
call Norman to be pastor. Five or six can-
didates came to Blacksburg to be inter-
viewed. One of them, an articulate pastor
with good credentials, who had ac-
•
«#^fci^ A
^^^^L* ^^^S^ ''"' ''''^9''
liming PVN"
h ,^^1B- :i^
1 ^i * ^'
r *
-. -^*^'J
Norman Harsh counsels with Virlina district executive Owen Stultz in the bleachers during
"Dunker Day at Virginia Tech. " Proximity to a university with many Brethren students is a
plus for the new church. Below: Good Shepherd is temporarily meeting in the Hethwood
Community Center. Here the congregation is holding its first love feast and communion.
complished a lot in his previous parish,
asked, "How do you know that this thing
is going to get off the ground?"
"I checked him off the list," Don said.
"I figured if he had to ask that question,
he was not going to make it at Blacks-
burg!"
The same question came up in
Norman's interview, but he gave the
answer. "The Blacksburg church," Nor-
man said, "exists right at this point in the
mind of God. This committee is beginning
to hope and dream on it, but God alone
has a dream of what he wants."
The people at Blacksburg will be sur-
prised I chose to write about this. They
are not people who lace every sentence
with words about God. Indeed they talk
sparingly, as though God's will were a
precious gift to be opened and enjoyed,
but not squandered. In this respect,
nothing they said would make Brethren
uncomfortable.
But when the talk turned to their
deepest experiences and there was no
other way to account for what was hap-
pening, they talked about God's will
without apology. Their testimony seems to
confirm Norman's faith that the church
being created in Blacksburg is a church
that exists in the mind of God. D
James H. Lehman is a free-lance writer and pro-
ducer of audiovisuals from Elgin, III.
January 1983 messenger 15
New beginnings ...
Eleven new faces in the Church of the Brethren
by Judd Blouch
"Facing a whole new population is what
new church development is about," says
Merle Crouse, director of church exten-
sion and development for the denomina-
tion.
A prime example of meeting a new
population is Antelope Park's outreach
to Khmers, described on pages 13-15.
Or starting a base community on the
Puerto Rican island of Culebra (see
March, page 5). Or revitalization
ministries at Germantown, Pa., and
Broadfording, Md.
In terms of actual new congregations,
the Church of the Brethren now has
11 — well on the road toward the General
Board goal of 15 by the end of 1984.
Where are these new churches, and
what are they doing? Here's a brief look
at each one.
Carol Stream, III.
When Pastor Don Leiter of Christ
Church of the Brethren says he has
reached out to the community of Carol
Stream, believe him. Don became ac-
quainted with the town's residents by
knocking on 3,629 doors and greeting
1,331 people. This was an effort to make
the fellowship a recognizable force in the
community, he says. The 11 -member
group is currently meeting in a school, but
has purchased several acres in a growing
neighborhood. Already 2,000 housing
units are located within a mile and a half
of the building site, and many more are
planned.
Blacksburg, Va.
Good Shepherd Church of the Brethren
celebrated its first anniversary in October,
but the church's Ust of accomplishments
makes it look about 10 years old. In addi-
tion to regular Sunday school classes for
adults and children, the church sponsored
16 MESSENGER January 1983
a six -session community day camp last
summer. The fellowship has also been in-
strumental in the formation of the
Brethren Student Fellowship at nearby
Virginia Tech. As part of its anniversary
celebration. Good Shepherd sponsored
"Dunker Day" at a Virginia Tech football
game in October.
Fremont, Calif.
In the San Francisco Bay area, where
social and geological tremors are com-
monplace, the Church of the Brethren is
spreading a strong foundation with an ex-
ploratory effort in Fremont. The new
church is a spinoff from the Oakland con-
gregation, and Fumitaka Matsuoka is
pastor of both. The new church is em-
phasizing inspiring worship, stimulating
Christian education, and nurturing of the
community, he says. "We endeavor to
reach out to the unchurched in the San
Francisco Bay area."
Lewiston, Maine
A vacant Jewish synagogue had its
doors reopened recently by a different
group of worshipers — a two-year-old
Brethren fellowship. The fellowship at
Lewiston had its first service in the
synagogue June 20, 1982, with Mervin
Keller as pastor. The group is sponsored
by Atlantic Northeast District and the
Brethren Revival Fellowship. The small
fellowship has only 19 members but has
already started a women's group and a
newspaper feature, and has an average of
45 each Sunday.
Massillon, Ohio
Trinity Church of the Brethren was one
of the first congregations begun when the
church growth program was launched in
the mid-1970s. Since then the church has
grown in size and stability — and without a
core group of Brethren. Only about 30
percent of the church's 83 members are of
Brethren background. Pastor Herbert A.
Fisher and his church began worshiping in
a school, but recently moved into an at-
tractive, modem building.
Lampeter, Pa.
When Mechanic Grove Church of the
Brethren, near Lancaster, considered ex-
panding eight years ago, one member sug-
gested an alternative — starting a new
church. Now, the seeds sown by Mechanic
Grove and its pastor, Earl Ziegler, have
grown into the 128-member Lampeter
congregation. Pastor Curtis Dubble and
his parishioners recently moved into a new
church building and operate with a budget
of $77,000. The congregation has gotten
in touch with the town of Lampeter by
visiting homes and throwing a pig roast
for the community.
Northern San Diego County, Calif.
"It's the newest of the new" is the way
Glenn Stanford, pastor of the North San
Diego County Fellowship, describes his
youthful church. The fellowship is being
aided by the San Diego church and other
congregations in Pacific Southwest
District as it goes along the road to
maturity. Thus far the group has been
holding weekly Bible meetings, monthly
fellowships and recreational outings. One
of the fellowship's toughest jobs so far
has been picking an appropriate name.
Brattleboro, Vt.
At Bethany Seminary, Dennis Coffman,
Paul Grout, and Dick Schreckhise all felt
called to a joint ministry. But they weren't
sure where or when. The when is now,
and the where is Genesis Church of the
Brethren in the Vermont towns of Brattle-
boro and Putney. The three ministers and
their wives moved to Vermont in August
1981, and have already made an impres-
sion on the area. Soon after the Genesis
project was founded, its leaders helped
Left: The Lampeter church's modern facil-
ity occupies a spacious tract of land south
of Lancaster, Pa. Below: Jorge Toledo, a
lay preacher in the Vega Baja group in
Puerto Rico, speaks at the dedication of the
church's new site.
save a local emergency shelter, and they Vega Baja, P.R.
have also initiated a worship program at Jaime Rivera is
Brattleboro Retreat, a mental hospital. not a man who
wastes time. Pas-
Panorama City, Calif. tor of Iglesia de
A few years ago. Panorama City los Hermanos
Church of the Brethren was unknowingly Cristo el Seiior
nurturing a new Brethren church. When a (Christ the Lord
congregation of Korean Christians needed Church of the
a place to worship. Panorama City saw Brethren) in Vega
the need and let the Koreans use their Baja, he already
church. Now, Pastor Dan Kim and 34 has plans for the
members are the Valley Korean Church of new fellowship's
the Brethren. The process was aided by unbuilt church
Howard Yu, a deacon in the McFarland building: He plans
church, who explained Brethren traditions to start a school,
and beliefs to Pastor Kim in Korean. The neighborhood
where he lives is
Rio Prieto, P.R. full of young fam-
Once the mountainous, agricultural area ilies with elemen-
in Puerto Rico was a preaching point for tary-age children,
Brethren ministers working out of the but the school
Castaner Iglesia de los Hermanos (Church there is over-
of the Brethren). Now, 25 yeeirs later, Rio crowded. Shenan-
Prieto is a functioning Brethren fellowship doah District is
located on a scenic mountaintop. David funding the con-
Rittenhouse, former pastor at Castaiier struction of the
and moderator at Rio Prieto, says about new building, and
40 people gather every Sunday at the lofty Jaime hopes to
chapel to hold services with "normal Latin have some classes
enthusiasm." started by fall. D
January 1983 messenger 17
Caesar's incense
Although the government has the clout to really lay it on the kids,
the kids have no power at all to require the government to explain,
reason about, and justify the propriety of its registration edict.
by Vernard EUer
This past summer the Washington Post
carried a running debate regarding
military registration, with two editorials
on one side and a number of Letters to
the Editor in response. The thrust of the
initial editorial was that the law should be
obeyed simply because it is the law and
that there are no valid grounds for con-
scientious objection, because the law
represents a "mildest possible intrusion
upon personal liberty"— not unlike the law
requiring that drivers stop at stop signs.
Let me introduce another example of
"mildest intrusion." In the Roman Empire
there was a law requiring that every
citizen recognize the deity of Caesar by
offering a pinch of incense to be burnt at
the altar. This was certainly intended as
the mildest possible intrusion: All you
have to do is stop by a temple, burn the
pinch of incense (the government pro-
viding everything necessary), and we don't
care what you do or who you worship
before or after that act.
Yet there are two conspicuous dif-
ferences between the stop-sign law and
the incense law. First, the penalty for fail-
ing to burn the incense was death. Ob-
viously, something more than a mildest in-
trusion is involved. The penalty for failing
to register is a felony conviction
punishable by five years in prison and a
$10,000 fine. Granted, that isn't a death
penalty; but you can decide whether
military registration belongs with the stop
sign or the incense burning.
The second conspicuous difference is
that consideration of the stop-sign edict
immediately will produce cogent reasons
and evidence showing that the law is just,
appropriate, helpful, and even necessary
to the public welfare. The incense law, on
the other hand, offers no rationale at all.
It can be understood as nothing other
than an arbitrary exercise of governmental
power serving no purpose except to show
who's boss.
To my mind, the most unjust aspect of
18 MESSENGER January 1983
the current registration is that, although
the government obviously has the clout to
really lay it on the kids, the kids have no
power at all to require the government to
explain, reason about, and justify the pro-
priety of its edict. "It's the law, and you
obey it." Enough said!
Specifically, regarding first the Presi-
dent of the United States, who orders
registration into existence:
1) Registration has been ordered in the
absence of any military emergency or
threat. At the time Congress was for-
mulating this legislation, candidate Ronald
Reagan wrote an open letter stating:
"Perhaps the most fundamental objection
to draft registration is moral. Only in the
most severe national emergency does the
government have a claim to the man-
datory service of its young people. In any
other time a draft or draft registration
destroys the very values that our society is
committed to defending."
Ahat hardly sounds like the Post's
"mildest possible intrusion," does it? In
the face of the President's refusal to ex-
plain his change of moral judgment, what
conclusion can be drawn other than that
we are dealing with an arbitrary exercise
of governmental power for the sake of
showing who's boss?
2) Registration has been ordered at a
time when enlistments are running over
quota and there is no foreseeable need for
conscription. So what is the reasonable
purpose of this registration? Until some-
one shows us an actual need for the law,
it is bound to stand as an arbitrary exer-
cise of governmental power.
3) If, as is the case, the law is justified
as being an information-gathering device
essential to the identifying and locating of
potential (if and when) draftees, then
someone ought to explain why the govern-
ment has chosen deliberately to bypass the
obvious, easy, efficient, and inexpensive
means of achieving this end in favor of a
registration that is not working, that is
terribly expensive both in money and
morale, and that is creating nothing but
hassle.
The fact that Selective Service is now
msdling letters to nonregistrants is proof
enough that the government already holds
a better Ust than the one it is trying to
compile through registration. If it is legal
for the government to use Social Security
and IRS lists for mailings to nonregis-
trants, there is no reason under the sun
why it could not be made legal (if and
when) to send out induction notices from
those same lists.
Second, regarding the Congress of the
United States, which was responsible for
the registration legislation:
4) Why is it not incumbent upon Con-
gress to explain why it found it ai>-
propriate to attach to nonregistration the
penalty of a felony conviction punishable
by five years and $10,(X)0? Is Congress
prepared to argue that this is indeed a
punishment that fits the crime? For that
matter, what precisely is the crime this
punishment supposedly fits?
Because Enten was the first to be found
guilty of it, let's see what crime he actually
was guilty of. He was not guilty of keeping
vital information from the government.
His original letter to Selective Service pro-
vided that and it undoubtedly appears in
the Social Security and IRS lists.
Enten is not guilty of evading, hiding
from, or running away from the govern-
ment. He has made himself available at
every turn — even going to the government
rather than making it come to him (a very
strange criminal).
Enten is not guilty of refusing to serve
his country. Enten offered to give two or
more years of service (without pay) if the
government would allow him to serve in a
nonmilitary way. {Enten has since been
assigned two years of public service. See
news story on page 5. —Ed.)
Enten is not guilty of being disrespect-
ful or abusive toward authority or in any
way unpatriotic. At the trial, both the
prosecution and the judge were quick to
attest the very opposite, calUng Enten an
honorable person who loves his
country and is concerned for its people.
So of what was Enten found guilty?
He was found guilty of refusing to
sign his name on the prescribed line of a
prescribed form.
And why should not Congress tell us
why it finds it appropriate that this
crime be penalized as a felony
punishable by five years and $10,000?
Running a stop sign costs one a traffic
ticket. I contend that Enten didn't even
do that much; he stopped at the stop
sign and refused only to kiss Caesar's
ring in the process. But the gross
disparity between crime and the punish-
ment carries real overtones of Roman
incense-burning, does it not?
5) The avowed purpose of the govern-
ment's entire effort is to be prepared to
conscript in case the need should suddenly
arise. That preparation requires two ac-
tions, neither of which is of any value
without the other: (a) the kids must
register (or at least a list of possible in-
ductees must be compiled); and (b) Con-
I
gress must provide the legislation by
which conscription would proceed.
What justice is there in Congress
condemning kids as felons for failing
in their responsibihty, while Congress
itself has made no move in fulfilling its?
Congress, through its legislation, tells
the kids to register or else. The kids say,
"Register for what?" And Congress
responds, "Shut up and register. We'll say
what you're registering for (and what the
terms of service will be) if and when we
feel Hke doing so." I know one prominent
attorney who contends that this is "en-
trapment." I say it is at least an arbitrary
exercise of power unrestrained by any
sense of justice.
So what the kids are getting from the
government these days is sheer
demand — without any explanation,
reason, wisdom, or appeal to intelligence.
What they get from the government is
what they also get from the Post editorial:
The law must be obeyed simply because it
is the law (justified by the fact that it is
the mildest possible intrusion upon per-
sonal Hberty). And this line puts the US
Government into the most compromising
situation imaginable.
Not too long ago, the US helped con-
duct the Nuremberg War Criminal Trials,
in which people were tried, convicted, and
punished under the premise that, in the
face of an arbitrary, immoral law, people
are obligated ("obligated," not simply
"allowed") to follow their own consciences
by disobeying that law. They, in fact, are
to be punished for failing to disobey such
laws.
Yet now, in the matter of registration,
we have completely reversed our field by
maintaining that there is no possibihty of
any valid conscientious objection to a
military registration law. Instead of en-
couraging conscience and even obligating
people to follow it, we have arbitrarily
outlawed it. We have joined Hitler in his
view of the matter: Laws need not be ex-
plained, rationalized, or defended; they
are only to be obeyed.
And this brings us to the matter of
religious conscience and back to Caesar's
incense. Undoubtedly there were all sorts
of Roman citizens and editorieil writers
who didn't believe that Caesar was God
but who didn't believe that anybody or
anything else was either. So, of course,
for them it was the easiest and most ob-
vious thing to say, "This incense- burning
nonsense need cause no trouble; it is the
mildest possible intrusion on personal
liberty. Go ahead and sign."
But for the Christians whose whole lives
were based upon a commitment to their
God as representing ultimate authority,
this was the harshest possible intrusion
upon their personal, religious liberty —
because granting that authority to Caesar
inevitably would be denying it to God.
Now editorial writers certainly are free to
speak about what is, for them, the mildest
possible intrusion. But they are way out
of bounds when they start telling other
people where and how their consciences
should be allowed to operate.
Great numbers of these Christians ac-
January 1983 messenger 19
'Now editorial writers certainly are free to
speak about what is, for them, the mildest
possible intrusion. But they are way out of
bounds when they start telling other people
where and how their consciences should be
allowed to operate. '
cepted the death penalty rather than burn
the pinch of incense. And both the fact
that the Christians accepted death and
that the government was so quick to hand
it out are proof enough that each side
understood what was the issue at
stake — and it had nothing to do with
"mildest possible intrusions" or with in-
cense, any more than Enten's trial had
anything to do with the government's hav-
ing access to information about him.
Caesar was conducting an arbitrary ex-
ercise of power to force people to knuckle
under and recognize him as their supreme
authority — the one thing conscience would
not allow the Christians to do. And what
else, what else possibly could the US
Government be doing in exerting the full
force of the law to get Enten's signature
onto the dotted line it specifies?
The Post editorial is wrong when it sug-
gests that rehgious conscience has no
standing or validity under the law. It is
true, of course, that the registration law
itself makes no provision for religious con-
science — and in that it may be unconstitu-
tional. But this nation has a Constitution
with a First Amendment guaranteeing the
free exercise of religion. And the efforts of
editorial writers (or anyone else) to
prescribe where other people's religious
scruples are to be accepted as valid and
where not are themselves infringements of
that constitutional guarantee.
The fact of the matter is that the US
Supreme Court has a well-defined three-
step procedure for deciding issues of free
exercise. The rest of us would do well to
become familiar with it and use it in mak-
ing our own judgments.
In the first step it is to be determined
whether the defendant's scruples truly are
sincere. In Enten's case, he has the
testimony of the prosecution (the govern-
ment), the court (the judge), and the
almost unanimous testimony of the press
that his beliefs are indeed sincere. Fur-
ther, it was demonstrated in court that.
more than just an expression of personal
sincerity, Enten's position is an expression
of a Church of the Brethren tradition that
has confronted the US Government (or
earlier governments) for almost 300 years
now. Time after time after time. Brethren
conscience against war has been legally
recognized as legitimate and sincere.
In the second step, it is assumed that
the free exercise must be granted — unless
the prosecution can demonstrate that, in
the granting of it, vital interests of the
state would be seriously threatened.
"Caesar will be displeased to get anything
less than 100 percent compliance with his
whim" simply will not wash.
G.
liven the fact that Enten has already
provided SSS with all the information it
needs, it is hard to see how it could be
argued that for him to be excused from
that one particularly placed signature
would do anyone any harm at all.
But closer to the essence, it already has
been legally established beyond all ques-
tion that the government can afford to
allow conscientious objection to war with-
out risking its abihty to operate militarily.
The precedents are there; there is no point
in further discussion. Now it is true that
those precedents concern conscientious
objection at the time of induction rather
than registration; but it is going to be very
hard to argue that, although free exercise
does not threaten the state's interests at
induction, it would at registration. The
reverse would more likely be the fact of
the matter.
If, as appears to be the case, the
registration law is being used to deny the
free exercise of conscientious objection to
war, it would seem inevitable that it will
be overturned upon reaching the Supreme
Court. It may well be that the government
is now making felons out of people for
disobeying a law that is itself unconstitu-
tional.
Thirdly, the Supreme Court guideline
says, if in the second step it is found that
free exercise ought not be granted because
of the damage it would do to state in-
terests, then it is required that diligent ef-
forts be made to find a compromise that
will respect the conscientious scruples of
the defendent even while avoiding injury
to the state. The previous law that allow-
ed conscientious objectors to do alter-
native service is one such compromise.
Yet, regarding conscience and registra-
tion. Step Three could be the source of
the easiest solution of aU — a solution ac-
tually beneficial for all parties. We could
simply drop this stupid incense-business
of registration — thus freeing the objectors
from having to betray their consciences
and the government from the albatross of
slapping some kids hard enough to scare
the others into signing up (which action is
already seen to be having the very op-
posite of the intended effect). Instead, we
could simply instruct SSS to go with the
better lists it already has, send induction
notices from those, and deal with con-
cientious objection at the proper point,
through legally estabhshed procedures.
But my foremost hope regarding this
writeup is that, contrary to editorializers
who put down and belittle conscience, we
come to appreciate the fact that our Con-
stitution and pohtical tradition are quick to
protect and encourage such conscience as
one of the most precious commodities of
our system. It is not, of course, that every
conscientious objector automatically is to
be taken as right. Yet, if we start outlaw-
ing, belittling, vihfying, felonizing, impris-
oning, and silencing these voices of con-
science, the Repubhc for which we have
lived and died will not long endure. D
Bernard Eller is a professor of religion at the
University of La ierne, a General Board member, and
the father of Enten Eller, who is the first nonregis-
trant to be tried under current registration law. Copies
of the transcript of the trial are available from Ver-
nard Eller for SIO.
20 MESSENGER January 1983
(g(o)[l[y][fin][n]
by Ramona Smith Moore
A vote for Vancouver
w.
hat do a Methodist from Brazil, an
Orthodox from Bulgaria, a Palestinian
Quaker from the West Bank, and a
Brethren from Indiana have in common?
One link among them is that they are
among 400 million Christians in the world
whose churches belong to the World
Council of Churches. Next summer these
people and 900 other delegates from 100
countries representing more than 300
member churches worldwide will gather
for 17 days in Vancouver, B.C., for the
WCC's Sixth Assembly.
The Vancouver Assembly is one in the
sequence of Assemblies which have been
held every seven years since the WCC was
formed 33 years ago. There is no more
representative, worldwide Christian
gathering than the WCC Assembly.
Similar to our Annual Conference, the
Assembly will meet for worship, business,
and discussion around the theme "Jesus
Christ-the Life of the World."
The Assembly will review the work of
the Council over the past seven years and
will set agenda and priorities for the com-
ing seven years. More importantly, the
Assembly is the time when the churches
come together to see what they have to
say to each other and then what they have
in common to say to the world.
But why is it important for the Church
of the Brethren to be at the Assembly?
Why are we part of the WCC at all?
These are not just rhetorical questions.
During a preparatory meeting in Montreal
this past October for US and Canadian
delegates, I must honestly admit that for
most of one day I was ready to say, "I am
not going to Vancouver. It's all just a
waste of time. Let's forget the WCC."
The WCC does have its faults. It's
heavy in bureaucracy. It issues lots of
papers and statements which maybe get to
the church leaders but seldom filter down
or affect the average churchleader. The
Assembly is full of politicking to see who
gets one of the coveted seats on the WCC
Central Committee. And then there are
concerns and disagreements over the
WCC programs and emphases. With so
many delegates of different backgrounds,
theologies, and opinions, it is difficult to
get some understanding of what the WCC
should be doing.
Yet upon further reflection and interac-
tion I came away from Montreal believing
it is important for the Church of the
Brethren to be in Vancouver.
Membership in the WCC is not just
membership in another organization that
we can join or drop out of at will depend-
ing on whether we are in agreement with
all the organization's activities. Our mem-
bership in the WCC is a theological state-
ment of who we are in the Body of Christ
and how we see the church acting in the
world. Our membership is a visible sign of
our commitment to Christian unity and
fellowship.
X he World Council of Churches and its
Assembly give us an opportunity to be in
dialog with our Christian sisters and
brothers from around the world. In this
dialog there are both tension and renewal.
We are moved to see that the Christian
faith is larger than Brethrenism, larger
than white, Protestant America, and
leu'ger even than the "foreign" churches we
take credit for establishing with our mis-
sionaries. We are forced to admit that
many times we confuse being a Christian
with being an American. We are forced to
acknowledge that we do not have a corner
on goodness, truth, and salvation.
Our participation in the WCC lets us
witness and celebrate the richness and the
diversity of the Christian faith. It awes
and inspires us. It stretches us, deepening
our faith and our concept of faithfulness.
And it makes us ponder what Christian
discipleship and love mean in a global
context.
Our voice in the WCC may seem small.
We have only 2 votes out of 900 at the
Assembly. It will probably be a long time
before we again get a member elected to
the WCC Central Committee.
But we can and have made a contribu-
tion. In fact, the Church of the Brethren
has made a bigger impact on the WCC
than many other churches of similar size.
Our records in peace and service are ones
that are known, appreciated, and hstened
to by many member churches and staff of
the WCC.
Regardless of the size of our impact or
whether we "win" when the votes are
counted, it is important for us to be a
part of the Assembly and the WCC for
the faith and witness that we can share
and for the insights and challenges that
nurture us within the global Christian
family.
In Colossians 3:11, Paul writes, "Here
there cannot be Greek and Jew, circum-
cised and uncircumcised, barbarian,
Scythian, slave, free man, but Christ is
all, and in all."
And in Ephesians 4:4-6, he writes,
"There is one body and one Spirit, just as
you were called to the one hope that
belongs to your call, one Lord, one faith,
one baptism, one God and Father of us
all, who is above all and through all and
in all."
Above all else, that affirmation of the
Apostle Paul is why I believe membership
in the WCC is important for the Church
of the Brethren and why I am going to
Vancouver next summer. D
Ramona Smith Moore, a member of the Man-
chester congregation in North Manchester, Ind., is one
of the Church of the Brethren delegates lo the World
Council of Churches.
January 1983 messenger 21
A century of MESSENGER
For a hundred years the Church of the
Brethren has had a single denominational
magazine. On July 3, 1883, James Quinter
and H. B. Brumbaugh published the first
issue of The Gospel Messenger.
The new magazine replaced two prede-
cessors — Primitive Christian and The
Brethren at Work. Primitive Christian was
a direct descendant of The Monthly
Gospel- Visiter (sic), founded by Henry
Kurtz in 1851.
It would not be until 1897 that The
Gospel Messenger would be adopted as
the official denominational organ, but
since 1883 it had been accepted as such.
No new competitors appeared on the
scene, and old ones gradually faded away.
That Messenger of a century ago
looked more like a tabloid newspaper
than it did today's photo-filled magazine.
No graphics broke up the gray copy, and
the editors apparently assumed their
readers knew everyone and every place in
the Brotherhood. (An instructive news
item in the first issue tells the readers that
'"Brother McCann' spent last Sunday
some ten miles out in the country . . .
preaching for the brethren there.")
Considering that today we have readers
who grumble because in 1965 the
magazine logo was shortened to Messen-
ger, it is interesting to notice that in the
very first issue of The Gospel Messenger,
the editors began a consistent practice of
referring to it in their articles as simply
"the Messenger. "
In his first editorial in the new
magazine, editor Brumbaugh pledged
himself and co-editor Quinter to " . . .
continue to labor with the ability given us
for the good of the church and the pro-
motion of the Master's cause. The peace,
union, and prosperity of the church (this
was just after the denominational splits
with the "Old Orders" and the "Pro-
gressives") lie closest to our heart, and
everything that shall tend toward this
most desirable end, we shall advocate."
The editors of 1983 could well repeat
Brumbaugh's pledge as we begin
Messenger's second century. Throughout
this year we will be publishing items in
Messenger highlighting the anniversary,
and we solicit from our readers the same
indulgence and support that James
Quinter and H. B. Brumbaugh sought a
hundred years ago.— The Editors
Editors and window-looking
Kenneth I. Morse, former editor of Mes-
senger (1950-1971) and now coordinator
of historical resources for the General Ser-
vices Commission, is noted for many
talents, including hymn and poetry writing.
Perhaps he is less known as a Brethren
good brother, when asked what he saw at
the publishing house, observed, "I don't
see why they don't give Brother Moore
(J. H. Moore, Gospel Mesenger editor)
something to do. I passed his door
repeatedly, but all he did was either write
Vernard Eller J. H.
history buff. From the store of historical
anecdotes with which Ken can regale an
audience comes this personal memory.
« « *
Visitors to the Brethren Publishing
House, during the 60 years it was housed
in downtown Elgin, 111., used to be
fascinated by printing, binding, and mail-
ing activities, but not always clear as to
what went on in the editorial offices. One
Moore Edward Frantz
or read. All the others were working."
During the time when Edward Frantz
was editor, another visitor, a Pennsylvania
farmer, was disappointed when he found
Frantz gazing reflectively out the window,
regarding that activity as a waste of time.
(Evidently he had not read many of
Frantz's closely reasoned editorials.)
In the early 1950s, Vernard Eller, the
youthful editor of Horizons, had not yet
earned his national reputation as a writer.
He once conmiented on the stories about
Moore and Frantz and noted that editorial
ideas could be gleaned by looking out his
window. A year later he was almost ready
to give up window-looking after he
watched sign painters use the back wall of
the Rialto theater in Elgin, straight across
the Fox River from the publishing house,
for an advertisement showing an 80-foot
giant carrying 9-foot glasses of beer. The
sign bore this message, "Meister Brau
Beer — brewed for the Ukes of you."
Before he shut off the view, however,
EUer's quick mind had translated Meister
Brau into "The Master's Brew," and he
was already comparing the glass of beer
with Jesus' cup of suffering. Eller's
editorial concluded, "The brew of the
Master was bitter; there was nothing
likeable in it. In fact he prayed that the
cup would be taken from him .... So
choose ye this day which cup you will
drink — the Meister Brau, brewed for the
likes of you, or the Master's brew, brewed
for the life of you." — Kenneth I. Morse
Kenneth I. Morse, former editor of MESSENGER, «
coordinator of historical resources for the Church of
the Brethren. He is a major contributor to the
Brethren Encyclopedia.
22 MESSENGER January 1983
msMieimi
FAMILY
MINISTRY
Family ministry in the congregation
should be determined by the needs of the
families, and the place to start is with an
awareness of the types of families present.
How many households are in your con-
gregation? What kinds of families
do they represent? How many single-parent
families do you have? Single-person house-
holds? Two-adult households?
A congregational household inventory is
useful in planning a congregational family
ministries program. You will need a "Con-
gregational Household Inventory" sheet
for each household and one "Household
Inventory Summary Sheet" for the con-
gregation. These may be ordered from
The Brethren Press for $3.50 per hundred.
Another helpful resource is a General
Board paper entitled "Recommendations
from the White House Conference on
Families," which includes suggestions for
congregational activities in family
ministry. Request a free copy from the
Life Cycle Ministries Office, 1451 Dundee
Ave., Elgin, IL 60120.
Family lifestyle, values, and activities can
educate and give witness to peace and
justice. The following three books,
available from The Brethren Press, tell a
family how.
Parenting for Peace and Justice, by
Kathleen and James McGinnis, Orbis
Books, $4.95.
This excellent paperback gives
numerous examples of educational ex-
periences that help family members
become aware of peace and justice con-
cerns. But more importantly, it provides
an approach to parenting that helps all
members become global citizens.
Church of the Brethren concerns are
clearly woven into the fabric of this book.
Chapter titles include "Stewardship/
Simplicity," "Nonviolence in the Family,"
"Helping Children Deal with Violence in
our World," "Sex-role Stereotyping," and
"Prayer and Parenting."
Peacemaking: Family Activities for
Justice and Peace, by Jacqueline Haessly,
Pauhst Press, $2.45.
With many family activities to educate
for peace and global vision, this resource
is also close to the hearts of Brethren. The
first section, called "Steppingstones to
Peace," includes chapters on "Respecting
our Differences," "Challenge of Coopera-
tion," and "Creative Resolution of Con-
flict." The second section is called
"Families in a Global Village," and ex-
plores our glob?l interdependence.
Try This: Family Adventures Toward
Shalom, Discipleship Resources, $3.50.
This resource contains activities for
groups of families as well as individual
families, and is especially helpful for
parents of elementary and secondary
school age children.
Educational activities focus on
areas such as "Understanding the
Biblical Vision of Shalom,"
"Valuing All People," "Cre-
ative Conflict," and "Caring
for and Sharing the World's
Resources." — Ralph L.
Detrick
Ralph L. Detrick is Parish
Ministries sK^ff/or person aware-
ness, life cycle ministries, and
youth/young adult ministries.
January 1983 messenger ?3
ita
Gandhi: Lessons in nonviolence
by Bea Rothenbuecher
The wisdom and words of peace of the
great Indian leader reach out to us with
renewed urgency in Richard Atten-
borough's epic new film.
Throughout his life, Mohandas K. Gan-
dhi believed in the unity of humankind
under one God. Unwavering in his
religious tolerance, he included Christian
and Muslim ethics along with Hindu in his
victory will be a living death for the na-
tion that emerges victorious."
In 1962 producer /director Sir Richard
Attenborough read a biography of Gandhi
and a collection of the Indian leader's
own writings. One sentence struck him so
forcibly that he committed himself to at-
tempt to make a film about the great
man. That sentence: "It has always been a
mystery to me how men can feel them-
selves honored by the humiliation of their
fellow beings" (The Words of Gandhi,
Mahatma Gandhi (Ben Kingsley) shares his philosophy with a reporter (Martin Sheen).
teachings. The title Mahatma (great soul)
refiected personal prestige so great that he
could unify the many divergent groups in
the Indian nationalist movement.
As their spiritual and poUtical mentor,
Gandhi led his people for 30 years, turn-
ing his creed of nonviolent resistance
against injustice (satyagraha—\\o\dmg to
the truth, or "truth force") into an impor-
tant tool in the struggle for independence
from Britain. In January 1948, five
months after India achieved in-
dependence, Gandhi was assassinated.
Today his methods of civil disobedience
continue to be used by many protest
movements. His words are as relevant to
the antinuclear and arms control move-
ments today as they were to the civil-
rights movement in the 1960s. Gandhi
reminded us: "If the mad race for arma-
ments continues, it is bound to result in a
slaughter such as has never occurred in
history. If there is a victor left, the very
selected by Richard Attenborough, New-
market Press, 1982).
The film project became an obsession
that changed the next 20 years of Atten-
borough's life. Finally, he brought to-
gether the Indian, British, and American
investors who agreed to put up the $22.5
million required for the project. Now, at
long last, the film has had its world
premiere — in New Delhi on Nov. 30, 1982.
It opened in several large US cities and in
London and Toronto on Dec. 8 and can
be seen nationally beginning in February.
Gandhi covers 55 years — from 1893,
when the young Gandhi arrives in South
Africa as an attorney to conduct a case
for an Indian firm, to his death by a Hin-
du fanatic's bullet. The film begins with
Gandhi's first experience with discrimina-
tion — when he is hterally thrown off a
train for riding first-class.
While Attenborough brings an inherent
integrity to this work in which his deep
reverence for Gandhi is clearly evident, he
makes full use of filmmaking techniques
to achieve desired effects. As Gandhi
travels the land in an effort to get to
know more about his people's problems,
he reaches out to touch them. Almost
palpably we sense their poverty, their need
for his guidance and compassion.
Ben Kingsley, in the title role, is out-
standing. He brings to life in a thoroughly
convincing manner the transformation of
the British-trained barrister into one of
history's great men of peace. A member
of the Royal Shakespeare Company,
Kingsley is half Indian and bears a strik-
ing resemblance to Gandhi.
The world's
by Shantilal Bhagat
I was deeply impressed by the Columbia
Pictures movie on Mahatma Gandhi.
Without any hesitation, I would recom-
mend it strongly to everyone as a portrait
of the use of nonviolence as a method of
social change. For me personally, seeing
this movie was hving again the last 12 years
of Mahatma Gandhi's life on this earth.
I was about 10 when I got my first
glimpse of Mahatma Gandhi. His message
to us then was that swaraj (self-rule) was
our birthright and we would obtain it
from the British by nonviolent means. As
a college student in the early 1940s I got
to see him several times but never had a
chance to talk to him.
My personal involvement in the Indian
independence movement came my sopho-
more year. The All-India Congress Com-
mittee has passed a resolution in August
1942 asking the British to "quit India."
Seeing the potential threat in that resolu-
tion, the British arrested all Indian
leaders, including Gandhi and his wife,
Kasturbai. The arrest of leaders produced
a strong reaction — and some violence — in
the country. All schools and colleges were
shut down because the students went on
an indefinite strike as a protest against the
governmental action.
As students, we participated in mass
24 MESSENGER January 1983
;we need today
In Kingsley's interpretation of the role,
Gandhi is a very human person. His
natural way of projecting the character's
spirituality helps to keep the film from
becoming too worshipful. Attenborough
followed the advice of the late Indian
prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, who
told him, "Whatever you do, don't deify
Gandhi. He was too great a man."
(Nehru, Gandhi's protege, became leader
of the Indian National Congress when the
older man withdrew.)
Great attention has been paid to
historical accuracy in the screenplay by
John Briley, which does not gloss over
some of the very ugly chapters in the
struggle for Indian independence. Great
Britain's 1919 massacre in the Sikh city of
Amritsar is graphically created. Edward
Fox plays General Reginald Dyer, who
commanded his troops to fire upon Indian
nationalists, killing over a thousand men,
women, and children. When brought
before a government panel for question-
ing. Dyer replied that he wanted to teach
the Indians a lesson they would not
forget.
Well-known British actors, including Sir
John Gielgud, John Mills, and Trevor
Howard, are cast as the British adminis-
trators in India. Ian Charleson, seen
recently in Chariots of Fire, portrays a
Church of England missionary and hfe-
long friend of Gandhi. Candice Bergen is
Margaret Bourke-White, the Life photo-
journaUst who interviewed Gandhi only
hours before his assassination. Martin
Sheen (Apocalypse Now) plays a New
York Times reporter, a role that is a com-
posite of several journalists who did much
to make the world aware of the impor-
tance of Gandhi and his program.
Gandhi runs three hours and 20
minutes, including an intermission, and is
rated PG. Columbia Pictures is the dis-
tributor. D
Bea Rolhenbuecher is a New York-based film criiic
who writes frequently for religious publications.
most Christ-like person
demonstrations and rallies, were arrested
by the thousands, but generally were not
jailed since all jails were full. The police
would haul us away in vans and drop us
off about 20 or 30 miles from the city so
we would have to walk back home. But
this did not deter us from repeating the
Shantilal Bhagat, a native of India, serves
the Brethren as UN representative.
demonstrations again and again. The de-
mand for independence was reaching a
climax.
My greatest shock came Jan. 30, 1948,
as I was entering a restaurant around 6
p.m. The radio interrupted its regular pro-
gram to announce that Mahatma Gandhi
had been assassinated in Delhi about an
hour earlier. There was complete silence
and many tear-filled eyes in that
restaurant.
The incongruence of it all was hard to
understand: death by an assassin's bullet
of a man who preached and practiced
nonviolence; the disposal of his body
becoming a vast state occasion organized
by the military authorities; the dead body
riding on a weapons carrier; the Governor
General's bodyguard of lancers riding at
the head of the procession; thousands of
soldiers, airmen, policemen, and sailors
outnumbering the tiny group of followers
who walked close to his body; a military
craft dropping his bones (left after the
cremation) into the river Ganges; hanging
his murderer under a law inherited from
the British without any protest from
Gandhi's old comrades. No one seemed to
question how some of these actions con-
trasted with what Gandhi believed and
died for.
What did Gandhi mean to me person-
ally? Mahatma Gandhi made Jesus and
his message real to me within the Indian
context. Here was a Hindu man who was
the world's most Christ-like person. He
lived Christ, but chose not be labeled a
Christian. His Hfe was living proof that
the Christian message was relevant and
practical even in the 20th century.
Trained in law rather than in religion or
philosophy, Gandhi had a consuming in-
terest in religion and sought to live a truly
religious life. He had no personal posses-
sions, but he left a legacy of dramatic,
life-penetrating ethical insights. Unlike the
dual ethics of many world leaders,
Gandhi's life and teachings were one. The
best exposition of his message was his
own biography.
Gandhi's greatest contribution was the
development of a new methodology to
fight evils. Through an amalgamation of
Hindu and Christian scriptures, together
with insights from Henry D. Thoreau
and Count Leo Tolstoy, he devised a
new method that he called satyagraha
(truth-force or soul-force). This method
could be used by groups, large or small,
even by whole nations, against the
greatest manifestations of the evils of
racism, imperialism, and war. He found
the term satyagraha preferable to
"passive resistance" or "civil disobe-
dience."
Satyagraha is an epochal social inven-
tion. Gandhi said that satyagraha is meant
for the common people, not just saints; it
is war without violence; it is loving op-
ponents and suffering to convert them; it
differentiates between the sin and the sin-
ner; it is the weapon of the brave, rather
than the weak; it demands discipline and
may entail self-sacrifice, suffering, fasting,
imprisonment, and death. But it has the
supreme virtue of providing means conso-
nant with the highest ends. D
Shantilal Bhagat is the United Nations represen-
tative on the World Ministries Commission Staff.
January 1983 messenger 2S
Reading on stewardship, menta
The Steward: A Biblical Symbol Come of
Age, by Douglas John Hall, Friendship Press,
1982, 147 pages, $7.95.
The Steward: A Biblical Symbol Come of
Age is by far the most definitive and the
most exciting book that has been pub-
lished on the subject of stewardship. La-
menting the fact that stewardship, in com-
mon eccelsiastical use, has been reduced
to a way of thinking about the acquisition
and exchange of monies and properties,
Hall seeks to restore stewardship to its
biblical concept. That understanding, says
the Canadian theologian, is a "holistic
metaphor for Christian and human life."
Hall argues that given the discouraging
picture of today's world, the stage is set
for a new definition of stewardship that
deals with the essence of being. Steward-
ship is the church's mission, not the
means to that mission, as has been com-
monly thought.
The fundamental tenet of stewardship is
Christlike love and care for the world.
The Christian steward emanates and con-
tinues the work of the One who was sent
"not to condemn the world but that the
world might be saved ..." (John
3:16-17).
Hall gives the biblical and historical
background for holistic stewardship, then
outlines five principles for the responsible
steward: globalization — responsibility for
the whole earth; communalization — re-
sponsibility to the community, in contrast
to individuahsm; ecologization — the
stewardship of many creatures, most of
which are nonhuman; politicization —
stewardship that steps outside of the
economic realm in order to criticize in-
justice; and futurization — responsibihty to
speak and to act responsibly toward the
future as well as the present.
Finally, Hall devotes separate chapters
to how bibhcal stewardship relates to the
search for justice for the poor, the search
for a more acceptable understanding of
the relation between humankind and the
nonhuman creation, and the search for
world peace.
Perhaps the author's proximity to an
academic setting (Hall is professor of
Christian theology at McGill University in
Montreal) explains why the book is a bit
textbookish in places. But it is well worth
the time and effort laity and pastors alike
may spend in its reading. —F.W.S.
Out of Mighty Waters, by Lois Landis Shenk,
Herald Press, 1982, 190 pages, cloth, $10.95.
Church of the Brethren members may be
attracted to Out of Mighty Waters, by
Lois Landis Shenk, because the book's
foreword is written by Anna Beahm Mow.
In fact, the author gives credit in her
story to "Sister Anna" for the latter's
becoming a surrogate "mother" to her and
for providing spiritual support in the
darkness of her trial.
That trial was a decade of serious men-
tal and physical illness that interrupted a
promising missionary /teaching career for
Shenk and her husband in Kenya and
which literally created chaos in the life of
an obedient and faithful Christian family.
Most of the book recounts in stark
detail the revolting and sometimes incredi-
ble experiences during the author's in-
voluntary commitments to three mental
hospitals. To read Lois Shenk's accounts
of the soul's torment and the accompany-
ing physical reactions is an unforgettable
revelation for any who may take "normal"
health for granted. Interwoven throughout
the story is the interplay between her
anguish and the deliberate faith of her
Mennonite rearing and heritage.
But the book has a surprise ending. In
the end it is not faith nor psychological
counseling that restores her health.
Rather, it is orthomolecular psychiatry, a
process of correcting chemical imbalances
with proper nutrients. While there is a
question -and -answer appendix in which it
is stated that nutrient therapy cannot
solve all mental illness, the book is clearly
slanted in its favor. We can certainly re-
joice that Lois Landis Shenk has been
able to return to serve her family and her
church, but the fairy tale ending to one of
the most disturbing stories this reviewer
has read in a long time was a bit too
abrupt and simple.
The unsung hero of Out of Mighty
Waters is John Shenk, the author's hus-
band, who apparently remained faithfully
supportive throughout the ordeal even
though it meant two new career starts
and, at times, the sole responsibihty for
two young children. — F.W.S.
Joining the Army That Sheds No Blood, by
Susan Clemmer Steiner, Herald Press, 1982, 155
pages, paper, $6.95.
Joining the Army That Sheds No Blood,
by Susan Clemmer Steiner, was highly
recommended by a colleague who urged
its review in Messenger. The suggestion
proved to be a delightful one.
Steiner, youth minister for the Men-
nonite Conference of Ontario, has written
an easy to read and convincing study
commentary on the conviction of peace-
making. It is specifically beamed toward
senior high youth, but aduhs can ap-
preciate the simple yet thorough way she
deals with the issues of war and peace.
Scripture references are given through-
out the book, and in some cases biblical
passages relating to peacemaking concepts
are creatively restated in contemporary
parable. Steiner does not skirt hard ques-
tions: Are pacifists cowards? What did
Jesus do about enemies? What about war
in the Old Testament? Aren't we supposed
to obey the government?
There is sound guidance for young
peacemakers facing career choices,
military service, the nuclear arms race,
and war taxes. Joining the Army That
Sheds No Blood would make a timely
and excellent study for a senior high
class. It also would be a helpful gift for
a teenage relative or friend (after you
read it first!)
Don't be fooled by the cover — a guard
saluting the tomb of the unknown soldier.
The contents are much better! — F.W.S.
26 MESSENGER January 1983
illness, peacemaking
The Path of Most Resistance, by Melissa
Miller and Phil M. Shenk, Herald Press, 1982,
239 pages, paper, $7.95.
Why I Am a Conscientious Objector, by John
M. Drescher, Herald Press, 1982, 73 pages,
paper, $2.95.
Why won't peace church nonregistrants
quietly perform alternative service the way
so many other Brethren, Mennonites, and
Friends have? The Path of Most Resist-
ance explores the reasons for draft resist-
ance, telling the stories of 10 Mennonites
who resisted during the Vietnam War.
The authors note that there have been
very few Anabaptist resisters in recent
decades because young men from the
peace churches can easily win draft ex-
emptions as conscientious objectors.
Their reasons for resisting are many and
m
varied. David Rensberger mailed back his
draft cards because he "knew he had to."
Doug Baker and Jim Hochstedler felt that
to accept a CO classification would be
cooperating with a military system respon-
sible for the evil of war. Several said that
to take a CO deferment would be to send
someone else to war in their places (in-
comprehensible reasoning to me, since
someone is drafted to take the place of
each resister too).
Even with all their mixed motives, from
youthful rebellion to a prideful striving
after purity, these young men must have
had some powerful, if unarticulated,
reason for rejecting the easy way out.
Duafie Shank seems to hit it on the
head: He was troubled by how many men
from peace churches took advantage of
their alternative service privileges and then
kept quiet about the war. He came to
believe that his own congregation had
little interest in peace witness because
their sons were not being drafted. He felt
he had to go beyond the path of least
resistance.
A his book should give parents pause for
thought. If newly proposed Selective Ser-
vice regulations are allowed to stand, the
numbers of Anabaptist draft resisters will
probably increase, because there will be
less protection for conscience and more
military control over the assignment of
alternative service jobs.
Parents anxious about how their
children may respond to registration and
conscription had best work for a future in
which no one will be drafted. Those who
want to show that there are conscientious
alternatives to jail had best demonstrate in
their own lives that the CO privilege does
not lead to apathy.
In Why I Am a Conscientious Objector,
we meet one CO who has made peace a
lifetime commitment. John Drescher
lucidly analyzes various forms of pacifism
and argues for a "biblical pacifism" based
on the lordship of Christ. He deals sen-
sibly with Romans 13, a scripture passage
that is often misused to justify Christian
acquiescence to militarism. He offers a
good bibliography that includes books
and pamphlets for young readers.
This easy-to-read book should help
those facing hard choices. Like Miller and
Shenk's book, it should bolster the
church's peace witness.— Thomas W.
Goodhue
Thomas W. Goodhue is a United Methodist
minister in New York City.
BVS 35th
ANNIVERSARY
AMATEUR PHOTO
CONTEST
Subject: Brethren Volunteer
Service workers in action shar-
ing God's love through acts of
service.
Capture the essence of BVS
on film as part of our anniver-
sary celebration!
First Prize $100. Six other cash
awards. Selected photos dis-
played at Annual Conference
in Baltimore. Entries received
until May 14.
Write for details —
Merv Keeney, 1451 Dundee
Avenue, Elgin. IL 60120.
CLASSIFIED ADS
TRAVEL- Juniata College Tours, SONG OF
NORWAY CRUISE, Feb. 12-19, 1983. Free air to
Florida and back to many cities. Cayman Islands,
Jamaica, Cozumel, Mexico. SPAIN, Feb., one
week, inexpensive. SOUTH PACIFIC HIGH-
LIGHTS, 17 days beginning Feb. 24, June/
July, LONDON budget week. July 2, 1984,
OBERAMMERGAU PASSION PLAY. Informa-
tion: Weimer-Oller Travel, 406 Penn St.,
Huntingdon, PA 16652. Tel. (814) 643-1468.
TRAVEL- Feb. 28- Mar. 14, 1983: Israel, Egypt,
Turkey, Greece. See Holy Land where Jesus
walked, then follow Paul's journeys of the New
Testament. June 4— 19, 1984: See Oberammer-
gau Passion Play in Germany. Then Venice,
Florence, Rome, Geneva and Paris. Write or call
John D. and Naomi Mishler, 168 E. 6th St., Peru,
IN 46970. Tel. (3171 473-7468.
TRAVEL- Alaska Motor Coach-Cruise Tour. 30
days- Sept. 3 to Oct. 2, 1983. Call or write for
details. Ralph and Betty Ebersole, 1213 Hamilton
Ave., Tyrone, PA 16686. Tel. (814) 684-1771.
TRAVEL — bus trip from Elizabethtown to Balti-
more 1983 Annual Conference with rooms close
to conference center. Write to J. Kenneth
Kreider, 1300 Sheaffer Rd., Elizabethtown, PA
17022.
FOR SALE- For a healthful taste treat try
Oregon dried Italian prunes. Grown without
pesticides and dried to a delicious chewy stage,
these prunes are widely acclaimed "the best
we've ever tasted." Minimum order, $30 for 25
lb. box, includes UPS. Bulk orders of 300 lbs.,
70( per lb. FOB Salem. Order from Forrester
Fruit Farm, Rt 1, Box 497, Salem, OR 97304
January 1983 messenger 27
Cross
Keys
Village
a developing retirement
community of individual
cottages on the campus of
The Brethren Home at
New Oxford, Penn-
sylvania
• 10 models from $24,900
• only 2 hours from
Philadelphia and D.C.
• 15 minutes from Get-
tysburg
• 12 Church of the
Brethren Congrega-
tions nearby
• activities program
• free transportation
• nite-time security
• meals, housecleaning
and nursing service
available at modest
costs
• truly independent
hving
• with the assurance of
nursing care when
needed
• freedom from
household chores
''move in now while
you can still enjoy it''
Harvey S. Kline,
Administrator
For more information
contact:
Milton E. Raup,
The Brethren Home
Box 128
New Oxford, PA 17350
(717)624-2161
28 MESSENGER January 1983
'h
Heritage Fair: A family
by Debi Peterson
Like Tom Sawyer's scheme to get the
picket fence paimed, there are times when
all the fun experienced disguises the work
accomplished. Such is true of Heritage
Fair II.
Staged at Camp Blue Diamond in late
September, Heritage Fair was a co-
operative venture of the 52 Church of the
Brethren congregations comprising the
Middle District of Pennsylvania. By the
end of this glorious autumn day, about
$17,000 had been raised to benefit the
camp and programs of Middle District.
time countless other children of God, near
and far, were in spiritual and physical
anguish, I am gladdened that the work of
our hands, which afforded us a time of
joyful fellowship and well-being, also
generated funds to enable us to be a more
caring people, reaching out together
through our camp and our district."
Heritage Fair offered a smorgasbord of
activities that appealed to people of all
ages: musical performances, a magic
show, auctions, displays of church arti-
facts, rides on a horse-drawn wagon,
pony rides, craft demonstrations, a wet
sponge-throwing booth and other games.
Quills and bonnets lend an air of tradition to a conversation between (from left) Marilyn
McClellan, Dottie Hershberger, and Jane Crosby.
However, for the almost five thousand
participants it would seem that the fund-
raising was of secondary importance.
What really counted was the joyous fel-
lowship of a "family" come together.
Jane Crosby of Stone church, Hunting-
don, Pa., served as coordinator for the
event. "Doing and being the Heritage Fair
was a privilege for workers and spectators
alike," she reflected. "Considering that
during those same hours of the world's
a closing vesper service, and what I have
come to beheve is at the root of all church
social gatherings — an over-abundance of
sinfully delectable homemade foods and
beverages.
Like gypsies come to tent, stands and
small trailers belonging to various
churches were nestled into the quiet beau-
ty of Blue Diamond's woodlands. In addi-
tion to the expected woodsy smells, the
breezes gently carried the aromas of bub-
affair
bly, rich root beer, barbecued chicken,
sizzling funnel cakes, freshly baked pies,
just-pressed apple cider, popping corn,
and hot sausages grilling with peppers and
onions.
There were rich sights for the eye, too:
dozens of colorful quilts of all types and
descriptions pinned to a clothesline
awaiting their turn on the auction block;
Dunker garb — men in black with the
traditional flat, broad-brimmed hats and
women in long skirts with white aprons
and bonnets; steaming kettles bubbling
with apple butter over an open fire; the
nimble fingers of a septagenarian skillfully
braiding a rug; and children — frolicking
through the woods, scrambUng over
rocks, peering eye-level at table after table
of goodies, walking hand-in-hand with
parents or grandparents, or
snuggly tucked into strollers or
backpacks.
Heritage Fair was a family
time — not just for kin but for
kith as well. This "family" of
five thousand was held together
not by blood, but through the
bonds of a common faith and
heritage — the Church of the
Brethren. It was a celebration
of a past rich in heritage and
tradition, of a present filled
with concern for each other
and our global neighbors, and
of a future filled with hope. D
Free-lance writer Debi Peterson is a
member of the Stone Church of the
Brethren in Huntingdon, Pa.
Mabel Werking (left) and Gladys Clapper of the Holli-
daysburg church model their traditional Brethren outfits.
Tl\reatei\ed witlx^surrectioiv
Tlv^atei\ed
witlv
Insurrection^
^
by Julia Esquival.
On the cover of Julia Esquival's book is the quetzal, a very com-
mon bird in Guatemala and a symbol of liberation for the
thousands in Central America who long for freedom from the
yoke of oppression and injustice.
Esquival writes of many disturbing atrocities in her homeland.
It is clear that she considers US military industrialism partly to
blame. She is eager for the Christians of North America to hear
from one who has suffered and witnessed oppression.
But more than that, Esquival witnesses to a faith that overcomes
suffering and death, a faith born out of sacrifice and a life con-
sistently committed to the Christ of the Cross and Resurrection.
Every Christian who wants to take seriously the command of
Jesus to love others as God has loved us should read Threatened
with Resurrection.
$4.95 plus 95<t postage and handling
The Brethren Press, 1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, Illinois 60120
January 1983 messenger 29
On Brethren and the NCC
Dale W. Brown
The NCC: Not
without faults
After a three-year term as one of the
Brethren members on the governing board
of the National Council of Churches
(NCC), I am more convinced than ever
that the National Council is not a super
church. In fact it constitutes a less in-
fluential voice in the power centers of the
nation than ever before. My Anabaptist
heart has warmed in relation to mainline
churches who no longer feel mainline and
To hold in respect and fellowship those in
the church with whom we agree or disagree
is a characteristic of the Church of the
Brethren. It is to the continuation of this
value, and to an open and probing forum,
that "Opinions" are invited from readers.
r
HIGH RATES
NOW!
^
Assure yourself
steady income for
life . . . and provide
for service to others.
Gift
Annuities
For more details write:
Stewart B. Kauffman
Special Gifts
Church of the Brethren
General Board
1451 Dundee Ave.
Elgin, niinois 60120
Please send Annuity Information.
My birthday is .
Month/ Day/ Year
Clly
Thank You.
Slate/Zlp
I t7i
'J
have in some ways experienced what it
means to be a minority persecuted people.
My remarks may be unique. In most of
our Brethren debates relating to member-
ship in the NCC, speal<ers have generally
come down strongly on one side or the
other. It has been difficult for me,
however, to discern the National Council
as all good or all bad.
At times when I was a member of the
NCC governing board, I was disappointed
with its meetings. Parliamentary
maneuvering and power plays sometimes
more resembled political conventions than
the efforts of the body of Christ to
discern his mind. Money collected through
offering plates paid the plane fares of
delegates who were too busy to remain the
final day, leaving a depleted voting body.
I judged the National Council to suffer
from an elitism of denominational and
ecumenical staff, one which often fails to
reflect or relate to grass-roots constit-
uency.
For me the supreme example of this
failure was the anniversary Ecumenical
Event at Cleveland in 1981. It was highly
financed and well planned, one of the
most inspirational gatherings I have ever
attended in terms of speakers, choirs, and
workshops. But there was little grassroots
representation. Church folks in Cleveland
were barred from attendance even as the
crowd shrank due to the evaporation of
busy ecumenical professionals.
Nevertheless, I was often deeply moved
in the meetings. The Council is frequently
involved in advocacy on behalf of the
poor, the imprisoned minorities, and
those suffering for their faith. This sound
biblical concern for justice for those at
the bottom of the power and economic
structures of our society has drawn forth
opposition from forces whose interests are
threatened. Media channels that con-
sistently represent the voices of militarism
and the wealthy, such as the Reader's
Digest and U.S. News and World Report,
unfairly attack both the World and Na-
tional Council of Churches (see "Karl
Marx or Jesus Christ?" Reader's Digest,
August 1982).
I have been surprised to find such op-
position reflected in some of our Brethren
congregations that have a history of
generously and enthusiastically sending
heifers overseas and supporting Brethren
Service ministries. For this reason, it was
a joyful discovery to learn that approxi-
mately 80 percent of the $30-million
budget of the National Council is
designated for Church World Service.
How many Brethren realize that Church
World Service grew out of relief ministries
initiated by Brethren leaders such a.s John
Metzler Sr. and M. R. Zigler, and cen-
tered at our own service center at New
Windsor, Md.?
A brother once shared with me his great
sense of thanksgiving in knowing that the
church of Jesus Christ was present as he
watched huge quantities of reUef supplies
being unloaded at a time of great need in
Bangladesh. As a citizen of a nation that
controls 40 percent of the world's
resources, it is good to know that 80 cents
out of every dollar of the National Coun-
cil's budget is spent overseas in ministries
of sharing.
Sincere brothers and sisters in Christ
have genuine concerns about the
ecumenical bodies to which we belong. I
share some of these as I would if we
Brethren belonged to the National
Association of Evangelicals (NAE). In
fact, I personally would advocate such an
affiliation if the NAE would permit us
Brethren to retain our membership in the
National Council.
Unfortunately, many of the concerns
that Brethren raise about the NCC and
WCC come from information offered by
forces outside our own body, rather than
from information they could obtain from
our own Brethren members who attend
the meetings of the National and World
Councils. It is sad to know that many of
our Brethren members trust news sources
of powerful, worldly, economic and
political interests over the words of their
own brothers and sisters. This calls for the
kind of church disciphne that would bring
more of us face-to-face to talk through
our differences.
It hurts me even more to learn that
some Brethren congregations consider
leaving our beloved denomination over
this issue of NCC/WCC membership. If
any congregation contemplates such a
move, I would plead with you to find
sounder reason than our affiliation with
the National Council and World Council
of Churches. D
Date ^f' Brown is professor of Christian theotog}'
at Bethany Theological Seminary; and a recent mem-
ber of the governing board of the National Council of
Churches.
30 MESSENGER January 1983
L
t5[i^[r^aiji]f p@mt.
156th BVS
Orientation Unit
(Orientation completed July 15,
1982)
Bates, Karen, Indianapolis,
Ind., to National Fann Work-
er Ministry, Salinas, Calif.
BUIhimer, Leslie Ann, Char-
lottesville, Va. , to Community
Ministry of Southwest Den-
ver, Colo.
CaiT, James, Mount Joy, Pa.,
to John M. Reed Home, Lime-
stone, Tenn.
Duffey, Jill, Hagerstown, Md.,
to Prince of Peace Child Care
Center, Denver, Colo.
Fields, Damon, Ridgeville, Ind.
to Shankill Team Ministry,
Belfast, Northern Ireland
Flory, Teresa, Timberville, Va.,
to The Sohd Rock, Brigham
City, Utah
Horner, Myron, Front Royal,
Va., to Teen Challenge Train-
ing Center, Rehrersburg, Pa.
Hylton, Lisa, Richmond, Ind.,
to The Palms, Sebring, Fla.
Jarrels, Carla, Harrisonburg,
Va., to Insights Project, Port-
land, Ore.
Jennings, Joseph, Long Beach,
Calif., to Worid Friendship
Center, Hiroshima, Japan
Jennings, Virginia, Long Beach,
Calif., to World Friendship
Center, Hiroshima, Japan
Jennlskens, Gerrit, Netherlands,
to Betterway, Inc., Elyria,
Ohio
Johnson, Susarme, Sweden, to
Lend-a-Hand, Walker, Ky.
Ludwick, Kathleen, Doyles-
town, Ohio, to Washington
City Church of the Brethren,
Washington, D.C.
M»be, Robert, HiUsville, Va.,
to Lend-A-Hand, Walker,
Ky.
Martin, Neal, Perrysburg, Ohio,
to United Campus Christian
Foundation, Normal, 111.
MuUlnix, LaDeana, Wichita,
Kan. , to L'Arche Community-
La Merci, Jarnac, France
Nelson, Ronnie, Tonasket,
Wash., to Camp Koinonia,
Cle Clum, Wash.
Nelson, Gayle, Tonasket,
Wash., to Camp Koinonia,
Cle Clum, Wash.
Powell, Karen, McFarland,
Calif., to Washington City
Church of the Brethren,
Washington, D.C.
Pryor, Jean, Hagerstown, Md.,
to Monroe County United
Ministries, Bloomington, III.
Rusher, Michael, Pierceton,
Ind., to Camp Bethel, Fin-
castle, Va.
Smith, Rhonda, Live Oak,
Calif., to Helping Hand Day
Care Center, Fredericksburg,
Pa.
Yohn, Gregory, Elgin, III., to
Near Eastside Multi-Service
Center, Indianapolis, Ind.
157th BVS
Orientation Unit
(Orientation completed Oct. 3,
1982)
Abdou, Farahat, Samalout,
Egypt, to Monroe County
United Ministries, Blooming-
ton, Ind.
AvUa, Paulina, San Jose, Costa
Rica, to Friendship Day Care
Center, Hutchinson, Kan.
Ball, Sandra, New York, N.Y.,
to National Coalition on TV
Violence, Washington, D.C.
Blouch, Judd, Millersville,
Pa., to MESSENGER, Church
of the Brethren General
Offices, Elgin, 111.
Bollinger, Sue, Hanover, Pa.,
to Norbome Day Care Center,
Martinsburg, W.V.
Brumback, Trent, Harrisonburg,
Va., to Christian Cottununity
Action, New Haven, Conn.
Chupp, Beverly, OrrviUe, Ohio,
to Hoyleton Children's Home,
Hoyleton, lU.
DeLallo, Bernadette, Bethel
Park, Pa., to ARC Retreat
Community, Stanchfield,
Minn.
Eisenbise, Debra, Wihnington,
Del. , to Monroe County Min-
istires, Bloomington, Ind.
Ellenberger, Lynn, Shelocta,
Pa. , to New Windsor Service
Center, New Windsor, Md.
Flanlgan, John, Warsaw, Ind.,
to Brethren/Polish agri-
cultural exchange, Poland
Gilbert, JuUa, Bradenton, Fla.,
to Plowshare Peace Center,
Roanoke, Va.
Grace, Doris, York, Pa., to Com-
mittee to Abolish Prison
Slavery, Washington, D.C.
Gransbaw, Frank, Berkeley,
Calif., to Center for Human
Development, Jackson, Miss.
HaMeman, Scott, Manheim, Pa.,
to Hoyleton Children's Home,
Hoyleton, 111.
Helster, Brenda, Hershey, Pa.,
to Friendship House Day Care,
Hatfield, Pa.
Hubcf, Barbara, Conestoga, Pa.,
to Mid-Iowa Community Ac-
tion, Marshalltown, Iowa
Hunn, Jane, N. Manchester,
Ind., to Center on Law and
Pacifism, Colorado Springs,
Colo.
Hunn, Jeff, N. Manchester, Ind.,
to Center on Law and Paci-
fism, Colorado Springs, Colo.
Irle, Lisa, Warrensburg, Mo.,
to Iowa Peace Network, Des
Moines, Iowa.
Israel, Magda Nagib, Samalout,
Egypt, to Moiuoe County
United Ministries, Blooming-
ton, Ind.
Krapf, Lothar, Plossberg, Ger-
many, to Kindred House,
Des Moines, Iowa
Malloy, Brian, Berwyn, Pa.,
to Brethren/Polish agricul-
tural exchange, Poland
Panagore, Peter, Marlborough,
Mass., to be assigned later
Seidel, Keai, Muenich, West
Germany, to Dundalk Youth
Service Center, Baltimore, Md.
Seiders, Kelly, Newville, Pa., to
Friendship Day Care Center,
Hutchinson, Kan.
Shnonsen, Glen, Omaha, Neb.,
to New Windsor Service Cen-
ter, New Windsor, Md. await-
ing assignment to France
Stump, Sandra, Gushing, Okla. ,
to UFM Services, Denver,
Colo.
Swartz, Lisa, Pleasant Hill,
Ohio, to Susquehanna Valley
Women in Transition, Lewis-
burg, Pa.
Tlmberlake, Julia, Michigan
City, Ind., to Pleasant View,
Farm, Bristol, N.H.
Vance, Valerie, New Paris, Ind.,
to Brethren Village, Lancas-
ter, Pa.
Wagner, Gwenda, Gettysburg,,
Pa., to Open Sesame Child
Care Center, Dbion, 111.
Zurakowski, Michelle, Warsaw,
Ind., to Brethren/PoUsh agri-
cultural exchange, Poland
Licensing/
Ordination
Bosworth, Barbara Ellen, U-
censed September II, 1982,
Sunfield, Michigan
Gibbs, Clay R., licensed Sep-
tember II, 1982, Zion, Mich-
igan
GUck, Larry Wayne, hcensed
June 9, 1982, Harrisonburg,
Shenandoah
Golay, Kenneth W., ordained
September II, 1982, Drayton
Plains, Michigan
Hosteller, Julie Mader, or-
dained September 12, 1982,
Dayton Mack Memorial,
Southern Ohio
Kostlevy, William Charles, li-
censed September 12, 1982,
Florence, Northern Indiana
Nlcarry, Paul Ramer, ordained
September 19, 1982, New
Hope, South/Central Indiana
Pastoral Placements
Ford, Charles W., to Melvin
Hill, Southeastern
Gibbs, Pat, from other denomi-
nation, to New Haven, Michi-
gan, interim part-time
Keim, Howard, from retirement,
to Rice Lake, Illinois/Wisconsin
Moore, Ray, from secular, to
Paradise, Pacific Southwest
O'Dlam, Eva Sue, from Brethren
Home chaplaincy/Long
Beach visitation. Pacific
Southwest, to Baltimore Dun-
dalk, Mid- Atlantic
Shumate, David, continuing stu-
dent at Bethany, to Oak Grove,
Illinois/Wisconsin, part-time
Simmons, Keith, to Poplar
Grove, Southern Ohio
Strobel, Chester, from other de-
nomination, to Navarre yoked
with American Baptists,
Western Plains
Wine, J. C, from Pottstown,
Atlantic Northeast, to Sun
Valley-Birmingham, South-
eastern
Witkovsky, Lowell H., from
Good Shepherd, Mid-Atlantic,
to Detroit Trinity, Michigan
Zirk, WiUiam, from secular, to
Valley Pike, Shenandoah, in-
terim
Zuercher, Tom, from other de-
nomination, to Mount Pleas-
ant, Northern Ohio
Anniversaries
Anthony, Mr. and Mrs. Paul,
Hagerstown, Md., 6}
Kreider, Bard and Esther, Lit-
itz, Pa.,59
Oyler, Mr. and Mrs. Carey,
Flora, Ind., 50
Wampler, David and Betty,
Bridgewater, Va., 50
Weagley, Mr. and Mrs. Robert,
Hagerstown, Md., 57
Deaths
Armentrout, John, 68, Cum-
berland, Md., Feb. 5, 1982
Balmer, Jesse G., 52, Lititz,
Pa., Aug. 30, 1982
Bennett, Florence, 90, Ridgeley,
W.Va., Jan. 18, 1982
Bralchlcr, Kathryn, 83, New Ox-
ford, Pa., Oct. 7, 1982
Brumbaugh, Wilfred M., 70,
Curryville, Pa., Sept. 23, 1982
Chriistler, Addie, 87, Goshen,
Ind., June 5, 1982
Fike, Lena, 89, Morgantown,
W.Va., Aug. 15, 1982
Foster, Claude E., 78. Flora,
Ind., Oct. 5, 1982
George, Frieda, 66, Goshen,
Ind., Sept. 5, 1982
GUberto, Marie, 53, Stanley,
Wis., Sept. 15, 1982
Hall, Lena, 91, Fostoria, Ohio,
Sept. II, 1982
Hess, Vernon, 66, Goshen, Ind.,
July 25, 1982
Hoff, Susie, 98, City of Industry,
Calif., Dec. 7, 1981
HolUnger, A. Elizabeth, 74.
Harrisburg, Pa., Sept. 29, 1982
Holtzman, Perle, 89, Cumber-
land, Md., July 11, 1982
Homlsh, Edith P., 62, Defiance,
Ohio, Sept. 12, 1982
James, Donald C, 77, Fairfield,
Iowa, July 24, 1982
Kersbner, Franklin, 80, Hagers-
town, Md., July 24, 1982
Kirby, Raymond, 83, Green-
ville, Ohio, Oct. 10, 1982
Long, Ediath, 88, Hagerstown,
Md., July 22, 1982
Martin, Sue, 21, Hagerstown,
Md., Aug. 10, 1982
Metcalf, Myrtle T., 74, Eldon.
Iowa, Sept. 13, 1982
Morris, WiUiam H., 66, Harris-
burg, Pa., Sept. 16, 1982
Ogden, Nellie G., 81, Wayland,
Iowa, Sept. 22, 1982
Park, Olive E., 87, Warrensburg,
Mo., Oct. 16, 1982
Rhoe, EUzabeth, 72, Cumber-
land, Md., July 24, 1982
Rlngler, Carrie R., 92, Water-
loo, Iowa, Sept. 28, 1982
Rittenhouse, John Howard, 67,
Defiance, Ohio, July 24, 1982
Roblnette, Grace, 78, Cumber-
land, Md., Aug. 17, 1982
Samueb, Edgar P., 82, Hagers-
town, Md., July 12, 1982
Sensabaugh, Bud, 72, Cumber-
land, Md., Aug. 5, 1982
Shellabarger, Ben, 83, Potsdam,
Ohio, Sept. 12, 1982
Shrock, Laird, 81, Goshen, Ind.,
May 18, 1982
Tuttle, Sadie E., 79, Garrett,
Ind., Oct. 7, 1982
Wenger, Earl H., 51, Lancaster,
Pa., Aug. 28, 1982
Wetzel, Jasper, 86, Greenville,
Ohio, Sept. 5, 1982
WUlianu, Catherine, 64, Cum-
beriand, Md., Aug. 28. 1982
Wolfe, Russell, 80, Hagerstown.
Md., Sept. 25. 1982
Zirkle, Ora, 92. Middletown.
Ind.. Sept. 28. 1982
January 1983 messenger 31
O pioneers!
A couple of years ago I wrote an editorial titled,
"Don't Put the Wagons in a Circle Yet." The
burden of its message was, "Membership numbers
are not overridingly important. A church our size
can be effective. Even losing a little deadwood
wouldn't hurt us."
After saying that, I concluded: "On the other
hand, I would applaud a Church of the Brethren
so revitalized that its gospel message cut wide
swathes across fields of converts white unto
harvest."
I haven't changed my opinion since I wrote
that editorial. What has changed has been the
outlook for growth in the Church of the Brethren.
Things are beginning to happen. The goal of the
denomination to have 15 new congregations by the
end of 1984 is well on its way to being realized . . .
as this Messenger's cluster of articles on new
church development attests.
Like Jim Lehman (see page 14, "A Church in
the Mind of God"), I get uneasy "talking too much
about the will of God." Yet not only in the new
church at Blacksburg, Va., but throughout the
denomination, I perceive something happening
that suggests to me that God has taken our idea
and seems bent on making something bigger out
of it than perhaps we intended.
The way new churches are cropping up is
phenomenal — 1 1 actual congregations and far
more than enough other projects developing to
meet the 1984 goal. And the variety of ways they
have gotten started, and the variety of people in-
volved! What if we had sat down and written out a
scenario for all this? Would we have had any
credibility if we had tried to sell the denomination
on a proposal that called for, among other
"bizarre" ideas, new churches that specified the in-
clusion of congregations of Koreans, Puerto
Ricans, blacks, Hispanics, Cambodians . . . even
"un-Brethren" New Englanders? Could we have
devised a believable plan that envisioned the roles
that the Sadie Kreiders, Kwang Suk Kims, Chhan
Ins, Jaime Riveras, Don Leiters, and Mervin
Kellers are playing? Who but the Almighty could
get away with such a crazy-quilt pattern of new
churches and new Brethren?
±n my Nigeria days I came across an old mis-
sionary who used to sum up just about every hap-
pening, large and small, with this laconic remark,
"Well, that's the way the Lord works sometimes."
The unorthodox patterns and directions of new
growth in the Church of the Brethren certainly
serve for me as an example of "the way the Lord
works" . . . this time. Great things are happening
out there on the frontier.
But don't get me wrong. I stick to what I said
in that editorial two years ago: I can applaud a
Church of the Brethren beginning to be "revita-
lized." Only, I'd say now, "'Don't put the wagons
in a circle,' but get them into line and head the
caravan on down the trail . . . like the daring
pioneers you should be." — K.T.
32 MESSENGER January 1983
(Aduertisement)
On Earth Peace
1982
On Earth Peace Assembly Meetings
Leaders: Ronald Kraybill, Wayne Judd, Shirley
Heckman, Roger Fisher, Kenneth Boulding
Professional /Vocational Group Activities
Brethren World Peace Academy
"Preparation for Citizenship Conferences
First weekend of every month —
August through December
1983
On Earth Peace Assembly Meetings
April 16-17
July 3, at Annual Conference
November 25-26
Brethren World Peace Academy
"Preparation for Citizenship" Conferences
First weekend of every month except April
(Easter) and June.
Special conference June 25-27 before Annual
Conference.
Brethren World Peace Bookstore
Improved facilities
Increased sales
On Earth Peace Youth Conferences
June: Anna Mow, Bob and Myrna Gemmer
December: Chris Waltersdorff, Mike Mapes,
M. R. Zigler, Others.
On Earth Peace Youth Conference
December 27-29
Continuing:
Brethren World Peace Bookstore Service
Professional / Vocational
Group Activities
Name
Address
. Please add my name to mailing list
. Please send me a current book list
. Please send Brethren World Peace
Academy information
Send requests for information to:
On Earth Peace Assembly
Brethren Service Center
Box 188
New Windsor, MD 21776
Telephone (301) 635-6464
for Peace On Earth
rieuu Beginning/
Christ Church of the Brethren,
Carol Stream, III.
Genesis Church of the
Brethren, Brattleboro, Vt.
Good Shepherd Church of the Greater Bay Area Fellowship,
Brethren, Blacksburg, Va. Fremont — Oakland. Calif.
Iglesia Cristo el Senor,
Vega Baja, Puerto Rico
Iglesia de los Hermanos.
Rio Prieto, Puerto Rico
Lampeter Church of the
Brethren, Lampeter, Pa.
Lewiston Church of the
Brethren, Lewiston, Maine
^•^^^^^^^^^^^ ^9^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Khmer Ministry, Antelope
Park Church, Lincoln, Neb.
Northern San Diego County
Project, Poway, Calif.
Trinity Church of the Breth-
ren, Massillon, Ohio
Valley Korean Church of the
Brethren, Panorama City, Calif.
In the year of the denomination's 275th anniversary, the
Church of the Brethren is on the threshhold of new begin-
nings. Support new church development by contributing to
the General Board's Discipleship Offering on February 6.
Di/ciple/hip Offering
messeng
CHURCH OFTHE BRETHREN
Moderator for
the Big Meeting
10
12
15
18
20
22
Hell. Frank Ramirez tackles a difficult subject— hell — and manages to
say something meaningful about a place and concept we hear little
about anymore. How can Christians face up to the dark side of life
after death?
Tales of Hoffman. What is the man Hke who is moderator of the
1983 Annual Conference? Kermon Thomasson talks about Paul Hoff-
man, and shares some of Hoffman's friends' insights into him.
Do Colleges Care? The six Brethren colleges strive to be more
than just diploma factories, and campus ministries have become an
important part of this personalized education. Judd Blouch takes a look
at Brethren college ministries and how pastors, faculty, students, and
local residents cooperate to keep Christ on campus.
Christianity on the Line. Not all Brethren pastors Hmit their
ministry to the local congregation. Some are finding time to work as
chaplains in an outreach program called Industrial and Commercial
Ministries. Story by Christopher Keating.
Brethren Clergy Divorce: Who's failing whom? Two
Brethren clergy divorces in the 1940s, two in the 1950s, two in the
1960s, 24 in the 1970s, 11 in 1980-81. What's it all coming to? Earl K.
Ziegler takes a look at a serious problem in the church family.
Agri-Urban: More than a Fundraiser. People in Northern
Plains District are putting their money and farming expertise behind a
new program to raise funds for outreach. Leah Kingery writes about
how city and country folk alike are helping raise livestock to be sold for
much needed funds.
In Touch profiles Kathren Holsopple, La Verne, Calif.; Katie Dubble, Lebanon,
Pa.; and Mark and Marty Hershey, Lititz, Pa. (2) . . . Outlook reports on Annual
Conference 1983. Brethren stewardship conference. National Council of Churches
Commission on Stewardship. War tax resistance. Two on General Board staff
tour Central America (start on 4) . . . Underlines (7) . . . Update (8) . . .
Column, "Sticking to a 'diet'" — Womaen's Caucus 10th anniversary by Shirley
Kirkwood (9) . . . People & Parish, "Agri-Urban: More than a fundraiser," by
Leah Kingery (22) . . . Resources, "Volunteering," by Joyce A. Stoltzfus (24) . . .
Opinions, Shirley Whiteside (2) . . . Turning Points (26) . . . Editorial (28)
EDITOR
Kermon Thomasson
MANAGING EDITOR
Wendy Chamberlain
EDITORIAL ASSISTANT
Judd Blouch
FEATURES
Fred W. Swartz
SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES
Ruth Anne Culp
PROMOTION
Kenneth L. Gibble
PUBLISHER
John D. Metzler Jr.
VOL. 132, NO. 2 FEBRUARY 1983
CREDITS: Cover art by Guy Wolek. 2 Ann Bailie, 3
lop Tim Frye. 4 art by Kermon Thomasson. 5
Ekklesiyar "Yanuwa a Nigeri Nigeria. 6 Judd Blouch .
II Religious Newsservice. 13 Kenney photography.
14 top and second from top, 17 upper right, 18
Nguyen Van Gia. 16 Randy Miller. 22-23 Eldred
Kingery.
Messenger is the ofFicial publication of the
Church of the Brethren. Entered as second-class
matter Aug. 20, 1918, under Act of Congress
of Oct. 17, 1917. Filing date, Nov. I. 1982.
Messenger is a member of the Associated
Church Press and a subscriber to Religious News
Service and Ecumenical Press Service. Biblical
quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are from
the Revised Standard Version.
Subscription rates: $10 one year for individual
subscriptions; $18.50 two years. $8 per year for
Church Group Plan. $8 per year for gift sub-
scriptions. School rate 50C per issue. If you move
clip address and send with new address.
Allow at least five weeks for address
change. MESSENGER is owned and
published monthly by the General
Services Commission, Church of the
Brethren General Board, 1451 Dundee
Ave., Elgin, 111. 60120. Second-class
postage paid at Elgin, 111., Feb. 1983. Copyright
1983, Church of the Brethren General Board.
i
JOUSTING WITH LIBERALS, HUMANISTS
Thanks for Herbert Erbaugh's opinion (De-
cember) on the prayer in schools controversy,
especially since Erbaugh writes from a teacher's
viewpoint. Brethren should be grateful for the
denominational positions, which continue to be
as logical as ever.
There is another point, however, which I have
not heard discussed very often: Amid all the loud
cries from the pro-prayer advocates, one won-
ders if they really have the student's spiritual wel-
fare in mind. Are they just jousting with the "lib-
erals and humanists" to further their own causes,
financial and otherwise?
WlLLl.^M P. NvcE
Westminster, Md.
QUESTIONS ABOUT THE DRAFT
Why do we need the draft in peacetime — or are
we not at peace? Do you have to sign up for the
draft to get any job serving humanity?
Our news media reported IRS shares the
"name and number" on any ordinary person with
the government agency requesting it, so why all
the fuss?
When were we told that those who register are
assured of civilian jobs under civilian con-
trol—controlled by the churches overseeing the
job assignments and/or the civiUan jobs them-
selves?
How is our government working to build inter-
national understanding and serving the needs of
the poor, the classless, and the downtrodden?
How much more secure do we feel now that we
can kill the enemy many times over? Do the 457
nuclear accidents in the recent past give a sense
of security? Do they create a deep trust in our of-
ficials—government, utilities, nuclear?
How about drafting the older, more mature
men who have experience and stability?
How will registering for the draft help one to
be more creative in one's life job of serving
humanity? When will we consider the hungry
and the homeless of the world?
What would Christ's answer be?
George Wevbricht
Syracuse, Ind.
WITNESSING TO THE PRINCE OF PEACE
The December Messenger gave me a lot of
food for thought. The article. "Grassroots
Peacemaking," by Wendy Chamberlain, lifted
up the positive spirit of what our brothers and
sisters are doing for peace.
I appreciated the In Touch profile of Gary and
JoEva Jones. Throughout the busy Christmas
season, women from our congregation have
worked at the Helping Hands store. Earlier in
November Gary and JoEva brought items to dis-
play at our soup and pie supper, and we sold over
$200 worth of handcrafts. We have appreciated
their enthusiasm, and it was great to see their
familiar faces in Messenger
Finally, "Strength from the Prince of Peace"
by Wanda Callahan, and the editorial by Wendy
Chamberlain, "God bless us . . . Everyone," were
two of the finest pieces of material 1 have read
this month. After reading Messenger I was glad
that in the midst of a busy Christmas season I
had time to read a magazine that truly witnesses
to the Prince of Peace.
David Hendricks
Holmesville, Neb.
P.S. I wish people who read Messenger would
read the Bible more than they read the Reader's
Digest. If nothing else, they could at least try The
Reader's Digest Bible.
USA GOD'S COUNTRY'
As our class discussed the November editorial,
"Giving Thanks to a Tribal God," we could only
say that the opinion of the writer certainly does
not match ours.
We can accept that God is the God of all peo-
ple, but the assertion that the United States has
not had a special calling of God or has not
responded to that calling cannot be accepted.
People around the world still want to live in the
United States because our forefathers did help it
become "a land of morality, fairness, and
freedom." That in itself has been responding to
the calling of God.
As to the sharing of our material blessings,
Gordon Sinclair in his 1973 Canadian radio
broadcast said it best. To paraphrase his com-
ment, "The United States has always been in the
forefront to help when disasters occur around
the world; the Marshall Plan helped to rebuild a
whole continent ravaged by war; railroads, and
dams have been built and rebuilt through
American aid. No one was there to help the
United States when it had floods, tornadoes, or
earthquakes; and other countries (as well as
liberal journalists in this country) are always
quick to tear the United States down when it does
have problems.
May God continue to grant his blessings to us
so that we can stand as a symbol of freedom and
as a country with the resources to step in and
help whenever disaster (natural or manmade)
strikes.
Builders Class
West Charleston
Church of the Brethren
Tipp City, Ohio
MARCHING ORDERS
Don M. Cox (Opinions, December) expressed
a point of view which many people hold:
The quotation from 1 Peter 2:13-14 can stand
a little more examination though Cox's article
gives this version of it from The Living Bible:
"For the Lord's sake, obey every law of your
government: those of the king as head of the
state, and \hose of the king's officers, for he has
sent them to punish all who do wrong and to
honor those who do right." Cox indicated he
believed the two verses from Peter were ap-
plicable to all people of all generations.
It would be a relief if that could be the case. A
lot of Germans under Hitler were very faithful to
the doctrine of those two verses. It would seem to
be a fact at this moment that, if the Russians
observe those two verses to the letter, they will be
following their leaders into Afghanistan and
perhaps into Poland.
Russ Montgomery
Brookville, Ohio
A STRONG HISTORY OF LOVE
As I read Don M. Cox's opinion (December),
"US last bastion of Christianity," many thoughts
and emotions whirled inside of me. Why would a
peace church include such a militaristic piece?
How can this person feel a part of one of the
original peace churches? Does he not know his
own history?
Upon reflection, however, I support the inclu-
sion of this opinion. We all need to know that
with which we struggle. Don Cox loves his coun-
try and insinuates that his is the only way to love
one's country. 1 would like to hold up another ar-
ticle in the same Messenger that better expresses
my feelings toward the USA, "Strength from the
Prince of Peace," a speech by Wanda Callahan. I
love God and my country, in that order.
I believe that as a Brethren I have a strong
history of love, as shown by relief efforts to vic-
tims of war, as well as the opportunity for all to
voice their opinions. I do not wish to break that
love by angrily countering Don Cox. Yet, Jesus
wept for us all and I too weep. Would that we did
know the ways that make for peace.
Kathy Hauger
La Verne, Calif.
GET BACK TO GOD
Until we get back to God and have family wor-
ship in our homes, and read good Christian pub-
lications (such as Messenger should be) we will
not prosper.
Brethren women used to humble themselves
and pray with covered heads. Now you are lucky
to see even one in a congregation with a prayer
covering. Little children don't even know what
family worship is.
Messenger needs the good old poems and
spirit-filled messages again — material that
Brethren love to read.
Florence Smith
Petersburg, W. Va.
LET HEARTS BE TOUCHED
I just finished reading the November Messen-
ger, which a friend gave me to read. The letter to
the editor, "Power of the Spirit," was very good;
I couldn't have said it better. My prayer is that
the letter will touch hearts.
Mary Miller
Duncansville, Pa.
BUT I STILL MISS PILGRIM
Messenger is getting better. I pulled
December issues from my files as far back as
1977. They didn't compare with the December
1982 issue.
I still miss "Pilgrim's Pen," however, one of
my favorite features.
Carol Clary
Cabool, Mo.
oYoToT^ (o
'■''■<*i^'3)'-
Oome years have passed since I last wrote
a feature on the Annual Conference moder-
ator. But interviewing Paul Hoffman and
writing this month's cover story had the
usual effect of leading me to look back at
the history of Annual Conference.
As I mentioned in the story of Paul Hoff-
man, the role and image of the moderator
has changed over the years. Today's moder-
ator is judged mainly by his performance
during four days of business sessions at
Conference, and his being moderator
doesn't necessarily
reflect any power,
influence, or clout
he has otherwise
as a denomina-
tional leader.
This has been
true for a number
of years now. The
last moderator to
be elected more than once was A. Stauffer
Curry, who served in 1955 and 1965. Otho
Winger was the last moderator to serve sev-
eral terms, serving his sixth year in 1934. In
fact, in this century, only Winger and H. C.
Early (seven times) have been "long-term"
moderators.
In earlier times, such a turnover was not
the norm. From 1848 to 1858, George Hoke
served 1 1 years in succession. Starting in
1865, Henry Dorsey Davy began a 12-year
stint that might have been even longer, but
the dispute between the "Conservatives"
and "Old Orders" was heating up. Davy sid-
ed with the "Old Orders" and went with
them (and served as their moderator) after
the 1881 split in the denomination.
In the earliest years, the moderatorship
arose out of the eldership of the particular
congregation hosting the annual meeting.
Up until 1865 the moderator was appointed
by mutual consent of the elders and con-
tinued as long as he was capable, or pres-
ent. Beginning in 1865, the moderator was
chosen by ballot. In 1924 the practice began
of electing the moderator a year ahead of
his term.
Finally, the occupations of the modera-
tors is of interest. One might expect farming
to predominate in earlier times, but more
moderators are listed as school teachers and
businessmen. In the early 1900s, farmer/
businessman appears most often as the
moderator's occupation.
Our 1983 moderator is quite in step with
the times: Since 1921, more of our modera-
tors have been college or seminary presi-
dents than any other occupation.— The
Editor
February 1983 messenger 1
m
G^
Kathren Holsopple: A role for everyone
Ninety-year-old Kathren
Holsopple celebrates her
birthday in her favorite spot
— in her comfortable Hill-
crest Personal Service Room
— knitting an afghan for
the new doll-and-cradle set
for the La Verne Nursery
School. She has been fairy
godmother to generations
of pre-schoolers, each of
whom receives an initialed
Christmas stocking, snow-
man, Santa, rainbow doll,
pumpkin, and beanbag.
Knitting is not the only
way Kathren fulfills her
creative urges. She has a
large repertoire of memor-
ized classical poetry and
gives fascinating recitals.
She keeps abreast of world
events and is an advocate
of arms reduction and paci-
fist ways of settling con-
frontations. Despite dimin-
ished eyesight, she is an
avid reader and is currently halfway
through the four volumes of Will Durant's
Story of Civilization. This urge to do, to
know, to share, to participate is an in-
heritance from her staunch forebears in the
Church of the Brethren.
At her poetry recitals, Kathren tells of
her childhood and youth in Elgin, 111., in
the early days of that town's role as head-
quarters of the Brethren. Her father, Galen
B. Royer, in charge of Brethren overseas
missions, found time to develop Kathren's
boundless curiosity. At age 19 she enlisted
in a tour of missions to Bulsar, India. She
married Quincy Holsopple in 1911, and
their honeymoon was a voyage to India —
to build a school and a Christian community
in the hinterland north of Bombay.
They did that and more. They created in-
digenous leadership— giving Indians
responsible, decision-making roles.
Kathren became proficient in Gujarati, an
Indian language, and she acquired a head-
ful of Indian folklore and tribal tales . . .
which in later years she would tell to spell-
bound children, campers, and others.
2 MESSENGER February 1983
Back in the United States after 1 1 years
in India, the Holsopples pioneered in a
team ministry long before seminaries pre-
pared students in this cooperative concept.
Quincy died in 1960 and Kathren even-
tually settled into Hillcrest Retirement
Community in La Verne, Calif. There she
continues, despite her age, to find ways to
contribute to hfe about her. She has shared
her knowledge of Brethren leadership by
recording on tape important historical data
for the Brethren Historical Library and Ar-
chives in Elgin, 111. She gives poetry pro-
grams for Hillcresters and her family. And
she touches the lives of preschoolers in un-
forgettable ways at the La Verne Nursery
School.
Kathren Holsopple ably demonstrates
that in a properly ordered family and com-
munity there is a fulfilling, productive role
for everyone, young and old. — O. Walter
AND JUANITA ZELLER WAGNER
O. Walter Wagner is visiting scholar at Claremont
School of Theology. Juanila Zeller Wagner is director
of the nursery school at the La Verne (Calif.) Church of
the Brethren. She is a daughter of Kathren Holsopple.
Katie Bubble: Bloomin;
In 1969, after 47 years of marriage, Katie
Dubble's husband died. For the next
decade, she lived alone. Slight of frame,
but mighty of spirit, Katie chose the
possibihties of both freedom and lone-
liness that color independent living, par-
ticularly in the eighth decade of one's life.
Now, at 92 years and weighing 92
pounds (a coincidence she finds amusing),
Katie no longer Hves alone. Three years
ago, she moved in with one of her two
daughters. In her own quietly indomitable
way, Katie has managed to continue
blooming where she's planted.
At the suggestion of a niece, Katie
began tatting delicate fiowers of all colors.
These she glues to vine, stem, and leaf
designs she has drawn on pastel sta-
tionery. Her unique creations are donated
to church bazaars, gift shops (such as the
one at Lebanon Valley Brethren Home),
or given to friends.
"I've always liked the outdoors," Katie
reminisces. "Mother used to say 1 was
always the first one in our family to bring
Mark & Marty Hershey
Mark and Marty Hershey didn't know
when they helped organize a district youth
auction 15 years ago that it would some-
day raise $90,000 for disaster relief. But
Uke the biblical mustard seed, the idea has
grown and prospered.
Back in the late 1960s, as youth direc-
tors in the Lititz (Pa.) congregation, Mark
and Marty helped organize an auction of
donated goods to raise money for church-
related projects. It was an auction mostly
of used household furnishings, and in
some cases advertising the items as "used"
was being overly generous.
What was sold that first year? "Junk,"
Mark laughs. "Everyone emptied out his
attic." There was even a used car. It
wouldn't run, or even start, but it brought
$20. Altogether, the auction raised about
$5,(X)0. The project lingered on a few
more years before it was abandoned.
But the seed had been planted, and a
few years later the Hersheys received a
telephone call from a co-worker of the
early auction.
"Let's have an auction like the one the
youth held," he suggested, "but let's do it
right, this time." There were two more
suggestions. One, that it be run by adults,
^here she's planted
in spring flowers."
"Before I moved here, I used to be very
active in my own home, working on that
big lawn, and growing flowers. I've
started walking a lot since I moved
here — I thought I needed the exercise,"
Katie grins. "I walk two miles, sometimes
more, everyday when I feel like it . . .
weather permitting, of course."
As she walks, Katie manages to exercise
not only her body, but her mind and
spirit, as well. While walking, she
memorizes long passages from the Bible,
carrying handwritten verses on a little
card.
Honored as Lebanon Church of the
Brethren's Mother of the Year in 1972,
Katie has always tried to express her faith
in whatever she does. For her, missionary
work begins at home.
After retiring from 38 years of teaching
in public elementary schools, Katie con-
tinued to substitute frequently. One day,
she recalls, a first grader who had seen
her quite often in the building, asked.
"Mrs. Dubble, where is your
room?" Another first grader
who had been listening,
responded, "Mrs. Dubble has
no room. She's just a mis-
sionary."
"And," Katie smiles, "the
label stuck."
Although the seeds of Katie's
deeply rooted faith have blown
far and wide "into all the
world," her concern is not with
the harvest. "As a flower of the
field, so (s)he flourisheth" (Psa.
103:25 KJV) . . . blooming
where she's planted. — Nancy
Kettering Frye
Nancy Kettering Frye, a free-lance
writer from Lebanon, Pa. . was raised in
the Annville (Pa.) Church of the
Brethren.
'ending a mustard plant
and, secondly, that it have a specific
purpose.
The purpose, it was decided, would be
disaster reUef. And the featured item of
the auction would be handmade quilts,
stitched by church members of Atlantic
Northeast District. In addition, the quality
of the household goods was improved.
Broken television sets and cars that
wouldn't start were replaced by donated
antiques and craft items. The proceeds
climbed steadily from almost $10,000 the
first year of the revamped auction to
around $22,000 by 1980. The seed had not
only sprouted ... the plant was bearing
fruit.
By the 1981 auction, Mark and Marty,
who had been active in each project,
found themselves beginning a three-year
term as chairpersons of the auction com-
mittee, and in charge of an event several
times its original size.
"It was a lot more than I
expected — " Marty recalls now, "a lot
more work, a lot more stress."
Organizing an event that would attract
3,000 people was a far cry from the
youth get-togethers of the 1960s. Yet
the work was rewarded by the raising
of $36,000 that year, almost half of it
from the sale of quilts.
The 1982 auction saw the event
branch out to another area— h vest ock.
About 40 head of dairy cattle were in-
cluded in the auction, to boost this
year's proceeds to over $90,000. Many
of the cattle were either donated by
church members from the district or
purchased by congregations and resold
at the auction.
The 1983 auction, already in the
planning stage, is expected to raise
over $100,000 for the Emergency
Disaster Fund, which is the beneficiary
of an idea that, like a seed, has
sprouted, grown, and born fruit . . .
year after year. —David Sollenberger
David Sollenberger is a member of the Annville
(Pa.) congregation and a reporter for WHP-TV,
Harrisburg, Pa.
February 1983 messenger 3
Annual Conference '83:
'God's grace as a gift'
Moderator Paul W. Hoffman will preside
over Annual Conference 1983 in
Baltimore, Md., June 28-July 3.
With the theme "God's grace as a gift,"
from Romans 3:24, Annual Conference
officially opens with the Tuesday night
worship service and concludes with the
Sunday morning worship and consecration
service. Business sessions run Wednesday
through Saturday.
Hoffman, president of McPherson Col-
lege in Kansas, will deliver the keynote
speech Tuesday night, focusing on the
Conference theme and the state of the
church.
Other general session speakers who will
address the theme are Harrell Beck of the
Boston University School of Theology,
Wednesday; Phyllis Carter, executive of
Florida/Puerto Rico District, Thursday;
David Rittenhouse, free minister from
West Virginia and former pastor of the
Culebra (P.R.) church, Friday; Nvwa
Balami, Nigerian minister attending
Bethany Theological Seminary, Saturday;
and Leah Musser Zuck, former member
of Central Committee, Sunday.
Worship leaders for the main sessions
are Paul H. Fike, Joan Deeter, Luke
Brandt, Theresa and Warren Eshbach,
Musa Mambula, and Henry Hunsberger.
Each morning 15 minutes of the
business session will be reserved for
teaching of the Scriptures, to be led by
Warren F. Groff, Carl W. Zeigler,
Melanie May, Robert McFadden, and
Robert Bowman.
Karl Schrock will serve as music coor-
dinator, Chfton Pritchett will conduct the
Conference choir, and Galen Heckman is
coordinator for worship services. A
women's choir from Ekklesiyar 'Yanuwa
A Nigeria (the Church of the Brethren in
Nigeria) will end its tour of the United
States with a performance at Conference.
The choir was featured in the film "A
thing of Wonder."
On-location coordinator for the 1983
Paul W. Hoffman Harrell Beck
conference is Linda Johnson, assisted by
Sally McBride and a local coordinating
committee from the Baltimore area of
Mid- Atlantic District.
Bible study sessions are scheduled for
mornings and evenings Wednesday
through Saturday. Insight sessions are
scheduled for every morning and evening
except Saturday eve-
ning. Bible study ses-
sions, insight ses-
sions, meal events,
business sessions,
worship services, and
exhibits are all
scheduled for the
Baltimore Conven-
tion Center.
Music workshops,
coordinated by Mar-
lin Brightbill, will be
held at noon Wed-
nesday, Thursday,
and Friday.
Food service will
be available in the
display hall of the
convention center
for noon and eve-
ning meals, Wednes-
day through Satur-
day, with dinner-
hour programs each
evening from 5:30 to
6:30 on the stage in
the exhibit area.
Dale Dowdy is coordinator of the dinner-
hour programs.
Child care will be provided on the
third floor of the convention center dur
ing worship services and business ses-
sions. Children's activities (grade 1-5)
will be scheduled Wednesday through
Saturday. Information and registration
forms for children, youth, and young
adult activities will be available in the
information packets mailed to delegates
and churches in February.
Pre-conference meetings will be located
in the Baltimore Convention Center.
Standing Committee convenes at 10:45
Monday morning and plans to con-
clude by Tuesday noon. General Board
meets Monday afternoon. The Ministers'
Association, meeting Monday evening
through Tuesday afternoon, will be led by
Harrell Beck. Health and welfare agencies
of the Church of the Brethren will meet
Sunday evening through Tuesday
morning.
"God's grace is as simple as a circle, as complex as the
universe. It is perfect. It breaks into our world as a
beautiful gift we never dare to imagine we deserve, "
writes Messenger editor Kermon Thomasson, who de-
signed the 1983 Annual Conference symbol.
More than 1 ,200 hotel rooms within
walking distance of the convention center
will be available through the Convention
Bureau. Reservation forms and informa-
tion on hotels, universities, and private
housing, as well as a limited amount of
camping facilities, will be mailed in
February to all registered delegates,
pastors, and others who request the
material.
The 1983 conference agenda will prob-
ably be full of heavy debate on several
vital and controversial issues. The
following items of business are expected:
• Office of descon/deaconess study
committee. A report is expected from the
Phyllis Carter
David Rittenhouse
Nvwa Balami
Leah Zuck
4 MESSENGER February 1983
committee. Issues likely to be addressed in
the report will be accountability of life-
term deacons and commissioning services
for deacons.
• Associate membership report. The
team working on the associate member-
ship query requested more time last year,
and is due to have a finalized report ready
at Baltimore.
• War tax consultation study commit-
tee. A report from this five-member com-
mittee is due in response to a request
from Northern Indiana District for
guidance on withholding tax money for
war purposes. Committee members are
Dale W. Brown, William R. Faw, Marty
Smeltzer West, Ramona Smith Moore,
and Philhp C. Stone.
• Human sexuality study paper. The
human sexuality study committee is
scheduled to have a position paper ready
for debate. Many people expect this to be
the main subject of debate and contro-
versy. Committee members are Guy E.
Wampler Jr., Doris CUne Egge, James F.
Myer, Mary Sue Rosenberger, and Clyde
R. Shallenberger.
• Recognition of On Earth Peace
Assembly. At the 1982 Conference,
OEPA requested recognition as an
organization related to the Church of the
Brethren with permission to solicit funds.
Standing Committee postponed action for
one year and instructed the General Board
and OEPA to "define relationships, ac-
countabihty, and reportability with the
church."
The following item of business is ex-
pected to come to Standing Committee:
• Genetic engineering. Query submitted
by West Marva District.
Brethren to consult at
stewardship conference
One hundred district and national
leaders are expected to gather in New
Windsor, Md., April 29-May 1, for the
Church of the Brethren Conference on
Stewardship. The major consultation,
the third held since 1976, will focus on
a concept of Christian stewardship for
the denomination and stewardship pro-
grams and opportunities currently before
the church.
Keynote speaker and Bible study leader
will be Hilbert Berger, pastor of Alders-
gate United Methodist Church, Fort
Wayne, Ind., and a well-known dramatic
speaker and teacher on biblical steward-
New Nigeria church brings total to 575
A congregation worshiping in Jos is the newest in the rapidly growing Ekklesiyar
'Yanuwa a Nigeria (Church of the Brethren in Nigeria). Services began Oct. 24 on the
Church of the Brethren Mission vacation compound with 118 people. EYN's assistant
chairman, Zira Dia, and acting general secretary, Howard Ogburn, were both present.
The group is worshiping outside, but hopes to build a temporary roof and later buy a
plot of land. The Jos church is the 575th place of worship in EYN. The others include 96
local churches, 477 village churches, and the Kulp Bible School chapel.
ship. Dale Minnich, General Board staff,
is conference registrar. A committee of
national and district staff people planned
the conference.
Among stewardship issues to be dis-
cussed in the consultation are the
denomination's five-percent giving goal,
tithing, church extension, responsible
estate planning, the stewardship of crea-
tion, and models for stewardship educa-
tion and interpretation. District delega-
tions will be given time to lay plans for
stewardship programs in their respective
districts. A travel pool has been estab-
lished to assist districts located farther
than 1,000 miles from New Windsor.
Fiscal health achieved
for Greenville Home
After much planning and judicial pro-
cedure, the Brethren's Home in Green-
ville, Ohio, is back on its feet and in
charge of its own operation.
As of Nov. 30, full control of the assets
and property was returned to the home's
seven-member board and Southern Ohio
District. The action came five years after
the Chapter X filing that led to a court-
directed plan of reorganization.
In 1976, the Brethren's Home had been
forced to turn to Annual Conference for
counsel because of debts caused by
tremendous inflation rates and overex-
tended development efforts.
Wilbur E. Mullen, a former General
Board staff member and administrator of
the home since Jan. 1, 1976, helped guide
the institution through a six-year journey
to financial security. In 1977, the home
filed for Protection of the Court under
Chapter X. Four years later a plan of
reorganization was filed with the court.
Finalization of the plan was announced
in a meeting Nov. 29 of residents, board
members, and the advisory group. New
board members, appointed by the court
for one year, are Kenneth O. Bowman,
chairman; Harry J. W. Fravert, vice
chairman; Charles Brown; Kenneth J.
Crim; David L. Huffaker; N. Ivan Patter-
son; and Jean Louise Thieme.
"You've heard of the seven years and of
Jubilee," said Wilbur Mullen. "We've been
participants in a modern miracle. We too
are experiencing some jubilee and restora-
tion.
"We're full, we're operating in the black,
and we're very happy that we have come
through this struggle in a positive way.
We're very grateful to all who assisted."
February 1983 messenger 5
Thirteen workers trained for mission interpretation
Thirteen Brethren workers who have recently returned from mission work overseas
gathered at the Elgin, 111., offices for a mission interpretation retreat. Planned jointly by
all three commissions of the General Board, the meeting provided an opportunity for
sharing, reflecting, and learning more about total General Board program. These re-
turned workers are available to districts and congregations for mission interpretation pro-
grams. Pictured above are (seated) Dan McFadden, Steve Newcomer, James Bowman,
Ruth Nelson, Tom Nelson, and (standing) Yvonne Dilling, Merle Bowman, Roma Jo
Thompson, Gail Erisman, Carol Smith, Ruth Stump, Mary Bowman, Clarence Bowman.
For more information on arranging visits of mission interpreters, write to Von James,
1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120.
Neff and Petry spealc at
NCC stewardship event
Robert W. Neff, general secretary of the
Church of the Brethren General Board,
was a principal speaker for the annual
December Event of the National Council
of Churches Commission on Stewardship.
The week-long professional growth ex-
perience held at Singer Island, Fla.,
brought together 75 professional staff
members representing 20 denominations.
Other guest leaders for the event were
Ronald D. Petry, pastor of Sebring (Fla.)
Church of the Brethren and a former
member of the General Board stewardship
staff, and Rosemary Radford Ruether,
Georgia Harkness Professor at Garrett
EvangeHcal Theological Seminary,
Evanston, 111. Petry led daily Bible study
sessions, while Ruether delivered the con-
ference's opening address.
Speaking on the assigned topic, "The
Parameters of Institutional Stewardship,"
Neff told the ecumenical group that the
interrelatedness of human Hfe with the
created world is a critical understanding
for responsible stewardship. "I would put
the earth's survival as the first priority of
the church," he stated. Neff also stressed
the importance of vision and planning, ac-
countabiHty and mutuality of relationships
for the church.
Also in attendance at the conference
were General Board stewardship staff
members Lila McCray, Don Stern,
Stewart Kauffman and Dale Minnich.
Young adults simulate
early Christian living
A secret catacomb worship service; an em-
press vying with the pope for top spot in
church hierarchy; a candleht, ceremonial
meal without silverware; and a council
meeting to unite four cantankerous groups
of Christians .... Not typical conference
fare, to be sure.
The occasion was the annual Young
Adult Conference, held Thanksgiving
weekend at Camp Mack in Indiana. More
than 70 young adults — mostly college
students and volunteers — from as far
away as Florida and California spent the
two days studying and simulating the lives
of early Christians in Rome about A.D.
300.
The simulation was led by Graydon
Snyder and Nancy Faus, faculty at
Bethany Theological Seminary, with an
assist from Ron Faus and Ralph Detrick,
coordinator of the conference.
The leaders set the scene by describing
Constantine's march on Rome to seize the
empire from Maxentius. His victory, which
he attributed to a vision from God at the
Milvian Bridge, marked the beginning of
Christianity as a state religion.
Snyder and Faus then divided the par-
ticipants into four representative groups:
CoUseum Christians loyal to Constantine;
Colixtus Christians loyal to the pope;
Catacomb Christians who worshiped
secretly underground to avoid persecution;
and Concihatory Christians who wanted
to unify all four bodies.
Each group was responsible for the
simulation of some early Christian event:
an agape meal of fish and bread by the
papal group; a talent show/toga party by
the CoUseum Christians; a catacomb wor-
ship service; and a council meeting to
discuss church union.
As might be expected, the council
meeting bore striking resemblance to An-
nual Conference, and its participants
acted more Brethren than Roman. In the
debriefing following the simulation, many
of the conferencegoers agreed that the
outcome — a democratic sort of union
engineered by the Catacomb Chris-
tians—was in reality an unMkely one and
showed the group's Anabaptist bent.
In addition to making a history lesson
come alive, the simulation underscored
the value of experiencing other styles of
worship to understand one another. A
student from the University of La Verne
said the catacomb service helped her iden-
tify with Russian Christians.
The Young Aduh Conference, held in a
different location each Thanksgiving, is a
program of the Parish Ministries Commis-
sion of the General Board.
Latin America churches
constitute new council
More than 300 delegates, observers, and
visitors from more than 1(X) denomina-
tions and ecumenical org^izations
assembled in November near Lima, Peru,
to formally inaugurate the Latin American
Council of Churches (CLAI). General
Board staff members Ren6 and Karen
Calder6n attended as invited guests,
representing the Church of the Brethren.
6 MESSENGER February 1983
The ecumenical council, which has been
in formation for four years, marks an im-
portant turning point for Protestant chur-
ches on the Catholic-dominated continent.
The council's formation was proposed at
the Fourth Latin American Protestant
Conference held in Mexico in 1978.
The primary concerns of CLAI are in-
creased Protestant dialog and unity; more
coordinated efforts on mission, evangel-
ism, and development; and raising a
unified voice concerning human rights in
Latin America.
The staff consists of five regional
secretaries, each working on a particular
issue. Bishop Federico Parura, an Argen-
tinian Methodist, was reelected president.
The formal inauguration of CLAI com-
pletes the global development of regional
church councils, since regional bodies
already exist in Africa, Asia, the Carib-
bean, Europe, the Pacific, the Middle
East, and two in North America.
Church votes to comply
with IRS in tax case
After agonizing debate. Prince of Peace
Church of the Brethren, South Bend,
Ind., voted to comply with an order to
pay the Internal Revenue Service part of
the wages of pastor Louise Rieman, a war
tax resister. Prince of Peace is the first
Church of the Brethren congregation to
be faced with the tax-resistance issue.
Louise Rieman and her husband, Phil,
have been withholding a percentage of
their taxes to protest military spending, and
have also withheld information about bank
accounts from which the IRS could take
tax money. When the church was asked to
hand over part of her wages, the Riemans
asked the church board to refuse.
The board passed a resolution that sup-
ported the Riemans and denied the IRS
request. But the resolution was defeated
20 to 16 when it was sent to the church
council for consideration by. the entire
congregation.
The debate focused on the biblical basis
for and against tax resistance, the moral
implications of breaking the law, and
preservation of the congregation amidst
the controversy.
Last summer, in response to a Northern
Indiana District query. Annual Con-
ference formed a committee to study war
tax resistance. A report is expected at the
1983 conference in Baltimore.
y[n](9l(tff|[jil(^^
POLISH PROFESSOR
Dr. Rett R. Ludwikowski, a Polish scholar
and former Solidarity member, has joined the Elizabethtown
College faculty. Ludwikowski will teach courses on inter-
national relations and comparative governments, as well as a
special course on the nature of totalitarianism. He is cur-
rently completing a study, in Polish, of American conservatism.
YOUTH MINISTER
Atlantic Northeast District has hired
Janice Glass Kensinger as part-time associate for youth minis-
tries. Kensinger will develop programs for district youth and
coordinate resources for congregational youth activities.
SCHOLARLY WORKS . . . Elizabethtown College professor Donald
B_. Kr ay bill has co-edited a book, Perils of Professionalism ,
which explores the relationship between Christian faith and
professionalism. His ca-editor is Phyllis Pellman Good , co-
editor of Festival Quarterly magazine.
John W. Cooper ,
dean for academic affairs at Bridgewater College, has pub-
lished an article, "The Outlines of Political Theology in the
Protestant Reformation," in the fall issue of Teaching Politi-
cal Science .
REMEMBERED
... Harriet Howard Bright, 70, a former mission-
1 in Dayton, Ohio. She served with her hus-
ary, died Dec.
band, Ralph, in China, 1947-1950, where she taught at West
China Union University in Chengtu. . . . Memorial services
were held Jan. 2 at Midway Church of the Brethren, Lebanon,
Pa., for pastor W_. Hartman Rice, 61, who died Dec. 19. He was
a member of the denomination's General Board.
ALTERNATIVE SERVING
Brethren Volunteer Service isn't
able to accommodate all the Brethren who want to volunteer.
Serving with the Mennonite Central Committee are: Neal and
Karin Musselman , Reading (Pa.) congregation, serving in com-
munity development and nursing in Lesotho; Kathleen Myers ,
Mount Vernon congregation, Stuarts Draft, Va. , teaching in
Swaziland; James Kurtz , Middle Creek congregation, Ephrata,
Pa. , serving as a nurse in the Philippines; Martha Brubaker ,
Hempfield congregation. East Petersburg, Pa., serving as a
physio-therapist in Brazil; James and Mary Miller , Bridgewater
(Va.) congregation, serving in Brazil; Patricia Wagner, Trot-
ville (Ohio) congregation, in community development in the
Philippines; Dale and Lois Wolgemuth, Chiques and White Oak
congregations, Manheim, Pa., in public health and nursing in
Guatemala; Sandy Haldeman, Conestoga congregation, Leola,
Pa. , serving as a nurse in Haiti; and Jeffrey and Jeannie
Trachsel , Manchester congregation. North Manchester, Ind., in
education and community development in Jamaica. Working with
the Mennonite Board of Missions is Mary Bucher , Pleasant Val-
ley congregation, Middlebury, Ind., who is in nursing in Macon,
Miss. With the United Methodist Church are Wayne and Betty
McNett , Vienna, Va. , serving in the Chang-Hua Christian Hospi-
tal, where Wayne is a physician. With the United Church of
Christ is Lori Soil enberger , Everett (Pa.) congregation, in
dairy extension work in Sri Lanka. Working in construction
and youth work for the Africa Inland Mission in Kenya are Dar-
rin and Sandra Byler , Spring Creek congregation, Hershey, Pa.
February 1983 messenger 7
y[p)(^(§ii^(t
NET EFFECTS
Volleyball has long been a favorite Brethren
activity. Now two Brethren schools — Juniata College and the
University of La Verne — have become national powerhouses in
women's volleyball. At the recent National Collegiate Athletic
Conference Division III play-offs in San Diego, Calif., La
Verne's women's volleyball team beat neighboring rival Univer-
sity of California at San Diego to win the national title.
Juniata was defeated by U Cal San Diego in the semi-finals,
placing fourth in the nation.
MUSICAL MEETING
The Hymn Society of America , Inc. and
Experience '83 will hold a joint conference on hymnody and the
arts in worship, liturgy, and music, July 10-15, at Wittenberg
University, Springfield, Ohio. The conference will include
workshops and worship under the direction of leading hymn com-
posers, choir directors, organists, and others connected with
religious music. For more information, write: Hymn Society of
America, Inc. , Wittenberg University, Springfield, OH 45501.
HEALTHY LOANS . . . Brethren students in the healing arts are
eligible for health education loans or scholarships. The
deadline for applications is Feb. 15. Send applications or
inquiries to: Brethren Health Education Foundation, 1451 Dun-
dee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120. Brethren students at non-Brethren
colleges get first preference since health education grants
are already given to the Brethren schools.
COMPUTER CLASS . . . With computers becoming an integral part
of life, people need to be better educated in their use. An
experimental computer science teacher licensing program has
been started by Manchester College , the first such program in
Indiana. Graduates of the program will be certified to teach
computer science in elementary through secondary schools.
MILESTONES ... The Waynesboro (Pa.) congregation celebrated
its 60th anniversary Dec. 5. Dating to 1871, Waynesboro be-
came a separate congregation in 1922. . . . Loon Creek con-
gregation, Huntington, Ind., burned its mortgage Sept. 19.
Former pastor Robert Eby was the speaker. . . . Another con-
gregation near Huntington, Clear Creek , reached its final
milestone Oct. 10, in a closing service that brought an o^'er-
flow crowd. . . . Closing its doors also is Paoli Emmanuel
congregation, Berwyn, Pa.
CAMP ' S OUT . . . Mid-Atlantic District is selling its Camp
Woodhrook property for use as part of a new reservoir. Much
of the camp area will be under water. The district is now
negotiating for the return of some of the property around the
future shoreline and for access to additional areas for hiking.
Money from the camp property sale will be invested and eventu-
ally used for redevelopment of the camp.
COLLEGE'S IN
The California Department of Education has
awarded degree-granting status to the American Armenian Inter-
national^ College of the University of La Verne . This marks a
crucial step towards accreditation from the Western Associa-
tion of Schools and Colleges for AAIC.
8 MESSENGER February 1983
Nicaragua, Costa Rica
toured by churcli group
Two General Board staff members par-
ticipated in an Agricultural Missions, Inc.,
study tour of land reform and church in-
volvement in two Central American coun-
tries, Nicaragua and Costa Rica.
Led by executive director J. Benton
Rhoades, 26 people representing Catholic
and Protestant agencies examined the
agricultural, landholding, production, and
marketing structures of the two countries
and discussed the role played by church
organizations both in Central and North
America. Among the 26 were Ralph
McFadden and Mary Cline Detrick of the
Parish Ministries Commission.
Major portions of the tour were spent
on understanding Nicaragua's new land
reform law and investigating theological
and biblical aspects of landholding. The
group visited a state dairy farm and a
farm cooperative and met with reUgious,
governmental, and community leaders.
At a worship service on the border of
Nicaragua and Honduras, community
members read a list of neighbors slain by
anti-Sandinista soldiers who had crossed
the frontier to raid the tiny settlement.
Upon departure from Nicaragua, the
Agricultural Missions group issued a "Let-
ter to Nicaraguan Campesinos and
Farmers," expressing soUdarity with them
in their struggle for Uvelihood. The letter
was the basis for a news conference at the
Managua airport Nov. 16.
In Costa Rica the group visited the pro-
vince of Lim6n, scene of recent labor
disputes between banana workers and
transnational corporations. The trip also
included visits to a Protestant agricultural
project, cooperatives, and farms, and a
meeting with the Catholic archbishop.
Mary Cline Detrick called the study
tour "life-changing." She reported that the
Nicaraguans asked the visitors to petition
the US government to stop intervening in
Central American affairs. "They told us,
'We don't want your money; we want
your friendship.'"
"Nicaragua is such a beacon of hope
for all the Central American countries,"
Detrick added. "That's very threatening to
Washington, and very exciting for us."
The "preferential option for the poor"
is being taken very seriously, said McFad-
den. "It's exciting to see the church work-
ing in Nicaragua. They often say, 'God is
doing a new thing,' and I believe it."
(^©ytnnlln]
by Shirley Kirkwood
Sticking to a *diet'
VVomaen's Caucus marks its 10th anni-
versary this year. Led by a steering com-
mittee, the Caucus seeks to interpret
women's concerns and issues to the General
Board and the denomination. Our purpose
as stated in 1973 — "We, the Womaen's
Caucus, are impelled by Jesus' example to
affirm personhood by working to eliminate
sexual discrimination and empowering the
oppressed so all may participate fully in
Hfe"— still guides the steering committee in
its setting of goals and program.
The work of the church and Womaen's
Caucus is most publicly observed and re-
flected upon by looking at the workings of
Annual Conference. During the past 10
years our denomination has made notice-
able strides in affirming the value of
equality of the sexes by the adoption of an
Equality for Women Paper in 1 977 and the
Annual Conference Elections Paper in
1979 (calling for fair and equitable par-
ticipation of all our people), as well as
through the inclusive language policy
adopted by the General Board in 1974.
One major goal of the Caucus con-
tinues to be that of providing support and
opportunities for women to assume
decision-making roles at all levels of our
denomination. Each year names of
women able and willing to fill leadership
positions on the ballot are recommended
to the Nominating Committee of the An-
nual Conference Standing Committee. A
well-balanced ballot is then presented to
the delegate body.
Still, delegates tend to elect women only
when they were running against other
women. Election results indicate a lack of
delegate support for women in church
leadership positions. One opinion
overheard at Wichita that "there are some
things a moderator has to do that only a
man can do" indicates that denomina-
tional efforts in support of women are
much needed. In the past nine years the
ratio of women to men on the General
Board has not changed.
Raising issues of sexism in the church
has been one of the most controversial
issues of our time, as well as one requiring
each person's attention. Sexism is not
something we can call "your problem";
the view that women are not as good as
men underlies the most basic relation-
ships, traditional family structures, and
many religious practices — in short, our
culture. When we begin to examine our
value of equality in relation to our every-
day practices and relationships, we see in-
consistencies and are compelled to make
intentional choices about our language
and behavior.
Changes of such a personal nature are
much like changing our diet to improve our
health: There has to be a recognition of the
need for change, a willingness to begin a
new regimen, and a commitment to a goal
in order to realize effective change.
, However, in reading through the back
issues of Messenger and Femailings I
have been struck by the process our
denomination has experienced in effecting
change in women's issues during the past
10 years. Womaen's Caucus has had a
significant role in the continued growth of
our church — and we are part of the grow-
ing pains, our own and those of the
church. Having read Betty Freidan's
book. The Second Stage, I see the early
Caucus experiences as our "first stage"
where we had to deal with personal ex-
perience and consciousness-raising within
the institution that was necessarily painful
and difficult for the church to accept. As
we have heard and recognized ourselves
during this process, we are better prepared
and able to transcend the repressive and
limiting forces and to move into our "sec-
ond stage" within the church.
Women are moving into another sphere
of influence in the church, quietly and pur-
posefully. More women are in seminary,
and beyond that, in team ministry or co-
pastor assignments. More women are lay
speakers and district moderators.
We see women acting out of their own
strengths and in relationship with God,
making the discovery of their own value
and purpose. Women are finding courage
to question and to change relationships
that have been destructive to many.
Womaen's Caucus will celebrate the
growth that has been realized during these
past 10 years at a 1983 Conference insight
session in which we will hear of personal
experiences of growth related to equality
in marital and family relationships.
The Womaen's Caucus steering commit-
tee recently reaffirmed the goals and pur-
pose established 10 years ago and acknow-
ledged that our programs face the same
obstacles incurred by all church programs
that challenge the status quo and work
toward change in humeui relationships. We
can succeed only to the extent that we stay
on a cutting edge and stick to our "diet."
As Caucus moves into the future, a new
goal may be added to increase awareness
of the ties between sexism and militarism,
and the common goals of feminism and
pacifism. An objective for the future is
the sponsorship of a feminism and peace
event focusing on these ties. D
Shirley Kirkwood, of Mount Solon, Va., is caucus
worker for the Church of the Brethren Womaen's
Caucus.
February 1983 messenger 9
by Frank Ramirez
Midway in our life's journey, I went
astray from the straight road and
woke to find myself alone in a dark
wood . . .
The Inferno, Canto 1, 11. 1-3
by Dante, tr. by John Ciardi
/ thought about being dead.
Inferno, a novel,
by Larry Niven and Jerry Poumelle
Read Isaiah 66:18-24.
In the chapter "The Garden of Live
Flowers" from the book Through the
Looking Glass, and What Alice Found
There, Alice discovers something very
strange about her world. If she walks
toward an object, it grows farther away.
Yet if she walks in the opposite direction,
she can reach her destination in no time.
And so 1 find it in my professional life —
the more one avoids the subject, the more
one is tripped up by it. Only by facing up
to difficulties can I put things behind me.
And of course there is one subject that
I —and 1 am sure others — wish to avoid at
all costs. Yet to walk away from it only
brings it closer.
The subject is hell.
Hell, as a topic for sermons, has lost
some of its power. It is not fashionable to
think about hell, especially with our em-
phasis upon the love that created the new
covenant. It is a little bit embarrassing to
us. Any reference to it turns off youth and
scares away potential converts. Indeed,
most of us would rather not believe in it.
Our own use of language has laundered
the very concept until the two words most
associated with the subject of hell — namely
"hell" and "damn" — have lost their seman-
tic juice. When respectable citizens can
pepper their speech with these expletives
and find their sentences only mildly sea-
soned, it is hard for anyone to formulate
thoughts about hell with any vigor behind
them.
Let's face it, the whole idea has almost
become quaint. Hell is something primitive
people believe in. We enlightened members
of the 20th-century church have our eyes
fixed upon the castle of the kingdom. We
give no thought for the dungeon.
It is no use.
The final straw, for me, came while ex-
Why would the God of mercy allow a place like
Hell? Is it there to scare the devil out of us?
amining a bulletin cover prepared as part
of the Living Word series of 1980. There
was a flashy picture that displayed many
national flags flapping in unison. The
scripture was Isaiah 66:18-23. The words
of the Lord spoke of a time when his
glory would be declared among all the na-
tions. Salvation would be offered to all
peoples.
For as the new heavens and the
new earth which I will make shall
remain before me, says the Lord;
so shall your descendants and your
name remain. From new moon to
new moon and from sabbath to
sabbath, all flesh shall come to
worship before me, says the Lord.
Wait a minute. There is another verse, not
included in the suggested reading. It is the
last verse of Isaiah, part of this vision of
the future kingdom. This verse reads:
And they shall go forth and look
on the dead bodies of the men that
have rebelled against me; for their
worm shall not die, their fire shall
not be quenched, and they shall be
an abhorrence to all fiesh (Isa.
66:24).
So ghastly is this verse that when the
chapter was read in the synagogue the
Masoretic scholars were instructed to
reread verse 23 so the reading would not
end on such a horrid note.
Yet it is not a message unknown to the
gospels — not with the parables about the
wheat and chaff, the foolish virgins at the
wedding, the "come ye" and "depart ye"
as the Judge separates sheep and goats.
Jesus quite clearly tells us there will come
a time when we will ask him, "When did
we see you thirsty?" How we answer that
question seems from the Scriptures to be
of paramount importance.
All these verses about hell — what are we
to do about them?
Part of the problem is one of transposi-
tion. Our temporal tongues are incapable
of adequately mapping eternity.
Consider the scripture that began this
study. It is pictured as happening physical-
ly in the valley of Hinnom, the wadi-
Hinnom, outside the city of Jerusalem.
The wadi-Hinnom, known to us as Gehen-
na, is the place where, during the time of
Jeremiah, human sacrifice took place. In
later times it was used as a place for the
refuse of the city, and it was here that the
corpses of criminals were cast to be burned
or to decompose. In the scripture, the par-
ticipants in the glorious holy parade would
gaze upon that plain during their journey
to the Holy City. The proximity of the
place of blessedness (Jerusalem) to the
place of suffering (Gehenna) is striking.
w
e must remember, however, that
because we lack the mental equipment to
comprehend the fullness of God's plan we
are dealing with a symbol. The image of a
physical place is used to describe something
for which there are no words. This is an
important point. Many believe that there
are no systematic descriptions of the after-
life in the Scriptures. Rather, there are
hints couched in the words of visions,
which are not meant to be taken literally —
but seriously. So what we learn about hell
(and heaven) will be filtered through
metaphor and simile, God's truth told to us
in the scriptural equivalent of words of one
syllable.
But why? The idea of the God of mercy
is so ingrained in us that the mind rebels.
Why hell? Is it there simply to scare the
devil out of us? Is its purpose-to fill us
with, as Shakespeare's Hamlet puts it, "the
dread of something after death, the un-
discovered country, from whose bourne no
traveler returns"?
I do not think fear is the sole purpose of
10 MESSENGER February 1983
hell, although it may be one facet. Scrip-
ture, instead, suggests that love indeed is
the foundation of hell. God loved us so
much that he gave us the freedom to
choose. Our free will to choose light or
darkness is the greatest gift God has given
us. He can save no one if that person will
not be saved.
We have a picture of the gates of hell,
closed, locked, bolted, with the damned
inside; but if this is the case, who is the
jailer? Surely demons are not the jailers,
for they have no power over us if we for-
bid it. I think C.S. Lewis put it best when
he wrote, in The Problem of Pain: "The
damned are, in one sense, successful
rebels to the end; ... the doors of hell
are locked on the inside" (page 115).
Or, as a character of his puts it in the
novel The Great Divorce: "There are only
two kinds of people in the end: those who
say to God, 'Thy will be done,' and those
to whom God says, in the end, 'Thy will
be done'" (page 72).
The primary cause of hell might well be
alienation and rejection, choices possible
only to individuals. Christ calls us together.
Our sins drive us apart. If we do not
recognize sin for what it is, or refuse to
recognize the possibility of sin, we remove
the possibility of turning to Christ.
Earher generations had no problem
recognizing sin for what it was. Dante's
Inferno dramatizes the extreme ugliness of
sin through the personification of its
destructive results. There can be no possi-
ble misunderstanding.
In the modem world we have found
newer words for sin — words like "righteous
pride" (a contradiction in terms),
"pragmatism," "a realistic viewpoint,"
"necessary casualties," "the new morality,"
"cutbacks in social spending," and Winning
Through Intimidation.
We clothe sin in the finest designer
fashions and market it through the mass
media. There is, in the end, nothing that
the love of God can do for us if we insist
on holding on to our sins and giving them
high-sounding names. It is impossible to be
saved if no guilt is admitted. Until we turn
even the sUghtest bit in the direction of the
Lord, it is impossible for him to help us.
But if anyone can find a spark of
humanity still inside a damned soul, it will
be our Creator. The Father in heaven who
numbers every hair and marks the fall of
every sparrow desires the salvation of every
individual. Jesus came to proclaim
freedom to the captives, and there are none
more captive than those enmeshed in sin.
Can God save those in hell?
The question is hard to answer. I have
found that the language of eternity, which
seems so clear in English, seems less
precise in Greek and Hebrew. Scholars
may differ. I reserve my judgment.
In addition, just as the symbols of hell
fill the Scriptures, so too we find visions
of universal salvation, as in Revelation,
where the loud voice tells us that God will
wipe away every tear from their eyes, and
that "neither shall there be mourning nor
crying nor pain any more" (Rev. 21:4),
and in Micah, where it is promised that
"every man" shall sit "under his vine and
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Hell was more of a real place for earlier
Christians. An old woodcut shows what
happens to bad children who don't behave.
under his fig tree" (Mic. 4:4). Even the
scripture that inspired this study says that
"all flesh shall come to worship before
me" (Isa. 66:23). Vernard Eller's The Most
Revealing Book of the Bible speaks in
detail to this subject.
Does this imply that for some, then,
hell is the only way to cause certain in-
dividuals to examine their sins? That is
what the character Allen Carpenter says
near the end of the novel Inferno, by
Lsury Niven and Jerry Poumelle:
There's only one possible excuse
for hell, and I almost missed it in
the ravings of a crazy psychiatrist.
It has to be the final training
ground. If nothing can get a soul
into heaven in its life, there's still
hell, God's last attempt to get his
attention. Like a catatonic in a
hotbox, like me in that bottle, if
hell won't make a man yell for
help, then it was still worth a
try (pages 235-236).
Hell, then, may claim as its primary
purpose not fear but self-awjireness. Con-
sider that in our own Uves we are often
unwilling to admit there is anything wrong
with our physical bodies. We strive to ig-
nore nature's warning signs — overeating,
drinking, and smoking — until the ulcer or
the heart attack or the cancer strikes us.
Only then are we sometimes willing to re-
evaluate our hfestyles.
How much more difficult is it, then, for
us to recognize the illness in our souls!
How much easier is it for us to ignore the
warning signs of a spiritual medaise. Seen
in this light, the concept of retribution is
replaced by restoration in the considera-
tion of hell.
Our response to God's warnings in
scripture is to pay attention to the state of
our own souls. God's message is really
directed toward us, as individuals. The
application of hell's warnings to others is
really none of our concern, except as that
application periains to the command to
spread the gospel to all nations.
There is a sentence of Augustine's that I
have heard quoted in more than one con-
text: "Do not despair — one of the thieves
was saved. Do not presume — one of the
thieves was damned." It is a good state-
ment to ponder.
In the end we must admit we know lit-
tle of what lies behind the portal of death.
Our concern must be with life and with
discipleship, with the choices given to us
each day. The subject of hell is a dark
one, and a mysterious one, part of the
will of God which we probably cannot
understand in this life. If we encounter
hell in scripture, we must grapple with it
as Jacob wrestled with the stranger, and
seek to discern God's individual message
to us in that passage.
We must also remember we are not in
the business of despair, judgment, or ex-
clusion. We are Christians, who are called
from darkness into Ught, away from
alienation into wholeness, individually and
corporately. It begins with the recognition
of our guilt, followed by the action of
putting it aside. We are in the business of
all that is truly eternal, namely faith,
hope, and love. D
Frank Ramirez is pastor of the Ladera Church of
the Brethren in Los Angeles, Calif.
February 1983 messenger 11
Tales of Hoffman
by Kermon Thomasson
Airline passengers entering the men's rest-
room at the Wichita airport were puzzled
by the activity there: A baby boy lay on
the floor, crying. Two men were busy at a
hand basin, washing something, apparent-
ly a baby diaper. Undisturbed by curious
stares, they wrung it out, held it under the
hot air hand dryer, and put it back on the
baby. They exited laughing.
The two men were McPherson College
president Paul W. Hoffman and his son
Dan. The baby was Dan's son David. Dan
had bundled up David to come to the air-
port to pick up his parents. But he had
forgotten to bring along an extra diaper.
It was Grandpa Paul who hit on the prac-
tical solution to the problem.
Several strong character traits are called
for to sustain a college president and
preserve his dignity while he washes out a
baby diaper in a men's room. More im-
portant, we see here demonstrated
coolness during crisis, and quick, practical
solutions to tough problems.
This is just one tale about Paul Hoff-
man I collected when I asked about
among his colleagues and acquaintances
for anecdotes that would tell us something
about our 1983 moderator of the Church
of the Brethren Annual Conference.
Behind the pinstripe suits, the silver
mane, the presidential dignity and de-
meanor, Paul Hoffman can be a barrel of
laughs. "He specializes in jokes," one per-
son told me. "He has a fantastic memory
for them, and there are few occasions he
does not enliven with another good one."
And picture this, if you can: Paul Hoff-
man doing a Liberace impersonation,
complete with wig and rhinestone suit,
playing the piano and belting out "Sen-
timental Journey." McPherson students
can vouch for the accuracy of this picture
of their president.
Since much of his career has been spent
working with students, Paul has learned a
lot about dealing with them — from letting
down his hair during "Faculty Follies" to
standing off hostile Vietnam War pro-
testers. He deals with conflict "eyeball to
12 MESSENGER February 1983
eyeball," but is able to remain composed
and quiet.
Once during the early 1970s, Man-
chester College students were challenging
the administration with sit-ins and
demonstrations. Paul, as dean of
students, was a primary target for their
ire. One evening, students filled Petersime
Chapel in a confrontation with Paul over
dorm hours and military recruiting on
campus.
The one who told this tale describes
Paul under fire: "The situation was
volatile and tense. I remember Paul taking
on all those hot-headed students, one by
one and collectively. He was angry and
scared, although you couldn't tell it. He
confronted the students with poise and
quiet strength, and managed to relax the
tensions."
R
I o doubt Paul could identify well with
those students. As a younger man he had
had to courageously defend his own con-
victions. Drafted into military service, he
had taken the conscientious objector
stand. The draft board rejected his claim
to CO status. The appeal board sent his
letter to the President and it was filed in
an FBI dossier. Finally Paul appeared
before a federal judge, who accepted his
CO stand. No wonder Paul today can talk
easily and passionately to audiences about
the insanity of world power struggles, and
the need for nonviolent resistance to evil,
the need for peace.
Peace is a Brethren specialty Paul em-
phasizes when he talks about what the
Church of the Brethren has to offer: "We
have so much going for us. So much! It
seems to me it's time for us to create a
direction rather than to watch what's go-
ing to happen next. We know about cer-
tain things; we're good at certain things.
We know about honesty and integrity; we
know about peace. We know about vol-
unteer service. We know about simple liv-
ing. We know how to care for our neigh-
bor's good, far and near. We have great
scholarship on biblical studies right in our
own denomination. The New Testament
as our creed ought to take on a new
significance."
The New Testament as a creed is
demonstrated in both distinct and subtle
ways in Paul's life. Persons who recall
him at Manchester and McPherson share
these recollections:
• "As a coach, Paul's standard punish-
ment for minor infractions of rules was
push-ups . . . not just for the offender,
but for the whole team and the coach. It
was effective and everyone participated
without grumbling.
"His keen insight into the players' lives
and their moods and temperaments were
of great help in handling many difficult
situations."
• "When he completed his requirements
for his Ph.D. degree from Purdue in
1971, he drove out of town a ways,
stopped the car, got out, and let out some
unscholarly yells of excitement and jubila-
tion over the attainment of his goal."
• "Most people see him as gregarious
and outgoing, but not all know that he is
a person who seeks soUtude and isolation
late at night. He is a 'person' person dur-
ing the day, and a book person at night."
• "Paul loves solitude, and derives deep
satisfaction from quiet times. He loves to
read smd to think. He spends time in
prayer. He finds fulfillment in farming, in
being close to the earth."
• "It is easy for him to go from a mo-
ment of meditation to one of hilarity and
laughter. He moves quickly from the
crowds to the solitude of the tractor and
plow on his small farm."
• "Although Paul is an outstanding
athlete, most people don't learn about it
from him without prying it loose. He is
not the frustrated jock who must relive
every game in laborious detail. He knows
how to keep things in perspective."
• "Those who are unfamiliar with Paul
might think him slow to respond to ques-
tions. They may even wonder if he has
even heard them. But they learn that he
doesn't answer quickly, but takes time to
give a question careful consideration. He
does not spit out rash statements."
• "He is meticulous in gathering data
and information. All facts must be in
before decisions are made. Paul strongly
believes in the democratic process, with
input from all persons involved."
• "He is very much in control. He never
shows any semblance of anger. Paul's pa-
tience is only tested by those who come to
him for decisions before they have done
their own homework."
• "One of his greatest joys at McPher-
son is talking with students. Paul takes
satisfaction in knowing them by name and
in being able to relate to them by knowing
something about their family."
• "Paul is driven by deep loyalty and
dedication to the church. No assignment
is too small to merit his attention. He
thrives on a busy schedule. Personnel at
the Wichita airport know him and are
ready to order runway attendants, "Hold
the plane! Here comes President Hoff-
man!"
• "He engenders trust and confidence.
Paul encourages others to reach their
potential. He is free and gracious with en-
couragement. He easily expresses appreci-
ation to others."
• "He never causes others to feel he is
pushing his own point of view. He is sen-
sitive to all viewpoints. His facial expres-
sion does not belie his own feelings."
• "He sleeps in many homes as he
travels. He stays up late, but responds to
any early morning call for a farm break-
fast and a round of the cattle yard, even
though he may be scheduled for several
public appearances during the day."
• "Once Paul was stopped for speeding
at 2 a.m. on Main Street in a small North
Dakota town ... on his way to a preach-
ing assignment."
• "Paul takes a broad-based approach
to decision making. At McPherson as a
new president, he reorganized the admin-
istrative structure, creating three vice
presidents to oversee departments. This
streamlined communication, creating
greater efficiency and broader input on
decisions. Although Paul assumes full
responsibility for the direction and deci-
sions of the college, he seeks the thinking
of faculty, staff, and students and wel-
February 1983 messenger 13
Paul Hoffman was conse-
crated as 1983 moderator at
the close of the Wichita
Conference, along with
Paul Fike (right), modera-
tor-elect. Laying on hands
(from left): Jean Lichty
Hendricks, Sheldon (Iowa)
pastor; Earle Fike, 1982
moderator and Elizabeth-
town (Pa.) pastor; and
Robert Horst, East Chippe-
wa congregation, Orrville,
Ohio.
Above: The moderator listens to the con-
cern of a conferencegoer. Below: Paul
Hoffman is the popular president of
McPherson College. Lower: The Hoffmans
enjoy entertaining in their McPherson Col-
lege residence.
comes their recommendations."
• "Paul takes time for students. Last
year he cleared four whole days just to
hsten to students. He told them they had
priority over trustees, vice presidents, ad-
ministrators, and faculty. Students lined
up to get in to talk, filling every hour of
each day."
And what is Paul's view of himself?
When I asked him about his progress
from the pastorate to the presidency of
McPherson College, he laughed and
reflected, "People who knew me as an
undergraduate surely must at least smile
about my ever being a pastor or a college
president."
But he goes on, "I really enjoyed my
one pastorate — at Detroit Trinity from
1957 to 1962. I think I'm probably a
pastor at heart. I really only left Detroit
so that Joan could complete her home
economics degree . . . but we have never
gotten back."
I asked Paul if, as 1983 moderator, he
sees himself in a pastoral role. "No," he
replied. "I see myself more in a position
to reconcile, to moderate."
To prepare himself for moderating
Conference, Paul has limited his reading
this past year to Annual Conference
minutes and Brethren history (not too dif-
ficult, since he considers Brethren history
an on-going avocation). It is from that
reading that he looks for ways he can help
the church find its identity, find what it
can do best, and lead out in that.
The moderator today is much less "ag-
gressively influential" than moderators a
generation or so ago, Paul points out. He
remembers one past moderator in par-
ticular who "was an artist in terms of
thinking it through — seeing what the
church needed — and then getting people
to do what he wanted."
Those days are pretty much gone, Paul
figures. "I think today the moderator is a
representative. As 1983 moderator I will
make pronouncements, but they will be
from Paul Hoffman, as they are appropri-
ate. I have definite opinions about some
things, but I will try to represent all the
brothers and sisters, and try to be open to
what I think is a great church, but a
church with strong feehngs."
Speaking of "strong feelings," I remind-
ed the moderator that the Conference at
Baltimore would be dealing with some
heavy issues, particularly the human sex-
uality paper. "I am not at all frightened,"
he responded. "Standing Committee at
Wichita last year was just outstanding.
Half of those people will be back this year
at Baltimore. And the delegates . . . they
are all good sisters and brothers. No, I'm
not losing sleep at all, because I'm dealing
with good people. We have handled heavy
issues before."
That statement was made by Paul Hoff-
man not as a naive assumption of good
will by an ill-prepared novice, but as the
confident belief of one who has done his
homework, who has dealt with controver-
sy before, and who believes both in
himself and in his constituency.
Recently Paul visited an elderly aunt.
They were discussing his being moderator.
"Paul," she said, "you're just too young
for such heavy responsibility."
We Brethren will find out at Baltimore
if the aunt was right or wrong. But as
Paul Hoffman says, "I'm not losing sleep
at all." n
14 MESSENGER February 1983
Do colleges care?
Campus ministries at the six Brethren colleges help students cope
with the pressures and struggles of 'the best years of their life. '
by Judd Blouch
"These are the best years of your life."
College students often hear these words
from their elders. True, the four years
spent earning a college diploma are years
of personal growth, but they are also a
time of pressure and struggle.
The six colleges of the Church of the
Brethren have that mixture of good and
bad. But campus ministries are there to
nurture the growth and to soften the
struggle.
At all the Brethren schools, campus
ministers, faculty, local churches, and the
students themselves are working together
to make college more than just a place to
party or prepare for a job with a major
corporation. They are attempting to make
the four years of college a time of per-
sonal and spiritual growth to supplement
the nurturing the students have had at
home and church.
"I am constantly amazed at the alive-
ness of religious life on this campus," says
Joan Austin, minister at Elizabethtown
College in Pennsylvania. Herb Smith, who
took over the ministry at McPherson Col-
lege in Kansas just last November, was
pleasantly surprised by the enthusiasm for
religious programing on campus.
Unhke the distinctly Brethren institu-
tions of a couple of generations ago, the
six Brethren-related colleges of today are
characterized by ecumenicity. Student
bodies are mixed bags of Protestants,
Catholics, Jews, and other religious back-
grounds. Brethren students are, for the
most part, active and vocal, but they aie
in the minority.
Currently, only four of the campus
ministers at the Brethren colleges are
members of the Church of the Brethren,
but then, the job of the campus minister
is not to represent the Brethren outlook
on campus. It is to provide and coor-
dinate campus ministry.
Juniata College (Pa.) minister Andy
Murray believes his faith comes out in his
lifestyle and Christian philosophy. "But,
of course, in terms of Christian life, there
certainly are things that were formed and
shaped by my growing up in the Church
of the Brethren," Andy says.
Beth Smith, campus minister at
Bridgewater College (Va.), knows
firsthand what it is to be non-Brethren at
a Brethren college. A Presbyterian and a
Bridgewater alumnus. Smith sees the
ecumenical approach as essential.
"If you put the emphasis on one
denomination, that turns off your other
students," she says. "It would be a shame
to downplay any denominational group
that would further the Christian church."
Does this broadening of the religious
scope mean a retreat from values dear to
Brethren, or a loss of Brethren identity?
Not necessarily. Instead,
more of an attitude of equal
treatment without considera-
tion of religious background
prevails.
"I think more in terms of
who's active and who's doing
what and who has what
needs," says Steve Gregory,
minister at the University of
La Verne in California.
A variety of religious
organizations has grown out
of this broadening of the
ecumenical base. Bridgewater
alone has eight organizations:
Brethren Student Fellowship,
Baptist Student Union, Wesley
Fellowship, Lutheran Student
Movement, Inter-Varsity
Christian Fellowship, Peace
Awareness Group, Students
Interested in Relating to the
Church (SIRCH), and Student
Committee on Religious Ac-
tivities.
Each of the schools has
some sort of campus ministry
board or reUgious life council
that oversees and coordinates
religious activities on campus. Students
and faculty members work together to
achieve the variety of programing
necessary for a diverse student body.
Sometimes the event creates new ap-
preciation for another group's heritage
as in Juniata's Passover meal, sponsored
jointly by the Campus Ministry Board
and the Jewish students.
Not all religious activity takes place
within campus ministry board program-
ing, of course. A group of students at
La Verne saw a need for a larger, more
formal organization to draw all Chris-
tian students on campus closer. They
started Christian Union (CU) about a
year ago.
Not all the kinks have been worked out
yet. "We've been having problems de-
Manchester College campus minister Bob Knechel
relaxes during a spring break work project.
February 1983 messenger 15
Andy Murray is a well known musician, but full-time he is minister at Juniata College.
veloping a program where everybody's in-
terests are represented equally," Cheryl
says. "There needs to be a lot of prayer in
the leadership core."
The Christian Union at La Verne is just
one instance of students doing something
about their collegiate religious atmosphere
and changing it for the better. "Students
really want to implement programs," says
Herb Smith, adding that student involve-
ment gives him more time to be a consul-
tant and counselor.
At Elizabethtown, a group of students
who felt a need for more worship and
praise started Ichthus. "A bunch of us
started meeting for a time of prayer and
praise," says junior Beth Bowser. The
group started with six members and has
grown to about 25.
Students at Elizabethtown have also
organized a service program on campus
called Helping Hands. Michelle Zimmer-
man, one of the founders of the group,
says Helping Hands was the direct result
of a request for aid from a student con-
fined to a wheelchair. Since then. Helping
Hands has also helped find an apartment
for a 21 -year-old who was released from-
the State Hospital for Children and Youth
in Elizabethtown.
Deputation teams from several Brethren
colleges witness the vitality of the campus
ministries to nearby congregations. Teams
of four to six students share their faith
through original services of drama, music,
and other media.
Students at Brethren colleges reach out
in other ways, too. La Verne sponsors a
Summer Service program, where students
work in Christian service during their
summer breaks. At Manchester Colleges
in Indiana, instead of going to Fort
Lauderdale for spring break, some
students help out at a disaster site or in an
economically depressed area.
One result of the banding together of
religious backgrounds has been program-
ing for the entire student body. A major
example is the Saturday Night Alternative
Plan (SNAP), which was started at
Juniata and has now been picked up at
Bridgewater.
"SNAP makes sure that Saturday night
there are planned activities for students
who don't want to party," says Andy
Murray.
With the growth of interdenominational
student organizations, have Brethren
students become inactive, apathetic, or
disenchanted? On the contrary, Brethren
students have maintained an active leader-
ship role in campus rehgious activities.
Some of the most active religious
groups at the Brethren colleges are the
Brethren student fellowships. Bob
Knechel, minister at Manchester College,
says the emphasis there the past five years
has been ecumenical. But this year, a
group of freshmen from Michigan District
funneled some of their energy from Na-
tional Youth Conference into beginning a
Brethren fellowship.
"They've had some real fire going for
them up in the Michigan District and they
16 MESSENGER February 1983
carried it down here," Bob says.
Sharon Cobb, a senior at Bridgewater,
beheves unity among Brethren students at
her school is strong, even though not all
are members of the Brethren Student
Fellowship. This unity is aided by faculty
members who serve as advisors to BSF
and the Peace Awareness Group.
The faculties at all six colleges are in-
strumental to the "Brethrenness" of the
school. Bob Knechel tries to work with
Manchester faculty so that "the religious
life gets hooked up with the intellectual
life." Faculty members are also useful in
setting examples for students.
"The stressing of the family atmosphere
clearly comes out of the Brethren gemein-
schaft beliefs," says Steve Gregory. "In-
dividual caring and concern for students is
practiced by all segments of the university
and faculty."
Backing up all the efforts of the cam-
pus ministers, faculty members, and stu-
dent organizations are the local churches.
Many students, particularly those from
Brethren backgrounds, attend local con-
gregations to get a sense of a home
church and a more traditional style of
worship.
"We try to make it a home away from
home," says David Rogers, pastor of the
Manchester church. David's congregation
reaches out to students through a three-
year-old committee that tries to improve
the church's ministry to the students; a
Sunday school class and Sunday evening
fellowship for students; and a host family
program in which students are invited into
church members' homes for a meal and
some homestyle fellowship.
Left: Several students at La Verne Universi-
ty gather for an informal Bible study.
Right: Steve Gregory is campus minister at
La Verne. Below: Joan Austin, campus
minister at Elizabethtown College, chats
with a student.
The relationship between the churches
and the colleges is a mutual giving and
taking. Bob Mock, of Stone Church of
the Brethren in Huntingdon, Pa., says
about 30 Juniata students hold associate
memberships in his church.
The McPherson church is helped by
students who participate in choir and lead
services, especially those having to do with
peace.
And at
Bridgewater, the col-
lege uses the church's
facilities for con- ^■■ili
vocation and
religious services,
while Wayne Judd,
pastor of the
Bridgewater church,
serves on two college
committees.
Campus ministries
don't meet all
spiritual needs, of
course. And there
are some Brethren
students who wish
they felt a stronger
sense of Brethren
identity on their par-
ticular campuses.
But the level of
student involvement
is evidence that
something significant
is happening in the
colleges, as young
people grow in and
share their faith in
God. D
February 1983 messenger 17
Christianity on the
Volunteer industrial chaplains believe God won't stay locked up in i
God is more likely to be in factories, police stations, and lunchrooms.
by Christopher Keating
Incessant rattling and pounding from
heavy machinery in the machine shop af-
flicts the ears of the pastor as he prepares
for the service. Dust and exhaust from the
factory's equipment fly into the air and
mix with the sweat forming under his
hardhat.
A shrill whistle sounds. The prelude is
over, and the minister walks up to a
worker, extends his hand, and smiles.
Without stained-glass windows, flowers,
hymnals, or a choir, church has just
begun in the factory.
This may be the only church where the
service takes place during a coffee break,
instead of before or after one.
The pastor hasn't come to organize a
prayer meeting, conduct a formal worship
service, or even solicit for a particular
congregation. He is a volunteer industrial
chaplain who believes that God won't stay
locked up in a church study in a quiet
neighborhood. He takes seriously the
belief that God is present in unlikely
situations: factories, police stations,
lunchrooms.
The trained chaplain is part of the
outreach ministry of ICM, the Institute of
Industrial and Commercial Ministries, Inc.
(see July 1982, page 4). The inter-
denominational, interracial ministry is "an
attempt for the church to go to the work
place," says one Church of the Brethren
pastor who volunteers a day a week.
Brethren pastors and lay people have
been part of ICM's outreach since its birth
in 1972. Herb Fisher, pastor of Trinity
church in Massillon, Ohio, and ICM na-
tional chairman, was a member of the in-
stitute's first training class. Patterned after
a similar ministry in England, ICM started
in Virginia and has expanded to 15 states.
Requests for chaplains outnumber the
volunteers available.
The stories and experiences of chaplains
read like an encyclopedia of human ills. A
woman in Florida is faced with losing her
job unless she learns a new skill in three
days. A fire captain in Virginia is
frustrated by a car accident that killed a
girl close to his own daughter's age. A
heart attack. Layoffs due to a slumping
economy. Alcoholism. Drug abuse. The
18 MESSENGER February 1983
suicide that almost happened. And the
one that did.
In each situation, ICM chaplains can
give more than kind words and sym-
pathies. Their stated role is "to meet per-
sons in business and industry at the point
of their felt need with a supportive
presence, individual counseling, effective
referral . . . ." Perhaps the most impor-
tant ministry that chaplains provide in
their one-day-a-week visit is simply a
presence on the assembly line, or in the
office, or wherever people work.
"I go for weeks where all I do is just
pat people on the back," says Harold
Moyer, a Brethren pastor from Roanoke,
Va., who volunteers at the Rusco Door
and Sash Co. "Then, a husband has a
heart attack, or commits suicide. That's
when you really know you're there to sup-
port." At that point, he says, the chaplain
can provide help in many cireas— usually
just the "simple things" people take for
granted, such as arranging a funeral.
Because of their unique place in the
structure of a business or police or fire
department (Harold calls it a "buffer" be-
tween employees and management), ICM
chaplains often hear things that are not
told to the persoimel department and
others "off the line." A person suffering
from alcohohsm, for instance, won't tell
the personnel office that the problem is
affecting his work. A chaplain can make
all the difference for that one employee.
"People will not talk about those kinds
of problems with management, because
they don't want the personnel office feel-
ing they can't do their jobs," says Stanley
Wampler, Shenandoah district executive
and ICM national board member. "The
person from the outside has an altogether
different relationship with the employee."
V_^ounsehng is always initiated by the
person seeking help, whether that be an
open request or an allusion to a deeper,
hidden problem.
"After you talk to an individual for
awhile, you can be pretty certain that he's
really saying, 'I want help,'" comments
Lloyd Goode, a chaplain from Great
Falls, Va.
When the relationship is started and the
problem identified, the chaplain usually
Industrial chaplains were prominent at last year's Conference. Being interviewed by
Messnger's Chris Keating (right) are (from left) Lloyd Goode, Great Falls, Va.; Herb
Fisher, Massillon, Ohio; and Stanley Wampler, Harrisonburg, Va.
line
urch study.
refrains from heroic efforts to "save" the
person with his own skills. In most in-
stances, the employee is referred to the
various types of professional help
available in the area. Part of the
chaplain's training from ICM is an
awareness of the kind of counseling
resources available.
For Wanda Callahan, pastor of Jackson-
ville (Fla.) Church of the Brethren and
ICM chaplain at the Swisher Cigar Fac-
tory, being a woman opened doors for her
to help in ways she never thought possible.
"They opened up and told me things
right away, and I know they said things
they wouldn't have told a male pastor,"
she says.
Wanda knows that if she didn't walk
that line every week there would be
women there who might not see anyone
outside work or family during that week.
"You get a woman who works in a fac-
tory all day—" she says, "why, she has no
other chance for any other communi-
cation."
ICM's presence isn't confined to the fac-
tory. Stanley Wampler points out that
chaplains can be a "tremendous help" to
upper-level management in establishing
better employee relations and helping to
talk over hard decisions. In Harold
Moyer's case, his one day a week at Rusco
might involve short visits with everyone
from the company president to the newest
employee on the line. ICM assigns only
when the chaplain has access to all people.
In talking with management, a chaplain
learns the many problems that affect the
entire company and can counsel in situa-
tions where management is forced to lay
off or fire certain employees. All this is
done, Lloyd points out, "without taking
sides" and in strict confidentiality. Help-
ing to lift the burden so "everyone can
work better" is a chaplain's duty.
A primary goal of ICM is to reach un-
churched people who may have gone
through their entire lives without personal
contact from the Christian community.
This is done not with scripture verses and
mass-produced tracts, but with love and
concern for individuals.
One of the real values of the chaplaincy
program, according to Harold Moyer, is
that it breaks down stereotypes about
Upper right: Stanley
Wampler talks at An-
nual Conference with
ICM director James
M. John of Roanoke,
Va. Wampler, who is
executive of the
Church of the Breth-
ren's Shenandoah
District, is chairman
of ICM's Shenan-
doah Unit. Lower
right: Chaplain F. W.
Callahan talks to a
worker in a cigar fac-
tory in Jacksonville,
Fla. Callahan, a
layman, is in a team
ministry there with
his wife, Wanda, a
local Brethren pastor.
ministers and their role.
"I consider it to be an evangelistic pro-
gram," Harold says. "There are a lot of
folks who would not buy my kind of
evangelism, because many church
members think of evangelism as winning
people to that (particular) church.
"The evangelism I'm talking about is
the kind Jesus used with the woman at the
well. We're estabUshing relationships,
meeting people where they are, and help-
ing them to grow from there— however
small or great that may be."
Oince evangelism is the spreading of
good news, then ICM may be called an
evangehcal outreach, an extension of the
Christian community into a world many
church members do not normally see. It is
the extension of Christ's love to people
who have never felt it before, as well as
the promise of fellowship to those
associated with a church.
Lay people, too, are called to this
ministry, and some say these people are
better equipped than their seminary-
trained colleagues. F. W. "Callie"
Callahan is an example of a retired
laborer returning to the factory— this time
to help and serve.
"Don't tell them anything!" instructs
Callie, on how to be effective at com-
municating with members of an industrial
"parish." Like his wife, Wanda, Callie
volunteers once a week at Swisher Cigar
in Jacksonville. He says his role is that of
communicating to the many types of
workers in the factory.
In some cases, says Wanda, "lay people
can relate much better than ministers."
And within her own congregation, she
adds, "there's not a person who couldn't
do it."
ICM chaplains seem to agree that the
basic gift required for this ministry is the
willingness to be concerned for people.
"If you have a capacity to love, then
you have a capacity to serve," says Lloyd.
Part of what motivates industrial and
police chaplains to ministry is that they
are aware of God's presence in every
aspect of life. They know that this belief
is to be shared with others, so that God
may heal and make whole.
"Christ is often present in people, and
we sometimes aren't sensitive to it or don't
recognize it," says Harold Moyer. "Often
he's present in unlikely people.
"Part of our responsibihty is to help
people recognize the Christ in others." D
Christopher Keating of Upland, Calif., is a Univer-
sity of La Verne student, who served as a 1982 sum-
mer intern with MESSENGER.
February 1983 messenger 19
Brethren clergy divorce: Who's
by Earl K. Ziegler
The pastor and his wife had been awatce
since 3 a.m. because of the imminent
birth of their second child. Although
labor pains were sporadic, the nine-mile
trip to the hospital was approaching.
Then it happened. The phone rang, and
the caller asked the pastor to rush over
because "Mother is dying. Would you
come immediately? She is asking for you.
She is growing weaker. We need you
now."
The pastor was in his first parish only
six months. Eager to be successful, eager
to serve, feeling guilty if he did not go,
and knowing his wife "would
understand," the pastor assured the anx-
ious family he would arrive in a few
minutes.
"You can't leave me now when I'm in
labor!" the wife pleaded. "I may need you
to take me to the hospital any minute. I'm
scared. What if—"
"I'll call you every 15 minutes, and I'm
only six minutes away," he assured her.
Amid frantic objections and doubts
from the pregnant wife and a warring
inner turmoil between his loyalties to his
wife and to his ministry, the pastor
drove to the dying person's house. After
he left, his wife broke into tears, feehng
a lack of understanding and support
from a husband who was also her
pastor but who was married to the
church. The hurt was real for both, and
the seeds of alienation had begun to
take root.
Another pastor's wife lay in bed, eyes
wide open, ears tuned to the sound of the
garage door opening. It was 12:30 at night
and her pastor husband was not yet
home. He had said he would be late, but
never did she suspect this late! Had he
been involved in an accident? Was he
really in a meeting this long? Her suspi-
cions multiplied with the ticking away of
the minutes. The longer the wait, the
angrier she became. Their communication
was getting more difficult, the distance
between them greater.
The garage door opened. The car drove
in, the engine was shut off, and Pastor
John was home — at one o'clock in the
morning.
"Where have you been? What have you
been doing this late at night?" The angry
20 MESSENGER February 1983
wife hurled a barrage of questions at him.
Beleaguered, the husband explained the
urgency of a marriage counseling session
with a couple, following a committee
meeting that ran overtime.
"At least you could have called," she
retorted. "You are a good one to tell
others how to relate when your own mar-
riage is falling apart. You want to save
the world while you lose your family."
And so the stage was set for a
traumatic and destructive showdown. The
scene closed with husband and wife in-
capable of hearing one another, but
continuing the exchange of verbal insults.
As they drifted into sullen silence, he mut-
tered under his breath, "I would rather be
out there with people who appreciate me
than at home." His wife lay awake for
hours, torn between her desire to trust
him and be supportive and her own need
to be understood and respected.
M.
Larriages in general are in trouble and
Brethren clergy marriages are no excep-
tion. Pastors seem unable to balance their
strong sense of calling with a clear call to
family life. Unable to resolve that tension,
some clergy leave the pastorate to save
their marriages, others fail in their mar-
riage, while still others lose both.
Statistics about Brethren clergy divorces
compiled by the Office of Ministry staff
in March 1981 reveal that two Brethren
clergy couples divorced in the 1940s, two
divorced in the 1950s, and two in the
1 960s — while 24 clergy couples divorced in
the decade of the 1970s. The statistics also
recorded at least 1 1 breakdowns or
divorces in the two-year span of 1980-81.
What is happening to the Brethren par-
sonage family? What dynamics con-
tributed to these clergy divorces? Where
does the blame lie — with the couple, the
congregation, the denomination, or all
three? Are pressures on clergy families
different from those on other profes-
sionals? What should the church do?
What can it do?
A research project involving 14
Brethren ministers and 7 wives, all di-
vorced within the past 10 years, was con-
ducted to discover what identifiable fac-
tors contributed to the divorce of the
clergy couple. Twelve of the interviewees
were originally married to one another
and were in active ministry and living in
the parsonage when the deterioration,
breakdown, and divorce occurred. The
former spouses of the remaining nine
research participants did not participate in
this research.
In summary, the research included
materials from 15 different clergy mar-
riages. All pastors were males; no female
Brethren pastor was divorced. The par-
ticipants' ministerial experiences en-
compassed a balance of city, suburban,
and rural parishes in the west, midwest,
east, and south of the continental United
States.
The average age of these couples at the
time of marriage was 22.4 years and at the
time of divorce was 45.1 years. Ages at
the time of divorce ranged from 32 to 60
years.
In the study, 57 percent of the pastors
reported significant self-imposed pressures
to perform according to their images of
the pastor and spouse, and identified
them in order of priority:
1) Highly motivated sense of calling.
2) High personal achievement needs.
3) Strong work ethic and "workaholic"
habits.
4)Model role for ethical and moral
behavior.
5) Placed on pedestal by congregation.
6) Comparison with former pastor to be
equal or surpass.
7) Unrealistic work load.
8) Family traditions and expectations.
Similarly, 57 percent of the spouses
identified significant self-imposed role ex-
pectations:
1) Accepted the traditional role of the
pastor's wife without question.
2) Expected to be the number-one sup-
porter of husband at own personal ego ex-
pense.
3) Assumed the model image for herself
and her family.
Wives also identified pressures from the
pastor husband:
1) Her participation in activities such as
piano playing, choir singing, and women's
meetings.
2) Her availability to him for social
functions such as wedding rehearsal din-
ners.
3) His need for her to be a "teammate"
in leadership roles.
And the pastors felt their spouses had
failing whom?
the following expectations:
1) To be accountable for time (Where
y/ere you?)
2) To spend time with the family (he
saw it as an attempt to control)
3) To spend more time around the
house, fixing, and helping.
4) To believe theological concepts and
live morally according to his preaching.
5) A reversal in traditional roles in the
house.
6) Unrealistic demands, especially finan-
cially.
Regarding congregational expectations,
five spouses experienced significant
pressures in two areas: no participation in
decisions about the parsonage, and insuf-
ficient salary to manage the family on ex-
pected congregational and community
standards. The congregational pressures
felt most by the pastors were the role
model and the image of being placed on a
pedestal.
Responses to the question concerning
problem areas of marriage in the par-
sonage represented four major categories:
value conflicts, communication, money,
and sexual relations. These were problems
judged not to be directly related to the
eventual divorce, but that created many
tensions in the relationships. Interestingly,
both pastor and spouse identified the
same tension areas but not in the same
priority.
It is significant to note that eight of the
15 pastors recognized very clearly in their
relationship that an important ingredient
was missing from the very beginning, and
even prior to the marriage. Despite the
serious differences, they chose to marry.
Pastoral couples must accept respon-
sibility for heavy work loads,
"workaholic" habits, and long, un-
resolved, pathological patterns that result
in marital breakdown and divorce.
Congregations must be accountable for
their failure to support their pastoral
leadership adequately, through open
dialog, affirmation, and adequate salaries.
The denomination must address the
issue of providing a more effective sup-
port system for healthy clergy marriages
and an available professional counseling
assistance for families in trouble, someone
other than persons in authority over the
pastors.
The pastor and spouse, two human in-
dividuals, need the luxury of making
mistakes. Likewise, they must recognize
the congregation's need to have their
leaders live as one among them and yet as
one who hves the exemplary life.
Parishioners expect pastors to hve what
they preach, and rightly so. Pastors expect
congregations to understand that they are
human and imperfect, and rightly so.
Each congregation must wrestle with
the issue of marital breakdown, separa-
tion, and divorce among the clergy. Each
pastor and spouse must address their own
self-imposed role expectations and con-
gregational role expectations. An open
dialog with integrity between the clergy
couple and the congregation will produce
healthy growth. D
Earl K. Ziegler is pastor of the Mechanic Grove
congregation, Quarryville, Pa.
STRASBOURG, FRANCE
BRETHREN COLLEGES ABROAD
Brethren Colleges Abroad provides an
adventure In living and studying with
English, French, Germans and Spaniards,
fully integrated into their educotiono! in-
stitution. BCA offers the opportunity for
either o year or semester of study for
qualified college students at the Universi-
ty of Barcelona, The- College of St. Poul
and St Mary in Cheltenham, the Univer-
sity of Marburg and the University of
Strasbourg. A maximum of 38 semester
hours may be earned during the
academic year and 15-18 semester hours
in one semester,
BCA has Resident Directors at eoch center
who ore knowledgeable and experienc-
ed educators who take an interest in
students' personal and educational
needs.
Candidates must have completed two full
years of college before leaving for
Barcelona, Marburg, or Strasbourg and
have a grade overoge of "B." Before
leaving for Cheltenhom, candidates must
have completed one full year of college
and have a grade overage of 2.5.
Cost:
1982-83 year is $6,675 and $3,975 for one
semester. This includes: Orientation
Period, Intensive Language Preparatory
Course for Barcelona, Marburg, and
Strasbourg students. Transportation,
Room and Board, Tuition, several excur-
sions.
MARBURG. GERMANY ^' ""
CHELTENHAM, ENGLAND
^^-^*':^- BRETHREN COLLEGES ABROAD
604 College Avenue
N. Manchester, In. 46962
(219) 982-2141 Ext. 238
February 1983 messenger 21
p@@pi(^(kp(Qimh
Agri-Urban: More
than a fundraiser
Feed lot operator Wesley Kroeker had a
semi-truck load of calves and no way to
care for them. The unexpected livestock
had resulted from a mistake made by his
supplier. The calves could not be returned
to their previous owners, so Kroeker was
stuck . . . unless he could quickly find
someone to care for them.
Since the feed lots were already filled to
capacity, the truckload of calves was
distributed to friends and associates who
agreed to raise the animals on their own
farms. In a burst of inspiration, Kroeker
asked that the profit from the calves be
sent to the Oklahoma Bible Academy, a
Mennonite school in Meno, Okla. The
ease with which money was generated in
this project planted the seed of an idea in
the minds of the participants. Out of what
began as a dilemma grew what is now
known as Mennonite Agri-Urban, Inc.
Northern Plains District of the Church
of the Brethren, impressed by the Agri-
Urban idea of the Mennonites, has now
established its own Brethren Agri-Urban,
Inc. (BAU). Largely through the work of
three Northern Plains members, Arhn
Claassen (Ivester congregation), David
Gentry (South Keokuk congregation), and
Dale Wicks (Panther Creek congregation),
investigative and organizational ground-
work was laid in 1980. Sample projects
were run by two families in 1981. Dale
Wicks kept two feeder calves for BAU
and generated a 99-percent profit for his
work. Eldred Kingery (Root River con-
gregation), kept five feeder lambs for
BAU and generated a 165-percent profit.
Encouraged by these figures, others have
now begun projects of various types, and
funds are being generated for outreach in
many areas.
Brethren Agri-Urban, Inc., has many
purposes, but its main one is to build
funds for outreach through the district
program. According to Arlin Claassen,
"Agri-Urban provides families the oppor-
tunity to do voluntary service each day of
the year. While the chores are being done,
a small percent of the time is invested in
the work of the church. It's that simple
and that profound.
Throughout Northern Plains District a
practical and spiritual bond is being
forged as more and more church members
become involved in this stewardship idea.
The cooperative style of the projects
makes it possible for those people who
may not have funds available to make a
direct donation, to participate in the
district outreach program by donating
time and expertise.
The workings of BAU are quite simple.
Any Northern Plains church member may
choose to become involved. Livestock is
purchased by BAU and placed on the
farm, or the church member may sell or
donate personal stock to BAU. The
farmer then donates the time, feed, and
expertise needed to bring the stock to
market. Any unusual expenses, such as
veterinjiry services, are paid by BAU.
A farmer who raises grain rather than
animals may become involved by renting
land to BAU. The farmer then cares for
the crop and harvests it, donating time,
expertise, and the use of machinery. The
cost of seed, herbicides, and fertilizer is
paid by BAU.
On the urban side of the project there
are several options open to participants. A
person may make a direct contribution to
BAU. Or it may be a low-interest or
interest-free loan of $1,(XX) or more,
which would then be used to procure
animals or land. Other urbanites may try
a small animal project, such as rabbits, or
a crafts or gardening project. Options are
Umited only by the ingenuity of the par-
ticipant.
When money is obtained for BAU
through the sale of stock or produce, the
person responsible for the sale is asked to
designate the avenue of outreach to which
the funds will be applied. Presently, BAU
has chosen five recipients for its funds.
On the district level, one may choose to
have the profits given to McPherson Col-
lege or to Northern Plains District. On a
larger scale, one
The agri-urban program includes these sheep on the farm ofSher-
win and Bertha Smith of Clarksville, Iowa.
vdis^^r ■?!?<%
may choose to have
the profits go to
Bethany Seminary,
Bethany Hospital,
or the General
Board. If no
designation is
made, the funds
wiU be distributed
by the BAU board
of directors.
The number of
projects now run-
ning in Northern
Plains District is
growing. Dale and
Ruth Wicks and
their son Peter are
currently involved
in their second
project for BAU.
They are again rais-
ing two feeder
calves. Of his in-
volvement with
BAU, Dale says,
22 MESSENGER February 1983
Feeder pigs in the
agri-urban pro-
gram crowd a
fence on the farm
of Mark and
Dawn Strom of
Worthington,
Minn.
"Brethren Agri-Urban is a way of giving
to the outreach of the Church of the
Brethren over and above what you nor-
mally give, without feeling the strain of
the extra giving. I have completed a
project, for example, of two feeder
calves which brought an increase of
$639, and the extra feed was not
missed."
Two families are currently raising feeder
pigs for BAU. Mark and Dawn Strom
(Worthington congregation) have one
feeder pig, and Ron and LaDonna Brunk
(Ivester congregation) also are raising one
feeder pig.
Jim and Fern Schrock (Root River con-
gregation) are keeping a stock cow for
BAU. The offspring of this cow will be
sold, with those funds returning to the
BAU program. Jim says, "Our lives will
be enriched by sharing more of our
material possessions."
Sherwin and Bertha Smith (Greene con-
gregation) are raising four feeder lambs
for BAU. Eldred and Leah Kingery (Root
River congregation) raised five feeder
lambs last year.
The hst of projects keeps on growing,
and it is hoped that grain farmers will
soon be among the BAU members.
A goal has been set by the BAU
board of directors. By the time of
Northern Plains district meeting in July
1983, they hope to have visited in each
congregation of the district and to have
at least one BAU project started in each
congregation.
Enthusiasm is high among the board
members. Their goal is ambitious, but
realistic. They believe, as does Charles
Lunkley, Northern Plains district ex-
ecutive, that "Agri-Urban is a tangible
way ... to be involved in the witness of
the larger church. Through Agri-Urban
congregations, families, or individuals can
increase their outreach witness in coopera-
tion with other people at the district
level." Joe Hoffert (Stover Memorial
congregation), another board member,
says, "Agri-Urban, Inc., is a working ex-
ample of the concept that we are stewards
of what we claim that we possess." Betty
Jo Buckingham (Prarie City congrega-
tion), also a board member, says, "I work
in an office, but my money can work to
help farmers support church agencies. If I
had given money directly to the agency, it
would be used once and be gone.
Through Brethren Agri-Urban it can be
used many times."
And to think it all began with a
mistaken shipment of calves. The idea was
planted, took root, and is proliferating,
with blossoms in every section of North-
ern Plains District, with seeds falling in
areas even beyond the district's boun-
daries. New and wonderful things are
coming forth from the program, and, as
Charles Lunkley says, "Agri-Urban opens
a new dimension for witness through the
district, the college, and the denomi-
nation." D
Leah Kingery is a member of the Root River con-
gregation, Preston, Minn., and a former Nigeria mis-
sionary.
February 1983 messenger 23
Cross
Keys
Village
a developing retirement
community of individual
cottages on the campus of
The Brethren Home at
New Oxford, Penn-
sylvania
• 10 models from $24,900
• only 2 hours from
Philadelphia and D.C.
• 15 minutes from Get-
tysburg
• 12 Church of the
Brethren Congrega-
tions nearby
• activities program
• free transportation
• nite-time security
• meals, housecleaning
and nursing service
available at modest
costs
• truly independent
living
• with the assurance of
nursing care when
needed
• freedom from
household chores
''move in now while
you can still enjoy it''
Harvey S. Kline,
Administrator
For more information
contact:
Milton E. Raup,
The Brethren Home
Box 128
New Oxford, PA 17350
(717)624-2161
m^(Q)mm^.
VOLUNTEERING
Brethren Volunteer Service, a program of
the Church of the Brethren General
Board, with the goals of advocating
justice, peacemaking, and serving basic
human needs, invites people to serve in a
new community.
Why we volunteer
The Church of the Brethren has had a
long-standing commitment to service,
brethren
volunteer service
based on biblical mandates that call us to
put our faith into action. For a beginning
study of one biblical text on service, you
may consult Session 5, "On Pure Service,"
in the booklet Tests in Transit: A Study
of New Testament Passages That Shaped
the Brethren (1976) by Graydon F. Snyder
and Kenneth M. Shaffer Jr. (Unless other-
wise noted, all resources are available
from The Brethren Press, 1451 Dundee
Ave., Elgin, IL 60120.)
A historical view of the role of service
in the Church of the Brethren is presented
in To Serve the Present Age, edited by
Donald F. Durnbaugh (The Brethren
Press, 1975). Specifically, this book gives
an overview of the work of the Brethren
Service Commission (now part of World
Ministries Commission) in the years
following World War II.
People resources
People can be an important resource for
the local church or district as they seek to
challenge and call others to involvement
in Brethren Volunteer Service. People you
can call upon include:
1) Brethren Volunteer Service workers
who are presently serving in your com-
munity or area. Many BVSers are happy
to share their experiences with local con-
gregations. For recommendations of
BVSers in your area who could provide
this service, contact Joyce Stoltzfus, BVS
office, 1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL
60120.
2) District BVS representatives. Most
districts in the Church of the Brethren
have appointed representatives who pro-
mote BVS in their districts. These people
are available to you and your local con-
gregation.
3) Former BVSers. In most areas of the
country, one can find former BVSers who
are willing to share their experiences. Over
4,000 have already served in BVS.
4) Merv Keeney (BVS recruitment),
Joyce Stoltzfus (BVS director), and Bev
Weaver (coordinator of BVS orientation)
are General Board Staff members who are
available to districts and congregations for
programs on Brethren Volunteer Service.
Audiovlsuals
1) "I've Troubled For You," a 15-minute
film, is the story of a young woman's ex-
perience as a Brethren Volunteer Service
worker. Told as a narrative, the volunteer
gives a candid view of the program and its
impact on lives. This film lends itself well
to discussion and comes with a pamphlet
of study questions. To order, call The
Brethren Press toll-free (800) 323-8039.
Available for a $12 rental fee and return
postage.
2) "Vive L' Amour: The Brethren in
Europe" is a 19-minute slide/cassette tape
General Board presentation, produced in
1981 by James H. Lehman. Brethren
Volunteer Service workers play a major
role in the Church of the Brethren pres-
ence in Europe, with major emphasis on
peace and reconciliation efforts. Available
for $12 rental and return postage.
24 MESSENGER February 1983
BVS literature
1) A brochure gives an overview of Breth-
ren Volunteer Service, including the goals
of the program, requirements for entry,
and a brief sketch on orientation.
2) A projects booklet, listing current
projects where volunteers may serve, is
published three times a year. Projects
change as needs and priorities change.
3) A one-page resource describes orien-
tation in general and gives specific dates
for future orientation units.
All of the above literature is available
from the BVS office.
volunteer work given by people such as
church school teachers, musicians, or
church board members.
Guiding the Church's Volunteer Minis-
try Program is a 63-page manujil that
gives practical guidance to congregations
as they seek to use the talents of their
members. Sections include "A Biblical and
Theological Perspective on Volunteer
Ministry" and "A Model Plan for
Organizing and Administering a Volunteer
Ministry Program." Produced in 1979 by
the Office for Church Life and Leader-
ship of the United Church of Christ, this
booklet is the basic one in a series, The
Karen Fleagle works with deaf children in Haiti through Brethren Volunteer Service.
Local volunteering
Volunteer service is a broad category —
from full-time volunteer service with sub-
sistence pay (BVS) to part-time volunteer
service in the local community. Brethren
Volunteer Service is a denominational
program using full-time volunteers for a
minimum of one year to work on projects
that advocate justice, do peacemaking,
and/or meet basic human needs.
As any pastor knows, there are also
thousands of people in our denomination
who volunteer locally. No congregation
could be effective without the hours of
Ministry of Volunteers: A Guidebook for
Churches. Either the individual booklet or
the entire series may be ordered from
Church Leadership Resources, P.O. Box
179, St. Louis, MO 63166. The entire
series costs $27.
The Care and Feeding of Volunteers, by
Douglas W. Johnson, a $4.95 paperback,
gives lay and clergy leaders helpful tips in
finding, recruiting, training, and motivat-
ing volunteers in the congregation.
—Joyce A. Stoltzfus
Joyce A . Stoltzfus is Brethren Volunteer Service
director for the World Ministries Commission.
CLASSIFIED ADS
TRAVEL- Feb. 28- Mar. 14, 1983: Israel, Egypt,
Turkey, Greece. See Holy Land where Jesus
walked, then follow Paul's journeys of the New
Testament. June 4-19, 1984: See Oberammer-
gau Passion Play in Germany. Then Venice,
Florence, Rome, Geneva and Paris. Write or call
John D. and Naomi Mishler, 168 E. 6th St., Peru,
IN 46970. Tel. (317) 473-7468.
TRAVEL— Alaska Motor Coach-Cruise Tour. 30
days- Sept. 3 to Oct. 2, 1983. Call or write for
details. Ralph and Betty Ebersoie, 1213 Hamilton
Ave., Tyrone, PA 16686. Tel. (814) 684-1771.
TRAVEL-Juniata College Tours. SONG OF
NORWAY CRUISE, Feb. 12-19, 1983. Free air to
Florida and back to many cities. Cayman Islands,
Jamaica, Cozumel, Mexico. SPAIN, Feb., one
week, inexpensive. SOUTH PACIFIC HIGH-
LIGHTS, 17 days beginning Feb. 24. June/ July,
LONDON budget week. July 2, 1984, OBERAM-
MERGAU PASSION PLAY. Information:
Weimer-Oller Travel, 405 Penn St., Huntingdon,
PA 16652. Tel. (814) 643-1468.
ANNUAL CONFERENCE- bus trip from Eliza-
bethtown to Annual Conference 1983 with
rooms close to conference center. Write to J.
Kenneth Kreider, 1300 Schaeffer Rd., Elizabeth-
town, PA 17022.
FOR SALE— For a healthful taste treat try
Oregon dried Italian prunes. Grown without
pesticides and dried to a delicious chewy stage,
these prunes are widely acclaimed "the best
we've ever tasted." Minimum order, $30 for 25
lb. box, includes UPS. Bulk orders of 300 lbs.,
70C per lb. FOB Salem. Order from Forrester
Fruit Farm, Rt 1, Box 497, Salem, OR 97304.
1^
^
Tied
to a
Leopard
by
Doiris
Blough
This new novel carries the reader to
another culture and gives insight into
the superstitions of the people. One of
those superstitions is that when a
leopard looks you in the eye you are
"tied" to that animal for life. The
leopard's disposition becomes your
disposition. Young Inuwa, who is
already recognized as a man and a
warrior in his tribe, discovers that his
leopard is a cowardly one. The story
revolves around how Inuwa breaks
the bond with the leopard and finds
courage.
Well-written and vivid in its descrip-
tions, Tied to a Leopard moves quickly
with a fresh and alive style. The author
spent seven years in Africa as a mis-
sionary teacher . $2 . 75 plus 95C p & h .
Order from
The Brethren Press
1451 Dundee Ave.
Elgin, 111. 60120
b.
A
February 1983 messenger 25
On resisting faith in violence
Shirley Whiteside
Trying to be
nonjudgmental
Countless facilities scattered in isolated
locations across the country provide in-
tegral parts for our vast national system
of "defense." I happen to live in Denver,
Colo., near the Rocky Flats nuclear
weapons production hne.
These facilities represent one of the
most blatant slaps in the face of today's
church. Granted, there are others, but
somehow it's easier for us to talk about
the others — especially the really personal
ones: "I need to pray more"; "I need to
work less and spend more time with my
family"; "I need to simplify my lifestyle."
We can work at these without offending
someone, without risking, and without be-
ing judgmental.
The victimized employees at Rocky
Flats claim that the weapons they make
will never be used.
If we don't resist this evil, this faith in
violence, and if we don't witness to a
power greater than any human power,
how can we say we are Christians?
When it comes to the arms race issue,
the silence of the church is deafening. The
church can now put its efforts into the
freeze movement, since it has been sanc-
tioned by a large enough sector of the
country to lessen the risk of offending a
fellow worshiper. Does this say any more
about the church than that we are, at
best, pragmatists?
Those who work in the war industry are
guilty of sin no greater than my own.
Their particular sin of building nuclear
triggers becomes my sin. It becomes mine
simply because it is enacted "for me" in
the name of my freedom as a citizen of
the US. But nobody is going to do that
for me without hearing my criticism.
I'm tired of being afraid to be "judg-
mental." Is it not possible for us to be
firm in our beliefs and grounded in love
for all creation at the same time? This
doesn't have to mean that we're judg-
mental or that we don't offend anyone.
Many who work within the mihtary/in-
dustrial complex say that God gives us
military technology and that their places
of employment are part of God's plan. I
have to accept this as the way some peo-
ple believe. I also have to hope that one
day they will know the God I know. We
don't believe in the same God.
If I am judgmental when I say this, so
be it. The God who is alive to me is the
God of unconditional, forgiving love. My
God is a God of life who is not at work
in the deadly power of the bomb. My
God becomes real to me in the power and
truth of the gospel — in my attempts to
witness to Jesus' example. My God is in
control of our world, but is not a perpe-
trator of its many forms of violence.
I will continue to beg for mercy to the
God of unconditional, forgiving love. I
will undoubtedly continue to offend peo-
ple with my behefs (but this isn't a
popularity contest). And I will probably
continue to try, and fail, at being non-
judgmental. D
Shirley Whiteside is a member of the Prince of
Peace congregation, Denver, Colo., and a peace ac-
tivist.
t^yirin]^!) p@mt
Licensing/Ordination
FIke, John Michael, ordained
Oct. 17, 1982, Eglon Maple
Spring, West Marva
Keener, Frederick Mark, or-
dained Oct. 17, 1982, Knob-
ley, West Marva
Shatlurk, Lois Marie, ordained
Oct. 31, 1982, Ashland City,
Northern Ohio
Shatluck, WiUiam Everett, or-
dained Oct. 16. 1982, Mar-
ion, South/Central Indiana
Sink, Barry D., ordained July
18, 1982, Williamson Road,
Roanoke. VirMna
Walls, Timothy, Orman. li-
censed Oct. 10. 1982, Michi-
gan City, Northern Indiana
Woods, Marshall R., Ill, li-
censed Oct. 17, 1982, Knob-
ley, West Marva
Pastoral Placements
Brumbaugh, Dan, to Sugar Run
Middle Pa., interim
26 MESSENGER February 1983
Dearing, J. Oliver, from Hick-
ory Grove, South/Central
Indiana, to Locust Grove,
South/Central Indiana
Elam, Joe, from other denomi-
nation, to Beaver Dam, Mid-
Atlantic, part-time
Eller, Raymon E., from Wa-
bash, South/Central Indiana,
to Pleasant Dale, South/Cen-
tral Indiana, interim
Harvey, George W., from West
Charleston, Southern Ohio,
to Osage, Western Plains
Martin, Wilbur A., from Me-
chanic Grove, Atlantic North-
east, interim, to Fort Myers,
Florida/Puerto Rico, interim
Serrano, Mario, from other de-
nomination, to Castafler,
Florida/Puerto Rico
Serrano, Olga, from other de-
nomination, to Rio Prieto
and other preaching points,
Florida/Pueno Rico
Wenger, Ammon. from retire-
ment, to Union, Northern
Indiana, part-time
Anniversaries
Balle, Roger and Mary, Han-
over, Pa., 51
Showaller, Warren and Gladys.
Dalton, Ohio, 54
Worley, Ralph and Melva,
Hanover, Pa., 66
Deaths
Balle, Herbert C, 88, Warrens
burg, Mo., Nov. 5, 1982
Baker, Esther Wickert, 84. La
Verne, Calif., Oct. 28
1982
Blough, Doris M., 80, Polo
111., Oct. 22. 1982
Bolinger, Inez, 78. N. Manches
ter, Ind., May 2, 1982
Brumbaugh, Vada, 81, Lorida
Ha., Sept. 21. 1982
Claar, J. Emmert, 69, Holli
daysburg. Pa.. Oct. 7
1982
Cover, Dulcie L., 91, Sebring
Fla., Nov. 3, 1982
Crull, Rhoda, 79, Huntingdon.
Ind.. June 15, 1982
Dean, Nona, 73, Lorida. Fla..
Aug. 20. 1982
Dubbs, Ella, 88, Ephrata, Pa.,
Nov. 1, 1982
Fitzgerald, Effle. 98, Peace Val-
ley, Mo., Oct. 24, 1982
Folger, Ward, 95, Osceola.
Iowa, Sept. 2, 1982
Hess, Earl, 55, Ephrata, Pa.,
Aug. 25, 1982
Hoff, Susie, 98, City of Indus-
try, Calif.. Dec. 7. 1981
Hoffman, William P. Jr.. 55.
Waynesboro, Pa., Oct. 18,
1982
Holsinger, Gertrude Rowland.
92, Denton, Md., Aug. 14,
1982
Hoover, Martha, 78, Middle-
town, N.J., Oct. 16, 1982
Kelncr, Albert, 86, Goshen,
Ind., Oct. 26, 1982
Kleplnger, Russell. 82, Green-
ville. Ohio, Oct. 10, 1982
Martin, Leroy J., 67, Waynes-
boro. Pa., Oct. 13. 1982
Morris, Ohve, 81. Greenville,
Ohio, July 10, 1982
Murray, Louis Lester, 32,
Omak, Wash., Oct. 12, 1982
Nissly, Flo, 79. Dallas Center,
Iowa, Sept. 20. 1982
Philips, Bonnie Peari. 66,
Omak. Wash., Oct. 6, 1982
Rock, Naomi Fasnacht. 88, La
Verne. Calif.. July 9. 1982
Royer, Forrest, 89, Greenville,
Ohio, Aug. 28, 1982
See, Arnold L., 64, Mathias,
W. Va., July 29. 1982
Shauils, Bertha M., 84, Water-
loo, Iowa, Aug. 14, 1982
Sink, James Sr., 65. La Verne,
Calif.. May 18, 1982
Snyder, Ada. 77, Polo, HI.,
Oct. 30, 1982
Spears, Roy, 82. Waterloo,
Iowa, Oct. 27, 1982
Ward, Vance, 29, LaPorte City,
Iowa. July 22. 1982
WllUams. Hazel. 86. Waterloo,
Iowa, Sept. 22, 1982
If you want an investment
with gratifying returns,
Pastor Norman L. Harsh explaining communion, Good Shepherd Church of the Brethren. Blacksburg, Va.
put it here.
Temporary facilities can serve an emerging congregation
for a while, but for long-term development, a perma-
nent place of meeting is essential.
The newly-forming Good Shepherd Church of the
Brethren, Blacksburg, Va., is among the several fellow-
ships looking toward the building of a new church.
When the time comes, these young congregations will
turn to the Church Extension Loan Fund for assistance.
To assure that support will be available, the Church
Extension Loan Fund is in need of several hundred
thousand dollars. Here is where you can help— by in-
vesting in Church Extension Loan Notes. Your invest-
ment earns seven percent interest annually and is guar-
anteed by the General Board.
Currently the Church Extension Loan Fund includes
400 investors. More than 50 congregations have loans
totalling over $3,100,000.
Use the coupon at the right and become not only an
investor, but a partner in mission.
Churcii of the Brethren General Board. 1451 Dundee
Avenue, Elgin, IL 60120. Attn: Stewart B. Kauffman.
To invest in church development through the Church Ex-
tension Loan Fund, I enclose D check D money order for
$ (Minimum note: $500). Please issue an invest-
ment note at 7% interest for five years.
Make the note payable: D In my name as written below.
D Jointly in my name and
who is.
whose Social Security number (SS*) is
Name
(insert relationship) and
SS*
Date
St./RFD.
City
State and Zip .
Church Extension Loan Fund
February 1983 messenger 27
A case of Reader's Digest indigestion
In my mail last October came an interesting item,
a Reader's Digest reprint of an August 1982 arti-
cle, "Karl Marx or Jesus Christ." The article is an
attack on the World Council of Churches, an ecu-
menical body that troubles the conservative
Reader's Digest because the WCC operates in the
reality that the safe US brand of Christianity is not
necessarily valid for the whole world.
I had read the article, of course, so what made
this reprint interesting was a nice card that came
with it. The card read: "With the compliments of
the Minister for Information, South African Em-
bassy, Washington, D.C." This didn't surprise me,
since the article is so tailored to the purposes of
the racist South African government that a con-
nection already seemed likely.
Now Reader's Digest has done it again. Its
January 1983 issue turns its guns on the National
Council of Churches, the American ecumenical
organization, supported by 32 mainline and ortho-
dox denominations, including the Church of the
Brethren.
It is no wonder Reader's Digest is among Presi-
dent Reagan's favorite reading, and one source of
knowledge on which he claims to base his grasp of
world affairs. Reader's Digest attacks the NCC
with a central thesis that mainline Christian
churches, working through the ecumenical organi-
zations, promote Marxist -Leninist causes and
anti-American sentiments that are a betrayal of
the liberal tradition.
The NCC has issued a seven-page rebuttal,
charging that Reader's Digest has distorted the
facts and employed other questionable journalistic
practices.
Anyone who is knowledgable about the NCC
program can easily dismiss the Reader's Digest
charges — they are charges we have heard time and
again from conservative critics of the NCC, an up-
dating of time-tested themes that exploit the fears
and doubts of trusting readers.
What is new is that Reader's Digest has gone a
step farther this time. The article openly promotes
the Institute on Religion and Democracy (IRD), a
Washington -based group organized to counter ac-
tivities of the National Council of Churches. Half-
way through the article is a boxed announcement
headed, "How You Can Help," and giving the ad-
dress of the IRD, and five suggestions by its chair-
man for working in your own denomination to
fight the NCC ... and WCC.
Rightly, the NCC charges that Reader's Digest,
by thus promoting the IRD, acts "as a partisan
vehicle for the self-serving purposes of an agency
unrelated to it." (Unrelated? I expect soon to re-
ceive my copy of a reprint of the Reader's Digest
NCC article, compliments of the Institute on Reli-
gion and Democracy.)
The NCC points out also that whereas the 260
members of the NCC Governing Board are ap-
pointed by and accountable to the member de-
nominations, the 30 members of the IRD's board
are self-selected and, as far as is known, not ac-
countable to any church body.
Probably the sneakiest ploy of Reader's Digest
was to hide the fact that the "hero" of its article
(David Jessup, the indignant parent who unmasks
the "Marxist-Leninist" NCC for what it is) is ac-
tually a member of the IRD board!
Taking a cue from Reader's Digest, perhaps I
should include a boxed "How You Can Help" list
of suggestions. Included would be these: 1) Under-
stand that Reader's Digest is the voice of wealthy
conservative elements that feel threatened by any-
thing that might upset their comfortable world
and order of things. 2) Hear the other side also:
Write to the National Council of Churches, Atten-
tion Room 850, 475 Riverside Drive, New York,
NY 10115 and ask for information. (Harriet
Ziegler, former managing editor of Messenger,
is director of new services for the NCC.) 3) Con-
tact your Church of the Brethren leaders for their
views on the NCC and for our Brethren involve-
ment in its programs. Our general secretary. Bob
Neff, is on the NCC Governing Board, is chair-
man of the NCC's nominating committee, and
chairs the NCC's Presidential Panel on Future
Mission and Resources.
T,
he irony of the Reader's Digest NCC attack is
that it doesn't address the real problems of the Na-
tional Council at all. So the NCC ends up spend-
ing time rebutting a bunch of false accusations
when it needs to be dealing with things such as its
burgeoning bureaucracy, its scattershot programs,
its lack of contact with the grassroots, and the
causes of its "ways of the world" image.
If Reader's Digest were really responsible and
interested in helping make the NCC more effec-
tive, it would forget about "Marxist -Leninist"
bugaboos and look at those issues. —K.T.
28 MESSENGER February 1983
III.
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(SEAL)
^owndST
This is not a real will. But it accurately Your Will" and "A Record of the Personal
tells what can happen when you do not Affairs of . . . ."
have a correct legal Last Will and Testa-
ment drawn up for you by an attorney.
Please send me, without cost
D ■Making Your Will'
n "A Record of the Personal Affairs of
In advance of your appointment with
the attorney there are important things you
will want to know. These are to be found in
two brief and authoritative booklets you
may have without cost. Send for "Making
address .
city
THE CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN GENERAL BOARD
Office of Stewardship Enlistment
1451 Dundee Avenue, Elgin, Illinois 60120
Adapted with consent of Annerican National Bank and Trust Co., Chicago, III. 60690
1983
CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN ANNUAL CONFERENCE
June 28— July 3, Baltimore, Maryland
Romans 3:24
GOD'S GRACE AS A GIFT
God's grace is as simple as a cir-
cle, as complex as the universe. It
is perfect. It breaks into our world
as a beautiful gift we never dare to
imagine we deserve,
— Kermon Thomasson
Downtown Baltimore has been transformed in recent years to
become an attractive conference location. The new Convention
Center, where Annual Conference will be held, is beautiful and
well suited for most of the week's activities. Harbor Place, only a
block away, will provide an interesting interlude for Brethren dur-
ing breaks in the conference schedule.
We have reserved 1,200 sleeping rooms in nearby hotels, within
three blocks of the Center. Information packets, to be mailed to
all churches in February 1983, will contain room reservation
forms and program details.
Bible studies and insight sessions will be scheduled for both
morning and evening, Wednesday through Saturday mornings
with some scripture teachings scheduled in the middle of each
morning's business session and a corporate Bible study on Sun-
day morning. Conference will begin with the Tuesday evening
worship service and conclude with the Sunday morning worship
and consecration service. Meal service at lunches and dinner,
will be available in the Convention Center from Wednesday
through Saturday.
Please indicate your willingness to serve as a volunteer in one of the many program areas listed
below. Also use the forms below for registering children and securing program booklets. (Registration
forms for other age groups will be included in the information packets to be mailed to local con-
gregations and church delegates.)
Annual Conference Manager
VOLUNTEER HELPERS
I am volunteering my lielp with conference
tasks I have marked below, i have
numbered them in order of preference, I
plan to arrive at Conference on June
. Registration (type badges, collect tees,
sort cards)
. Ushers (business and general sessions)
. Ctiild care services
. Children's activities (age 6-1 1)
_ Messengers (Standing Committee and
conference business sessions)
.Tellers (Standing Committee and center-
ence business sessions)
. Information desk
. Ticket sales
. f^ail distribution
.Annual Conference office
Please circle 16-22
approximate age: 40-50
Name _
St./RFD
22-30
50-60
30-40
60-70
City,
-Zip.
Additional volunteers may indicate on a separate
sheet their interest in serving.
CHILDREN'S ACTIVITIES
For school-age children. lst-5th grades,
Please enroll my child (children) for the fol-
lowing days at Annual Conference:
.Wednesday
.Thursday
.Friday
.Saturday
Parent:,
St./RFD
City.
Children
-Zip.
Grade
completed
Estimated fee $6 per day per child (inc. lunch).
Forenoon and afternoon sessions. Total fee to be
paid when child attends first session Only
children pre-registered will be accepted. Six-year-
olds must have completed first grade Pre-
registration deadline. May 15.
PROGRAM BOOKLET
Please send .
. copies at $4.75 each
of the 1983 Annual Conference Booklet.
(Available early in May.)
Name
St./RFD
City
-Zip.
Amount remitted $
(Delegates sending the delegate authorization
form and registration fee will automatically
receive one program booklet without further cost)
No pre-registration of non-delegales.
For lodging information contact your pastor
or write:
Annual Conference Manager
1451 Dundee Avenue
Elgin, Illinois 60120
i/ry
\\\\\K
^•M"«»R'C"hj,\^1 i
A
CELEBRJMING 61
YEARS OF CHRISTIANIT:
1'''
Jesus Christ enten
their lives iand they w(
no longer strarlgerl or sojourner
m(M(^ir^^i
9
10
15
18
22
No Longer I but Christ. When the Apostle Paul writes that he
has been crucified with Christ, he means that he has been completely
transformed, says Chalmer E. Faw. Paul is still Paul — but under new
management.
The Missionaries and the Major. This year marks the 60th
anniversary of the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria (EYNf). Kermon
Thomasson retells the story of the first big crisis of that mission
venture: A British colonial officer tries to oust the first missionaries.
Surprise! Surprise! Recently messenger participated with several
other religious magazines in a survey of prayer beliefs and habits. T.
Wayne Rieman pulls together all the data in an intriguing report.
On the Footpath to Peace. BVSer Stephen Newcomer uses a
brutal encounter he had on a mountain footpath in Honduras to
illustrate the violence that threatens to engulf all of Central America.
He calls on US church people to help bring wholeness to the lives of
their Latin neighbors.
Is Nuclear a No-No? There are Brethren who march in the streets
protesting against nuclear power as an energy source. But there are other
Brethren who work behind the controls of nuclear power plants, and
some who are among the power structure of nuclear utilities. David Sol-
lenberger deals with this two-sided Brethren response to nuclear energy.
Cover: Risku Madziga (left) and Pilesar Sawa (right) share laughs with a Garkida
friend, Cabari Tarfa, over a 1927 photo of the first baptism in the Church of the
Brethren mission in Nigeria (see page 12 for the photo, which shows Risku and
Pilesar, pioneer Nigeria Christians).
In Touch profiles Ronald Kopp, Manheim, Pa.; Mary Schaeffer, Neffsville, Pa.;
and Gregory Mitchell, New York City (2) . . . Outlook reports on Central
America Week. Guatemala. Nicaragua. Global Women's Project. Ron and
LaDonna Brunk. Cuernavaca trip. Alternative service. UN health issue. Sun
Myung Moon. Evangelical peace conference. Disaster response. IMMG. Roy
Pfaltzgraff (start on 4) . . . Underlines (7) . . . Update (8) . . . Column, "'Ufti'
for What Ails Us," by Paul E.R. Mundey (21) . . . Resources, "Easter," by Earl
K. Ziegler (24) . . . People and Parish, "Each March in Modesto," by Grace
Tronvold (26) . . . Opinions of Sheila Nyhart, A. Michael Williford, and
Margaret R. Learn (28) . . . Turning Points (31) . . . Editorial (32).
CO
CO
EDITOR
Kermon Thomasson
MANAGING EDITOR
Wendy Chamberlain
EDITORIAL ASSISTANT
Judd Blouch
FEATURES
Fred W. Swartz
SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES
Ruth Anne Culp
PROMOTION
Kenneth L. Gibble
PUBLISHER
John D. Metzier Jr.
VOL. 132, NO. 3 MARCH 1983
CREDITS: Cover. 13 lower right Howard E. Roy-
er. 2 lop Earl Crawford. 2 bottom Gregory Mitch-
ell. 3 Jeanne Jacoby Smith. 4 art by Kathy Kline.
5, 21 Wendy Chamberlain. 6 Kermon Thomasson.
9 Camera Clix. 10. 11, 13 top Church of the
Brethren Historical Library and Archives. 18, 19
top Stephen Newcomer. 19 bottom Dan McFad-
den. 23 Dave SoUenberger. 26 Cynthia Selga.
Messenger is the official publication of the
Church of the Brethren. Entered as second-class
matter Aug. 20, 1918, under Act of Congress
of Oct. 17, 1917. Filing date, Nov. 1, 1982.
Messenger is a member of the Associated
Church Press and a subscriber to Religious News
Service and Ecumenical Press Service. Biblical
quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are from
the Revised Standard Version.
Subscription rates: $10 one year for individual
subscriptions; $18.50 two years. $8 per year for
Church Group Plan. $8 per year for gift sub-
scriptions. School rate 50c per issue. If you move
clip address and send with new address.
Allow at least five weeks for address
change. MESSENGER is owned and
published monthly by the General
Services Commission, Church of the
Brethren General Board, 1451 Dundee
Ave., Elgin, 111. 60120. Second-class
postage paid at Elgin, 111., March 1983. Copyright
1983, Church of the Brethren General Board.
1
THIS MAKES US BRETHREN'
The November and December Messengers get
to the core of "Brethrenism," with helpful ar-
ticles on issues such as pacifism, draft registra-
tion, tax resistance, nuclear arms, sexuality,
abortion.
It troubles us when our brothers and sisters in
the church are so opposed to positions that, for
us, are so much a part of being Brethren. These
are the positions that led us to choose the Church
of the Brethren over any other Christian church.
These are what makes us two "Brethren."
Lou-Ann and Scott Land
Opelika, Ala.
GANDHI IN CHRISTLESS HELL'7
Regarding Messenger's "Gandhi" film review
(January), there is no apparent evidence that
Gandhi ever had a regenerate faith in Jesus
Christ as Lord and Savior. If this is true, and if
we are honest to ourselves and our Christian
faith, then we must admit that Gandhi died to
spend eternity in a Christless hell.
No matter how great a person's works, the sum
of his life can be counted no more than a tragedy
if his soul has been lost for eternity.
Your two Gandhi articles suggest there is no
life-changing message in the gospel that makes
Christianity utterly separate from Hinduism and
Islam.
If a Christian magazine fails to boldly tell the
saving message of Jesus Christ, which no religion
except Christianity has, who will? If it fails to
make clear the message of a risen Lord and
Savior, which has no likeness in the messages of
Hinduism and Islam, how terrible could be the
results to the readers.
Edward Johnson
Kentwood, Mich.
DIRTY WORDS' IN MESSENGER
After so much comment about the National
Council of Churches and the World Council of
Churches from Brethren and people of other
denominations, it was good to read in the
January Messenger "A Vote for Vancouver," by
Ramona Smith Moore, and "The NCC: Not
without faults," by Dale W. Brown.
Sometimes it seems that the NCC and WCC
have become "dirty words." It was good to read
about some of the good that is being done by
these organizations.
I agree with Dale Brown that it is sad that
many of the Brethren rely entirely upon sources
of information outside the church rather than
from Brethren members who attend the
meetings,
Gladys Halgh
Waynesboro, Pa.
FETUS AND FELON
Relevant to the 1982 Annual Conference State-
ment on Ministry to Victims of Crime, and to the
current Conference concern on abortion, I sub-
mit a letter to the editor of The Other Side
(December 1982), by Juli Loesch.
"In both (capital punishment and abortion) the
victim is dehumanized (They're just animals,'
'They're subhuman,' etc.). In both, the victim is
out of sight, hidden, and not acknowledged as a
member of society. In both, the methods of kill-
ing are described with adjectives like 'modern,'
'advanced,' even 'compassionate.' In both, socie-
ty is said to be better off without this individual,
and in both, the victim is said to be 'better off
dead.' In both capital punishment and abortion,
a human life is snuffed out because it is un-
wanted.
"Yet the first and last persons to recognize
Jesus were an unborn child and a convicted
criminal. John the Baptist, in the womb of his
mother Elizabeth, 'leapt for joy' in the presence
of our Lord (who was also 'in utero'). And the
thief on the cross was promised heaven by this
same Lord.
"Put down by society, raised up and made
great by God, the fetus and the felon should be
our special love — for the love of God!"
John F. Edwards Jr.
Pitsburg, Ohio
IDEAS TO PASS ALONG
"Grassroots Peacemaking" (December) gave
me several ideas for our witness commission at
the Elizabethtown church in establishing local
programs on peace and reconciliation.
"Caesar's Incense" (January), on draft regis-
tration is a classic. It should be required reading
in every church's peace education curriculum.
Jack Williams
Elizabethtown, Pa.
BYTHEIR FRUITS YOU SHALL KNOWTHEM
I disagree with Vernard EUer ("Caesar's In-
cense," January). Running a stopsign and refus-
ing to register for the draft are both "oranges,"
because they are both laws of the land. But when
EUer's son Enten picks and chooses the laws he
will obey, for whatever reason, we have fruit of
another variety.
Vernard Eller's rationalizations put him in the
camp of Jane Fonda and Joan Baez. Growing up
in the Highland Avenue Church of the Brethren, I
knew Brethren leaders such as Dan West, M.R.
Zigler, Leland Brubaker, and Harold Row. When
my youthful attempts to argue with "logic and
reason" conflicted with a truth, I was quickly told
I was rationalizing.
Truth is truth, and Vernard EUer attempts to ra-
tionalize it away. The law is the law and citizens
cannot choose the laws they will obey, and violate
the others.
Donald M. Gergen
Sycamore, 111.
LOVE AND TOLERANCE
What a great sermon on Christian love and tol-
erance was preached by Ramona Smith Moore
("A Vote for Vancouver," January). I live in a
community where there is much anti-MESSENCER
and anti-Elgin feeUng. The scathing voice in
which the word "Elgin" is pronounced would cer-
tainly be disturbing to the Chamber of Com-
merce. With all this negativism, plus that which
is promulgated by the rapidly growing hate
groups, it is so good to read a message of love
and tolerance as so ably expressed by this maga-
zine.
Who can attend sessions of the Vancouver
WCC Sixth Assembly?
Raymond R. Stayer
Denver, Pa.
(Attending for the Church of the Brethren
are two designated representatives — Robert
Neff and Ramona Smith Moore, three ac-
credited visitors, and two news representa-
tives. Others may attend unofficially on a
daily basis by obtaining a daily visitor pass
from the Vancouver Planning Committee,
185-6050 Chancellor Blvd., Vancouver, B.C.
V6T-lx3.-Ed.)
RIPPLES ON THE POND
In recent months, as a member of the Palmyra
(Pa.) Church of the Brethren, I taped two series
of inspirational spots for our local radio station.
I had decided they were too short to be effective,
but then our assistant pastor, Eleanor Painter,
told me this incident:
One day a stranger from the opposite side of
the state heard one of my spots on his car radio,
and caught the identification at the end. A few
days later, passing through our town again he
spied our church sign. He stopped, came to the
church office, told how moved he had been by
the radio spot, and asked for printed copies of
the whole week's scripts.
The Lord works wonders in strange and
mysterious ways. A small pebble thrown in a
pond can spread ripples from shore to shore (or
"stateUne to stateline").
Frank D. Horst
Palmyra, Pa.
EXPERIENCE NECESSARY
As a student at Bethany Seminary, I sense
frustration among this year's seniors as they talk
about the churches that are in need of pastors but
will only consider pastors with experience. This
suggests that providing that experience is the
responsibility of some other church. There are
times when the abilities of an experienced pastor
may be vital to the continuation of a particular
congregation, but those crucial situations occur
less often than we imagine.
An army recruitment commercial goes some-
thing like, "We don't look for experience — we
give it!" Perhaps those churches which only want
a pastor with experience would prefer that our
graduating seniors serve first as military
chaplains. That way those young pastors could
get that vital experience at the expense of Caesar
and not at the risk of threatening some congrega-
tion's comfortable expectations.
There are very capable ministers graduating
this spring — women and men. All they need is a
chance to begin their careers. They need con-
gregations not looking for exf>erience but ones
wiUing to give it!
Barry SHirrr
Oak Brook, lU.
oYoTo1fe> Co
The first mission building at Garkida
A— /very writer has favorite pieces of writing.
"The Missionaries and the Major" (page 10) is
one of mine. I may have written better pieces,
but the setting, the timing, the circumstances,
and the resource materials all combined for this
story to give me deep satisfaction.
I wrote the original version in 1973 to mark
the 50th anniversary of the coming of Christian-
ity to our mission area in Nigeria. It was a private
exercise, shared with friends.
For this month's Messenger I went
through the painful
exercise of cutting it
by more than half,
but it is still a long
story. The story of
how it was written
could be a long one
as well.
A history buff, I
had delved into the
story of the mission
and of the Bura
people. This had taken me to the Nigeria na-
tional archives, where Major Frank Edgar's
writings are preserved. Other happenings
combined to inspire me: 1 got into correspond-
ence with Neil Skinner, a British scholar and
translatorofEdgar'sHausa tales. Albert Helser,
before his death in 1969, had shared his
memories of early days with me. 1 had worked
with Stover Kulp, the other mission pioneer,
my first three years in Nigeria. Dr. Homer
Burke had also been in Nigeria in my time and
was back in 1973 for the anniversary. Finally, I
unearthed old mission files that held copies of
all the messages between Major Edgar and the
missionaries.
That last find triggered my writing project.
In one of those bursts of inspiration that writers
occasionally (too rarely) experience, the words
flowed onto the paper and the story wrote
itself.
That story was only one part of my private
celebration 10 years ago. The 1923 and 1973
dates hit on the same days of the week. Noting
this, and armed with Stover Kulp's letters and
Albert Helser's book. In Sunny Nigeria, I re-
traced on foot the last 50 miles that Helser and
Kulp had followed in 1 923 as they approached
Biu, Major Edgar's headquarters. I stayed
where they had stayed, saw the places they
had seen, and talked to the present village of-
ficials and to old folks who remembered the
early missionaries. That long hike led to
another privately published story, "Fifty Miles
for Fifty Years."
This March 1 am back in Nigeria for the 60th
anniversary. To see how I am commemorating
this 1983 event, check the inside back
cover. —The Editor
March 1983 messenger 1
Mary Schaeffer: Aunt Mary's witness
Not many people who attended Annual
Conference in Wichita, Kan., last July
were old enough to have been at the June
1917 Conference, also held in Wichita. At
that Annual Conference, 66 years ago, 10
new missionaries were appointed to serve
in China: Byron and Nora Flory, Norman
and Anna Seese, Walter and Sue Heisey,
Grace Clapper, Mary Schaeffer, Edna
Flory, and Myrtle Pollock. Mary Schaef-
fer is the only one of those overseas
workers who is still living today.
I remember watching Mary Schaeffer as
she started out on one of the many evan-
gelistic trips she took into the countryside
near Ping Ting Chou. She was a short,
dark-haired woman, who often wore a
long blue Chinese gown. She walked the
dusty country roads beside a small donkey
and a Chinese companion. She would ex-
plain to me that the people of the villages
were more willing to listen to her message
if they saw her dressed in familiar clothing
and eating her noodles and rice with
chopsticks. Her excellent command of the
Chinese language also helped to open the
doors of homes in the rural areas.
1 also remember visiting the Women's
School in Ping Ting, and seeing "Aunt
Mary," as she was known to us, at work
there. In this school, around the court-
yard, there were rooms for the women
who came to study bringing their small
children. Since many came from outlying
villages, provisions were made for laundry
and meal preparation. Mary was always
busy teaching cooking, sewing, child-care,
reading, and the Christian faith.
Apart from my own family, Mary
Schaeffer had a greater influence on my
younger years as a missionary child in
China than any other person. She taught
me the Chinese songs and stories that she
used in her work, and helped me to un-
derstand more about the life of the people
she worked with. She filled the need for
an extended family relationship in my life.
Mary was born Dec. 16, 1890. She sailed
for China the first time from Seattle,
Wash., on Sept. 17, 1917, and spent 24
years there. Now 92 and almost blind,
Mary is still able to get around in the
Brethren Village near Lancaster, Pa.,
which is now her home. Her face shines
with love and optimism, and with the
pleasure of talking about happy times
past.
Others have honored Mary for her
evangelistic work, and her teaching of the
Chinese women, but 1 will always
remember her for the enrichment she
brought to my childhood years.— Verna
Flory Sanger
Verna Flory Sanger is a retired teacher and a
member of the i^'est Richmond Church of the
Brethren, Richmond, Va.
Gregory Mitchell: Dar
Like many boys, Gregory Mitchell played
football when he was young. But that
didn't result in a Sunday afternoon TV
addiction or a devastating knee injury.
The result of playing football was strong
legs, which are now the instruments of a
31 -year-old dancer making his Broadway
debut in "Merlin."
Greg, whose father, Patrick, is former
pastor of the Brooklyn (N.Y.) Church of
the Brethren, says religion and theater
were always compatible parts of his home
life. That's an attitude that Greg still car-
ries with him as a successful dancer.
When he was 12 years old, Greg saw
"West Side Story" and figured that if the
Jets and Sharks could dance, so could he.
Greg was taking lessons from top profes-
sionals by the time he was 16, and had a
2 MESSENGER March 1983
t^iiind serving
Ronald Kopp: Attuned to others' needs
job with the touring company of "The
Boyfriend" at 17.
At age 20 Greg recommitted his life to
Christ. He was studying at Juilliard at the
time and began to meet with other Chris-
tian dancers to discuss their faith and
craft. That group was the foundation for
what is now the New York Arts Group,
an interdenominational support group for
Christians in the arts.
Greg says one of the main ministries of
the arts group is to help professionals gain
a perspective of their relationship to the
Lord. That perspective is something on
which Greg has a firm grip.
"If you're a performer, you're a
servant," he says. Greg's service is two-
fold. Through his obedience to God's call-
ing to dance, Greg also serves his au-
diences by bringing them joy.
But Greg's service does not stop when
he leaves the stage. In the highly
pressurized, competitive world of New
York dancing, he serves as a voice of
comfort and reason through his personal
witness.
Greg knows what it is like to be a
young, struggling dancer. So, he befriends
and reaches out to young performers,
showing a sincere interest in them as peo-
ple. His buoyancy, joy, and performing
excellence serve as reminders that survival
in the world of dancing is possible.
"So much of how I've learned to survive
is the Lord," says Greg. But he has done
more than survive; he has excelled.
Greg is a six-year veteran and a senior
member of the Feld Ballet, one of the
most respected ballet troupes in the coun-
try. He has also done some choreography,
something he hopes to do more of after
he retires from dancing in about 10 years.
The highlight of Greg's career is his role
as the queen's companion in "Merlin."
The show stars Chita Rivera as the evil
queen and magician Doug Henning in the
title role. Greg says the show has religious
overtones with "the powers of good
against the powers of darkness."
It is not unusual for Greg to make a
religious statement about a Broadway
show. After all, he's made such a state-
ment with his entire dancing career.
-J.A.B.
Ronald Kopp, of Chiques
Church of the Brethren near
Manheim, Pa., claims a
barn fire of 10 years ago is
the reason for his involve-
ment in the first Atlantic
Northeast District Heifer
Sale held in Lebanon Coun-
ty last September.
"Once you experience a
tragedy of that caliber you
feel indebted to others," says
Ron. "It's impossible to pay
people individually for all
they have done."
As members of the district
men's fellowship, Kopp and
numerous other men had
wondered how they could be
more active in outreach.
"The women quilted for
relief, but we weren't doing
our part. Some of us began
thinking of a heifer sale to
supplement the Annual
Disaster Auction."
A board member of the
Dauphin County Farmers'
Association and a sales
representative for the -
Dauphin County Holstein
Club, he helped recruit eight animals from
his church alone. "We finished with 42
heifers from 18 churches," he marvels.
"The sale was exciting, also, because
several individuals who bought animals do
nated them back to the cause to be resold.
Our particular heifer was sold three times.'
Proceeds from the Atlantic Northeast
District's Heifer Sale were sent to the
Church of the Brethren Disaster Fund.
Funds from the sale nearly doubled the
income of the Annual Disaster Auction,
topping $80,000 in 1982.
In recent years the Kopps aided other
relief efforts when local churches raised
funds for cattle to be sent to Heifer Proj-
ect International. Ron smiles and leans
back in his chair in the office by the milk-
ing parlor, visible through the windows.
"This is our first experience giving an
outright donation of an animal for this
type of sale." He explains the gift as
something Chiques members have been
doing for years.
But what about the barn fire in 1973?
"The local church certainly helped," says
Ron. "The fire struck at 10 o'clock one
night. Dad was burned saving a tractor
from the barn and was taken to the
hospital. My brother Jay and I spent the
night calling neighbors, friends, and
church members to board the cattle. The
milk cows had to be relocated by six the
next morning because of milking
schedules."
Ron gestures with his large weather-
worn hands, describing the extent of their
loss and the help that a hundred or so
volunteers gave over a three-month period
to rebuild the barn. "The milking parlor
was completely gone. Glass pipes leading
to the tank burst from heat, but we
missed only four days of milking."
"Personal hardships have value in the
long run," says Ron. "They attune you to
others' needs. We've helped others when
they have had troubles, but one continues
to feel indebted." — Jeanne Jacoby
Smith
Jeanne Jacoby Smith is a free-lance writer in
McPherson, Kan., where her husband. Herb, is
McPherson College campus minister.
March 1983 messenger 3
us churches observe
Central America Week
March 18-27 has been set aside by
religious denominations across the country
as a week of prayer, study, reflection, and
action on behalf of Central American
brothers and sisters.
The purpose for the special emphasis is
to learn more about the life, frustrations,
and faith in Jesus Christ of those who live
in Central America. It will also explore
the social and moral responsibilities of US
Christians living in the country whose
policies directly affect those in Central
America.
Religious leaders are becoming more
vocal about the situation there. About the
time of President Reagan's trip to Latin
America several months ago, 400 US
religious leaders signed a pastoral message
urging American church-goers to pressure
the government to end all military inter-
vention in Central America to avoid a
regional war there.
"As citizens of the United States we are
particularly sensitive to the responsibility
that our government bears in the oppres-
sion and violence in Central America,"
said the pastoral message, which was
coordinated by the Interreligious Task
Force on El Salvador and Central
America, and Clergy and Laity Con-
cerned.
"The slaughter in El Salvador and
Guatemala continues; tensions between
Honduras and Nicaragua increase; border
incursions and provocative military
maneuvers could inflame the whole
hemisphere," the pastoral said. "At this
time, our government is embarked on a
course which we believe will only increase
the bloodshed and the violation of
people's rights and dignity, as well as in-
crease the danger of regional war."
Signers included 22 Catholic bishops,
the president and general secretary of the
National Council of Churches, four
United Methodist bishops, heads of a
half-dozen denominations, and other
prominent Christian and Jewish leaders.
Church team reports
terror in Guatemala
An ecumenical team sent recently to
Guatemala by the National Council of
Churches reported that its interviews with
witnesses showed a pattern of "terror and
Spotlight
on the Americas
torture" by the Guatemalan army.
The three Protestants and one Catholic
priest, invited to Guatemala by President
Efrain Rios Montt, accused his govern-
ment of "gross and consistent violations
of human rights" on the basis of about 40
interviews.
Corinne B. Johnson, an American
Friends Service Committee official on the
team, criticized US Embassy personnel in
Guatemala for not seeking the kind of in-
dependent verification of atrocities in the
countryside that her team was able to ob-
tain. The reporting of human rights viola-
tions "should be based on careful
documentation through field interviews"
by both the US and Canadian embassies
there, rather than "on printed reports and
official Guatemalan government com-
munications" as at present, her report
said.
The NCC report followed by one day a
133-page report by a New York-based
human rights group, the Americas Watch
Committee, which accused Guatemala of
"abandoning the rule of order." The
United States Catholic Conference also
recently opposed renewal of US military
assistance to Guatemala because of its
"human rights record."
And in October, Amnesty International
charged that 2,600 Guatemalan Indians
and peasants had been massacred by
military and civil defense since General
Rios Montt took power in March.
General Montt, who came to power in a
bloodless coup, is an evangelical and has
support from many US evangelical
groups, who maintain that he has
dramatically helped to weed out corrup-
tion in the government and military.
A press release issued by the Luis Palau
Evangelistic Team said that Montt has an
"uncompromising commitment to Chris-
tian principles and morality" and cites a
US Embassy report to charge that groups
such as Amnesty International, the
Washington Office on Latin America, and
the Guatemalan Human Rights Commis-
sion are engaged in a "concerted disinfor-
mation campaign" that supports
Communism.
At a Luis Palau crusade, Montt said,
"Armies and swords are not God's means
for bringing change since God brings
peaceful change by the work of the Holy
Spirit." In contrast to his words, however,
the Guatemalan Association of
Democratic Journalists has asserted that
Montt "directed 29 massacres, killing
4,000 Guatemalans" in his first 63 days in
office.
Nicaragua gets support
from evangelical team
A delegation of evangelical leaders has re-
turned from Nicaragua and disputes
charges by the Reagan Administration
that Nicaragua is practicing religious
repression against the country's Protestant
churches.
The seven-member delegation was
believed to be the first group of US
evangelical leaders to meet with church
and government officials in Nicaragua,
which does not have the degree of support
among US evangelical groups that it does
of mainline churches.
4 MESSENGER March 1983
Ron Sider, president of Evangelicals for
Social Action, said that charges of
religious repression were "simply not true.
There's enormous religious freedom.
There is freedom to worship, to evangelize
in public places, and to distribute Chris-
tian literature freely."
He continued, "I think the average peo-
ple in the churches tend to accept the cur-
rent propaganda by the (US) government
that the churches in Nicaragua are being
persecuted — and that needs to be cor-
rected."
Other members of the group were
David Howard, general secretary of the
World Evangelical Fellowship; Vernon
Grounds, former president of Conser-
vative Baptist Theological Seminary;
Linda Doll, editor of His magazine; and
Jim Wallis and Joyce HoUyday of So-
journers magazine.
Sider said the tension that existed last
summer between Protestant denomina-
tions and the government has largely sub-
sided. He noted that CEPAD, the
evangeUcal committee for development in
Nicaragua, is "generally supportive" of the
government, although it criticized the
government for the earlier seizures of
church buildings and for the treatment of
the Miskito Indians.
There is "a deep feeling" among Nicara-
guan evangelicals "of being neglected and
ignored by their evangeUcal brothers and
sisters in the US," said Sider. "They do not
in any way demand that US evangehcals
agree with them, but they very much want
us to come and Usten to their problems,
concerns, and viewpoints."
He added that there are indeed "doc-
trinaire Marxist-Leninists in Nicaragua.
And it is possible that at some point they
may seize control. But we found very little
convincing evidence that at present the
government is trying to promote Marxism-
Leninism."
Global Women's Project
funds Peru health work
The newest venture of the Church of the
Brethren Global Women's Project is fund-
ing for health work in the jungles of
Peru.
The Aguaruna and Huambisa Indian
Council Project will receive £7,500—
about $11,655 at the current exchange rate
- from the Global Women's Project, and
the General Board's World Ministries
Commission will provide matching funds.
The money will supply materials and two
years of salary for a health care worker.
The project primarily benefits women in
the area, whose health care needs have
not been met by the men in the program.
Already on site is a female health care
worker, Jan Blake, who gives health care;
educates women about prenatal care,
pregnancy, infant care, nutrition, and
gynecological needs; and trains women to
administer health care.
Begun in 1978, the Global Women's
Project makes grants to women's self-help
programs around the world.
Brunks begin one year
with camp in Ecuador
Ronald and LaDonna Brunk, of the
Ivester Church of the Brethren in Iowa,
are beginning a one-year term at Campa-
mento Nueva Vida in Ecuador.
The team assignment includes helping
to coordinate the efforts of the camp's
staff and board, particularly in the area of
administration. Campamento Nueva Vida
is a camp/retreat center near Quito.
Prior to arriving in Ecuador, the
Brunks spent some preparation time at
Camp Woodland Altars in Ohio and
Camp Mack in Indiana, as well as
language training in Mexico.
The Brunks have three children, ages
12, 15, and 17. Ronald has taught school
in agriculture extension, and served as a
Brethren Volunteer Service worker in
Poland the first year of the agricultural
exchange program. LaDonna has directed
the district junior high camp, and has
been active in other district and national
programs.
The Church of the Brethren had two
BVSers working at the camp during the
past year.
Mexico trip meaningful
for district executives
A December professional growth ex-
perience in Cuernavaca, Mexico, gave 12
district executives a first-hand look at one
part of Latin America.
The bulk of the 10-day trip was spent at
the Cuernavaca Center for Intercuitural
Dialogue on Development. Included in
that time were visits to two squatters'
villages in the city.
"Given our denomination's commitment
to misidn mutua," said Carl Myers, ex-
ecutive of Illinois/Wisconsin, "the pur-
pose of the trip was to give district ex-
ecutives first-hand experience in the Third
World — lifestyle, faith experience, thought
patterns."
Owen Stultz, of Virhna, called it "a
very valuable experience of being able to
look through the eyes of poor people as
they shared with us.
"From the perspective of being North
American, I came away with two
feelings," he added. "Happy to be a North
American, and ashamed of being a North
American — because of our government
aligning with the rich and the violence we
do to the poor by trying to have economic
control."
A number of executives said they were
impressed by the impact that Vatican II
has had on the Roman Catholic church
there. "This part of Roman Catholicism
has discovered the Bible, and through that
discovered Christ," said Harold
Bomberger, of Atlantic Northeast.
Those who took part in the professional
growth experience were Harold and Betty
Bomberger and David Markey, Atlantic
Northeast; Carl Myers, Illinois/Wiscon-
sin; Carroll and Margie Petry, South/
Central Indiana; Donald and Eleanor
Rowe, Mid-Atlantic; Gordon Bucher,
Northern Ohio; Joseph and Peggy Mason,
Southern Ohio; J. Stanley Earhart, South-
ern Pennsylvania; Stanley Wampler, Shen-
andoah; James Tomlonson, Tri-District;
Owen Stultz, Virhna; Sylvus and Martha
Flora, West Marva; Ralph Detrick and
Ren^ and Karen Calder6n, national staff.
Correction
Last month's news story on the Bal-
timore Annual Conference (page 4)
contained two errors. David Ritten-
house was pastor of the Castaiier
church. Standing Committee con-
venes at 10:45 Sunday morning, not
Monday morning.
March 1983 messenger 5
Alternative service:
SSS grants requests
The Selective Service System (SSS) has
moved to grant all major requests made
by the Church of the Brethren and other
religious organizations who have been
lobbying for changes in alternative service
guidelines.
This third edition of the proposed
guidelines met the approval of church
representatives in a special meeting of the
board of NISBCO (National Interreligious
Service Board for Conscientious Objec-
tors) on Jan. 20.
The first two drafts of alternative ser-
vice guidelines had been hotly protested
by NISBCO, which represents 50 religious
groups including the Church of the
Brethren. At the Jan. 20 meeting,
representatives from the Mennonite Cen-
tral Committee reported that they had met
the day before with SSS staff to discuss
this third draft. The concessions:
• Civilian review boards now have real
authority to hear and deal with com-
plaints of alternative service workers.
• The list of eligible employers of alter-
native service workers is to be expanded.
• Priorities will not be established in
alternative service employment options.
• Some overseas work assignments will
be accepted.
• Military personnel employed in alter-
native service offices will be hmited.
"I'm very pleased," said Chuck Boyer,
General Board peace consultant and
NISBCO board member. "It appears that
SSS has granted us, and other religious
bodies, nearly everything we had hoped
for."
Last summer, the Church of the Breth-
ren Annual Conference had called on the
government to allow the church to pro-
vide alternative work assignments, and
orientation, for its members; to provide
civilian, rather than military, administra-
tion of alternative service; to provide ade-
quate safeguards to prevent arbitrary job
assignment of alternative service workers;
to allow employment with an approved
agency rather than making work options
such as civil defense a top priority; and to
allow overseas assignments. (See
September Messenger, page 20.)
NISBCO had been considering mounting
a grassroots legislative move to remove the
administration of alternative service from
Selective Service control but, in light of the
recent concessions, is evaluating that.
At a December meeting of the Fourth Brethren Assembly, NISBCO director Warren Hoover
and Gen. Thomas K. Turnage disagreed sharply on alternative service provisions. In
January, Selective Service granted nearly all the requests made by religious groups.
At UN, US dissents on
health protection vote
The United Nations General Assembly has
adopted a resolution that requests the
secretary general to provide to developing
nations information and assistance that
would protect them against products
harmful to health and environment.
The resolution was adopted 146 to I,
with no abstentions. The US cast the only
negative vote.
The resolution also requests member
nations not to allow the export of prod-
ucts banned within their own borders as
dangerous. A few years ago, US manufac-
turers exported millions of infant
garments treated with a carcinogenic
chemical that had been banned from sale
in the US.
The Carter Administration stopped the
export of products considered too
dangerous for domestic sale, but President
Reagan has revoked that order.
Religious groups appeal
Moon's tax conviction
Six religious groups have filed a friend-of-
the-court brief on behalf of the Rev. Sun
Myung Moon, head of the Unification
Church, who has been convicted of in-
come tax fraud.
The filers stress that the action is not an
affirmation of Moon's theology but rather
a protest against infringements of religious
freedom. The groups argue that Moon
was prevented from introducing evidence
vital to establishing the religious nature of
the funds in question, and they accuse the
court of narrowly defining religion in a
way that might endanger religious
freedom and church autonomy.
Moon was convicted of tax fraud
because he supposedly deposited church
funds in a personal account and did not
pay tax on the interest. He claims the
funds were entrusted to him and were in-
vested for the church.
The six groups are the American Baptist
Churches in the USA, the African
Methodist Episcopal Church, the National
Black Catholic Clergy Caucus, the Na-
tional Council of Churches, the Unitarian
Universalist Association, and the United
Presbyterian Church in the USA.
Evangelicals announce
major peace conference
More than 50 evangelical organizations
have initiated a major peacemaking con-
ference to take place in May.
"The Church and Peacemaking in the
Nuclear Age: A Conference on Bibhcal
Perspectives" will be the first time that a
large representative group of evangelical
church leaders meets to address the
nuclear arms issue.
An additional 30 groups are providing
more than a hundred workshops, and
conference planners expect about two
thousand participants. To give a balanced
educational approach, a broad range of
responses will be presented by leading
evangelical voices of different Christian
traditions.
Among the speakers are John Stott,
London Institute for Contemporary Chris-
tianity; Jim Wallis, Sojourners magazine;
Ted Engstrom, World Vision Interna-
6 MESSENGER March 1983
tional; John Perkins, Voice of Calvary
Ministries; and Ron Sider, Eastern Baptist
Theological Seminary. Secretary for the
board of directors is Norval Hadley,
founder of New Call to Peacemaking.
Conference publicity notes that
evangelicals have lagged behind other
church groups in speaking out on the
nuclear arms issue, and says this gathering
"could prove to be a major watershed in
evangelical thought."
The conference takes place May 25 — 28
in Pasadena, Calif.
Volunteers lend a hand
in Hawaii and Midwest
Emergency Disaster Fund grants totaling
$37,500 were disbursed in December for
disaster work in Hawaii, the Midwest, and
Vietnam.
Ten child-care volunteers from southern
California, along with refugee/disaster of-
fice director R. Jan Thompson, worked a
week in Hawaii, where Hurricane Iwa
caused $2.5 billion in damage. Volunteers
cared for 785 children in three disaster
centers. Appropriation for the Hawaii
project was $15,000.
Child-care volunteers and caseworkers
moved in quickly to flooded areas in the
Midwest. States affected by flooding are
Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, and
Illinois.
In December, long-term work was set
up in Missouri, concentrating in Fenton
and Cape Girardeau. Volunteers from as
far away as Pennsylvania and Virginia
have assisted with clean-up and
reconstruction.
In January, the state of Louisiana was
declared a federal disaster area, and
child-care volunteers and caseworkers
were sent in. The need for long-term
reconstruction will be evaluated as flood-
waters recede.
A grant of $15,000 was made to cover
the response to Midwest flooding.
An Emergency Disaster Fund appropri-
ation was also made to provide relief to
people in Vietnam who suffered from
Typhoon Nancy. Damage to buildings and
land affected about a million people, with
the agricultural sector being hit hardest.
The $7,500 from the Church of the
Brethren has been channeled through
Church World Service, which appealed
for $200,000 from US churches to buy
relief supplies, rice, cloth, cement, and
corrugated sheets for roofing.
[i^[n]^(t[rl[ri](t^
NEW STAFF . . . Roma Jo Thompson , Union Bridge, Md. , has been
named director of disaster child care for the Church of the
Brethren. She served as Church World Service/CROP regional
director for the Mid-Atlantic area from 1978-1981. Previous
professional experience includes daycare, and elementary
school teaching and serving as a lay missionary in Nigeria.
. . . Christine Abernathy has been appointed operations mana-
ger for The Brethren Press, a new position that should im-
prove purchasing and shipping services for congregations
ordering program supplies and curriculum. She graduated
with distinction from Manchester College in 1982 and has
worked at The Brethren Press since February 1982 as a job
estimator .
SERVING ECUMENICALLY ... Last month's Underlines column
listed Brethren serving through other denominations. The
implication that Brethren Volunteer Service is unable to
accommodate all who want to volunteer was misleading. The
intent of the list was to give recognition to some of the
Brethren who serve overseas, both volunteer and salaried,
through other church organizations. BVS and similar groups
work cooperatively, making referrals when necessary to best
meet needs of applicants and projects. More than a third
of current BVSers come from other church backgrounds.
PEOPLE IN THE NEWS
Glenn Oxender , Florence (Mich.)
Church of the Brethren, was elected representative of the
42nd District in the Michigan House of Representatives. A
graduate of Manchester (Ind.) College, he is an active church
member and a math teacher by training. . . . Solomon Lausch,
First church in Baltimore, Md. , and principal of City College,
was honored by the Greater Baltimore Committee as one of
three outstanding principals for 1982. On behalf of the
school, he received a cash award of $1,500. . . . The new
chairman of NISBCO (National Interreligious Service Board
for Conscientious Objectors) is John K. Stoner , executive
secretary of Mennonite Central Committee US Peace Section.
He succeeds Chuck Boyer , peace consultant for the Church of
the Brethren, whose term expired at the end of 1982.
BRETHREN TOGETHER
The Fourth Brethren Assembly was
held Dec. 18-19 at the New Windsor Service Center, high-
lighting the Brethren Encyclopedia, which the five Brethren
bodies are cooperating in producing. The Brethren Assem-
blies began in 1973 at the initiative of M. R. Zigler.
Participating in a panel discussion of Brethren future were
Fred W. Benedict , Old German Baptist Brethren; Jacob Ness ,
Dunkard Brethren; Donald Rinehart , The Brethren Church;
Charles W. Turner , Grace Brethren; and Kermon Thomasson ,
Church of the Brethren.
REMEMBERED
.. Margaret E_. Metzler, who died Jan. 13 in
at age 79. She was the wife of John Metzler
Portland, Ore.
Sr. , who was active in the formation of Church World Service
and CROP. Her son, John Metzler, Jr., is executive of the
General Services Commission of the General Board.
CORRECTION . . . The February MESSENGER incorrectly listed
the husband of Harriet Howard Bright as "Ralph." It should
have read "J. Calvin Bright."
March 1983 messenger 7
A FAITH LIFT ... When Portland (Ore.) Peace church decided
t^o remodel its church building to make it more accessible
for people with disabilities, the church members wished they
could afford an elevator. Then Doug Eller, an elevator
mechanic , discovered he could have an elevator from a down-
town building if he could remove it before the wrecking ball
was swung. More than a dozen men worked against the clock.
Now the original plans are being revised to include the
"Ellervator , " and it should be operable by mid-summer.
INNER GUIDANCE TO THE INNER CITY
Two fires set by
arsonists within the space of a few weeks caused members
of the Nicholas Gardens church in Springfield, Ore. , to do
some serious evaluation. Should they rebuild, or unite
with another congregation, or move? After many weeks of
study, research, consultation, and discussion, the congre-
gation bought property on Main St. — thus moving them from
a residential area back into the inner city. Feeling led
by the Spirit to make this move, the congregation dreams
of senior citizen housing, a Brethren human services
facility, and a new sanctuary and Christian education
building.
STUDYING PEACE
Earlham, Goshen, and Manchester Col-
leges sponsored a February conference for peace church-
related colleges and seminaries. The topic was "Academic
Disciplines and Peacemaking," and leadership included pro-
fessors from Elizabethtown (Pa.) College , Juniata College
(Huntingdon, Pa.), Manchester (Ind.) College , and Bethany
Seminary (Oak Brook, 111.). Manchester's Peace Studies
Institute is also sponsoring, in cooperation with the Man-
chester Church of the Brethren, a one-day Sunday conference
on "The New Apocalypticism. " Leading the April 10 seminar
is Dr. Robert Jewett of Garrett Theological Seminary.
ROUNDTABLE
"Real People" is the theme of the South-
eastern Youth Roundtable scheduled for April 23-24 at Bridge-
water (Va.) College. Parish Ministries staff member Robert
Bowman will lead conferencegoers in a study of important Old
Testament figures. Small group sessions, recreation, and a
panel discussion of Christian views on the draft are a few
of the activities planned for the weekend.
SPORTS COMPLEX
A new sports and recreation center
officially opened at Juniata College (Huntingdon, Pa.) in
January, and dedication is set for April 17. Attainment of
the $4.5 million goal assures receipt of a $250,000 challenge
grant issued by the Kresge Foundation. The new building con-
tains a 25-meter pool, four racquetball/handball courts,
weight training rooms, multipurpose room, sauna, wrestling/
judo/gymnastics room, and expanded locker and office space.
MILESTONES
Nov.
14 was special for the Conmiunity
church (Orlando, Fla.), as worship was held in a debt-free
sanctuary. ... At its Dec. 12 mortgage-burning, the
Mexico (Ind.) church celebrated paying off a 15-year note
in 6 years. . . . District Executive Carl Myers spoke at
the mortgage-burning for Faith church (Batavia , 111.) on
Jan. 30.
8 MESSENGER March 1983
Media group terminates
its plans for TV special
The Inter-Mennonite Media Group— of
which the Church of the Brethren is a
member — has terminated an ambitious
project that was based on the book Living
More With Less, by Doris Longacre.
The project was intended to deal with
alternative styles of Uving and coping in a
world of increasing population and
decreasing natural resources. IMMG
planned to produce a one-hour television
special to be shown in 60 major markets
and coordinated with community work-
shops in the US and Canada.
But an estimated $750,(XX) bill, coupled
with what IMMG chairman Ken Weaver
called "delays caused by the different
decision-making procedures of the member
agencies," proved insurmountable.
Fred Swartz, Brethren representative to
IMMG, said that, despite the termination
of the project, the effort was an educa-
tional and profitable venture. The most
tangible result of the project was a film
treatment — an initial proposal of how a
film will be shot — produced for IMMG by
Tapper Productions of New York.
"The treatment is in hand and can form
the basis for all sorts of offshoots," said
Swartz.
IMMG is still convinced of the need for
education on alternative lifestyles, said
Swartz. "The responsible living theme is
still relevant and needs to be emphasized
by the Christian church."
Pfaltzgraff honored by
Nigerian government
Dr. Roy P. Pfaltzgraff, former Church of
the Brethren missionary in Nigeria, has
been honored by the Nigerian government
and Ahmadu Bello University for his out-
standing work with leprosy. He was given
the honorary title of tutor, a level of pro-
fessorship in the Nigerian education
system.
Leprosy has been the life work of
Pfaltzgraff, who is internationally recog-
nized as an expert in the field. He has
served as a consultant for Nigerian
government leprosy boards, and has
worked at Carrville, La., the largest
leprosy colony in the United States. He
has also traveled and lectured extensively
in Asia, Africa, and South America for
the World Health Organization.
Listening to the Word
No longer I but Christ
by Chalmer E. Faw
"/ have been crucified with Christ; it is no
longer I who live, but Christ who lives in
we" (Gal. 2:20).
Here again the New Testament challenges
and stretches us. Using our Lord's own
type of death, Paul is describing the
radical break between his new life as a
Christian and his old one as a persecutor.
He has died to the law, he says in verse
19, that he might now live to God. Now
this crucifixion. Why such an extreme
figure of speech?
Death on a cross is not only hideous
torture but most shameful and public.
Note that each of these aspects also
marked Paul's experience in becoming a
Christian. It was most painful as he gave
up one style of life and took on another,
and painful also to those who were
outraged by his changeover. It was a
shame and a scandal to his former
associates, who regarded him as either a
traitor or a lunatic. And it was so public,
at least in its consequences, as he became
more and more a man of conflict for his
times. Yes, it is a good term to use for
Paul's conversion.
Yet there is a deeper appropriateness
about it. It was on the cross that Jesus
brought salvation and precisely there that
the way of earning eternal life through
keeping the law came to an end. Dying to
the law and to the old life was indeed a
crucifixion along with Christ.
Then Paul says a surprising thing. "It is
no longer I who live." Yet everyone
knows that after his conversion he was
more alive than ever before. How can he
say that he no longer lives? Listen to the
text. It is not a matter of ceasing to live,
but who it is that does the living. This is
another way of saying who is in control of
his life. "It is no longer / who live, but
Christ who lives in me." The old / who
used to run my life is dead, nailed to the
cross, and 1 now have a new Master.
Gone are my former self-centeredness,
stubbornness, and rebellion, Paul is
declaring. In place of the old ego I am
now under the lordship of Jesus Christ
who directs and empowers my life.
This crucifixion of the old is not some
kind of self-torture or asceticism, but com-
plete transition to a new form of existence.
Nor is the new life with Christ in the center
a matter of Paul himself becoming Christ.
This could be a highly dangerous inter-
pretation. He is not perfect and he is not
Christ or God. He is still Paul, but Paul
under new management.
"St. Paul in Prison," a 17th-century paint-
ing by Rembrandt van Ryn.
What we have here is something so ex-
tremely important for the Christian life
that we dare not miss it. There are at least
three ways of relating to God and Christ.
One is to follow a God "out there," keep
his laws, and even try to embody his love.
This God in Christ is there in creation, in
the Bible, and in history. The second level
is to have God or Christ with one, as a
beloved and constant companion. Like the
first level, this is good and true, but still
not the fullness of the Christian way.
What our scripture here is proclaiming
is a third and deeper level. It is what Jesus
described as "being baptized in the Holy
Spirit" (Acts 1:5). Luke loved to call it be-
ing////erf with the Spirit, having the in-
dwelling Christ not only within one but in
full control. It is a cleaning out of the
old, a healing, and then a filling with new
love, wisdom, and power. When this oc-
curs then we have all three: the objective
Christ, the Christ beside us, and, most im-
portant of all, the Christ within, taking
over our lives.
Having made this point, then, Paul
goes on to speak of the new life he now
lives "in the fiesh." He is still imperfect
and bound by human limitations, but he
is alive as never before. The secret of this
ongoing life, after the transformation, is
faith in the Son of God. Faith here is not
only belief and trust, or simply the
"assurance of things hoped for," although
it is all these. It is something far more. It
is the total relationship we have described,
the very heartbeat of living with Christ,
the Holy Spirit in full control within.
Note also that this is not faith in
general, nor faith as an entity which one
can have apart from Jesus, but faith in
the one and only Son of God who died,
rose again, and who ever lives. One is
now a part of Christ's total existence,
from eternity to eternity. Everything the
Bible teaches about Christ — his pre-
existence, his incarnation and earthly life,
his death, resurrection, glorification, sec-
ond coming, and eternal rule — all become
a vital part of the Christian, both a
heritage and an assured hope.
How does one get this? Paul speaks of
his crucifixion with Christ in the passive
voice. He did not do it himself. It was
done to him. The new life also was some-
thing given to him. His part was to let it
occur and once it happened to enter into
it wholeheartedly. We must know that it
can come about and seek it until we get it.
Only as we really hunger and thirst and
recognize Who it is that eagerly gives will
we receive.
Said Jesus, "If you then, who are evil,
know how to give good gifts to your
children, how much more will the heaven-
ly Father give the Holy Spirit to those
who ask him?" When God does this, we
too can have the experience of having the
indwelling Christ in complete control of
our lives. D
A retired Bible teacher and missionary, Chalmer E.
Faw travels extensively with his wife, Mary, In a
spiritual life renewal ministry.
March 1983 messenger 9
missionaries
O W% fm ■'"^^^'■'. ■
the m^jor
by Kermon Thomasson
The Church of the Brethren mission in Nigeria was less than a
year old and it looked like the wily British officer in charge of
the area would hctvk his way: The missionaries would have to go.
The church planted in Nigeria by the
Brethren is 60 years old. On March 1 7,
1923, Albert Helser and Stover Kulp held
a worship service as they began the first
building at Garkida, using the "Corner-
stone" text of Ephesians 2:19-22. Sixty
years later, Ekklesiyar 'Yanuwa a Nigeria
(the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria)
has thousands of members in 575 chur-
ches. With a story of the mission's beginn-
ings, we commemorate this anniversary.
» » •
It is Saturday, February 2, 1924. At 10:15
in the morning, a meeting has begun in
the private railway car of the Governor of
Nigeria, Sir Hugh Clifford. His Excellency
is not in a particularly good humor.
Regrettable circumstances have brought
him these 568 jiggling, jostling, hot, sooty
miles from Lagos to Kaduna. In the eve-
ning he must begin to retrace those weary
miles back to his steamy capital. But no
matter. Up here in the extreme hinterlands
of the British Protectorate a sparrow has
fallen, and Sir Hugh is not the man to let
the event escape his gubernatorial atten-
tion. The meeting that the Governor has
convened will decide the fate of one of his
senior District Officers and the fate of a
fledgling Christian mission.
Seated before the Governor are five
men: Chief Secretary for the Colony and
Protectorate of Nigeria, Sir Donald
Cameron; Lieutenant Governor for the
Northern Provinces, W.F. Gowers; the
District Officer recently in charge of Biu
Division in Bornu Province, Major Frank
Edgar; missionary from the Church of the
Brethren Mission at Garkida in Bornu
Province, Albert D. Helser; and his newly
arrived colleague, a young doctor, Homer
L. Burke.
A he Governor is impatient to get on
with the meeting. Major Edgar is sullen.
He smokes nervously and glares from
behind his walrus moustache at the mis-
sionaries. Albert Helser sits serenely, con-
fident that justice and the Lord are
aligned with him. He ignores the District
Officer's unmasked disdain. The young
doctor looks in awe at the titled British
officials and wonders at being in Nigeria
less than a month and not even reaching
his mission station before being called
before the Governor himself!
What was the business of this in-
congruous group and how would it affect
the course of history for the Church of
the Brethren Mission in Nigeria? In this
anniversary year of 1983, as we mark 60
years of Christianity in the area of Nigeria
served by Ekklesiyar 'Yanuwa a Nigeria
(Church of the Brethren in Nigeria), it is
not out of place to reflect a bit on our
mission history. Certainly, no event so
shaped the future of the Brethren mission
enterprise as the 1923-24 confrontation
between the missionaries and the major.
Albert D. Helser and H. Stover Kulp,
two budding missionaries in their mid-20s,
had landed at Lagos, Nigeria, December
29, 1922, commissioned by the Church of
the Brethren in America to seek out an
African mission field for the denomina-
tion. They received a warm reception
from Governor Clifford in Lagos, and
from Lieutenant Governor Gowers in
Kaduna, both of whom were helpful in
smoothing the way for them to investigate
the possibilities of southern Bornu Prov-
ince in northeastern Nigeria. Studies had
suggested this as a field white unto har-
10 MESSENGER March 1983
vest. Gowers had earlier served in Yola
Province and had just returned from a
tour of the area. He was particularly en-
thusiastic about beginning a mission
among the Bura people.
Biu, located atop an ancient rocky
plateau dotted with extinct volcanic cones,
was the local government headquarters
from which the Bura tribe was controlled.
A remarkable chief, the "Kuthli Viyu,"
Ali Dogo, ruled the animist Bura as well
as his own tribe, the nominally Muslim
Pabir. The Bura, independent and feisty
hill dwellers had proved one of the most
difficult groups for the British to pacify.
As late as 1918, military patrols were
necessary to quell Bura uprisings against
the British and the local Pabir leadership
forced upon them in 1904. The Bura area
would remain as an "unsettled district"
until 1932, that is, deemed too dangerous
for outsiders to travel in safely, requiring
official permission to be entered or
traversed.
When Helser and Kulp reached Biu on
February 12, 1923, they were jubilant at
the success of their long trek. The good
will of officialdom in Lagos and Kaduna,
and their safe arrival at what they hoped
would be their mission site led them to
assume that the bigger obstacles in their
path had been cleared or circumvented.
But alas! At Biu there stood across this
path one of the most obdurate opponents
of Christian missions among the Nigerian
colonial staff. Major Frank Edgar, the
Biu District Officer.
M.
Lajor Edgar had been in the Nigerian
colonial service since 1906, and had, on
the side, become an authority on the
Hausa language and culture, and a collec-
tor of Hausa folktales.
Appreciating as he did the Nigerian
culture as he had found it, and deeply
engrossed in capturing on paper the
character of that culture. Major Edgar
was most adamantly opposed to Christian
missions and was determined to bar £ill
missionaries from what he considered his
own so far untrammeled territory. Now to
his consternation he was discovering that
these rather excited young men not only
wanted to invade his territory, but had of-
ficial sanction to do it, from Lagos and
Kaduna. It would require some adroit
handling to head them off.
Major Edgar insisted that the mission-
aries would need to trek to Maiduguri, the
Bornu capital, 150 miles farther, and put
their request to the chief British officer of
the province (called a "Resident"), Sir
Richmond Palmer.
Palmer, cut from the same bolt of cloth
as Edgar, persuaded the missionaries that
the Biu area was too dangerous to work
in, and assigned them to Garkida, a small
Bura village down on the Hawal River
plain, on the very boundary of the pro-
vince, and 30 miles east of Biu.
Major Edgar was out of town when
Helser and Kulp reached Biu, on their
return from Maiduguri and they passed
on down to Garkida, making the two-day
trek on horseback and arriving there on
March 8. On March 17 (later considered
as "Founders' Day" by the church) ground
was broken for the first mission building,
two round huts, covered by a single
ridged roof of thatch. Work was also
started in language study, in preaching,
and in daily clinics.
The next several months were filled
with ups and downs — major illness for
both men, the arrival of their wives (Ruth
Royer Kulp and Lola Bechtel Helser), and
the acquisition of a new T-Model Ford.
As Christmas 1923 approached, it was a
time for rejoicing— everyone was in good
health, the two couples were joined after
more than a year's separation, the mission
station had been well cared for during
absences due.to illness, and the garden
had produced food for the dry season. At
last the missionaries could get down to
some "real missionary work." On Sunday,
December 9, Kulp preached his first ser-
mon in Bura — on Jesus healing the blind
man — thus becoming the first white man
to address the Bura in their own language.
But then on December 1 1 the bombshell
hit: A memo arrived by runner from the
Major. It read:
I have today received an urgent tele-
gram from the Resident, Bornu Prov-
ince, dated 5th inst., instructing me to
inform you that His Honour, the
Lieutenant Governor, has decided that
you cannot now be permitted to reside
at Garkida. I am directed to inform
you that you should return to Bauchi
forthwith.
1 need hardly say that I shall be glad
to assist you in any way in supplying
carriers for your loads. To save time I
suggest that you inform the Clerk at
Biu at once of the number of carriers
you require, and they will be sent to
you.
Please be good enough to acknowl-
edge receipt of this intimation.
In Helser's words, "This took us to our
knees. After earnest prayer the Lord told
us that we should remain until we could
have some understanding of the reasons
back of such an order."
If the reasons back of the order defied
understanding, the spirit did not. The mis-
sionaries had known for some time now
that Edgar was strongly pro-Muslim and
was not happy to have the mission in the
Bura area. Sometime later it became evid-
dent that the Major had been working
during the past year to convince his
superior officers that Biu Division was so
"unsettled" and so dangerous that they
should issue orders on his recommenda-
tion for the missionaries to remove them-
selves for their own safety.
In fact, it transpired, orders from
Kaduna to that effect had been issued
while the missionaries were at Lokoja.
But for some reason — Divine Interven-
Opposite page: Stover Kulp and Albert
Helser loured the Bura area of Nigeria on
horseback in 1923 searching for the best
location for their mission headquarters.
Below: Albert Helser and Stover Kulp.
tion?— these orders were never received.
This accounts for Major Edgar's chagrin
when Kulp and his wife showed up in Biu
at the end of November.
It is apparently this unreceived order
from the Lieutenant Governor that
Palmer and Edgar were referring to. But
on December 1 1 no one at Garkida knew
about any such order. Moreover a pleas-
March 1983 MESSENGER 11
^^
/-^
N
ant interview that Kulp had had in Oc-
tober with the Governor made Major
Edgar's memo curious reading indeed.
Much time that night was spent in
prayer, and the next morning a brief reply
was sent by the missionaries to the Major:
We beg to acicnowledge the receipt
of your intimation, No. 28 C, dated
December 10. Will you kindly give us
further information concerning said
intimation?
Unaware that the missionaries had not
received their order from the Lieutenant
Governor, and no doubt assuming them
to be merely stalling for time, the Major
responded with crispness:
I have the honour to acknowledge
receipt of your letter, dated 12th inst.
1 regret that 1 am not in a position to
supply you with further information
than that given to you in my memo.
No. 28 C, of 10th inst. -which, how-
ever, is quite explicit, viz:— that His
Honour, the Lieutenant Governor,
has decided that you cannot now be
permitted to stay at Garkida. I must
therefore request you leave Garkida
so as to enable me to inform the
Resident, Bornu Province, in order
that he can communicate the fact to
Headquarters.
Obviously the Major was prepared to
be firm in the matter. As far as he knew,
he was dealing with two stubborn young
men who were ignoring government
orders in hand. By now the missionaries
had a firm grip on themselves, so they
ventured to answer this second memo
rather boldly:
Your communication No. 30 C
dated December 13 is before us. Per-
mit us to call attention to the fact that
we have written permission to sit
down here and await His Excellency's
decision.
"His Excellency's decision" was a
reference to the missionaries' application
for a lease for Garkida station, which the
Governor told Kulp in October would
receive his attention when he had received
it. We can now imagine the Major's ex-
asperation with these hard-headed mis-
sionaries who were seemingly unawed by
his authority. Now incaution led him to
make a fatal slip, although the mis-
sionaries at Garkida did not detect it at
the time:
I have the honour to acknowledge
receipt of your letter of 15th inst. The
decision of His Excellency, the
Governor, is given you in my mem-
oranda, Nos. 28 C and 30 C, of 10th
and 13th December respectively.
The missionaries could not believe that
Major Edgar was teUing the truth. How
could the Governor reverse himself so
quickly when all his actions heretofore
had indicated the greatest sympathy for
the mission? They waited anxiously for
the mail, hoping that any day it would
bring succor from Lagos. Meanwhile they
left the Major's last memo unacknowl-
edged, trusting that he — as they — could be
kept occupied with other matters. Every-
one at Garkida had a head full of proj-
ects, and even Major Edgar's threatening
tones could not postpone their implemen-
tation.
In spite of the uncertainty of their
future, Helser and Kulp had opened their
long-awaited school on December 17 with
15 local Bura boys. Medical services were
resumed, and evangelistic work gotten
underway. Sunday services were being
held, with both Helser and Kulp speaking
in Bura now. Christmas passed and on
December 27 another peace-shattering
memo was dehvered:
With further reference to my mem-
oranda. No. 28 C and 30 C, of 10th
and 13th December, 1923, 1 have the
honour to send you a copy of the
following telegram from the Resi-
dent, Bornu Province, to me: —
"Executive, Biu, Nafada.
Priority— 1135 — please in-
form American Mission at
Garkida that they must
leave this Province without
further delay. The question
does not admit of argument
and is a matter of urgency,
nor can 1 discuss the ques-
tion since the orders of
Government are explicit
and peremptory. Resident,
Bornu, 22/12/23."
Be good therefore to return to
Bauchi at the earliest possible mo-
ment. You should take all your
belongings with you. Should you
desire carriers, please inform the
Clerk at Biu of the exact number re-
quired at once.
So Resident Palmer was now getting
into the act as well. Yet he stopped short
of naming the Governor as his ultimate
authority, hedging rather with the term
"government." But fire-breathing wires
from Palmer notwithstanding, the
%
missionaries had a very convincing delay-
ing tactic now — Ruth Kulp. They rephed
to the Major:
Memo 33 T is at hand. Mrs. Kulp
is seriously ill with what appears to
be appendicitis. In her present condi-
tion it would be quite impossible to
move her.
During all these anxious days the mis-
sionaries were trying to formulate a more
far-reaching offensive against their oppo-
nent at Biu. They could not delay in-
definitely. Now they decided that despite
the expense Helser must drive to Jos and
thence hie himself to Lagos and see the
Governor in person to find what actually
was the case with their permission to stay
at Garkida. Kulp stayed behind with Lola
Helser and his wife, Ruth (who recovered
after some days).
a
Monday, January 7, Helser was in
the office of Selwyn Grier, Secretary of
Native Affairs, ranking only behind Clif-
ford and Cameron in authority.
Grier did not waste time, but quickly
read to Helser a wire that had, indeed,
been issued by the Governor. It had been
sent to the Resident of Bornu Province,
and stated that on account of grave
danger to the lives of Messrs. Helser and
Kulp at Garkida, and for political
reasons, it was necessary for them to
move on to another part of Northern
Nigeria. They were to be given every
assistance in finding a new location.
Helser was stunned. Although the
12 MESSENGER March 1983
Above: In 1927 Albert Helser baptized the
first converts of the mission, four young
men (from left): Njida Gwari, Pilesar Sawa,
Ibrahim Shellangwa, and Risku Madziga.
Njida and Ibrahim later became Muslims.
Pilesar and Risku are still alive, patriarchs
of Ekklesiyar 'Yanuwa a Nigeria.
Above right: The first church at Garkida was
built near the old tamarind tree where the
March 17, 1923, founding service was held.
Right: Nigerian Christians of today carry
headloads of grain into church on a harvest
Sunday, evoking an image of the fields
white unto harvest that Jesus spoke of, and
of the harvest that pioneer missionaries
Albert Helser and Stover Kulp foresaw.
wording of the wire was somewhat dif-
ferent from that which had reached
Garkida through Palmer and Edgar,
nevertheless it was the Governor himself
who was ordering them out of Garkida.
Sick at heart, Helser returned to his lodg-
ings at the home of the Church Mis-
sionary Society Bookshop manager, to
collect his thoughts. What would he say
when, he confronted the Governor next
day? Grier had said that His Excellency
would be pleased to have a word with
Helser and had arranged an interview. But
what could now be retrieved from the
wreckage of the dream of a mission in
Buraland?
Talking with his host that evening,
Helser told of the mission's plight, and ex-
plained how Major Edgar's false presenta-
tion of conditions in Biu Division had led
to the sorry state of affairs. The book-
store manager was astonished. He pro-
duced a letter that he had received from
Major Edgar himself in which he boasted
that "Pax Brittanica" had come to the Biu
area, and there had not been a murder for
some years now. He painted a picture of
peace and tranquility among the Bura, ac-
counted for by his adroit handling of their
palavers. Helser perked up his ears and
listened. This hju^dly fitted in with the
alarming reports that Major Edgar had
been feeding to his superior officers!
It was clear now what the Major had
been doing. But how could the mischief
be undone? The weary missionary went to
bed and mingled his prayers with con-
tinued searching for ways to turn the
situation from disaster. Suddenly inspira-
tion came to him! Sleep should have
followed, but Helser could hardly wait for
dawn to break, so anxious was he to get
back to the government offices!
Next morning, Helser rushed to Grier's
office with his hopes high. If only what
he suspected could be true! He asked to
see the Governor's wire again and in
trembling hands he took the paper and
scanned it with anxious eyes. Oh, the
Lord in his infinite mercy be praised
forever! Garkida is saved! The wire was
dated December 28!
Helser went then to his meeting with Sir
Hugh with a light heart and bursting with
eagerness to pull out his trump card and
fiing it on the table. But he managed to
hold his emotions in check as he was
March 1983 messenger 13
ushered into the presence of Sir Donald
Cameron, Chief Secretary for the Colony
and Protectorate, and the Governor. His
Excellency had only a few minutes to
spare, it was explained, so busy was his
morning schedule. Sir Hugh restated the
situation as he had given it in his wire to
Palmer, and expressed his sorrow that
these uncontrollable conditions made it
impossible for the mission to continue at
Garkida. Then, hoping to avert an emo-
tional appeal for a reversal of his deci-
sion, the Governor quickly and crisply
stated that it was impossible for him to
reconsider the matter at the present time.
Sir Hugh was not enjoying what was hap-
pening to these young people of Garkida.
Helser had listened humbly to the
Governor's presentation. Now finally
asked to comment, he struggled to mask
his excitement, and sprang the question he
had been savoring on his tongue since he
had suspected the truth last night in that
sudden moment of inspiration: "Is Your
Excellency aware that an order was re-
ceived at Garkida in your name before
any such order was issued from Lagos?"
The question produced the desired
results. The puzzled Governor looked at
his wire again and at the Major's memo,
which Helser handed him, and saw the
discrepancy in dates. Major Edgar's memo
No. 32 B, in which he referred to the
"decision of His Excellency" was dated
"17th December," 11 days earlier than the
Governor's order! Moreover, it explicitly
stated that the "Governor's decision" was
contained in the memos of December 10
and 13!
Sir Hugh was now exhaling fire and
brimstone! The brazenness of it! A Sec-
ond Class District Officer issuing orders in
the Governor's name! Soon the wide-eyed
Nigerian clerks were rushing to rearrange
the Governor's morning appointments.
Helser was given more than an hour to
plead the mission's case, to expose the
Major's attitude toward the missionaries,
and to outline expansive plans for the
future. A boys' school was already func-
tioning and a missionary doctor was ex-
pected to arrive any day now to begin a
hospital. The Governor was impressed
with this fact that Dr. Homer L. Burke
and his wife Marguerite, a nurse, were ex-
pected on the next mailboat from
England. At the close of the meeting. Sir
Hugh assured Helser that all orders issued
concerning the removal of the mission
from Garkida were herewith revoked and
that the whole matter was open for
consideration at the earliest date possible.
Helser left the Governor's office in a
spirit of elation. "The clearest evidence of
Christ's power over the devil I have ever
seen," he commented later. In the after-
noon more reassuring words came from
the Governor. His Excellency was pro-
ceeding to Kaduna, the capital of the
Northern Provinces, to get to the bottom
of the matter, and he would like for
Helser to meet him again there.
On January 10, the Burkes arrived, and
in the evening of the same day they and
Helser entrained for Jos, a two-day
journey. Wires were waiting for them in
Jos from the Governor's office. His Ex-
cellency was ordering the Biu District Of-
ficer to meet with him and Helser. Every-
one was to be in Kaduna by February 1 .
Major Edgar was relieved from his Biu
post on January 19.
On the morning of February 2, the
Governor's private train steamed in to
Kaduna and the historic confrontation got
underway.
Oir Hugh opened the conference by
stating the positions of the Major and the
missionary. The Major, he said, had no
charge against either Helser or Kulp, but
he felt they were in grave danger of their
hves because of the unsettled condition of
the country. Further, Major Edgar had
said that he had been helpful in every way
through the year of the missionaries' stay
in Garkida.
Helser, on the other hand, the Gover-
nor stated, insisted that Major Edgar had
hindered the work of the mission in every
way possible, and had greatly exaggerated
the dangers of Uving among the Bura.
Among other things that the District Of-
ficer had done, he had refused permission
for the missionaries to send and receive
mail through the Biu mail messenger,
although this was standard practice in
other areas. Moreover, he had let the mis-
sionaries know that he would rather see
the animist Bura become Muslim than
Christian, and Helser accused him of
manipulating to have this desire fulfilled.
An hour of questioning by the Gover-
nor followed. According to Helser's re-
counting of the session, it became clear
that the danger to missionary hves in
Buraland was mythical, and the tactics of
the Major became apparent. After the
questioning, the Governor dismissed the
meeting, telling the missionaries that an
official communication would be delivered
to their quarters in the afternoon, before
he returned to Lagos. The welcome
message, from Cameron, duly arrived:
I am directed to state that the
Governor will make no order prevent-
ing your return to Garkida and the
continuation of the work of the mis-
sion, provided that you understand
that, while the instructions of his
Government will be that everything
reasonable should be done to assist the
mission in its labours, that Govern-
ment can give no undertaking that the
lives and property of the mission can
be safeguarded. If you decide, there-
fore, to return to Garkida and con-
tinue the work of the mission it must
thoroughly be understood by yourself
and your colleagues that you do so at
your own risk.
Helser repUed to Cameron:
"We gladly accept said conditions
and propose to return to Garkida
forthwith."
Helser was as good as his word. He and
Burke left for Jos at once, and thence for
Garkida. There they found that Major
Edgar's replacement, Pierre de Putron,
was still dutifully trying to carry out the
eviction order. Soon the proper wires
reached him (he was not anti-mission, and
in his years as Biu District Officer and
later as Bornu Resident he proved a
valuable friend of the mission) and the
great crisis was ended.
In Helser's words: "There was great re-
joicing for Christ had honored the little
faith of his servants with a great blessing.
Now we set ourselves to the work with
new grounds for faith!" There would be
other crises in the future, but never again
would the fate of the mission hang so
dangerously in the balance as in this early
confrontation between the missionaries
and the Major. D
(Major Edgar's humiliaiion at the hands
of Sir Hugh Clifford undid him. He left
Nigeria three years later, never to return.
His legacy today in Nigeria is three
volumes of Hausa folklore and a mass of
unpublished Hausa writings, which fill 15
feet of shelves at the Nigerian national ar-
chives in Kaduna. Thus Major Edgar pre-
served for Nigeria and the world a rich
heritage of Hausa lore and traditions, and
he failed monumentally in uprooting the
tender shoots of Christianity in Buraland
that 60 years later are yielding so boun-
tiful a harvest. -K.T.)
A lengthier version of this article appeared in the
197} winter issue o/ Brethren Life and Thought.
14 MESSENGER March 1983
Surprise! Surprise!
by T. Wayne Rieman
Recently, I read the results of a survey on
prayer within the Church of the Brethren.
It was a fascinating experience! It was
pleasantly surprising!
For some time I have been saying that
the Brethren are not known as a people of
prayer. We are not known as pray-ers.
Among Christians, our prayer life does
not set us off.
I still want to assert this statement. But
there is more to be said. A recent survey
on prayer among nine denominations re-
veals interesting things. Let us note a few.
Brethren pray a great deal. They pray
throughout the day. It may erupt spon-
taneously at various times and occasions.
More of our people belong to prayer
groups (35 percent) than any other
denomination surveyed. Furthermore,
many more (44 percent) would like to join
prayer groups. Far more than those of
other churches. Brethren ask their con-
gregations, pastors, families, and friends
to pray for their well-being.
Nearly unanimously. Brethren believe
prayer can change their lives. Our faith in
prayer for healing is exceptionally high.
Unmistakably, prayer is an integral, func-
tional part of Brethren life.
Let's look at the survey itself.
The prayer survey
A group of editors from nine church
magazines meets several times a year to
share mutual concerns and evaluate their
magazines. They edit the following jour-
nals: AD, The Church Herald, The Disci-
ple, The Episcopalian, The Lutheran, The
Lutheran Standard, Presbyterian Survey,
US Catholic, and Messenger.
Questionnaires were mailed to 1,000
subscribers of each group, chosen at ran-
dom by computers. Of the 9,000 sent,
1,491 were returned. Questionnaires
sought information on the following
aspects of prayer: 1) when, where, how
often; 2) scheduled times and spontaneity;
3) private, small group, congregational; 4)
feelings about prayer; 5) effects; 6)
theology; 7) ways of praying; and 8)
learning to pray.
Although only 180 Brethren replied, our
responses were numerically above the
average. Responses came from Quinter,
Quarryville, Kokomo, Keyser, La Verne,
March 1983 messenger 15
North Manchester, and a host of other
places. The survey instrument contained
36 questions such as these:
How often do you pray?
Several times a day
Once a day
Once a week
Other (Please explain)
I often find myself spontaneously offer-
ing prayer
Agree
Disagree
Other (Please explain)
The type of prayer I use most often is
Thanking God
Asking God for something
Praising God
Asking God's forgiveness
Just talking to God
Listening to God
Other (Please explain)
Survey findings
1 . Brethren pray a great deal. We pray
more frequently (82 percent to 77 percent)
than those of other denominations. We
pray spontaneously, as do most Christians
surveyed, but are less tied to scheduled
times and places. We are more informal in
prayer.
2. Only 16 percent of the Brethren in-
dicate that the church is their favorite
place to pray. Twenty-eight percent of
other denominations chose the church.
But 71 percent of the Brethren chose the
home as their favorite place to pray as
against 61 percent of the others.
3. Most Christians pray alone. Is prayer
a corporate affair? Is it an exercise of the
Body of Christ? Do we pray alone or with
others? The findings are clear. Eighty-five
percent of all respondents choose to pray
alone. Prayer is not fundamentally the
voice of the church. It is generally not a
communal or congregational act. Brethren
concur (identical figures regarding praying
alone).
4. More Brethren belong to prayer
groups. Thirty-five percent of Brethren
respondents belong, as compared with 25
percent of all others. In addition, 44 per-
cent of the Brethren surveyed would like
to join a prayer group. Only 31 percent of
the others are interested in joining prayer
groups. Seemingly the corporate prayer
experience in no way diminishes the
number of those who pray alone.
Brethren leaders, take note!
5. Brethren are more open to ask others
to pray for them and their needs (than are
members of other denominations).
Seventy-four percent call on their families,
83 percent on their friends, 73 percent on
their pastors, and 54 percent call on their
We have miles to
go before we
fulfill the poten-
tialities of prayer,
but the prayer life
of the Brethren is
promising. We
pray quietly. We
ask. We seek. We
knock. We expect.
We wait. Prayer
changes our lives.
congregations. Total group percentages
are respectively 71 percent, 76 percent, 65
percent, and 38 percent — all lower!
There's something very commendable
about the Brethren openness to ask others
to pray for them.
6. We are like other denominations in
how we learn to pray. Seventy-four per-
cent learn from parents, 57 percent from
clergy, 41 percent from teachers, 37 per-
cent from friends, and 38 percent from
books. Well enough, except that 50 per-
cent of all respondents said they learned
to pray "on their own." Seemingly, no
group is doing well in teaching how to
pray.
7. Prayer can change our lives. Ninety-
nine percent of the Brethren and 97 per-
cent of the other agree that "prayer can
change my life." Remarkable! Specifically,
97 percent of us believe prayer helps heal
emotional illness, and 94 percent believe it
helps heal physical illness. Other
respondents believe to a slightly lesser
degree. May we surmise that Brethren
faith in and practice of anointing con-
tribute to our intense belief that prayer af-
fects healing?
8. We have a theology of prayer. All
Brethren surveyed pray to God. Some also
pray to Jesus (69 percent). In these ways
we are like all other respondents, except
that fewer of us pray to the Holy Spirit
(33 percent to 46 percent of the others).
9. God answers prayer. There is little
uncertainty! Like 95 percent of all
respondents. Brethren believe God hears
and answers prayer. Our beliefs are iden-
tical with other groups.
10. Cod intervenes. Yes, God intervenes
in the normal course of events by answer-
ing specific prayers. So 80 percent of the
Brethren believe. Other groups have near-
ly comparable certainty (77 percent). Most
striking was the Brethren belief that
"prayer could result in a miracle." Ninety-
one percent of the Brethren held this
belief, while 82 percent of the other
respondents believed that miracles are
wrought by prayer.
1 1 . Speaking in tongues is not wide-
spread. The charismatic movement has
not provided meaningful prayer forms for
most mainline Christians. Ninety percent
never pray in tongues. Only one percent
always pray in this fashion, and only eight
percent pray that way occasionally.
Brethren frequency of tongue speaking is
identical with the others — minimal.
12. Praying at meals is meaningful. We
pray with considerable regularity at meal-
time, a bit more than others (76 percent
to 67 percent). It is a meaningful ritual
for us and others, say 89 percent of those
who practice it.
13. Our prayer life is marked by spon-
taneity. For 90 percent of us, prayer can
erupt at any time or occasion. Spon-
taneous prayers occur slightly more fre-
quently for others (92 percent).
14. Meditation is not practiced widely.
Despite the faddish emphasis on medita-
tion in our era, only 17 percent of the
Brethren practice it. Of the other
denominations, only 13 percent meditate.
15. The content of prayer Ls rather
uniform. Prayer is "just talking to God,"
according to 43 percent of all
respondents. To this the Brethren say
"Amen." We spend a bit more time in
thanksgiving (51 percent to 43 percent).
We are a bit less inclined to ask for
something (18 percent to 22 percent). This
16 MESSENGER IVlarch 1983
includes asking for forgiveness, not a ma-
jor component of prayer for us (13 per-
cent) or for others (15 percent).
16. Prayer is more than talking to one-
self. Ah, yes! Eighty-one percent of all
Christians surveyed know that there is
more to it than that. The Brethren con-
cur. Prayers are addressed to One who is
beyond us, say 97 percent. There is "God
contact." God answers (95 percent). All
agree on these.
17. Two common practices aid prayer
life. All groups agree, to a high degree (91
percent), that attending church services
helps them to pray, and many (88 percent)
also find reading the Bible and other
spiritual materials to be useful aids in
prayer.
18. Telecommunication media get some
support from the Brethren. Of those
surveyed, 38 percent of the Brethren pray
with television evangelists, 24 percent with
radio evangelists, 30 percent with worship
broadcasts, but only 4 percent dial a
prayer. Other groups are nearly the same
as the Brethren. Yet 50 percent of all
respondents say they give no prayer sup-
port to any of these. The extent of finan-
cial support was not part of the survey.
Limitations of the survey
• Prayer was not defined. Were surveyors
and those surveyed dealing with the same
human experience? Who knows?
• The survey sought statistical answers
to a very non-material phenomenon —
prayer. Can prayer be measured statis-
tically? Yes, but only some aspects of it.
• Numerical responses were quite
limited. Only 180 Brethren out of 1,000
responded. Overall, only 1,490 out of
9,000 replied. Surely a kind of non-
representational selectivity occurred as a
result of low levels of response.
• The survey touched only "mainline
churches," and probably mostly middle-
class people. Missing were Pentecostals,
Adventists, Jehovah's Witnesses, blacks,
Hispanics, the huge Baptist and Methodist
groups, and a host of others.
• The survey was limited and partial.
Perhaps it distorted reality. It is valuable,
nonetheless. Distorted and cracked mir-
rors do reveal some truth. It is only one
survey. We need others. It is an inade-
quate tool, but a poor tool is probably
better than no tool.
Readers of the survey ought not draw
"too large" conclusions from it regarding
prayer among the Brethren and among
other US churches. It assessed what it
assessed, nothing more.
A concluding unscientific postscript
I regretted coming to the end of my study
of the 180 Brethren responses, and the
1,311 responses from other groups. It was
a fascinating experience. One gained a
sense of being privy to precious matters.
Most answered the questionnaire with ut-
most seriousness; many expressed ap-
preciation for the survey. It symbolized
something important.
Brethren respondents supplied many
essay statements in which appreciation
came through: "Prayer changed my life!"
and "I know that my prayers are
answered." A coach said: "Prayer is as
vital for my spiritual well-being as food
for my physical well-being ... as
necessary as the air 1 breathe." Another
said: "Prayer is necessary for my ex-
istence." A few were critical; they felt
boxed in by the questions, knowing that
prayer is a spiritual matter. Intangible
realities like prayer cannot be dealt with
by objective questions. So they said, and
rightly.
Ah! Brethren responses were beautiful!
"It's a secure feeling to know that you
have the power of prayer with you at all
times." Another testified: "Prayer is the
greatest source of power in the world . . .
the supply is unlimited!" How like Ephe-
sians 1:19 (Phillips): "How tremendous is
the power available to those who believe
in God!"
There were dozens of responses like
these. They have the spiritual quality of
the New Testament. Many spoke of pray-
ing without ceasing — a whole life stance.
Most insightfully someone said: "Prayer
permeates life! It is not a separate perfor-
mance!" \<\\sA spiritual wisdom!
Finally, we are a praying people,
though we are not known as such. We
have miles to go before we fulfill the
potentialities of prayer, but the prayer life
of the Brethren is promising. We pray
quietly. We ask. We seek. We knock. We
expect. We wait. Prayer changes our lives.
Nothing within the will of God is beyond
the reach of prayer. Ah, yes! D
T. Wayne Rieman is a retired Manchester College
professor in the Manchester Church of the Brethren.
North Manchester, Ind.
March 1983 messenger 17
On the footpath
to peace
by Stephen Newcomer
At was about 2:00 when I first heard the
rounds of machine-gun fire and mortars.
As the afternoon progressed, the barrages
of gunfire increased until it was obvious
that a fierce battle was raging in the hills
a short distance from town near the Hon-
duras and El Salvador border.
The warfare which had been plaguing
El Salvador for several years was now
spilling across the border, approaching the
small Honduran hamlets where I had lived
the month before. Honduran mihtary
forces were joining Salvadoran military in
trying to vanquish Salvadoran opposition
forces in the mountainous border region.
My thoughts and prayers turned to the
Honduran families Hving in Los Her-
nandez, a hamlet nestled in the mountains
in the vicinity of the fighting, and sudden-
ly the warfare became real to me. It was
no longer a distant rumbling bringing
death to people I did not know, but it was
a very close reality — a threat to people I
knew as my sisters and brothers.
I went ahead with my plans to visit Los
Hernandez that afternoon and was met on
my hike up the mountain footpath by two
wounded Honduran soldiers making their
way into town for medical attention. One
had a broken arm, the other a head
wound with blood streaming down his
face. They were both stumbling and
visibly shaken. I stopped and talked with
the young men.
During the encounter my emotions
varied. On the one hand I wanted to
reprimand the soldiers, telling them that
they were fortunate they weren't killed
playing such hideous war "games."
Anyone willing to shoot a weapon toward
another person should expect violence in
return. I wanted to take one of the
soldiers by the hand and lead him across
the border to meet the Salvadoran rebel
whom he called the enemy. If only the
two strangers could sit down and talk
with each other, each learning to know
the other as a person with needs and
hopes not all that different from his own.
On the other hand, I wanted to cry, for
there before me stood wounded human
beings who obviously needed help and
whose critical situation called for words
and deeds of compassion. What is the role
of a Christian peacemaker?
18 MESSENGER March 1983
Taking out my handkerchief and pour-
ing water from my canteen on it, I wiped
the soldier's bleeding face and helped fix a
crude bandage over the wound. I re-
frained from speaking the words of
reproach and instead expressed the love
within me as best I could. I am glad I did,
for the bleeding soldier who stood before
me on the footpath died later that night
on his way to a distant hospital.
The brutality I encountered a year ago
on the road to Los Hernandez is in-
dicative of the violence that threatens to
engulf all of Central America. More than
36,000 civilians have been killed in El
Salvador in the last four years, and
thousands more have died in neighboring
Guatemala.
Millions of poor suffer from the op-
pressive policies and actions of these
governments and our own, which rely on
military strength to uphold the power of
the ruling elite. Large tracts of fertile land
are used to grow export crops such as cof-
fee and cotton, while the native
campesinos (peasant farmers) lack the
plots of land necessary to grow basic
grains to feed their families. Without land
to farm, the campesinos are left without
adequate food or income, leading to
severe malnutrition and desperation.
Nonviolent strategies to seek a just liv-
ing situation have frequently been met by
violent army reactions. Broad-based coali-
tions of peasants, union workers,
students, and professionals working for
social reform have suffered brutal
persecution. When nonviolent reform at-
tempts failed, leftist rebel groups arose
and adopted violent tactics to hasten their
freedom from this long history of oppres-
sion. Their violence has brought on still
fiercer attacks by government forces and
has led to greater US military intervention
in the region. The harsher military repres-
sion has only brought about a growing
and more determined resistance movement.
Above: A Salvadoran family waits in a
refugee resettlement in Usulutdn Province,
El Salvador. Right: Stephen Newcomer
writes medical histories for patients in a
Honduran refugee camp. Opposite page:
Two Salvadoran children make a temporary
home at Colomoncagua, Honduras.
March 1983 messenger 19
As Christian peacemakers we shall learn how to express the love
that is within us to whomever we meet on the mountain footpath.
It has been nearly a year since the elec-
tions in El Salvador brought a coalition of
right-wing parties into power. In that
year, land-reform initiatives have been
halted, assassinations of opposition
political leaders have continued, peasant
massacres have occurred, and civil strife
has intensified. The Reagan administra-
tion has blindly recertified military aid to
El Salvador, claiming that human rights
violations have decreased substantially.
Proposals for dialog presented by the op-
position forces have been rejected by both
Salvadoran and US leaders, who are
determined to use military means to solve
the country's social, economic, and
political problems.
Nine months have passed since General
Efrain Rios Montt assumed all powers in
Guatemala. Claiming to be a "born-again"
Christian, Montt has declared his inten-
tion to govern based on Christian prin-
ciples. Such assertions have clouded the
reality of his dictatorship. Terror con-
tinues its rampage especially in the rural
Indian communities. Trade union leaders,
opposition politicians, religious workers,
and others providing educational and
agricultural assistance to the indigenous
people have been labeled "subversive,"
leading to their torture and death.
Because of Guatemala's obvious viola-
tion of human rights, military aid was
suspended by President Carter, but the
Reagan administration is now seeking to
renew military sales. Rather than respond
to the growing resistance movements with
a commitment to work at rectifying the
injustice, the US insists on making Cen-
tral America an arena for military con-
frontation.
This is the case in Honduras as well. In
addition to training Honduran soldiers to
fight the Salvadoran rebels, the US is
sponsoring a CIA operation to train
counter-revolutionary groups to carry out
attacks on Nicaragua. Social strides made
by the Sandinista government since com-
ing to power in 1979 are being threatened
because scarce financial resources are
channeled to build up military forces to
defend the country from these US-trained
insurgents.
20 MESSENGER March 1983
A
first Step for Brethren who wjint to
understand Latin America and the
church's involvement there is to subscribe
(it's free!) to Accent on the Americas, the
newsletter of the Latin America Office of
the Church of the Brethren.
The recently published book of
poems, Threatened with Resurrection
by Julia Esquivel, an exiled
Guatemalan, provides an insightful
commentary on life in rural Guatemala.
(A study guide accompanies the book.)
Update, a bimonthly newsletter from
the Washington Office on Latin
America, provides current information
on developments throughout Latin
America and on developments in the US
that affect those countries.
The 1981 Annua] Conference State-
ment on El Salvador offers action sug-
gestions for individuals and congrega-
tions. Through the General Board's mis-
sion interpretation program, congrega-
tions may request former Latin America
service workers to speak about their ex-
periences.
Central America Week, March 18-27,
is above all a time to become informed
and a time to discuss what our response
as Christian peacemakers can be for our
Central Ajnerican neighbors. D
Because of the turmoil enveloping much
of Central America, millions have been
forced to fiee their homes to seek refuge
in cities or in other nations such as Hon-
duras, Mexico, and the United States.
Yvonne Dilling (Ft. Wayne, Ind.), Dan
McFadden (North Manchester, Ind.), and
I worked among Salvadoran refugees in
the camps and villages along the Hon-
duras/El Salvador border. The frequent
bombing runs of the planes and the ex-
changes of gunfire in the hills near the
border reminded us of the US military in-
volvement that sustains the strife and
spurs the rising tide of refugees.
Ministering to people whose lives had
been uprooted and whose family members
killed by forces trained and armed by the
US was a sobering reality — one which
calls me to proclaim the Good News of
God's saving and regenerating love to the
powers that oppress. In spite of our US
citizenship, we were lovingly received by
the refugees and were respected as Chris-
tians whose allegiance was not to a
misguided US foreign policy but to the ex-
ample and teaching of the Prince of
Peace.
When such a great part of the suffering
in Central America is a result of US in-
tervention, it is US church people who
have a responsibility to help bring whole-
ness to the lives of our Latin neighbors. A
young evangelical minister in the war-torn
Usulutdn Province of El Salvador, who
had lost family members in the conflict,
told me, "I too want to see justice done in
my country. I would vote for the Left (the
political parties favoring social reform),
but I won't kill for them."
He went on to urge me as a North
American brother to work for a just and
peaceful resolution to the conflict. He
realized that I, as a US citizen, could do
far more for the cause of the oppressed in
his country than he could, because
Salvadoran policies are so intricately tied
to US objectives.
US foreign policy based on militariza-
tion and destabilization is a sure way to
alienate Central Americans, rousing
fiercer sentiments and bringing further
bloodshed to an already dying people.
While the church continues its worthy ef-
forts to bring immediate relief to refugees,
it must also seek and promote means of
bringing an enduring peace with justice.
Church support is needed for a broad-
based political solution growing out of
constructive dialog of all segments of the
population.
w.
hen we come to know the Central
American people as our neighbors in
need, God will lead us to find creative
ways of binding their wounds, lifting their
burdens, and working for long-term hop>e
and healing. And as Christian peace-
makers we shall learn how to express the
love that is within us to whomever we
meet on the mountain footpath. D
Stephen Newcomer, from Rocky Ford, Colo., is a
senior al Bethany Theological Seminary.
(g@Diy](an][n)
by Paul E. R. Mundey
*Ufti' for what ails us
R.
Lccently I had an opportunity to visit
witii Myron Augsburger, noted Mennonite
educator and evangelist. In the course of
our conversation we tali<ed about the new
church Myron is helping to establish on
Capitol Hill. Much to my surprise I
learned that though the congregation had
grown to some 200 participants in less
than a year, the young fellowship had no
structured program of evangelism. The
church had grown, Myron went on to say,
largely because of the "dynamic of the
community," i.e., faith community. A
vital, contagious, enlivened quality that
was both outreaching and inviting had
come to their life together.
The "dynamic of the community" that
Myron speaks of has been identified and
affirmed by any number of other people.
James Gittings, in a much-quoted letter to
Brethren on diminishing membership (see
August 1981, page 15) calls it "eMn, spirit
. . . joyous affirmation." Applied
behavioral scientists would refer to it as
"organizational enlivenment." The Bura-
speaking Brethren of Nigeria have perhaps
the most descriptive term (as Kermon
Thomasson reminded us in the August
1980 Messenger, page 1). A community
that is alive and aflame with the spirit —
from a Nigerian perspective — has "ufti."
It is interesting to note how a sense of
"ufti," a sense of dynamic community,
happens in the church. I would imagine
that each of us has a Hsting of ideas in
this regard. A partial noting of mine
would be as follows: Enlivenment happens
within a congregation when there is:
• A ministry that affirms both "ethics
and ecstasy. " As Walter Brueggemann and
others have reminded us, the ethics of
God are inherent in the very person of
God. However, even the most laudable
tenet of radical discipleship must never
dominate our lives. Vernard Eller alludes
to this as he comments on the first ad-
monition of Micah 6:8, the scriptural
framework for our denomination's Goals
for the '80s. "When Micah calls us to 'do
justice,' the justice that gets done is not
our justice nor is the doing our doing.
Quite the contrary . . . the call is not an
ethical exhortation for us forthwith to
busy ourselves . . . No, for Micah,
'justice' is the sole prerogative of the Lord
God Almighty. ..."
Yes, faith without works is dead, but it
is equally true that works without faith is
a lifeless commodity. Good deeds are not
good enough. Our ethics must be infused
with "ecstasy." That which is uniquely
spiritual — the living, contemporary
presence of Christ — must empower and
prevail over all of our witness.
• An outreach that responds both glo-
bally and locally. It is rightfully stressed
that we are members of a global com-
munity. However, it is often assumed — in-
correctly—that we are responsible
members of our local community. For too
many of our congregations, outreach is
primarily a sense of checks written to
Bethany Seminary, the local Brethren col-
lege, camp, and retirement center, and the
program of the General Board. We recite
with pride our service ministries outside of
our communities (New Windsor, et at) but
list with difficulty our outreach to our im-
mediate communities.
In order for the church to grow locally
it needs to learn to serve locally. The ex-
ample of the Brethren from another era
models such outreach. As M.R. Zigler has
recounted, the "tramp's room" was often
a part of many Brethren homes in the
past. The poor, dislocated, and oppressed
were housed, fed, and shown hospitality
on a regular basis.
A contemporary expression of the
"tramp's room" is needed in Brethren
homes and meetinghouses today. An
understanding of outreach that reaches
out to both global and local concerns is a
necessity. As we seek to expand the life of
the church, we need to expand our arenas
for service.
• A fellowship that encourages both
"daring" and disciplining. A friend of
mine sometimes refers to members of her
church as "tight." She is not referring to
their spending habits but to the spirit with
which they live their lives. "Tight" people
dominate too many of our churches. Like
Pharisees, they stress rules instead of rela-
tionships, traditions instead of the trans-
forming ways of Christ.
Somehow we need to be daring enough
to disciphne such people. A contagious
quality will never come to our fellowship
as long as rigid, ungracious individuals oc-
cupy significant places of power.
A new era of "disciplining the brother
and sister" is needed as we work toward
congregational renewal and growth.
Recently the Evangelism Working
Group of the National Council of Church-
es of Christ studied a number of con-
gregations in the Chicago area that ex-
hibited significant vitality. Out of their
research any number of markings of con-
gregational enlivenment emerged, similar
to the ones I have just listed. The Work-
ing Group concluded that if local chur-
ches began to embody these qualities
(along with others) they would begin to
attract new members/disciples.
I believe that. Though intentional ef-
forts at evangelism are important and
necessary, congregations grow most
authentically through the "dynamic of
their community." Quality of life is always
more impressive than cleverness of
methodology. What we need even more
than our schemes and strategies for
church growth is a little "ufti" ... a little
toe-tapping joy and determination that
brings alive and accents the wonder of our
faith. D
Paul E.R. Mundey is interim part-time field staff
for evangelism for the General Board.
March 1983 messenger 21
Is nuclear a no-no?
Controversial, nuclear power may be, but there are Brethren who
work behind the controls of nuclear power plants, as well as other
Brethren who take to the streets with "No nukes" picket signs.
by Dave Sollenberger
During one of his comedy routines, Steve
Martin used to single out a particularly
well-dressed man in his audience, clad in a
polyester suit, and ask him how many
"polyesters" had to die so the man could
wear that suit. It was obviously a joke,
but in a similar sense we might ask our-
selves, as we turn on an electric appliance
or turn up the thermostat, which part of
God's good earth is being damaged so we
can enjoy the fruits of the electronic age.
Nowhere is the struggle between energy
and environment more crucial than in the
current debate over nuclear power, which
supplies 13 percent of our national energy
demand.
The response to nuclear power among
Brethren is surprisingly varied. There are
members of the Church of the Brethren
who work behind the controls of nuclear
power plants, and some who are among
the power structure of nuclear utilities.
But there are also Brethren who march in
the streets with picket signs and chant,
"No nukes" and "Shut 'em down."
Nuclear power is not an easy concept to
define, and it seems to fuel disagreement.
Simply put, in nuclear plants atoms are
split to create heat. The heat turns water
to steam, which powers a turbine to
generate electricity.
It seems safe enough on paper, and for
many of us that's as far as our interest
takes us. We'll accept the electricity that's
generated and ask no questions.
But the issue goes further. In the proc-
ess, radiation is released from the fuel
canisters, contaminating the water that
transfers the heat from the reactor to the
steam generator. In addition, radioactive
gases are released to the environment, even
during normal operation of nuclear plants.
And if there's one issue that dominates the
nuclear power discussion, it's the effect of
that radiation on the earth.
For many Brethren, their sense of
stewardship calls them to oppose nuclear
power. They see it as an energy source
that tampers with the quality of life.
Those sentiments exist not only in the
area of Three Mile Island, where the
nuclear industry's cloak of confidence was
pulled away from it, but in other places as
well, such as Ohio. Brethren there are ac-
tive in the effort to block the partially
constructed Zimmer nuclear plant, a proj-
ect originally expected to cost $250 million
and now heading for $2 billion.
Two people who oppose the plant are
Ted Powell and Velma Shearer, members
of the Church of the Brethren Nuclear
Study Action Team in Southern Ohio
District. The team was formed in 1978 to
study Brethren investments in corpora-
tions with nuclear and military programs.
But they also discovered church in-
vestments in utilities dependent upon
nuclear power, including Dayton Power &
Light, part owner of the proposed Zim-
mer plant.
A,
. fter studying the nuclear power issue,
Ted says, "We found out that the
economics don't prove out, that the safety
margin that was projected cannot be met,
that the human error just cannot be con-
trolled." Government investigators of the
1979 accident at Three Mile Island placed
much of the blame on human error. That
accident led to radiation releases and a
partial melting of the reactor core.
During 1982 the study team's opposition
to the Zimmer project grew, and by Octo-
ber, backed by Southern Ohio District's
executive committee, the members formal-
ly asked the Nuclear Regulatory Commis-
sion for public hearings on the issue of
granting a license to operate the Zimmer
plant. Their letter cited numerous prob-
lems with the plant's workmanship and its
reputation as one of the most contro-
versial nuclear plants in the country.
But the strongest argument the Ohio
group uses against nuclear power is its im-
pact on the environment — daily releases of
tiny amounts of radiation into the air and
water.
The long-term effect of those releases is
one of the major unanswered questions
raised by nuclear power. There is no
scientific or medical consensus on the
long-term effect of low-level radia-
tion—only opinions of those who have
studied the issue. One such investigation
was done by study team chairwoman
Velma Shearer, and it forms one of the
cornerstones of her driving opposition to
nuclear power. A registered nurse, she
charted the cancer mortality rates for each
county in Ohio and discovered that the
number of cancer deaths in the counties
nearest Ohio's four nuclear-related
facilities were higher than those in the
other counties over the past few years.
"Ohio's Department of Health," she
says, "has not structured its statistics in a
way that reveals this health change." It
must be pointed out that three of the
nuclear facilities included in her study
began operation in the 1950s and '60s,
when radiological work was not subjected
to the same health standards as today.
Members of the study team urge as
alternatives to nuclear power the develop-
ment of solar, wind, and hydroelectric
power, or conversion of nuclear plants to
coal generation. Ted Powell also believes
that conservation is on the verge of
eliminating the need for more nuclear
power plants.
"Nuclear is either not necessary," he
claims, "or is against what we understand
to be God's wish for life."
But what is God's wish for life when it
comes to energy? More than likely, that
we stop wasting it at the rate we are.
Americans consume 33 percent of the
world's minerals and energy, even though
22 MESSENGER March 1983
Above: Ted Powell and Velma Shearer of Southern Ohio work to hold nuclear plants account-
able and to point out the dangers they may pose. Right: David Miller works for Pennsylvania
Power & Light Company, which operates a new nuclear plant near Three Mile Island.
we comprise only 6 percent of the world's
population. About 13 percent of our elec-
tricity is generated by nuclear plants, and,
as the nuclear industry has grown, so too
has the concern about its safety.
While that concern has led some to
grab the nearest picket sign, it led David
Miller to a career in health physics. A
1971 graduate of Manchester College in
Indiana, David is environmental and
emergency planning supervisor for Penn-
sylvania Power & Light Company, which
this winter placed its new Susquehanna
nuclear plant in service near Berwick, Pa.
It hes among the Susquehanna River,
about 80 miles northeast of Three Mile
Island.
Da
'avid Miller entered the field of en-
vironmental science after serving a year as
scientist in resident at Bethany Theologi-
cal Seminary in 1977. He saw God's pur-
pose for him as trying to protect "the
good earth" from what the nuclear age
can do to it. In his position as the top en-
vironmental watchdog for PP&L, he does
not see nuclear power as an uncontrolled
threat to the environment.
"Each (way of generating electricity) has
a definite impact on the environment," he
points out. "But relative to all other
energy sources, nuclear appears to have
more of a benign impact, and a more
easily monitored impact." He points out
that radioactivity can be pinpointed down
to the very atom, whereas fossil-fuel by-
products, such as sulfur, can only be
measured in parts per million. As a scien-
tist, he predicts he will be able to more
accurately monitor the potentially harmful
releases from his utility's nuclear plant
than from its coal- and oil-burning plants.
He does not dismiss, however, the im-
pact of nuclear power on the environ-
ment. "Nuclear has its releases," he ad-
mits, "and they are radioactive." But
background radiation already exists in the
world, he points out, from many sources
— rocks and buildings, for example. And
compared to the known health effects of
fossil-fuel use, such as black-lung disease
among coal miners, he feels nuclear power
may have less of an impact on the public.
The ultimate goal, he's quick to add, is
the development of renewable resources,
such as the sun. But until we enter the
solar age, David believes that nuclear
power plants can be operated without
damaging the environment. And he talks
freely about his commitment to helping
his utility be what he calls a "good actor"
in the environmental field. That commit-
ment is clearly a product of his Brethren
background, and his respect of God's
world. In a soft voice that defies the
stereotype of a tough-talking utility ex-
ecutive, David says, "I believe we have to
be good stewards of our environment.
There is a definite connection with the
charge in the Bible to be caretakers of the
good earth."
Caretakers must be communicators.
Ted Powell recalls a discussion with the
Dayton utility. "It was a good meeting, all
the way through. They felt good about
the meeting because we weren't necessarily
tearing them apart." For him and Velma
Shearer, the key is communication — to
keep the concerns that Brethren have
about their world flowing to the corporate
and utility decision-makers. That has
been one of the top priorities of the study
committee.
"Part of our responsibility to the
church," Ted says, "was to open the door
of communication."
That point is echoed by David Miller,
who sits on the other side of the corporate
fence. "I think from the utility's side,
where I'm involved in arguing safety
issues, it's helpful to have a strong public
awareness of the need to be very careful
with any type of plant. The only way we
get a lot of support from senior manage-
ment is by having a public that's very
much aware and highly insistent on en-
vironment quality."
The debate surrounding nuclear power
is likely to continue as long as commercial
nuclear power exists. And while it does
exist, much of the burden for safeguard-
ing the world we share falls on people like
David Miller.
But another part of the burden is clear-
ly ours, because God's world belongs to
everyone, including our children. If the
"bad actors" that David Miller refers to
pollute God's world with excess radiation
and we do nothing, maybe we can trust
that it won't damage the next generation's
environment, and maybe we can blindly
assume that everything will turn out okay.
But what do we tell our children and
our God if we're wrong? D
Dave Sollenberger, a member of the Annville
(Pa.) congregation, is a television reporter in Harris-
burg, Pa.
March 1983 messenger 23
mmmm^^.
EASTER
Probably no other week than Holy Week
and no other day than Easter is more
Spirit-filled. The call to repentance, com-
mitment, new life is more and more
powerful as the eerie grips of death vanish
in the quake of the resurrection. As some-
one has said, "Everything given to Jesus is
given new life. When sorrows are given to
him — or disappointments, defeats, heart-
aches—they are touched with hope, with
resurrection power, with life."
Paul L. Hammer wrote, "Easter is no
optional appendix; it is the heart of our
faith." As the physical heart needs to be
exercised and challenged to remain strong,
so the "heart of our faith" story must be
told and retold with new insights, new
formats, new vitality.
1 invite you, therefore, to peruse these
suggestions and adapt them to your situa-
tion, needs, and skills. Allow the Spirit to
have a "resurrection breakthrough" this
year in your planning and presenting of
the Easter truths.
Worship centers
• Create a large cross out of
stained glass sections. Research
various Christian crosses and
have each section be a dif-
ferent color and a differ-
ent type of cross. Accent
with a spotlight.
• Build a large wooden cross. Using
stones, form a path leading to the cross.
Add greens on Palm Sunday and lilies on
Easter. Hang a banner on either side with
the messages "He died for you" and "Will
you live for him?"
• Use Easter symbols. For instance,
create a large egg out of papier-mache, or
use cardboard to make a cocoon with
butterfly emerging.
• Build a burial cave surrounded with
24 MESSENGER March 1983
greens with a papier-mache stone in front.
A "disciple" could present a one-minute
monolog each Lenten Sunday. On Easter,
use a wire to roll the stone aside slowly.
Have a light in the tomb and an angel
emerge to herald the good news with ap-
propriate scriptural passages. Accent the
news with trumpets and choir.
Worship ideas
Easter is dramatic: Nothing is more
action-packed than the resurrection. Why
not use drama creatively to impress the
resurrection truth upon the worshiper? To
spark new hfe into the Easter season, here
are several ideas for ways to use drama,
music, and readings.
• Invite soloists to choose a character
from the resurrection story, write in first
person their experience with Jesus, dress
in costume, share the story, and then sing
an appropriate solo. For example, Mary
Magdalene could sing "I Don't Know
How to Love Him" from Jesus Christ,
Superstar.
• Use the above idea without a solo.
Possible characters: Pilate's wife, the cen-
turion, Nicodemus, Joseph of Arimathea.
• "Journey to the Cross" is a theme that
lends itself to using objects handed out to
each worshiper during Lent. Bread sym-
bolizes new life, nails represent sin and
forgiveness, and eggs stand for new life.
• Act out the message of familiar
hymns while the song is sung. Or choose
contemporary songs such as those by
Avery and Marsh (Proclamation Produc-
tions, Inc.).
• Line the choir members along the
sides of the congregation and sing an-
tiphonally or in the round.
• Have the congregation respond an-
tiphonally to the pastor and choir in
readings of Scripture and song.
• Ask lay people to write litanies, calls
to worship, choral readings, and personal
"resurrection" stories of life-changing ex-
periences.
Resources
Following is a list of Easter resources —
audiovisual distributors, songs, drama.
books. Unless otherwise indicated, all are
available from The Brethren Press.
• The Church of the Brethren District
Film Library (7105 Sterling Rd., Har-
risburg, PA 17112) has 125 Lenten or
Easter filmstrips available.
• "The String" is a movie that features
contemporary settings to apply the resur-
rection to every life. It's available from
Mass Media Ministries, 2116 N. Charles
St., Baltimore, MD 21218.
• Films, filmstrips, and videotapes are
available from Teleketics, Franciscan
Communications, 1229 S. Santee St., Los
Angeles, C A 90015
• Many dramas and readings are avail-
able for minimal cost from Contemporary
Drama Service, Box 457, Downers Grove,
IL 60515.
• Many of the songs by Richard Avery
and Don Marsh are available in packs of
50. Write to Proclamation Productions,
Inc., Orange Square, Port Jervis, NJ
12771.
• Programs for Lent and Easter, by
Vincie Alessi, Judson Press, 1979, $3.95.
• Recycle Catalogue I and II, by Dennis
Benson, Abingdon Press, 1975 and 1977,
$6.95 each.
• Lent — Easter: Contagious Cele-
brating, by Nancy Burke and Lee Page,
1977. Write to C.S.S. Publishing Co., 628
S. Main St., Lima, OH 45804.
• Rejoice! Resources for the Easter
Season, by Jon Joyce, C.S.S. Publishing
Co.
• Our Christian Worship: Resources for
Palm Sunday through Easter, by Friedrich
Rest, C.S.S. PubUshing Co., 1977.
• Teaching and Celebrating Lent-
Easter, by Pat and Donald Griggs, Ab-
ingdon, 1980, $4.95.
• Way of the Cross: A Visual Medita-
tion, by Bonaventure Crowley. Write to
The Liturgical Press, St. John's Abbey,
Collegeville, MN 56321.
• Celebrating Special Days in the
Church School Year, by Judy Smith,
Meriwether Publishing Ltd., 1981, $8.95.
• Three good books for children are:
The Bread and the Wine (Concordia,
1979); FROM: Understanding the
Resurrection, by Beverly Beckman (Con-
cordia, 1979); and Jesus Is Really Alive
Again (Morehouse-Barlow Co., 1975).
-Earl K. Ziegler
Earl K. Ziegler is pastor of Mechanic Grove
Church of Ihe Brethren, Quarryville, Pa.
Herald Press:
Quality Literature on
Tcxlay^s Issues
n ^/
^.'
:h<
The«^::r;i.h
«^?!
idJeoF
1 *»g^«'T
Facing Nuclear
War
"Donald B. Kraybill writes
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nuclear disarmament dialogue
in pithy, down-to-earth terms.
His hope is that Christians of all
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witness of nuc/ear (as opposed
to total) pacifism, and he looks
at the current status of the arms
buildup, the bomb as 'idol,'
strategies for local/
congregational action, and
various interpretations of
relevant biblical passages. An
excellent resource (with
bibliography) for public and
church libraries." — Library
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Faith in a Nuclear
Age
Duane Beachey deals not
only with the major arguments
for war, but also with the
questions and fears that arise
when discussing nuclear war.
This book is for those who wish
they could "love their
enemies," but aren't sure it
would work in a real world.
Paper $6.95
The Church and
Persons with
Handicaps
"H. Oliver Ohsberg
attempts to 'arouse the
conscience of the church
regarding ministry to persons
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Bookseller & Librarian
Paper $7.95
The Holy Spirit in
the New
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David Ewert surveys the
whole range of New Testament
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have to say on the Holy Spirit
and what this means for the life
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Breaking
Silence: A Family
Grows with
Deafness
Donald R. Pellmein and
Feme Glick tell the story of
Craig and Carson Glick, twins
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Parents and siblings of special
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Hardcover $10.95; Paper
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The Way of
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Jose Galiardo, a biblical
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poor, shows that biblical justice
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wholeness and well-being in all
areas of life — social, religious,
economic, and political.
Paper $.95
Evanjjelism as
Discipling
Myron S. Augsburger
shows how the Christian is a
friend who truly cares and
whose daily walk with Jesus
results naturally in evangelism.
Paper $ .95
Coming in Mavch^
A New Way to
Live
Neta Jackson's biblical study
exploring the nature of
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Paper $4.95
At your local
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from
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Send me more information on books in the areas of;
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Scottdale.PA 15683
Kitchener, ON N2G4M5i
March 1983 messenger 25
p®@^(kpmmh
Each March in Modesto
by Grace Tronvold
"Mom, can I come home for the Modesto
Basketball Tournament?" Sounds like a
simple request until you consider that the
player will be flying in from his Brethren
Volunteer Service project in Kansas just
to take part in a weekend tournament.
Such is the popularity of the 10-year-old
Modesto event.
Sponsored by the 250-member Modesto
Church of the Brethren, the tournament
has grown from an original 7 teams to 20
in 1982. The mid-March event is dedicated
to the memory of Dennis Dabol, a sports-
minded young man who attended the
Modesto church. When Dennis lost his
life on a backpacking trip in the Rockies,
it was decided to sponsor a sporting event
to honor his memory. Hence the basket-
ball tournament.
The big event requires year-round plan-
ning, beginning almost immediately after
the church service and potluck luncheon
that sends the participants homeward at
the conclusion of the current tournament.
A committee of 12 meets monthly, and
from this central group sprint subcommit-
tees that take care of everything from
housing of teams and the friends who ac-
company them, to preparing the meals
served from the church kitchen. Over 900
meals are served during the three-day
tournament, and over 125 individuals are
housed by volunteer hosts. It is not un-
common for players to request the same
host family year after year, and many
times whole teams are put up in one
home.
On a Friday evening in mid-March the
first teams arrive. Travel-weary play-
ers, both male and female, unfold
from cars, vans, Volkswagen bugs,
and campers to hurry down the
church steps and study the schedule.
Newcomers regard it apprehensively,
trying to assess the potential strengths
and weaknesses of the teams they are
pitted against, while oldtimers grown in
dismay, "Oh no! Not MacFarland
again!" OT chuckle, "Oh, Sacramento!
We can take them. We beat them
hollow last year! Remember that guy
we ran all over the floor? Wonder
if he's with them again this
year?"
John Mays is part of
the team from San Diego
First Church of the Breth-
ren.
With the opening meal everything
swings into motion. The gyms at the high
school across the street reverberate to the
rhythm of bouncing basketballs, the
screams of onlookers, and the whistles of
referees. People run back and forth from
school to church so often the grass is
worn thin, and there is a long line at the
phone outside the gym as players wait to
call home to report victories.
Heaps of delicious food disappear at
an amazing rate. Various items on the
menu are recommended by satisfied con-
sumers, and then the query comes to
the kitchen: "I saw this guy eating this
cake, it was sort of yellow, and had a
lot of thick icing. He said it was the
best he ever ate." And the call goes out
to the back of the kitchen: "Get
another of Linda's cakes up here. Got
another customer."
A special feeling of fellowship and
Christian love not found at Laker or
UCLA games prevails at this tournament.
Teams that have competed with desperate
aggressiveness an hour before, playing on
each other's weak points and driving
themselves to the limit to win, making
themselves hoarse by cheering and
coaching their former adversaries as they
play yet another competitor.
"Hey, why don't you Prince of Peace
guys use the full court press," suggests a
member of the Long Beach team which
Prince of Peace just beat. "Too late, we're
too tired," gasps the player wearily, as he
mops his dripping brow. "You guys wore
us out."
For the basketball lover, it is a weekend
of unadulterated delight. Games are
played continuously in two gyms Friday
evening and all day Saturday, climaxing in
the awards ceremony around nine that
evening.
Basketball may seem an unorthodox
strategy for building Brethren community,
but in a district where competitive sports
are popular and congregations are scat-
tered, it works.
See you next March in Modesto. D
Grace Tronvold attends Long Beach (Calif.)
Church of the Brethren.
26 MESSENGER March 1983
A CHECK EVERY
SIX MONTHS
for life . . .
When you make a gift-investment to
your church through the Church of the
Brethren General Board Gift Annuity
program, you receive an income check
every six months for the rest of your life.
Q. Why should I place mone\; or
securities with the Church of the
Brethren General Board?
A. For two reasons; You want an
assured income for life, and you
want to support your church and
its work.
Q. How is the income I am to receive
determined?
A. Your amount is invested with gifts
from others. Your annuity pay-
ment is determined by the uniform
gift annuity rates adopted by Con-
ference on Gift Annuities. For ex-
ample; Mr. Bowman sends in
$10,000 for a Gift Annuity Agree-
ment. At his present age of 70, he
will receive 7.1%, or $710 annual-
ly for life, paid semi-annually.
Q. Are annuity rates the same for all
persons?
A. The rate is determined by the per-
son's age at the time of the
gift/investment. For example, age
65, the rate is 6.6%; age 75, the
rate is 7.9%; age 85 the rate is
11.2%; age 90 and over, 14%.
Q. Are there advantages in transfer-
ring appreciated stock?
A. Yes, there are. While there are
capital gains implications, the
amount is smaller than would be
on the sale of securities and fre-
quently no out-of-pocket capital
gains tax needs to be paid.
Q. Can an annuitij agreement be writ-
ten for two persons?
A. Yes, there can be a two-lives—
joint and survivor agreement, al-
though the annuity rate is slightly
reduced.
Q. Is there a tax advantage when in-
vesting in a gift annuitii?
A. Yes, there is a sizeable charitable
contribution deduction the year of
the gift/investment and a sizeable
annual deduction on the annual
annuity payment.
Q. Are there estate tax advantages?
A. Yes, the principal of the gift annu-
ity is not included in one's estate at
death.
Q. How do I report the charitable
deduction and the income I receive
on m[^ income tax return?
A. The income tax information will
be computed for you. You will re-
ceive it with your gift annuity
agreement.
Q. How much must I contribute for a
gift annuitx; agreement?
A. Gift annuity agreements are written
for $500 to many thousands of
dollars.
Hundreds of members are now enjoy-
ing a regular income from the Church of
the Brethren General Board. The funds
with which the Lord has blessed them
are being used to secure income for
themselves and eventually will be used
in the world wide mission of the
denomination.
Just fill out the coupon and send it to
the Church of the Brethren General
Board.
The Church of the Brethren General Board
Office of Stewardship Enlistment
1451 Dundee Avenue Stewart B. Kauffman
Elgin, Illinois 60120 Consultant for Special Gifts
Please send me without obligation information on a Gift Annuity Agreement.
My date of birth is Date of birth of spouse
Name
3/83
March 1983 messenger 27
Cross
Keys
Village
a developing retirement
community of individual
cottages on the campus of
The Brethren Home at
New Oxford, Penn-
sylvania
10 models from $24,900
only 2 hours from
Philadelphia and D.C.
15 minutes from Get-
tysburg
12 Church of the
Brethren Congrega-
tions nearby
activities program
free transportation
nite-time security
meals, housecleaning
and nursing service
available at modest
costs
truly independent
living
with the assurance of
nursing care when
needed
freedom from
household chores
''move in now while
you can still enjoy it''
Harvey S. Kline,
Administrator
For more information
contact:
Milton E. Raup,
The Brethren Home
Box 128
New Oxford, PA 17350
(717)624-2161
28 MESSENGER March 1983
iBBUH
On tolerance, Christian
Sheila Nyhart
A godly life —
or tolerance?
I can easily identify with the congregation
described in the October editorial.
I think one other thing so disturbing to
this particular congregation is the same
thing that disturbs me. Each congregation
feels, and rightfully so, that it is part of
the whole Church of the Brethren. Thus,
each individual church feels responsible
for the witness resulting from the content
of the denomination's publications.
In secular society for the past two
decades or so, we have had to contend
with the pop psychology, "I'm okay,
you're okay" theory. Like sheep "follow-
ing the leader" to moral and spiritual
destruction, people are being governed by
the crowd, with everything and anything
permitted.
We have watched our historic Christian
American legal system be undermined by
antichristian faiths and by humanism, and
as a result law and order are on the
decline. Unfortunately, this movement has
not stopped with secular society and has
now infiltrated the church as the "new"
religion.
I do not think sisters and brothers
refuse to read Messenger because it does
not suit their tastes. Godly men and
women do not want to be hampered with
foolishness or evil, and foolish people
who tolerate sin just because they have an
inability to deal with evil for what it is.
Perhaps this sounds a bit harsh, but the
promises of God to us are for obedience
to his law by faith. He plainly states this
in Deuteronomy 28:1, and he says in
28:15 what will happen if we do not obey.
The Bible defines the church as the
To hold in respect and fellowship those in
the church with whom we agree or disagree
is a characteristic of the Church of the
Brethren. It is to the continuation of this
value, and to an open and probing forum,
that "Opinions" are invited from readers.
body of Christ. The church does not
belong to man, but to Christ: It is his
possession, called to serve him and fulfill
his purposes.
When it fails to fulfill Christ's purpose,
it becomes obsolete. When the church
becomes an agency for propagating
unbelief, denies basic doctrines of the
faith, joins forces with social revolution,
and champions lawlessness, it becomes
obsolete. Sharp judgment for such is
promised in Revelation 2:23.
Go
lospel tolerance? Jesus was emphatic
when he said, "I am the way, the truth,
and the life; no one comes to the Father,
but by me" (John 14:6). He alone is the
truth. Truth is exclusive; it is not tolerant.
There is either right or wrong.
Will we continue to accept God's offer
of the good hfe through faith, godly
morality, and law? Or will we go with the
"new" religion and accept the good life
through changing the environment by
revolutionary action? For the Christian,
the environment can only be changed as
men are changed, and these men then
remake their world and place it under
God's direction.
For a denomination with a concern over
a decline in membership over the past few
years, I think the choice is obvious, and I
think we had better choose quickly. D
Sheila Nyhan is a member of North Bend Church
of the Brethren in Danville, Ohio.
A. Michael Williford
Put Christ in
peacemaking
What causes wars, and what causes
fighting among you? Is it not your
passions that are at war in your
members? You desire and do not
have, so you kill. And you covet
and cannot obtain; so you fight and
wage war. You do not have, because
you do not ask.
James 4:1-2
peacemaking, school prayer
The words of James speak hauntingly to
us today. We have waged war for material
and ideological ends. War has been an ac-
ceptable alternative in international rela-
tions, and we spend billions of dollars to
prepare for it. Many statesmen who are
Christians support increased military
spending to prepare for war — to prepare
to take the lives of potential "enemies."
When we make decisions that affect the
lives and cause the deaths of others, we
tacitly say that we have the wisdom of
God to judge others so severely as to kill
them. War is not only a means to achieve
poHtical ends, but it represents our in-
terests in things that are ungodly — our
"vital interests" in other countries.
Our continual preparation for war
represents the ultimate disharmony with
our Lord. War is not just the absence of
peace. It is a symptom that our relation-
ship with God is amiss. The church of
Jesus Christ, therefore, needs to take a
strong stance in the peace movement in
order to bring people in closer harmony
with our Lord.
Xf war is not just the absence of peace,
peace on earth is not just the absence of
war, as Conrad Bergendoff suggested in
The Lutheran (Dec. 2, 1981). Peace on
earth is a continuous struggle or a con-
certed effort, and there is positive energy
going into it.
But Christ, the original peacemaker, is
not present in our peacemaking efforts.
The "peace movement" of the 1960s was
marked by secular activities such as
demonstrations, sign-bearing, and angry
shouts, which were often accompanied by
violence. In today's peace movement, even
as it was 15 years ago, Christ is not in-
cluded in our efforts. In fact, many of the
traditional "peace churches" give Christ
secondary consideration to social concerns
that war causes, such as death, sorrow,
and poverty.
If the peace movement is to grow and
influence political policymakers, the
church of Jesus Christ needs to lead the
way. When Christ is left out, the move-
ment loses its direction and its effec-
tiveness. Peace is then seen as an end unto
itself. As such, it is vague and meaningless
and its purpose is lost. Christ's call for
peace has become a secular activity, even
in our churches.
Peace efforts ought to focus primarily
on our relationship with Christ. He
should be the primary motivation and
prayer should be the main focus of our
efforts to seek peace.
A peace movement with Christ as its
center will deal effectively with the symp-
tom of war while working on the cause — a
lack of faith and trust in Jesus Christ.
Since the church's main responsibility is to
bring people closer to Christ, it ought to
accept the peace movement as a way to
achieve that. Indeed, "Blessed are the
peacemakers, for they shall be called the
children of God" (Matt. 5:9). D
A . Michael WiUiford is an admissions counselor at
Manchester College, North Manchester, Ind.
Margaret R. Learn
School prayer
versus humanism
In an "Opinion" piece on school prayer
(November, page 24), Ralph Watkins uses
the phrase "advocates of mandatory
school prayer." The advocates are for
"voluntary" prayer in the schools, which
puts an altogether different understanding
on the subject. The only mandate (in most
proposals) is permission for time set aside
at the beginning of each day for voluntary
silent prayer and a place in the building or
campus where religious clubs might meet
the same as any other clubs in the school.
In this situation there will not be the
"watered down, rote exercise, or fear of a
growing faith in insincere words," which
CLASSIFIED ADS
WANTED — Veterinarian position in Brethren or
Mennonite community. 1983 graduate interested
in large animal practice with emphasis in dairy
herd health management. Contact: Bernard D.
Ritchie, Box 400, School of Veterinary Medicine
LSU, Baton Rouge, LA 70803. Tel. (504) 769-
8082.
SLIDES WANTED- Showing Brethren at wor-
ship, in fellowship, in congregational activities,
at baptism, at love feast, at District meetings.
Good quality, strong compositions. Showing
love, joy, service, sharing, humor, playfulness,
seriousness, reflectiveness, the specialness of
being Brethren, the encounter with grace. For
use in General Board publications and produc-
tions. Will copy and return. Will credit. Send to:
Office of Congregational Support, Church of the
Brethren, 1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120.
REUNION of the descendants of John W. Eller is
planned for Sunday, July 3, 1983, in the Balti-
more Convention Center after Conference. Con-
tact John C. Eller, 315 Constitution Ave., NE,
Washington, D.C., 20002, Tel. (202) 544-7391.
FOR SALE— Handcrafted gifts; kits, patterns &
recipes for those who appreciate old-fashioned
quality. Send $1 (refundable with first order) for
the COTTAGE SAMPLER; ask for free details on
marketing YOUR quality handcrafts, products,
natural foods & recipes through the Sampler.
Write to Cottage Industries, 2066 Danbury PI.,
Hoffman Estates, IL 60195.
SCHOOL — Scattergood School, West Branch,
lA 52358. Openings for students grades 9-12.
Approved coeducational Quaker college prepar-
atory boarding school; simple lifestyle. Emphasis
given to peace issues and social concerns. Stu-
dents, faculty together clean buildings, do laun-
dry, care for pigs and chickens, work in orchard
and garden, bake bread, and cook meals. Small
personal caring community that promotes indi-
vidual growth. Write or call. Tel. (319) 643-5636.
TRAVEL to China — Visit former Brethren Mis-
sion Area. Leave about August 15, return before
Labor Day. Cost approx. $3,200. Hosts: Wendell
& Marie Flory, 312 Winston Ave., Easton, MD
21601. Tel. (301) 822-7613.
TRAVEL- Alaska Motor Coach-Cruise Tour. 30
days— Sept. 3 to Oct. 2, 1983. Call or write for
details. Ralph and Betty Ebersole, 1213 Hamilton
Ave., Tyrone, PA 16686. Tel. (814) 684-1771.
TRAVEL- Juniata College Tours. July 3: LON-
DON WEEK with options for BRITISH ISLES by
motorcoach & London 5 days (12 day program).
Motorcoach visits Bath, Stonehenge, Cotswolds,
Stratford, No. Wales, Chester, Lake District,
Trossachs, York. One week London: $1025. 12
days: $1317. Subject to change. July 4, 1984:
OBERAMMERGAU & PASSION PLAY. 15 days
to Germany, Austria, Switzerland: $1498 for land
tour. Meals included. August, 1984: OBERAM-
MERGAU & PASSION PLAY: 8 days Bavaria &
Salzburg: $798 land tour. Meals included. Excel-
lent programs visiting most beautiful scenery.
WEIMER-OLLER TRAVEL, 405 Penn St., Hunt-
ingdon, PA 16652. Tel. (814) 643-1468.
ANNUAL CONFERENCE- Bus trip from Eliza-
bethtown to Annual Conference 1983 with rooms
close to conference center. Write to J. Kenneth
Kreider, 1300 Scheaffer Rd., Elizabethtown, PA
17022.
March 1983 messenger 29
A Journey to
Brethren
Beginnings
A unique opportunity to
visit the landmarks in Ger-
many and Holland where the
Brethren movement began
275 years ago.
The tour will be led by Ken-
neth I. Morse and J. Kenneth
Krcider, in cooperation with
the Brethren Historical Com-
mittee. For information, write
Kreider Friendship Tours,
1300 Sheaffer Rd., Elizabeth-
town, PA 17022.
Brethren
^ Heritage
Tour
seem to be Mr. Watkins' problem.
He says that President Nixon's com-
ment "with God's help we will win this
war" might cause a child to believe the
"government has a claim on God's power"
has no relevance to school prayer. What
child or adult doesn't hear these kinds of
statements from many areas and times in
life other than from the government and
school, because not everyone has the same
maturity in faith? We have to be sure our
children understand this, but this is the
job of the church and parent, not the
school.
No one, by any stretch of the imagina-
tion, could believe the government is on
God's side with:
— Lewisville, Neb., October 1982: Bap-
tist minister jailed and parishioners hauled
out of the church from an all-night prayer
vigil because they refused to license their
Christian school.
— Dade County, Fla., Board of Public
Instruction ruled unconstitutional the
showing of films depicting various
religious happenings in the history of our
nation.
—At Christmas a year ago, the town of
Pawtucket, R. I., was ordered by a
Federal court to remove a manger scene
that had been a time-honored holiday
observance.
— In Roanoke, Va., the Gideons Inter-
national (who place free Bibles in hotel
rooms) were prohibited by court order
from giving free Bibles to school children
who wanted them.
I agree with Mr. Watkins that the
Church of the Brethren doesn't need the
government's permission to pray. How-
ever, when I was in pubhc school, each
day was opened with praying the Lord's
prayer and pledging allegiance to the flag.
Everyone showed respect even though all
THE BUGGIES STILL RUN
by Warren S. Kissinger
A perceptive look at the traditions and values of
the plain people and the Pennsylvania Dutch
especially focusing on those who live in Lan-
caster County, Pa. The author's own roots are in
this tradition, enabling him to evaluate the plain
people from "both sides". Specific issues treated
include simplicity, peace, community and ser-
vice. The book offers a provocative study of both
the changes which have faced the religious com-
munity in this century and the witness of a peo-
ple who refuse to let the world cast them in its
mold.
Ready February 1, 1983.
ISBN 0-87178-123-9 Paper $2.95
THE
BRETHREN
PRESS
HOME CARE: AN ALTERNATIVE
TO THE NURSING HOME
by Florine De Fresne
This book contains basic instructions for the care
of a bed patient and for the elderly, infirm or
disabled in the home. It contains a list of
resources for obtaining health care assistance as
well as addressing the emotional issues involved
for both the patient and the caregiver. In a time
when more and more families are choosing home
care as an alternative in order to give their loved
ones the love and environment which is familiar
to them, this book provides basic guidelines for
thoughtful decision making.
Ready April 1, 1983.
ISBN 0-87178-030-5 Paper $6.95
30 MESSENGER March 1983
did not participate. Since the removal of
all reverence for God, we have alcohol,
drugs, violence, and sex in the schools,
and they are graduating adults with no
skills and who cannot read and write.
I believe the First Amendment guaran-
teed our religious liberty, until the courts
began to take it away in favor of human-
istic secularism. Everyone has rights —
blacks, women, homosexuals, social ac-
tivists . . . everyone except evangelical
Christians.
With the ACLU using the courts to
chip away our religious freedoms, one by
one, we should be standing up for the
recognition that God was the power
behind the first settlers (except a few ex-
ploiters). He was the power behind the
start of the schools, universities, hospitals,
and all that is good in our society, and
even in the power of a government that
started out to be just and fair to all
mankind.
Finally, 1 agree that we have freedom in
our faith, even though the faith has been
censored out of our educational system
and our government. But I would feel
much better if the Church of the Brethren
legislative representative in our capital
would use his influence in Washington to
help the Christian cause, rather than that
of the humanists, and that he would use
all the facts instead of writing such a
biased article. D
Margaret R. Learn is a member of the Indiana
(Pa.) Church of the Brethren.
tmmm^ pmMi
Licensing/
Ordination
Amsluiz, Larry, licensed Oct.
10, 1982, Coulson, Virlina
Angell, Bobby, licensed Oct.
1982, Bethlehem, Virlina
Barton, John, rehcensed Oct. 3,
1982, Green Hill, Virlina
Belcher, Robert Melvin, ordained
Aug. 6 1982, Canhage, South-
ern Missouri/Arkansas
Bowman, Norma, licensed Feb.
28, 1982, New Enterprise,
Middle Pennsylvania
Chesney, Robert, licensed Feb.
14, 1982, Burnham, Middle
Pennsylvania
Coffman, Eldon H., licensed
Aug. 6, 1982, Cabool, South-
ern Missouri/Arkansas
Davis, Clarence Raymond Jr.,
ordained Nov. 4, 1982,
Pocahontas, Shenandoah
DeMaury, Andrew, licensed
Oct. 16, 1982, Roanoke
Williamson Road, Virlina
Dolan, Kenneth, ordained Sept.
11, 1982, Markleysburg,
Western Pennsylvania
Durr, Stephen George, or-
dained Nov. 21, 1982,
LaVale, West Marva
Earlenbaugh, Donald G.,
United Methodist ordination
received March 6, 1982, Owl
Creek, Northern Ohio
Golay, Kenneth, Southern Bap-
tist ordination received Sept.
II. 1982, Drayton Plains,
Michigan
Griffith, Charles R., ordained
Sept. 11, 1982, Erwin, South-
eastern
Griffllh, Jim, ordained Oct. 16.
1982, Erwin, Southeastern
Harmon, J. D.. licensed Oct.
16, 1982, Bassett, Virlina
Keegan, Gerald, ordained Oct.
16, 1982, Danville, Emman-
uel, Virlina
Kipp, John S., ordained Aug. 7,
1982, Mount Olivet, South-
ern Pennsylvania
Koch, Richard, licensed Nov. 6,
1982, Springfield Good Shep-
herd, Southern Mis-
souri/Arkanasas
Kocher, Judith Ann, ordained
June 6, 1982, Bedford, Mid-
dle Pennsylvania
Lengel, Dean M., ordained
Nov. 14, 1982, Schuylkill, At-
lantic Northeast
McFariand, Thomas, ordained
earlier 1982. Oak Vale. Vir-
lina
Naff, David A. Jr.. ordained
Nov. 21, 1982, Astoria, Illi-
nois/Wisconsin
Norris, Robert Raymond,
licensed Oct. 10, 1982. Bethel
House (Yellow Creek), Mid-
dle Pennsylvania
Preston, Thomas William, or-
dained Nov. 14, 1982,
Romney. West Marva
Richardson, Lonnie L..
Associate Reformed Presby-
terian ordination received Ju-
ly 10, 1982, Lynchburg,
Virlina
Row, Michael David, licensed
Aug. 6, 1982, Springfield
Good Shepherd, Southern
Missouri/ Arkansas
Salyards, Harry H., ordained
April 25, 1982, Carson Val-
ley, Middle Pennsylvania
Shatluck, Lois Marie, ordained
Oct. 31, 1982, Ashland City,
Northern Ohio
Sink, Barry D., ordained July
18, 1982, Roanoke William-
son Road, Virlina
Sollenberger (Morphew). Beth.
ordained July 5. 1981,
Everett. Middle Pennsylvania
Spangler. Keith, licensed Oct.
16. 1982. Shelton. Virhna
Strawderman, Dennis G.,
licensed July 1, 1982, Gar-
bers, Shenandoah
Thomas, Carl, Ashland
Brethren ordination received
July 9. 1981, Altoona First,
Middle Pennsylvania
Tipton, Darrell. licensed Sept.
11. 1982. Brummetts Creek,
Southeastern
Weidman, Barry Lee, licensed
Aug. 14. 1982. East Fairview.
Atlantic Northeast
VVeldy, Allen C. licensed Oct.
18. 1982. Calvary, Shenan-
doah
Wills, Douglas, ordained Oct.
10. 1982. Roanoke Ninth St..
Virlina
Wine, John Michael, ordained
Aug. 6. 1982. Carthage.
Southern Missour/Arkansas
Zuercher, Thomas L.. Nazarene
ordination received Sept. 11.
1982. Mount Pleasant.
Northern Ohio
Pastoral
Placements
Bogan, Jack, from secular, to
Valley Bethel. Shenandoah,
part-time
Hilton, Don H., to Limestone.
Southeastern, part-time
Parker, Fred J., to Rowland
Creek. Southeastern, interim
part-time
Quay. Clarence, from retire-
ment, to Messiah. Missouri,
interim
Strawderman, Dennis G., to
Sandy Ridge Fellowship.
Shenandoah, part-time
Anniversaries
Arnell, Carl and Lula, Laura,
Ohio, 65
Bretz. Harvey and Hazel,
Johnstown, Pa., 51
Burgess, Mr. and Mrs. William,
North Liberty. Ind.. 50
Faint, Dee and Eileen.
Johnstown, Pa., 54^.
Hess, Homer and Vesta,
Johnstown, Pa., 56
Lease, Norman and Edith, New
Market. Md.. 57
Ressler, Harvey and Dorothy,
Johnstown, Pa.. 53
Rogers, Howard and Enid,
Wakarusa. Ind., 50
Wade. Robert and Ruah,
Cabool. Mo.. 62
Williams. Andrew and Cora.
Flora. Ind., 62
Wilmer, Mr. and Mrs. Leo.
Ashland. Ohio. 65
Deaths
Black, John Wesley, 39,
Westminster, Md., Nov. 5,
1982
Bollinger, Hilda May. 77. New
Pans, Ind., Nov. 16, 1982
Bowman, Enoch E., 99, Boones
Mill. Va., July 5. 1982
Bright, Harriet Howard. 70.
Dayton. Ohio. Dec. 1. 1982
Bnibaker, Clarence E.. 75. Em-
pire, Cahf.. Dec. 14. 1982
Carpenter, Lewis T.. 59.
Lebanon, Pa., Oct. 8. 1982
Craun, Paul. 64. Bridgewater.
Va.. Oct. 12, 1982
Crist, Kiel H., 85, Garnett,
Kan., Oct. 28, 1982
Cunningham, John T. Sr., 97,
Polo, III., Dec. 9, 1982
Edmonson, Anna, 85, Bridge-
water, Va., Nov. 9, 1982
Fritz, Bettie P., 87, Morrill,
Kan., Sept. 4. 1982
Green. Virginia. 63. Union
Bridge. Md.. Aug. 5. 1982
Harmon, Glenn M.. 75
Modesto. Calif.. Dec. 10,
1982
Hilbert. Gertie Miller. 92
Bridgewater. Va., Oct. 20
1982
Hollinger, Grace, 74, Lan
caster. Pa., Nov. 30, 1982
Kauffman, Annie, 89, Leola
Pa., Oct. 9, 1982
Keith, Dorothy L., 65, Cutler
Ind., Nov. 24, 1982
Layser. Frank H.. 95. Lan
caster. Pa.. Nov. 2. 1982
Longanecker. Bertha. 96
Pomona. Calif.. Nov. 26
1981
McCulley, Elsie, 64, Brooklyn
Iowa. Nov. 8. 1982
Meyers, Evelyn L.. 66. Morrill
Kan.. Sept. 23. 1982
Meyers. Samuel A.. 9,5, Neffs
ville. Pa., Nov. 20, 1982
Moore, Erma L., 68, Johns
town. Pa.. Jan. 17. 1982
Mowery, Grace, 83, JohnS'
town. Pa.. Nov. 28. 1982
Nance. Alvin L.. 89. Warsaw
Mo.. Nov. 20. 1982
Rice, W. Hartman. 61. Leb
anon. Pa.. Dec. 19. 1982
Rlllenhouse, Rowena. 82. Ar-
cadia. Fla.. Nov. 10. 1982
Schock. Howard L.. 82. New
Carlisle. Ohio. Dec. 1. 1982
Slump, Julian S.. 70. Pine
Grove. Pa.. Nov. 10. 1982
Wallgora, Vera. 61. Johnstown.
Pa., July 17, 1982
Wilkins, Maude. 91. Arlington.
Va.. Nov. 18. 1982
Williams, Charles M.. 67,
Waynesboro, Pa., Nov. 26.
1982
March 1983 messenger 31
The gospel of the ghb and ghttery
I have been on record before as a critic of the
"electric church." Now I feel I can really speak
with authority, for I have been to church at the
Crystal Cathedral.
For those of you like me, who don't go in for
television preachers, and might not know what the
Crystal Cathedral is, it's a multi-milUon-doUar
glass-walled church in Garden Grove, Calif., the
realized dream of Robert H. Schuller, who
presides there over a 10,000-member parish and
broadcasts a weekly television show.
I have to confess I wasn't as offended as I had in-
tended to be. The service I attended had more of the
feel of a congregation at worship than I had expected.
Not that I didn't have problems, beginning
when I got out of the car, and saw the hordes
walking briskly into church. Everyone looked so
well-dressed and prosperous, and self-satisfied. I
didn't see anyone going in who appeared to be
burdened with a problem. All had the air of royal-
ty or film stars arriving as the main attraction of a
public event. I wondered what would happen if a
crowd of shabby-looking poor people showed up
there for church.
The biggest problem was Robert Schuller him-
self. It didn't help that he greeted us, "Good
Morning," and had us shake hands and greet peo-
ple around us (two practices that, for me, detract
from a worship service). But these minor distrac-
tions I could forgive. I was even charitable with
the saccharine soloists, who warbled inane lyrics
and drew much applause (another no-no in wor-
ship for me).
No, what really offended me was Robert
Schuller's message. One thing I give him credit
for, his message was easy to understand, even
memorable. He had four catchwords, and they
summarized his sermon: Spills— avoid them.
Thrills— be careful where you seek them.
FW//5— disdain them. SA:///5— develop them.
I really had problems with the "frills." "Frills,
Mr. Schuller?" I asked silently as I surveyed the
awful ostentatiousness of the Crystal Cathedral . . .
even fountains that leap up in the aisle when the
hymns start.
The whole sermon talked about building up
your self-esteem. Try as I might, I could not hear
even a whisper of gospel in Schuller's words. He
talked about staying out of trouble, acquiring
quality possessions, "going first class" in Hfe.
Anyone heeding that sermon would strut through
life, not walk humbly with God. I wanted to call
to Schuller's attention the Luke 18:10 story of the
Pharisee and the tax collector ("God, I thank thee
that I am not like other men"). I wanted to call to
his attention a dozen other scriptures that came to
mind — about humihty, about giving up riches,
about admitting sin, about helping one's neighbor.
I came away thinking that maybe I had just
caught Schuller on an off day; maybe his mind
was on the Superbowl game, tickets for which he
exhibited during the service. Then I came across
his new book. Self Esteem, and read it.
To my astonishment, I reaUzed that what I had
heard at the Crystal Cathedral was the theme song
of Schuller's "New Reformation." "Christian
churches, liturgies, hymns, prayers, and spiritual
interpretations have been rampantly reckless in
assaulting the dignity of the churches," he says.
Don't make people feel guilty of sin. Butter them
up. Make them feel great about themselves. Turn
them into self-centered, grasping, greedy goody-
goodies and then some of that sweet goodness will
trickle down to less fortunate people. (If there is a
"supply side" gospel, this is it.)
The thought of that kind of preaching being
done by a pastor who is heard by miUions of
television viewers makes my blood run cold.
OchuUer recently asserted that he wants to be
known as something more than a glib and glittery
television preacher. With the gospel he promotes,
and the "frills" he tells us to disdain, but indulges
in so freely himself, I don't see how he hopes to at-
tain that "something more" image. Verily, he
seems to have his reward.
At least now I understand better why they call
this abomination and all the others of its ilk the
"electric church." I got a terrible shock. — K.T.
32 MESSENGER March 1983
JOIN IN THE COMMEMORATION
March 17, 1923. Under a tama-
rind tree at Garkida, Nigeria, the
area's first public service of Christian
worship was led by Brethren mission-
aries H. Stover Kulp and Albert D.
Helser. The event was the beginning
of Ekklesiyar 'Yanuwa a Nigeria
(EYN) , the Church of the Brethren in
Nigeria.
March 17, 1983. Under the same
tamarind tree at Garkida, a Foun-
ders' Day service will occur. Messen-
ger editor Kermon Thomasson, a
former teacher in Nigeria, will join
representatives of EYN in placing a
bronze plaque recalling the "Chris-
tian beginnings" that occurred there
60 years earlier. In Bura, Hausa, and
English the plaque cites the Ephe-
sians 2:19 scripture that was read at
the first service:
"So then you are no longer stran-
BRETHREN WITNESS
IN NIGERIA
gers and sojourners, but you are fel-
low citizens with the saints and mem-
bers of the household of God."
Brethren in the USA are urged to
join their Nigerian sisters and brothers
CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN
GENERAL BOARD
1451 Dundee Ave , Elgin, IL 60120
this year in lifting up the EYN Dia-
mond Jubilee. Among the strategic
ways are:
• "A Thing of Wonder," a
22-minute, 16 mm., award- winning
film on EYN and Leader's Guide.
• The Baltimore Annual Confer-
ence, June 28 — July 3, where EYN
leader Nvwa Balami will speak and a
choir of EYN women will sing.
• Mission interpreters — returned
missionaries and visiting EYN mem-
bers—to speak in local churches.
• The Brotherhood Fund, by
which you help train leaders for
EYN's mushrooming congregations.
Brethren in Africa and America
have a lot going — not only 60 years
of past ministry but, as members to-
gether in the household of God, an
adventurous future.
That's worth celebrating!
"My children! Our love should
not be just words and talk; it
must be true love, which shows
itself in action" — John 3:18.
Love in deed, in action. Love
as expressed by the Church of
the Brethren through
• the United/ Brethren Foun-
dation with the Quichua Indians
in Ecuador,
• agricultural and refugee
projects in the Middle East,
• the Rural Health and Clean
Water Progranns in Nigeria,
• the Primary Health Care
Program in the Sudan,
• the Rural Service Center in
India,
• the Agricultural Exchange
Programs with Poland and
China,
• the use of appropriate
technology in Niger,
• Emergency Disaster Funds
for Hawaii, India, Vietnam, Hon-
duras, and midwest US,
• the marketing of SERRV
handcrafts from 48 countries,
• the introduction of Food
Preservation Systems,
• the support of Aide-aux-
Enfants in Haiti,
• community services with
Navajos at Lybrook, N. Mex.,
• the shipment of more than 4
million pounds of clothing and
health care items yearly from the
New Windsor, Md., Service
Center, on behalf of the ecu-
menical church,
• the placement of 328 refu-
gees in the past year,
• partnership in Church World
Service, CROP, Heifer Project,
Agricultural Missions, and The
Ecumenical Development Co-
operative Society.
These are ministries you help
support through the Church of
the Brethren One Great Hour Of-
fering. They are instruments of
relief and development, of con-
cern and compassion, of mercy
and love.
Love in deed . . . love indeed!
ONE GREAT HOUR OF SHARING
CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN
messenger
CHURCH OFTHE BRETHREN
APRIL 1983
// L
if
(^©{M(^{Mi
8
10
12
16
18
20
BVS/BRF: Cooperative Volunteering. Good things can
happen when people with differing beUefs work together. One example
is special Brethren Volunteer Service units resulting from combined
efforts of the Brethren Revival Fellowship and General Board staff.
Judd Blouch reports on this working example of Christian unity.
Easter People. David S. Young says Easter puts Christians into the
dual roles of proclaimers and reclaimers, and asks, "Are we not the sal-
vage company of a world grown cynical and depressed? He is not here.
He is risen." What joy to discover the Easter news, to tell it, to act on it.
One Family's Ecumenism. When a daughter decides to leave the
Church of the Brethren and join the Roman Catholic Church, what
happens to her dyed-in-the-wool Brethren family? Marilyn Norquist
chronicles her family's ecumenical pilgrimage.
Never Say No to a Glory. Frances C. Bowman writes of the
"treasure" in each of us: "It is so deep within us it can never be re-
moved. We have met the treasure and it is us." Realizing God's glory in
each of us gives a fresh meaning to loving our neighbors as ourselves.
Peace Academy: 'Preparing for War.' Inez Long explains how
a fledgling peace academy at New Windsor, Md., is helping the Church
of the Brethren sensitize its youth to i)eace issues. Sidebar by i)eace
consultant Chuck Boyer.
A New Song Takes More Than Singing. Anticipating the new
Brethren Hymnal to be published, Kenneth I. Morse (who helped edit
and compile the current hymnal) reminisces about earlier hymnals and
suggests things to consider this time around.
In Touch profiles Tommy Campbell, Roanoke, La.; Charles Lenker, Newville,
Pa.; and Phyllis Y. Dodd, University Park, Md. (2) . . . Outlook reports on
CoBACE conference. Corporate responsibility. Mediation workshop. Tax
resistance. NCC and WCC. Evangelism statement. TV spot. Personnel (start on 4)
. . . Underlines (7) . . . Update (8) . . . Column, "Remembering
Cuemavaca"— district executives' visit to Mexico, by Carl E. Myers (15) . . . Book
Review, "Reading on self-esteem, genetic engineering, simple living," by Fred W.
Swartz (22) . . . Resources, "Bible School," by June Miller Gibble (24) . . . Opin-
ions of Dave Leiter, Alan Kieffaber, and Bill Faw (26) . . . Turning Points (31) .
. . Editorial by Wendy Chamberlain (32).
CO
EDITOR
Kermon Thomasson
MANAGING EDITOR
Wendy Chamberlain
EDITORIAL ASSISTANT
Judd Blouch
FEATURES
Fred W. Swartz
SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES
Ruth Anne Gulp
PROMOTION
Kenneth L. Gibble
PUBLISHER
John D. Metzlef Jr.
VOL. 132, NO. 4 APRIL 1983
CREDITS: Cover Wallowitch. 1 Fred Swam. 2
Glenn Harris. 3 top Charles Fox, UPI. 3 bottom
Phillip K. Bradley. 4, 7 upper left Wendy Chamber-
lain. 7 upper right, 9 Judd Blouch. 7 lower left Don
Honick. 7 lower right Anita Metzler. 11 Three
Lions. 12-14 John Gustin. 15 Carl E. Myers. 16-17
Monkemeyer. 18 Joyce Erickson. 20-21 J. Henry
Long. 22 art by Kathy Kline. 24-25 art from Every
Day is Praise Day, by Ann F. Price.
MESSENGER is the official publication of the
Church of the Brethren. Entered as second-class
matter Aug. 20, 1918, under Act of Congress
of Oct. 17, 1917. Filing date, Nov. 1, 1982.
Messenger is a member of the Associated
Church Press and a subscriber to Religinus News
Service and Ecumenical Press Service. Biblical
quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are from
the Revised Standard Version.
Subscription rates: $10 one year for individual
subscriptions; S18.50 two years. $8 per year for
Church Group Plan. $8 per year for gift sub-
scriptions. School rale 50« per issue. If you move
clip address and send with new address.
Allow at least five weeks for address
change. MESSENGER is owned and
published monthly by the General
Services Commission, Church of the
Brethren General Board, 1451 Dundee
Ave.. Elgin, 111. 60120. Second<lass
postage paid at Elgin, 111., April 1983. Copyright
1983, Church of the Brethren General Board.
■
A GROWING SENSITIVITY
I have always appreciated Messenger, but
my appreciation is increasing. Over the past
several issues I have noted a growing sensitivity
to topics and articles of more interest to the
conservative and evangelical sisters and
brothers. I applaud this trend and I do hope it
represents an intentional effort to broaden the
theological base of the magazine and to give
psychological ownership to a larger sector of
the denomination.
As a result, Messenger will play an increas-
ingly important role in church unity.
Praise the Lord for His Spirit in your midst.
Terry Hatfield
Peoria, 111.
HIGHLIGHTING EVANGELISM
Thank you for your recent articles on
evangelism and church growth within the Church
of the Brethren. I have been concerned for some
time that you had only one message, peace and
social justice, and that was all we as a church had
to offer. The articles were well-written and time-
ly. Please keep them coming. It is emphasis on
evangelism and church growth that will help the
church to grow.
William D. Walk
Blue Ridge, Va.
UNITE FOR TAX RESISTANCE
We need to name the huge expenditures for
weapons for what it is, blasphemy against the
goodness of God's creation, a sin we commit
together.
In light of this reality I would like to pass on a
suggestion from the New Call to Peacemaking
Conference at Elizabethtown College last June:
Instead of focusing on the division between those
who pay and those who resist war taxes, let's all
join together in witnessing against war taxes even
though we do this in different ways.
Some will witness to people in government
through letters accompanying or sent concur-
rently with their tax payment and returns. Some
will reduce their income or increase their giving
in ways as to decrease or eUminate war taxes.
Some who pay under protest will support by
word and deed brothers and sisters who withhold
a portion or all of their taxes. Some of us will
continue to witness our strong concern through
withholding monies in civil disobedience to the
tax laws. This attitude and these actions are con-
sistent with our Annual Conference decisions on
this issue.
Dale W. Brown
Lombard, 111.
DISMISSING READER'S DIGEST
What disturbs me about the February editor-
ial, "A Case of Reader's Digest Indigestion," is
its use of terms. "Easily dismissing" a charge
against the NCC (National Council of Churches)
because Reader's Digest is supposedly conser-
vative is unchristian and unBrethren.
I am writing to the NCC for more informa-
tion, as you suggested.
As Christians and Brethren, we need to lool< at
the issue and consider it. If something is under-
handed in the NCC, we need to know about it,
researching it and, if necessary, removing the
Church of the Brethren from the NCC. If NCC
members are afraid of this study, then maybe
there is some truth to the charges.
The church should suspend all involvement
with the NCC until a chance has been given for
representatives to meet and get the true story.
Then action should be taken either for the
Church of the Brethren to continue with the
NCC or to withdraw.
AuRELiA Jackson
Norcatur, Kan.
(You misquoted me. I said, "Anyone who is
knowledgable about the NCC program can easily
dismiss the Reader's Digest charges. " I did not
say that the charges could easily be dismissed
because Reader's Digest is conservative. Please
note also that in 1 98 1 the Church of the Brethren
concluded just the kind of investigation you sug-
gest, and A nnual Conference delegates affirmed
our continued membership in NCC. —Ed.)
ARE WE GETTING THE MESSAGE?
Regarding the February editorial, "A Case of
Reader's Digest Indigestion," I am disturbed that
Reader's Digest deals in specifics while you deal
in generalities. It names groups, amounts of
money, and activities. Nowhere have 1 seen in
print flat denials of its charges.
The fact remains, in any case, as stated by
Reader's Digest, "... the gap between the
denominational leaders and the people in the
pews is huge." If continued affiliation with the
NCC and WCC could be decided by a per mem-
ber vote in each congregation there is not the
slightest doubt in my mind what the outcome
would be.
That 10 denominations with NCC membership
have lost over 3,000,000 members in the last
decade, while the Southern Baptists are growing
consistently, says something to me that I do not
think some of our church leaders are willing to
hear.
N.W. Crumpacker
Bassett, Va.
(As slated in the editorial, for specifics write to
the National Council of Churches, Attention
Room 850, 475 Riverside Drive, New York, NY
10015. -Ed.)
WHERE WAS PEACE?
Resources for Small Groups (December 1982)
listed activities that were suitable for small
groups in our churches. Bible study headed the
list of activities in which our South Bay con-
gregation was already participating. Two new
members had opened their home for our weekly
meetings. Poetry, evangelism, spiritual growth,
and other activities are suggested for the "small
group" to enrich the individual, and to upbuild
the church.
Yet there is one thing missing. Nothing was
said regarding nuclear armaments. Even the
word "peace" was not found. It can be said that
if this second most important consideration in
our life today would be observed by study and
prayer in small groups we then would not further
"drift to unparalleled catastrophes," as warned
by Einstein.
But there is this about you that is good. On
other pages of that Messenger there were three
articles depicting the horror of nuclear war, and
the word "peace" appeared 44 times.
John M. Roller
Los Angeles, Calif.
(Agreed, that the nuclear threat and peace in
general are important topics to address, but the
Resources page in question was dealing more
with spiritual nurture groups. —Ed.)
WORKAHOLICISM' AND DIVORCE
Thanks for printing "Brethren Clergy Divorce:
Who's Failing Whom?" (February). I praise the
Lord that I, an ordained minister, and my wife
of 26 years have worked through the expecta-
tions and pressures of marriage through prayer,
a lay support group, and professional counseling.
Some pastors equate the church with God. In
1975, through a Lay Witness Mission, a layman
helped me to come to a fresh approach to this.
He showed me through scripture these priorities
in this order: God, family, ministry.
I am also thankful that my wife and I have
learned to deal more effectively with "workaholi-
cism." Freed from this pressure, we find both our
family life and our work for the Lord more en-
joyable and meaningful.
I pray the article will help the church come to a
better understanding of the unwholesome pres-
sures it places on the clergy. I pray the clergy will
recognize its needs and deal honestly with them
before the "seeds of alienation" take roots.
Derwood L. Troxell
Alliance, Ohio
SHOULD WE TALK ABOUT IT?
What good can come from pubhshing the arti-
cle, "Brethren Clergy Divorce: Who's Failing
Whom?" (February). Ministers who were inter-
viewed will feel stigmatized. Those in the process
of divorce will not be stayed by the findings.
Those who left the ministry will be further embit-
tered.
Any minister who intones "What therefore
God hath joined ..." realizes that God cannot
be blamed for marriages that go on the rocks.
That may include the one performing the sacred
rite.
Ministers will usually go further than others to
avert divorce. But there are instances of irrecon-
cilable differences which make the continuing of
a loveless marriage worse than divorce and its
consequences. That can happen when the minis-
ter and spouse are both good people. When it
does happen, the ministerial couple deserves the
same understanding and compassion that others
get.
Some congregations realize that, and both they
and the minister benefit from it.
Chauncey Shamberger
Fruitland, Idaho
0X0 0(^ (Q
L»
/ast June I got a letter that began this
way: "Earlier this year I submitted to
Messenger an 'In Touch' story about my
great uncle, Monroe Ziegler. In your
response you mentioned that a position as
intern would be open soon and that I might
be interested. After a lot of fooling around,
I'm finally putting my name in for the job. I
realize this letter may be too late."
It wasn't too late. We had, indeed,
already accumulated several applications
and impressive
resumes for the
position. But Judd
Blouch's tardy let-
ter, resume, and
portfolio of clip-
pings impressed us
more. An inter-
view followed,
and Judd got the
job. And last Oct.
4 he started his
year of service. Judd Biouch
Is the position of Messenger intern just
a plush assignment — an office, secretarial
help, your name on a door, a travel budget,
all that? Judd can tell you something dif-
ferent. Here is an excerpt from a travel
report he wrote after an assignment in cold
January weather, covering the work of the
Community for Creative Nonviolence
(CCNV) in Washington, D.C.:
"I got out of bed at 3 a.m. to accompany
some CCNV members on a food run
(CCNV collects discarded grocery stock
and runs a soup kitchen for the poor,
among other activities). While we were
asking wholesalers for rejects, two other
people hit the dumpsters, digging out fruit
and vegetables. On the way back we sal-
vaged four crates of dairy products from
a Safeway dumpster. Back at the house
we unloaded our booty, reloaded the
van for the free food store, and had
breakfast.
"It was only 8:30 a.m., but I had been
working five hours already. I worked until 3
p.m., then, in the soup kitchen, cutting up
the veggies I had earlier rooted for in a
dumpster. I had no problem falling asleep
that night!"
Which goes to show, you never know
what will happen to you when you are a
Messenger intern.
And it also shows that it can be an ex-
citing, challenging assignment. I hope some
potential candidate for our next intern
assignment is reading this, and, like Judd,
will stop "fooling around" and contact
us.— The Editor
April 1983 messenger 1
ini^tni
Tommy Campbell: Heading off trouble
"Boredom breeds trouble," thought
Tommy Campbell as he observed girls and
boys with no summer group activity to
focus their energy and time. In the small
village of Roanoke, La., near his farm,
there were many with no chance to
participate in activities in larger towns.
"What they need is a community baseball
program," he decided. But with no school
program, no concerned professional
coaches, no proper playing field, and no
money for equipment, the prospect was
bleak.
As a member of the nurture commis-
sion of the Roanoke Church of the
Brethren, Tommy discussed his concern
when the commission was considering
church-sponsored summer activities. He
was encouraged to try to develop a pro-
gram for children of elementary grades.
The church would advance money for
equipment.
Seventy-five youngsters signed applica-
tions. Four adults joined Tommy to coach
the five teams — Softball for girls, hardball
for older boys, and T-ball for those ages
5/2 to 8. Tommy got permission to use
part of the school yard, mowed it, laid
out a diamond, and purchased equipment.
He umpired each of the games for the
seven-week season and got mothers to run
a concession stand to finance trophies and
pay other expenses.
After three years Tommy still organizes
teams, enlists coaches, cares for equip-
ment, mows, and umpires all games for
the seven weeks. Business sponsors fur-
nish team T-shirts. A softball program for
middle teenagers has been added, and
nine teams and thirteen coaches par-
ticipate. The three girls' teams and six
boys' teams had a ratio of one
third black to two-thirds white players.
The remarkable aspect is the good will
and cooperation Tommy generates and
maintains in a situation often plagued by
fussing, fights, and wounded egos. Every
child gets a chance to play, regardless of
ability. Rules are kept flexible so that a
player is not put down because of failure.
Competition can come later. Just having
fun and learning to interact with others is
most important. Since affiliation with Lit-
tle League is too expensive, requirements
for participation can be relaxed for the
very young.
While many in the community credit
Tommy for the absence of arguing and
bickering, he modestly attributes it to the
Christian witness of coaches in working
with their teams. His no-nonsense
camaraderie, fairness, dedicated work,
and leadership have made him very
popular among the players. Parents are
grateful for his devotion to youth and his
help in easing a serious community prob-
lem.
Because Tommy plants 800 acres, base-
ball time comes between grain planting
and rice harvest. Julie, his wife, manages
a small nursery school through the
Roanoke church. Their son, Joshua, is in
grade school and their twin daughters,
Leah and Rachel, are still at home.
Tommy hopes the summer program can
continue and expand with more leadership
within the community. He sees the need
for a youth-centered program involving
the entire community. A top priority is to
make it exemplify fairness and concern
for individual self-esteem. — Ethel
Sherfv Harris
Ethel Sherfy Harris, of Jennings, La., is a member
of the Roanoke (La. J Church of the Brethren, where
she assisted her husband, Glenn, in carrying on a self-
supported ministry for many years.
Phyllis Y. Dodd: A promise fulfilled
A promise made to a small girl in a
mountain village in Ecuador became a
reality three years later through the
dihgence of a former Peace Corps worker
and the generosity of many others.
The Ecuadoran girl is Marjory Vega
Chavez, who was oorn with a defective
bowel and couldn't attend school. The
former Peace Corps worker is Phyllis
Dodd, a graduate of Juniata College and
a member of University Park (Md.)
Church of the Brethren.
When Phyllis was a Peace Corps
worker in Marjory's village, she promised
the family to try to bring the child to the
States for corrective surgery. After return-
ing home, Phyllis wrote to everyone she
remembered in the tiny town of dirt roads
and ramshackle huts, trying to get a
message through that she had not forgot-
ten Marjory and the promise made to that
family.
"Ever since I came back I've thought
about her," Phyllis said. "I promised Mar-
jory and her parents that I'd do what I
could to help."
Finally the letter arrived. "We
remember you — esF>ecially the child, Mar-
jory," her mother wrote. "I ask your help
in this situation, now that my daughter
has great illusion of being healthy hke her
friends. Marjory asks me all the time if I
have heard from you; she prays to God
that you don't forget her. Her wish is to
be like the rest of the girls."
When the Washington Post reported on
2 MESSENGER April 1983
Charles Lenker: God and the gridiron
When Charles Lenker talks football, he
doesn't talk about passing, rushing, or
strong side sweeps. Instead, Chuck talks
about healthy competition, physical
fitness as a gift from God, and reaching
out to high school students through
sports.
Chuck speaks this way because he has
two professions — part-time he is an assis-
tant high school football coach, but full-
time he is pastor at Newville (Pa.) Church
of the Brethren.
Coaching at Big Spring High School is
another way Chuck has brought sports in-
to his life. He played football in high
school but gave it up to work his way
through college. Since then Chuck has
coached girls' basketball and officiates
scholastic basketball and wrestling in addi-
tion to coaching football. He calls sports
a personal catharsis and a "creative,
positive outlet." But Chuck's real reason
for involvement in sports is the opportun-
ity to touch the lives of youth.
"My coaching has opened so many
doors of ministry to kids and parents in
the area." Chuck says. He and the other
coaches have tried hardest to reach kids
who are having academic problems or bad
home lives. "We've said to these kids,
'There's a way you can be somebody,' "
Chuck believes this is done by instilling
self-esteem in his players, and by teaching
them to be proud of what they have done
without the win-at-any-cost attitude.
Chuck tells his players that "win or lose
you have won personally because you
know you have given your best.
"For every team that wins," he con-
tinues, "one must lose. Our goal is to win,
but that's only a side issue to the bigger
goal to give our best and let the chips
fall."
Standing behind Chuck and his
coaching is the Newville congregation,
which gave its pastor's part-time job
unanimous approval. Chuck believes his
ministry has helped his church become
more a part of the community. Recently,
the Newville church invited placekicker
Mark Moseley and head coach Joe Gibbs
of the Washington Redskins as Sunday
morning speakers and welcomed the
whole community. (The Redskins hold
pre-season workouts in nearby Carlisle.)
Chuck's football ministry has even
resulted in some unexpected
pubhcity — news stories in local papers,
USA Today, and the major wire services.
But Chuck isn't interested in all the
publicity — he just wants to keep passing
on the work of God. — J. A.B.
Phyllis' efforts to keep her promise to
help Marjory, the Washington-based Mar-
riott Corporation, the University Park
Church of the Brethren, and many in-
dividuals responded. As a result, Marjory
traveled to Dallas with her father and
aunt, where she and Phyllis were reunited
in a joyful meeting that was a prelude to
a new life for the girl.
Marriott's only condition in their offer
of assistance was that Marjory be part of
the grand opening of their new hotel at
the Dallas-Ft. Worth airport. Most hotel
openings consist of a large public relations
campaign, but the company decided that
for this hotel they wanted to do
something significant that would lead a
foreign child to a new and better life.
At the Grand opening, Marjory was
presented with a little gold locket with her
name and the date engraved on the back.
It is a tradition ahat the "Key of the Mar-
riott be disposed of in order that the
motel /hotel never be closed."
Inside the locket was a tiny gold key to
take home with her— a key to open doors
to a new and better life. During the
ceremony, Marjory's father stood in front
of those assembled and said in Spanish
that only God can repay someone for the
generosity of the gift given to Marjory.
Now both Marjory and Phyllis share
the joy of a promise fulfilled. — Phillip
K. Bradley
Phillip K. Bradley is pastor of the University Park
Church of the Brethren in Hyattsville, Md.
April 1983 messenger 3
Christian educators
hold first conference
Meeting at a February professional growth
event, 27 Christian educators engaged in
intensive Bible study, discussion, and
reflection. The occasion was the first con-
ference of CoBACE, the Church of the
Brethren Association of Christian Educa-
tors, and their aim was "thinking theologi-
cally about life in the faith community."
Primary leadership for the event was
provided by Verna J. Dozier, Bible
scholar and consultant from Washington,
D.C. She works closely with the Alban In-
stitute and has published several of her
works.
Dozier led the group in three sessions of
"doing theology," using a combination of
lecture, Bible study, individual reflection,
small-group discussion, and large-group
sharing. Her objectives, she said, were for
participants to be able to more clearly
identify the action of God in their lives,
to use in increased measure the Bible as a
resource for ministry, and to develop their
abilities to learn from and to teach one
another.
Theology is not simply something done
by scholars in libraries, she stressed, but
"theology is making sense out of life in
terms of one's ultimate realities." In Chris-
tian education, "the point is to get people
to ask the question to which the Gospel is
the answer."
Conference participants seemed to
relate well to her style of teaching. "It's
been a great stretching kind of
experience," said Ron Beachley at the end
of her last session.
"Even though it's not the nuts and bolts
of what I do back home," said June
Miller Gibble, "it's good to get together as
people of like professions to reflect, to do
theology."
Dona Kensinger, Julie Hosteller, and Ken Wenger examine a passage ofSchplure during a
small-group session at the CoBACE conference. Below left: Bible scholar Verna Dozier.
Stockholders focus on
halting nuclear arms
A record 115 church-related agencies and
individuals — including the Church of the
Brethren — have filed shareholder resolu-
tions with 19 major US corporations to
urge them to reconsider their activities
related to nuclear and chemical weapons.
The 22 resolutions relate to the nuclear
freeze, missiles, nuclear weapons produc-
tion, biochemical weapons, and military
contracts. They will be considered at cor-
porate annual meetings beginning Feb. 9.
The shareholders represent more than
850,000 shares worth some $42.2 million,
and the action is coordinated by the Inter-
faith Center for Corporate Responsibility
(ICCR), an agency related to the National
Council of Churches.
The Church of the Brethren has been
key in the action against the Monsanto
Corporation, which operates the Mound
facility in Miamisburg, Ohio. A notewor-
thy step in that endeavor was a special
meeting on Dec. 27 between two represen-
tatives of the Church of the Brethren,
Robert Neff and Velma Shearer; and
John W. Hanley, chairman of the board,
along with other company representatives.
In the one-and-a-half-hour meeting,
Neff urged Hanley to consider seriously
his moral responsibility as chairman of a
company that manufacturers parts for
nuclear weapons. Neff also gave Hanley a
copy of Jonathan Schell's book The Fate
of the Earth.
Following is a list of the corporations
facing shareholder action.
Nuclear weapons production. Fifty-
eight filers are asking AT&T not to renew
its contract to manage the Sandia Na-
tional Laboratories in New Mexico, a
facility for research and development of
nuclear weapons technology.
Ten owners of Union Carbide stock
have filed a resolution commending the
corporation for withdrawing from opera-
tion of the Y-12 plant in Oak Ridge,
Tenn.
Eight groups, including the Church of
the Brethren, are asking the Monsanto
Corporation not to renew its contract with
the government to produce essential com-
ponents for nuclear weapons at its Mound
Facility, Miamisburg, Ohio. The annual
meeting is April 22.
Identical resolutions filed with the
Allied Corporation and its newly acquired
subsidiary, Bendix Corporation, ask the
board of directors to convene a special
meeting to consider ethical and economic
implications of producing essential non-
nuclear components for nuclear warheads
at a plant in Kansas City, Mo.
Six agencies have filed a resolution with
Rockwell International, which manufac-
tures explosive components for all US
nuclear weapons.
4 MESSENGER April 1983
Biochemical weapons. Resolutions have
been filed with four chemical firms com-
mending them for not producing chem-
icals intended for use as components in
biochemical weapons and requesting their
boards to formulate a policy prohibiting
future contracts to work on such com-
ponents. The four companies are Shell Oil
Company, Allied Corporation, Standard
Oil Company of California, and PPG
Industries.
Military contracts. Shareholders are
asking four corporations among the top
30 contractors with the US Department of
Defense to formulate social, economic,
and ethical criteria for management to use
in considering military-related contracts.
The corporations are Singer Company, In-
ternational Business Machines, Tenneco
Inc., and Texas Instruments.
Nuclear freeze. Both General Electric
and Du Pont De Nemours have been ask-
ed to support a bilateral nuclear freeze by
adopting a policy to neither accept nor
renew contracts involved with develop-
ment or production of nuclear weapons.
Missiles. Filers are approaching GTE,
TRW, General Dynamics, and McDonnell
Douglass Corporation about their in-
volvements with two missile systems— the
cruise missile and the MX.
Mediation workshop set
for prior to Conference
Planners of a pre-Annual Conference
workshop on mediation and reconciliation
hope the event will spark increased activi-
ty denomination-wide.
The relatively brief event won't provide
comprehensive training, says Larry
Hoover, of Harrisonburg, Va. But those
who take part will "learn handles on how
to take the whole thing back to their con-
gregations."
Ron Kraybill, of the Mennonite Central
Committee, will give major leadership.
The agenda for Monday evening through
Tuesday evening includes an overview of
conflict resolution techniques, demonstra-
tion of roleplaying, hands-on small-group
work, slide shows and videotape on vic-
tim/offender reconciliation, and a panel
of experienced people to share their ac-
tivities.
Basically, the workshop has a "what
can I do" theme, says Hoover. Many of
the resource people will be Brethren, but
Mennonites and Quakers will be involved
as well.
For more information, contact Chuck
Boyer, peace consultant, 1451 Dundee
Ave., Elgin, IL 60120.
Church denies IRS for
tax-withholding pastor
Peace Church of the Brethren, in
Portland, Ore., has voted unanimously to
refuse to comply with an Internal Revenue
Service effort to collect war taxes owed by
pastor Rick Ukena.
The congregation also voted to issue a
public statement explaining the decision,
and to raise funds to pay any fine arising
from noncompliance with the IRS.
Ukena and his wife, Twyla Wallace,
have withheld taxes since 1977, and the
government has seized the money each of
those years. IRS actions against war tax
protesters have become speedier and more
severe under the Reagan Administration,
and this year a levy was imposed against
the church.
After a committee explored alternatives
with an attorney and with Chuck Boyer,
Church of the Brethren peace consultant,
a special congregational meeting was held
to consider the options.
"Most inspiring was the way the church
took it on without my insistence," said
Ukena. "People were really trying to
discern the Spirit."
Earlier this year, Prince of Peace
church in South Bend, Ind., voted to
comply with an IRS order regarding pas-
tor Louise Rieman (see February, page 7).
Ukena was a conscientious objector in
1970 and says tax resistance has become a
way of life for him. "I would encourage
people to not take the action," he cau-
tioned, "unless they're aware of what
they're doing."
"It was a really scary decision at first,"
he added. "We really prayed and talked to
others and read the Bible to determine
what was right. It's nice to fear God more
than the IRS."
Digest and '60 Minutes'
hit NCC, WCC again
Twenty-three US church leaders, including
Robert Neff, general secretary of the
Church of the Brethren, have issued a
statement condemning a recent "60
Minutes" program. The CBS program,
aired Jan. 23, linked the National and
World Councils of Churches with armed
revolution and support of Communism.
The signers of the statement also de-
nounced a January Reader's Digest article
that accused the NCC of funding Marxist-
Leninist movements.
Both media attacks drew heavily upon
information and personnel from the In-
stitute for Religion and Democracy, a
small, conservative, Washington-based
organization.
The World Council of Churches, based
in Geneva, Switzerland, declined to issue
a formal reply, referring instead to the
responses of its US member churches. But
the WCC's communications director, John
Bluck, wrote to "60 Minutes" executive
producer Don Hewitt and criticized the
program as "pre-judged."
The WCC did issue a point-by-point
rebuttal to a Reader's Digest article last
August, and the NCC has issued similar
responses to both the January Digest arti-
cle and "60 Minutes." These documents
are available from the Church of the
Brethren General Offices.
In the month following the January
Digest article, the NCC has received more
than 5,100 requests for the rebuttals. This
is the largest number of letters received on
any single subject in the history of the
council, according to J. Warren Day, ex-
ecutive director of the office of informa-
tion. More than 95 percent of the requests
have been either neutral or positive.
Following the "60 Minutes" program,
Newsweek, US News and World Report,
and the National Catholic Reporter were
among weekly publications that examined
the breadth of NCC programs. Newsweek
called the earlier pieces "overwrought at-
tack(s), mixing innuendo, misleading
statements and selective quotes from NCC
documents to buttress charges by conser-
vative Christians that ecumenical Pro-
testants may be 'supporting revolution in-
stead of religion.' "
In addition to many religious and
denominational magazines, the major wire
services and more than 100 newspapers
have run articles about the controversy.
April 1983 messenger 5
Evangelism Committee
produces statement
The Evangelism Strategy Committee has
completed the first step in its task by
hammering out a brief statement on
evangelism (see text in box accompanying
this article). The statement is not an of-
ficial policy or position paper, but is
rather the basis from which the committee
will plan strategy.
The group is quick to point out that
this statement is qualified as being
"related to the concerns for denomina-
tional growth," and should be taken in
that context.
The fairly new committee was formed
as a result of an Annual Conference direc-
tive on church growth, and is chaired by
Paul E.R. Mundey. It expects to have a
strategy for evangelism ready to present to
the October General Board meeting.
In approaching the subject of church
growth and evangelism, the committee is
attempting to work within the perspective
of the denomination's world mission
philosophy and its peace and justice con-
cerns.
To study various styles of evangelism in
preparation for forming strategy, the
group has met with a number of outside
consultants. Providing counsel at the
February meeting was Dr. George Hunter,
former evangelism executive for the
United Methodist Church and newly ap-
pointed dean of the E. Stanley Jones
School of World Mission.
Peace church TV spot
reissued in January
"Another Way," a 60-second award-
winning TV spot first released in 1971,
was reissued to stations in late January.
Produced by the Church of the Brethren,
the Mennonite Church, and the General
Conference Mennonite Church, the spot is
intended to encourage public discussion of
the prosecution of nonregistrants for the
draft, nuclear disarmament, and increased
military spending.
The reissuing of "Another Way" is
timely in light of recent convictions of
both Brethren and Mennonite
nonregistrants and the current wave of
support for a freeze of nuclear weapons.
The film emphasizes family separation
caused by war and preparation for war.
Those interested in placing the spot on
An understanding of evangelism
for the Church of the Brethren
as related to the concerns for denominational growth
The message of evangelism is the Good News of Jesus Christ and his kingdom.
It proclaims a Christ who lived, died, and rose again so that we might be
cleansed from sin and be born again by the Holy Spirit as citizens of the
kingdom of God. It calls us to repent and to personally receive Jesus
Christ as Lord and Savior.
This means reconciliation to God, to ourselves, to other people, and
to the whole of creation. It means a commitment to follow Jesus Christ
both personally and corporately — in the ways of the kingdom of God. It
means to turn away from violence and oppression and to walk in the
ways of Christ's peace and justice.
The context of evangelism is the broader service and witness of the church.
Authentic evangelism is never done in isolation. It is always done as a
part of the church's total life and mission.
The focus of evangelism is in activities that give people opportunities to discover
and receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and to covenant with him
and his church.
The goal of evangelism is to persuade people to become disciples of Jesus
Christ, responsible members of his church, and servants within his
kingdom. As followers after Christ, they will engage in his mission of
peace, justice, and evangelization. They will communicate the Good
News with enthusiasm as witnesses of the kingdom of God, which is
both present and yet to come.
local stations can call Brethren Broadcast
Ministries (703-433-9788) to see if stations
in their area have received the spot or to
obtain a print to take to local stations.
Board, district staff
tender resignations
Four General Board and district staff
members have announced their resigna-
tions effective later this year.
Matthew M. Meyer will end 14 years of
service on the Parish Ministries staff on
Aug. 12. Currently he works half-time as
PMC staff for spiritual life and half-time
as Annual Conference manager, and he
has resigned from both positions.
Meyer joined the staff in 1969 after 13
years as pastor of the Glendale (Calif.)
congregation. His original duties were
with community activities, evangelism,
and youth work. In the early 1970s, he
helped reestablish National Youth Con-
ference.
An experienced musician and
songwriter, Meyer plans to run workshops
for local churches on meditative prayer,
evangelism training, and enriching wor-
ship services. He is also considering a
part-time pastorate.
Fred W. Swartz has resigned, effective
Aug. 31, to assume a pastorate at the
Manassas (Va.) church.
He joined the staff in 1978 as editor of
Agenda and book editor for The Brethren
Press, and has also worked with
Messenger as features editor and book
reviewer. In 1979 he added to his duties
the coordination of the newly formed
communications/stewardship team.
Previously, Swartz served 17 years in
the pastoral ministry, including pastorates
at Summerdean (Roanoke, Va.) church
and Harrisburg First (Pa.) church.
Harold Z. Bomberger will retire from
the position of district executive for
Atlantic Northeast District effective Oct. 8.
Bomberger became district executive in
1971 after II years as pastor at the
McPherson (Kan.) congregation.
Previously he served as pastor of con-
gregations in Annville and Allentown,
Pa., and Westminster, Md., and as
Eastern regional secretary.
Bomberger is a former Annual Confer-
ence moderator. He has served on the An-
nual Conference Central Committee, Stand-
ing Committee, the Brotherhood Leader-
ship Consultant Committee, and on district
6 MESSENGER April 1983
board both as member and as moderator.
He has also worked as editorial associate
for the Gospel Messenger.
Anita Metzler, program coordinator for
Northern Indiana District, has resigned
her position effective May 3 1 .
Metzler has held that post for five
years, and has also served nine months as
Harold Bamberger
Anita Metzler
interim district executive. Her previous
district experience has been extensive. She
was a member of the district board for
five years, including IVi years as chair-
woman; worked with the district women's
fellowship; and served with her husband,
John Metzler Jr., as district youth
counselor.
Metzler has no plans for future employ-
ment, planning instead to spend more
time as a grandmother. She will continue
to work with district conference through
the end of summer.
rShowalters retire from
Nigeria mission woric
Marion and Dora Showalter of Empire,
Calif., have retired after 19 years of mis-
sionary service in Nigeria.
The Showalters spent their entire mis-
' sionary career at Garkida, where Marion
operated the mission maintenance shop.
! He was in charge of all mission motors,
' short-wave radios, and generators, and
was an expert at keeping the balkiest piece
of equipment operating. Dora served as
station hostess and occasionally handled
I logistics for major groups of visitors, in-
j eluding several tour groups from the US.
I The Showalters left Nigeria in late
! March, returning home through East
[ Africa. They will resettle in Empire, Calif.
mmi
ASSISTING IN AFRICA
For the second time, N. Eugene and
Anne Petry of the Eastwood congregation, Akron, Ohio, have
volunteered a month to do dental work in Nigeria. Eugene,
a dentist, cared for students and related mission staff at
Hillcrest school, and Anne, a school administrator, served
as dental assistant. . . . Albert and Louise Gray , of the
Brook Park church, Cleveland, Ohio, are teaching for two
years in Mogadishu, Somalia, through the Eastern Mennonite
Board of Missions. Albert, an economics professor at Bald-
win-Wallace College, is serving at the National Technical
Teacher Education College, and Louise, an adult basic educa-
tion teacher, teaches English and literacy.
PEOPLE IN POLITICS
Raymond Musselman of the Mexico
(Ind.) congregation has been reelected to the Indiana State
House of Representatives. . . . Vernon Conrad , a lay leader
in the Reedley (Calif.) church, has been elected to a four-
year term as a superv:j.sor for Fresno County. . . . Glenn
Oxender , a schoolteacher from the Florence (Mich.) church,
has been elected to the Michigan House of Representatives.
NAMES IN THE NEWS
Jim Tice of the Ridgeway Community
church, Harrisburg, Pa., received an "Outstanding Perform-
ance Award" for his work as Protestant chaplain at the State
Correctional Institution at Camp Hill. He was cited for
developing and coordinating inmate organizations, teaching,
and producing religious shows with inmate casts. Jim is
also part of the interim pastoral team at Ridgeway. . . .
Both ministers at Manchester church. North Manchester, Ind.,
have added responsibilities. Pastor David Rogers has been
named to the National Mental Health Board; he is currently
president of the Indiana State Mental Health Organization.
Kathy Gingrich, minister of Christian nxirture, is the new
chairwoman of the Outdoor Ministries Steering Committee of
the Church of the Brethren.
ELGIN INTERNS
Jerry Peterson finished a four-month
internship in the marketing department of The Brethren Press
in March. He will graduate from Bethany Theological Seminary
in June, and plans to take a job with C-4 Resources in Cham-
paign, 111., in July. . . . Tom Wagner , a 1982 graduate of
Manchester College, has begun a one-year internship in the
Brethren Historical Library and Archives. A member of the
Agape church. Fort Wayne, Ind., he was a political science
and peace studies major.
REMEMBERED . . . Julian Gladden Griggs, who died Feb. 14
in Tippecanoe, Ind., of lung cancer. Most recently he was
director of an area CETA program in Indiana. Earlier church
involvements included directing a volunteer service project
of the Church of the Brethren and the Florida Council of
Churches at migrant camps in Florida, and working in peace
education and post-war relief services on the national staff.
. . . Jaime Weigle , who died Oct. 2 in Hershey, Pa., at age 17.
Jaime's bout with brain cancer was transformed into a ministry
of music and education about dealing with youthful victims of
cancer (see April 1981 and April 1982) .
April 1983 messenger 7
y[p)(al(§]te
IN THE CITY . . . The Urban Network Steering Committee has
created a plan to match up Brethren skilled in urban minis-
try with urban churches that request help. In the February
meeting with Rene Calderon, General Board staff for urban
ministries, the committee also made plans for its Annual
Conference insight session with guest leader James Forbes of
Union Theological Seminary. Any churches that are responding
to unemployment, local hunger, or housing needs are asked to
notify committee chairwoman Chris Michael, 5535 E. 46th Street,
Indianapolis, IN 46226.
COLLEGIATE CONFERENCE . . . The six Brethren colleges and
Bethany Theological Seminary held a joint meeting Feb. 2 at
American University in Washington, D. C. Robert W. Neff,
general secretary, delivered the keynote speech, and Paul W.
Hoffman, president of McPherson College and moderator of the
1983 Annual Conference, was master of ceremonies.
SENIOR STUDENTS
Bridgewater , Juniata and Manchester
Colleges are sponsoring summer education programs for people
60 years of age and older through the Elderhostel program.
Bridgewater will offer three courses: "Summer flora of the
Shenandoah Valley," "The people called the Brethren," and
"The Civil War in the East." Juniata's Elderhostel program
is the third largest in Pennsylvania, and consists of five
one-week sessions with three courses offered each week. Man-
chester's Chautauqua program is joining Elderhostel this year,
and is offering "In the beginning, the good earth," "Getting
to know the Plain People," and "Arts and ideas." Over 600
institutions participate in the Elderhostel program, which
began in New Hampshire and is inspired by European youth
hostels and folk schools.
' GANDHI ' GUIDE ... The monumental film "Gandhi," produced
by Columbia Pictures, has been highly acclaimed and recommended
by Brethren leaders. For those interested in using the film
as a basis for group discussion about nonviolence, a 12-page
viewer's guide is available from Cultural Information Service,
P.O. Box 92, New York, NY 10156. Cost is $1.50 for 1-10
copies, $1.25 for 11-25, and $1 for 26-100.
VILLAGE VOICES
Residents of the Brethren Village , Neffs-
ville. Pa., took to the stage in December to present the play
"A Christmas Conversation." The play was the story of the
intermingled lives of retirement home residents and the prob-
lems they faced in aging. Marilyn Sanko , volunteer coordinator
at the village, was director, and Inez Long, free-lance writer
and former high school English teacher, wrote the play. Her
husband, John, was pastor at the Lancaster church for 25 years.
MILESTONES ... The Hagerstown (Md.) church is celebrating
its centennial with a different event every month of the year.
One of the big events is a Homecoming Sunday with former
pastors returning to visit. . . . The Children' s Aid Society
of Southern Pennsylvania District is celebrating its 70th
anniversary Also in Southern Pennsylvania, the Brethren
Home in New Oxford is marking its 75th year.
8 MESSENGER April 1983
BVS/BRF
by Judd Blouch
Twenty-four years ago, a group of
Brethren met to discuss their dismay with
the direction of the church. In their view,
the Church of the Brethren was heading
toward socialism and humanism, and
away from New Testament teachings. Out
of this meeting grew the Brethren Revival
Fellowship (ERF).
BRF has striven to strengthen the
church by representing and defending con-
servative viewpoints. The group's dif-
ferences with "mainstream" Brethren have
not created the rift feared by some
Brethren — both inside and outside the
BRF. Rather, the BRF has participated in
many denominational programs, and the
General Board has accepted BRF as a
viable voice for many conservative
Brethren. In fact, BRF members have
been on the General Board, including
present member James Myer, who is a
1983 candidate for Annual Conference
moderator-elect.
One way the BRF and the General
Board work together is through special
Brethren Volunteer Service (BVS) units.
These units are open to BRF supporters
and other Christians sympathetic to a
BRF perspective.
Many conservative churches had
become disenchanted with BVS, according
to Samuel Cassel, BRF chairman and a
minister in the White Oak congregation
(Manheim, Fa.). Some members of these
churches were returning from a year of
volunteer service with less faith and more
doubts.
A major reason why many volunteers
were having difficulty in BVS was the
stress of cultural shock: They left tightly
knit, rural communities and entered alien
environments, often without a support
group.
"Instead of changing the world, they
were just getting swallowed by the world,"
says Cassel.
The creation of special orientation units
was negotiated by BRF representatives
and Willard Dulabaum, then director of
volunteer personnel development for BVS.
"I wanted to see BVS include persons of
varying perspectives," said Dulabaum. "I
believed BRF had the right to participate
Cooperative volunteering
in BVS on terms it could accept."
To accomplish this, Dulabaum pro-
posed that a unit be established with a
mutually agreed-upon leader. All re-
quirements for a BVS unit were to be ful-
filled, but the BRF was free to advocate
its own views of Christianity. The negotia-
tion process was difficult at points,
according to Dulabaum, but also worth-
while and immensely satisfying for him.
In a BRF/BVS orientation unit,
volunteers are surrounded by people from
unit in 1976. Since then Carl and Verna
Zuck of the Midway congregation,
Lebanon, Pa., have served as directors,
except for the 1981 unit led by Horace
and Dorothy Wanner. BVS screens ap-
plicants, supplies funds, and provides a
volunteer assistant from the BVS team to
aid in leadership. BRF controls the con-
tent of the orientation.
In terms of topics and scheduling, BRF/
BVS units are similar to regular BVS
units. The unit at Camp Swatara included
Susan Wenger (center), a member of the most recent BVS /BRF unit, raises a question with
Samuel Cassel, chairman of the Brethren Revival Fellowship, and his wife, Miriam.
similar backgrounds and are chal-
lenged—but not disturbed — by session
leaders. On project, volunteers live in
family units, assured of support and
guidance in times of depression or doubt.
Not all conservative Brethren join
BVS/BRF units. Many go through regular
orientation, adding a helpful dimension to
the variety of personalities, philosophies,
and backgrounds that make up a BVS
unit.
The most recent BRF/BVS unit, held at
Camp Swatara in Pennsylvania Jan. 7-28,
was the eighth such unit. Fred Beam, a
missionary in Kenya, directed the first
sessions on relationships, Brethren history
and personal theology, peace and
nonresistance, and BRF goals and values.
Except for the last topic, all these ses-
sions might be found in a regular BVS
orientation unit. But the treatment is
much different: The brochure for the
BRF/BVS unit calls for orientation "in a
context where conservative evangelical
Christian beliefs are taught and ad-
vocated." The Bible is used heavily in the
sessions as the final word on faith and
conduct. This differs from regular BVS
units, where it is common to use secular
texts in addition to the Bible and other
religious material.
Styles of teaching and learning are also
different. Leaders in the BRF units fre-
quently employ the lecture and discussion
method, with volunteers occasionally tak-
ing notes. Sessions in regular BVS units
are usually more given to open discussion
and less lecturing. Volunteers' enthusiasm
for many of the topics, however, is a
common characteristic of the two types of
units. Guest leaders are often collared
after the session for one-on-one talks.
The conservative content and disci-
plined nature of the sessions are not
forced upon BRF volunteers. They come
into the special units well aware of the
emphasis. "I would have felt uncomfor-
table in another unit," says Susan
Wenger, a member of the White Oak con-
gregation in the most recent unit. "But I
would not have compromised my views."
Scott Haldemann, a member of the
Chiques congregation, Manheim, Pa.,
considered joining BVS through a BRF
unit, but chose a regular unit instead. He
says the independence and variety of a
regular BVS unit appealed to him.
"I felt pretty established in my views,
but I wanted to see what some other peo-
ple were thinking," Haldeman says.
Once a volunteer has gone through an
enriching orientation, however, there are
still 11 months of service ahead. This is
the true test of the volunteer, and BRF
has not neglected it.
Family units have been established to
help the volunteer get through the re-
mainder of a year of service. This unit
consists of a married couple, who serve as
house parents, and several volunteers, all
living, eating, and sleeping under the same
roof. This not only creates a support
group, but also recreates the kind of fami-
ly environment in which many of the
volunteers have been raised.
At the end of a year of service, a BRF
volunteer will probably have experienced
many of the same joys and hardships as a
BVSer from a regular unit. An in-service
retreat will join BRF volunteers with those
from regular units for a few days of fun
and refiection on their year to date. Here
the two groups of volunteers .discover
their similarities, and a common desire to
grow while serving others. D
April 1983 messenger 9
£fl5T£R P£OPL£
Read Mark 16:1-8.
My schedule for preparing an Easter
message one year was interrupted by a trip
that I understand faces many people. I
had lost a hubcap to a winter pothole, so
I was making my way to a salvage yard.
The attendant directed me out back
where I was to find a pile of used hubcaps
under a large tree. "Good luck" was her
sendoff.
It had been years since I had visited
such an establishment, and I soon
discovered that my vested suit and good
tie were out of place. Oil pumps, axles,
rims, and parts of every description lay
about the yard. The day was chilly and
the skies were overcast. The whole scene
was rather dreary.
I paused long enough to begin reflecting
on the meaning of all this. Lifeless hulks
of autos lay all about. Used parts of all
descriptions, discarded by owners, were
piled according to kind. This gloomy
spot, I thought, is no worse than
Golgotha or, for that matter, the
graveside at the tomb offered by Joseph
of Arimathea.
Standing there a bit longer in my Sun-
day clothes, I had to ask myself even fur-
ther, "How can we discover Easter?" Is it
possible for life to come out of the death-
hke hulks that lie before us? Amid the
discards, is there anything of value?
Was Golgotha any less dismal and
Easter hope any less real that first Easter
morn? What happens to a people who do
discover Easter? Does that discovery shed
any hope when life seems dismal and in
disarray?
Three women go to the tomb in this
very context. Hopes are dashed. Worst
fears of those last days are crying out with
bitter confirmation. Burial rites call for
the necessary— but certainly not chosen —
task of anointing the body. The women's
minds are filled with troubled questions.
We can only imagine what it was like to
awaken that morn. Or can we?
Newsweek recently carried an article on
the poorest of the poor. There is now a
class of "permanent poor" who have lived
so long on the edge of society that a
lifelong dependency seems almost in-
evitable. When human beings become
discards, where is Easter hope?
We live in a society where permanent
values seem to give way to momentary
fulfillment. Where is Easter hope?
Some give up on the church, saying it
seems outmoded and useless. Where is
Easter hope?
A week or so later as I still pondered
such questions, a word from a package
caught my eye: disposable. Disposable! In
our society, do we throw away that which
is precious? People? Values? The church?
Is that why all the discards? I thought
again of those women going to the tomb.
A dynamic, life-reversing discovery hap-
pens there. The stone is rolled back. A
young man dressed in white delivers an
awesome message: "Do not be amazed;
you seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was
crucified. He has risen, he is not here. See
the place where they laid him."
There is astonishment, trembling, and
fright. A new message has been brought
in the midst of disarray and despair. The
women are told to go and tell his disciples
that the risen Lord goes before them.
Mark's Gospel is really all about this
discovery. Mark is continually looking at
signs of victory: The possessed have been
liberated; the sick are healed; the hungry
are fed; those who had lost meaning in
life discover words of truth.
But then we are presented with that
larger issue, that larger kingdom. On
Easter death is vanquished. The discovery
of Easter is that we are redeemed by the
life and death of One who goes before us
to reclaim us at each point in the road.
What a discovery!
Silhouetted in the background of
Mark's Gospel are three women, almost
unnoticed to this point. Here are people
who followed, who had the courage to
stand, even if afar, as he was crucified.
Now the discovery comes to them: "He is
risen. He is not here."
The discovery comes not to the wise,
the up-and-coming, or even to the closest
of friends, but to those who silently
served, and it leaves them with a message
that cannot be contained. "He goes before
you." Here is a promise to carry them on.
We are an Easter people.
We often see discarded pop bottles ly-
ing along the highway. Many of us pass
them by. But the enterprising youngster
stops to inspect those bottles for the word
"redeemable" on the back. What seems
worthless is in fact valuable.
Redeemable. The discovery of Easter is
to realize that the stamp of "redeemable"
is already on our lives, and it is to ex-
perience that God in Christ has stretched
out in love, affirmed our value to him,
and reclaimed us.
Proclaimers! Reclaimers! What un-
paralleled joy to discover the Easter news,
to tell of it, and finally to act upon it.
^at joq b discover th^ faskr
10 MESSENGER April 1983
og David S Moung
The dead has come back to life. What
was lost is reclaimed as valuable. We
discover that his presence will meet us in
our coming. Is not the discovery of Easter
that new life can be breathed back into
otherwise discarded and useless forms?
The used can be stamped "salvageable."
That is a message to proclaim! That is a
message to be acted upon.
Proclaimers! Whoever discovers Easter
sees potential in the discards. Are we not
the salvage company of a world grown
cynical and depressed? He is not here. He
is risen! He goes before you. No matter
how cluttered the graveyard seems, there
is an empty tomb.
How can we proclaim "salvageable" to
people who are in the midst of panic and
distress? I know a group of young people
who want to improve their grades and
themselves. They have begun meeting
together and are building a new self-
esteem through a process of sharing
thoughts and guidance with each other.
Words of hope, words of encouragement,
words of love can start the gentle process
of building self-confidence and renewed
self-respect.
The context of Christian love can begin
with words. Words spoken over the
pulpit, over coffee, over the dinner table.
Words spoken at the shop, in the beauty
parlor, at the supermarket. Words of
hope, words of Easter! He goes before
you to meet you in the midst. We are the
Easter people to carry those words!
Reclaimers! For if proclaimers, then
reclaimers. With word comes deed. It is
within the power of the church to see the
possibilities in the discarded. Such a sen-
sitivity is beautifully expressed by the
Quakers' seeing a bit of the Divine in each
person. They have a unique understanding
of the individuality and worth of each
person. Our calling orders are to convey
and work together with others to discover
and live out this worth.
I have heard people tell how being
drawn into the church family has trans-
formed their marriage. People with severe
health problems have reported a new
sense of wellness and wholeness through
living in the context of love and accept-
ance. People who felt they had nothing to
offer can through the church find hidden
talents that express their service to the
highest purpose, Christ's kingdom. The
"He Is Risen, " by William Bouguereau
power of the Christian community is
tremendous and overwhelming!
Our task in the church is not necessarily
easy. But the discovery of Easter carries
with it such a hope, such a message, that
the task is ever before us.
We are to be an Easter people in a
disposable society. We are the salvage
workers whose hands and hearts are at
work in the Easter spirit. We are pro-
claimers and reclaimers. Glory! Amen! It
is Easter. D
David S. Young, a Church of the Brethren
minister, is an interim guidance counselor at Lancaster
Mennonite High School in Lancaster, Pa.
reujab y it bad on t
April 1983 messenger 11
One family's
ecumenism
by Marilyn Norquist
The Los Angeles audience of a thousand
Roman Catholics was applauding as if
they would never stop. Some were on
their feet. Their warmth surrounded a
couple in their 70s, standing in the midst
of them.
It wouldn't have been unusual except
that these two were born, raised, trained,
and the husband ordained in the Church
of the Brethren. They were strangers to
everyone in the delighted crowd. As I
stood by the podium watching Harry
Thomas and his wife. Dot, smile at the
crowd's enthusiasm, I marveled again at
the events that had brought us to this mo-
ment of heartiest ecumenism.
Harry and Dot Thomas are my parents,
for which I am daily grateful. Ecumenism
was hardly apparent, though, in 1973
when I decided to leave my membership
in the Church of the Brethren to become
Roman Catholic.
Even though I was 34 years old, when I
told them of my desire their silence was
heavy with feelings and questions. To
their everlasting credit, they soon spoke
them aloud: Why? Was the Church of the
Brethren being rejected? Were they being
rejected? Would I be estranged from
them? Would I become a nun? Was I just
romantic? Or distraught? Esp)ecially, what
12 MESSENGER April 1983
about my master's degree in Christian
education — would it ever again be
usable?
When I left them that day, I knew there
was a wound — and that I could do
nothing immediate about it. I loved them.
I could pray, and I did. So did they.
A few days later, my father said to
me, "You know, the only real trouble
I'm having with this is my own pride.
When I get that taken care of, I'll be
okay." Considering the weight of his
fatherly investment in me, as well as in
the Church of the Brethren, I still
marvel at his integrity and generosity of
heart. It did not surprise me, though. I
had, after all, grown up with it. It was
perhaps an expression of the old Dunker
convictions that honesty matters, that
one's word must be true, that one's
Christianity must be thorough.
Mother's struggle was just as open, but
in another area. She was afraid I would
turn into a stranger, that Catholics would
be cold and I wouldn't be loved enough.
Her own love for me held steady as it
always has. She prayed her way to peace,
for only time could answer her fears.
Yet it didn't take very long after all. A
few months later, at Easter time, they
joined me at Picture Rocks Retreat in
Arizona to be present for my reception in-
to the Catholic Church. The priests and
nuns there did not know what to expect
of this Brethren minister and his wife.
What fears, what resentments, what pre-
judices might they be bringing with them?
Nevertheless they welcomed Mom and
Dad warmly, eager to make them
comfortable and to ease whatever pain
might still be theirs. The priests especially
expressed their feeling that my decision
represented no "triumph," but a respon-
sibility and perhaps a gift. The meals we
all ate together were full of shared
laughter, crazy stories, and the kind of
fellowship that maybe only Christians
know. The welcoming party the priests
and sisters threw for me was nothing less
than uproariously joyful. The Thomases
were thrilled to find a warm community
open to them as well as to me.
There was shared worship. Easter
season liturgies are spectacular in the
Roman Catholic Church. In retrospect I
feel considerable sympathy for my parents
as they were plunged into this highest of
ritual experiences. Their first exposure was
the Good Friday service, which is full of
priestly prostrations, congregational kneel-
ings, and all kinds of very bodily symbolic
gestures.
Afterwards, Dad looked at me skep-
tically, asking, "You like that?" Oh, yes!
Ritual worship touches me deeply and
helps me to pray with my whole being.
'Truly, my Brethren friends, our family can
testify from experience that Christendom is
well past the time when Protestants and
Catholics must argue with or hold suspi-
cions against one another. Our family has
bridged the distance in our hearts, our ac-
tivities, even our bodies. *
But it need not have that effect on every-
one. It is so good that God has provided
different ways of coming to him for dif-
ferent temperaments and inclinations.
Happily for me, my parents know that
and live it.
On Saturday night, Easter eve, Catho-
lics gather at a late hour to celebrate the
Easter Vigil. The history of salvation is
reviewed through a series of biblical
readings. Their shared prayer is extended
to all churches, all Christians and other
reUgious groups, and all people in need.
Then as midnight arrives, the com-
memoration of Easter morning begins
with a grand chorus of "Glory to God!"
and a call to all Christians to "Exult in the
Lord!" The celebration is climaxed by the
eucharist (Last Supper and communion).
It was at this apex of the Christian year
that I was received into the Catholic
Church. My parents received communion
with the rest of us, to the joy of all
present.
In the years since that beginning, we all
have grown personally and spiritually. The
Thomases returned again and again to
Picture Rocks Retreat to visit me in my
job as administrative assistant. When they
came, there was always general happiness.
Dad built needed shelves and other
things around the place. He was often
asked to pray at meals. After one such
time, Father John Kane, himself a con-
templative priest of considerable depth,
expressed to me his appreciation of my
father's prayer. I grinned and said, "Well,
When Marilyn Norquist decided to leave
the Church of the Brethren and become
Roman Catholic, her Brethren parents were
distraught, but exposure to Marilyn's new
church family allayed their concerns.
Everyone grew personally and spiritually.
April 1983 messenger 13
Father, Protestants are raised with spon-
taneous prayer." He replied, "I know. But
it is always a Christian event when your
father prays."
Mother, too, helped out however she
could in kitchen and office, even doing
things not particularly to her liking,
because they were needed. The Brethren
heritage of service and helpfulness shone
brightly and was received gratefully by
everyone at the retreat.
Visitors were mostly Catholic, so they
found an opportunity to know a Protes-
tant minister and his wife. In turn. Mom
and Dad came to know some priests and
sisters as well as Catholic lay people.
Everyone enjoyed it. Everyone was en-
riched. And as time went along, oppor-
tunities came to me to use every bit of my
Protestant training and experience to serve
God and other people within the Catholic
framework. Truly in God's will nothing is
ever lost!
Among those opportunities is travel to
give workshops and seminars. That was
what brought us together in Los Angeles:
I to speak at the archdiocesan congress
(similar to a district conference), and my
parents to check out my work! After the
presentation, a priest asked — as many
across the country have asked — how my
Protestant, ministerial parents took it
when I became Roman Catholic. It was a
joy to tell the story. It was a double joy
to ask them to stand and receive loving
appreciation of their Christian hearts from
the Catholic crowd.
Truly, my Brethren friends, the
Thomases can testify from experience that
Christendom is well past the time when
Protestants and Catholics must argue with
or hold suspicions against one another.
Our family has bridged the distance in our
hearts, our activities, even our bodies. We
know that love and mutual joy are
waiting to be experienced in true
ecumenism.
Do we agree about everything across
that bridge? Of course not. Mom and
Dad are very Brethren. I am very
Catholic. But there is no need to agree at
all points. There is need to love Christ
together, to serve God alongside one
another, to offer and receive each other's
appreciation for the beauty of spirit we all
can have.
We must be singularly clear about who
we are. Then we can share. We can en-
courage one another to reach deeply into
our own traditions, to express fully the
particular gifts of the Spirit given in our
very differences. We can encourage one
another to deepen our Ufe of prayer by
every available means.
It was a poignant moment when those
thousand Catholics poured out their
hearts to Harry and Dot Thomas,
Brethren. It was wonderful to see them
surrounded afterward by people eager to
say something loving, something grateful
to them. It was even happier to realize
that they had earned such recognition by
living their Christianity where all could see
it and feel it.
What prevents each of us from doing the
same? If we do, then one day Jesus' own
prayer may be answered: "I do not pray for
these only, but also for those who believe
in me through their word, that they may all
be one; even as thou. Father, art in me,
and I in thee, that they also may be in
us ... " (John 17:20-21). D
Marilyn Norquisl, of Tucson, Ariz., is a freelance
writer /lecturer/ workshop faciliiaior in the fields of
Scripture and spirituality. She is pursuing doctoral
studies in spirituality at the Graduate Theological
Union. In private life, she is the wife of John Gustin.
14 MESSENGER April 1983
(g(o)D[ii][fin]^
by Carl E. Myers
Remembering Cuernavaca
I remember three neatly dressed young
women, no more than 21 years old, who
rested for a few minutes while 70 mostly-
clean children played in the dusty court-
yard of their school near Cuernavaca. The
students, ages 5 to 14, and some without
shoes, were in the kindergarten to second-
grade level.
Several distrist executives, some
spouses, and three General Board staff
members in December experienced eight
days of professional growth in central
Mexico. We attentively listened to the
three strikingly attractive teachers explain
their plight.
The school, built by some of the
8,000 villagers who live in dirt-floor
shacks without water and sanitation, has
three classrooms — two in a crude building
with open doorways and no windows,
and the other in a corrugated-steel lean-
to. The only supplies are chairs and
blackboards — no books, tablets, or
pictures. The toilets are shanties built
over the drainage ditch flowing through
the village. In marked contrast to the
meagerness, we noted the dedication of
these trained young teachers who are
willing to work without pay under these
conditions, while hoping that the govern-
ment will decide to recognize the school
and meet their responsibilites to teachers
and students.
I remember Angela, a village resident
for 14 years, who has children and grand-
children in the school of which she is very
proud. Her pleasant, one-room home con-
tains beds; a table; a few chairs; a
kerosene stove; and, surprisingly, a
refrigerator. Through an interpreter
Angela told of her life in the village, of
her hopes for eventual improved condi-
tions, of her fear of fire's striking the
closely constructed homes as it did a few
years ago when in a few minutes 17
shacks were lost. A boy of 10 entered the
room and removed colored ice cubes from
the refrigerator to sell to neighborhood
children — a modest business enterprise!
I remember the clay craftsman who
continues to produce pots using methods
which his father and grandfather used.
However, the potter prays that his sons
will find other occupations, for his life is
hard. His wares, marketed by others who
take most of the profit, earn him barely
enough to feed his family. His attempt to
join with other potters and form a
marketing cooperative failed when those
who felt threatened by this invaded their
shop and destroyed all their earthware.
I remember a textile worker, now
unemployed, who actively strives to im-
prove the lot of the laborers. While still
working, his efforts to mobilize fellow
employees to protest poor working condi-
tions and abuse by bosses prompted un-
fair charges of incompetency and later his
discharge. He and the others appealed to
the bishop whom they found to be recep-
tive and eventually supportive of their
cause. As a result, the man's casual par-
ticipation in the church changed to active
involvement; he became one of the lay
persons who maintained the parish pro-
gram during an 18-month period when
they had no priest. Concerning the obser-
vance of communion at that period, he
said the sensitive bishop told them, "1
cannot give you permission to celebrate
the Mass, but I will not tell you not to do
so!"
I remember Benjamin, a dynamic parish
leader, who feels the urgency to witness to
others, including his national leaders and
ours. That Sunday morning he very ably
opened the worship service until the priest
could arrive, leading us as might a layman
in the Church of the Brethren. Indeed,
but for some of the statuary, the crucifix,
and parts of the liturgy, it could have
been one of our churches with a sharing
time, children in the aisles, and the "Bat-
tle Hymn of the Republic."
I remember Father Enrique who
estimated that 5 percent of his 100,000
parishioners are active members of the
church. After challenging the church's old
priorities of idol worship and festivals
allowing wild drinking and gambling, and
after shifting emphasis to personal and
family nurture along with community ser-
vice, he was accosted and seriously
wounded by gunfire. After four months
of recuperation he asked the bishop to
reassign him to the parish, where he con-
tinues his effective ministry.
I remember an Indian farmer and his
wife who very graciously served our group
delicious tortillas at 4 o'clock in the after-
noon. He said, "I ate five for breakfast
and I am not yet hungry."
I remember a young deserter who
entered the Salvadoran army as a naive
boy but later fled after his company, as
part of training, was forced to watch the
torture and death of a teenage boy and
his younger sister accused of befriending
the enemy.
I remember two Salvadoran brothers
who sang of their family and friends' flee-
ing for their lives but being caught in free-
fire zones between armies that included
some of their friends.
I remember Protestants who, though
few in number, present an inspiring
witness.
1 remember the past Methodist bishop
who pointed up the key role of women in
a society where male leadership is promi-
nent.
I remember strangers who became
friends.
I remember foreigners who became
neighbors, n
Carl E. Myers is district executive of Illinois/
Wisconsin.
April 1983 messenger 15
Never say No to a glory
*Yes, we have this treasure. This treasure is so deep within that it
can never be removed. The treasure is a part of every cell in our
bodies and mysteriously it is also a part of us even when our bodies
die. We have met the treasure and it is us. Imprinted, ingrained,
ineradicable. I have a glory. I am a glory. '
by Frances C. Bowman
Have you ever locked your keys in your
car? Remember that old sick feeling in
your stomach that travels down to the tip
of your toes and back up to your flushed
face? Have you ever known that intense
flood of relief when you discover you left
the windows open a crack and the old
coat hanger method worked again? But
before you discovered the open window,
did you start calling yourself "stupid,"
"dumbbell," "idiot," or "fool"?
Or have you ever enrolled in a class for
the sole purpose of hearing one particular
lecturer, only to discover that you got the
schedule confused and went to hear the il-
lustrious lecturer a week after he spoke?
Did you panic? Did you lose sleep over
your "stupidity"?
Did you ever go to the grocery and pur-
chase all the things on the list, only to
discover that your spouse had also taken
the list and bought the same four bags of
groceries? Who yelled at whom? Or could
you laugh at that one?
How long do you carry your guilt
around? An hour? A day? A week? Or
for years? How many times did you tell
yourself, "But 1 shouldn't have done that!
I knew better! I should have known
better!"
How good are you at forgiving
yourself? How quickly do you put arms
of love around yourself and say, "Well, I
blew it that time; this isn't the first time
something like this has happened and it
won't be the last time. And I'm a decent
enough person that this one mistake won't
damn me forever." How quickly can you
say, "Well, I'm just like Pooh Bear, some-
times full of foolishness but nevertheless
infinitely lovable."
How well do you treat yourself?
Remember that Jesus' words were to "love
your neighbor as yourself. " Wash his skin
as though it were your own skin, brush
her hair as though it were your own hair,
lead your blindfolded neighbor on a trust
walk as gently and carefully as you would
want to be led. Feed your neighbor as
you'd like to be fed, adequately and
nutritiously, with love and acceptance
added, to change any simple food into a
veritable banquet.
Why aren't my neighbors, then, deeply
contented? Sure of step, hght of heart,
why doesn't gladness radiate from their
eyes, why does there not emanate from
their very beings a sense of calm and of
infinite well-being? My neighbor — why is
he anxiety-ridden, why does her frozen
smile cover a deep gloom, why do his
shoulders sag, why have her eyes lost their
sparkle? Why are human beings so unsure
of themselves?
I am loving my neighbor as I love
myself, am I not? Then why is she so
unhappy and discontent? Why is she
afraid of me — why does she hold me off
at arm's length? Because I am loving her
as I love myself.
But wait a minute now. Could that
possibly be the problem?
How much or how well do I love
myself? How much do I truly value
myself, cherish myself, treasure myself? I
have a wart on my index finger. Do I try
to hide it, or do I just playfully say that
that's part of what makes me me, a per-
son unique, one of a kind, a special
treasure?
My hair is thin and straight as a stick —
do I rail at the Creator for not giving me
a "nice" thick head of hair, or do I say,
"Well, that's my little thorn in the fiesh.
16 MESSENGER April 1983
My hair may be thin, but I've got thicic
royal blood in my veins because I'm a
daughter of a King. I'm royalty! I'm class,
because God doesn't make junk."
If I can't carry a tune in a bushel
basket, do I moan about my lack of
musical talent, or do I say, "That's one of
the things that makes me lovable — people
see that I'm not perfect and they aren't
afraid of me."
Now there is no way that I'm going to
love myself perfectly. And yet, if love
means, as Leslie Weatherhead once said,
"a sustained determination to show un-
breakable good will in order that the best
qualities in the person 'loved' may be
called forth," perhaps I can determine to
show good will toward myself. If loving is
an act of will and not a matter of feeling,
perhaps I can truly love myself and
perhaps we can give love even to ourselves
because we have first been given love.
If I burn the food does this mean that I
should have nothing to eat for a week? If
I tear my clothing does this mean that I
must go out into the bitter cold un-
clothed? In other words, if I make a
mistake, does that mean I am a mistake?
Saint Paul says, "For I do not do the
good that I want, but the evil I do not
want is what I do . . . Wretched man that
I am!" But he does not stop there. He
goes on to say there is "no condemnation
for those who are in Christ Jesus." If God
does not condemn me, then why do I con-
demn myself? Why can't I love myself
with the same kind of love that God
shows me? Surely God is a much better
judge of what is valuable than we are. If
he says I am lovable, then surely I must
be lovable.
Why this incessant argument with God?
I wonder. Why do we say, "Well, God, I
know you said your eye is on the sparrow,
but / know better. You don't really care
about sparrows at all." Or, "I know you
love the sparrows, but I know you don't
love people like you do sparrows — at least
there is one person whom you don't love,
and that person is me because I'm not
lovable."
Or maybe, "Yes, I know that the hairs
of the baby's head and the hairs of my
saintly old grandmother are numbered,
but the hairs of my head don't count.
You've taken the trouble to single me out
of all the billions of people on earth and
have made it a special point not to count
my hairs, because I am unworthy, am I
not? / have decided I am unworthy, and I
should know because I know myself as
creature better than you know me as
Creator. When you created me you really
didn't know what you were doing."
Our illogical reasoning goes on and on
to the point of being ridiculous. We keep
trying to trade places with God. We insist
on condemning, and condemning, and
condemning. We get some kind of
righteous kick out of punishing ourselves,
and take some kind of unholy,
blasphemous pride in telling God that we
know that he created a mess when he
created us.
I wonder if we do not do this to our-
selves because we have such a distorted
view of what treasure really is. The Bible
says, "We have this treasure in earthen
vessels." I wonder if it is not equally true
that "we are this treasure."
Your son may become involved with the
law, or drugs, or play around loosely with
sex, but he is still your son, your child,
flesh of your flesh, bone of your bone,
spirit of your spirit, and he remains in-
finitely lovable even though he may break
your heart over and over again.
Likewise I am a child of a king, flesh of
his flesh, bone of his bone. He gave me
the gift of life, and in some inexplicable
way he "loves" me. Has he not created me
but Uttle lower than the angels, and
crowned me with glory and honor? So
that means I have a glory. Maybe it
means I am a glory. I think it does mean
just that. I am also honorable. That
makes me an honor to him and to myself.
Try calUng yourself names again. But
this time, borrow God's eyes when you
look through the dictionary. Try
"beautiful." Remember that
Michelangelo's "David" was once a hunk
of marble. Try loving yourself into a
"David." Try "beloved." Doesn't that fit
well? Feel good? Try "joy." Doesn't that
ring well in your heart? Try "blessing."
That's what you are to the world. Try
"elegant." That's how you look to God.
Or try saying to God, "Just as I am,
here I am. Do you want me?" His mighty
Yes will blow you off your feet. The earth
will shake beneath you. A glorious rain-
bow will appear in the heavens.
For you will have come Home! After
wandering in the far country of self-
hatred and self-loathing, you have come
to yourself and have come home to the
Father. He doesn't care how many other
sons and daughters he has who may be
more talented or physically beautiful than
you are. The important thing to him is
that you have come home.
You are the one he's been waiting for,
you are the one who was that little lost
lamb, and you yourself are even now safe
within the fold with the other 99 loved
ones. You've been found, you've been
saved, you've been rescued, you've been
dehvered from the jaws of self-hatred,
you are no longer in the "out" group, but
you're most gloriously inescapably "in."
You are the treasure that was buried, you
are that beautiful, innocent infant again,
you are clean, you are pure.
You are all of these things because suf-
fering love came into the world and drew
you to himself. "He came into the world
and he loved his own, who were in the
world, he loved them to the end." You are
one of his own.
Do you sense what that means? You are
no longer an alien. You are now a part of
the family, you are there leaning against
his bosom, you are held in his arms, and
he will never let you go. And you will rest
yourself in his love. You'll give yourself
back to him. You came from God, and
you are going to God.
It's a one-way street. You are surround-
ed. If you fly into the heavens, the great
Hound of Heaven pursues you. If you go
to the bottom of the sea, he will be there.
If you flee into the darkness, the black-
ness will become as bright as day. If you
are awake, he is beside you. If you tarry,
he pauses also. He holds you in the
hollow of his hand. You are resting in his
bosom.
Yes, we have this treasure. This treasure
is so deep within that it can never be re-
moved. The treasure is a part of every cell
in our bodies and mysteriously it is also a
part of us even when our bodies die. We
have met the treasure and it is us. Im-
printed, ingrained, ineradicable. I have a
glory. I am a glory.
Never say No to a glory. Never say No
to the glory. Say, instead, "I'm home.
Mother! I'm home. Father!" Say,
"Hallelujah!" D
Freelance writer Frances C. Bowman is a
kindergarten teacher and mother of five from the
Brookville (Ohio) church.
April 1983 messenger 17
World Peace Academy: Treparing
by Inez Long
What crisis will bring nine young people
from across the country to the small town
of New Windsor, Md., in the heart of
winter?
"War and the threat of nuclear
disaster," said Mike Leiter, at the World
Peace Academy conference in January.
High school and college-aged youth like
Mike wake up and stay awake in the early
hours of the morning discussing these
issues. The crisis matters to them: It's
their own lifetime dreams and hopes at
stake.
During the weekend event, the nine
students spent 20 hours probing into the
subject of war and nuclear disaster. In
that length of time they had the
equivalent of half a year's study in Sunday
school, or six weeks in a high school
social studies class, or six months hstening
to worthwhile news from a daily newscast.
The Peace Academy is a project whose
time has come, say its organizers, and it
will continue "until war ends." The
academy is the offspring of the On Earth
Peace Assembly, an organization related
to the Church of the Brethren, but not
part of General Board program.
The purpose of the academy is prepara-
tion for war. Youth are faced with the in-
evitable questions: Where do I stand on
registration? What are the legal options
when I am drafted? What can I do to halt
the nuclear arms buildup? These are ques-
tions every American should face, but it is
the young people whose very lives are on
the line.
"Why did I come here?" asked Tish
Hoover. "I came with reservations, which
Left: M.R. Zigler, whose On Earth Peace
Assembly spawned the academy. Below:
Chuck Boyer, General Board peace consul-
tant (below banner) was guest leader of the
January session.
I still have, but I want to get several
views. My views on the subject of peace
are different from those of the Brethren,
but all views help. I have an open mind."
I was an observer at the January con-
ference. Leaders that month were Chuck
Boyer, peace consultant for the General
Board; Dale Ulrich, chairman of OEPA
and physics professor at Bridgewater Col-
lege in Virginia; and Linda Logan, a
former OEPA staff member.
What did I find there? First, nine in-
telligent young people — some with convic-
tions about war, and some not; some
pacifists, and some not. They all Ustened
easily and thought heavily. In what I con-
sidered a typical representation of young
America, eight of the nine think we are in
a war now. War — not self-soothing peace
— was the topic.
"My church talks about peace all the
time," said Jackie Hoover, "but not about
war." The others concurred.
War was the earnest concern of a senior
from a small Missouri high school. He
was grilled by Chuck Boyer, as the two
role-played an incident involving a review-
board and a draftee:
"And now, young man. Mr. Miles, I
believe. You are Mr. Miles, are you not?"
"Yes, sir. Stan Miles."
"All right, Mr. Miles. Now just where
did you learn your ideas about war?"
"From my church. And my father and
mother mostly."
"I see. And they have taught you to be
peaceful at all times?"
"Yes, sir. It is a way of hfe with us."
"Well, now then. Let us suppose that
an intruder entered your house and at-
tacked your mother. Would you stand by
and not defend her against violence?"
Hard questions such as these will be put
to young men when the draft comes. We
learned to our astonishment of the
readiness with which Selective Service can
mobilize manpower in the event of a
draft. Gen. Thomas K. Turnage, director
of Selective Service, states that "the US
can mobilize in 13 days, have 100,000 men
in training in 30 days, and 650,000 in six
months." Already 11,000 people are
selected and trained to serve on "draft"
boards, now euphemistically called claims
boards.
18 MESSENGER April 1983
for war'
The second topic of the conference was
the nuclear threat — terrorizing, but less
personal. Only two believed that their
lives would be shortened by nuclear
disaster. Yet after listening to statistics
about nuclear arms buildup and the folly
of deterrence or first-hand strike as safe-
guards against an enemy, the issue came
closer home.
Darin Everhart tried to reason through
the problem of loyalties. "If I am a citizen
of the state by birth, and a church
member by choice, can the church con-
script my conscience? Can the state?"
After a lengthy session on the history of
peacemaking in the Church of the
Brethren, various attitudes toward war
throughout the church's history seemed to
rest on this basic principle of the
denomination: There shall be no force in
religion.
Despite the threat of a draft and the
terror of war, the freedom and right of
the individual were basic to all discus-
sions. An enlightened conscience is to be
respected.
Sometimes as I sat in the sessions I
thought, "These leaders are crying 'Wolf!
Wolf!' Maybe there isn't any wolf."
But as I watched Julie Leiter, a serious
college freshman, I remembered my own
youth: Unemployment in the '30s
remedied by World War II putting people
back to work; registration and the draft
as wartime sibhngs; Einstein lamenting
that he had given up secrets for the atom
bomb, now grown to Frankensteinian
megatons of overkill.
And now, this year, Catholic bishops
are proposing a pastoral letter to be sent
to 51 million Catholics, declaring that "the
prevention of nuclear war is the greatest
moral issue humanity has ever faced, and
there is no time to lose."
I watched M. R. Zigler, the Church of
the Brethren's long-distance runner for
peace, who, at the age of 91, has the right
to personal peace and rest. I saw him
forfeit both for the young conscientious
objectors preparing for war. In the
meetings at the Academy he nods off oc-
casionally, but when the word "war" is
spoken he awakens abruptly.
What is the World Peace Academy? It
is the outcropping of seeds in "creative
Training for peace
by Chuck Boyer
In training our members for active
peacemaking, the home and local church
play the central roles. What children and
youth see being lived out in the family
and local community will form their first
view of the worth of other humans. Our
districts, through camps and various con-
ferences, also assist in helping some youth
arrive at decisions about the value of
human hfe.
General Board resources for peace
education and counseling must be ap-
plicable to what is happening in the home,
the local church, and the district. Let me
tell about a few ways the General Board is
helping train peacemakers.
Curriculum materials are used in all
congregations, and General Board staff
members are prepared to recommend a
variety of peace-related curriculum for
church school and other use. Materials are
avedlable for kindergarten through adult.
Send requests for information to Doris
Walbridge, coordinator of church
resources. The more specific you can be,
the more helpful Doris and others can be
to you.
Last summer a listing of 27 peace-
related audiovisuals was shared with each
congregation. Thirteen of these produc-
tions are available directly from the Elgin
offices. If you need another copy of the
audiovisual Ust, please contact Chuck
Boyer, peace consultant.
Because young men are currently re-
quired to register for the military draft at
age 18, the teenage years are a crucial
time to educate for peacemaking. An ex-
cellent resource for use by teachers of
teens is Study War No More, available
from The Brethren Press. Available just
this month from the same pubhsher is
Swords Into Plowshares, a collection of
27 plays and skits about peacemaking.
Since young men cannot currently
register with Selective Service as conscien-
tious objectors to war, the General Board
has begun conscientious objector files for
our youth. Brethren conscientious objec-
tors can obtain a peace packet, fill out the
statement of conscientious objection to
war, and file their statements with the na-
tional office. Contact the peace consultant
if your congregation needs peace packets.
Prior to the 1983 Annual Conference a
one-day workshop will be offered to peo-
ple interested in learning about mediation
and conciliation in local communities.
Trained mediators will explain how Chris-
tians may increase their peacemaking
skills.
Following this introduction, training
will be provided in various geographic
areas where a group of interested people
can be identified. Pastors have received
information about this pre-conference
workshop. Contact the peace consultant if
more information is needed.
The Washington Office of our church
provides opportunities for Brethren to see
our Federal government and the United
Nations in process. Between 175 and 200
Brethren participate in annual Citizenship
Seminars sponsored by district witness
commissions and the Washington Office.
If you need information, contact Louise
Bowman, Church of the Brethren
Washington Office, 110 Maryland Ave.,
NE, Box 50, Washington, DC 20002. D
Chuck Boyer is General Board peace consultant.
citizenship," a phrase coined in World
War II to carry forward the historic peace
witness of the Church of the Brethren.
For years the mindset of peace has been
in the denomination's preaching and
teaching. It has been a way of life,
distinguished by Brethren isolation and
rural neighborhness. But times have
changed. Most Brethren are urban.
A new, thinking generation has sprung
up — an educated generation taught to
gather information, choose attitudes, take
stands, and risk. No more can the church
pose an authoritarian posture. The
church's answers may be valid, but today's
youth listen to more than one answer
before they make decisions.
The Peace Academy provides the op-
portunity to listen to the position of the
historic [>eace churches, to hear the op-
tions open to young men under registra-
tion and the draft, to exchange ideas with
those of differing backgrounds, and to
study the processes for Christian decision-
making. D
An author from Weslminsler, Md., Inez Long
taught English for 20 years in an inner-city high
school.
April 1983 messenger 19
A new song takes
more than singing
by Kenneth I. Morse
So we are to have a new hymnal! Let's
hope it enables Brethren to add many new
songs to their repertoire of praise.
As a delegate to the Wichita Confer-
ence, I voted in favor of preparing a new
hymnal in spite of — or perhaps because
of— my affection for the present Brethren
Hymnal. For a number of reasons, many
of them quite personal, I believe the 1951
book is one of the best available. I enjoy
pointing out its merits to congregations. I
expect it to serve the church faithfully for
many more years. But even so, it is not
too early now to begin the process that
will lead within a decade to a new and, I
hope, even better hymnal.
As hymnals go (the usual life-
expectancy is 25 years; Brethren produced
them with some regularity in 1901, 1925,
and 1951), the familiar red book is aging
gracefully and shows few signs of falter-
ing. But we know how rapidly changes
develop in our congregations. It is certain-
ly wise now to consider how we can meet
Brethren expectations for the end of this
century and the beginning of the next.
How this is to happen — the process of
selecting a new committee and setting it to
work on a most exciting task — is the
responsibility of our General Board. In
some respects the challenges facing a new
committee seem more formidable than the
prospects that confronted 15 of us when
we were called together in 1946.
We were naive enough to think that
most obstacles could be overcome and
that along with offering a good selection
of hymns and worship aids, we could in-
troduce several unique features, many new
authors and composers, and a generous
serving of Brethren hymns. In the process
we occasionally misjudged our constitu-
ency and, as will be noted, made some
assumptions that proved misleading.
Perhaps the next committee can benefit by
observing our mistakes while building on
our efforts.
A hymnal should be designed to serve.
as far as possible, the needs of a total
congregation. It does not exist only as a
tool for worship leaders and musicians,
but rather as a resource and guide for the
full participation of people at worship.
One of the earliest decisions of the
former committee was to develop an "all
purpose" hymnal, one that would be
useful for regular and special worship ser-
vices, for church school, for choirs and
their instrumental accompanists, and for
family use in the home. That is the direc-
tion 1 would like to see a new committee
take, creating a songbook that will be
truly intergenerational and that will appeal
to a diverse constituency. That means be-
ing sensitive to a variety of tastes in music
and being open to the preferences of
church members whose opinions are often
contradictory.
A new hymnal must be both ecumenical
and Brethren. It should contain a core of
hymns that represent the worship tradi-
tions of two thousand years. It should
also reflect the world-wide character of
the church today. The 1951 hymnal tried
to include a generous selection of hymns
from various periods, but it could have
been strengthened if hymns from the
younger churches, mostly in developing
countries, had been included. There are
many songs from overseas churches that
are truly indigenous; their lively rhythms
and intense devotion could enrich any new
collection.
Since the "ecumenical core" of a
Brethren hymnal will differ little from the
classic hymns in many other hymnals,
perhaps the new committee should explore
possibilities of working in cooperation
with other Brethren groups and with
churches in the "beHevers' church," or
Anabaptist, traditions.
This need not diminish the emphasis
given to Brethren hymns and Brethren
values. In 1946 we encouraged Brethren
Some of the work on the J 951 hymnal was done in the basement of the Highland Avenue
Church of the Brethren in Elgin, III. From left: Ora Garber, Ken Morse, Al Brightbill, C.
Ernest Davis, Nevin Fisher, and Frances Clemens (now Fran Clemens Nyce).
20 MESSENGER April 1983
The committee for the 1951 hymnal was sensitive to concerns of its
day and innovative in its creation of the new worship resource. The
new hymnal committee can take hearty but its task won't be easy.
contributors to create new songs, especial-
ly texts that supported our values or
helped in the observance of our or-
dinances. We were also able to include
several early Brethren hymns recently
made accessible in translations from the
German.
Any hymnal committee must learn how
to deal constructively with change — for
customs change, the meanings of words
change, and a new generation brings to
worship certain sensitivities that must be
recognized. It is easy enough to document
the need for change; it is more difficult to
discern what really represents an impor-
tant change in direction. Some proposed
changes, Uke trends in dress and design,
seem significant today but are forgotten
tomorrow. Two illustrations from our
former experience may be cited.
In the late 1940s it seemed to some of
us that public school music courses were
gradually creating a taste for "better"
music. Therefore the church should offer
"better" music in its hymnal. We were
almost totally unprepared for the popular-
ity in the late 1950s and '60s of folk
music, soon to be followed by a swing
toward "country" and something called
"gospel." The Brethren Songbook contains
many samples of a direction that, in 1947
and 1948, we could not foresee. Yet we
believed we were responding then to
change when we opted for "better" music.
In the 1940s a number of worshipers
became concerned about words and
phrases in some of the old songs that
seemed crude and undignified. We were
encouraged, even though we admired
Isaac Watts, to amend a few of his
phrases. So, "such a worm as I" became
"sinners such as I."
We decided to include "Amazing Grace"
in our collection (never dreaming it would
become so popular among young people),
but we thought it best to remove John
Newton's reference to "a wretch like me,"
and replace it with what seemed better at
the time, "men like me." We had taken
care of one sensitivity, but how were we
Nevin Fisher (at piano). Ken Morse (standing), and A I Brightbill consider one of the hymns
that might be a part of the 1951 hymnal. Every humn they used was tested for "singability. "
to know then that our substitute would be
held up to scorn 30 years later as an ex-
ample of the sexist language that makes
many hymns unacceptable for some wor-
shipers now?
Yes, the new committee must face one
thorny issue, a potentially divisive one,
that we never dreamed of 30 years ago.
There is a new sensitivity about language
that must be considered both in the selec-
tion of new songs and in the editing and
revising of old familiar ones.
Our earlier committee faced a few prob-
lems in copyright clearance, and we
hesitated about including hymns for which
the copyright owners required a substan-
tial fee. Yet our problems seem minimal
compared to the complexities of copyright
clearance now and the enormous fees
some publishers want.
But even the drudgery of handling
copyrights can have its brighter moments.
For example, in 1949 Ora Garber wrote to
Dr. Howell E. Lewis, a Welsh pastor and
poet, asking permission to use three texts
(376, 504, and 550 in The Brethren Hym-
nal). Dr. Lewis's wife, writing for her hus-
band, who was blind, said he would grant
"free permission" for the use of his
hymns. Yet, on her own, she added that
"a few sausages in a tin would be grateful-
ly accepted." We knew these were still
hard times for Welsh pastors. We quickly
found a Pennsylvania brother who would
gladly and generously ship a tin of
sausages (actually Lebanon bologna)
overseas. What might have been a routine
business transaction, as most copyright
matters are, became a gesture of friend-
ship.
The next hymnal committee, like those
before it, will have no easy task. To help
the church break into a new song takes
more than singing. D
Kenneth 1. Morse is a member of the Highland
A venue Church of the Brethren, Elgin, III. A poet,
hymn writer, and author, he was editor of
MESSENGER 1950-1971.
April 1983 messenger 21
Reading on self-esteem, genetic
Self-Esteem: The New Reformation, by
Robert H. Schuller, Word Books, 1982, 178
pages, clothbound, $8.95.
They say ideas come in cycles — in dif-
ferent guise, perhaps, and with a shghtly
different slant, but an obvious
resemblance to something that has been
advanced before. What Robert Schuller
calls "Possibility Thinking" reads lil<e the
"positive thinking" philosophy champion-
ed by Norman Vincent Peale a few
decades ago (and still enjoying a definite
following).
Schuller, however, is convinced that he
has launched a completely new crusade,
even boldly calling it "The New Reforma-
tion." His contention is that the 16th cen-
tury Reformation stressed the authority of
scripture, the omnipotence of God, and
the depravity of human beings. The New
Reformation will focus on the value of
the person, the love of Christ, and the
possibility for everyone to be changed
from a negative to a positive self-image,
i.e., be "born again."
"Self-esteem," says Schuller, "is the
human hunger for the divine dignity that
God intended to be our emotional birth-
right as children created in his image."
Yet, the author spends much energy
criticizing "classical systematic theology"
that "starts with the doctrine of God."
"What we need," he says redundantly,
"is a theology of salvation that begins and
ends with a recognition of every person's
hunger for glory."
Schuller chooses the Lord's Prayer as
the biblical basis for his Theology of Self-
Esteem and the New Reformation. He in-
terprets the significance of the prayer as
that of offering solutions to six negative
human emotions: inferiority, depression,
anxiety, guilt, resentment, and fear. There
is no hint that the "model" Christian
prayer might include adoration or praise
to God. The phrase "Our Father" is inter-
preted by Schuller not as reverence for
God but as a call to belong to God's fam-
ily and to claim that honorable distinction
for oneself. "We must tell people every-
where that God wants all of us to feel
good about ourselves!" the author states
emphatically. "When we know that we are
born to be children of God, we will be in-
spired to choose the noble path."
Indeed, noble thoughts are the tools
for salvation in Schuller's "theology."
He is less than convincing, however, in
trying to relate his "possibility thinking"
to social reform. Just to tell those people
who are victims of injustice and exploita-
tion that all they need to do is "feel good"
about themselves is not an adequate
answer, even if you add Schuller's
platitude that our own self-esteem is en-
hanced by helping others improve their
self-esteem.
Schuller avoids judgment like the
plague. "We must be careful and sensi-
tive not to communicate and evangelize
in any way or with any words that could
cause (others) to feel embarrassed," and,
"The world is waiting to rush to hear
the good news of Jesus Christ — if it is
positive, not negative; polite, not rude;
kind, not cutting; inspirational, not in-
flammatory; constructive, not destruc-
tive; clean, not dirty; beautiful, not ugly."
Schuller would never tell people they are
sinners; that is where the church has
failed, in his opinion.
What keeps a Theology of Self-Esteem
from being an ego trip? Ego is "sanctified
by the Cross." But what is the cross we
bear? It is "a call to take a chance," "to
make a decision to try." Again, not much
substance.
Nor does Schuller suggest that he has a
very high view of the Resurrection. He
states, "In his resurrection, Christ has
passed on to the human race his own
glorious ministry. He has 'taken early
retirement' and has given us his joyous
work of sharing self-esteem love with
every person we meet."
Schuller ends the book with the words
to a hymn he composed for the dedication
of the famed Crystal Cathedral where he
is pastor in Garden Grove, Calif. He al-
ludes to the hymn as the theme song of
the New Reformation. The contrast with
Martin Luther's majestic "A Mighty For-
tress is Our God" can be seen in the
words to the first verse:
People, people, everywhere
Each a jewel fair and rare
Wake up, world, lost in fear
Jesus calls to hope and cheer.
-F.W.S
Algeny, by Jeremy Rifkin, Viking Press, New
York, 312 pages, $14.75, cloth.
"Algeny" is a word coined by Dr. Joshua
Leaderburg of Rockefeller University to
describe a whole new way of perceiving
life and nature. "Algeny" means to change
the essence of a living thing by trans-
forming it from one state to another;
more specifically, the upgrading of ex-
isting organisms and the design of wholly
new ones with the intent of "perfecting"
their performance.
Jeremy Rifkin's newest book, Algeny, is
must reading for anyone who values Hfe
and is concerned about the future of liv-
ing organisms. It contains information
about a technological revolution that
presents the church with the greatest
challenge it has encountered in its yet
young history.
Rifkin, no stranger to the provocative
book field, probes the benefits and
dangers of bioengineering, which he con-
vincingly shows is "just around the cor-
ner." Scientists now know how to relocate
or "program" genetic characteristics in a
developing embryo. The capacity to select
gene traits in offspring and have those
traits programmed directly into the fetus
is expected within another generation.
Even sooner may come the ability to in-
troduce engineered genes directly into the
human body to produce agents that will
immunize against specific diseases or
retard or facilitate growth, regenerate
limbs, or perform other medically useful
activities.
Closely aligned with and providing the
means for the new biological revolution
are the rapid developments in computer
technology. Rifkin reports that within a
decade the computer industry and the life
sciences are expected to join together in a
22 MESSENGER April 1983
engineering, simple living
new field, molecular electronics. "The
grand objective is to turn living material
into biocomputers and then to use these
biocomputers to further engineer living
materials. . . . Scientists even envision the
day when computers made out of living
material will automatically reproduce
themselves."
"Algeny" sounds like science fiction,
but in reality, Rifkin is describing a
new age that has already begun. Fading
into the sunset is the view of nature
influenced by Darwin's theory of evo-
lution and a civilization governed by
pyrotechnology (what humans learned
to do with fire) and the industrial
revolution. Rifkin documents at length
the fallacies of the Darwinian explana-
tion of biological relationships. He
observes: "For five generations Darwin's-
Origin of Species has served as the
official reference. . . . Now our children
are about to orchestrate a new composi-
tion, one played to the whir of a com-
puter console and timed to the tempo
of gene synthesizing and cell division.
In this new world — this second human
epoch — a new interpretation of life is
forming."
That new interpretation of life is based
on radically new knowledge of living
organisms than was available to Darwin
or any previous analysts. Whereas Darwin
conceived organisms as rather fixed or
frozen in space (i.e., species), the new
theory does not confine life to boundaries
and fixed characteristics.
"Interestingly enough, the new theories
of biogenesis lean toward the idea of the
universe as mind," states Rifkin. "It has
become fashionable of late to entertain
the rather radical notion that life on earth
originated from somewhere else in the
cosmic theater." (God?)
Obviously, biotechnology raises serious
questions for the faith community. How
much manipulation of life are we willing
to accept? Are "increasing efficiency" and
"doing good" synonymous terms? Are we
ready to deal with the moral condemna-
tion of a mother who may have refused to
allow her fertilized egg to be programed,
then gave birth to a deformed child?
What price are we willing to pay to extend
life, ensure health, eliminate inconveni-
ences, irritations, infirmities? And in
whose hands shall we entrust the power to
manipulate and design the race?
"Algeny" portends of a new world, a
whole new challenge to Christianity's con-
cept of creation and authority. Rifkin
urges that the consequences of the coming
era of bioengineering be confronted now,
so that we might have a hand in shaping
the future, rather than vice
versa.— F.W.S.
Lifestyle in the Eighties: An Evangelical
Commitment to Simple Lifestyle, Ronald J.
Sider, Editor, Westminster Press, Philadelphia,
256 pages, paper, $10.95
One might think that if you read Rich
Christians in an Age of Hunger by Ron
Sider, Living More With Less by Doris
Longacre, The Upside Down Kingdom by
Don Kraybill, Celebration of Discipline by
Richard Foster, and The Mustard Seed
Conspiracy by Tom Sine that you've read
all there is to read about a responsible
lifestyle. Wrong. Lifestyle in the Eighties
is must reading for a complete overview
of the biblical scenario for a just global
society and guidance in achieving it.
Lifestyle in the Eighties is a compilation
of addresses and testimonies given at the
International Consultation on Simple
Lifestyle, London, England, March 1980.
The conference brought together 85
evangelical leaders from 27 countries to
study simple living in relation to
evangelism, relief, and justice.
The first plus about the material is that
there is no superfluous or saccharine
language sometimes characteristic of
resources billed as an "evangelical" ap-
proach. Editor Sider, as is true of his own
published books, has insured a practical,
to-the-point resource. The tone is set by
the content of Sider's lead essay il-
lustrating the urgency for attention to be
given to the question of living more simp-
ly and guidelines for evaluating both in-
dividual and corporate lifestyles.
Then follow excellent essays on Old and
New Testament perspectives on lifestyle
and one of the best articles in print for a
perspective on the disparity between the
developed countries and the under-
developed countries of the world and the
systemic causes of that disparity. This lat-
ter essay, "The International Socio-
Economic Political Order and Our Life-
style," by Donald Hay, also looks at the
biblical criteria for global economic life.
Other essays survey the communal
nature of the church and evaluate simple
lifestyle from the perspective of church
history.
Section three contains the "testimonies"
or stories of seven people who are living
out a commitment to a simple lifestyle.
The first is by an Indian who prefers to
talk about "cross-bearing lifestyle" rather
than "simple" lifestyle because from his
Third World perspective he sees the issue
broader than economics.
Brethren will be interested in the story
of Graham Kerr, the former Galloping
Gourmet, who was related to the Church
of the Brethren during the time of his
conversion to Christianity. Kerr also de-
scribes the vision that led him and wife,
Treena, to establish their current ministry,
Youth With a Mission.
Other testimonies witness to an extend-
ed household, how a Christian restaurant
owner is using his business to witness to
the value of a nutritious diet, and the
courage and commitment required to
move from a position of affluence to
sacrificial service.
Lifestyle in the Eighties concludes with
outlines for 15 Bible studies on simple
lifestyle.
This volume of well-written essays is
particularly valuable for its exposition of
the biblical concept of just distribution of
wealth and how that could be achieved to-
day. To its credit, it does not lay down
rules but challenges our philosophy of liv-
ing, our attitudes. The authors are not all
Westerners, which lends authenticity to
the discussion of an international ethic.
To the book's discredit, no biographical
information is given on the various writers
and there appears to be no editorial con-
sideration to the use of inclusive language.
Lifestyle in the Eighties is suitable for"
both individual reading and group study.
-F.W.S.
April 1983 messenger 23
mmmm^.
BIBLE
SCHOOL
Summer's coming! The time for special
learning events in the congregation: Bible
schools, vacation church schools, and day
camps. Summertime offers unique oppor-
tunities for learning more about the Chris-
tian faith, for helping children and youth
know more about living as part of God's
community in God's world.
Resources to help plan and carry out
summer programs are numerous. The
following are ones that different Church
of the Brethren congregations have used
and appreciated. Unless otherwise noted,
they are available from The Brethren
Press, 1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL
60120.
and call them to God's love with others
through word and deed.
Each course is biblically based, as the
course titles show: "God Loves Me,"
nursery; "We Praise God!" grades 3-4;
"Come, Let Us Praise the Lord!" grades
5-6; "Celebrating God's Gift of Life,"
junior high. Student books contain
stories, projects, puzzles, songs, worship
resources, and games, all designed to help
children praise God.
Practical helps for the teacher are pro-
vided in leader's guides and resource
packets. Each guide gives session plans for
Praising God
The theme of the 1983 Vacation Venture
Series is "God's People: Praising God."
This curriculum will help children to
remember and celebrate God's mighty acts
5-day, 10-day, and up to 13-day vacation
church schools, and gives suggestions for
a closing celebration.
Ventures in Leisure-lime Christian
Education ($2.95), a planning guide for
those who plan summer learning events in
the congregation, describes how to use a
variety of settings — Bible schools, day
camps, intergenerational retreats— in the
summer's educational program.
Teaching Yourself to Teach ($13.95) is
a training kit for teachers, both new and
experienced. It may be used individually
or in teacher-training workshops.
The Vacation Ventures curriculum is
produced by a group of denominations,
including the Church of the Brethren, and
is especially recommended for vacation
church school. A brochure with order
form has been sent to all congregations
through the Source maihng.
We will rejoice
A second summer curriculum is titled "We
Will Rejoice." Produced by Herald Press
(Mennonite), this biblically based cur-
riculum offers courses for nursery through
grade 10. Students are helped to see signs
of God's love and care all around them —
in nature, in families, in caring for others,
and in the work of the church. Recogniz-
ing God's gifts to them, their response is
one of praise and rejoicing.
For each age level there is a teacher's
guide, a pupil book, and a pupil activity
book. Teaching picture sets are available
for classes from nursery through grade 2.
A superintendent's manual gives informa-
tion for planning, organizing, and
evaluating the Bible school; worship
materials for a 10-day school; and a clos-
ing program.
One user of this material said, "We
were greatly impressed with its Bible-
centeredness, its attractiveness, and good
taste." These materials can be ordered
from Herald Press, 616 Walnut Ave.,
Scottdale, PA 15683. Tel. (412) 887-8500.
Other series
In the past several years, quite a few
Brethren congregations have used one of
two Brethren-recommended curriculum
series in their vacation church school pro-
grams. If they were using the Foundation
Series for regular Sunday school classes,
then they used Living the Word cur-
riculum for Bible school, or vice versa.
One person's response to this idea was,
"We do have two good recommended cur-
riculum series, and this allows us to use
both."
A third Sunday school series could also
be used well in some congregations for
their summer Bible schools: the new
24 MESSENGER April 1983
I
Children's Bible Series. Congregations
with fewer children will appreciate the
broad grading pattern; young children,
ages 3, 4, 5; primary, grades 1, 2, 3; and
junior, grades 4, 5 6. Children's material
includes Bible stories, activities, songs,
dramas, puzzles. Teacher's guides include
step-by-step teaching plans and a special
16-page pull-out resource section of
teaching helps to use in the classroom.
Two additional resources that have been
much appreciated in vacation church
schools are Feelings Grow Too! and
Stories of Jesus, Stories of Now. Pro-
duced by Educational Ministries of
Walnut, Calif., both are highly recom-
mended and may be ordered from The
Brethren Press.
Feelings Grow Too! ($9.95) is a
12-session curriculum that helps young
children begin to recognize, express, and
appreciate their own feelings. Each session
contains a story, discussion suggestions,
and related activities.
Stories of Jesus, Stories of Now
($12.95) begins with stories from the life
of Jesus and then adds a contemporary
story. The 12 sessions deal with the con-
cepts of friendship, forgiveness, trust,
thoughtfulness, God's power, and helping.
People
Your best resources in the summertime,
even more than during the rest of the
year, are the people of your congregation.
Print and paper resources are helpful
tools, but it is the people— committed in
their faith, willing to share with those
younger, full of zest and the vitality of
living — who make summer learning experi-
ences meaningful and Spirit-filled.
Remember to look for those people
who are unavailable the rest of the year,
those whose gifts are not presently being
used: artists, sculptors, woodworkers,
needlecraft workers, musicians, those
skilled in cooking, high school students,
those home from college, the elderly, and
the retired. All have some special gift to
offer to younger learners, and many
would be willing to be part of a one- or
two-week summer event.
Look around. Choose your people and
print resources with care and expectation.
And have a good summer's experience
with the children in your congregation.
— June Miller Gibble.
June Miller Gibble is Parish Ministries Commission
staff for educational resources and teacher training.
Cross
Keys
Village
a developing retirement
community of individual
cottages on the campus of
The Brethren Home at
New Oxford, Penn-
sylvania
• 10 models from $24,900
• only 2 hours from
Philadelphia and D.C.
• 15 minutes from Get-
tysburg
• 12 Church of the
Brethren Congrega-
tions nearby
• activities program
• free transportation
• nite-time security
• meals, housecleaning
and nursing service
available at modest
costs
• truly independent
living
• with the assurance of
nursing care when
needed
• freedom from
household chores
''move in now while
you can still enjoy it''
Harvey S. Kline,
Administrator
For more information
contact:
Milton E. Raup,
The Brethren Home
Box 128
New Oxford, PA 17350
(717)624-2161
April 1983 messenger 25
On peace, divorce, marriage.
Alan Kieffaber
Keeping peace
in the center
Let's keep peace before the people. It's
biblical, it's Christian, it's been (Praise
God! no longer) the unique doctrine of
our denomination, and we tend to forget
it.
Too often in our congregational life we
allow one or two people to wear them-
selves out being the sole advocates for
peace in our midst. We bring it up once
or twice a year on request, something
seasonal like Flag Day, Temperance
Week, or Reformation Sunday, or we
mention it not at all.
This is not to downgrade evangelism,
biblical nurture, or spiritual uplift
("Where seldom is heard a discouraging
word"), not to promote controversy,
politics, or radical social action in the
church (where many believe the hand of
the Christian ought never to set foot), but
to call for and speak for unity, balance
and harmony among all the teachings of
Jesus, all the doctrines of our tradition,
which rightly include all the above, and
especially peace.
Peace is the shalom, the life, the well-
being, the Jesus-presence, the what-ever-
we-call-it that holds it all together. It's
central to our message, if indeed we have
a center. Yet we are inclined to prostitute
ourselves to a US-centered world view and
a super-wealthy lifestyle, and we become
callous cowards when we omit this central
part of Jesus' message.
This is especially true now that the
whole world, it seems, led by "Christian"
America, is sweeping toward military
destruction, wasting billions of dollars,
and threatening billions of lives, in addi-
tion to those already impoverished and
blighted by war economics. All this clearly
because of human desire to preserve and
To hold in respect and fellowship those in
the church with whom we agree or disagree
is a characteristic of the Church of the
Brethren. It is to the continuation of this
value, and to an open and probing forum,
that "Opinions" are invited from readers.
promote values and traditions and things
that Jesus plainly declared unworthy — yes,
sinful.
And who says No? Jesus told the chief
Jews that harlots and murderers would go
to heaven before they did, because they
put aside God's will and message, instead
choosing comfortable lifestyles at the ex-
pense of the poor, satisfied to set aside
truth. I'm afraid we too take a back seat
today, as peace is called for by other
voices than Brethren, in other names than
that of Jesus.
What then. Brethren? Preferably,
scream bloody murder (an apt idiom in
these circumstances). At least, plug into
the IMPACT network, mention Messen-
ger, encourage your youth to form a
peace fellowship or choose a peace
representative, follow issues in the news
and encourage appropriate responses.
Let no worship service go by without at
least a minute or two being devoted to
focus on this prior concern. It was impor-
tant for our Lord; it must be important
for us also, lest we fail him, ourselves,
and our brothers and sisters under
sentence of death. D
Alan Kieffaber is paslor of Emmanuel Church of
the Brethren in Dayton, Ohio.
Name withheld
Love and support
divorced clergy
I was glad to see "Brethren Clergy
Divorce: Who's Failing Whom?"
(February). It's about time we openly ad-
dress an issue we are unwilling to admit
even exists. Of the "24 clergy couples di-
vorced in the decade of the 1970s" I per-
sonally know of three cases, one of which
affected me closely.
That one involved a pastor in my
district who served as one of the most
significant influences in my personal and
emotional growth. His love and counsel,
and the socio-political image he
represented during the late '60s when I
was a youth has made a lasting impression
in my mind. He was an incredibly beau-
tiful human being and one of the best
ministers in the Church of the Brethren
with whom I have come in contact. But
he was divorced in the early 70s and his
congregation sided with his wife through
what seemed a somewhat magnified mar-
tyrdom on her part, and the Church of
the Brethren lost a wonderful minister. I
don't mean that his wife was to blame for
his leaving the pastoral ministry— one
thing we cannot lose sight of is that the
"blame" is shared equally.
The other issue that goes hand-in-hand
with divorce is: "What about the
children?" In the case I mentioned above,
the woman, in her hurt and anger, turned
the children against their own father; and
the congregation's support of her rein-
forced in them that attitude and response.
Where was the congregation when that
pastor needed them — that pastor who had
sympathized and empathized with their
problems, counseled them in their times
of need, and given them his love?
It's easy to sit back and listen each Sun-
day, or just call the pastor when you need
help, but in the fellowship of human con-
cern it has to be a two-way street. The
pastor has human needs too. Congrega-
tions tend not to realize that the pastor,
more often than not, has no release. The
pastor listens to their problems, grieves at
their losses, and is concerned and worried
when they are not well.
I have even known my father, a pastor, to
put himself in a potentially life-threatening
situation more than once in order to
minister to a parishioner. And, by the same
token, there are rewards — the pastor is ex-
cited by their joys, happy for them when
they get married, when they have children.
Yet the people in the church seem to forget
that this entire gamut of emotions and in-
volvement is multiplied by the number of
people in the congregation, and in the
pastor's own family commitment and
responsibilities. But, to whom can the
pastor turn with personal problems?
As the child of a Brethren pastor, I
can attest to where the pastor turns to
release all that he is keeping inside.
I remember wishing, when I was much
younger, that my daddy would be
home more, and could play with us. Why
couldn't he write his sermon earlier so
that we could go to the zoo on Saturday?
And when he was home why did he
always want to watch or hsten to the
baseball, football, and basketball games?
Why couldn't I go with him when he went
26 MESSENGER April 1983
I
nuclear arms
on pastoral calls? Why did I have to sit in
church every Sunday when the sermons he
was preaching weren't for kids anyway?
And then as I got older: Why was I ex-
pected to act a certain way just because
my dad was a preacher? I found myself
being resentful of those "role expecta-
tions." By age 14 I came to the realization
that my father had chosen his occupation
long before he got married, and was ac-
tive in a second pastorate by the time I
was born. His role in his profession wasn't
anything I had any say in and therefore it
was not my responsibility to uphold it.
And the church has to realize that too.
X hat dichotomy of father /husband and
pastor is a complex situation. In ways it is
not unlike the surgeon who must operate
on his own child or wife. The emotional
involvement and commitment are at their
highest. At times I wished I could talk
with my dad just as my minister and not
have to deal with the emotional response
of my father. As it is, I feel that my dad
and I have been able to develop a loving
and communicating relationship with one
another. I have a great deal of respect for
him in his profession. He is a dedicated
minister and a good pastor.
Though I cannot speak for my mother's
feelings in regard to her position as the
"pastor's wife," I know she has always put
a great deal of herself into each pastorate
my dad has had. She has been choir direc-
tor for as many as four choirs in one
church, and at least one choir at some
point in most all of his pastorates. She
has been the hostess of innumerable
gatherings of all sorts, and in their present
congregation, in addition to directing the
choir, she edits the church newsletter. By
profession she is a schoolteacher, and she
is teaching. That's a lot of work, some-
times too much.
Churches often get two pastors for the
price of one. The fees paid to a choir
director, especially if she's the pastor's
wife, are nominal to nothing. I have seen
my mother work hard preparing dinners,
decorating for parties, not to mention the
extra housecleaning involved before and
after. I have seen directing, producing and
sewing costumes for Christmas programs,
and even answering the phone with a level
of sensitivity that the nature of the call
may demand — all of this unpaid for. On
top of all this, she has to deal with a real
stress factor involved in her husband's
work and in her relationship with him.
Quite frankly 1 am surprised there haven't
been more "Brethren clergy divorces."
1 agree wholeheartedly that "the
denomination must address the issue of
providing a more effective support system
for healthy clergy marriages and an
available professional counseling
assistance for families in trouble." But in
that we need to be aware too of the fact
that sometimes people do just grow apart,
and that's all right. And when that is the
case, the acknowledgement of that needs
to be positive — no judgments, no blame,
no condemnation. Both pastor and spouse
need their congregation's love and sup-
port, and — thank you. Earl Ziegler — "an
open dialog with integrity." D
Dave Letter
Reader's Digest
'myths' refuted
The November 1982 Reader's Digest
printed an article by Edward Teller,
"Dangerous Myths About Nuclear Arms."
Teller, a physicist known by many as the
father of the hydrogen bomb, is proud of
the part he has played in nuclear history.
He addresses six "myths" that are largely
advocated by freeze proponents, and at-
tempts to refute them with facts that he
actually uses in a deceptive manner.
The first "myth," according to Teller, is
that a rough parity exists between the
American and Soviet nuclear stockpiles.
Teller discounts this by focusing on the
fact that the Soviet Union's total
Reaching out
to your community
Reaching Out to the Unchurched
Douglas W. Jotinsor} Creative new ways for
attracting nonbelievers and skeptics into the love
and care of the congregation. Offers a challenge for
churches to help people find new life in Christ
Paper, 54.95
Reaching Youth Today:
Heirs to the Whirlwind
Barbara Hargrove, Stephen D. Jones Timely helps for
understanding today's young people and planning an
evangelism program attuned to the world in which they
live. Paper S7.95
New Testament Witness
in Today's World
Allison A Trites For Christians concerned about the
need for a faithful testimony to Christ, Trites presents an
in-depth Bible study of the history, nature, and theology
of witness. Paper, ^8.95
At your local Christian bool<store or write:
JUD<§ON PUfM
Valley Forge, Pennsylvania 19481
fe)
April 1983 messenger 27
megatonnage far exceeds that of the
United States. According to Time, the
Soviet Union has a total of 7,868
megatons while the US has a total of
3,505. What Teller fails to recognize is
that the US has willingly invited this so-
called disadvantage. According to Robert
Aldridge, a former nuclear weapons
engineer, a nuclear warhead that is twice
as accurate has the same effect as a
warhead that is eight times as powerful.
There are many aspects of the arms
race, and it is wrong to focus on just one.
The Soviets are ahead in some measures
and we are ahead in others. They have
more megatonnage while we have more
warheads (9,480 to 8,040).
We have more intercontinental bombers
and the Russians have more land-based
intercontinental ballistic missiles. It is im-
portant to realize that, because of the com-
plexity of the arms race, one area cannot
be singled out; once all the analyzing and
comparing is done the conclusion that
there is a rough parity is usually reached.
The second "myth" that Teller deals
with is that each nation (US and USSR)
has the power to totally destroy the other
and this mutual destruction can be avoid-
ed by disarming. Teller argues that the
Soviet Union has never adhered to the
ideas on which Mutual Assured Destruc-
tion is based and he hints at the possibili-
ty of Soviet survival in the event of an all-
out nuclear war.
In 1967, Defense Secretary Robert
McNamara estimated the destruction of
one- fourth of the Soviet population and
the elimination of two-thirds of Soviet in-
dustry would be adequate to deter the
Soviet Union from striking the US. He
also estimated that 100 warheads could ac-
complish this task and increased this
number to 400 to allow for errors and
misfires. Poseidon submarine carries ap-
proximately 160 warheads meaning that
three of our 31 Poseidon submarines are
adequate to deter the Soviet Union.
The third "myth" is that the cessation
of research and development of US
nuclear weapons would make the world a
safer place to live. Teller claims that we
need to develop defense systems against
incoming missiles to ensure our safety and
that a freeze would end further work on
these systems.
The acquisition of defense systems
against incoming missiles would cause us
to be on a dangerous hair-trigger alert.
This could increase the possibility of an
accidental nuclear war. Teller also implies
that our nuclear weapons are less destruc-
tive and that they are cleaner, smaller and
more militarily effective. It almost sounds
as if a nuclear bomb is a conventional
weapon.
Teller condemns the freeze movement
because it would end further work on
what could be the best defense system.
The primary objective of the freeze is to
put an end to the arms race and, once a
mutual freeze is adopted, Teller's so-called
defense system will not be needed. The
best defense against nuclear weapons is
their prevention.
X he fourth "myth" is that the spread of
radioactive fallout, following a nuclear ex-
change, would pollute food and water
supplies, thus making combatant countries
uninhabitable. Teller tries to discredit this
myth by claiming the radioactivity of
fallout declines rapidly and that decon-
tamination is possible.
Teller assumes that radioactivity is a
simple concept and ignores many of its
aspects. Nuclear-fission products are made
up of some 300 radioactive isotopes,
which can be divided into two categories:
short-lived and long-lived. It is true that
the short-lived isotopes decay to relatively
harmless activity within a few hours, but
Teller fails to point out that long-lived
isotopes can emit radiation up to millions
of years. Teller also ignores the fact that
two of the most dangerous isotopes,
strontium-90 and cesium-137, can be
taken up into the food chain through the
roots of plants or through direct ingestion
by animals, thus contaminating the en-
vironment from within.
The fifth "myth" is that a nuclear
holocaust would bring an end to life on
this planet by damaging the ozone layer.
Teller states that if 50 percent of the
ozone layer were diminished it would
return to 80 percent in the next few years.
This can be refuted by a 1975 National
Academy of Scientists report, which
estimates that, in a holocaust in which
10,000 megatons were detonated in the
Northern Hemisphere, the reduction of
the ozone in this hemisphere could be as
high as 70 percent and in the Southern
Hemisphere as high as 40 percent, and
that it could take as long as 30 years for
the ozone to return to normal.
Dr. Fred Ikle, who served as director of
the Arms Control and Disarmament Agen-
cy with Presidents Nixon and Ford, has
claimed that substantial reduction of the
ozone layer through nuclear explosions
could "shatter the ecological structure that
permits man to hve on this planet."
The "myth" that Civil Defense is worth-
less and that it actually increases the
possibihty of nuclear war is the final one
that Teller deals with. He examines the
need for civil defense by looking at the
bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki,
and advocates underground shelters and
mass evacuation.
At a first glance, underground shelters
and mass evacuation appear to be
reasonable methods of defense against a
nuclear attack, but when looked at more
closely many fallacies surface which prove
these methods to be ridiculous.
According to Jonathan Schell, "It is
now commonly acknowledged that
economically feasible shelters cannot pro-
vide protection against blast, heat, intense
radiation, and mass fires that would prob-
ably occur in densely populated regions of
the country — that such shelters could save
lives only in places that were subjected to
nothing worse than modest amounts of
fallout. Even if fallout shelters were feasi-
ble, a surprise attack would leave many
people shelterless."
X^ccording to the Federal Emergency
Management Association, at least three
days would be required to evacuate some
areas and large cities would need at least a
week. This seems totally useless since the
Soviet missiles closest to the US can
deliver their warheads on control targets
about 10 minutes after they are fired. This
method also assumes that the relocation
areas would not be targeted.
Each day that the arms race is allowed
to continue, we move closer to the
possibility of nuclear war. Many
Americans are promoting a nuclear freeze,
not because they are adversaries of our
government, not because they advocate
Communism, but because they desire a
safe and secure America. They believe
that freezing the arms race would
strengthen our economy and enhance our
national security. D
Dave Letter of North Manchester, Ind. , is an area
coordinator for the Fellowship of Reconciliation
(FOR).
28 MESSENGER April 1983
BUI Faw
Marriage with
commitment
"But from the beginning of creation, 'God
made them male and female.' 'For this
reason a man shall leave his father and
mother and be joined to his wife, and the
two shall become one.' So they are no
longer two but one. What therefore God
has joined together, let not man put
asunder" (Mark 10:6-9).
It was Jesus who created the wedding
vows that Christian couples take when
they merge together, saying that those
vows were written into creation. The
maleness and femaleness of humans in
creation can find fulfillment in a new
"one," that is not to be torn apart once it
is joined.
"God made them male and female. " We
might talk about three levels of relation-
ship between males and females. The first
is the "brother-sister" relationship. It is in
this sense that Paul says in Galatians 3:28
that "There is . . . neither male nor
female; for you are all one in Christ
Jesus." The brother-sister relationship,
derives from the natural family, finds ex-
pression in the relationship between good
friends, and reaches its height when men
and women seek their lives together in
the gospel of Christ.
The best marriages are those in which
the husband and wife remain good friends
and are truly "brother and sister" in the
Lord. It might even be that if the
"romance" goes out of marriage, it can
stick together because of the brother-sister
relationship, but if the brother-sister rela-
tionship goes out, the "romance" will not
be strong enough to pull it through.
The second level of male-female rela-
tionships is the "sensual," and the third is
the "sexual." "Sensual" includes the nor-
mal attractions between male and female,
the appreciation of the other's physical
beauty, a sense of excitement in being
with the other, and some "safe" types of
physical contact. There is probably a "sen-
sual" note to most relationships between
male and female (and, indeed, between
male and male), including the relation-
ships between biological brothers and
sisters, parents and children, good friends,
people who work together, and people in
the church.
Because it is easy for the "sensual" con-
tacts to get out of hand and turn into
"sexual" contacts, we are tempted to shy
away from casual contact with a person of
the other sex. Or we deny that there is a
"sensual" element to our relationships, or
see all of these relationships as "sexual" ,
and not even see the possibility of non-
sexual relationships with the opposite sex.
"And the I wo shall become one. "
Perhaps the greatest challenge any of us
feels — within or outside of marriage —
is to handle our "sensual" relationships in
a way that does not violate our one "sex-
ual" commitment. While there are certain
actions that are clearly defined as
"sexual," there is a lot of unclear area be-
tween sensual and sexual. A major ingre-
dient in this defining is the understanding
you have within your marital relationship.
Clearly, sexual intercourse with a person
outside of your marriage violates the
"oneness" into which you have entered.
Paul helps us see this in 1 Corinthians
7:3-4, "The husband should give to his
wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the
wife to her husband. For the wife does
not rule over her own body, but the hus-
band does; likewise the husband does not
rule over his own body, but the wife
does."
The unclear areas between "sensual"
and "sexual" need to be determined by
your relationship, and, in a sense, by your
partner. If my wife rules my body, then
she needs to tell me how 1 may and may
CLASSIFIED ADS
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Fly to Anchorage. Also from Seattle. Motor
Coach and sail inner passage.
OBERAMMERGAU PASSION PLAY-Ger-
many, Austria, Italy. June 4-19, 1984. For either
trip, write: Rev. John & Naomi Mishler, 168 East
6th Street, Peru, IN 46970. Tel. (317) 473-7468.
TRAVEL-Juniata College Tours. July 3: LON-
DON WEEK with option for BRITISH ISLES by
motorcoach & London 5 days (12 day program).
Motorcoach visits Bath, Stonehenge, Cots-
wolds, Stratford, No. Wales, Chester, Lake
District, Trossachs, York. One week London:
$1025. 12 days: $1317. Subject to change. July
4, 1984: OBERAMMERGAU & PASSION PLAY.
15 days to Germany, Austria, Switzerland: $1498
for land tour. Meals included. August, 1984:
OBERAMMERGAU & PASSION PLAY: 8 days
Bavaria & Salzburg: $798 land tour. Meals in-
cluded. Excellent programs visiting most
beautiful scenery. WEIMER-OLLER TRAVEL,
405 Penn St., Huntingdon, PA 16652. Tel. (814)
643-1468.
TRAVEL — Alaska Motor Coach-Cruise Tour. 30
days — September 3 to October 2, 1983. Call or
write for details. Ralph & Betty Ebersole, 1213
Hamilton Ave., Tyron, PA 16686. Tel. (814) 684-
1771.
TRAVEL to China; visit former Brethren Mission
Area. Lv about Aug. 15, return before Labor
Day. Cost approx. $3,200. Hosts: Wendell &
Marie Flory, 312 Winton Ave., Easton, MD
21601. Tel. (301) 822-7613.
REUNION of the descendants and relatives of
John W. Eller is being planned for Sunday, July
3, 1983, in the Baltimore Convention Center im-
mediately following Annual Conference. For fur-
ther information contact John C. Eller, 315 Con-
stitution Ave., NE, Washington, D.C. 20002 Tel.
(202) 544-7391.
SCHOOL- Scattergood School, West Branch,
lA 52358. Openings for students grades 9-12.
Approved co-educational Ouaker college pre-
paratory boarding school; simple lifestyle. Em-
phasis given to peace issues and social concerns.
Students, faculty together clean buildings, do
laundry, care for pigs and chickens, work in or-
chard and garden, bake bread, and cook meals.
Small personal caring community that promotes
individual growth. Write or call. Tel. (319) 643-
5636.
WANTED — Veterinarian position In Brethren or
Mennonite community. 1983 graduate interested
in large animal practice with emphasis in dairy
herd health management. Contact: Bernard D.
Ritchie, Box 400, School of Veterinary Medicine
LSU, Baton Rouge, LA 70803. Tel. (504) 769-
SLIDES WANTED -showing Brethren at wor-
ship, in fellowship, in congregational activities,
at baptism, at love feast, at District meetings.
Good quality, strong compositions. Showing
love, joy, service, sharing, humor, playfulness,
seriousness, reflectiveness, the specialness of
being Brethren, the encounter with grace. For
use in General Board publications and produc-
tions. Will copy and return. Will credit. Send to:
Office of Congregational Support, Church of the
Brethren, 1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120.
WANTED — Senior Christian lady needs same for
live-in companion in Central Iowa. Some cook-
ing and light housework required. Must drive and
not smoke. For further information contact: Car-
roll Gooden, 3225 Bluebird Drive, San Jose, CA
95117 Tel. (408) 241-8128.
CELEBRATE- 100th Birthday of Sugar Ridge
Church of the Brethren July 16 & 17. Friends in-
terested in festivities and /or lodging contact:
Sugar Ridge Church of the Brethren, 2015 E.
Wilson Rd., Custer, Ml 49405. Tel. (616) 757-
3511.
STUDENTS & HOME COMPUTER USERS-For
speed and efficiency use handy printed sheets
for coding your program. Two sides for Pro-
gram, Numeric and String Variables. Log lines
10-1,000 in increments of 10. 25 sheets/ $2.75
from Dataways, 2066 Danbury Place, Hoffman
Estates, IL 60195.
ANNUAL CONFERENCE- Bus trip from Eliza-
bethtown to Annual Conference 1983 with
rooms close to conference center. Write to J.
Kenneth Kreider, 1300 Schaeffer Rd., Elizabeth-
town, PA 17022.
April 1983 messenger 29
A Journey to
Brethren
Beginnings
A unique opponunity to
visit the landmarks in Ger-
many and Holland where the
Brethren movement began
275 years ago.
The tour will be led by Ken-
neth I. Morse and J. Kenneth
Kreidcr, in cooperation with
the Brethren Historical Com-
mittee. For information, write
Kreider Friendship Tours,
1300 Sheaffer Rd., Elizabeth-
town, PA 17022.
MCi> Brethren
n'iUiS?^- Heritage
^1^ wA. Tour
not express my sensual relationships with
other women. For example, may I hug
other women to show that I like them, in
a "safe" way? May I be warm and friendly
when I counsel with a woman? Can my
wife "trust" what I do when I am with
women?
How I am to relate to other women in
my maleness is part of my "body" that I
gave to my wife in our "oneness." When I
do things in my maleness that violate our
oneness, I need to be called to task by my
wife, and vice versa.
Note how Paul's mutual submitting of
one's body to the other is different from
both a patriarchal sense of the husband
"owning" the wife (but not vice versa) and
from a modern sense that "this is my
body and I will do anything I want with
it." This modern reasoning reaches its
height in the wife who decides on an
abortion without her husband's agreement
— "because it's my body."
Adultery is the moving from a sensual
to a sexual relationship with another per-
son in a way that breaks the oneness into
which you have entered. As Christ said
(Matthew 5:28), if mentally you are Uving
outside of the oneness with your spouse,
then you are outside of the oneness.
"Let not man put asunder. " On the one
hand, marital love refers to the "feelings,"
the romance, the spark, the strong spon-
taneous desire to be together. This is im-
portant. This will take different forms as
the marriage ages, and may deepen or dry
up. When love as feeling is gone, the mar-
riage needs a lot of work.
On the other hand, marital love refers
to the commitment to the relationship, the
commitment to the other that no matter
what happens I will be true. This commit-
ment does not "dry up," but it can be
broken. The old-fashioned way of han-
dling marriage was to say that love as
commitment-relationship is supreme and
that marriages should stick together even
if the feehng of love has gone out — "Be
Study the Brethren Viewpoint!
Mew books on faith and pacifism by Church of the Brethren authors
Trimming the Wicks by Oeda Shull
Zunkel. The warm, inspiring story of the
family of William and Clara Shull whose
eleven children (including the author)
have provided major leadership in the
Church of the Brethren. 192 pp., $5.50.
Darkening Valley: A Biblical Perspec-
tive on Nuclear War by Dale Aukennan.
A thorough treatment of the threat of
nuclear war and what it means to be
faithful to God In a nuclear age, written
by one who has dedicated his life to
peacemaking. 228 pp., $8.95.
Perils of Professionalism: Essays on
Christian Faith and Professionalism,
Donald B. Kraybill and Phyllis Pellman
Good, editors. Essays and testimonials
from 34 professionals examine the ten-
sions and dilemmas for Christians who
wield power and authority in "white col-
lar" vocations and suggest strategies for
preserving one's peace, faith, and fami-
ly. 240 pp., $9.95.
A Pearl of Christian Counsel for the
Brokenhearted by Vernard Eller. A
classic poem of Christian devotion con-
cerning a father's grief in the loss of his
infant daughter and his subsequent com-
fort in God; with interpretation by Ver-
nard Eller. 142 pp., $8.25.
Facing Nuclear War by Donald B.
Kraybill. Addresses nuclear pacifism in a
way that enables Christians to under-
stand and act; suitable for group study
as well as individual reading. 312 pp.
$8.95.
Add 95C postage and handling for one
book cr 10% of the total price for two or
more.
Order from:
The Brethren Press
1451 Dundee Ave.
Elgin, IL 60120
or
Call free: 800-323-8039
30 MESSENGER April 1983
"""""'"'""■""■^
true to your commitment." The new-
fashioned way is to say that the love-
feeling is supreme and that marriages
should break up if the love-feeling dries
up — "Be true to your feelings."
We need to see both as crucial to a
healthy marriage. The lack of either the
feeling or the commitment should be the
cause for serious counseling. What the
church cannot go along with, I believe, is
the ease with which the love-commitment
is tossed out.
Both Jesus and Paul stress the need to
keep the commitment (Matthew 5:31-32;
19:3-9; Mark 10:2-12; Luke 16:18,
Romans 7:1-3; 1 Corinthians 6:15-16;
7:10-15). The basic message is: You
should not be the one to initiate divorce
(except, perhaps, when the other partner
is being sexually unfaithful), and even if
the divorce comes you should show your
faithfulness to the commitment by not
marrying again.
I believe that it is important for a cou-
ple saying their vows to have this commit-
ment in mind: "This vow is of such per-
manence to me that 1 will hold to it no
matter what happens, and if our marriage
gets so bad that the other person breaks
the commitment and seeks a divorce, 1
will remain faithful to that original com-
mitment and not remarry so long as that
other person lives." This is really what
each person vows when vowing "... till
death do us part."
This vow makes the marriage more than
just a "contract." In a contract, if the
other party breaks it, the contract is null
and void and you are relieved of your
commitment to it. In a biblical covenant
you are to hold to the covenant no matter
what the other person does — thus God
continues loving us even when we are un-
faithful. Thus we are to love our enemies
even when they persecute us.
Would that we in the Church of the
Brethren might discover anew the depth
of covenant love, as well as the excitement
of romantic love. D
Bill Faw is pastor of Ihe Wesl Richmond Church of
Ihe Brethren, Richmond, Va.
tmnm% p@mti
Do you have information for Turning Points? For anniversaries,
please give the first name of husband and wife, town and state of
residence, and number of years married (50 years or more only).
For deaths, give the name; town and state of residence at time of
death; age; and month, day, and year of death.
Send information to MESSENGER, Turning Points, 1451
Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120.
Licensing/Ordination
Dias, Manuel Armendarez.
licensed Nov. 6, 1982, Bris-
tol, Southeastern
Ellioll, Christian W., licensed
Oct. 14, 1982, Parker Ford,
Atlantic Northeast
Hollinger, Donald E., licensed
June 29. 1982, Mechanic
Grove, Atlantic Northeast
Main, Ricky E., ordained Dec.
19, 1982, Paint Creek,
Western Plains
Peters, Gerald D. Jr., licensed
Sept. 15, 1982, Eversole,
Southern Ohio
Redekopp, Orlando H., or-
dained Nov. 28, 1982,
Chicago First, Illinois/Wis-
consin
Si. Clair, Ronald, ordained
Nov. 20, 1982, ConnellsviUe,
Western Pennsylvania
Pastoral
Placements
Bowman, Dale E., from
Leakes Chapel, Shenandoah,
to Tire Hill, Western Penn-
sylvania
Gomola, John, to Pittsburgh,
Western Pennsylvania, in-
terim
Jones, Glen Lee, from
Burnettsville, South/Central
Indiana, to Baugo, Northern
Indiana
Moak, C. Dean, from
Boones Chapel, Virlina, to
Prices Creek, Southern Ohio
Plelcher, Ordo M., from re-
tirement, to Three Springs,
Southern Pennsylvania, in-
terim part-time
Repine, Thomas, from other
denomination, to Penn
Runn, Western Pennsylvania
Ringgold, Dan, from
Methesco Seminary, to
Bethany, Mid-Atlantic, part-
time
Simmons, Randall V., from
secular, to Grottoes, Shenan-
doah, interim part-time
Anniversaries
Albert, Mr. and Mrs. Harry, St.
Petersburg, Fla., 62
Bentz, Mr. and Mrs. Luther,
St. Petersburg, Fla., 56
Bowser, Mr. and Mrs. Sharon,
Worthington, Pa., 52
Bridenbaugh, Mr. and Mrs. G.
Herbert, Martinsburg, Pa.,
61
Burket, Mr. and Mrs. Elvin R.,
Martinsburg, Pa., 57
Greenleaf, Mr. and Mrs. H.
Lester, Martinsburg, Pa., 53
Holderread, Fred O. and
Melda, Gushing, Okla., 70
Jordan, Charles and Lova,
Flora, Ind., 73
Richardson, Lloyd and
Georgia, Martinsville, Va., 50
Robison, Clyde and Opal,
Gushing, Okla., 50
Stullz, Mr. and Mrs. SterUng,
St. Petersburg, Fla., 56
Weaver, Mr. and Mrs. Warren,
Johnstown, Pa., 59
Deaths
Aldinger, Harry E., 86,
Palmyra, Pa., Oct. 8, 1982
Beach, E. Grace, 87, Wood-
bury, Pa., Nov, 1, 1982
Bechlel, Dorothy, 78, Wood-
bury, Pa., Dec. 9, 1982
Book, Mabel, 82, Dallas
Center, Iowa, Oct. 27, 1982
Branscom, George A. Jr., 89,
Roanoke, Va., Jan. 2, 1983
Branscom, Georgia, 81,
Roanoke, Va., May 1, 1982
Brown, Linnie M., 96,
Zanesville, Ohio, Nov. 30,
1982
Brubaker, Rachel E., 82, New
Carlisle, Ohio, Dec. 28, 1982
Brumbaugh, Paul A., 86, Mar-
tinsburg, Pa., Jan. 5, 1983
Burner, Mark, 78, Dixon, 111.,
Dec. 4, 1982
Buskirk, Raymond LeRoy, 74,
McPherson, Kan., Nov. 4,
1982
Charllon, Esther B., 75, Har-
risonburg, Va., Dec. 11, 1982
Cook, Jessie, 82, Royal Oak,
Mich., Feb. 11, 1982
Crawford, Evelyn, 70,
Roanoke, Va., Sept. 16, 1982
DePerrol, Nancy, 52, Lititz,
Pa., Sept. 10, 1982
Diehl, Ruth, 89, Brookville,
Ohio, Dec. II, 1982
Dorris, Marion. 71, Parsons,
Kan., Sept. 24, 1982
Erb, R. Eva, 87, Roaring
Spring, Pa., April 26, 1981
Fair, Mabel Shockey, 91, New
Oxford, Pa., Dec. 25, 1982
Fike, Mary Anna, 95, Modesto,
Calif., Jan. 7, 1983
Fike, R. Fred, 73, Harrisburg
Pa., Dec. 24, 1982
Forry, Joseph A., 61, Lan
caster. Pa., Dec. 14, 1982
Grey, Phyllis, 37, Johnstown
Pa., Nov. 14, 1982
Howard, Edith, 87
Johnstown, Pa., Dec. 4, 1982
Huffman, Madge, 81
Roanoke, Va., Feb. 15, 1982
Ickes, Paul E., 44, Albany
N.Y., Dec. 11, 1982
Imes, Ida R., 88, Mar
tinsburg. Pa., Nov. 12, 1982
Jarrell, Floria Reiff, 85
Wilmington, Del., Dec. 8
1982
Johnson, Esther, 52, New
Lebanon, Ohio, June 18
1982
Jones, Roland Pryce, 83
McPherson, Kan., Oct. 29
1982
Keefer, J. Clinton, 85
Mercersburg, Pa., Dec. 3
1982
Landis, Emma I . , 81
Farmersville, Ohio, Dec. 29
1982
Lee, Esther H., 83, Wil
mington, Del., Dec. 20, 1982
Mackell, Myrtle, 86
Johnstown, Pa., Dec. 29,
1982
Matthews, Gordon, 79
Detroit, Mich., Nov. 1, 1982
Metzler, Margaret E., 79
Poriland, Ore., Jan. 13, 1983
Miller, Clyde D., 81, Har
risonburg, Va., Jan. 5, 1983
Muck, Nannie, 93, New Ox
ford. Pa., Dec. 12, 1982
Myers, Lee, 87, Adel, Iowa
Aug. 30, 1982
Ogburn, Ray, 77, Get
tysburg. Pa., Oct. 29, 1982
Peters, Roy, 73, New
Lebanon, Ohio, Nov. 23,
1982
Pilsenbarger, Ralph, 67,
Adel, Iowa, Dec. 24, 1982
Priser, Gladys King, 76, New
Lebanon, Ohio, March 22,
1982
Ream, Mada, 87, Windber,
Pa., Oct. 28, 1982
Reesor, Fannie, 81, Lan-
caster, Pa., July 6, 1982
Reiber, Edna K.. 78,
Elizabelhtown, Pa., Oct. 27,
1982
Ritchey, Paul R., 68. Wood-
bury, Pa., March 30, 1981
Shaffer, Flossie C, 90, Flora.
Ind., Dec. 26, 1982
Shively, David, 62, St.
Petersburg, Fla., Dec. 12.
1982
Shively, Helen, 63, St.
Petersburg, Fla., Oct. 12,
1982
Shober, Ralph, 82, Roanoke,
Va., Dec. 23, 1982
Shriver, Beulah S., 82, Mar-
tinsburg, Pa., Dec. 2, 1982
Snively, Joseph B., 82, Cur-
ryville. Pa., Dec. 20, 1982
Snyder, Mary, 82, Dunedin,
Fla., Nov. 30, 1982
Speicher, Irvin Gibson, 56,
Johnstown, Pa., Dec. 7, 1982
Spurgeon, Harvey, 90, Adel,
Iowa, Dec. 25, 1982
Temple, Edith Esther, 69,
White Cottage, Ohio, Nov.
11, 1982
Travis, Florence, 103, De-
fiance. Ohio, July 4, 1982
Wirtz, Rex, 25, Adel, Iowa,
Sept. 30, 1982
Wise, Jacob Andrew, 80,
McPherson, Kan., Dec. 4,
1982
YohD, S. J., 96, Mt. Morris,
111., Jan. 31, 1983
April 1983 messenger 31
t(oiDii@[ro@[
Brethren by adoption
I finally made it official and joined the Church of
the Brethren. Most everyone thought I had done
that long ago, but I've dawdled around, waiting
for "the fullness of time."
The adoption feels good. I'd been a practicing
Brethren for a few years, but taking care of the
legalities did give a certain feeling of ownership
(though I'm not sure who owns whom in this
case).
"Adoption" is an apt word to use, since one of
the most appealing aspects of the Church of the
Brethren is its family-ness. It took no time at all to
catch on to the "Brethren game," and I feel as if I
have an extended family all across the country.
But that's not the only reason I chose to take
on the family name. My decision to join this
church was a several-year process that was about
as deliberate as any I've made. I studied and expe-
rienced the Brethren before making the choice.
What do I like about the Church of the
Brethren? At the risk of sounding simplistic, let
me make a few generalizations.
I find the Church of the Brethren both
comfortable and uncomfortable:
The comfort is in the spirit of the people who
call themselves Brethren. I belong. I am loved. I'm
at home. Brethren have open hearts, and they hug
a lot. When Brethren ask, "How are you?" it's
more than a perfunctory greeting. They care about
relationships, and community, and God's people
everywhere.
The discomfort arises because of the totality
with which Brethren live out their Christian
beliefs. Christianity is more than a private rela-
tionship with God. It's not relegated to a "spirit-
ual" part of one's life. It means pondering the use
of tax money. It means trying to estabHsh that line
between commitment to country and commitment
to God. It means studying causes of hunger and
poverty and war rather than simply treating the
results. It transcends political and social systems.
It means moving the Gospel out of the sanctuary
and into the world.
Brethren claim diversity as a hallmark of
humanity. Despite the ethnicity and size of the
denomination, there's a remarkable variety of
32 MESSENGER April 1983
I
worship styles and opinions. Brethren cling to
basic truths, but realize that God can speak in a
different voice to different people. They struggle
to share these differences with each other in an ef-
fort to enrich their own faith stories.
Out of their heritage. Brethren offer unique
gifts to other Christians. They bring a sense of
community. They know what it is to be oppressed.
They hold a reverence for the whole of creation.
They are a servant people. And, of course, they
continue to be known as staunch peacemakers.
Now that I've become one of the Brethren, this
is the last time I can offer so much effusive praise.
But, now that I've become one of the Brethren,
I'm free to venture a little in-house criticism. What
would 1 especially like to see happen within the
church?
I'd like to see more Brethren embrace the idea
of evangelism. The sense of family can tend
toward clannishness, and the inbred humility can
lead toward self-abasement. As Christians, the
Brethren have Good News to share, and they have
a unique heritage to offer as well. It's not prosely-
tizing to believe others might want that too.
I'd also Uke the Church of the Brethren
— which so strongly defends the healthiness of
hearing many voices — to become a bridgebuilder
in the ecumenical world, affirming the right of all
Christian groups to take part in the work of the
kingdom of God. In a world where we see more
competition than unity among Christians, let us be
the ones to recognize that we can enrich our
understanding of God by learning from each
other.
Wi
ith joy, I choose to make my journey in the
company of the Brethren. It is a journey— a
journey undertaken by saints in the making. The
family is not without growing pains and squab-
bles, but it's got a blessed tie that binds.
And I, who have been adopted once into the
Chamberlain family, and then once into the fam-
ily of God, find myself blessed now by being
adopted a third time — this time by the Church of
the Brethren. -W.S.C.
IMIiBIIMil!
i
■"y Last VVill J ^""caEo rii;
£^£114^' ^"'-en,. «"• '"—. Web. ,„
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''*;".-:/"" «„ „ «; '".s s-i -r '*" "*' •' •" "i,:-
'" ^''-^. eyen to tbe e«, ^'^ -^-d hu.ba . ' "' "' ^'"'-
exc/usion nf ^ ""»oand shatl i.
„"/ "^ ^'"■Mren are „• ^SIHDar^;;, ^"''^-n "-e so,e Wgbt to dee.de
r°' "3^ cb,idren. ■"'""-. ' do „„, ^^ZT^^^'^^'^'^ife „. h
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" euard.an by
mutuaJ a '^'"^
a greement. - and friend, to': """ '"""'"at/n.,
S-a'd.an l .■ ^"' '"gether and t ^'""^•''" of „
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meet death ^ ''""* -' '""" ' ^'"-o"----
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'SS^^S? — ^ -^ — — -l'°>
''ay of
- (SEAL)
This is not a real will. But it accurately
tells what can happen when you do not
have a correct legal Last Will and Testa-
ment drawn up for you by an attorney.
In advance of your appointment with
the attorney there are important things you
will want to know. These are to be found in
two brief and authoritative booklets you
may have without cost. Send for "Making
Your Will" and "A Record of the Personal
Affairs of . . . ."
Please send me. without cost
D "Making Your Will"
D "A Record of the Personal Affairs of
address .
city
state .
zip
THE CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN GENERAL BOARD
Office of Stewardship Enlistment
1451 Dundee Avenue, Elgin, Illinois 60120
#77 4/83
Adapted with consent of American National Bank and Trust Co., Chicago,
I At The Palms of Sebring
you'll find social and recreational opportunities galore with
plenty of time to take advantage of them because it's like
living in a condominium... Only Much Better... A Full
Service Life-Care Community! Our main "hub" is an eight
story complex, on sculptured grounds, overlooking beautiful
Lake Jackson. A Health Care Center is attached and offers
security and companionship as well as health care. All your
exterior and interior
maintenance, plus maid
service with bed linens,
is provided. Your main
meal will be served in the
spacious dining room and
other meals are available.
Scheduled activities, free
Come Live
With Us
Occupancy on or before 1985
■ ■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■ Managed by Florida
CLIP and MAIL to:
Mr. Floyd Renfrow (813) 382-4440
The PALMS of SEBRING
308 S. Ridgewood Dr., P.O. Box 627
Sebring, FL 33871-0627
Name...
Street...
City
Phone (.
.State.
.Zip.
salon, country store and a thrift shop are all provided for
your convenience. You are also within short walking distance
of the downtown shops and circle park. Our Licensed
Health Care Center provides 24 hours of skilled nursing.
We cater exclusively to adults who are 62 or older. You
never have to leave home to have fun and you'll always
be taken care of. Visit us in beautiful, quiet Sebring and
let us show you the charm
of yesterday combined
with building toward the
future. We're confident
you will see that we offer
the best of all worlds
while supplying security,
independence and dignity.
Brethren Homes, Inc. ■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■Sv^T^
/ am interested in the items indicated
below and would like your assistance in
learning more about the finest in health
care services, financial security and social
amenities at The PALMS of SEBRING !
D Please send me your beautiful brochure
D I would like a tour of the facility
D I would like to take you up on your offer
of FREE over night accomodations m/4/83/c
Take U.S. Hw>'. 27"^
to Sebring, then turn
at Southgate Shopping
Center for I'j miles to
the sales center near
downtown.
messenger
CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN
MAY 1983
iS5& -^'^^'^*^'^ -■^-'^-
mM(^\riit
Q Annual Conference Preview, messenger previews the
upcoming Annual Conference, with a rundown of pre-conference
events, business items, iceynote speakers, and the ballot. Previewed by
Judd Blouch, who also interviews the candidates for moderator-elect.
13 The Brethren in Baltimore. Baltimore is not new to the Church
of the Brethren. In fact, we've been in Baltimore since the late 1700s.
Jacob F. Replogle takes a timely look at the Brethren congregations in
the city by the Chesapeake Bay. Art by Kathy KHne.
^g Honoring Father and Mother. The Fifth Commandment
doesn't get much emphasis these days, says Leland Wilson, but he's
convinced that it's as important today as it ever was. He reflects on
ways we can honor our parents and the changing nature of parenting.
"There is wisdom, there is life, in the ancient commandment," he
concludes.
^g Rejoice in the Lord Always. This exhortation "sounds great,"
says Chalmer E. Faw, "but there is something about it that has often
bothered me." He finds that the joy Paul describes is no "surface
happiness." God's joy and peace don't depend on our day-to-day
emotions.
20 Sexuality: God's Good Gift. A major issue slated for the
Baltimore Conference is the paper on Human Sexuality from a
Christian Perspective. Messenger presents a heavily abridged version
for pre-conference reading, along with a tally of responses to the
questionnaire circulated throughout the denomination over the past two
years.
IN DEFENSE OF GANDHI
So Gandhi did not go to heaven! (See Letters
to the Editor, March.) I hope I go to the heaven
where Gandhi is, for he must be where the best
people who ever lived on the earth are.
In Matthew 25, it was those who fed the
hungry, gave drink to the thirsty, clothed the
naked, visited the sick, and visited those in
prison, who inherited the kingdom prepared for
them. They did not even know they were the
invited.
There does not have to be an "apparent evi-
dence that Gandhi ever had a regenerate faith in
Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior." The evidence
was shown in his life.
Jesus said, "I have other sheep, that are not of
this fold; I must bring them also, and they will
heed my voice. So there shall be one flock, one
shepherd" (John 10:16).
I would hope that Christians throughout the
world would realize that there is only one God,
and he is God of all people. He tries to give his
message through many people of many faiths,
and he loves all his people. Jesus told us to judge
not, lest we be judged.
If we claim to be followers of Jesus, we must
follow his way, not use the evangelist's phrases of
judgment. It is not the person who calls him
Lord who is saved, but the person who follows
him, is filled with his spirit, and who loves as he
loved. That person is the one who will feel at
home in his heaven.
Nettie Thomas
Warrensburg, Mo.
In Touch profiles Randy Miller, La Verne, Calif.; Doris Pierce, Union Bridge,
Md.; and Don Horn, Chantilly, Va. (2) Outlook reports on Sanctuary for
refugees. Japanese internees. Draft registration rule. Disaster grants. Church of
North India. Federal budget. Personnel. BVS. University of La Verne (start on
4) . . . Update General Board wrap-up (7) . . . Resources, "Outdoor
Ministries," by Walt Bowman (25) . . . Opinions of I. W. Moomaw and John
A. Harpold (26) . . . Turning Points (28) . . . Editorial by Wendy
Chamberlain (32).
EDITOR
Kermon Thomasson
MANAGING EDITOR
Wendy Chamberlain
EDITORIAL ASSISTANT
Judd Blouch
FEATURES
Fred W. Swartz
SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES
Ruth Anne Gulp
PROMOTION
Kenneth L. Gibble
PUBLISHER
John D. Metzler Jr.
VOL. 132, NO. 5 MAY 1983
CREDITS: Cover, 12, 13-15artbyKalhyKline. 1,6
bottom, 8, 10 ihird, 12 left Judd Blouch. 2 Don
Horn. 3 top, 9 an by Kermon Thomasson. 6 top
John Carter. 4, 12 right. 16, 18 Religious News
Service. 10 R. F. McGovern. 10 top Nguyen van
Gia. 25 Camp Woodland Altars.
Messenger is the official publication of the
Church of Ihe Brethren. Entered as second-class
matter Aug. 20, 1918, under Act of Congress
of Oct. 17, 1917. Filing date, Nov. 1, 1982.
Messenger is a member of the Associated
Church Press and a subscriber to Religious News
Service and Ecumenical Press Service. Biblical
quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are from
the Revised Standard Version.
Subscription rates: $10 one year for individual
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Church Group Plan. $8 per year for gift sub-
scriptions. School rate 50<t per issue. If you move
clip address and send with new address.
Allow at least five weeks for address
change. MESSENGER is owned and
published monthly by Ihe General
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Brethren General Board, 1451 Dundee
Ave., Elgin, 111. 60120. Second-class
postage paid at Elgin, 111., May 1983. Copyright
1983, Church of the Brethren General Board.
■
DID GANDHI KNOW CHRIST?
Gandhi knew Love, he knew Truth, he knew
the Way; thus he knew God. And yes, he knew
Jesus Christ. He welcomed him into his Ufe with
open arms. What he did not embrace was a speci-
fic religious label.
Ironically, this religious nomad lived during
the same time as another influential leader
who was a hard-line Christian — named Adolf
Hitler.
Dorothy Naeymi
Peoria, 111.
CASTING STONES
Edward Johnson's letter regarding Gandhi in a
"Christless hell" reminded me of Sister Anna
Mow's comments on whether Gandhi would go
to heaven. She replied: I) She was glad the deci-
sion was God's, not hers. 2) If she saw Gandhi in
heaven she would not be surprised. 3) She was
certain that Gandhi's life would have been richer
had he become a Christian — for example, with
regard to his treatment of and relationship with
his own wife.
After Gandhi experienced harsh treatment at
Ihe hands of "Christians" in South Africa, he
commented, "Give me your Christ. You can keep
your Christianity."
Brother Johnson may have judged prema-
turely.
C. Wayne Zunkel
Glendale-Panorama City, Calif.
GIVE MERCY, NOT JUDGMENT
I was disappointed by the March editorial,
"The Gospel of the GHb and the Glittery." Is it
not unfortunate when Christians attack other
Christians? Does this not score another victory
for Satan and cause unbelievers to say, "If this is
the way Christians do, I want no part of it"?
If we disagree with others or their way of serv-
ing God, can we not do it agreeably?
The Holy Spirit is not bound by any one tradi-
tion or method. "There are varieties of gifts, but
the same Spirit; there are varieties of service, but
the same Lord; and there are varieties of work-
ing, but it is the same God who inspires them all
in every one" (1 Cor. 12:4-6). If my brother or
sister in Christ can reach someone I haven't been
able to reach, should we not rejoice?
It might be well for us all to remember
Gamaliel's speech to the Sanhedrin when James
and John were questioned about their teaching.
He said, "Let them alone; for if this plan or this
undertaking is of men, it will fail; but if it is of
God, you will not be able to overthrow them.
You might even be found opposing God!" (Acts
5:38-39).
L. Byron Miller
North Manchester, Ind.
WHY CRITICIZE?
Some of the best worship experiences of my
life have come as a result of Robert SchuUer's
"Hour of Power." I know of too many others
who have been helped, healed, and have become
new Christians through the "electronic church"
for me to criticize it. I don't agree v/ith all they do
or say, but I can't agree with everything the
Church of the Brethren or any other denomina-
tion does either.
Lowell Metzler
Elkhart, Ind.
CREATED IN GOD'S IMAGE
Robert SchuUer's book. Self Esteem, stresses
that we are all created in God's image, and that
Christ's salvation calls us to come back to God's
intention for us, and his grace restores in us the
dignity of being truly children of God.
Edward K. Ziegler
New Windsor, Md.
MINISTERING TO THE 'UP AND OUT'
The Great Commission from Jesus, "Go into
all the world and preach the gospel to every
creature," has been done by many ministers of
God, including Robert Schuller. I believe the
Lord is interested in salvation for the "up and
out" as well as the "down and out."
John R. Brown
Westminster, Md.
MEASURING AGAINST THE BIBLE
Thanks for the March editorial, "The Gospel
of the Glib and the Glittery." I too am on record
as a critic of the "electric church."
I am not so sure but that we have more to fear
from the "electric church" than we do from the
Reader's Digest and "60 Minutes." As I watched
one program recently, I thought of Matthew
6:5-8. There is too much of this sort of thing in
the "electric church." Once again, such religion
doesn't measure up to the Sermon on the Mount.
Jason Hollopeter
Selinsgrove, Pa.
STIRRING UP THE STATUS QUO
Thank you for the column by Shirley Kirk-
wood (February, page 9) reminding us of the
10th birthday of the Womaen's Caucus. We too
seldom hear from this arm of the church as it
works behind the scenes to lift the causes of
peace and reunion with the church family.
Annual Conference in 1979 set a goal of mov-
ing toward more equal representation of
brothers and sisters on official boards by 1982.
But it appears that status quo reigns, and in
fact women are in fewer offices now than a
decade ago. The fact that the delegate body
elected women only when they were against
other women needs to be examined, and proper
structuring of the ballot must be considered.
But even this will be of no avail if there is not a
grassroots commitment to equality for women
in the church.
The Womaen's Caucus has much work to do,
for the church clings to prejudice.
Nelda B. Ikenberry
McPherson, Kan.
ANOTHER SIDE
For the sake of balance, I would like to sub-
mit an excerpt from a letter we received from
missionary friends in Guatemala. They are com-
missioned by the California Yearly Meeting of
Friends and have worked in Guatemala for
many years. Their view of the political situation
in this Central American country seems to differ
from what was presented in the March Outlook
section.
"Although the north and northwestern parts
of Guatemala have been experiencing some
very difficult times of political strife for some
time, we in eastern Guatemala have had
almost complete peace and freedom. Since the
coup of last March, we have seen great
changes here and we can say that the situation
has almost completely turned around. This
government is committed to do away with cor-
ruption, bring about social changes that are
needed, and bring peace. The masses of people
are supportive of the government, but the
former corrupt politicians and the leftist
subversives want desperately to discredit this
regime. One of the leftist tactics is to feed the
press false information. To us here that is very
obvious, and we cannot understand why the
news media are so gullible to publish material
from only one side of the issue. We are ex-
horted to pray for the leaders that are over us.
Please join us!" (Signed, Ray and Virginia
Can field)
Elly Ullom
Wiley, Colo.
oYoToY^ Co
l\. visitor to the offices recently asked,"
"Who does the art in Messenger?" Good
question. Readers have to peer rather close-
ly at the fine print on the inside cover to
read the credits, so our artists remain rela-
tively anonymous.
Frequently the artwork is done by Kathy
Kline, artist with The Brethren Press. It's
her handiwork that appears on the cover of
this issue and in the feature story "The
Brethren in Bahimore," by Jacob F.
Replogle.
She has designed an occasional cover, a
number of layouts, and countless illustra-
tions and ads for Messenger. On top of
her work with the magazine, her job in-
cludes such varied tasks as designing book
covers, creating displays, illustrating cur-
riculum, producing brochures, and making
banners.
Sometimes the work takes Kathy out of
the studio. She was on site last summer at
National Youth Conference to help Joyce
Erickson with stage set-up, photography,
and other behind-the-scenes activities. Next
month she'll be in Maryland assisting Joyce
with the General Board exhibit for Annual
Conference.
Kathy began her work in the art depart-
ment more than two years ago, as a Breth-
ren Volunteer Service worker, and she was
hired when her BVS term ended. A Bridge-
water College art major, she kept up with
drawing and design during her first year of
BVS — working with American Indian teen-
agers at The Solid Rock in Brigham City,
Utah.
Off the job, Kathy's engaged in all sorts
of creativity. She just took up spinning, is
half done with building a mountain dulci-
mer, has a giant drawing in process on the
drawing board, and rings handbells at
church.
Like a lot of Elgin staff people, Kathy's
a transplanted Virginian. In spite of her
travels and experiences, her heart's back
on the family farm in Manassas. But we
hope to continue to have drawings ini-
tialed "KK" for some time to come.
-W.S.C.
May 1983 messenger 1
in
h
Don Horn: A challenge accepted
When a new church development program
was being discussed in Shenandoah
District some months ago, someone must
have raised the question, "Do you suppose
Don Horn can help us now with this proj-
ect?"
An observer might have wondered
which Don Horn was being considered, or
what the project might be. Was it the
sportsman who cross-country skis,
spelunks, camps and hikes? Or was it the
musician who is organist for the Shenan-
doah Valley Choral Society, and hammer
dulcimer player at coffeehouses, wed-
dings, and folk-music gatherings? Or was
it the former Brethren Volunteer Service
worker with a B.S. in architecture from
the University of Virginia?
Don Horn is each of these, and he finds
it difficult to squeeze enough time out of
the calendar to pursue his many interests.
For this particular project, the district was
looking for Don Horn, architect, to serve
as designer-consultant for a new church in
Vega Baja, P.R. The new church is a
joint project of Shenandoah and
Florida /Puerto Rico Districts.
Don has already made one trip to Vega
Baja to meet with the pastor and con-
gregation and to get acquainted with the
building site. This project holds a special
challenge for him, since all the needs of
the congregation must be anticipated.
Most church architects work with an
already-established group that needs to ex-
pand. The Vega-Baja congregation is just
beginning, and is meeting now in car-
ports.
The church will be the focal point for
the community — in both size and activity.
The new building will reflect the culture
of its members, will be open and inviting,
and will be constructed of readily
available material — in this case, concrete.
Don noticed that this congregation, like
N
%-■
all Brethren congregations, Hkes to linger
after services to talk. He will incorporate
that observation into the church's design.
While the congregation numbers 35 now,
it's anticipated that it will reach 300 with
the new facilities.
Don refers to a black journal filled with
drawings, notes, and ideas ready to be
pulled together into one unique structure,
and comments on the possibilities for a
more open design made possible by the
warm climate.
But he's quick to note that the church
must fit the style and expression of its
members. And there's value in the fact
that the people are building their own
church, he observes, because that human
investment makes the people "part of the
church. -Shirley C. Kirkwood
Shirley C. /kirkwood, a member of the Bridgewater
(Va.) Church of I he Brethren, is cauctis worker for the
Womaen's Caucus.
Randy Miller: Workin
In 1974 Messenger began an intern pro-
gram, which had as one purpose encour-
aging young people who aspire to journal-
ism careers. If we wanted to lift up one of
those persons as a success story, we would
need turn no farther than to our pioneer
intern of 1974-75, Randy Miller.
Randy was 20 years old in 1974 and had
not then begun the college career at the
University of La Verne that would see
him graduate cum laude with departmen-
tal honors in journalism. He hadn't settled
down and put his act together.
Randy laughs and reflects, "I had read
an interview with Euell Gibbons, in which
he said that if you get a chance to do
something a little out of the ordinary
— especially in your youth — do it. So I
traveled around in Europe for a couple of
months that spring of 1974. Then I got an
invitation to come to Elgin and help with
National Youth Conference that summer.
When I wound that up, I was still in Elgin
(at the Church of the Brethren General
Offices), and heard about the Messenger
job. So I applied for it and was accepted.
It all just happened to fall into place."
But all that Randy has done since has
not been just happenstance.
By the time he graduated from the
University of La Verne in 1978 he had
Doris Pierce: Electing t;
"Beep-beep!" There goes the roadrunner,
or is it — Yes, it is Doris Pierce on her way
to another political forum for all Carroll
County commissioner candidates.
She has always believed that women can
and should be involved in the decision-
making processes of local, county, state,
and national governments. To live out this
conviction, she decided to run as a county
commissioner candidate in 1978. One of
only 3 women running with 15 men, Doris
made a very good showing even though
she did not win.
With an undaunted spirit Doris came
back for more in 1982 and lost in the
primaries by only two votes. Rather than
request a recount, she was encouraged by
friends and supporters to wage her own
write-in campaign in spite of the
Democratic Central Committee's publicly
stating that they would not back her ef-
forts.
Doris did not win the election, but I
2 MESSENGER May 1983
for a vision
become a skilled photographer and jour-
nalist. He had been chief photographer of
a new magazine, La Verne, a slick four-
color pubHcation still going strong at
ULV, and he became editor the next year.
And he had married Sheri Rand, a
classmate.
In 1978 and 1979, Randy served as
photographer for Messenger at the In-
dianapolis and Seattle Annual Con-
ferences. In 1979 he began work in public
relations for Huntington Memorial
Hospital in Pasadena.
Since last July he has been associate
editor of World Vision, a monthly
magazine for World Vision, a nonprofit
Christian humanitarian organization, with
headquarters in Monrovia, Calif.
Asked if, as a highly skilled
photographer, he is happy behind an
editor's desk. Randy assures me that he
feels fulfilled as an editor. "I enjoy self-
expression through writing pieces myself.
And I like the challenge of 'sculpting'
other writers' work. You carve and cut
and poUsh and take creative satisfaction in
the end product."
His World Vision position means much
to Randy, a dedicated Christian, who
worships regularly with his wife at the La
Verne Church of the Brethren. "I feel
good going to work every day. I am con-
tributing to bringing about change and
improvement for people all over the world
who are victims of disaster, oppression,
and injustice. I am helping to bring
awareness to World Vision readers."
We felt a little ambitious in 1974 when
we launched that internship program, with
Randy as our untried pioneer. Looking
back in 1983, with Randy and other
former interns having become productive
journalists and communicators, we are
glad we felt that way. — K.T.
serve
venture to say that virtually everyone in
Carroll County now knows how to write
in a candidate, and she has paved the way
for other women to get involved in local
politics.
She supported issues such as the
nuclear freeze movement, protection of
the environment when new industry may
threaten, recreation for youth, and better
relations between the Board of Education
and the commissioners. Some of these
stances were not the most popular ones,
but the ones that she felt were in the best
interests of humanity.
Running for commissioner was not just
a "neat idea" that Doris woke up with one
day, but rather one that evolved naturally
from her many years of activities and her
commitment to community involvement.
She has been vice president of the local
middle school P.T.A., president of the
Carroll County League of Women Voters,
and president of the New Windsor
Recreational Council, which was in-
strumental in getting baseball diamonds,
tennis courts, and basketball teams for
community youth. Her pet project right
now is Granite House, a halfway house
for the mentally ill who are making a
return to the community.
But what about the church? Does she
find time for that in her life? Yes, the
church and the teachings of Christ have a
central focus in her life, and you will find
her at the Union Bridge Church of the
Brethren on Sunday morning teaching
Sunday school, singing in the choir, and
serving on the church board.
Doris is also a friend, who lives out her
politics in personal relationships as well as
in public. She has time to share a meal,
take in a play, or simply sit and talk
during times of pain.
I don't know Doris' plan for election
year 1988. But even if she never is elected
to the office of county commissioner, I do
know that she will be fighting a cause
somewhere.— Pat Roop Robinson
Pat Roop Robinson is a freelance writer and
licensed minister in the Union Bridge (Md.) Church of
the Brethren.
May 1983 messenger 3
Sanctuary: Invoking an
Old Testament custom
(RNS) Some 300,000 Salvadorans and
Guatemalans have fled to the US in the
past three years, according to widely ac-
cepted estimates, but each month about
1 ,000 are rounded up by Immigration and
Naturalization Service agents and sent
back home, where they contend they face
possible torture and death.
The refugees are illegal because the
State Department considers them
"economic refugees" rather than political
refugees. By law, temporary asylum status
is granted to political refugees only.
In response to that, at least 23 churches
across the country have declared
themselves public sanctuaries and opened
their doors to the illegal refugees.
This action invites a possible felony
charge for all those involved, including
members of the congregation. But more
churches and synagogues are expected to
follow, to protest US support for
repressive regimes in Central America.
There appear, in fact, to be more
churches willing to provide public sanc-
tuary than there are refugees prepared to
run the risk of accepting it.
In declaring themselves sanctuaries, the
churches invoke an ancient custom dating
to Old Testament times when the Hebrews
created cities of refuge to protect
strangers fleeing persecution. The sanc-
tuary was a holy, sanctified place where
God's law was higher than the civil law.
The religious sanctuary, in the Old and
New Testament understanding of the
term, represented both the place of wor-
ship and a place of refuge and protec-
tion—a dual role which the churches now
say they are trying to revive.
Sanctuary movements have appeared at
different times in history. One such move-
ment in the 1850s created the under-
ground railroad for fugitive black slaves
fleeing plantations in the American South.
The memory of that movement is invoked
today by those who talk about the "new
underground railroad" for Central
American refugees that runs between the
Mexican border and Chicago.
Those who promote the idea of sanc-
tuary also mention churches that offered
sanctuary to Vietnam War draft resisters
and military deserters. And they point out
that historically the United States itself
has been a sanctuary, welcoming immi-
grants with the words on the Statue of
Liberty: "Give me your tired, your poor,
your huddled masses."
The secularization of the original idea
of sanctuary as a religious concept is
traced by some to England's King Henry
VIII, who closed down English
monasteries and convents, which had serv-
ed as sanctuaries, and established in their
places seven cities of refuge.
But the principle remains a part of
Catholic canon law. Thus, when
Milwaukee Archbishop Rembert
Weakland welcomed four refugee families
into a church in December, he said he was
only obeying the law of his church.
"Sanctuary is not really a way of
avoiding justice," the archbishop said,
"but holy respite so that true justice can
eventually be done."
Federal immigration officials have not
taken the issue too seriously, at this point.
Said the assistant general counsel of the
Immigration and Naturalization Service:
"We're not about to send investigators in-
to a church and start dragging people out
in front of TV cameras. We'll just wait
them out ....
"This is just a political thing dreamed
up by the churches to get publicity ....
If we thought it was a significant prob-
lem, then maybe we'd look at it. But there
are plenty of illegal aliens out there."
In addition to Catholic churches such
as the one in Milwaukee, there are
Presbyterian, United Methodist,
Unitarian, Mennonite, Episcopal, and
United Church of Christ congregations.
A Salvadoran man and his granddaughter
find refuge along the Honduran border.
and Friends meetings that have
opened their doors to Central American
refugees. As of March 24, there were 23
churches providing sanctuary, according
to the Chicago Religious Task Force on
Central America, which is helping build a
national network of churches supporting
the movement.
Hundreds of neighboring churches near
those 23 have formally declared their sup-
port for the sanctuaries. In addition, at
least 12 national bodies — including 8
related to denominations — have endorsed
the idea of sanctuary.
General Board endorses sanctuary for refugees
Sanctuary is "an appropriate Christian response to the injustice being suffered by
Salvadoran and Guatemalan refugees," says the Church of the Brethren General
Board.
The Board adopted a resolution on sanctuary at its March meeting. The paper,
which will go to Annual Conference for possible adoption, is based on biblical
teachings of compassion, Church of the Brethren traditions of providing aid for
refugees, and the belief that sanctuary is consistent with Christ's will and way.
In the resolution, the General Board calls for the State Department to cease
deporting Salvadoran and Guatemalan refugees and to provide them shelter. The
Board encourages congregations "to prayerfully consider sanctuary as a faith
response to the situation in Central America."
Some Brethren congregations have already been cooperating with other
churches that have declared themselves sanctuaries. And in March, the Brethren
Discipleship Group of Northern Indiana announced an "invitation to sanctuary to
these abandoned refugees who have been refused asylum in our country." In its
statement, the group said, "We offer ourselves and our resources as we are able to
care for these brothers and sisters and we extend our church fellowship as a sanc-
tuary to shield these children of God from an unjust law which would expel them
from this country."
4 MESSENGER May 1983
Report says internment
was a 'grave injustice'
A government commission has declared
that "there was no justification in military
necessity" for the internment of Japanese-
Americans during World War II.
The report of the Commission on War-
time Relocation and Internment of
Civilians gives harsh criticism of the
Federal government, including President
Franklin D. Roosevelt, and of the press.
The internment of 120,000 West Coast
Japanese-Americans was "a grave in-
justice" caused by "race prejudice, war
hysteria and a failure of political leader-
ship," said the report.
The commission is expected to recom-
mend that monetary reparations be made
for personal suffering and property loss.
That could cost the government as much
as $3 or $4 million.
The Church of the Brethren General
Board, in October 1981, adopted a resolu-
tion calling on Congress to acknowledge
the wrongness of the internment of
Japanese-Americans and to make just
redress for the damage done to those
citizens.
US revises draft rule
on college student aid
The US Government has revised student
aid regulations so that applicants will not
have to provide verification that they have
registered for the draft. The law denying
Federal aid to nonregistrants originally
called for colleges and universities to cer-
tify draft registration before granting aid.
Students will still have to indicate on
their application forms whether they have
registered, but they do not have to supply
official verification.
Despite the change, the House is ex-
pected to approve legislation to delay im-
plementation of the regulations till next
Feb. 1.
In a related development, a Federal
judge in Minnesota has issued a
preliminary injunction against the law.
The injunction is binding only in Min-
nesota, but is viewed as a test case for the
entire nation. The judge said the law is
one that automatically punishes people
without allowing for judicial procedure.
The Government's revised guidelines ap-
pear to be designed to placate educators,
who have argued that the law, besides be-
ing unconstitutional, is burdensome and
forces them to become law enforcers. But
this action isn't as welcome to some peo-
ple, says Irv Bomberger of NISBCO (Na-
tional Interreligious Service Board for
Conscientious Objectors).
The "improved" guidelines actually
make the fight against the law more dif-
ficult, he said, because most educators
will now drop out of the struggle. The
revision does not make less valid the con-
stitutional questions being raised by
groups such as NISBCO, but there will
likely be fewer groups lobbying for total
repeal of the law.
The Church of the Brethren General
Board, at its March meeting, called for
the repeal of the law. It also designated
funds to assist Brethren students who lose
aid because of refusing to register for the
draft.
CNI moves toward unity
with 2 Indian churches
"The Church of India" has been recom-
mended as a common name by the joint
council of three denominations moving
toward visible unity in the mostly Hindu
country of India.
The council, which includes the heads
and other representatives of the Church of
North India, Church of South India, and
Mar Thoma Church, decided to appoint
three commissions to further its
work — theology, mission, and justice and
peace. The council was formed in 1978.
The three churches account for about
10 percent of the country's Christian
population of about 25 million. The
Church of North India, the newest of the
three, was formed in 1970 from Anglican,
Baptist, Church of the Brethren,
Disciples, Methodist, and Reformed
bodies. The Church of South India
formed in 1947 from Reformed,
Methodist, and Anglican roots. The Mar
Thoma Church formed in the 19th cen-
tury by some who left the Orthodox
Syricm Church of the East.
Religious heads issue
call for a just budget
Eighteen religious leaders, including
Robert W. Neff, general secretary of the
Church of the Brethren, have issued a
"call for a just Federal budget."
The Jewish, Roman Catholic, and Prot-
estant leaders, representing national head-
quarters across the country, called on
Congress to renew its commitment to the
poor, to a full employment economy, and
to a rational defense budget that would
reduce the likelihood of nuclear war.
The statement issued by the leaders call-
ed the Federal budget "the most important
moral statement our government will
make this year." The Passover and Lenten
seasons are a reminder of the nation's
religious heritage, said the statement, and
the budget season "is likewise a time to
recall the great moral vision on which this
country was founded."
But the vision that emerges from the
fiscal 1984 budget "is a vision of a nation
intent on a selfish and dangerous course
of social stinginess and military overkill,"
the leaders charge. The issue is not eco-
nomic recovery or national security, but
rather the moral question, "What rights
do people have and what is our obligation
as a society to ensure those rights?"
The group said the budget rejects the
rights of the poor and the unemployed
and removes from all people the right to
live their lives in peace and security.
The statement urges Congress to restore
funding for survival programs, to pass the
supplemental jobs and emergency relief
proposal now before it, and to reduce
military spending.
W. Africa, Madagascar
get emergency funds
The Church of the Brethren has allocated
$20,000 to help provide food and medical
supplies in refugee camps in West Africa.
The refugees are unskilled laborers who
were ordered to leave Nigeria in late
January. About half of the two or three
million are Ghanaians, and the others are
from Gambia, Senegal, Chad, Niger,
Togo, Benin, Upper Volta, and
Cameroon.
The grant from the church's Emergency
Disaster Fund is being channeled through
the World Council of Churches, which
has appealed for $1 million. US churches
have been asked to supply $250,000 of
that sum.
An Emergency Disaster Fund grant of
$5,000 has been allocated to assist with
the cost of food shipments and rehabilita-
tion in Madagascar, an island off the
coast of East Africa. Cyclones caused
damage there almost a year ago, and the
situation remains critical.
May 1983 messenger 5
ULV rejects proposed
Nixon Institute
Despite indications of strong student sup-
port, University of La Verne trustees re-
jected a plan to establish a Richard M.
Nixon Institute of World Affairs.
Following the 21-16 vote at the March 5
meeting, university officials expressed
disappointment over the decision, seen as
a surprise by some. More than 64 percent
of ULV students approved of the plan,
according to a poll by the school paper.
The plan would have established the in-
stitute near the La Verne campus as a
research center to study world issues, such
as peace. Former President Nixon would
have been invited to be first chairman of
the institute's board of directors.
La Verne initiated contact with Nixon
associates in late 1982. The former Presi-
dent's advice would have been sought in
organizational and fundraising matters,
had the plan been adopted.
Since becoming public in December, the
plan has received much attention. Many
Brethren and alumni groups were vocal in
their opposition to the proposal, which
received a 53-45 vote of approval from
ULV faculty members.
Other Brethren supported the institute,
suggesting that the trustees offer Nixon
forgiveness and redemption.
The Church /University Council, which
did not take a stand on the institute, of-
fered three amendments to the trustees.
Two of the three were adopted before the
final vote, including one that stipulated
that the institute study alternatives to
military power as a means to peace.
University officials had hoped that the
Nixon Institute would partially ease the
school's financial burdens, while providing
a home for scholars of world renown.
Richard Green, vice president for in-
stitutional advancement, said the school
will not make further attempts to gain an
endowment under Nixon's name.
Four take staff posts
across denomination
The Pension Board has named Wilfred
Nolen as its executive secretary. He has
been community development ministries
coordinator and director of SERRV for
the World Ministries Commission of the
General Board.
Nolen began his new responsibilities
Two BVS units begin terms of volunteer work
Two Brethren Volunteer Service units have recently completed orientation. BVS/BRF
Unit #158 met Jan. 7-28 at Camp Swatara in Pennsylvania. Members are pictured in the
lower photo. Seated: Eva, Katrina, and Ray Nolt, and Earl and Barbara Eby. Second
row: Verna Zuck (leadership), Susan Wenger, Doris Wenger, Iris Roop, and Grace
Wenger. Back row: Carl Zuck (leadership), Joe Etzler, Steve Bucher, John Carter
(leadership), Dave Rogers, Richard Patches, and Daniel Dunmore.
BVS Unit #159 met Feb. 6-27 at Camp Mack in Indiana and at the Urban Life
Center in Chicago. Members are pictured in the top photo and listed in alphabetical
order: Ruth Barrett, Kirby Carpenter, John Carter (leadership), Myrna Frantz, Peg
Gibble, Pamela Goddard, Paula Grafton, Jane Graves, Bill Krauss, Shelley Kurtz, Gail
Lillie, Dan McFadden (leadership), Oralea Pittman, Elizabeth Radford, Keith Rice, Carol
Rose, David See, Minor Sinclair, Roberta Snyder, Scott Stineman, Janet Stutzman,
Beverly Supanick, Siva Thavarajah, Lyn Thompson, Mark Thuma, Beverly Weaver
(leadership), Kathy Webb, Robert Ziegler.
part-time on April 15, and will continue
to work with WMC until later in the year
as he phases into full-time work with the
Pension Board.
He has served on the General Board
staff his entire professional life, including
directing the SHARE program from 1974
to 1981.
Newly appointed to the position of
Washington representative is Leland
6 MESSENGER May 1983
Wilson, pastor of York (Pa.) First church.
He begins work in the Washington Office
on June 1.
Wilson was pastor of the La Verne
(Calif.) church from 1969-1981, and
served on the General Board staff from
1961-1969 as director of interpretation.
His experience in community, ecumen-
ical, and denominational activities in-
cludes chairman of the American Com-
mittee of the World Friendship Center,
Hiroshima; president of both the Pomona
Valley and Southern California Councils
of Churches; and member of the White
House Conference on Families.
Stanley Earhart, district executive of
Southern Pennsylvania District since 1970,
has been named director of field services.
The position continues to be half-time,
and he begins his new duties July 1 .
Earhart has served 25 years in the
pastorate, the most recent being at the
Mechanicsburg (Pa.) church from
1964-1970. He has served on a variety of
denominational committees, including
Standing Committee, Central Committee,
and chairman of the Council of District
Executives.
Michigan District has named James
Kinsey as district executive. He begins the
part-time position June 7, and will con-
duct business from his home.
Kinsey has been pastor of Hope Church
of the Brethren, Freeport, Mich., since
1974. Prior to that, he served six years at
First church in Marion, Ohio.
He has held a number of district posts,
including conference moderator and vice
chairman of the board. Extensive
ecumenical involvements include work
with the Michigan Council of Churches
and the National Workshop on Christian
Unity.
Wilfred Nolen Leiand Wilson
[t^[5)(ol(g]te
GENERAL BOARD
met March 5-8 at the Elgin offices. The
Board remembered, with both sadness and celebration, the life
of W. Hartman Rice, former Board member who died in December
after a struggle against cancer.
APPROVED
a paper on human sexuality from a Christian
perspective, which passed unanimously and will be presented
to Annual Conference; and a policy statement on loyalty
oaths , which reaffirms the church's position to set loyalty
to God above loyalty to state.
ADOPTED . . . resolutions endorsing sanctuary for Salvadoran
and Guatemalan refugees; supporting the New World Information
and Communication Order ; criticizing the denial of Federal
aid to students and job trainees who oppose draft registra-
tion; and affirming the right of every person to safe and
decent housing.
SENT ... to Standing Committee a statement of strong con-
cern about the lack of representation of women and minori-
ties on the Annual Conference ballot; and to Annual Confer-
ence a query calling for a committee to address the need for
denominational leadership development and training.
RECEIVED . . . reports on progress in Peopl e of the Cove-
nant , a new denominational spiritual growth program; explora-
tion of the possibility of a new hymnal published jointly
with other Brethren and Mennonite bodies; a meeting between
representatives of the Oii Earth Peace Assembly and the
General Board regarding coordination of peace programing.
PARTICIPATED ... in two learning experiences. The Board
was led in a six-hour study of current economic justice
issues in preparation for a denominational study based on a
forthcoming book compiled by Shantilal Bhagat entitled What
Does It Profi t . . . . The Board also heard testimonies of two
visitors from the Association of Farm Workers in Nicaragua.
RECOGNIZED
J. Bentley Peters, former director of
field services and coordinator of the Office of Personnel
Administration, who resigned after 13 years on the General
Board staff to accept a position in personnel development
with the Evangelical Hospital Association.
GENERAL SERVICES COMMISSION . . . increased investment
interest rate on Church Extension Loan Fund notes to 7.5
percent; and discussed issues related to an upcoming policy
statement on communications .
PARISH MINISTRIES COMMISSION
changed the eligibility
requirements for National Youth Conference to 10th grade
through one year beyond high school, but kept the four-year
cycle; and engaged in an in-depth discussion of evangelism
and new church development .
WORLD MINISTRIES COMMISSION
made further progress
toward development of a paper on the meaning of mutuality
as a foundation for the denomination's mission philosophy;
and received an educational report on the program in Haiti .
May 1983 messenger 7
Annual Conference 1983
Program Activities
197th recorded Church of the Brethren
Annual Conference, June 28-July 3, 1983,
Baltimore Convention Center, Baltimore,
Md.
Theme: "God's grace as a gift" (Rom.
3:24).
Moderator: Paul W. Hoffman, presi-
dent of McPherson College, McPherson,
Kan.
Delegates: 1,050. Estimated par-
ticipants: additional 8,000 to 9,000.
Fees: Delegates, $58 ($63 for late
registration). Non-delegates, $10. Youth,
$4. Twelve and under, no charge. Con-
ference booklet, $4.75.
Tuesday evening: Preacher: Paul W.
Hoffman, moderator of Annual Con-
ference and president of McPherson Col-
lege, McPherson, Kan. Topic: "The State
of the Church."
Wednesday evening: Preacher: Harrell
Beck, faculty member at the Boston
University School of Theology. Topic:
"The Miracle of Ministry."
Thursday evening: Preacher: Phyllis
Carter, executive of Florida/Puerto Rico
District. Topic: "The Grapes of Eschol."
Friday evening: Preacher: David Rit-
tenhouse, free minister from West
Virginia and former pastor at the
Castaner (P.R.) church. Topic: "Grace
Received and Grace Given."
Saturday evening: Preacher: Nvwa
Balami, Nigerian minister and student at
Bethany Theological Seminary. Topic:
"The Church Transformed and Commis-
sioned."
Sunday morning: Preacher: Leah Zuck,
co-chaplain at the Brethren Village, Neffs-
ville. Pa. Topic: "Grace— The Everlasting
Gift."
Bible studies: Wednesday through
Saturday mornings, 7:30-8:30. Five ses-
sions each morning led by 1) Bruce and
Clara Wood on understanding and inter-
preting the Bible in light of modern
knowledge; 2) John David Bowman on
God's gifts; 3) Harold S. Martin on being
a servant of Christ; 4) Chalmer E. Faw on
God's grace; 5) Estella B. Horning on
God's call as a gift of grace.
Bible study also on Wednesday through
Friday evenings, 9-10. Three sessions each
evening led by 1) Tom Deal on God the
creator and the redefinition of God and
man; 2) Ken and Bonnie Kline Smeltzer
on grace embodied; 3) Pamela Lowe on
the various forms of grace.
Weekday Scripture teaching will be held
in the Baltimore Convention Center.
Sunday morning Scripture teaching led
by Robert Bowman in the Convention
Center Assembly Hall.
Pre-conference meetings: All meetings
at the Baltimore Convention Center unless
otherwise noted.
Standing Committee meets Sunday
morning to Tuesday noon. General Board
meets Monday morning 8-12.
The Church of the Brethren Homes and
Hospital Association holds its annual
meeting Monday, 1:30-3:30 p.m. The
Church of the Brethren Health and
Welfare Conference follows, running from
Monday evening through Tuesday after-
noon.
Ministers' Association meets Monday
evening to Tuesday afternoon. District ex-
ecutives meet Monday, 12-4:30 p.m. The
Disaster Emphasis Workshop will be held
Tuesday, 10-5. Mediation Workshop
meets Monday evening through Tuesday
afternoon.
Committee hearings: Tuesday, 9 p.m.,
at the Convention Center. National Coun-
cil of the Churches of Christ and the
World Council of Churches forum.
Baltimore Inner Harbor
8 MESSENGER May 1983
■iiiiUiiiMiwmiiiiinmiiiiMM
preview by Judd Blouch
"God's grace is as simple as a circle, as complex as the
universe. It is perfect. It breaks into our world as a
beautiful gift we never dare to imagine we deserve,"
writes Messenger editor Kermon Thomasson, who de-
signed the 1983 Annual Conference symbol.
Human Sexuality from a Christian
Perspective. War Tax Consultation. Of-
fice of Deacon. Sanctuary for Salvadoran
and Guatemalan refugees.
General Board report: Presentation Fri-
day morning and formal written report to
delegates Saturday morning.
Breakfasts: Tickets are $5.25.
Wednesday — Brethren Health Education
Foundation. Sunday — On Earth Peace
Assembly.
Luncheons: Tickets are $7.25.
Tuesday — Health and Welfare Con-
ference. Wednesday — Ecumenical.
Thursday — Mission 80s. Friday — Brethren
Health and Welfare, Person Awareness.
Saturday — Church Renewal and Growth,
all colleges and universities, Womaen's
Caucus, Association for the Arts in the
Church of the Brethren. Sunday — On
Earth Peace Assembly.
Dinners: Tickets are $7.25 and $8.25.
Wednesday — New Church Development
and Evangelism. Thursday — Messenger.
Friday — World Ministries, Higher Educa-
tion. Saturday — Doctor of Ministry,
Parish Ministries.
Tickets for the above events will be sold
at ticket sales booth at Conference, but
people are encouraged to take advantage
of early ticket sales through the Annual
Conference office,
using order forms in
Source and other
mailings.
Womaen's Caucus.
Pre-conference
meeting Tuesday, 2-5
p.m. A caucus pre-
view of Annual Con-
ference business
followed by a gather-
ing of all people in-
terested in the work
of the caucus to get
acquainted and dis-
cuss concerns.
Single adult activi-
ties (25 and older).
Thursday and Satur-
day evenings, 10:15-
11:30. Conversation
about singles issues,
friendship, sharing,
browsing with singles
materials.
Young adults (to age 25). Program and
activities planned throughout the week.
Activities fee of $7.
Junior high (6th-8th grades) and senior
high youth. Program and activities plan-
ned throughout the week.
Children's activities (lst-5th grades) and
child care. Pre-registration is necessary.
Deadlines May 10 and 15, respectively.
Music leaders workshop. Noon hours,
Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday at the
Convention Center. All who carry any
responsibilities for the local church music
program are invited to attend. No pre-
registration required. Teacher: Marlin
Brightbill, assisted by Brenda Eberly
Bibbee and Karl Schrock. Topics:
Wednesday — leading congregational sing-
ing. Thursday — using the hymnal.
Friday — piano and organ in the worship
service.
Insight sessions. Wednesday through
Saturday mornings, 7:30-8:30, and
Wednesday through Friday evenings,
9-10:10, at the Convention Center. Some
workshops are also included in the
schedule. Insight sessions are related to
programs of the General Board or special-
interest groups.
Dinner-hour programs. Wednesday
through Saturday evenings, 5:30-6:30, on
the stage of the Convention Center exhibi-
tion hall D. Informal programs, coor-
dinated by Dale Dowdy, will be presented
during the dinner hour. Food service will
be available to carry to the stage area.
Food service will be available in the
exhibition hall at lunch and dinner.
Conference choirs. The chancel choir
from the Frederick (Md.) church will pro-
vide music for the Tuesday evening wor-
ship service, and will be joined by the
church's deaf fellowship signing choir.
Conference choir will rehearse Tuesday,
8:45-9:45 p.m., and Wednesday through
Saturday, 4:45-5:45. Clifton Pritchett,
Cambridge, Md., director.
The Friday evening worship service
begins at 7 and will feature the Children's
Choir and a commemoration of the
Church of the Brethren 275th anniversary.
Exhibits. General Board program
exhibits; 40 to 50 Board-related programs
featuring Brethren groups and their
interests; colleges and other agencies.
Christian Education Center. Coor-
dinated by June Miller Gibble and Doris
Walbridge. Features Brethren-authored
and Brethren-recommended curriculum
and resources for many aspects of con-
gregational life.
Ministry to the deaf. There will be
ministry for the deaf, with interpretation
for worship services and possibly other
sessions upon request. An exhibit booth
will be operated by those concerned about
disabled people in the Church of the
Brethren.
Volunteer work projects are scheduled
for Thursday and Friday, 11:45-1:45.
These projects will be coordinated by
Lorele Yager in cooperation with the
Baltimore Urban Services Agency. Sign-up
sheets will be available Wednesday night
and Thursday.
Quilting Bee. Churches are invited to
create 814 -inch squares to be worked into
quilts at Conference. The quilts will be
auctioned to benefit General Board pro-
gram and the Association for the Arts in
the Church of the Brethren.
Art for Hunger Exhibit. Original paint-
ings, prints, sculpture, ceramics, and
other art forms depicting both the artists'
skill and their concern for hunger. Profits
from sales are divided between the artist
and the Association for the Arts.
May 1983 messenger 9
A glimpse of the candidates
Judd Blouch asked two questions of the nominees for the position
of moderator-elect. Their responses, printed below, may help
readers get a feel for the candidates' viewpoint.
What qualities do you bring to the job of
moderator?
Jim Myer:
Answering this question makes me a bit
uneasy because I do not want to engage in
any kind of self-promotion. With this in
mind, let me say that I am totally in love
with and committed to the historic,
Brethren understanding of the Christian
faith. My involvement as an evangelist
and preacher in the churches might enable
some of the desire for spiritual renewal,
biblical awareness, and evangelism to
come to pass. While strongly committed
to evangelical beliefs, I have sometimes
served as a link between liberal and con-
servative thought.
Hubert Newcomer:
First, I have worked closely with
moderators and other Conference offices
for seven years and understand the pur-
pose and function of Annual Conference,
and the responsibilities of moderator.
Second, through my involvement in the
many levels in the life of the church, I
believe 1 have an awareness of the needs
and potential mission of the Church of
the Brethren. Third, I bring a perspective
that comes with having been involved at
the "center" of the denominational plan-
ning and staffing, and the "edge" of the
denomination in a district made up largely
of small, struggling congregations.
Guy Wampler:
A willingness to enter controversy; an
eagerness to listen carefully; a mind that,
though not brilliantly quick, is usually
retentive and discerning; experience in
keeping meetings well-organized;
preaching that attempts to keep the
biblical faith contemporary; and, finally,
enough humor to laugh at myself.
Earl Ziegler:
I have administrative and organizational
skills. I believe that 1 have listening and
counseling skills and a positive attitude
about life and the church — an attitude
embodied in my favorite scripture, "I can
do all things in Christ who strengthens
me" (Phil. 4:13).
What is the biggest challenge facing the
Church of the Brethren today?
Jim Myer:
The biggest challenge centers on the
spiritual development of the denomina-
tion-wide membership so that as a body
of believers we more completely become
the disciplined, dedicated, and witnessing
church of the New Testament. This will
involve greater commitment to Jesus
Christ by us all and a keener awareness of
the dangers of secularism. We must strive
for more central unity on biblical issues.
Enthusiasm for our faith, concern for
diminishing membership, a new zeal for
evangelism, and aids to strengthen the
family need to be generated and placed
higher on the agendas.
Hubert Newcomer:
To come to a clearer understanding of
its mission in today's world and to
strengthen the biblical and theological
undergirdings of the membership in order
to fulfill that mission.
Guy Wampler:
The great challenge is to keep conflict
creative as we state our differences. Thus
conflict becomes a stimulus for growth
and grace. The peace movement in the US
and Europe gives Brethren opportunity at
all levels of the church to join others who
urge an end to the arms race and to the
threat of nuclear explosion.
Earl Ziegler:
The Brethren must learn to accept
themselves as a very important part of the
Christian world. We have a low self-
esteem about our message to the Christian
community and to the world. I think one
of our challenges is to be instruments
through which God's love and justice and
care fiows to the world. We have to be
excited about who we are.
10 MESSENGER May 1983
EDBBODBBIEaBBBB
James F. Myer:
Lititz, Pa. (Atlantic Northeast), White
Oak congregation. Age 43. Dairy
farmer/free minister, evangelist. Served in
plural free ministry of local church.
District board, ministry commission.
District evangelism task team. Leadership
training instructor. Moderator of church
extension congregation. General Board,
Executive Committee and Parish Minis-
tries Commission. Annual Conference
speaker and Bible study leader. Instructor
at BVS and BVS/BRF orientation units.
Hubert R. Newcomer:
Sebring, Fla. (Florida/Puerto Rico), Se-
bring congregation. Age 60. Retirement
community administrator. Pastor, choir
member, church school teacher,
moderator. District moderator, board
member, camp director, church extension-
renewal study committee. General Board
staff for stewardship, personnel, church
extension. Church policy study committee.
Annual Conference manager. Brethren
Homes and Hospital Assoc, president.
Council of churches, president. NCC
stewardship.
Guy E. Wampler Jr.:
Fort Wayne, Ind. (Northern Indiana),
Beacon Heights congregation. Age 47.
Pastor. District moderator, board
member, board chairman, youth coun-
selor. Standing Committee. General
Board, vice chairman. Goals and Budget
Committee, chairman. Annual Conference
speaker, study committees. Bethany
Seminary board of directors. Denomina-
tional Observer-Consultant to American
Baptist General Board. Visiting Nurses
board of directors. Governor's community
corrections committee.
Earl K. Ziegler:
Quarryville, Pa. (Atlantic Northeast),
Mechanic Grove congregation. Age 53.
Pastor. Moderator of local congregations.
Involved in church extension. District
moderator of four districts, boards,
writing clerk. Standing Committee.
General Board, chairman of Parish
Ministries Commission. Annual Con-
ference study committees. Church-related
college trustee. President of local
ministeriums, president of PTA. Pastor in
residence, Bethany Seminary.
Initial 1983 BaUot
The following ballot will be voted on by the Annual Con-
ference Standing Committee in Baltimore. It has been prepared
by the Standing Committee's Nominating Committee. Those
selected from this initial vote will be presented on another
ballot to Conference at the first business session (Wednesday,
June 29). At that time, additional nominations may be made by
anyone — delegate and non-delegate alike.
Annual Conference moderator-elect.
(Two-year term, second year as modera-
tor. Select two.) James F. Myer, Lititz,
Pa.; Hubert R. Newcomer, Sebring, Fla.;
Guy E. Wampler Jr., Fort Wayne, Ind.;
Earl K. Ziegler, Quarryville, Pa.
General Board, district representatives.
(Five-year terms. Select six.) Barbara
Shonk Berkey, Goshen, Ind.; Esther
Frantz Boleyn, Morgantown, W. Va.; L.
Gene Bucher, Brodbecks, Pa.; Alma
Moyers Long, Ada, Ohio; Peggy Reiff
Miller, Kalamazoo, Mich.; Keith D.
Pontius, Marion, Ohio; Jimmy R. Ross,
Loganville, Pa.; Laurean R. Smith,
Moorefield, W. Va.; Rufus E. Smith,
Clintwood, Va.; Sara Swartz, Newville,
Pa.; Marie Hoover Willoughby,
Copemish, Mich.; Olive V. Wise,
Bakersville, N.C.
General Board, at-large representatives.
(Five-year term. Select four.) Betty Jo
Buckingham, Prairie City, Iowa; Anita
Smith Buckwalter, Lansing, Mich.; David
B. EUer, Bluffton, Ohio; Roger L. Forry,
Somerset, Pa.; Esther Meyers Frey,
Mount Morris, 111.; James K. Garber,
North Manchester, Ind.; Sidney Olsen
King, Meridian, Idaho; Shirley Mc-
Cracken Spire, Dandridge, Tenn.
General Board, at-large representatives.
(Unexpired term until 1985. Select two.)
Larry D. Fourman, Brookville, Ohio;
Olen B. Landes, Harrisonburg, Va.;
Harold S. Martin, York, Pa.; E. Gerald
Thompson, Seven Valleys, Pa.
Annual Conference Central Committee.
(Three-year term. Select two.) Anne
Booth Bowman, South Bend, Ind.; Luke
H. Brandt, Harleysville, Pa.; David
McFadden, Upland, Calif.; Lois Fike
Sherman, Fort Wayne, Ind.
Committee on Interchurch Relations.
(Three-year term. Select two.) Roderico
(Tom) A. Grahan, San Diego, Calif.;
Jane Copsey Shepard, Portland, Ore.;
Harold B. Statler, Indianapolis, Ind.;
Kenneth Yingst, Plymouth, Ind.
Review and Evaluation Committee.
(Term to 1985. Select 10.) Connie
Baysinger Burk, Westminster, Md.; Wan-
da Will Button, Conrad, Iowa; Joan
George Deeter, North Manchester, Ind.;
J. Stanley Earhart, Mechanicsburg, Pa.;
Mary Jeannette Ebenhach, Fullerton,
Calif.; Janice Dull Eller, Portland, Ore.;
Leona Ziegler Row Eller, Washington,
D.C.; Dorotha Winger Fry, Larwill, 111.;
Dale B. Garver, Clinton, Ohio; A. Blair
Helman, North Manchester, Ind.; Wilbur
R. Hoover, McPherson, Kan.; Leona Dell
Ikenberry, La Verne, Calif.; Harvey S.
Kline, East Berlin, Pa.; Donna Ritchey
Martin, Franklin Grove, 111.; Dean M.
Miller, Hagerstown, Md.; Eleanor
Painter, Palmyra, Pa.; Joseph P.
Rinehart, Spindale, N.C; Donna Forbes
Steiner, Union Bridge, Md.; Robert C.
Tully, North Manchester, Ind.; Nevin H.
Zuck, Lancaster, Pa.
Bethany Theological Seminary electors,
clergy. (Five-year term. Select two.)
Guillermo Encarnacion, Falfurrias, Tex.;
Chester I. Harley, New Carlisle, Ohio;
Robert O. Hess, Manheim, Pa.; Bonnie
Kline Smeltzer, Elgin, 111.
Bethany Theological Seminary electors,
laity. (Five-year term. Select two.) Richard
G. Bigler, Goshen Ind.; Richard
Harshbarger, North Manchester, Ind.;
Esther Wilson Petcher, Chatom, Ala.;
Janice L. Ruhl, Manheim, Pa.
May 1983 messenger 11
Paul Hoffman is moderator of the
1983 Annual Conference. Among
the issues to be addressed: human
sexuality, war tax resistance, and
sanctuary for refugees.
New Queries
Seven new items of business will be con-
sidered by the 1983 Annual Conference.
Recognition of On Earth Peace
Assembly. At the 1982 Conference,
OEPA requested recognition as an
organization related to the Church of the
Brethren with permission to solicit funds.
Standing Committee postponed action for
one year and instructed the General Board
and OEPA to "define relationships, ac-
countability, and reportability with the
church." Submitted by OEPA.
Alternative Service. Points out
undesirable aspects of alternative service
and asks whether the Church of the
Brethren can continue to recommend
alternative service to youth. Submitted by
Northern Indiana.
Genetic Engineering. Requests that a
committee be appointed by Annual Con-
ference to study scientific research in
genetic engineering and recombination as
it relates to experimentation on human
life. Submitted by West Marva.
Affiliation with the National Council of
the Churches of Christ and the Worid
Council of Churches. Cites current
policies of the NCCC and the WCC as
non-Brethren and requests that the
withdrawal of the Church of the Brethren
from these organizations be considered.
Submitted by Southeastern.
Study of Ministry Issues. Asks Annual
Conference to appoint a committee to
address specific issues related to the
ministry. Submitted by the General
Board.
Resolution on Housing. Affirms the
right of every person to have a safe and
decent place to live, and affirms the need
for education, legislation, funding, and
personnel to achieve more adequate hous-
ing. Submitted by the General Board.
Resolution on Sanctuary for Salvadoran
and Guatemalan Refugees. Endorses sanc-
tuary as an appropriate Christian response
to the injustice suffered by Salvadoran
and Guatemalan refugees, and encourages
congregations to consider prayerfully
sanctuary as an act of faith in responding
to the current situation in Central
America. Submitted by the General
Board.
Unflnished business
Associate Membership. In this query to
the 1981 Conference, Florida/Puerto Rico
District asked that standards and
guidelines be established for offering
"associate" memberships to people who
move to other areas for certain parts of
the year. Conference asked the Parish
Ministries Commission of the General
Board to bring a recommendation regard-
ing polity to the 1982 Annual Conference.
The item was referred to the Congrega-
tional Renewal Team, which last year re-
quested a one-year extension. This year
the team is asking again for an extension
of time.
Office of Deacon/Deaconess. A five-
member committee selected at the 1981
Conference gave a report to the 1982
Conference. In turn, a seven-member
committee was estabhshed to answer
issues raised in this report. Members are
Robert S. Over, Chester I. Harley, Estella
B. Horning, John L. Huffaker, Mary
Jessup, Beth Sollenberger Morphew, and
Samuel Weber-Han. The committee's
report will likely address the issues of
commissioning services and accountability
of life-term deacons.
War Tax Consultation. Northern
Indiana presented a query to the 1982
Conference requesting guidance to church
institutions whose employees are involved
in war tax resistance. Reporting to the
1983 Conference is a committee of five:
Dale W. Brown, William R. Faw,
Ramona Smith Moore, Phillip C.
Stone, and Marty Smeltzer West,
Human Sexuality from a Christian
Perspective. The 1977 Conference directed
the Board to appoint a committee to
study the issue. In 1979 the current com-
mittee was formed: Guy Wampler Jr.,
Doris Cline Egge, James F. Myer, Mary-
Sue Rosenberger, and Clyde R.
Shallenberger. Two years later. Annual
Conference authorized the General Board
to distribute the Human Sexuality paper
as a study document and to collect reac-
tions from the churches for two years.
The committee's position paper has been
adopted by the General Board and is
being presented to the 1983 Conference.
12 MESSENGER May 1983
The Brethren in Baltimore
The city by the
Chesapeake Bay
certainly isn't new
to Brethren, The
nine congrega-
tions in the
greater Baltimore
area can trace
their beginnings
back about 200
years. Here's a
timely look at
those centuries
of change.
by Jacob F. Replogle
The Brethren have been in Baltimore a
long time— in fact, from the early days of
this nation.
Property located on South Paca St.,
near Lombard, was purchased from John
Eger Howard of Revolutionary War fame
in 1787. A revised deed was made by
Howard in 1808 to a group of trustees of
the Society of German Baptist Brethren.
And in 1849, John Stauffer, the only
living original trustee, gave a deed of
license to a Disciples of Christ group to
erect a church on a third of the
land.
The Brethren had the right
to preach and hold funeral
services in the new building, and a
number of outstanding Brethren, in-
cluding Elders John Kline and Daniel
Saylor, preached there. Apparently,
however, many of the Brethren youth
drifted into membership in the Disciples
church or married outside the Brethren
fellowship.
Take, for example, the descendents of
Samuel Sower, the youngest son of
Christopher Saur Jr. After selling his
business in Philadelphia, Samuel moved
to Baltimore in 1795 and married
Elizabeth Lament, daughter of Daniel
Lament, a prominent Baltimore
businessman and a leader in the Society of
German Baptist Brethren. Daniel Lament
Jr. married Susan Beck, and to this home
was bern Margaretta Elizabeth Lament,
who married Alfred Victor DuPont, son
of the founder of the DuPont Corpora-
tion.
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May 1983 messenger 13
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FIRST CHV^CH
wcoDBay^Y
A controversy arose in 1873 when
ministers of the church each claimed the
church-house. This stirred the Brethren of
eastern Maryland to be concerned about
rightful ownership of the property. The
dispute finally went to the supreme court
of Maryland, which ruled in favor of the
Brethren.
Little can be found about the Brethren
work and its decline in the 70 years or
more years from 1808. After a clear title
was given in 1875, the trustees sold the
property to a Levi Condon, who agreed to
remove the remains of those buried in the
cemetery, but no record has been found
as to where they were reburied. Now the
University of Maryland Hospital sits on or
near the site of the old South Paca Street
church.
The Brethren witness never ceased,
however. When Rebecca Snyder and her
daughters moved in 1871 from Ellicott
14 MESSENGER May 1983
City to Woodberry, north of Baltimore,
services were held in her home until they
grew too large. After a hall had been
rented and a small church built, the work
continued to expand into a Methodist
church building. The Woodberry church
became a separate congregation in 1907.
Today it has a membership of 97.
It was one parishioner putting in her
"two cents' worth" that launched the first
building fund of the Fulton Avenue
church, later to become First Church of
the Brethren. In 1895 a group of Brethren
had organized a Bible class with Dr. J. S.
Geiser as teacher. One day he paid Mrs.
John A. Smith two cents for a postage
stamp. She put the two pennies aside to
start a church building fund, which in-
spired others — until in 1903 the Fulton
Avenue church was built and dedicated.
Four years later, the group was organized
as a separate congregation.
The congregation moved to its present
location, on Liberty Heights Ave., in
1925. In the process, the name was
changed to First church, though the old
congregation at South Paca and Lombard
was actually the original Brethren church
in Baltimore.
First church faced a total urban popula-
tion shift in the 1960s. Many members
left, but a faithful core determined to
stay. Today it is a biracial congregation
with some 100 members.
The Long Green Valley church, 10
miles north of the city in Glen Arm,
began in 1900 following a revival meeting
held by C. D. Bonsack. Some years ago,
the congregation outgrew its original
building, and the current building, with
about 140 members, is serving a growing
suburban area.
With the influ.x of people in the
Baltimore area at the beginning of World
iimiMJiiuiuiiwirii—
11 ^"
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DAlCUAhJD M\LIS Wmhia
War II, many found employment in the
large industrial plants of east Baltimore.
The Dundalk church began through cot-
tage prayer meetings in the homes of
some of the Brethren living there. Finally
a house was purchased and converted into
a place of worship. Within a decade of
the congregation's organization in 1943,
the Dundalk church had flourished into a
thriving congregation of 153. The current
church family of about 182 now has a
larger building, and the original church is
the pastor's residence.
In a theological disturbance that
engulfed the Woodberry church in the
1940s, a group of members separated and
began meeting in a nearby house. The
group was recognized as a separate con-
gregation in 1944, under the name North
Baltimore church, and later bought prop-
erty on Roland Ave. from a Methodist
congregation. Now called Trinity Church
of the Brethren, its membership numbers
around 50.
About 95 members worship at
Evergreen Church of the Brethren in
Reistertown, about 12 miles northwest of
Baltimore. That congregation organized
in 1949.
Friendship church, about 10 miles south
of the city, began as an outgrowth of a
series of prayer meetings held by members
of First church in different outlying areas.
The group outgrew a home and eventually
built its own church. An interesting
sidelight: First church, the mother church,
refinanced its own remodeling indebted-
ness and gave the Friendship church
$10,000 toward its building program. Not
many years ago. Friendship church gave
back to First church a love gift for its
own unique program. Officially organized
in 1953, Friendship church now has about
124 members.
While Brethren have lived in the Ellicott
City area since early in the 19th century, it
was not until 1959 that a formal congrega-
tion was formed. Growth has been slow,
with only about 35 members. The Pine
Orchard church building, 10 miles west of
Baltimore, is also headquarters for the
Mid-Atlantic District office.
The newest of the cluster of churches in
the greater Baltimore area is Oakland
Mills Uniting church of Columbia,
southwest of Baltimore. Affiliated also
with the United Church of Christ, it
began in 1970 and was recognized as a
congregation by both denominations in
1972. The congregation of about 100
members worships in The Meeting House,
a unique house of worship for a variety of
faith groups. D
Jacob F. Replogle, a former Baltimore First church
pastor, in retirement is director of the Reuel B. Prit-
chelt Museum of Bridgewater College, in Virginia.
May 1983 messenger 15
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Honoring father and mother
The Fifth Commandment brought down
from Sinai by Moses speaks of our obliga-
tion to our parents:
Honor your father and your
mother, that your days may
be long in the land which the
Lord your God gives you.
If the relationship with parents is one of
the guides to living, it is urgent that we
reflect upon the commandment. And it is
all the more urgent because the nature of
parenting has changed drasticedly.
Mothering, for example, does not com-
mand the amount of attention from
women that it once did. Vocations com-
pete. To much less extent do women find
their identity centered on being a mother.
And for those women who are mothers,
mothering tends to be one of the things
they do.
Fathering is now much less exclusively
with discipline and providing financial
security. Much more than previously,
fathers are bathing and feeding and caring
for their children.
There is an emphasis now upon having
fewer children. And many couples are
choosing not to be parents at all.
With changes in practice and mood, it
would be possible to neglect the relation-
ship with parents, to fail to honor mother
or father, and, thus, to fail to heed the
Fifth Commandment. Despite all of these
changes, I am convinced that command-
ment is as valid as ever.
The commandment is rooted in an
understanding of family within Hebrew
Hfe and faith. One's identity was very
much related to family. A person was
recognized by parentage. Who were your
parents and grandparents? That was the
crucial question in understanding the per-
son before you. Thus, in knowing who
Jesus was, it was important to know who
his father was, and his father's father.
Luke traces that ancestry all the way back
to Adam, and then to God.
So the commandment has its setting
with a people for whom family is of
tremendous, even ultimate, importance.
by Leland Wilson
At various times in the ministry of Jesus,
he reflects that importance — as when, at
the cross, he makes provision for his
mother.
Note that the commandment says,
"Honor." It does not command, "Obey."
That was understood for small children.
And for followers of Christ, Paul made it
exphcit in his letter to the church at
Ephesus: "Children, obey your parents in
the Lord, for this is right" (Eph. 6:1).
And Paul relates his command to the
Fifth Commandment.
JDut the commandment does not speak
of obeying, because it was aimed at adult
children. The commandment dealt with
the need for adults to care for aging
parents. It was in contrast to the heathen
practice of abandoning aged parents when
they became too much of a burden.
Parents were to be honored at all times,
but especially as they grew older.
One of my favorite cartoon strips is
called "Momma." Almost from beginning
to end, the cartoon strips concern Mom-
ma trying to get her three adult children
to observe the Fifth Commandment. She
begs, she snoops, she weeps, she shames,
she tricks. And her favorite singer is an
old folk singer who wails about neglected
mothers.
Interestingly, this commandment is the
only one that speaks of direct benefit
coming back to you. You are simply com-
manded to love the Lord your God, not
to make graven images, not to covet. You
are not to kill, commit adultery, steal,
bear false witness, or swear in God's
name. But the commandment dealing with
parents says, "Honor your father and
mother, that your days may be long in the
land which the Lord your God gives you. "
It is to your own advantage. Your own
welfare is embodied in the way you treat
your parents.
There is a modern book called My
Mother, My Self. The thesis of the book
is that a woman repeats the character of
her mother — even those characteristics
that she sees and despises. She is like her
mother far more than a man is like his
father. This can even suggest to us that
how you treat your mother, your father,
is how you feel about yourself. As you
treat your mother or your father, you are
doing that to yourself. The commandment
suggests that if you deal well with them,
your days may be many and satisfying.
What of the contemporary scene? What
are the special considerations in honoring
father and mother today?
First of all, the family relationship is
still important. It is sometimes thought
that teenagers value freedom more than
family, that they choose peers over
mother and father. But that is not
necessarily the case. A recent survey of
over five thousand junior high students in
Florida asked what they valued most.
These young people, regardless of socio-
economic background, ranked "family
security" as most important. "Freedom"
was ranked second. And, contrary to
what we might have guessed, they put "ex-
citing life" last. To these young people, a
home with acceptance and caring was
most important. Children honor mother
and father when they are responsive to
parental love, and express to their parents
both acceptance and caring.
Xn the last few years, a new point of ten-
sion has developed between children and
parents. That point of tension comes
when a child decides to Uve with someone
without being married. I see parents and
grandparents struggling to maintain a rela-
tionship when they see their children in-
volved in a hfestyle they beheve to be im-
moral and destructive. Sometimes parents
suspect their child is living that way, but
would just as soon not be told. The threat
to the relationship is elevated when a
daughter writes home to her parents and
says, "Ted and I are coming home for the
weekend. We'll use my bedroom."
Some parents have tried to meet this
May 1983 messenger 17
'How could you honor me? By your becoming. In a significant way, my
satisfaction and my future is in your everyday living and achievement.
You honor me as you become the person God intended you to be. '
problem in relationship by trying to "live
and let live." That is, they have said,
"What my children do away from my
home is their business. What they do in
my home is my business. And when they
come to my house if they are not married,
I'll not provide a marriage-bed for them."
Even that kind of position has been
born out of agony. And it is not done
with great satisfaction, for if two people
are living together, what is accomplished
by keeping them separated for a few
hours? Perhaps it is a witness to convic-
tions held by parents — but convictions of
this sort are to be given witness by the
relationship of the parents, and not as
something to be imposed by force on
other adults.
Living together without being married is
not my understanding of the Christian
view of life, nor of God's intention for
our lives. I believe God intends us to live
in a covenant relationship with each other
— a covenant that is recognized and cele-
brated by the whole community. There is
a beauty and a wholeness and a promise
to that kind of relationship with men and
women that is not found in more casual
and less purposeful living.
But when people do decide to live
together outside of marriage, they honor
their parents by being honest with their
parents and by respecting their parents'
convictions. Parents and children respect
each other by staying in relationship with
each other, by being willing to talk about
their differences, and by not letting the
tensions between them drive them apart.
There is another point of crisis in the
relationship between parent and child.
That comes at the point where children
begin to feel that they must protect their
parents. We are tempted to "protect" our
parents by not telling them the truth.
In my previous congregation, I was ad-
vised several times to avoid controversy
because there are many older members. I
have not followed that advice. If, because
of older people, I do not deal openly and
honestly with issues that affect our lives,
then I do not respect those older people,
it seems to me. If I were one of them, I
would erupt with indignation. We honor
father and mother by engaging with them
18 MESSENGER May 1983
in life as it is and as it should be.
I have tried to think of how my
children might honor me. If I could deter-
mine that, then I might have a clue as to
how I might honor my mother. Let me,
therefore, address my children.
How could you honor me? Spend time
with me. And, at least part of the time,
just be around, not in a hurry to get
away. Just be there. Even when we are
not talking with each other, spend some
time with me. Invite me to be with you in
your home. Introduce me to your friends.
Try not to be too embarrassed by me. I'll
try to avoid making your friends un-
comfortable.
How could you honor me? Let me
know about yourself. Tell me what is go-
ing on with you, without my having to
ask about everything. Trust that 1 will be
interested. Share a few secrets with me;
I'll keep them.
How could you honor me? Learn about
me. Find out how I feel about things and
what I think. Don't assume you know
before I say it. Learn about my childhood
and youth. Learn what it meant to raise
you. Try to understand my life, my home,
my work, my goals.
How could you honor me? Care about
what I think. I do not expect you to
follow my directions; but, as you seek
your own, consider seriously the perspec-
tives I may have. Give me the chance to
affect your thinking and action.
How could you honor me? Forgive me.
I know I have sometimes been at fault, I
have been unloving, I have made mis-
takes. I know that your memory of events
is very different from mine. Grant the
possibility of accuracy in my memory, and
grant forgiveness for those times that I
brought pain to your Ufe.
How could you honor me? Engage in
thoughts and feelings with me without
threatening or being threatened. Let me
confront you without your withdrawing.
Let me speak without your "tuning out"
because you have already heard that "ser-
mon." And, be patient with me as I re-
spond when you confront me. It is not my
intent to withdraw. Ever.
How could you honor me? Exchange
gifts with me. I want to give to you.
Sometimes I am not certain what a good
gift would be. But I want to give. And I
want your gift. What you give is not so
important. It is not that I need some
thing; it is that I want and need your
remembrance.
How could you honor me? Depend
upon me. I believe 1 have much to offer
you. When you are in trouble, I want you
to feel that you can call for help and that
I will respond. And, let me depend upon
you.
How could you honor me? By your be-
coming. In a significant way, my satisfac-
tion and my future is in your everyday liv-
ing and achievement. Some of my greatest
satisfaction is in your achievement. You
honor me as you become the person God
intended you to be.
There is wisdom, there is life, in the an-
cient commandment:
Honor your father and your mother,
that your days may be long in the
land which the Lord your God gives
you. D
Leiand H'ilson ispaslor of York First Church of the
Brethren, in y'ork. Pa.
iWAimiiBiimiiwiHwwi—
Listening to the Word
Rejoice in the Lord always
by Chalmer E. Faw
"Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will
say. Rejoice" (Phil. 4:4).
This sounds great, but there is something
about it that has often bothered me. Am I
always to be filled with joy even when I
don't feel Uke it? It would be dishonest to
pretend to be happy when I am downright
sad, hurt, or angry, wouldn't it? Then
even if I am feeling good about a situa-
tion, aren't there so many suffering people
in this world with whom I should identify
that I cannot possibly be joyful? So I've
had some difficulty with this text. Maybe
you have also. Let's look at it.
Read it over again, carefully. Notice
that it does not just say, "Rejoice always."
It says, "Rejoice in the Lord always."
That makes a difference. It could be the
total difference! It is Jesus in whom I am
to rejoice. If I begin the day praising him
and then walk with him closely through
the day "in the light of his Word," maybe
I can have this joy!
The Lord has done so much for me,
and for all of us, that is sheer joy just to
contemplate him. Not only has he brought
a whole new level of living both in this
world and the next, but his own earthly
life shows us the kind of joy the Bible is
talking about. Before he was born, the
angel announced, "Behold I bring you
good news of a great joy which will come
to all people" (Luke 2:10). Then toward
the end of his life, facing the agony of the
cross and the prospect of leaving his
disciples behind in a hostile world, he
solemnly announced, "These things I have
spoken to you, that my joy may be in
you, and that your joy may be full" (John
15:11).
His joy, given now to us, is the kind
that shines out through life's darkest
hours, a joy that often, as the hymn has
it, "seekest me through pain." This same
kind of joy runs through the book of Acts
in the life of the early church. As the
apostles returned to their group after be-
ing beaten and cruelly treated by the
Sanhedrin, they were "rejoicing that they
were counted worthy to suffer dishonor
for the name" (Acts 5:41).
This then is what permeates the epistle
to the Philippians from which our text is
taken. It is obviously no surface happiness
nor in any way escapist. Rather, it is
something that wells up from within the
believer even when everything seems to be
going wrong.
Good, but how does one ever get such
joy? The earliest disciples of Jesus had
their first convincing experience of it as
the risen Lord was clearly revealed to
them. They "disbelieved for joy" at the
presence of Jesus after his resurrection
(Luke 24:41). Peter was so overjoyed at
the sight of the risen Lord that he sprang
fully clothed into the Sea of Galilee to get
to him (John 21:7). Joy was a gift of the
Lord of all life that came and settled
upon them. The baptism in the Holy
Spirit some time later, then, undergirded
that joy with power and made it a perma-
nent possession.
Paul is in prison facing possible death
as he writes the words of our text, yet no
writing of his is more filled with joy.
Again and again he testifies to his spirit of
rejoicing as he faces knotty problems.
Here is a gift that is deep, responsible,
and abiding.
Listen again to our text; "Rejoice in the
Lord always." Always? Is that possible?
Don't we have moments of great hap-
piness and then other times when we are
bowed in deep sorrow? Yes, we do. Life
is Uke that. But the joy of the Lord lies
deeper than our sorrows and is more
lasting.
Jesus "for the joy that was set before
him endured the cross, despising the
shame, and is seated at the right hand of
the throne of God" (Heb. 12:2).
Ah, here it is, the real shape of our joy!
It is a resurrection-powered sense of
divine well-being anchored in the eternity
of God and his final victory. With this
kind of joy, Paul could face possible ex-
ecution for he could look ahead to being
with Christ and in the last day standing
before him in the goodly company of his
converts (Phil. 1:21 f; 2:16). Yes, we may
have this joy at all times.
Then, just in case we did not hear Paul
the first time, or couldn't quite accept
such exalted teaching, he repeats it:
"Again I will say. Rejoice." This is basic
to the rest of the paragraph. "Let all men
know your forbearance" (Phil. 4:5a) then
becomes meaningful to one undergirded
with this joy and the kind of basic securi-
ty that accompanies it. Forbearance is the
ability to "take it" no matter what the cir-
cumstance and to put up with others when
they are at their worst. It is only possible
for the one who has tasted of the resur-
rection joy of the Lord.
Then we read, "The Lord is at hand"
(verse 5b), at first glance disconnected,
but so profoundly relevant. Both in the
sense of always about to return and of
ever abiding with us, this Lord by his
presence is the true source of our joy.
Then the result is the freedom from
anxiety which a life of prayer, interces-
sion, and thanksgiving can bring (verse 6).
Note the emphasis on the always here:
"Have no anxiety about anything, but in
everything ... let your requests be known
to God."
Christian joy is for all of life. It is
dependent not upon moods or feelings but
upon a basic relationship with the Lord of
the universe, who replaces anxiety with
faith and brings a deep, settled peace in
the soul that surpasses all comprehension
(verse 7).
This joy and this peace then prepare
one to face a world so sadly lacking in
both, and — blessed be the name of the
Lord — God's joy and peace are for
always! D
A retired Bible teacher and missionary from
Quinter, Kan., Chalmer E. Faw travels extensively
with his wife, Mary, in a spiritual life renewal
ministry.
May 1983 messenger 19
6£MJRLITy
God« g^d gif (
The 1981 Annual Conference study document on human sexuality
was read and discussed widely across the denomination. Almost a
fourth of the congregations, or 235, ordered the study document.
"Response sheets" were returned by more than 2,600 people.
More than 100 letters were written to the committee. Seldom has
an Annual Conference paper been studied more seriously.
The committee did not attempt to write a paper that reflects in
e.xact proportion the votes on the response sheets and the opin-
ions in letters. In fact, we felt led to stretch the church's thinking
at some points. Yet the committee, in preparing the emphases
and conclusion of the paper, was significantly influenced by cor-
respondence with the churches.
Messenger editors, of necessity, print a condensed version of
the paper and of the 34-item response sheet. Particularly lengthy
sections on the Bible have been abridged.
The paper is neither perfect nor complete. We think it is a
good beginning. A miracle has happened. Our diverse committee
(Guy Wampler Jr., Doris Cline Egge, Jam.es F. Myer, Mary Sue
Rosenberger, and Clyde R. Shallenberger), representative of a
diverse church, has eliminated the contrasting columns of the
study document and reached consensus on a substantive, single
position. The General Board, by unanimous vote, presents the
paper to the 1983 Annual Conference.
— Guy Wampler Jr.
Sexuality is elemental in human beings. It encompasses all that
we are when we say "I am female" or "I am male." Physical at-
tributes, including genitals, are an integral part of our sexual
identity; however, sexuality is not just physical. It includes all
thinking, feeling, acting and interacting that is derived from our
maleness and femaleness.
This sexuality enriches human relationships in ways that are
basic to God's own nature. Furthermore, it offers human beings
partnership with God in holy creation and re-creation.
In their enjoyment of these privileges concomitant with sex-
uality, God's people are to be responsible. The church identifies
love and covenant as two guideUnes for sexual responsibility.
Furthermore, the church holds to the teaching that sexual inter-
course, which can be the most intimate expression of sexuaHty
and the most bonding of human relationships, belongs within
heterosexual marriage.
The church maintains an attitude of openness and wilHngness
to evaluate specific issues related to sexuality. Moreover, the
church recognizes that highly personal issues are best resolved in
the confidentiality of a private setting with pastor, counselor, or
family rather than in the open debate of conferences and council
meetings. Seeking the guidance of scripture, the Holy Spirit, and
responsible contemporary research, the church continues to study
and search for the mind of Christ in dealing with the complex-
ities of responsible sexuality.
The significance of sexuality is evident in scripture. In the
Genesis 1 account of creation, sexuality is one of the first human
attributes to be identified: Male and female God created them.
Other distinguishing characteristics — race, stature, in-
telligence—are omitted. The hfting up of sexuality in this concise
account of human origin suggests how basic sexual identity is.
Yet while sexuality is an important component of our being,
it is not paramount. Paul urged his readers to keep perspective.
His emphasis was on the new life in Christ, not on sexuality.
Likewise, sexuality was not central for Jesus. Although Jesus
briefly addressed a few issues related to sexuality — adultery, mar-
riage, divorce, and celibacy— these were not the emphases in his
teaching. When asked to identify the greatest commandment, he
named two: "Love God and love neighbor." For Jesus, love was
primary in alt human relationships; sexuality was secondary.
Biblical guidelines. In order for sexual experiences to be com-
plete and appropriate in God's sight, persons need to make
choices based upon the counsel of the Scriptures and also of the
church. Two key biblical words relating to the morality of sexual
experiences are love and covenant.
Love. The English word love has two antecedents in the
Greek language, eros and agap^, which are crucial to the
understanding of sexual morality. Eros is the love that grows out
of one's own need to love and to be loved. It is the love that
fulfills one's dreams and desires. It is the impulse toward life,
union, creativity, and productivity. It is the self-actualizing drive
affirmed in Genesis 1 where God created male and female and
told them to be fruitful and multiply. It is the satisfying union
affirmed in Genesis 2: "The two shall become one flesh." But the
body is not to be separated from the soul. Lovemaking is most
fulfilling when it is a comfort to the body and the soul. This
blending of physical pleasure and spiritual intimacy is eros at its
best.
Agapi is an equally significant dimension of love. Agap^ is
unrestrained compassion for another. It is selfless giving. It is a
generous responsiveness to another's needs beyond any gain for
oneself. It is the love of 1 Corinthians 13. The prototype of
agap^ is Jesus' giving his life on the cross.
Eros is of the order of creation, a God-given gift to our human
nature. Agap^, on the other hand, is of the order of redeeming
grace, the gift of the covenanting God to covenanting people. Even
20 MESSENGER May 1983
MU«iiniiimiiiu.imM«iiiiiii
so, eros and agap^ are gifts of God and part of his plan for humani-
ty. Neither is to be despised. Indeed, it is only when romantic love is
constituted of both that it can be said, "Lo, it is very good."
Covenant. Christians need more than love to guide them in
decision-making. Love is nebulous. Moreover, we are susceptible
to self-deception, particularly in moments of sexual excitement
and desire. At such times the claim of love is to be tested by actual
commitment that gives content to the declaration of love. Such
commitment disciplines, protects, and nurtures love relationships.
Christians need covenant as well as love to guide them.
Covenants abound in biblical history, shaping relationships
and undergirding community. These covenants take many forms.
Despite variations, several elements of bibUcal covenants can
be identified.
Biblical covenants were generally public. They were not
private agreements isolated from community. Even God's
covenants with Noah, Abraham, and Moses were not merely in-
dividualistic. They were major covenants affecting and including
the whole community for many generations.
Bib
Hblical covenants are pious, reflecting Israel's sense that
covenants are grounded in God. Sometimes God initiates the
covenant as a primary participant. Other times God is only in-
directly involved. For example, people make covenants between
themselves but seal them with an oath. The oath implies religious
sanction. Thus, being faithful to God implies being faithful to
the covenant.
Biblical covenants are permanent. Sometimes this expectation
of permanence is challenged by changing circumstances and bit-
ter disappointments, yet the promise is not withdrawn. Further-
more, when terms of the covenant are violated, broken relation-
ships and misery result. In such circumstances the old covenant
may be dissolved by God and a new beginning offered. Despite
these vicissitudes in covenantal relationships, the common under-
standing is that covenants last forever.
Finally, biblical covenants often presuppose pilgrimage.
Abraham, Moses, and David were adventurers. God's covenants
with these men pointed beyond their present realms of living to a
destination — to a nation, a land, and a kingdom not yet fully
reached. Jesus and his disciples were travelers, and his promise
to be with them was a covenant. Such covenants have unfolding
qualities. They foster adventure, newness, and surprise.
Pilgrims accept a code of conduct for their journey.
Covenants set limits. Yet the spirit of the covenant is to nourish
relationships, not regiment them. Covenants, unlike contracts,
offer fidelity that exceeds specification: "You will be my people;
I will be your God" (Jer. 31:3b, Rosea 2:23).
The influence of covenants upon sexual behavior and rela-
tionships within Israel is evident. Unlike much contemporary,
popular literature, the Bible is not primarily a story about lovers
and their disconnected affairs. Rather, it is an account of
families and marriages and continuing loyalties. To be sure, there
are many lapses in covenantal faithfulness. This reality does not
diminish the significance of covenant in the life of Israelites;
rather it underscores their need for a new covenant that incor-
porates not only law and judgment but also grace and renewal.
The Church's Guidance. In contemporary life we are often
hesitant to make covenants. We resist the responsibility of long-
term commitment. We want to be autonomous, with little obliga-
tion to the community.
The result is that in contemporary life we lack the sense of
belonging and the convenental structure that helps a relationship
endure through periods when emotion is not a sufficient bond.
We lack a sense of being part of a purpose and a people that ex-
tends far beyond our individual lives. It is time for the church to
speak assertively of covenant, of belonging and loyalty.
To apply biblical covenant to sexuality in the modern world
does not require the church to formulate a comprehensive code
to cover all eventualities and contingencies. Ours is a complex
and changing world. Differing family patterns, changing male
and female roles, effective contraceptives, overpopulation, and
the science dealing with human sexual behavior are among the
phenomena that represent new dilemmas and choices profoundly
affecting sexual relationships.
In addressing these realities the church must avoid undercut-
ting individual discretion, eliminating personal responsibihty for
growth, and stifling the work of the Spirit among us. Yet within
the covenant community, there is need for general guidelines,
Bible study, and frank conversation.
In a society in which people are purported to "have sex more
but enjoy it less," the time has come to reconsider the impor-
tance of both love and covenant. There are no easy answers
about how to apply love and covenant to some of the real-life
situations in which people find themselves. Is the church willing
to struggle with these issues even when answers are not always
clear? The struggle will be unsettling and difficult, but the out-
come may enhance morality, not diminish it, and contribute to a
fuller, more human life for all persons.
Single persons and sexuality
More than one-third of the adults in our society are single — un-
married, divorced, or widowed. Our biblical faith affirms
singleness as a meaningful lifestyle. The lifestyles and teachings
of both Jesus and Paul are models of singleness. Jesus placed
singleness on a par with marriage. Paul felt that in terms of an
undivided allegiance to Christ, being single had some advantages.
Biblical insights. Although the Scriptures do not deal exten-
sively with the sexual behavior of single persons, some boun-
daries are established. In the Old Testament, certain types of
premarital sexual activity are punishable. In the New Testament,
Paul teaches that union with a prostitute is immoral because that
act inseparably joins two persons. Paul also specifically addresses
the unmarried and the widowed who find it difficult to control
sexual passion. Paul advocates marriage for such persons, imply-
ing that sexual intercourse is to be practiced within marriage.
The church's response. The requirement of celibacy for
singles is a thorny issue that the church faces. Our current social
circumstances heighten the difficulties. Physical maturation has
accelerated three years in one generation. A girl now reaches
puberty at 1 1 or 12 years of age and a boy at 13 or 14 years.
Moreover, the median age at first marriage is later than ever
before: 23 years for men and 21 years for women. The 10-year
span between sexual maturity and marriage creates a difficult
situation in which to preserve chastity, a situation different from
the biblical era.
Premarital sexual relationships, especially among teenagers,
are creating many problems in our society. Often these problems
May 1983 messenger 21
are the inevitable result of a society that is seductive and per-
missive, and promotes freedom and pleasure above responsibility
and long-term satisfactions. This society and all too often a
negligent church have failed to provide moral support to those
many youth who do have values and seek to Hve by them.
Also in contemporary society there are rapidly increasing
numbers of previously married single adults. A higher divorce
rate, an extended life expectancy, and the preponderance of
women over men in the middle and upper age brackets are
among the factors leading to this increase. Many of these per-
sons have experienced sexual intercourse within marriage, but
such experience is no longer available to them. Some of the
problems that exist in our contemporary world did not exist in
such proportions in the biblical world. It is incumbent on our
society and the church to acknowledge these problems and to
seek solutions.
The church counteracts the cultural emphasis on sexual self-
indulgence by teaching the benefits of self-discipline and the
positive aspects of a life of commitment and fidelity. In a time
of casual love making and pleasure seeking, covenants provide
structure that sustains us in the fluctuating joys and pains of
authentic relationships. Ongoing loyalties give continuity to our
lives. The marks of covenant include mutual respect, public
vows, lifetime accountabihty, and religious sanction. The church
teaches that sexual intercourse belongs within the bonds of such
love and covenant.
The church as a covenant community encourages single peo-
ple, as well as married people, to speak of their needs and con-
cerns including sexuality. In the continuing interchange of ideas
and feelings, the church seeks to be more evangelical and caring
than condemnatory.
Homosexual persons and sexuality
The Church of the Brethren never has dealt officially with the
issue of homosexuality. The time is here to examine openly this
matter that profoundly affects the lives of millions of homosex-
ual people and their families.
Misunderstandings about homosexuality. Misunderstandings
and unnecessary fears about homosexuality abound. Contrary to
popular opinion, most homosexuals are not flagrantly pro-
miscuous and do not engage in offensive public behavior. Male
homosexuals are not identifiably "feminine" and lesbians are not
characteristically "masculine." Teachers with homosexual orienta-
tion are often suspected of influencing pupils toward homosexual
behavior but most sexual offenses reported between teacher and
pupil are heterosexual in nature. For most practicing homosex-
uals, sexual activity is a proportionate part of their lives. Most of
the time they engage in pursuits common to all.
Causes of homosexuality. The causes of homosexuality are
not definitely known. Is it inborn or learned? No one has the
definitive answer. What is known is that people do not simply
decide to become homosexual; it is more complex than that.
Some recent research suggests that the predisposition for
homosexuality may be genetic. Other research suggests that cer-
tain types of family pathology produce a higher incidence of
homosexuality. However, such research has not been sufficiently
extensive or scientific to be conclusive. It is generally agreed that
the homosexual orientation usually is formed early in life. From
5 to 10 percent of the population is said to be primarily homo-
22 MESSENGER May 1983
sexual in orientation.
A significant percentage of people have occasional homosex-
ual interests and/or experience but are not exclusively homosex-
ual. Perhaps the majority of people are somewhere on the con-
tinuum between exclusive homosexuality and exclusive hetero-
sexuality.
Biblical insights. The Bible refers directly to homosexual con-
duct seven times. Genesis 18-19 and Judges 19 are narratives.
Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13 are prohibitions in the Holiness Code.
Romans 1:26 ff, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, and 1 Timothy 1:10 are
excerpts from epistles.
A he seven passages forcefully denounce a variety of homosex-
ual behavior: rape, adultery, cultic prostitution, and lust. These
scriptures do not deal explicitly with some contemporary ques-
tions about various forms of homosexuality, about homosexuali-
ty as an orientation, about the onset of homosexuality prior to
the age of moral accountability, and about genetic and/or en-
vironmental predispositions.
While the seven direct references in the Old and New
Testaments are often isolated as the focal point of an interpreta-
tion of the biblical teaching about homosexuality, these texts are
best understood within the larger framework from which the Bi-
ble approaches sexuality in general. This overarching framework,
identified in the opening sections of this paper, upholds hetero-
sexuality as the reflection of God's image and as the culmination
of creation. It is in union with a sexual opposite that male and
female find fulfillment as persons and identity as a family. While
some modern distinctions about homosexuality are missing in the
Scriptures, homosexual behavior is considered contrary to the
heterosexual norm that runs throughout scripture.
Jesus reinforced the unified biblical view of human sexuality.
He upheld the sanctity of heterosexual marriage, reciting from
scripture God's original intention in creation: "Have you not
read that He who made them from the beginning made them
male and female, and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his
father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall
become one?' So they are no longer two but one" (Matt. 19:4-5).
Thus, Jesus affirms that heterosexual marriage is the pattern for
sexual union God intended from the beginning.
This biblical affirmation of heterosexuality does not
automatically exclude every other choice of sexual expression or
nonexpression. Although Jesus is clear about the biblical norm,
he is not categorical. In the same passage in which he upholds
the sanctity of marriage (Matt. 19:3-12), he acknowledges, "not
every one can receive this precept, only those to whom it is
given." He then identifies some persons for whom heterosexual
union is not possible: some because of factors of birth; others
because of what has been done to them; and still others because
they choose not to marry for the sake of the kingdom. Thus
Jesus does not prescribe heterosexual marriage for every person.
The church's response. The Church of the Brethren upholds
the biblical declaration that heterosexuality is the intention of
God for creation. Nature, in the very functional compatibility of
male and female genitalia, confirms this biblical revelation that
males and females are meant for each other. This intimate
genital contact between two persons of opposite sexes is not just
a physical union; it also embodies the interlocking of persons.
limj-HUilMMlH
What do we believe about
sexuality?
Study groups across the denomination examined the Human Sex- uaiity study committee. The statements below are selected from
uality study document for at least four sessions. Individuals then the 34-item response sheet. Totals from the 2,639 returns are
filled out response sheets, which were mailed to the Human Sex- tabulated on the right.
(SA— strongly agree. A— agree. D — disagree. SD— strongly disagree. U— undecided.)
SA
A
D
SD
U
The Bible is clear that all sexual intercourse should be confined to marriage.
1411
664
280
47
201
The Scriptures do not condemn a homosexual orientation; rather what is condemn-
ed is homosexual rape, homosexual idolatry, and homosexual lust without love.
132
575
589
1049
204
The Bible condemns all homosexual behavior.
1156
653
400
129
253
When a homosexual orientation is not chosen, but involuntary, it is not a sin.
116
435
747
888
332
The church must be uncompromising and should denounce all sexual intercourse
outside of marriage.
1045
717
441
213
171
Sex education for family life is appropriate within the public schools.
412
1230
421
231
271
Sex education in my parents' family met my need adequately as a growing child and
teenager.
151
787
1116
374
124
This intimate companionship is heterosexuality at its fullest. It is
the context for the formation of family.
Some persons, for reasons not fully understood, experience a
romantic attraction for persons of the same sex. Some of these
persons claim Christ as Lord and are actively involved in the life
of the church. They need the active support and love of the
church as they struggle with God's plan for their lives.
In ministry to homosexual persons, the church must guard
against oversimplifying Christian morality. Instead the church
should endeavor with Christian love and with gentle evangelistic
skill to offer redemptive help. Proof texts, condemnation, and a
sense of guilt will not empower change. Rejection isolates
homosexual persons from the church. It frequently results in a
preoccupation with and intensification of the very inchnations
their accusers deplore. The power of the gospel incorporates an
acceptance of persons who seek forgiveness for their sins and
who strive to be disciples of Jesus Christ. It is this non-accusa-
tory acceptance that sets people free from guilt, depression, and
fear. When we are saved it is not because we are without sin but
because our sins are not held against us by God's grace. We are
made whole through God's righteousness, not ours.
I
n relating to homosexual persons, the church should become
informed about such lifestyle options as the following.
Celibacy, refraining from sexual activities, is one alternative
that homosexuals and bisexuals choose. The scriptural teaching
on celibacy for heterosexuals provides a model for this lifestyle.
Celibacy ought to be voluntary and not a requirement. Those for
whom celibacy is a gift and a special calling are to be honored
and supported.
Conversion to a heterosexual orientation is another option.
For many homosexual persons, however, this choice is extraor-
dinarily difficult and complex. For some it is impossible. The
church must seek to create a climate for hope, for praise of God,
for renewed effort, for claiming and exploring the heterosexual
dimensions of being. Thus the Good News is shared with
homosexual persons who seek to convert to heterosexuality. Yet
not all are set totally free of homosexual feelings and urges. For
some, impulses diminish, mindsets change, the grip of homosex-
uality is broken, and affectional and physical attraction to the
opposite sex can begin.
Covenantal relationships between homosexual persons is an
additional lifestyle option. In the church's search for a Christian
understanding of human sexuality, this alternative presents the
greatest difficulty for acceptance. After struggling with this op-
tion, the church is not of one mind.
There are special ways in which the church can extend Christ-
like comfort and grace to homosexual and bisexual persons.
These include:
• welcoming all inquirers who confess Jesus Christ as Lord
and Savior into the fellowship of the church. This welcome and
the resources of the church are made available by the grace of
God who calls us as repentant sinners to be partakers of the
faith. Some guidelines for the church's response and for
discipleship have been delineated;
• intensifying efforts to understand how genetic makeup and
childhood experiences have influenced the development of sexual
orientation and behavior;
• challenging openly the widespread fear, hatred, and harass-
ment of homosexual persons;
• engaging in open, forthright conversations with homosex-
uals. When we stop alienating one another and instead venture
toward understanding, some fears disappear and interpersonal
relationships become more honest;
• advocating the right of homosexuals to jobs, housing, and
legal justice;
• stating clearly that all antisocial, sexually promiscuous acts
are contrary to Christian morality;
• giving strong support to persons who seek to be faithful to
their heterosexual marriage covenant, but for whom this is dif-
ficult because of struggles with homosexuahty.
May 1983 messenger 23
Married persons and sexuality
The Christian faith affirms that heterosexual marriage is the in-
tended culmination of sexuality. Sexual intercourse, the most in-
timate of human relationships, belongs within heterosexual mar-
riage. Within the covenant of lifelong fidelity, married couples
learn to enjoy this full-bodied, full-spirited union. Furthermore,
it is this loyal, loving partnership that is most conducive to the
responsible conception of children.
Marriage fidelity is a matter of spirit and emotion as well as
body. Our sexuality, a sacred trust from our Creator, is too
powerful and too elemental a force to be treated lightly or
casually. Sexual activity that embraces spirit, emotion, and body
is just as valid when engaged in for pleasure as for procreation.
Such pleasure will be found as much in receiving as in giving.
The need to care in consistent ways about the well-being of one's
spouse is essential. The desires and needs of each must be para-
mount in a mutual relationship. Demands and satisfactions
designed to meet the needs of one partner to the exclusion of the
satisfactions and needs of the other will only erode the act of in-
tercourse and cause mutual trust and respect to disintegrate.
True mutuality exists when the spiritual, emotional, and physical
hungers of both persons are satisfied. Each has a responsibility
for such mutual fulfillment.
l>_7 exual intercourse between two persons who are bound by love
and covenant can foster the most intimate and intense kinds
of communication. At that moment — unlike any other — those
two do truly become as one. Unfortunately, even within the con-
text of marriage this is not always so. Sexual relationships, of
every expression, become destructive of the Creator's design
when used in self-centered ways. Sexual activity within the con-
text of marriage can sometimes be as exploitive and selfish and
destructive as sexual activity outside of marriage. This happens
when sexual relationships are used only to gratify personal
desires, used as a weapon, withheld as punishment, proffered as
reward, demanded unilaterally, or used as a cover-up for per-
sonal inadequacies.
In any such case, marital sexual activity is just as immoral as
the misuse of sex outside of marriage. Sexual relationships ought
to be a wholly fulfilling link between two affectionate people
from which they emerge unanxious and satisfied.
The importance of sexual fidelity is not to be underestimated.
Unlike less easily recognized aspects of fidelity, sexual
faithfulness is identifiable. Marriage partners know when they
are sexually faithful, at least as far as overt behavior is con-
cerned. Being loyal in this overt way may help couples learn to
be faithful in other aspects of their lives together.
The covenant of faithfulness does not preclude meaningful
relationships with persons other than the marriage partner. In-
deed, such friendships are to be cherished. However, if these ties
move beyond friendship and become amorous, the intimate rela-
tionship outside of marriage will need to be terminated. Adultery
is one of the most serious temptations faced by married persons.
Biblical insights. The old covenant forbids adultery. The
seventh commandment in the Decalogue is concise: "You shall
not commit adultery." Marriage, as understood by Jesus, was in-
tended by God from the beginning of creation to be the in-
dissoluble union by two persons.
Moreover, for Jesus, adultery was a matter of attitude as well
as action. He taught in the Sermon on the Mount that lust is
adultery. Lust is not a passing fantasy but an untamed craving.
Unless eras is infused and counterbalanced with agape, attitudes
become adulterous.
Paul taught that sexual relationships are not just physical acts
but deeply interpersonal experiences. It was Paul's view that even
a sexual relationship that was intended to be highly casual in-
volved a mystical union.
Although adultery is a sin, neither Jesus nor Paul suggests
that it is unforgivable. Jesus did not condemn the adulteress,
though he told her, "Go, sin no more." Paul wrote about
believers whose former immorality had been washed away. Quite
clearly, adultery is perceived to be a violation of the marital
union. But by God's grace, sexuality, though defiled, can become
again what it was intended to be.
Tlie church's response. Amidst changing values and relaxed
morality, the church should continue to speak out against
adultery as well as other threats to the marriage covenant. Casual
acceptance of sexual relationships outside of marriage is a part
of our society and is reflected to us by our media. The church,
however, should continue to hold up in its teachings the image
of marriage as the permanent, spiritual, physical, and emotional
bonding between a man and a woman, modeled upon God's
everlasting covenant with his people (Gen. 12) and Christ's eter-
nal union with the church (Eph. 5).
Family-life education
Quality education is needed to attain an understanding of sex-
uality and a competence in family relationships. This education
begins in the home where parents teach their children not only
by word but also by conduct and expression of feeling. This is
the proper forum for teaching morality. The importance of con-
fining sexual intercourse to marriage takes root in daily contact
with nurturing, caring adults who teach and model this behavior.
However, given the severe stresses and strains of the family in
our society, parents need the church's support and assistance in
conveying Christian attitudes on sexual morality. The church
should provide biblical and theological guidance on sexuality.
Education for family life is appropriate also within the public
school. It is needed to supplement instruction in the home and
church. Public school instruction should include information
about the body, sex organs, and the reproductive system, but the
emphasis should be on values and relationships.
Family-life education will not solve all sex, marriage, and
family problems. The task requires the coordinated efforts of
home, church, and school.
Conclusion
Sexuality is God's good gift. It is a spoilable gift. Who among us
does not regularly need God's grace to restore this gift we have
abused so that it again beautifies and deepens human relation-
ships? These problems that arise for ourselves and our generation
are to be faced and confessed, but this need not turn our at-
titude toward sexuality into a tangle of negatives. God's grace is
real. Sexuality remains for us, as it was for adham, God's an-
tidote for human loneliness and the answer to the human need
to have a counterpart, to be one with someone, and to be
in love. D
24 MESSENGER May 1983
si^i^niBianeBnRnnH
mmmm(§i
OUTDOOR
MINISTRIES
In the most basic sense I don't need to
discuss resources for outdoor ministries in
these pages. The real resources are to be
had for the asking. The outdoors is
always there. We have only to become
aware of all that God has created. It's
available 24 hours a day, in every season
of the year, including winter.
The second essential resource is the
imagination. We have only to ask
ourselves how to use and how to relate to
God's creation. The possibilities are
endless once we expose ourselves.
Ministry, whenever it takes place out-
doors, has the potential for tremendous
personal growth and development.
But, in any case, here are some helps.
Understanding
Here are two suggestions in the area of in-
terpretation. "Reliving the Story" is a
20-minute slide/tape presentation giving a
basic biblical understanding of the pur-
poses of camping and outdoor ministries.
Created by Glenn Mitchell in 1978 for the
Outdoor Ministries Association, the audio-
visual is good for congregations who want
to understand their involvement in the
camping program. It comes complete with
synchronized tape narrative and sync tape
recorder, and may be borrowed without
charge from the Outdoor Ministries Of-
fice, 6987 Union Rd., Clayton, OH 45315.
"Church Camping — Some Biblical
Perspectives," by Walt Bowman (1975, 12
pages), is available without charge from
the same address. Now a standard
resource in the field of church camping
nationwide, the booklet relates our prac-
tice of camping to our biblical and faith
perspective.
For the family
families on a travel vacation and includes
suggestions for wilderness living. Among
the chapters included: building family
relationships, renewal through worship,
family projects, going home. Available
from The Brethren Press, 1451 Dundee
Ave., Elgin, IL 60120.
"Happy Hiker," a game created for
Camp Woodland Altars, is a fun way to
involve the family in a growing
understanding of our environment. The
game has a Monopoly-type board and
three sets of quiz cards at different levels
of difficulty. It's created by the camp out-
door education staff and is available for
$8 from the Outdoor Ministries Office.
Take Time: A Family Vacation Resource,
by Bill and Sandy Crouse (1982, Fortress
Press, 64 pages, paper, J2.50), is a brand
new resource for families involved in their
own camping. It's intended as a guide for
From (he "Happy Hiker" game.
Administration
Basic Camp Management, by Armand
and Beverly Ball (1981, American Camp-
ing Association, 144 pages, paper, $8.50),
deals with every aspect of management
and is particularly helpful for summer
camps. From a combined experience of 41
years in camping, the authors have pro-
duced a valuable manual of material for
camp directors, particularly those new in
the field. Available from the American
Camping Association, Bradford Woods,
Martinsville, IN 46I5I.
Also available from the ACA is Decen-
tralized Camping, by Lois Goodrich
(1982, 183 pages, paper, $12.50). The
classic book in the field has now been
completely updated by the author. It's a
handbook on how to administer and pro-
gram for outdoor living in small groups,
and includes discussions of how to begin,
selection of staff, pre-camp training,
nutrition, preparation for campers and
parents, and the camp program.
Summer camp
In Youth Ministry and Wilderness Camp-
ing, by Erik C. Madsen (1982, Judson
Press, 159 pages, paper, $9.50), an ex-
perienced trail leader presents the
unlimited potential of this exciting out-
door ministry to enhance the church's
Christian education program. He explores
how wilderness camping can meet the
religious, educational, social, and physical
needs of youth by chcdlenging them to
greater maturity. With our camp pro-
grams needing more advanced challenges
especially for high school and older
youth, this book offers a wealth of ideas.
Serving in God's Love is the theme for
a series of four resources for camp
leaders, each of which provides a basic
outline for five days of camping ex-
perience related to the theme. Resources
are for junior, junior high, senior high,
and intergenerational levels. The series is
produced by the Lutheran Church in
America with the same high-quality,
nondenominational emphasis as in
previous years. Previous themes — "God
Gives Life" and "Together in Christ" — are
available in limited quantities. Write to
Division of Parish Services, Lutheran
Church in America, 2900 Queen La.,
Philadelphia, PA 19129.
Rejoicing with Creation, by Tom
Malone (1980, 96 pages, paper, $6.50), is
a camp counselor's manual for leaders of
older elementary children, with three
biblical themes developed for use in five-
or six-day camps.
A companion piece, designed for junior
high youth, is Responsible with Creation,
by Ted R. Witt (1980, 128 pages, paper,
$5.95). It also carries three biblical themes
for use in three different weeks. Both
manuals are published by John Knox and
are available from The Brethren Press.
-Walter D. Bowman
Waller D. Bowman is Parish Minislries staff for
ouldoor minislries and stewardship of creation.
May 1983 messenger 25
On the NCC and WCC, divorce,
/. W. Moomaw
Commenting on
the NCC, WCC
The Quakers have a time-honored behef
that "there is that of God in all persons
and it is the divine concern that there be a
Christian presence in all human situa-
tions." Response to that "divine concern"
has brought strength and integrity to the
Quakers; it has also brought criticism,
persecution, and death in some situations
where the response led to areas of in-
justice, violence, and political tension.
In a similar way, efforts to provide a
"Christian presence" have brought trouble
to other church bodies, especially the
councils of churches. Recently the
Reader's Digest and "60 Minutes" leveled
a barrage of irresponsible and false
charges against the National Council of
Churches and the World Council of Chur-
ches. What are the facts?
To hold in respect and fellowship those in
the church with whom we agree or disagree
is a characteristic of the Church of the
Brethren. It is to the continuation of this
value, and to an open and probing forum,
that "Opinions" are invited from readers.
ANNUAL CONFERENCE BULLETINS
CONFERENCE-BOUND families-Visit and plan
future retreats on Chesapeake bay, 45 nnin. fronn
Baltimore/Wilmington. 5 bdrm lodge with pool,
boat docks, picnic/sport/camping areas sur-
rounded by vi/ater-front, woods, farmland. At-
tractive year-round rates for family or groups.
Contact Charter Hall Church Center, Perryville,
MD. 21903. Tel. (301) 642-2500 or (301)
838-3253.
ANNUAL CONFERENCE-bus trip from Eliza-
bethtown to Annual Conference 1983 with
rooms close to conference center. Write to J.
Kenneth Kreider, 1300 Scheaffer FTd., Elizabeth-
town, PA 17022.
INVITATION — On your way to Annual Confer-
ence, stop at Camp Swatara for the 40th anni-
versary celebration on Saturday, June 25. Past
directors Robert Byerly, Ed Poling, Walt Moyer,
and Gerald Greiner will attend. There's no charge
for the day's activities. Camping sites are
available. Contact Marlin Houff, director. Camp
Swatara, Bethel, PA 19507.
26 MESSENGER May 1983
I have never been officially related to
either council, but as one who has directly
observed their staff people at work in 12
different nations over a period of 20 or
more years, I offer a few comments.
First, the Digest and "60 Minutes" fail
to see the nature of a council of churches.
Neither the NCC nor the WCC is a
monolithic structure that we can com-
mend or condemn per se. Rather, it is a
fellowship of many church denominations
joined to express their "unity in Christ as
Lord," and do in cooperation what could
not be done by acting separately.
Policies are formed, officers are elected,
and staff members are employed by
delegates from the constituent denomina-
tions-32 for the NCC and some 300 for
the WCC. The latter come from more
than 120 different nations with their dif-
ferences in doctrine, language, and
culture. We may not agree with all that is
said or done, but the fact that so many
people and differences can work in
reasonable concord is one of the greatest
Christian achievements of our time.
Second, the councils are not leftist nor
Marxist, as the Digest and "60 Minutes"
declare. It is true, they and many of their
constituents do side with the millions of
poor people in quest for justice who are
often labeled as "Communist" by those in
power over them. After long years of
nonviolent pleading, some violence has
begun in certain areas of the world. The
late E. Stanley Jones, world evangelist,
often told us, "Marxism comes where
justice is long denied and we fail to work
boldly for the way of the Prince of
Peace."
The WCC's much-criticized Program to
Combat Racism was set up as a channel
through which member bodies who
desired could designate funds to assist
people in their effort to rise above racism,
colonialism, and exploitation. The grant
to Zimbabwe under question was from
designated gifts mostly by churches in
Europe. Although the funds were distri-
buted by local church leaders, it is possi-
ble that some relief help might have gone
to families of those engaged in struggle.
In any event, there was a Christian
presence. When our Lord fed the hungry
multitude in Galilee, we are not told that
he charged his disciples to give food only
to his followers.
In brief, the WCC operates under two
main objectives:
— witness and service in areas where the
constituent denominations can best work
in cooperation;
— maintain a Christian presence in areas
of need and tension realizing that all peo-
ple are members of the family of God.
Again, the fact that so many people can
work together in reasonable concord thus
expressing their unity in Christ is probably
the greatest Christian advance of this cen-
tury. D
/. W. Moomaw, formerly a Brethren missionary and
later executive director of Agricultural Missions, Inc.,
lives in Sebring, Fla.
Name withheld
Clergy divorce:
What is fair?
Is it fair that Earl Ziegler's article on
clergy divorce (February) opens with two
examples of neglect perpetrated by clergy
. . . but contains no examples of family
neglect instigated by congregations (not
once has my executive committee en-
couraged me to enjoy a three-day
weekend with my family)?
Is it fair that divorced pastors were ask-
ed to participate in a survey that sought
for reasons behind clergy marital dissolu-
tion ... yet no survey has been con-
ducted among those troubled congrega-
tions who repeatedly chew pastoral
families and spit them out (and it seems
that the congregations quickest to reject a
divorced pastor are those that place the
highest expectations on the pastor's per-
formance, resulting in untold stress on
family life)?
Is it fair that the article only hints at
the problem of low compensation . . .
when the fact is that my wife's bachelor's
degree in education nets her the same
salary for a 10-month contract as does my
master's degree in a 12-month contract?
(Sad to say that I'm paid well in com-
parison with many of my clergy peers.)
BmMlllllULMMti.MJllUIMIItiM%
mity
Is it fair that parsonages are considered
a benefit to pastors and their families . . .
when in reality they pose a great liability:
no mortgage-interest savings on income
taxes; no appreciation on equity owned;
no privacy; no freedom, pride, respon-
sibility of ownership? (Where will I live
when I retire?)
Is it fair that churches expect clergy
couples to be model stewards in regard to
the tithe . . . when the average churchgoer
is giving only a fourth of a tithe? (Am I
really in a better position to tithe because
of my commitment to God?)
Is it fair that congregations expect
pastoral families to model Christian fam-
ily life ... yet in contractual negotiations
local search committees constantly refer to
"the pastor's 'day off "? (I work quite a
few 10- and 12-hour days, so am I entitled
to a four-day work week?)
So at last, is it fair to ask who is failing
whom? When the church decides to get
serious about taking care of its profes-
sionals (exercising the accountability that
the article dreams about), then I as a
clergyperson will more willingly discuss
my responsibility as a model father and
husband. Until then, I will not be surpris-
ed at the number of clergy couples who
choose to call it quits in the face of
tremendous stress, low compensation, and
very limited family time. I will instead re-
main amazed that so many couples survive
life in the pastorate as long as they do. D
John A. Harpold
Unity is only
through Christ
Let's stop kidding ourselves. The human
race is divided and will stay that way.
In less than one year I have read or
heard three prominent Brethren leaders
espouse the idea of the whole human race
being united as one. Two made clear
statements that nationalism must be elimi-
nated-that if we are going to have peace
and justice we must be united into one big
"personhood" of all peoples. The third
flatly states this to be "true": "We are one
body -the human race -on this world."
special
cMennohite
your
TVaj/
DIRECTORY III
The "Mennonite Your Way" travel directory is being offered at a special 25%
discount. Place your order before June 15, 1983, and receive one copy for
only $4.50. If you v^rish to order two copies, tfie cost is only $8.0D.
This directory was published cooperatively with the Mennonites and lists more
than 2,000 families who offer to host others in their homes. It encourages
broadening friendships and economical travel. A great idea as you travel to the
1983 Annual Conference or for your 1983 vacation travel.
Please send me .
NAME
copies. TOTAL ENCLOSED .
ADDRESS
CITY/STATE/ZIP.
Mail to: Janet Thies
Brethren Lifeline
1451 Dundee Avenue
Elgin, IL 60120
How to Keep
Useful Church Records
Orlando L. Tibbetts. How churches can or-
ganize and use their records for developing
Christian education programs, long-range
growth plans, setting mission objectives and
much more. Covering every type of record
needed by large and small churches, Tibbetts
describes how well-kept records can be used
to help your church create a community pro-
file for more effective outreach ministries.
Paper, $5.95
Using Personal Computers in the
Church (Revised Edition)
Kenneth D. Bedell. Completely updated to
include the newest developments in the
computer field. This nontechnical guide for
pastors and leaders explains what a com-
puter can do for your church, how to avoid
buying more equipment than is needed, how
to evaluate software plus a list of software
sources. Includes sample case studies and
helpful glossary of computer terms.
Paper, $7.95
At your Christian
bookstores or write:
JUDSON PDE&S
Valley Forge, Pennsylvania 19481
May 1983 messenger 27
Brethren, we are fooling ourselves. We
are not — nor can we ever be — "one body"
in this world. To promote such a position
is to miss a most important and clearly
stated biblical absolute. We are sinful.
And as sinful creatures we will never be
brought to unity. "The heart is deceitful
above all things, and desperately wicked:
who can know it?" (Jer. 17:9).
There simply is no way to change that
fact in this present order. We will only be
united in "one body" as there is a total
change of heart. And that only comes
through a personal relationship with Jesus
Christ.
To believe that all of society will be
changed and united without the personal
return of our Lord Jesus is to reject much
of New Testament scripture.
Brothers and sisters, I believe in a peace
witness. I believe we are to do all we can
to promote peace, to oppose war, to op-
pose military service, to support the
movement for justice, to oppose repres-
sion. I believe this because we belong to
the Prince of Peace — and he was for
justice and peace and opposed to repres-
sion and violence of all kinds.
But I also believe that the peoples of
the world can only be united in the pres-
ent order through the greatest repression
and injustice the world has ever known.
As long as there are unregenerate people
on earth there will always be those who
can gather a following to support their
own ends, to control and dominate some
segment of society.
Even the church will remain divided in-
to many different groups — with the most
significant division being between those
who believe the Bible to be the true and
final Word of God and those who don't.
There are many passages that clearly state
that Christ shall return to this earth to es-
tablish a new kingdom in which all peoples
will be united. Until that time, unregenerate
humankind will be hopelessly divided.
This I believe because "the Bible tells
me so." D
John A. Harpold is pastor of the Richland (Pa.)
Church of the Brethren.
tmmm^ p(mMi
158th BRF/BVS
(Orientation completed Jan. 28,
1983)
Bucher, Stephen L., Myers-
town, Pa., to Lewiston Hous-
ing Authority, Lewiston, Me.
Dunmore, Daniel, Spring City,
Pa., to Voice of Calvary
Ministries, Jackson, Miss.
Eby, Barbara, Chambersburg,
Pa., to Voice of Calvary
Ministries, Jackson, Miss.
Eby, Earl, Chambersburg, Pa.,
to Voice of Calvary
Ministries, Jackson, Miss.
E'zler, Joseph, New Madison,
Ohio, to Lewiston Housing
Authority, Lewiston, Me.
Noll, Eva, Lititz, Pa., to
Lewiston Housing Authority,
Lewiston, Me.
Noll, Ray, Lititz, Pa., to
Lewiston Housing Authority,
Lewiston, Me.
Patches, Richard, Lebanon,
Pa., to Voice of Calvary
Ministries, Jackson, Miss.
Rogers, David, Bethel, Pa., to
Voice of Calvary Ministries,
Jackson, Miss.
Roop, Iris, Union Bridge, Md.,
to Voice of Calvary
Ministries, Jackson, Miss.
Wenger, Doris, Ephrata, Pa.,
to Lewiston Housing
Authority, Lewiston, Me.
Wenger, Grace, Ephrata, Pa.,
to Voice of Calvary
Ministries, Jackson, Miss.
Wenger, Susan, Myerslown,
Pa., to Lewiston Housing
Authority, Lewiston, Me.
Licensing/
Ordination
Clauze, Reginald Eugene, or-
dained June 29, 1982, Green-
land, West Marva
Hall, Richard J., licensed
March 10, 1982, Southern
Pa.
28 MESSENGER May 1983
Krape, J. David, licensed Nov.
8, 1982, New Fairview
(Yorkana), Southern Pa.
Myers, Donald E., licensed
Nov. 8, 1982, New Fairview,
Southern Pa.
Myers, Patrick H., ordained
Jan. 1, 1983, Pleasant View,
Southern Pa.
Nell, Kenneth Eugene, licensed
Nov. 8, 1982. Pleasant Hill,
Southern Pa.
Shanaman, Frederick L. Jr., or-
dained Jan. 6, 1983, Pleasant
View, Southern Pa.
Shumate, David K., hcensed
Dec. 26, 1982, Crab Orchard,
Virlina
Weaver, Garnet Edward, li-
censed June 29, 1982, White
Pine, West Marva
Williams, Dorman Leo, li-
censed June 29, 1982, Pleas-
ant Hill, West Marva
Pastoral
Placements
Balman, Steven P.. from
secular, to LaMotte Prairie
Fed., 111. /Wis., interim part-
time
Daughlry, James Earl, from
Kansas City First Central, W.
Plains, to Tucson, Pacific
S.W.
Deffenbaugh, Donald Wayne,
from Beachdale. W. Pa., to
Glendale, Ariz., Pacific S.W.
Delwller, Robert W., to
Claysburg. Middle Pa.
Edwards, G. Wayne, from
Brummetts Creek/Pleasant
Grove, Southeastern, to
Walnut, No. Ind.
Harmon, J.D.. from Oak
Grove, South, Virlina, to
Boones Chapel, Snow Creek,
Virlina, part-time
Langdon, Kenneth J., from
Buena Vista, Stone, Shenan-
doah, to Keyser, West Marva
Lepage, i^ichard, from other
denomination, to Loon
Creek, S. /Central Ind.
McCombs, Earl, from secular,
to Beech Grove, So. Ohio
Sollenberger, Carmen, from
Buena Vista, Shenandoah, to
Carson Valley, Middle Pa.
Slem, Roy L., from Des
Moines, Stover Memorial,
Tri-District, to Nappanee,
No. Ind.
Swariz, Fred, from General
Board staff, to Manassas,
Mid-Atl.
Walker, Ivan, from retirement,
to Stevens Hill, Atl. N.E.,
Wills, Douglas, from Saunders
Grove, Virlina, to Masons
Cove, Virlina, part-time
Wilson, Tom, former General
Board staff, to Boulder Hill,
111. /Wis., interim part-time
Anniversaries
Blough, Dorsey and Mary,
Waterloo, Iowa, 66
BryanI, Mr. and Mrs. Erman
P., Staunton, Va., 50
Gorden, Israel and Edwina,
Clovis, N.M., 55
Houghton, George and
Winifred, Parsons, Kan., 60
Kenepp, Mr. and Mrs. James
M., Mattawana, Pa., 55
Kessler, Russell and Esther,
Astoria, III., 51
Lichly, Clark and Hope,
Waterloo, Iowa, 60
Smith, W.E. and Josephine,
Parsons, Kan., 52
Wiest, Samuel and Carrie,
Ephrata, Pa., 63
Deaths
Agee, Cassie S., 86, Eden,
N.C., Jan. 27, 1983
Ankeny, Donald, 62, Shelocta.
Pa.. Nov. 23, 1982
Arnell, Carl G., 84, Laura,
Ohio, Jan, 24, 1983
Blough, Katherine Flory, 87,
Bridgewater, Va., Feb. 2,
1983
Bolinger, Inez. 78, N. Man-
chester, Ind., May 2, 1982
Bowling, Howard, 73, Hamp-
stead, Md., Oct. 20, 1982
Broadwater, Mary E., 91,
Spring Valley, Minn., Jan. 7,
1983
Burkhead, Merle, 71, Decatur,
Ind., Oct. 1, 1982
Chapman, Larry, 49, Elizabeth-
town, Pa., Sept. 27, 1982
Click, Hazel Y., 79, Staunton,
Va., Dec. 11, 1982
Dankers, Irene, 65, Ephrata,
Pa., Nov. 14, 1982
Denlinger, Arthur J., 71, Trot-
wood, Ohio, Feb. 10. 1983
Eisnaugle, Harlan Clifford, 62
New Carlisle, Ohio. Feb. 24,
1983
Embly, Robert, 66, Waynes
boro. Pa.. Dec. 8, 1982
Fanus, Milton, 91, Ehzabeth
town. Pa., Nov. 7, 1982
Fanner, Mrs. Mayhud. 75
Eden. N.C.. Jan. 11, 1983
Flora, Noah E., 100, Flora
Ind,, Jan, 16, 1983
Frailey, Twila, 81, Shelocta
Pa.. Nov. 21. 1982
Fridley, Robert, 76, McPher
son. Kan.. Jan. 16. 1983
Garber, Alice, 81. Elgin. 111.
Jan. 27. 1983
Gregory, John, 80. Reidsville
N.C, Oct. 1982
Haney, Jack, 17, Crawfords
ville. Ind,, Feb. 6, 1983
Hawbaker, Carrie D., 72, St
Thomas. Pa.. Sept. 18. 1982
Hedrick, Savilla Wenger, 99
NeffsviUe. Pa., Feb. 12, 1983
Hillon, Viola, 75. Ephrata. Pa.
Dec. 19. 1982
Holmes, Dorothy Woods, 87
Tonasket. Wash.. Feb. 8
1983
Hughes, Victor H., 72, Waynes
boro. Pa.. Jan. 29. 1983
Jerardi, Helen. 70. Trotwood
Ohio. Jan, 10. 1983
Jordan, Virginia M.. 65. Bring
hurst. Ind,. Jan, 12. 1983
Klepinger, Mabel, 83. Green
ville. Ohio. Dec. 15. 1982
Knox, Pearl, 72, Ottumwa
Iowa, Feb. 11, 1983
Knox, Robert H., 67, Ottumwa, ji
Iowa, Jan, 13, 1983
Laughman, Elmer, 79, Glen
Rock. Pa., Dec. 9, 1982
LeichI, Paul. 61. Elizabeth-
town. Pa.. Oct. 17. 1982
McManuels. Ida B.. 86. Harris-
burg, Pa.. Jan, 26. 1983
Metzger, Jerome, 81, N, Man-
chester, Ind,. Nov, 2. 1982
Meyer, Gertrude Royer. 88,
Lancaster. Pa.. Dec. 26. 1982
Miller, J. Quinter, 83, Tulsa,
Okla., Jan. 5, 1983
Morris, Kenneth, 81, Green-
ville, Ohio. Nov. 20. 1982
Moyer, Ruth E., 60. New Car-
lisle. Ohio. Feb. 18. 1983
Mumma, Melvin, 95, Green-
ville, Ohio, Jan. 23, 1983
Neighbors, Harold A., 51. Wa-
terloo. Iowa. Feb. 1. 1983
Neil, Bertha R., 90, Phoenix-
ville. Pa.. Feb. 12, 1983
Rilchey, Blair. 82. Hollidays-
burg. Pa,, Jan, 19. 1983
Robinson, Viola, 62. Fremont,
Calif,, Dec. 8. 1982
Shellon, Gertrude H., 67,
Eden, N.C. Oct. 1982
Slaughter, Eliza R,, 73, Eden,
N.C. Feb. 4. 1983
Smith, Harry L.. 85. Beaver,
Iowa. Jan. 31. 1983
Stouse. Elva Michael. 81. Flora,
Ind,. Feb. 18. 1983
Teach, Ella Mae. 95, New Car-
lisle. Ohio. Feb. 19. 1983
Tharringlon, Bruce A., 87,
Nampa. Ida,, Jan, 16. 1983
Townsend, Harley V,. %. Hast-
ings. Mich,. Jan. 21. 1983
Vinyard. Bonnie. 75. Grants
Pass. Ore.. July 30. 1982
Warner, Mary, 93, Astoria, HI.,
Feb. 4. 1983
Weeks, Elizabeth, 82, Trot-
wood, Ohio. Jan. 30. 1983
Weigel, Jaime, 17, Elizabeth-
town. Pa,. Oct. 2, 1982
Woriey. Melva M., 87. Han-
over. Pa,. Feb. 13. 1983
Yurich, MvTtle, 58, Eden, N.C,
Jan. 1983
MMMK»MMl«LKIlllUMMIIWIMIi
Herald Press: Over 600 Titles
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Acclaimed Works
on Critical Issues
of Today
Faith in a Nuclear Age
Duane Beachey deals not only
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who wish they could "love their
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"Beachey's incisive material
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Paper, $6.95
Facing Nuclear War
"Donald B. Krm/bill writes here
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An excellent resource (with
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Library Journal
Paper, $8.95
The Church and Persons
with Handicaps
"H. Oliver Ohsberg attempts to
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Paper, $7.95
Slavery, Sabbath, War,
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lVi7/ard Swartle\^ demonstrates
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A Lay Guide to Romans
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Christianify Toda\j
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Neta Jackson s biblical study
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Send me more information on books in the areas of:
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May 1983 messenger 29
CLASSIFIED ADS
WANTED- Director of Physical Plant. Position
available July 1. Responsible for maintenance
operation HVAC, housekeeping, grounds,
energy management and safety. Exp. in physical
plant mgmt. req. Appropriate degree/training
nee. Send application and resume to Dr. Eldon
Fahs, Business Mgr., Manchester College, No.
Manchester, IN 46962. An EOE.
WANTED — Veterinarian position in Brethren or
Mennonite community. 1983 graduate interested
in large animal practice with emphasis in dairy
herd health management. Contact: Bernard D.
Ritchie, Box 400, School of Veterinary Medicine
LSU, Baton Rouge, LA 70803. Tel. (504)
769-8082.
WANTED-TEMPORARY-May-Oct. 1983.
Nurse Practitioner $1,400 mo., RN $1,100 mo.,
LPN $775 mo., Social Worker $1,050 mo. PER-
MANENT-Nurse Practitioner $17,000 yr.,
Health Educator $15,000 (M. A. pref.; B.A. plus 3
yrs. exp.), Nutritionist, Pharmacist. Last two
positions pd. by Natl. Health Service Corps. Ex-
cellent salaries. Clinic also uses volunteers for
summer; three are funded. Will deal with
migrants and seasonal farm workers. Knowledge
of Spanish, French or Creole helpful. Apply:
Connie Gates, P.O. Box 237, Newton Grove, NC
28366. Tel. (919) 567-6194.
WANTED- Copies of TABERNACLE HYMNS
NUMBER THREE published by Tabernacle
Publishing Co., Chicago in 1935. Anyone having
copies to sell contact: Angeline Fishburn, Rt.
5-Box 94, Lawrence, KS 66044.
WANTED— Medical doctor in beautiful Ozarks
of south-central Missouri. Hospital nearby,
dymanic Church of the Brethren in town. Others
near. 70 mi. to 2 universities. Many retirees &
persons seeking alternate lifestyle in area.
Moderate climate, lower than average living exp.
and property costs. Relaxed pace. Contact Eldon
Coffman, P.O. Box 502, Cabool, MO 65689. Tel.
(417) 962-4493.
TRAVEL — To Scandinavia-the best of Norway,
Sweden and Denmark. Aug. 1-15, 1983. Also
Aug. 1984 OBERAMMERGAU PASSION PLAY.
Information: Ross & Irene Noffsinger, 54704
Holiday Dr., Elkhart, IN 46514.
TRAVEL- ALASKA 11 days, July 20-30, 1983.
Fly to Anchorage. Also from Seattle. Motor
Coach and sail inner passage.
OBERAMMERGAU PASSION PLAY-Ger-
many, Austria, Italy. June 4-19, 1984. For either
trip, write: Rev. John & Naomi Mishler, 168 East
6th Street, Peru, IN 46970. Tel. (317) 473-7468.
TRAVEL -Alaska Motor Coach-Cruise Tour. 30
days- Sept. 3 to Oct. 2, 1983. Call or write for
details. Ralph and Betty Ebersole, 1213 Hamilton
Ave., Tyrone, PA 16686. Tel. (814) 684-1771.
TRAVEL-Juniata College Tours. July 3: LON-
DON WEEK with option for BRITISH ISLES by
motorcoach & London 5 days (12 day program).
Motorcoach visits Bath, Stonehenge,
Cotswolds, Stratford, No. Wales, Chester, Lake
District, Trossachs, York. One week London:
$1025. 12 days: $1317. Subject to change. July
4, 1984: OBERAMMERGAU & PASSION PLAY.
15 days to Germany, Austria, Switzerland: $1498
for land tour. Meals included. August, 1984:
OBERAMMERGAU & PASSION PLAY: 8 days
Bavaria &■ Salzburg: $798 land tour. Meals in-
cluded. Excellent programs visiting beautiful
scenery. WEIMER-OLLER TRAVEL, 405 Penn
St., Huntingdon, PA 16652. (814) 643-1468.
SCHOOL — Scattergood School, West Branch,
lA 52358. Openings for students grades 9-12.
Approved co-educational Quaker college
preparatory boarding school; simple lifestyle.
Emphasis given to peace issues and social con-
cerns. Students, faculty together clean
buildings, do laundry, care for pigs and chickens,
work in orchard and garden, bake bread, and
cook meals. Small personal caring community
that promotes individual growth. Write or call.
Tel. (3191 643-5636.
BVS PHOTO CONTEST- entries due May 14.
Contact Merv Keeney, 1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin,
IL 60120.
FOR SALE — Waubee Lake lot, 90' frontage,
300' deep, trees. Must sell. Make an offer.
Gilbert Weldy, 5850 Capri Ln., Morton Grove, IL
60053. Tel. (312) 966-0025.
Put this
Brethren
Heritage
Bookshelf
in your home!
For a limited time only, The Brethren Press is offering a
special Brethren Heritage collection for only $49.95. (Retail
value: $74.85)
Included are:
European Origins of the Brethren, Donald F. Dumbaugh.
The most complete sourcebook of the beginnings of the
Church of the Brethren in Europe.
The Brethren in Colonial America, Donald F. Durnbaugh.
Historical documentation of the migration and settlement of
the Brethren in America.
The Brethren in the New Nation, Roger E. Sappington. A
sourcebook on the development of the Church of the
Brethren, 1785-1865.
The Life of John Kline, Benjamin Funk. Fascinating reading
collated from the diary of the early Brethren itinerant
minister and martyr.
The Old Brethren, James H. Lehman. An illustrated portrait of
and commentary on early Brethren ancestors and leaders.
Counting the Coat, William G. Willoughby. The only docu-
mented and complete biography of Alexander Mack, Sr.
The Christopher Sauen, Stephen L. Longenecker. The faith
and activity of the Sauers, early American German printers.
Heritage and Promise, Emmert F. Bittinger. A contemporary
interpretation of the origins, growth, and ideals of the
Church of the Brethren. A popular volume, revised in 1983
for the 275th anniversary of the Church of the Brethren.
The Church of the Brethren, Past and Present, Donald F.
Durnbaugh, editor. Essays by various Brethren leaders
which give perspectives on what it means to be Brethren.
All nine books— $49.95 postpaid.
Order from The Brethren Press
1451 Dundee Ave.. Elgin, IL 60120
Phone toll free 1-800 -323 -8039
30 MESSENGER May 1983
mOmiBBBBBI
IMAGES OF DISCIPLESHIP
Lrom the beginning of the
Brethren movement in 1708, the
Brethren commitment has been
shaped by biblical images. The cross
and the heart, symbolizing sacrifice
and devotion, and the vine and the
grapes, symbolizing fruit-bearing, ap-
peared on the seal of Alexander
Mack.
Sacrifice, devotion, and fruit-
bearing are the hallmarks of
discipleship today. Consider the
witness of Christians at Ahwa, India,
who recently observed the 75 th an-
niversary of the coming of Brethren
missionaries to their village, and the
50th anniversary of the building of
the Ahwa church. Several days of
celebration were climaxed with the
baptism of 203 persons into the
Church of North India, following
the rites of the Church of the
Brethren.
Consider the witness at Jos,
Nigeria, where a group of Nigerian
Christians gathered to explore form-
ing the city's first Brethren congrega-
tion less than a year ago. Now that
emerging group has an attendance
of 160. It is one of three vital con-
gregations recently established by
the Nigerian Church of the Brethren
in state capitals.
Consider the witness in Sudan,
where the programs of rural health
development and evangelization
move ahead even as lawlessness in
the region recently led to the deaths
of two health team workers.
Consider the presence of Brethren
who witness to reconciliation in
Northern Ireland; who assist with
relief and reconstruction in Beirut;
who render service to refugees in
Somalia and Honduras; who seek to
establish 15 congregations in new
communities in the U.S. and Puerto
Rico. Costly discipleship is being
demonstrated in these and myriad
other ministries of the Church of the
Brethren.
As you place your offering in the
offering plate this Sunday, pray for
those who serve the church at
points far and near. And pray, too,
for Christians everywhere to grow
in sacrifice, devotion, and fruit-
bearing — the marks of discipleship
in Jesus Cfirist.
Participate in your congregation's An-
nual Conference Brotherhood Fund Offer-
ing on June 5. Or send your special com-
memorative gift to the Church of the
Brethren General Board, 1451 Dundee
Avenue, Elgin, IL 60120.
CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN
. . . 275 years of fruit-bearing
May 1983 messenger 31
The silent majority
In an informal conversation at an international
communications conference, a Protestant jour-
nalist from Brazil complained that the only televi-
sion programs available in his country were US
ones on the order of "Charlie's Angels." He didn't
want his children to watch television, because he
didn't want them to grow up thinking the
world — or the US — was like that program. He
didn't want his children to learn the standards and
morals depicted on those television shows.
After listening to his indignation for a while, I
pointed out that plenty of parents in the US also
don't allow their children to watch everything
Hollywood dishes up. Our parents are equally
concerned about their children learning a distorted
view of the world, I said.
But he was right on target when he complained
about the product that was being foisted off on his
country. What's the message that we give when a
country with such immense telecommunications
capability is known chiefly by its television sit-
coms?
But the real problem is that the journalist's
children had so few alternatives. If the problem
were confined to afternoon entertainment on the
tube and whether or not to allow your children to
watch "Charlie's Angels," things would be simple.
The truth is that a few wealthy nations control
almost all the communications for the entire
world. Not only are developing countries watching
our comedies, but they're watching our news and
our interpretation of their news.
So what? Aren't our journalists more qualified
to determine what's news and who gets which air-
waves? And besides, what does communications
have to do with Christianity?
Plenty. In fact, I'd argue 1) that communica-
tion is a basic human right, 2) that as Christians
we should care if some people are denied that
right, and 3) that communication is perhaps the
most fundamental concept of Christianity. The
Bible is a major way that God communicates with
us, and Christ is the ultimate communication.
Christ is God speaking to us in a way we can
understand.
32 MESSENGER May 1983
Following that example, we have chosen to
communicate in many ways. We use storytelling in
the Sudan, and theological language in academia.
We speak Spanish in Ecuador, and Bura in
Nigeria. We use printed words, and we venture in-
to video and film.
More importantly, however, we must recog-
nize that communication is two-way. Communi-
cation is at least 50 percent listening. In today's
world, we in the US aren't doing much listening.
As Christians who affirm the worth of every
individual, we should be the ones most concerned
that all people and all nations be given a voice. As
Christians who call for economic justice, we
should be the ones to realize that there's no equali-
ty if only a few do the talking. We should be the
ones to enter most vehemently into the discussion
of a New World Information and Communication
Order.
That discussion is one that deals with balance
of information (sounds something like our Breth-
ren emphasis on mutuality), fair distribution of
technology (not unrelated to our concern about
the New Economic Order), and the right of every
people to tell its own story in its own words.
The United Nations has declared 1983 World
Communications Year. Communicators the world
over will be scrutinizing communication policies
and systems, with special emphasis on economic
and social development in developing nations.
Shouldn't we be paying attention?
J_/very person is a communicator. Some have
better tools, however. We in the US have a mind-
boggling array of newspapers and periodicals to
choose from. We write letters to the editor if we
disagree. We have radios, televisions, magazine
subscriptions, telephones, home computers, cam-
eras, cable networks, libraries, schools .... In
spite of what could be considered communication
overload, however, we've shut our ears to some
voices.
Isn't it time to give other people a chance to
speak? Isn't it time, now, to listen? — W.S.C.
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197th Recorded
Annual Conference
Church of the Brethren
Baltimore, Maryland
June 28 - July 3, 1983
We anticipate a large attendance of Brethren at the 1983 Baltimore Annual Con-
ference. The Convention Center is located at the newly renovated Harbor Place and
most of the activities, meetings and meal events will be held under one roof — at the
Convention Center.
An exciting program is planned for all age and interest groups. The worship service
topics and speakers are:
• Tuesday, June 28, Moderator Paul W. Hoffman, President of McPherson Col-
lege, McPherson, KS will speak at the opening worship service. Topic: "The
State of the Church."
• Wednesday, June 29, Harrell F. Beck, Professor of Old Testament, Boston
University School of Theology, Boston, MA. Topic: "The Miracle of Ministry."
• Thursday, June 30, Phyllis Carter, Executive of Florida/Puerto Rico district,
Orlando, FL. Topic: "The Grapes of Eschol."
• Friday, July 1, David Rittenhouse, former pastor at
Castaiier, Puerto Rico, free minister from Dunmore, WV.
Topic: "Grace Received and Grace Given."
• Saturday, July 2, Nvwa Balami, Nigerian minister, attend-
ing Bethany Theological Seminary, Oak Brook, IL. Topic:
"The Church Transformed and Commissioned."
Sunday, July 3, Leah Musser Zuck, co-pastor of Brethren
Village, Lancaster, PA. Topic: "Grace— The Everlasting
Mercy."
Paul W Hoffman
tSSf 0a/fffnot£.
Annual Conference 1983
iHwniiMmmti«i.wHwiwwwiw
(^©M(^M.i
8
10
12
16
17
18
Returning to the Tamarind. Kermon Thomasson gives an eye-
witness account of the March 17 celebration under the tamarind tree in
Garkida where Ekklesiya 'Yanuwa a Nigeria (EYN) began 60 years ago.
Running Through the Pain. Just as a jogger moving from one
distance level to another often has growing pains, so it is with the life
of discipleship, says William W. McDermet III.
Worshiping Without Walls. It used to be called going to camp,
but now experiencing God's creation is called outdoor ministries. Why
the change? Walt Bowman explains why worshiping outdoors today
includes more than just campfires and cookouts. Chauncey Shamberger
adds a Brethren historical perspective and Penny Lou Cameron writes
about her personal experiences in the outdoors.
Pointing Towards Wholeness. "Our camps provide a setting in
which to experience and learn from creation in all its diversity and
connectedness," writes Glenn Mitchell, as he looks back on camp
experiences that have helped him and others better understand God.
Camping Family Style. The Fraternity Church of the Brethren,
Winston-Salem, N.C., is an example of how outdoor ministries have
grown. Karen Carter writes about a Sunday school camp that has
evolved into a family camp involving the entire church.
Counting the Cost. In commemoration of the denomination's
275th anniversary, Kenneth I. Morse presents vignettes of five Brethren
who counted the cost. From the pages of history: the Solingen brothers,
George Wolfe, Sarah Major, Nettie Senger, and Ted Studebaker.
In Touch profiles Jerry Peterson, Lombard, 111.; Marlin Heckman, La Verne,
Calif.; and Henry Colbert, Tonasket, Wash. (2) . . . Outlook reports on ZME
choir. European peace movement. German bishops. Navy CO. IMPACT. NCC.
Ralph and Carol Mason. Disaster funds. ICYE. Health conference. WCC.
Communication awards. Doris Lasley. Cape Coral baptisms (start on 4) . . .
Underlines (7) . . . Update (8) . . . Resources, "Conflict Resolution," by Chuck
Boyer (22) . . . Book Reviews "Books on Friends, Nuclear War, Burnout,
Business, and Anger," by Fred Swartz and Dorothy Blough (24) Opinions of Jack
Williams and Robert Beery (26) . . . Turning Points (28) . . . Editorial (32).
CO
EDITOR
Kermon Thomasson
MANAGING EDITOR
V\/endY Chamberlain
EDITORIAL ASSISTANT
Judd Blouch
FEATURES
Fred W. Swartz
SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES
Ruth Anne Culp
PROMOTION
Kenneth L, Gibble
PUBLISHER
John D. Metzler Jr.
VOL. 132, NO. 6 JUNE 1983
CREDITS: Cover. 16 Glenn Mitchell. 1 Randy Mil-
ler. 2 Judd Blouch. 3 top Chris Keating. 3 bottom
Sandra Brightbill. 4 Howard Royer. 5, 15 Religious
News Service. 6 Cape Coral, Fla.. The Breeze:
photo by Jim Kauppila. 9 Kermon Thomasson, II
sculpture by Gerhard Marcks. 12, 17 C. Emmerl
Bright. ISbottomScotI LeCrone. 18 Wilbur Brum-
baugh. 19 art by David Van Derlinder. 19 bottom
Brethren Historical Library and Archives. 20 top
BHLA. 20 bottom Vietnam Christian Service. 22
Art by Philip Evergood, 24 art by Len Munnik.
MESSENGER is the official publication of the
Church of the Brethren. Entered as second-class
matter Aug. 20, 1918, under Act of Congress
of Oct. 17, 1917, Filing date, Nov. 1, 1982.
MESSENGER is a member of the Associated
Church Press and a subscriber to Religious News
Service and Ecumenical Press Service, Biblical
quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are from
the Revised Standard Version,
Subscription rates: $10 one year for individual
subscriptions; $18.50 two years. $8 per year for
Church Group Plan. $8 per year for gift sub-
scriptions. School rale 501 per issue. If you move
clip address and send with new address.
Allow at least five weeks for address
change. MESSENGER is owned and
published monthly by the General
Services Commission. Church of the
Brethren General Board, 1451 Dundee
Ave., Elgin, 111. 60120, Second-class
postage paid at Elgin. HI,, June 1983, Copyright
1983, Church of the Brethren General Board,
■
DEFINING HUMANISM
The Church of the Brethren has won the
respect and admiration of all other denomina-
tions mainly because of its humanistic
endeavors. In recent years, spokespersons for the
"electronic church" have tried to make us beheve
that these endavors are not necessary. The em-
phasis has been on saving your own soul and let
the Devil take the rest. That several Brethren
have been taken in by this twaddle is evident by
the letters sent to the Messenger by those who
claim that all the evils of the world are caused by
humanists.
The most widely accepted definition of
"humanist" and the first choice in the dictionary
is "a student of human nature and human af-
fairs," Humanism cannot be divorced from
faith, and this conviction has motivated Brethren
from the beginning. For those who would malign
this word, I suggest they reread the story of the
Good Samaritan and the description of the last
judgment, as given in Matthew 25, Pure
humanism!
Aubrey C. Todd
(Christian Church Uniting)
Virginia Beach, Va.
BIRDS OF A FEATHER
Persons are known by the company they keep.
If you oppose prayer and Bible reading in pubhc
schools, then you identify yourself with the
atheist who had them removed. If you support
abortion as a means of birth control, then you
identify yourself with Pharaoh and King Herod,
who killed Hebrew infants.
Not only does taking such positions identify
us, as a church, with those who hate God, but
taking opposing stands on similar issues indicates
we "speak with forked tongue," To oppose war
because it takes human life, but then support
abortion, is inconsistent. To oppose prayer and
Bible reading because of "separation of church
and state," and then have a lobbyist in
Washington, is hypocrisy.
The devil is a murderer and a liar, and the
father of them. It's time for his children to repent
or stop calling themselves children of God,
Benjamin 1, Haldem.\n
Greencastle, Pa,
FAILURE OR SUCCESS?
As a pastoral psychotherapist and counselor, I
am grateful for Earl K, Ziegler's clear delineation
(in "Brethren clergy divorce," February, page 20)
of stresses and pressures, both internal and e.xter-
nal, that can become disruptive to clergy marital
relationships. An avvareness of these can begin to
diminish their power and lead clergy couples to
more realistic expectations.
However, I am distressed by the imphcation
of the subtitle: "Who's failing whom?" Certain-
ly, divorce is a painful failure of a relationship,
but I do not believe it is necessarily blame-
worthy. As stated in the article, "It is signifi-
cant to note that eight of the 15 pastors recog-
nized very clearly in their relationships that an
important ingredient was missing from the very
beginning, and even prior to the marriage.
Despite the serious differences, they chose to
marry."
These divorces sound more Uke successes than
failures, the painful extrication from untenable
relationships. That pastors are allowed to
acknowledge, and be forgiven, their mistakes
may be the good news in the rising rate of clergy
divorce.
Sensitive pre-marriage counseling and marital
therapy can assist persons in enhancing their
relationship and in coping with pressures. For
those for whom "an important ingredient was
missing from the very beginning," divorce can be
an act of grace.
Frederick S. Walz
Elgin, 111.
UNDOING WHAT'S BEEN DONE
Two points in response to Earl Ziegler's arti-
cle, "Brethren Clergy Divorce" (February):
First, in the discussion of an Annual Con-
ference paper on marriage, I offered an amend-
ment urging congregations to encourage
pastoral couples to work at their marriages
through marriage enrichment seminars or
similar events, and that this time not be taken
from their vacation time.
This was passed by a solid majority. As I was
leaving the auditorium, a district executive said
to me, "Byron, now you have given pastors
another excuse for being away from the parish
and they are away too much already."
Second, in dealing with divorce, are we not in-
consistent with our view of the separation of
church and state? Aren't we abdicating to the
state the dissolving of marriages, which represent
a covenant relationship formed spiritually in the
church? I have a friend, Robert Elliot of Dallas,
Tex., who has written for the Methodists, a "ser-
vice for the dissolution of marriage." If divorce
must come, wouldn't it be far more consistent for
the church to "undo" that which it has "done" as
its part in the forming of a marriage?
Byron P. Royer
James Creek, Pa.
SOME STILL DO!
In a February Letter to the Editor, Florence
Smith said, "Brethren women used to humble
themselves and pray with covered heads. Now
you are lucky to see even one in a congregation
with a prayer covering."
How I wish she could attend our service, where
not only the older ladies wear prayer coverings,
but the young people as well. Perhaps it is true
that in many churches the women no longer wear
them, but there are still some that do.
Roger Harding
Circleville, Ohio
MAKING ROOM FOR DIVERSITY
By oversight, the name of Ruth Early, pro-
gram coordinator for the World Peace Academy
at New Windsor, was omitted from my article
about the academy in the April issue. We are
sorry for the omission.
I am deeply appreciative of the editorial policy
that makes room for an article on BVS/BRF and
the World Peace Academy in the same issue. To
me, this is what the Brethren are when they are at
their very best, going back to the roots from
which our tradition has come and, unfortunate-
ly, has sometimes departed.
I am even more grateful for the April editorial,
which spelled out this basic tradition. We are en-
riched by the insights.
Inez Long
Westminster, Md.
A MODERN-DAY CHRISTIAN APOLOGETIC
1 used Wanda Callahan's "Strength From the
Prince of Peace" (December 1982) in a course I
teach on early church history at Associated
Mennonite Biblical Seminaries. I handed out
copies of it as an example of a modern-day
apologetic similar to those made by early
Christians.
I find the parallel striking: Both are calling for
recognition of a kind of patriotism on the part of
Christians in the face of charges of being bad
citizens and unpatriotic.
Some of my students initially thought 1 was
Brethren rather than Mennonite, since I have
used Brethren-related examples growing out of
my work as assistant editor of the Brethren En-
cyclopedia.
Dennis Martin
Oak Brook, Ind.
WORTH NOTICING
The recent issues of Messenger are really
standing out. The variety seems excellent.
David S. Young
Lancaster, Pa.
MORE INDIGESTION
The February editorial, "A case of Reader's
Digest indigestion," gave me indigestion.
Before Reader's Digest and "60 Minutes," I
was neither anti nor pro NCC and/or WCC. I
must admit that after them, and now you, I am
leaning anti.
My whole working life was spent with one of
the largest corporations in the world and I know
you have bad apples in a barrel that size. I also
know that it is management's responsibility to
cull out all the bad apples.
In your case, regarding the NCC and WCC,
you apparently don't feel that is necessary. Your
whole argument seems to be that there can't
possibly be any bad apples in those organizations
because I ) Bob Neff is on the NCC's board, com-
mittees, and panels, and 2) Harriet Ziegler is a
paid public relations employee of the NCC doing
her job to promote NCC.
It is time for the leadership of our church to
start answering and doing something about the
charges that have been leveled at the NCC and
WCC. The fact that the NCC and WCC do alot
of good things is not enough — they need to clean
up their good act.
Bob Warner
Elgin, III.
o) oToY^ (o
We
e drove down to Milford, Ind., on a re-
cent Sunday to attend a memorial service for
Homer Burke. Homer had died at age 86,
leaving a life so active that it took quite a lot
of telling of anecdotes by friends just to
highlight the most significant happenings.
It is interesting that this pioneer who
sailed for Nigeria in 1923 and established
the medical program that continues today,
died in this 60th year of our mission work in
Nigeria. Homer and his wife, Peggy, served
in Nigeria until 1938, then later served
many years in Cas-
taner, Puerto Rico,
before returning
to Nigeria in 1961,
Their last tour of
service there was
completed at the
end of 1974.
It was Homer
who in 1927 ex-
tended the evan-
gelistic call that
brought forward
the first converts Dr. Homer L. Burke
to the Nigeria church (pictured on our
March cover). Talk about someone being
into holistic health!
Homer and Peggy ministered to everyone
— missionaries, Nigerians, Puerto Ricans,
Chicago blacks, neighbors everywhere.
Their appealing blend of medical help, faith
witness, life style, and homespun hospitali-
ty was unique. Everyone succumbed to
their charm.
One time in Nigeria I was planning to
climb up and visit Sukur, a romantic village
remotely perched atop a high, steep moun-
tain. Homer decided to join me.
A missionary on another station was so
concerned for the 70-year-old Homer's phys-
ical welfare that he voiced a word of caution
by short-wave radio. Homer scoffed, "You
tell him I'm as tough as a boiled owl, and I'm
gonna climb that mountain."
And up he went, with little exertion, care-
fully timing himself— so many minutes of
walking, then so many minutes resting, un-
til he reached the stone gateway of Sukur.
That climb was symbolic of Homer's life.
He always knew where he was going, and he
"reached the mountaintop" in his own de-
liberate, well-thought-out, unique way.
A spring rain had begun during the me-
morial service. As we read together a bene-
diction written by Homer long ago, I heard a
distant rumble of thunder. I fancied it might
be the sound of the gates of heaven closing
behind a new arrival. Homer Burke reaching
another mountaintop. —The Editor
June 1983 messenger 1
intte^
Jerry Peterson: Ministering with books
Jerry Peterson is a student at Bethany
Theological Seminary, but he does not
plan a career as a pastor or a theologian.
Jerry has a very special ministry in
mind — a ministry of books.
This different ministry is a direct result
of Jerry's love for books and the need he
sees for better quality literature. He tried
a pastoral ministry as an intern at the
Humboldt Park Presbyterian church in
Chicago, but found a need for a more
structured work schedule and started
searching for another way to serve God.
Theological education was still impor-
tant to Jerry, so he started looking for a
practical way in which to use his degree
from Bethany. A job as store manager for
a major publishing retailer was the
catalyst for Jerry's decision to apply his
talents to Christian publishing.
Jerry comes from a Lutheran
background and was rsiised in the small
village of Nook in Juniata County, Pa.
He became acquainted with the Brethren
at Elizabethtown College, where he ma-
jored in social work. After graduating he
moved to Bethany with his wife, Cheryl
(they now have a baby boy, Justin), and
the York Center church.
A logical extension of Jerry's involve-
ment with Brethren and books was his in-
ternship at The Brethren Press, which
ended in March. Jerry brought with him
his background in retailing, where he says
he learned how not to approach
publishing.
"Retailers are interested only in the
profit margin," Jerry says. "They're not
interested in service to customers or in
providing quality hterature."
Jerry often uses the word "quality"
when he talks about literature. He sees
very Uttle quality in much of the popular
literature being sold today. Jerry says the
same problem ex-
ists in Christian
publishing, refer-
ring to much of
what is being sold
as "Christian fluff
geared toward
emotional hype."
"We could be
writing and pub-
hshing good books
that help to instill
Christian values,
with or without a
lot of theology,"
Jerry says.
Producing quali-
ty material is one
thing, but getting
people to buy it is
another. "There's a
need to develop Christian literature that
will appeal to the masses," Jerry says. To
achieve this goal Jerry wants to combine
the knowledge attained at Bethany with
the practical marketing experience receiv-
ed at The Brethren Press. In July, Jerry
will begin working for C-4 Resources, a
reUgious publishing company in Cham-
paign, 111.
One part of Jerry's strategy is the re-
education of Christian book retailers. He
says that current practices in Christian
bookstores do not enhance sales. One solu-
tion would be to market Christian books in
a manner similar to secular book retailers,
with eye-catching displays and promotions.
By raising both the quality and sales of
Christian books, Jerry is confident of a
sucessful ministry. "The published word
has flourished," he says. "It's an exciting
way to bring God's word to the
people." — J. A. B.
Marlin Heckman: On t\
A letter printed in Henry Kurtz's Gospel
Visitor started MarUn Heckman, of La
Verne, Calif., on the trail to the old
West — a trail that twisted and turned into
a rather large research project.
The letter, written by two unidentified
Church of the Brethren brothers who had
heeded Horace Greeley's advice to "go
west, young man" in pursuit of California
gold, was pubUshed by Kurtz to warn
others of the perils involved in going west.
The lure was too much for Marlin,
hbrarian at the University of La Verne.
His interests in Cahfornia history and
genealogy led him to begin researching the
diaries of pioneers who came across the
overland trail to the Golden State.
Locating those diaries was difficult, he
quickly discovered.
"I found there was not a good Ust,"
Marlin explains, adding that he was look-
ing for a "reference of both printed and
manuscript diaries in one volume."
So he responded the way any good
rese2ircher might. Over a period of five
years, Marlin's combined interests served
as "trail guides" in compiling a
Henry Colbert: Sunday
If you are looking for Henry Colbert on a
Sunday morning, you won't find him
among the people in the pews at the
EUisforde Church of the Brethren, his
home church, near Tonasket, Wash. But
turn around, look up, and see in the
balcony a tall, gray-haired man fidgeting
with an amplifier, setting tape recorders,
and testing the sound system.
Henry enjoys anything electronic. "If I
could think of a reason why a 75-year-old
retired man should have a computer, I'd
have one," he says. After a pacemaker im-
plantation last August, he was teased by
pastor Ernie Bolz, who said Henry had
become so involved with electronics that,
in fact, electronics had become part of
him.
The science of electronics has a reputa-
tion of being cold, complicated, and in-
humane. In contrast, Henry brings a
warmth, a simplicity, and a humaneness
to that reputation.
When did he begin taping the church
services? "I rigged up that outfit (equip-
ment in the balcony) primarily for Hazel,"
Henry recalls. Hazel Rise was a church
2 MESSENGER JUHC 1983
trail of discovery
bibliography of over 400 diaries written by
pioneers as they made their way to
California between 1846 and 1859.
These narratives, Marlin says, give per-
sonal insights into American history in a
way no other source can. They show the
persistence and perseverance of the
pioneers looking for a better way of life.
"Most people, if they lived," Marhn
observes, "stuck it out" until they made it
to California.
Stories of death on the trail, the plight
of women and children, and the pioneer's
personal expectations about the trip are
some of the things that Marlin finds most
interesting about his work. Among those
already interested in his bibliography
(which is still unpublished) is noted
western novehst Louis L'Amour, one of
the most pubUshed men of all time, and a
writer known for his accuracy.
"He's helping me to become convinced
that it's of value to researchers," MarUn
comments.
Though he was unable to completely
piece together the story of the two young
Brethren men, he has managed to turn up
a few key clues that may one day lead to
their identity. "I keep thinking that I'm
going to crack it," he says.
The librarian has found Brethren names
like Kingery, Stitzel, Gish, and Bowman,
but he has yet to find an actual diary
written by a brother or sister journeying
west during the Gold Rush era.
"I know of Brethren who came in
1858," he notes. "There might be diaries
in some family collection."
Aside from his work on the 125-page
bibliography, Marlin edited the diary of
J. A. Butler, a pioneer who came to
California in 1856 from Illinois on a cat-
tledrive.
A member of the La Verne congrega-
tion, MarUn Heckman hopes to continue
his work in 19th-century history by writing
a book about the business people of
Lordsburg, Calif. — the predecessor of La
Verne, and a hamlet of Brethren in the
West.
Also currently indexing obituaries from
The Gospel Messenger, Marlin may soon
find himself on the trail of discovery
again. After all, as any trail hand will tell
you, once you've hit the trail, it's hard to
turn back. -Christopher Keating
Christopher Keating, a student at the University of
La Verne, La Verne, Calif., was an editorial assistant
with Messenger last summer.
morning sounds
member who resided at the local nursing
home, and Henry thought she might enjoy
Ustening to the church services.
From the 120-minute tape used to
record each church service or special
event, Henry edits the service onto a
90-minute tape. He records extra copies
for those who may have missed a Sunday
service, but "I don't push this much; some
may want just as well to stay home," he
confides jokingly.
"It's Sept. 26, 1982, and we're at the
EUisforde Church of the Brethren atten-
ding the church service. A highlight in the
service is singing by the Tekle family. The
father and the three girls are singing in
their native tongue (Tegrini). They're
dressed in their native costumes," Henry
describes on one of his tapes. With this
personalized description of the service and
with his comments on a recuperating
church member who may not "be out of
the woodshed yet," the Ustener is able to
draw into the fellowship and feel the
Christian caring, an integrsil part of a
church that so often is missing in the elec-
tronic world.
In the miracle of Christian giving,
Henry discovers that his rewards are
greater than the gift he gives. Because of
the tapes "it gets me in the habit to visit
the nursing home. I enjoy those people."
If you're looking for Henry Colbert on
a Monday morning, you won't find him at
home. You'll find him in downtown
Tonasket visiting at North Valley Nursing
Home. - Sandra Brightbill
Sandra Brightbill is church secretary and chair-
woman of the nurture commission at EUisforde
Church of the Brethren, Tonasket, Wash.
June 1983 messenger 3
Catholic bishops vote
nuclear weapons 'halt'
The nation's Catholic bishops voted 238-9
to call for an immediate bilateral halt to
the nuclear arms race and to condemn the
first use of nuclear weapons in any form.
The controversial document is sharply
critical of the US Government's defense
policies. It has drawn wide support from
the nuclear weapons freeze movement,
and strong objection from conservative
Catholics and the Reagan Administration.
In their meeting May 2-3, the bishops
spoke of a "new moment" when the
destructive capacity of nuclear weapons
has become increasingly understood, and
added that it has become clear that they
can no longer stand on the sidelines.
"Even at the risk of dividing the
church, we must be prophets in our time,"
said Bishop Maurice J. Dingman of Des
Moines, Iowa.
Entitled "The Challenge of Peace:
God's Promise and Our Response," the
pastoral becomes an official teaching in-
strument in the Catholic Church.
The US letter was adopted shortly after
West Germany's Catholic bishops pub-
lished a pastoral letter that is similar, but
much milder. The West German docu-
ment opposes the arms race, but stops far
short of outright condemnation of nuclear
weapons.
The letter upholds the right to use the
threat of nuclear retaliation as a deterrent
to war. It does not mention plans to
deploy Cruise and Pershing 2 nuclear
missiles in West Germany.
East German and Austrian bishops have
issued statements that strongly condemn
nuclear weapons, and the Dutch bishops
have a similar statement in preparation.
But French bishops, like their West Ger-
man counterparts, have taken a more
cautious stand.
NATO missile plans
protested in Europe
More than 750,000 people demonstrated
in West Germany during a four-day holi-
day that climaxed with speaking programs
in the heart of 1 1 major cities on Easter
Monday.
The demonstrators called for disarma-
ment, both East and West, taking special
aim at the so-called NATO "double deci-
sion" to station Cruise and Pershing 2
Nigerian women's choir
touring to Conference
A women's choir from Ekklesiyar
'Yanuwa a Nigeria (the Church of the
Brethren in Nigeria) is touring Brethren
congregations from Illinois to Virginia
during the month of June.
The ZME choir arrived June 7 in
Chicago and visited the denomination's
offices in Elgin, III. The women con-
clude their tour with a concert and ap-
pearances at Annual Conference in
Baltimore. Mary Eikenberry, former
Nigeria missionary, is traveling with the
group during most of the tour.
ZME, the women's organization in
EYN, plays a vital role in the life of the
church. Not only are there women's
choirs in each of the congregations, but
the women do visitation, evangelism,
and maintenance. The exuberant music
of ZME choirs was showcased in "A
Thing of Wonder," a General Board
film produced in 1982.
The choir was invited to the US in
honor of the 60th anniversary of
Brethren involvement in Nigeria.
missiles with atomic warheads in West
Germany later this year.
Protest marches were also held else-
where in Europe over the Easter weekend.
In England, protesters formed a 14-mile
human chain connecting three key defense
installations. In Glasgow, Scotland, 4,000
protesters converged on the main square
for a simulated "die-in." In Comisco,
Sicily, 200 youths and clergy held a vigil
before a NATO base. And hundreds of
people took part in nuclear protests in the
Netherlands.
Kristin Flory, a Brethren Volunteer Ser-
vice worker and a leader in the West Ger-
man movements, was involved in organizing
these demonstrations. Former BVSer Conni
Nafzinger, in Scotland, and Judy Kowalok,
in England, are also heavily involved in
those countries' peace movements.
The demonstrators were objecting to
American plans to begin deployment of
572 new missiles in Europe later this year if
no arms-limitation agreement is worked
out. Estimates of the number of Soviet
medium-range missiles vary from a high of
600, with 400 capable of reaching Western
Europe, to a low of 496, with about 330
capable of reaching Western Europe.
Navy ruling overturned;
CO granted discharge
A Federal judge in Baltimore has over-
turned a Navy court-martial of a woman
seaman who had refused to wear her
uniform because of conscientious objector
beliefs.
US District Judge Walter Black ordered
the immediate release of Seaman Leslie
Ann Cole from military confinement, and
gave her an honorable discharge as a con-
scientious objector.
Cole, 28, applied last fall for a
discharge as a conscientious objector after
serving 17 months of a four-year enlist-
ment. After seeing the movie "Gandhi," in
which the Indian leader rejects western
garb. Cole refused to wear her uniform.
She was court-martialed in February for
refusing to wear her uniform and not
reporting to work, and sentenced to two
months hard labor, forfeiture of pay, and
a dishonorable discharge. Placed in
solitary confinement at Fort Meade, she
spent most of her 58-day incarceration
wrapped in a bedsheet and blanket instead
of wearing a Navy uniform.
4 MESSENGER June 1983
NCC changes needed,
says Century editor
A friendly critic has told the National
Council of Churches that its social-action
strategies "must be restored from a
primarily political to a Christian basis."
The advice was given by James M.
Wall, editor of The Christian Century
magazine, in a presentation to the NCC
Information Unit Committee, of which he
is a member.
Wall criticized Reader's Digest and "60
Minutes" for using "a hatchet rather than
a scalpel," but also said the NCC should
pay more attention to its critics.
"We have repeatedly embraced causes
without acknowledging their defects,"
Wall said. "That puts us in a weak posi-
tion and makes it difficult to criticize
them when their faults become obvious."
Wall added that he is bothered by the
way the NCC selects issues and sets its
agenda, and said that NCC staff have too
much power in passing resolutions.
After 12 years IMPACT
is still aptly named
Sen. Lawton Chiles (D-Fla.) wanted to cut
federal food stamp funding, and made a
proposal to the Senate budget committee.
But soon the senator's Tallahassee office
was being flooded with phone calls pro-
testing the cuts, and Chiles withdrew his
proposal.
The group behind those phone calls was
IMPACT, an inter-religious network based
in Washington with 13,000 members in 20
states. Washington staff representatives of
national religious denominations are the
driving force behind IMPACT, including
the Washington staff of the Church of the
Brethren.
impact's strategy is planned by the
Washington Inter-religious Staff Council
(WISC). Ralph Watkins, a staff member
of the Brethren office in Washington, said
the church is heavily involved in both the
strategy planning of WISC and the varied
projects and efforts of IMPACT.
IMPACT is 12 years old, but has never
been more challenged than now. President
Reagan's policies of increased military
spending and reduced social aid programs
have put the resources and effectiveness
of WISC and IMPACT to the test.
"We've had to do a lot more explaining
and put a lot more detail into our reports
because there is so much going on,"
Watkins said.
Paul Kittlaus, vice chairman of IM-
PACT and Washington office director for
the United Church of Christ, said,
"There's a higher level of urgency now
because the programs that help poor peo-
ple are being attacked."
Watkins said IMPACT has risen to this
challenge in several instances, especially
foreign policy issues such as Central
America, MX missile funding, and food
issues.
During the effort against the MX,
Washington Post military affairs reporter
George Wilson wrote that the church lob-
by was a "new political force that (was)
shaping, if not determining," the vote on
the missile system. In December, Congress
voted to table the MX, but since then
President Reagan has reintroduced it.
impact's system of success is a hard-
working Washington base that is backed
up by a strong grassroots constituency.
Much of impact's effort goes into the
publication of newsletters such as the
monthly UPDA TE, and the less-regular
Action Alert, which is sent out as critical
issues and votes come before Congress.
This alerts IMPACT members to call or
write Congressional representatives and
express their views.
The Brethren staff in Washington puts
a lot of time into writing and researching
for these publications. According to
Watkins, the staffs particular expertise
lies in the immigration issues and military
spending, which requires keeping abreast
of daily proceedings on Capitol Hill.
"A big chunk of time is spent just
IMRACT
monitoring what's going on in Congress,"
he said.
On the receiving end of this informa-
tion is the membership of IMPACT,
which is responsible for the letter-writing
and phone-calling that influences the
voting in Washington. The Brethren por-
tion of this membership is small — 362
Brethren subscribe to IMPACT. But
Watkins said the number of church
members involved was only 290 in
December, which shows a sharp increase.
The liaisons between Washington and
the grassroots of IMPACT are district
representatives such as Derwood Troxell,
iiiJiMlsiiii;^
who with his wife, Wilma, co-pastors the
Alliance (Ohio) First Church of the
Brethren. Troxell, the representative for
northeastern Ohio, is responsible for con-
tacting IMPACT representatives in con-
gregations, and going into churches to
promote IMPACT.
One of Troxell's priorities is to build
the IMPACT membership in his district,
which proves to be difficult at times.
Recently he sent out a mailing to 34
pastors and received 17 responses, but
only three or four of the pastors wanted
Troxell to visit their churches.
"We have a very vital opportunity as
Christians to become involved in the
legislative arena," Troxell said. "But in the
Church of the Brethren, many people are
reluctant to become involved."
One problem may be that Brethren are
concerned that the church's positions on
issues are not being properly represented
by IMPACT. But Watkins points out that
Brethren views are expressed by the
Washington staff when WISC meets to
plan its strategy.
"We're clearly restricted by Annual
Conference positions," Watkins said. "It's
the best measure of what the bulk of the
Church of the Brethren wants."
June 1983 messenger 5
Disaster funds given
to Africa, California
To assist in the drought- and choiera-
strici<en country of Mozambique, the
Church of the Brethren has provided
$15,000 from its Emergency Disaster
Fund.
Mozambique is experiencing its worst
drought in 50 years. In addition to the
massive loss of crops and cattle, a
cholera epidemic is taking the lives of
many people.
In response to heavy flooding in
California, the church has allocated
$10,000 from the disaster fund. Half of
the money is going directly to the local in-
terfaith organization working in Bakers-
field. The other $5,000 is supporting
volunteers engaged in child care and
cleanup.
Child care centers were set up in Santa
Cruz, Lamont, and in the greater
Los Angeles area. Both the Bakersfield
and McFarland Churches of the Brethren
have asisted in community cleanup
efforts.
In Louisiana, the Church of the
Brethren has provided 18 child care
workers, who also doubled as Red Cross
caseworkers. Most of the repair and
cleanup is being handled by local
volunteers.
A grant of $1,000 from the disaster
fund will help buy supplies on the island
of Fiji, which was struck by a severe
cyclone in March. The Fiji Council of
Churches and the Salvation Army are
distributing the supplies.
US church leader named
to high WCC position
The Rev. Arie R. Brouwer, general
secretary of the Reformed Church in
America, has been chosen the new head
of the World Council of Churches' social
action unit.
His responsibilities will include ad-
ministration of the WCC's Program Unit
II, justice and service, which is the largest
of the council's three program units, tak-
ing 43 percent of the budget. Included are
five programs, among them the Commis-
sion on Interchurch Aid, Refugee and
World Service.
Other programs are the Commission on
the Churches Participation in Develop-
ment and International Affairs, the Chris-
Three times forward in the Caloosahatchee
Christ the Servant congregation in Cape Coral, Fla., conducts baptisms in the Caloosa-
hatchee River every Palm Sunday. In the photo above, pastor Don Shank baptizes Dick
and Shirley Neary; their son, Sean; Shirley's sister, Loretta; and niece Kim Matheson.
tian Medical Commission, and the Pro-
gram to Combat Racism.
Brouwer joins two other WCC deputy
general secretaries. Prof. Todor Sabev, a
Bulgarian Orthodox, heads Unit I, faith
and witness. Marie Assaad, a Coptic
Orthodox from Egypt, heads Unit III,
education and renewal.
Moral dilemmas to be
topic of health event
Moral dilemmas related to health care will
be explored at the first Church of the
Brethren Health and Welfare Conference,
to be held in Baltimore just prior to An-
nual Conference.
The conference will include a short play
by Kenneth L. Gibble, case studies, brief
lectures, audiovisual resources, and small
and large group discussions.
Leadership is to be provided by Frank
M. Harron, an ordained Episcopal
minister with experience in medical educa-
tion; and Marlin E. Wenger, M.D., from
the Elizabethtown (Pa.) Church of the
Brethren.
The program begins the evening of June
27 and concludes the following afternoon.
All people interested in health care are
welcome to attend the event, which is
sponsored by the Brethren Health and
Welfare Association, the Church of the
Brethren Homes and Hospitals Associa-
tion, and the Brethren Health Education
Foundation.
For more information, contact Jay E.
Gibble, 1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL
60120.
Masons to begin term
at Garkida, Nigeria
Ralph and Carol Mason of Centralia,
Wash., go to Garkida, Nigeria, this
month to replace Marion and Dora
Sho waiter.
Ralph, who has training in alternate
and conventional energy systems, will
supervise maintenance of vehicles and
equipment at the mission center. One of
his priorities will be to train Nigerians to
do work previously done by Americans.
Carol is an experienced educator, including
teaching English for the Chehalis Indian
tribe.
Most recently, the Masons have held
seasonal jobs operating a remote salmon
fishing supply center in Alaska. They have
two sons, Kephran and Samuel. Ralph's
parents, George and Rae Mason, were
long-time missionaries in India.
ICYE expands program
for disabled people
ICYE (International Christian Youth Ex-
change) has taken steps to increase the
number of disabled people in its world-
wide exchange program.
A pioneer program in 1981 — Interna-
tional Year of Disabled Persons — launched
ICYE's commitment to include all people
in its exchange, and the upcoming program
year will show increased participation.
Among the disabled youth presently in the
program are a deaf exchangee from Fin-
land in Rhode Island and a sight-impaired
6 MESSENGER June 1983
exchangee from Ohio in Switzerland.
ICYE offers a year-long learning ex-
perience for anyone 16-24 years old. Ex-
changees attend high school and /or
engage in voluntary service. The program
was estabhshed in 1949 to build reconcilia-
tion between the US and Germany, and
now includes 24 countries.
Lasley named manager
of Annual Conference
Doris Lasley has been named Annual
Conference manager by the Annual Con-
ference Central Committee. She succeeds
Matthew M. Meyer.
Lasley has served
as assistant manager
of Annual Con-
ference since 1978,
and will continue in
that position until
Aug. 1. The job of
assistant manager
will not be filled.
Lasley has been an employee of the
General Board since 1969, when she
became administrative assistant to Loren
Bowman, then general secretary of the
Church of the Brethren.
Communications staff
wins national honors
Three members of the General Board's
communications staff have earned na-
tional recognition in recent meetings of
two professional associations.
At the annual convention of the
Associated Church Press, Kermon
Thomasson, editor of Messenger, re-
ceived an Award of Merit for his
November editorial, "Giving Thanks to a
Tribal God." A week later, at the
DeRose/Hinkhouse awards ceremony of
the Religious Public Relations Council, he
was awarded a Certificate of Special Merit
for the same editorial.
A DeRose/Hinkhouse award for Best
in Category was given to managing editor
Wendy Chamberlain for her peace logo,
designed for the 1982 Annual Conference.
Also honored at the RPRC national
convention was Fred Swartz, coordinator
of the communications/stewardship team.
The conferencegoers approved a resolu-
tion that thanked him for his years of
dedication and service to RPRC and
wished him well in his new job as a pastor.
[U][n](ol(t[r[lQ^(t^
DISTINGUISHED
Wi Imer Funderburg , member of the Heifer
Project Committee for Southern Ohio District, has been named
"Man of the Year" by the New Carlisle, Ohio, Sertoma Club for
his vi?ork with CROP, Heifer Project International, and other
organizations. . . . David Crabb, a layspeaker in the Garden
City (Kan.) Church of the Brethren, has received a community
service award from the Salvation Army for being the "backbone
of the Salvation Army in Garden City."
PUBLIC SERVANTS . . . Marie Shibuya Snell, La Verne (Calif. )
church, was named head of the California Department of Con-
sumer Affairs. . . . Ben O' Diam of the Beavercreek (Ohio)
church was recently elected mayor of the new city of Beaver-
creek. . . . Emmet Hanger of the Emmanuel church. Mount Solon,
Va. , has been elected to the Virginia House of Delegates.
IN PRINT
General Board staff member Lamar Gibble has
contributed an article on the historic peach churches to a
German publication. Expectations of Peace : Kurt Scharf at
Eighty, honoring the retired bishop's 80th birthday. . . .
Vernard Eller , La Verne, Calif., has collaborated with his
daughter on one of his latest books. A Pearl of Christian
Counsel for the Brokenhearted (University Press of America)
is a translation of and commentary on an anonymous 14th-
century poem. Rosanna Eller , a student at Manchester College
in Indiana, reproduced the poem in calligraphy.
HEAD OF THE HOME . . . Charles Cable has been elected presi-
dent and chief executive officer of the Brethren Hillcrest
Homes, La Verne, Calif. . . . Wilbur Mullen, administrator
of the Brethren's Home in Greenville, Ohio, for seven years,
will retire in October. Robert Cain, a staff member since
1981, will succeed Mullen.
PERENNIAL PASTOR
Oscar S. Miller may be the longest-
ordained pastor in the denomination, says the Moscow (Ind.)
church, which celebrated his 100th birthday in March. Miller
was called to the ministry in 1907.
CAMPUS CLIPS
Larry Ulrich, Lombard, 111. , was recently
installed as dean of supervised ministry and promoted to full
professor of pastoral care and counseling at DeAndris Insti-
tute of Theology in Lemont , 111. He is the only Protestant
to hold such a post in any Catholic seminary. ... In honor
of a lifetime of service, the family of Harry L. Smith has
established a scholarship in his name at Bethany Theological
Seminary. . . . Elizabethtown (Pa.) College's new admissions
center has been named the Carlos R. and Georgiana E. Leffler
House, in recognition of the Richland couple's longtime
service to the college.
REMEMBERED ... Homer L. Burke, 86, of Milford, Ind., died
April 22. A medical doctor, he and his wife. Marguerite , who
died in 1978, served many years in Nigeria (1924-38; 1961-74)
and in Castaner, P.R. , in the 1940s and '50s. . . . Dr. Irene
Stayer, 72, died Mar. 28, in Irving, Tex. In the 1960s and
early 1970s, she and her husband. Dr. David Stayer , volun-
teered each year at the Brethren mission hospitals in Nigeria.
Out of those experiences she wrote a book, Time Out to Serve.
June 1983 messenger 7
\^9&(Q\W
ANNIVERSARIES ... The Lewis ton (Minn.) church will celebrate
its 125th anniversary July 29-31 with guest speakers Roger
Schrock, field worker in Sudan, and Dale Brown, professor at
Bethany Theological Seminary. . . . The Midland (Va.) church
has begun its centennial celebration, which includes monthly
special events running through next April. . . . The Peace
church, Portland, Ore., will celebrate its 75th anniversary
Aug. 6 and 7 with the aid of Andy and Terry Murray. . . . The
Clovis (N.M.) church celebrated its 75th anniversary Feb. Il-
ls with guest speaker Leon Neher. . . . The Pleasant Valley
church, Weyers Cave, Va . , celebrated its 25th anniversary
with former pastor Sam Flora as guest speaker.
MORE ANNIVERSARIES
. Pinecrest Manor, Mt. Morris, 111.,
celebrated its 20th anniversary under that name, and its
90th year of operation, on May 15 with an open house. . . .
Camp Swatara , Bethel, Pa., will mark its 40th anniversary
June 25 with the return of four former directors. Joining
current director Marlin Houff will be: Robert Byerly, pastor
of the La Porte (Ind. ) church; Walt Moyer, Elizabethtown ,
Pa. ; Gerald Greiner, Harrisburg, Pa. ; and Ed Poling, asso-
ciate pastor of the Waynesboro (Pa.) church.
GATHERING DISCIPLES . . . The Brethren Discipleship Group
will hold a pre-conf erence meeting June 24-27 at the Meadow
Branch church near Westminster, Md. The program will include
discussion of Annual Conference and BDG concerns, a concert
by Steve Kinzie, and a workshop and sermon by Dale Brown.
BDG will also sponsor a discipleship training session Aug. 6-14
on a farm near Athens, Ohio. Participants will try to deepen
their discipleship to Jesus Christ in a world which chal-
lenges Christians to give up that commitment. Contact Cliff
Kindy, 601 Wayne St., North Manchester, IN 46962.
BEFORE THE UNITED NATIONS
Four Juniata College students
who are members of an introductory peace studies class testi-
fied before the United Nations Commission for the University
for Peace on the need for graduate- level programs for peace
and conflict studies. Campus minister Andy Murray, who teaches
the course, also testified.
BRIDGEWATER TALKS
The first Harold H. Hersch Memorial
Lecturer was Paul Warnke, chief US negotiator in the 1977-
78 SALT talks, who spoke at Bridgewater College on May 10.
The lecture series is a memorial to Hersch, a Bridgewater grad-
uate who died in a plane crash in 1980.
GANDHI IN KANSAS
A three-part series on the life and
works of Mahatma Gandhi was held in April and May in McPherson ,
Kan. The series was a collaborative effort between the First
Congregational Church and the campus ministry at McPherson
College .
GOD AND COUNTRY
Elizabethtown College held a seminar
in March called "The Things of God and the Things of Caesar."
The relationship of politics and faith was discussed by
experts from both ends of the political spectrum.
8 MESSENGER Junc 1983
)[p)(t(gQ(oi[l mp@\?^
Returning
by Kermon Thomasson
The old tamarind tree has stood there by
the hill at Garkida longer than human
memory can account for. It witnessed the
days when mounted slave-raiders from the
north ravaged the area. And it was there
when the British arrived in the first years
of this century. It was an old tree in 1923
when Albert Helser and Stover Kulp came
to Garkida as Church of the Brethren
missionaries, intent on planting the seeds
of Christianity in the rocky soil of
Buraland.
On March 17, 1923, Albert Helser
wrote in his diary:
"This morning, long before the sun was
up, the laborers came and we started
work. With our boys and the headman
and 30 laborers we proceeded to the spot
for the consecration of the ground for our
first house in this great land of need. I
told the men through an interpreter that
this was not an ordinary house, but one
dedicated to the honor of God and to the
honor and glory of Jesus Christ. Then
Stover read Ephesians 2:14-22 and I read
1 Corinthians 5:14-6:10.
"Then all of us got down on our knees,
Stover praying first and I following. Each
of us prayed that this spot might be a
fountain to which people might come and
drink of the Water of Life and eat of the
Bread of Life; that every missionary com-
ing here might be a faithful messenger of
Jesus. We prayed also for the brothers
and sisters in America into whose labors
we are entering and for those whom God
is prompting to give of their lives and
money in the building up of his kingdom
here. Finally we prayed that this might be
the dawn of a new day for thousands of
precious souls in Nigeria.
"As we rose from our knees the sun was
just peeping over the mountain and we
greeted the dawn of a new day for all.
Each of us took a native digger and dug
the two corners of the house and in our
hearts prayed that Christ might be our
Chief Cornerstone and our Sure Founda-
tion. Thus was the work started."
Now it was March 1983. The church
that Albert Helser helped begin has grown
to number in the tens of thousands. Ek-
klesiyar 'Yanuwa a Nigeria (EYN — the
Church of the Brethren in Nigeria) has
575 places of worship. New church
buildings that already see hundreds of
to the tamarind
worshipers each Sunday are right now
under construction in the large cities of
Yola and Jos. Just as large a building is
going up in the village of Yimirshika. And
new growth is not just on the edges. On
February 27 Garkida, the oldest congrega-
tion, baptized 65 new members. EYN is
beginning a new evangelistic thrust into
the Margi tribal area around Mulgwe,
long dominated by MusUms. An
evangelistic campaign to reach the
nomadic MusUm Fulani cattle herders is
getting underway. Everywhere I went I
saw growth, development, expansion, ex-
citement, "ufti!" The 60th anniversary of
Christian beginnings could be celebrated
in the assurance that, indeed, Christ had
been the Chief Cornerstone and the
church's Sure Foundation.
The Executive Committee of EYN had
asked me to have made and bring a
bronze plaque to mount on a boulder
under the old tamarind tree this past
March 17, Founders Day.
On March 1 , I went to the tree with
veteran EYN leader Mai Sule Biu, local
stone mason Peter Mshelbwala, and mis-
sionary Owen Shankster. An old man,
busy weaving grass mats, watched with in-
terest as we examined the several large
stones under the tree and selected one on
which to mount the plaque. In subsequent
days Mallam Peter straightened the stone
up and cemented it underground to other
stones. Owen Shankster drilled holes for
the bolts and put reinforcing rods behind
the plaque. Finally Mallam Peter
cemented the plaque securely into place.
On the morning of March 17 the stone
and plaque were covered with a white
homespun cotton Bura blanket. By 10
a.m., a crowd of over 2,000 people had
assembled. A 4-hour program planned by
a committee headed by EYN General
Secretary Toma H. Ragnjiya, and led by
local pastor Usman Liman, began.
Eleven women's choirs, clad in colorful
uniforms, sang, accompanied by their
musical pots and rhythm instruments.
Man Y. Malgwi, one of the most gifted
speakers among EYN ministers, was the
main speaker. Using 2 Peter 10-11, he af-
firmed the assemblage's call as God's
elect, God's workers, he exhorted the
Christians of EYN to continue the work
begun at Garkida in 1923.
The first two Christians baptized in
EYN, Pilesar Sawa and Risku Madziga
(see March Messenger cover), reminisced
about the challenges and triumphs of ear-
ly days. Finally the moment came to pre-
sent the bronze plaque.
On hand to unveil it was Philip M.
Kulp, son of pioneer missionary Stover
Kulp, and himself a missionary in Nigeria
from 1958 to 1965. The service ended with
appropriate prayers and benedictions.
Visitors were fed by the Garkida church
and soon dispersed.
Later that afternoon I came back to the
tamarind tree to take my final photos of
the new monument. The poUshed bronze
reflected the fading light of the sun across
the nearby Hawal river. The area was
empty now, save for a few water carriers
bringing pots of water from the river.
They passed under the tree and went on,
symbohc of the outward movement of the
"water of life" first offered under this tree
60 years ago.
Tamarinds can hve for centuries. Prob-
ably this one at Garkida will see many
more anniversaries celebrated under it in
the future. We had marked this one ap-
propriately. Now I prayed that on those
anniversaries to come, the church begun
in 1923 would be as flourishing and fruit-
ful as it was this happy day in 1983. D
Above: The ancient
tamarind that saw the
founding service in 1923 of-
fered shade to the first few
hundred people who
showed up in 1983.
Right: The bronze plaque
unveiled on March 17,
1983, commemorates the
work begun by Albert
Helser and Stover Kulp.
The lower part of the in-
scription gives Ephesians
2:19 in English, Bura, and
Hausa.
June 1983 messenger 9
Running (hiough (he
Read Hebrews 12:12-14.
Jogging is in, but it can also be painful.
A friend recently remarked that for
years he had jogged daily without suffer-
ing any of the multitude of aches and
pains that so often afflict the amateur
athlete. In a burst of enthusiasm, he
doubled his weekly mileage from 10 to 20.
There was no problem doing 15; when he
reached 20 miles a week it began — aches
in his knees and thighs so painful that his
running was done in agony.
My jogging friend was afraid he would
have to stop altogether, but suddenly the
pains disappeared. His running became
smoother and easier than ever. Elated, but
puzzled, he told his story to an experi-
enced runner.
"You ran through the pain," she said.
"As you go from one level of Fitness to
another you often have 'growing pains.'
It's as though your old body is fighting
the higher standards of the new, healthier
body. You just have to grit your teeth and
run through the pain."
An the 12th chapter of Hebrews, the wise
writer challenges us to live within a
disciplined life. Then he says, "Therefore
lift your drooping hands and strengthen
your weak knees, and make straight paths
for your feet." That admonition to run
through our pain is not an isolated Bible
statement. The Bible is full of examples of
IKople who did overcome.
Zacchaeus's size was not his major
problem. Zacchaeus constantly felt the
pain of being alone and hated. Yet he
climbed that tree, and his climb led to a
direct spiritual encounter with Jesus. His
story is the story of God's search for us.
The powerful acceptance of Jesus was met
by the painful honesty of Zacchaeus. We
can identify with Zacchaeus and his
pain — for this is our story, with God's
grace as the ending.
Huldah was an extraordinary prophet
who lived six centuries before Christ and
who spoke for God. But she had to speak
alone, and she knew the pain of an
isolated prophetic voice. Yet she pro-
claimed that evil would come because the
people had forsaken God and turned to
pagan images. Serving as a channel for
God's Word, her prophecy gave King
Josiah courage to put into action the most
thorough reformation Judah had ever
known.
Infamous debater Job finally realized
that God may be known, and understood,
in suffering. Job dealt with the deep issue
of the meaning of faith, and he finally
believed that in pain one can strengthen
faith and belief. Through suffering, Job
found a new relationship with God. He
rested in God even in his pain. This is not
to explain the meaning of suffering. It is
to declare to the reader that even such bit-
ter agony as Job endured may be turned
to spiritual profit if God is found in it.
Mary Magdalene knew the pain of
bereavement. Yet in grief she came with
the spices for his body, and then en-
countered a risen Christ. Peter knew the
pain of denial. But Christ forgave him,
allowing him to "feed my sheep." Paul
knew physical pain. Three times Paul
asked God to take that thorn from his
side, only to be met by a spiritual insight,
"My grace is sufficient for you, for my
power is made perfect in weakness."
These biblical characters — real people —
are representative of countless persons
who established relationships with God,
and within those relationships they were
able to run through their pain.
What about your pain? Is it always
around, and are you always hurting? Did
someone else get the job promotion? Is
there the gnawing pain of a broken rela-
tionship? Are you bereaved?
I once visited a couple who had been
married for over 50 years. They showed
me the room where their only son had
died at age five. The room was the same
as the day he died, 47 years earlier. They
had nurtured their pain for almost five
decades; they could not run through it.
H,
Lymnwriter George Matheson knew
pain. One person writing about Matheson
said, "He wrote under circumstances of
tragic inner conflict and severe mental suf-
ferings, as a release from personal
tragedy." In spite of his pain, Matheson
could pen:
0 Love that wilt not let me go,
1 rest my weary soul in thee;
I give thee back the life I owe.
That in thine ocean depths its flow
May richer, fuller be.
Pastor Martin Rinckart lived during the
Thirty Years' War and was the only
clergyman in his town — a town immersed
in plague and famine. He officiated for 40
to 50 funerals a day. Yet he ran through
his pain, and when the war was over he
wrote:
Now thank we all our God,
With heart, and hands, and voices.
Who wondrous things hath done.
In whom this world rejoices.
The writer of Hebrews states that
strength and courage come from God, a
strength that provides both physical and
spiritual healing. Hardship may be God's
way of preparation for the long pull — both
in this life, and the next. Insight and sup-
port that provide healing come from each
of us within our Christian communities.
That writer-coach pushes us to see that
Christ needs more than drooping hands
On qour mar^
10 MESSENGER JUHC 1983
"The Runners, " by Gerhard Marcks. Courtesy of
the Museum of Modem An, New York. Gift of Mrs.
John D. Rockefeller Jr.
and weak knees to help others, and to
carry out Christ's cause.
And what is this running leading to?
The Hebrews author states it clearly:
"Strive for peace with all .... " Strive
even though it may be a painful ex-
perience.
Last summer, our Presbyterian friends
(United Presbyterians and the Presby-
terian Church in the US) voted to end 121
years of separation. Noting that the two
denominations have adopted a common
commitment to the task of peacemaking,
one of the co-chairpersons of the reunion
committee suggested it is futile for Presby-
terians to seek to convince governments
and peoples of the world to make peace
"until we are able to make peace in our
Presbyterian family. It was a war that
separated us. Perhaps it may be peace
that brings us back together."
As we set our bodies, minds, and spirits
to run through the pain, we might con-
template at least four training rules.
1 . We have the splendid example of
those from the Scriptures who ran. Study
and learn from them.
2. We are supported by those sisters
and brothers running within our Christian
communities.
3. We must consider the great resources
that are within each one of us, yet to be
tapped.
4. God is with us in our running.
Let us run "so that what is lame
may not be put out of joint
but rather be healed" (Heb.
12:13).
On your mark.
Get set.
Go! D
William W. McDermel III is ihe
senior pastor of the Downey A venue
Christian Church (Disciples of
Christ/, Indianapolis, Ind.
/b
am
June 1983 messenger 11
Worshiping
without walls
by Walt Bowman
IVhen Messenger asked Walt Bowman,
Parish Ministries staff for outdoor
ministries, to write an overview of out-
door ministries in the Church of the
Brethren, he created an imaginary forum
to discuss the issues. Below are the ques-
tions he put to himself, followed by his
Since early in this century, camping has
been a part of the life of the church.
What's all this about outdoor ministries?
Why the new language? Doesn't a rose by
any other name smell just as sweet?
The difference may not appear that
great on the surface. We still talk a lot
about camping, but our focus is different.
Camping, which has traditionally been for
children in the summer, is still the biggest
part of our outdoor ministry effort. But
12 MESSENGER June 1983
in addition, we're looking at programs
that happen throughout the year at camp.
We're looking at programs that are
designed to carry our ministry of caring to
all ages and all kinds of family groups.
So outdoor ministry is whatever hap-
pens at camp then.
Wrong. Outdoor ministries takes place
whenever or wherever ministry is done in
the out-of-doors. For some of our
districts, that's ministry that takes place
without a camp setting — an intergenera-
tional camp in a state park or a day camp
in a church yard, for example. For others,
it's going into a more commercial setting
to do ministry there, like providing ser-
vices for families in a private campground
or chaplaincy in a state or national park.
We're also part of the network of services
provided by "A Christian Ministry in the
National Parks."
Are you suggesting that outdoor
ministries can be viewed as an outreach
ministry?
Very definitely. Even in our traditional
summer camp programs, it should be
understood as outreach. We have fallen
into the trap of looking to the Sunday
school as the recruiting ground for our
camps. That's understandable, but we're
beginning to turn that around, too, and
look at our camps as a recruiting ground
for the Sunday school and church. That's
more like it. After all, the camping ex-
perience has tremendous power to pro-
duce life-changing motivation and should
be seen as a major tool of the church for
starting people in the path toward a
Christian commitment.
Is that all you mean by outdoor
ministries then?
That's a good beginning, if you
remember that the only limit to it is the
extent of our creativity or the degree of
our awareness to the world around us.
There is one further aspect of outdoor
ministry that I'd mention. It's what I
would call the "shalom" aspect, referring
to the biblical vision of shalom in which
all of God's creation would live together
in peace and harmony, wholeness, and
justice. Sometimes this aspect of ministry
On the ground floor
by Chauncey Shamberger
"We want someone to see what can be done for the young people of the Church of
the Brethren, and we think you are the person to do it." That wjis the challenge
laid down to me, and I thought I could come up with the answer within a year and
then pursue graduate study as I had planned. It took 10 years, and at the end of
that time I realized I had had a unique opportunity.
No guidelines were set forth. I was free to pursue the goal as I chose, and one of
my first discoveries was that a number of churches had young people's camps
under way with most encouraging results. I studied all of them. They ran from a
brief sort of evangelistic meeting to more substantial and stable programs. I was
permitted to visit some of them and to choose whatever seemed most effective. The
result was a program of morning prayer service, study groups during the forenoon,
recreation afternoons, and vespers and campfire evenings. I have always felt that
the kind of format we followed had a great deal to do with the success and accept-
ance of the camps.
Two were held the first year (1921), four the next, and eight the third year. By
that time regions such as Western Pennsylvania, Indiana, and Virginia were starting
their own camp programs.
Pastors, college faculty members, and members of the Elgin staff were most
cooperative in being leaders; and Dan West, Al Brightbill, and Perry Rohrer ren-
dered service of incalculable value.
Young people were ready and willing to come to camp, and churches by and
large were responsive. Some churches satisfied their curiosity by having adults come
along to make certain that everything was as it should be. Often churches were
critical because, as they said, all their young people could talk about was the good
time they had. They didn't realize it was much easier for youth to talk about their
good times than about their inner experience sitting in a vesper service by a lake or
on a mountain or around a campfire.
I have often caught myself thinking that the reason the camps took off as they
did was that we had an unusual generation of young people. However, I know that
those ahead of them would have responded as well if they had had the same
chance. And some evenings around the campfire at Camp Stover in Idaho's high
mountains, I see the same response from today's youth. It is at such a time that I
thank God that 62 years ago it was my privilege to have a part in starting the
camps. D
A member of the Fruitland (Idaho) congregation, Chauncey Shamberger spearheaded Brethren youth
camps and the student volunteer movement.
is found in the way in which we exercise
our earth-keeping stewardship — our minis-
try to a disrupted and hurting (and some-
times dying) creation around us. But some-
times it's experienced in the way in which
the rest of creation ministers to us in our
fragmented, harried existence, and we find
heahng and wholeness for ourselves.
But what is the state of outdoor
ministries and camping in the Church of
the Brethren? I hear that camps generally
are not doing well in these times.
My first answer would be that we've
never been doing better. There have been
points in our history when we have en-
rolled more children and youth in our
camps than we do now. But I believe that
we've never done a broader, more exten-
sive ministry, or that we've never been
more on the growing edge of new
ministries, and I don't beheve there's ever
been a stronger sense of common purpose
among our camps.
It is true that these are tough times for
camps, just as for other organizations.
Not all camps will make it financially.
Surveys in the industry seem to indicate
that recent history favors the large, year-
round camp and the small, seasonal, com-
pletely volunteer operation.
June 1983 messenger 13
So ultimately dollars may determine
what we do in outdoor ministries?
Wrong again. Financial considerations
are important and we're working with
our camps to do a more responsible job
with their business affairs. But many
districts place a high value on the con-
tribution of outdoor ministries to the Ufe
of the church. They expect to make con-
tinuing investments in the program each
year, mostly in the form of subsidies to
the operation of the camp. On the other
hand, some districts have chosen to
work at outdoor ministry by renting
facilities rather than operating their own
camps. Financial priorities may push
some other districts to follow the
pattern.
If costs are going up, it would seem a
logical conclusion for some districts to
close a camp and invest only in program.
On a strict doUars-and-cents basis, it
would seem easy to decide to worry only
with program and eliminate real estate.
But there's a more basic issue involved.
Biblically, faith experiences are not
divorced from land (place). God's cove-
nant is with his people with the land. The
fact that many people's most meaningful
faith experiences have taken place at camp
makes that place a sacred one. It's not
easy to separate the two.
But just how large an enterprise is the
outdoor ministries program anyway?
Keeping in mind that we're talking
about ministry wherever it takes place in
the out-of-doors, no one can really say.
But if we look at just that part which is
done at camps, we can give some figures.
We know we own 31 camps valued at
something over $15 million. All our camps
together have a yearly operating budget of
something over $3 million. But the most
important figure is that together we pro-
vide a summer ministry of 43,090 person-
days. (One camper in a six-day camp
would be counted as six person-days.)
However, throughout the whole year our
total rises to 170,109 person-days pro-
vided. That's equivalent to a day for every
member of the denomination.
You keep saying "we." Who is "we" in
our outdoor ministries program?
When I use the collective form, I'm
thinking of all the people who are in-
volved in our programs across the
denomination. One of the basic changes
over the last seven years has been a strong
feeling of teamwork and community
throughout our districts. Numerous
workshops and conferences have helped
bring that about. District leaders know
each other and consult each other for
help.
In addition, there's the Outdoor
Ministries Steering Committee, elected by
the Outdoor Ministries Association. This
is a group of seven people representing
camp directors, friends of camp, an
educator-theologian, and a district execu-
tive. The steering committee meets twice a
year for long-range planning and dealing
with pertinent issues. It provides training
workshops, consultations, national con-
ferences, a yearly directors' meeting, and
Annual Conference events.
What would you consider the main con-
tribution of outdoor ministries to the life
of the church?
The answer to that is a whole article in
itself. I would not try to say in one
paragraph what was most important. But
several things must be mentioned.
One of the most important is leadership
development. Many people testify that
camp was for them where a direction for
Ufe began to come together. Hundreds of
pastors give witness to the fact that the
Growing up at camp by penny LouCameron
Growing up in the Church of the Brethren
meant going to camp for one week each
summer. I remember being very am-
bivalent about the whole thing the first
year, but by the end of the week I didn't
want to go home. And every year after
that my week at camp was the high point
of the summer.
Those weeks were probably the most
important times of my childhood and
youth. Experiences at camp and the peo-
ple who helped guide those experiences
had a big influence on my life — my at-
titude toward nature and other people,
and, most importantly, toward God and
my faith.
One of the more visible influences of
my earlier days at camp is that I wanted
to return as a counselor. So when I was in
high school, I spent extra weeks at camp,
first as a counselor-in-training, then as a
volunteer counselor. After that I spent
three summers as a full-time counselor
and one summer as a day camp counselor.
Then during my year in Brethren
Volunteer Service as a district peace
worker, I spent the summer as part of the
camp staff.
These experiences as a leader also had a
great impact on my life. Working at camp
provides an opportunity for fellowship
and growth with like-minded people that
few summer jobs can. Not to be mis-
leading: It's not an easy job and the pay
isn't high. Just ask anyone who's done it!
But the other rewards of the job certainly
made it more than worth my while.
Along with the fellowship and growth
came the opportunity to share my faith
and the lessons of the church with the
campers. How exciting to be there when a
child realizes a spiritual truth, and to
witness the glow of discovery on the
child's face! Yes, being a camp counselor
is hard work, but the gifts one receives in
return make it an enriching experience
everyone should be privileged to have.
Besides, it's just plain fun!
Having had the perspective of both
camper and counselor, I've observed
things about the camping experience that
make it both unique and important. First,
there is an atmosphere of openness and
love. Part of what made camp so wonder-
ful for me as a child was that I knew I
would be accepted. Peer pressure never
disappears completely, of course. But for
that one week of living together with new
friends, society's expectations faded into
the background and the ideals of Chris-
14 MESSENGER June 1983
concerns and the relationships of a week
of camp provide the beginning of their
considering a call to the set-apart
ministry. So motivation to Christian deci-
sion is closely related.
And there's growth in a personal faith.
Many say camp is where the faith first
began to make sense in their lives. But it's
also Christian education. The approach to
Bible study in a family camp setting fre-
quently draws forth the response: "If Sun-
day school could just be like this!" Little
wonder there are strong attachments to
our camps.
The image you're presenting is one quite
different from camp as summertime fun
for Idds.
I would hope so. Let's be clear about
one thing. We don't ever want it to cease
being fun. Most of our experiences with
others in the out-of-doors are fun. But
fun is just the context in which camp is
our most effective tool in long-range
leadership development and involving peo-
ple in exploring lifestyles that for them are
Christian. And that's happening increas-
ingly for all members of the church fami-
ly. That's the image we'd like to create.
And what of the future? What do you
see on the horizon?
Not owning a crystal ball, it's a little
difficult for me to answer, but I can share
some goals. I see us moving toward being
more intentional in working at a broad
range of Christian growth issues. To say it
differently, I see our camps using their
resources to be more effective in all their
programs. We believe that requires better
trained leadership. We have a goal that by
the end of the decade every district would
have a person trained in outdoor
ministries on at least a half-time basis. As
an illustration, we're just starting an in-
ternship program that will provide a year's
actual experience in one of our camps.
This will be part of a Bethany Seminary
degree that will include special training in
outdoor ministries.
A second thing I see in the future is a
growing biblical and theological
understanding of our ministry. That's
already happening due to an excellent
audiovisual called "Reliving the Story,"
created by Glenn Mitchell. More and
more we'U think about fun not just for
fun's sake, but in relation to its meaning
and purpose.
And a third thing is that we'll continue
to see a lot more adults involved in a
wider variety of programs. There'll be
senior citizens groups, church board
retreats, marriage enrichment events, Sun-
day school class retreats, training
workshops, and, for the next several
years, "People of the Covenant" training
events.
Insofar as we're able to develop
whoUstic experiences of nurture for the
whole church family, I believe we'll be liv-
ing up to our potential. D
Wall Bowman is Parish Minislries slufffor outdoor
minislries.
tian community took over. Friendships at
camp form with a special bond, and many
of those are still with me, even across the
miles.
The atmosphere at camp provided
marvelous opportunity for spiritual and
emotional growth, learning about life and
people, and just having fun in the out-
doors. It was at camp I gained a deep
respect for nature. I learned to see the
forest not just as something to use or look
at, but as the well-ordered masterpiece
and precious gift from God that it is.
It was also at camp that I learned the
deepest meaning of the basics of Chris-
tianity. Participation in camp activities
was time spent realizing who God was and
who I was in relationship to him.
Celebration of the bread and cup, of
Love Feast, and of feetwashing at camp
brought them to their fullest meaning. It
was a place where we could feel comfort-
able to express our emotions, to show our
love for Christian brothers and sisters, to
celebrate our joys, and share our sorrows.
My love of music found expression and
development around the campfire. At
camp I also had lessons in Brethren
heritage. A simulation of the dress deci-
sion in our church's history and a camp-
fire visit from a church "elder" (beard
whitened with baby powder) both hold
fond memories for me.
Although I didn't know it at the time,
my experiences as a camper were to in-
fluence my career decision. The peace
witness of our church made its deepest
impression on me when we studied it at
camp. Later I decided to choose peace
and conflict studies as my college major
and to pursue a career in that field.
Whatever I do, it will probably be
influenced by the way church camp has
touched my life, because it has truly nur-
tured my faith. D
Penny Cameron, from Ihe Roaring Spring (Pa.)
Church of Ihe Brethren, has been a camper and a
counselor al Camp Blue Diamond in Middle Pennsyl-
vania District. A 198 J graduate of Juniata College,
she recently completed a year of Brethren Volunteer
Service.
June 1983 messenger 16
Pointing toward wholeness
by Glenn Mitchell
Ready ... set ... go! And the race was
underway. As a camp counselor, I was
right in the heat with the 10 campers who
were spaced out across a section of a
hardwood forest. But contrary to a usual
race, we weren't sprinting. We weren't
even jogging. We were down on our
hands and knees crawhng.
It was a 100-inch race and the object
was to see who could finish it in the most
time while being keenly observant of
everything along the way. Layer after
layer of the forest floor was gently ex-
plored by probing fingers and alert eyes.
Shouts of exclamation would periodically
sound forth from one camper or another
as discovery after discovery was made
about the life that thrived on 100 inches
of that forest community.
When our "race" was over, we pulled
into a circle and a discussion flowed easily
as we talked about the connectedness
within the forest community and on to the
connectedness of all of creation. Talk of
caring for God's creation suddenly made a
whole lot more sense to them.
It was easy to take that intimate ex-
perience with a tiny corner of creation
and apply it to other ecological niches
later in the week, including our own place
as humans in the environment.
* • *
Just ten minutes after we got together
as a junior high camp unit, I could tell
that we were in for a long week. Cliques
formed instantly, with several people
clearly being left out. Name-calhng and
animosity appeared to come with the in-
troductions. By the end of the first day,,
my co-counselor and I were almost ready
to send the unit on a long, one-way hike
without their counselors.
Tuesday morning was a partners'
cookout with #10 tin cans as stoves. We
divided the group into twos, and it just
"happened" that all the cUques were
broken up. Each team had to gather
firewood, make a fire, turn the tin cans
into stoves, and cook bacon and eggs.
A group of campers participates in a 100-inch race. The point is to see who can take the
longest to finish while at the same time observing as much of the forest floor as possible.
The cookout started with a predictable
amount of uncooperation, fires made too
large, cans sloped at such an angle that
the eggs slid into the dirt, and bacon "ac-
cidently" burned to a crisp.
But along about 9 o'clock, hunger
pangs started to hit the campers and they
suddenly realized that if they didn't
cooperate they would not get any
breakfast. Partners quickly became real
teammates as they shared tasks to achieve
their common goal. One would be down
blowing on the fire while the other cooked
the bacon and eggs.
In the end the campers thought their
breakfast was great. The counselors sighed
with relief as that experience brought the
group together. The campers remained
pretty good at throwing token insults at
each other, but the rest of the week they
lived as a community. No one was left
out. As they went about the process of
living together for a week, it was beautiful
to see how they used each other's gifts
and covered for each other's weaknesses.
It was late Friday night — early Saturday
morning, in fact. Our unit was sleeping
out in a small meadow. The fire had died
down to glowing embers, and overhead
the stars shone brightly in the clear sky. It
had been one of those weeks that leaves
you feeling as if there is no better place to
be than in camp.
We had had a lot of fun together. The
group was enthusiastic about activities.
The campers moved with ease into discus-
sions on our various Bible studies and
group games, and they had really jelled as
a unit, maintaining a sensitivity to one
another that was indeed rare.
We were lying with our faces toward
the stars, reflecting on the week, when
one of the campers voiced a simple prayer
of gratitude. Several others followed.
Their prayers moved me deeply. It wasn't
on the agenda for that moment; I had ex-
pected to be sleeping by that time. Yet the
week had been so meaningful that prayers
of thanksgiving flowed spontaneously.
16 MESSENGER June 1983
The kids had come to camp expecting
to have a good time. They ended up en-
countering a God whose reality they felt,
not just read about in some Sunday
school text.
The fire was about gone, but lying there
I felt a real sense of warmth.
* * *
Three simple glimpses into a bit of
church camping as I have experienced it.
Nothing really that earth-shaking, and yet
together they speak to the power of our
camps to provide experiences that pull life
together in a way God has always in-
tended it to be.
Our camps provide a setting in which to
experience and learn from creation in all
its diversity and connectedness. Our
camps provide a structured process within
which people encounter each other and
themselves as they build community. And
our camps provide a context in which
such experiencing of the creation and such
a process of living in community lends
itself to a focus on our creating and
covenanting God.
The vitality of the Scriptures comes
alive within wholistic environment.
Among all our ministries, our camps
stand alone in providing a setting in which
our relationship with creation, our rela-
tionship with one another, and our rela-
tionship with our God are not simply
talked about or studied, but are actually
experienced as the very fabric that holds
life together.
I've seen parents smile condescendingly
at their children who speak of having had
a mountaintop experience at camp. Such
parents assume that the camp "high" will
be but short-lived. It often is. And yet I
would give testimony in my own life and
in the lives of many I have known that
church camping is uniquely equipped to
provide for the transformation of persons.
For many, Brethren camp has helped put
it together and holds the promise of
vignettes that continue to point toward
wholeness. D
Glenn Mitchell is pastor of the Root River Church
of the Brethren, in Preston, Minn. He has experienced
camping as camper, counselor, and program director.
In an impromptu bluegrass session, Rob Brewer, C. Emmert Bright, Dave Pickett, Bob
Jones, and Doris Jones jam a little at one of Fraternity church's annual family camps.
Camping family style
by Karen Carter
A unique way to use the facilities provid-
ed by camps is congregational family
camping.
For over 20 years, Fraternity (Winston-
Salem, N.C.) Church of the Brethren has
enjoyed an annual church camp. It began
as a Sunday school camp in the late
19S0s, then rapidly expanded as other
people in the congregation got interested.
The church had used several non-
Brethren facilities closer to home — such as
a YMCA camp and a Moravian camp.
When James and Lois Berrier from
Fraternity became camp manager and
dietitian for Virlina District's Camp
Bethel, the congregation started traveling
there, despite the distance. They've re-
turned for family camp ever since.
"The biggest advantage for our con-
gregation is the feeling of closeness that
develops," says Emmert Bright, who has
been involved with the family camp since
its beginning. "It has an effect on how
people care for one another in their every-
day lives."
Dorothy Brewer, another long-time par-
ticipant, says, "Family camp is such a
rewarding experience that we voted in
church council to let our pastor come too,
instead of staying behind to have services
on Sunday. There are a few people who
do not attend family camp, but they don't
object. And we do have services for them
back home."
Pastor Hal Sonafrank says attendance
at camp is close to that on an average
Sunday morning. "The camp is not so
much a religious retreat as an opportunity
for famiUes to get together for fun and
fellowship."
The group prepares most of its own
meals, and time is largely unstructured.
And all the planned activities are family
oriented. Softball is played "family style,"
for example. The good players have to
run the bases backwards and bat opposite
to what they are used to. "That way the
little children feel more part of the game,"
says the pastor.
"Winning is not what counts," recalls
Bitsy Shepherd, who moved from Frater-
nity to Roanoke several years ago. "Hav-
ing fun while you're playing is much more
important. There's such a difference be-
tween a family game and a church league!"
Fraternity church has learned that it
takes more than Sunday morning to bring
a congregation together into a caring
fellowship. Congregational family camp-
ing—with its shared work and worship,
group activities, fun times, and remi-
niscing — has developed a quality of
fellowship that is hard to come by
otherwise. D
Karen Carter, from Daleville, Va., is an ordained
minister in the Church of the Brethren, and a member
of the General Board. .
June 1983 messenger 17
Count well the cost
by Kenneth I. Morse
"Count well the cost" was a scripture verse (Luke 14:28) dear to
the hearts of the pioneer Brethren of 1708. Not only did Alex-
ander Mack write a hymn incorporating it, but "Count well the
cost" was sound advice for the eight sisters and brothers who
made that bold move 275 years ago, separating themselves from
the established church in Germany, risking persecution, loss of
home and property, even loss of life itself.
Through the years, the Brethren have continued to heed that
scriptural admonition, although today few of us have to count
the physical cost that our forebears sometimes paid. Still we do
not have to look just to the distant past to find examples of
Brethren who "counted the cost," made their commitment to be
part of the mission of the church, and paid whatever price was
exacted.
The Solingen six:
They sang in prison
The price of freedom had been clearly
stated. The six young men from Solingen,
Germany, now imprisoned in the fortress
at Jiilich, could walk out simply by agree-
ing to conform to one of the three
tolerated reUgions: Lutheran, Reformed,
or CathoUc.
But they had been baptized as Brethren
in 1714, and that was the begiiming of
their troubles. Such baptisms were illegal.
Now they were under sentence for life at
hard labor, kept behind bars, threatened
with torture, frequently interrogated.
Their names were John Lobach,
William Knepper, Gottfried Luther
Stetius, John Frederick Henckels, Jacob
Grahe, and WiUiam Grahe. The latter
wrote a remarkable account of their im-
prisonment which was circulated among
Pietists in Europe. They remained in
prison from 1717 until late in 1720 when
they were released, still holding to their
convictions.
The SoUngen six responded to ill treat-
ment with kindness for their captors.
They wrote many hymns and often sang
when they could get together. They were
strengthened in their witness by visits
from Brethren and Mennonite leaders.
WilUam Grahe observed that "the peo-
ple of JiiUch were astonished that we had
so many acquaintances and that we
showed such love for each other."
Concerning their time of testing he wrote.
"We did not fear any man, because Jesus,
his truth and teaching were our protection
and solace."
18 MESSENGER June 1983
George Wolfe: A witness in the wilderness
From the time he left Pennsylvania in
1800 to sail on a flatboat down the Ohio
River until his death in 1865, George
Wolfe was a pioneer. He lived for a while
in central Kentucky but soon pushed on
with his brother into the Illinois Territory.
After finding their way through heavy
forests and across the trackless prairie, the
brothers stopped to build log cabins in an
area where they were the only white men.
Five years later their families and other
settlers joined them in what was later to
be Union County when Illinois became a
state.
George Wolfe was baptized in 1812,
called almost immediately to the ministry,
and ordained an elder one year later.
Within a few years he was recognized as
an able exponent of his faith. He success-
fully debated a Catholic priest in the
presence of the governor of Illinois. In the
1830s he moved to central Illinois and
visited many isolated churches along the
midwestem frontier.
Always the pioneer, Wolfe helped to
plant and nourish churches that often
stood like lonely outposts in the
wilderness. A short time before he died,
summing up his unique career, he said, "I
have preached the gospel for over 50
years. I labored much when Illinois was a
wilderness. My work is now nearly done. I
have, like Paul, finished my course, and
if, when eternity shall dawn, and as I gaze
with enraptured vision on the mighty
hosts of the redeemed, if in that mighty
throng one soul should be numbered with
the blest because I worked, prayed, and
preached, I shall be fully requited for all
my labors."
Sarah Major: She
kept preaching
James Quinter called her a "woman of
energy and of strong convictions ... a
remarkable woman" because she overcame
many difficulties to become the first
woman preacher among the Brethren.
He was writing about Sarah Major at
the time of her death in 1884. By that
time she was well accepted in most chur-
ches, but the situation was quite different
when, at age 18, she felt the call to
preach. She was encouraged by Peter
Keyser, the minister of her church, but
the Annual Meeting of 1834 thought
otherwise. To allow a woman to preach
was "not approved of."
A year later Sarah wrote a long letter,
later published as a pamphlet, in which
she defended the integrity of her call. She
noted scriptural instances of women who
were prophets. She even dared to take on
the apostle Paul. "God always gave his
gifts freely where they were wijling to use
them," she wrote, "and I believe in Christ
Jesus male and female are one."
Though her demeanor was modest,
Sarah Major dared not only to preach
where she was permitted but also to speak
out on controversial topics then seldom
mentioned. She preached often in jails
and hospitals. She and her husband were
among the first to welcome and encourage
black members.
Sarah Major counted the cost of disap-
proval—and kept on preaching.
June 1983 messenger 19
Nettie Senger: God works for good
About a year after she arrived in China in
1916, while still busy with language
studies, Nettie Senger decided that she —
a young, single missionary— must establish
closer ties with the villagers, especially the
women, of Shansi province. It was not
enough to be already recognized as
"religious teacher Senger."
Nettie soon arranged short trips away
from the mission station to stay overnight
in Chinese homes. She learned to accept
strange customs without comment. She
began wearing the padded cotton gowns
that Chinese women wore. She carried her
knitting with her so that she could share
in their activities.
Some senior missionaries warned her
against identifying too much with local
customs lest she "demean the dignity of a
Christian missionary." But Nettie ignored
such well-meaning advice, just as she re-
fused to be daunted by the dangers a
foreign woman faces in traveling where
some male missionaries were reluctant to
go.
Nettie Senger's adventures were not
limited to riding a donkey over treacher-
ous roads. Concerned with the plight of
Chinese women, she established a school
for young mothers and wrote textbooks
that were later used in many schools.
Before war and revolution brought an
abrupt end to Nettie's work in China, she
had earned an M.A. degree in Chinese
philosophy and a doctorate focused on
the impact of Chinese civilization on
women.
One of Nettie's favorite Bible verses was
Romans 8:28: "We know that in every-
thing God works for good with those who
love him, who are called according to his
purpose." Shortly before her death in Fort
Wayne, Ind., in 1969, she told her pastor
that, in spite of many frustrations, she
had loved all her work in China, because
"God works for good."
Ted Studebaker: Love is stronger
The young man surely knew what risks he
was taking. In 1971, Ted Studebaker, at
age 25, had already spent two years in
Vietnam. As a Brethren Volunteer Service
worker with Vietnam Christian Service, he
worked in agricultural development with
villagers and refugees uprooted by a war
that desolated their land.
Ted had just married Ven Pak, a
volunteer from Asian Christian Service,
and enjoyed a brief honeymoon. But one
week after the wedding, Ted was shot to
death when Vietcong soldiers raided the
VCS unit at Di Linh. Ted had known
about the bombings and mine explosions
in the area. But he wanted to live among
the people he had chosen to serve.
Ted Studebaker was aware of the
danger. Counting up the risks, he chose a
cause that brought him death even while
he enthusiastically affirmed life. Why?
One answer was evident in a talk Ted
gave at his home church in West Milton,
Ohio. He said, "The dehumanizing pro-
cess of war concerns me deeply. What can
I do about man's inhumanity to man?"
Only a few hours before his death, Ted
Studebaker wrote his reply to a letter he
had received from people in Ohio who
were sharply critical of the stand he took
on the war in Vietnam. His valedictory
statement, written by one unaware that
his life would be so quickly taken, includ-
ed these words:
"I strongly believe in trying to follow
the example of Jesus Christ as best I
know how. Above all, Christ taught me to
love all people, including enemies, and to
return good for evil. ... I believe love is
a stronger and more enduring power than
hatred for my fellow men, regardless of
who they are or what they believe." D
Kenneth I. Morse, of Elgin, III., is a poet, hymn-
writer, and former editor of MESSENCEK.
20 MESSENGER June 1983
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CONFLICT
RESOLUTION
The Church of the Brethren has con-
sistently taught that all war is sin and that
to participate in war is a sinful act. In my
faith pilgrimage here on earth I have been
thankful for this consistent witness against
the shedding of human blood in war.
But we Brethren have not been so clear
in teaching about peacemaking in the
local community and the congregation.
The following suggestions cover a varie-
ty of approaches to working at mediation
and conflict resolution. It appears that
more and more people are becoming in-
volved with local mediation programs,
and nearly 200 community mediation/
conciliation centers have been established
nationwide.
Workshop
The World Ministries Commission is
pleased to offer a Mediation Workshop
from Monday evening, June 27, through
Tuesday afternoon, June 28, just prior to
Annual Conference in Baltimore. This
event is open to all Brethren who wish to
receive an introduction to the field of
mediation. There is no cost.
Ron Kraybill, director for the Men-
nonite Central Committee Conciliation
Service, will coordinate the workshop. He
will be assisted by 10 to 12 people with
mediation experience. This intense but
brief workshop alone will not train par-
ticipants to be skilled mediators. But it
will help people understand the process of
mediation and will explore training op-
tions for individuals and congregations
wanting further preparation.
To enroll in the seminar or to receive
further information, contact Chuck
Boyer, Peace Consultant, 1451 Dundee
Ave., Elgin, IL 60120. Tel. (312)
742-5100.
Paperbacks
Perhaps the best single volume available
on mediation and negotiation is Getting
To Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without
Giving In, by Roger Fisher and William
Vry (Penguin Books, 1981, 160 pages,
paper, $4.95). Most books on negotiation
stress outfoxing the crafty opponents, but
this book argues for cooperation with the
negotiations partner. The book is practical
and fun to read.
Roger Fisher spoke to the On Earth
Peace Assembly in April 1982. In an
outstanding address, he dealt with interna-
tional mediation and the prevention of
war. At the same meeting, Ron Kraybill
presented a brief paF>er on "Mediation in
the Congregation." Request the "April
1982 Fisher speech" or "Mediation in the
Congregation" from OEPA, Box 188,
New Windsor, MD 21776. Contributions
22 MESSENGER Junc 1983
p
for printing and mailing are welcomed.
To work at reconciliation in congrega-
tions and local communities, Ron Kraybill
has written Repairing the Breach:
Ministering in Community Conflict
(Herald Press, 1982, 95 pages, paper,
$3.95). The author is firmly grounded in
the Christian faith, and this faith shines
through in his writing. The book is not
just full of pragmatic prescriptions, but
moves to consider forgiveness as well as
personal risk taking.
Another recognized work is Reaching
Out, by Henry J. M. Nouwen (Double-
day and Co., 1975, 120 pages, paper,
$8.95). Chapters 4, 5, and 6, dealing
with the theme "From Hostility to
Hospitality," are especially helpful to
mediators.
David Augsburger, Mennonite speaker
and educator, is known to many Brethren.
Augsburger has authored three works that
may be studied together or separately. All
three paperbacks are available for $4.95
each through Herald Press.
Caring Enough to Confront: The Love
Fight (1973) is especially helpful in
assisting persons to look at feelings of
anger that affect reconciliation. The
author does not counsel unbridled expres-
sion of anger, but does encourage using
anger to get movement in negotiations.
Violence is not encouraged, but expression
of deeply felt smger through nonviolent
ways is encouraged.
Caring Enough to Forgive: Caring
Enough to Not Forgive (1981) points out
the value of the forgiveness and the
dangers of a fakey, false attitude that
"everything is okay" when hostility still ex-
ists. Readers will see some similarities to
the concerns about "costly" and "cheap"
grace raised by Dietrick Bonhoeffer.
Caring Enough to Hear (1982) em-
phasizes the tendency to respond, "Of
course I'm listening; now what was that
you said?" I found this volume to have
practical suggestions on how to increase
our Ustening skills. Illustrations, diagrams,
and charts abound. — Chuck Boyer
Chuck Boyer is peace consullanl for the General
Board.
NEW, HIGHER RATES
ON LIFE INCOME
GIFT ANNUITIES
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at age 90
Rates depend on age and number
of life income beneficiaries
Your gift of money or securities in a minimum
amount of $1000 gives you the personal
satisfaction of contributing valuably to the mis-
sion of the church now while assuring a fixed
partially tax free income for you and for the life
of another person, should you desire to name
one. Inquire about the new higher rate schedule
now in effect with tax saving benefits.
Risa
■^Kfi Church of the Brethren
H General Board
Office of Stewardship EnUstment
Stewart B. Kauffman, Special Gifts
1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120
(312)742-5100
Please use this coupon to get complete information.
Stewart B. Kauffman, Special Gifts
1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120
Please send me, without obligation, complete information on
your new Higher Rate Gift Annuity Plan.
Name
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June 1983 messenger 23
Books on friends, nuclear war, burnout.
On Being a Friend, by Eugene Kennedy, Con-
tinuum Pub. Co., New Yorl<, 1982, 155 pages,
cloth, $10.95.
The newest book by best-selling author
Eugene Kennedy (The Joy of Being
Human) treats a much-needed
subject — friendship. Kennedy illustrates
the wistful longing to experience friend-
ship evident in society, and he criticizes
the shallow attempts at portraying friend-
ship, or how to be a "friend," made by
the media and advertising.
The 70s were a decade characterized by
narcissism — the "ME" Generation — a
"great self-gratification derby (which) has
crippled the capacity of many to enter in-
to and to sustain truly reciprocal personal
relationships."
The loss of an understanding of friend-
ship in our culture is also, according to
Kennedy, a result of the American tenden-
cy to reorganize and rationalize all
behavior. You can't do that with friend-
ship, he says. Friendship and death are
two of the deepest mysteries of life. The
two, in fact, are very closely related:
"Friendship emerges as the bond through
which the living share deeply the mystery
of existence and prepare themselves for
the challenge of death. . . . Friendship
and death are intimately related. Their
source is the same, their majesty is un-
paralleled, and their significance arises
from their rootedness in what is human
and natural for us. . . . Blessed are those
unafraid to be friends, for they are also
unafraid to die."
This relationship to death is further de-
fined by Kennedy in a chapter on the risks
of true friendship — the "deaths" that are
experienced daily in ways such as concern
for a loved one, an unreturned phone call,
a disagreement, the readiness to sacrifice
self for the sake of friendship. "Death is
not a stranger to persons who understand
that their fullest growth depends, not on
grabbing everything for themselves, but in
a readiness to give up much of themselves
in loving self-sacrifice, in learning how to
be friends."
Friendship is not something that can be
manufactured step by step, the author
warns, and there is no such thing as a
"jjerfect" friendship. Friendship is more a
recognition than something manufactured.
It begins and is made possible by being
friends with oneself— "Love your neighbor
as yourself. " When you begin to under-
stand what makes you tick and can be
compassionate with yourself, you will
have a basis for understanding and loving
others.
Enduring friendship requires work —
trust, faithfulness, forgiveness. It also re-
quires recognition that there are stages in
a friendship, even the possibility of death
or separation. Kennedy observes that our
culture does not deal very well with
separation, yet it may be the only natural
happening in the mysterious relationship
between friendship and death.
By book's end, Kennedy gets around to
(and thus shortchanges) some myths about
friendship — that lasting friendship is im-
possible, that close friendship with the
same sex has homosexual impUcations,
that true friends "tell each other off," that
true friends are "always together" or
"never let you down" or "have to take you
as you are."
On Being a Friend is a positive affirma-
tion of a basic human relationship. There
is much common-sense instruction that
merits a wide reading. Kennedy, perhaps
because of his orientation as a professor
of psychology, writes more from an
analytical perspective than from an in-
spirational mode, but there is much the
reader can apply toward improving the
quality of relationships at every level of
existence. —F.W.S.
What One Christian Can Do to Help Prevent
Nuclear War, by Ronald Freund. Fides/ Clare-
tian, Chicago, 185 pages, $7.95, paper.
In the proliferation of books that have
been hurriedly prepared to service the
concern over nuclear war, it is refreshing
to have one that presents the case for
disarmament convincingly but without un-
necessary jargon and rhetoric.
What One Christian Can Do to Help
Prevent Nuclear War, by Ron Freund, is
illustrated with true-life stories of in-
dividuals on both sides of the issues.
Freund discusses practical protest actions
such as resigning from a job that con-
tributes toward the manufacture of
weapons, refusing to pay taxes that sup-
port military spending, resisting draft
registration, and providing peace studies
for school-age children. The role model
for war-tax resistance is the case study of
Bill and Martha Faw who have been on
and off, now on again tax resisters since
1964. Faw is pastor of West Richmond
(Va.) Church of the Brethren.
Freund, who is director of Clergy and
Laity Concerned (CALC), also traces his
own "pilgrimage to peacemaking" in the
book's introduction. In his eight-year term
with CALC he has become well-informed
regarding the development of the nuclear
arms race. He shares that information
helpfully in What One Christian Can
Do ... by giving brief histories of the
stockpiUng of weapons, the Federal in-
come tax, and the development of con-
scientious objection to war.
The examples of what individual Chris-
tians have done to work for peace are
commendable but are limited in their
practical value for many readers. The ac-
tors and actresses come from the ranks of
the professionals — clergymen, social
workers, and teachers — or people who
have jobs at factories that manufacture
missiles. Freund could have made this
book accomplish its goal of mobilizing
Christians for peace by suggesting some
simple day-by-day steps. By his own ad-
mission, most people in the church are at
that level in their peacemaking motiva-
tion.-F.W.S.
24 MESSENGER June 1983
business, anger
Why Christians Burn Out, by Charles Perry,
Jr. Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville. 167
pages, $4.95, paper.
"Burnout" is a fairly common term being
used these days to describe exhaustion,
negative attitude, stress, and ineffec-
tiveness in relation to one's job. It seems
to be an increasingly common occurence,
especially among professionals who work
in helping services.
Why Christians Burn Out is written
chiefly to help those in "full-time Chris-
tian work" to face the decisions that ac-
company burnout, but there are under-
standings and suggestions in the book that
anyone with symptoms of vocational ex-
haustion can use.
Perry, who writes from his own ex-
perience with burnout in the ministry, af-
firms that burnout is no sudden malady
of the space age. Job in the Old Testa-
ment experienced burnout. Human nature
is vulnerable to resource exhaustion and
overstress.
The first problem that Christian burn-
out victims face, particularly the Christian
professional, is guilt — the feeling that to
admit to their burnout would be a
betrayal of the "calling of God." The
common response is to repress feeUngs of
burnout, which compounds a stressful
situation. So Perry undertakes the task of
making us aware of the symptoms of
burnout and the factors that cause it.
Perry's checkhsts are practical: signs of
burnout, a stress test to determine how
much pressure you have on the job, men-
tal problems associated with burnout,
motivation assessment for work, and steps
for finding meaningful direction in what
you do. A chapter on the "costs" of
changing Ccireers or switching to a new
job has some good points to ponder for
anyone contemplating such a move.
The author's attempt to relate some
rather conservative theological ideas to
coping with burnout is somewhat forced.
Such generalizations as, "Burnout is just
another symptom of the deep-rooted
problems caused by a rebellious, fallen
nature," tend to negate the affirmation he
gives the reader elsewhere. Perry tries to
synthesize the ideas of psychology and the
ideas of theology rather than let the in-
sights of the two disciplines complement
each other.
Why Christians Burn Out will help
anyone who is experiencing stress and
frustration in a career identify causes and
provide some ideas for coping. Just don't
expect it to be the last word. — F.W.S.
The Christian Entrepreneur, by Carl Kreider.
Herald Press, Scottdale. 222 pages, $7.95,
paper.
For those who wonder how it is possible
to be a Christian and a participant in the
free enterprise system, Carl Kreider has
some answers in his book. The Christian
Entrepreneur. Significantly, he has
dedicated the book "to men and women
who use their business skills to serve
$$$$$
Christ." Kreider is a professor of
economics and former dean and president
of Goshen College in Indiana.
Kreider gives guidelines for the use of
material resources, calling on those whose
success has given them considerable means
to lay aside proportionately increasing
amounts for Christ's work in the world.
Jesus spoke more often about economic
matters than about prayer. Kreider sug-
gests the church community help in-
dividuals establish a lifestyle in harmony
with the gospel.
To those who feel that it is not possible
to apportion wealth fairly under a
capitalistic form of economic order,
Kreider says the belief that a change in
the economic system would solve the
problem is naive. "If the crux of the prob-
lem is greed, and I eun inclined to think
that it is, I do not concede that the collec-
tive greed of a socialist state is inherently
better than the total of individual greeds
in capitalistic societies."
Written by a man who has spent a
lifetime serving the Mennonite Church,
The Christian Entrepreneur underscores a
basic Brethren belief in the stewardship of
all of life. - Dorothy Blough
Dorothy Blough is a homemaker from Goshen
(Ind.) Church of the Brethren.
Coping With Your Anger: A Christian Guide,
by Andrew D. Lester. Westminister Press,
Philadelphia. 114 pages, $6.95, paper.
This is, of course, not the first or only
book to address the subject of the human
emotion anger. In fact, the author lists a
bibUography of 24 similar volumes that
have been written in the past two decades.
So, why another?
Lester's purpose is to help Christians
see that anger is a natural human ex-
perience. He dispels the notion, which he
contends has been the traditional Chris-
tian teaching, that anger is sinful or evil
and should be avoided. His theory is that
anger occurs when a person, or those im-
portant to the person, are threatened.
"When you are threatened," he states,
"you have a natural God-given response —
you get anxious. One of the emotional
parts of this anxiety is the anger you feel."
By identifying the threat, the person can
then deal with anger in a creative and
ethical way.
Lester briefly explores incidents of
anger in both the Old and New
Testaments, citing several occasions when
Jesus exhibited anger. His exposition
focuses on the lack of condemnation of
anger, almost begging the question by
contending that if God and Jesus got
angry "it makes sense that we would have
the same potential for anger."
Both the destructive and constructive
results of anger are discussed, as well as a
rather sketchy treatment of how Chris-
tians should handle their anger toward
self, each other, and God.
Coping With Your Anger \s helpful for
stimulating personal evaluation of the role
of anger in one's life. The contention that
all anger is a response to threat seems a
bit too general and may have the effect of
excusing responsibility rather than en-
couraging more responsibility for handling
anger creatively.
The author's point about the church's
attempt to deny anger is certainly well-
taken, but this reviewer remains uncon-
vinced that the root of some anger is not
simply selfishness. Perhaps the author
could say that is a threat to a perverted
sense of self, but he doesn't make that
plain in this volume. —F.W.S.
June 1983 messenger 25
On peacemaking and coping with
Jack Williams
Perhaps it is
time to start
For many of us, all war is sin, whether
nuclear, "conventional," or with bows and
arrows and clubs. The prospect of nuclear
war and its World War II predecessor of
the mass bombing of cities has raised a
new sense of morality among pacifists,
but especially among those who previously
espoused the "just war" theory.
Prior to World War II, warfare was
conducted by soldiers, among soldiers,
and with soldiers being the primary vic-
tims. Nuclear warfare (and mass popula-
tion bombings) is conducted by soldiers,
among civiHans, and with civilians being
the prime victims. No longer is the kiUing,
the agony, and the suffering finished
when the noise stops. No longer can
mothers, wives, and children emerge in
relative safety from their bomb shelters to
await the return of sons, husbands, and
fathers, and hope for the future.
The only possible salvation from the
threat of nuclear war is prevention. And
prevention is different from deterrence.
Never in the history of humanity has
deterrence worked. Deterrence based on a
larger pile of stones did not work. Deter-
rence of bows and arrows against sling-
shots, of muskets against bows and ar-
rows, of automatic rifles against muskets,
of artillery against rifles, of rockets
against artillery, of TNT bombs against
rockets, of atomic bombs against TNT
bombs has not worked. Why should we
believe that deterrence based on larger
quantities of bigger, more sophisticated,
computerized, multiheaded, nuclear,
neutron, or MX missiles will be different'^
The only force that can provide preven-
To hold in respect and fellowship those in
the church with whom we agree or disagree
is a characteristic of the Church of the
Brethren. It is to the continuation of this
value, and to an open and probing forum,
that "Opinions" are invited from readers.
tion is love. And that's not possible until
we get over the "patriotic" (God,
America, mother, baseball, apple pie)
mentality currently being used as the basis
for saying that all the world's problems
are caused by the Soviet Union: All
Soviets must be "bad" (equal to "Com-
munist"); therefore we are good; then
God must be on our side; then anything
we do is right; then the USA must be the
savior of the world; so let's get to the
business of destroying the bad Soviets —
though not until they strike first, unless
we make the mistake of thinking they are
striking first.
Not only can we not afford (financially)
to develop, produce, and aim MX
missiles, but we cannot afford (financially
or morally) not to adopt, instead, the
non-destructive force of love as our major
deterrent and prevention.
The Old Testament commandment
"Thou shalt not kill" was not encumbered
by provisions Umiting it to soldiers,
civilians, friends, or enemies. And the
New Testament commandment to love our
enemies was likewise not Umited to chiefs
of state of Communist countries, or to
people who had a "deterrence" of more
snowballs, guns, or missiles than we have.
Loving our enemies does not mean that
we must agree with the actions,
philosophy, or governmental systems of
the Soviet Union (or of the US). It does
not mean that we should trust Soviet (or
US) politicians to keep their fingers off
the nuclear war pushbutton. Loving our
enemies does not mean that we would
propose an immediate unilateral disposal
of all existing weapons.
It does mean that we would wish the
same for all Soviets (and all Americans)
that we wish for ourselves: the rights of
life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness
(and peace), without being intimidated by
the other side's nuclear deterrent. And it
does mean that we must start somewhere
to demonstrate peace in the face of
nuclear annihilation five times over.
Motherhood and apple pie are as sweet
in Asia as they are in North America.
Loving our enemies means that we must
call all the world's citizens our brothers
and sisters, regardless of the names we are
called for doing that. And if they are con-
sidered brothers and sisters, we need not
be fearful of their intentions, nor commit-
ted to their destruction by nuclear retalia-
tion.
Perhaps it is time to begin living our
religion as reUgiously as we jog, diet,
follow football, wash the car, or style our
hair. Perhaps it's time to start to think
globally about God's kingdom, rather
than equating the center section of North
America with God's original "Garden of
Eden." Perhaps it's time to start "rightful-
ly dividing the word of truth" between the
US Constitution and the New Testament.
Perhaps it's time to start being more con-
cerned about international survival than
about national security.
This is a time when Christians can no
longer afford to be mere church members.
This is a time that cries out for
discipleship and leadership, for standing
up for what we believe.
First we must find out what we believe,
and why we beUeve it — where our ultimate
allegiance is directed. Only then can we
take action to preserve not merely our na-
tional security, but our spiritual integrity.
Perhaps it is time. D
Jack Williams and his wife Bonnie are editors of
the newsletter and magazine of the Elizabethtown
(Pa.) Church of the Brethren.
ANNUAL CONFERENCE BULLETIN
CONFERENCE-BOUND families- Visit and plan
future retreats on Chesapeake Bay, 45 min. from
Baltimore /Wilmington. 5 bedroom lodge with
pool, boat docks, picnic /sports/ camping areas
surrounded by waterfront, woods, farmland. At-
tractive year-round rates for family or groups.
Contact Charter Hall Church Center, Pern/ville,
MD 21903. Tel. (301) 642-2500 or (301) 838-
3253.
ANNUAL CONFERENCE CAMPERS-Enjoy a
stopover in the shadow of the "Smokies." One
hour from "Smokey" Park. Spend a night or a
week. No frills camping (no video, no pool, just
quiet and cool). Showers, water and electricity.
Dedicated "to the glory of God and our
neightwrs' good" by a Brethren family. Rates
$5-$8 for 2. William Kimmel, Hannony Haven,
R.R. 2, Box 291A, White Pine, IN 37890. (615)
397-7166 evenings.
SCRIMSHAW- Dan, Gary, and Brian Kiracofe
invite Conferencegoers to visit their Baltimore
Scrimshander Shop in Hartxjr Place, across
street from Convention Center. See displays of
Scrimshaw (engraving on shells, whale teeth,
and ivory).
26 MESSENGER June 1983
computers
Robert Beery
Technology and
understanding
These observations are prompted by a
growing feeling that our hves are being
not only surrounded, but to a consid-
erable degree controlled by computers,
microchips, and high technology. At the
same time there are other developments,
perhaps little noticed, that are not partic-
ularly reassuring.
It is not my purpose to decry the grow-
ing use of computers and high technology.
Certainly they have the potential for im-
proving the quality of life and in some
uses are already demonstrating that they
can save or extend life. My concern is
that in our enthusiasm for the possi-
bilities of the computer age we not
neglect some things that computers can-
not do.
It hardly seems necessary to suggest that
one of the conditions necessary for a
more stable and safe world is a more
clearly defined understanding between the
United States and the Soviet Union. One
of the prerequisites for better understand-
ing is for the parties to know each other
better. Yet we seem to treat the matter of
learning to know the Soviets, their lan-
guage, their system, and their people with
studied indifference.
The number of college and university
students in the US taking courses in Rus-
sian in 1980 was little more than half the
number so involved only a little more
than a decade earlier. It appears that in a
very few years the State Department will
not be able to find the number of Soviet
specialists it needs. With more teachers of
English in the Soviet Union than there are
students of Russian in the United States,
and given the Soviets' systematic approach
to American studies, it seems likely that
the Soviets are soon going to understand
us a lot better than we understand them.
A number of liberal arts colleges are re-
quiring more mathematics and science
courses, presumably to avoid sending
technological illiterates out into a society
where computers and high technology are
king. James J. Kilpatrick has said, "The
high school graduate who cannot speak
the language of computers will be out of
the mainstream."
Many of the world's most pressing
problems are not technological in nature
and can be effectively addressed by per-
sons who may have little or no technical
skill. I do not wish to debate the accuracy
BRIDGEWATER COLLEGE
For over a century, Bridgewater College has been preparing Brethren youth for lives
of leadership in the church, the business world, and the community. Offering a challenging Liberal Arts
core curriculum blended with innovative and practical educational opportunities, Bridgewater is designed
to direct Christian young people to worthwhile careers and to better lives.
For more information about Bridgewater College contact
Ms. Linda F. Glover, Director of Admissions,
water College, Bridgewater, VA 22812. Telephone
(703) 828-2501. Other Brethren colleges are ^]
Elizabethtown College, Juniata Co
Manchester College. McPherson College
and the University of La Verne.
June 1983 messenger 27
of his statement, but I would remind him
that a certain itinerate preacher from
Nazareth was also outside the mainstream
of that day. I would not want to live in a
society in which everyone was in the
mainstream.
Some of our society's most urgent needs
have to do with justice, values, and prior-
ities. In an article in a recent issue of the
Reader's Digest Rael Jean Isacc says, "In-
deed the National Council's (National
Council of Churches) pohcy statements
and resolutions portray the United States
as deeply flawed." She seems shocked that
anyone could see flaws in our nation's ar-
rangement of values and priorities and in
our attempts to achieve "justice for all."
If a democratic society is to be kept
sensitive and responsive to the needs of all
its citizens, there must always be intelli-
gent voices of dissent. Those in positions
of leadership — indeed, a whole society —
may sometimes need to be told what it is
reluctant to hear. How long will a society
endure if it is unable or unwilling to make
the best decisions when faced with very
difficult choices?
With some justification, we have long
celebrated what we Uke to call "the good
old American knowhow." Our trouble
159th BVS
Orientation Unit
(Orientation completed Feb. 27,
1983)
Bairett, Ruth, Lansing, Mich.,
to The Peace Museum,
Chicago, 111.
Caipcnter, Kirby, MiUersburg,
Ind., to Camp Inspiration
Hills, Burbank, Ohio
Frantz, Myrna, Harrisburg,
Pa., to Church and Peace,
Germany
Gibble, Peggy, Elgin, 111., to
Family Centre, Belfast,
Ireland
Goddard, Pamela, Dixon, III.
Grafton, Paula, Worthington,
Pa., to Dundalk Family Crisis
Center, Baltimore, Md.
Graves, Jane, Garden City,
Kan., to Bar 41 Ranch,
Wilbur, Wash.
Kraiiss, William Jr., Arcanum,
Ohio, to Poland
KurU, Shelly, New Paris, Ind.,
to Dundalk Family Crisis
Center, Baltimore, Md.
LUUe, Gail, Ashtabula, Ohio, to
Washington City Church,
Washington, D.C.
Murillo, Marco, San Jose,
Costa Rica, to Community
for Creative Non-Violence,
Washington, D.C.
Pltlmsin, Oralea, Champaign,
III., to Hospital General
Castailcr, Castai^er, Puerto
Rico
Radford, Elizabeth, Roanoke,
Va., to The SoUd Rock,
Brigham City, Utah
Rice, Keith, Elizabethtown,
Pa., to Poland
Rose, Carol, Hollister, Calif.,
to Honduras
See, David Jr., Broadway, Va.,
to Honduras
Sinclair, Minor, HoUins Col-
lege, Va., to Honduras
Snyder, Roberta, Thompson-
town, Pa., to Casa de
Modesto, Modesto, Calif.
SUncman, Scott, Wabash, Ind.,
to International Fellowship
of Reconciliation, Holland
Slulman, Janet, Wenatchee,
Wash., to First Church, Har-
risburg, Pa.
Supanlck, Beverly, Somerset,
Pa., to Bethany Contmunity
Service Center, Bakersfield,
Calif.
Thavarajah, Sivagnanasun-
thari, Jaffna, Sri Lanka, in-
terim assigrunent to Brethren
Service Center, New Wind-
sor, Md.
Thompson, Lynette, Freejwrt,
Mich.
Tbuma, Mark, Seattle, Wash.,
to The Palms, Sebring, Fla.
Webb, Kathy, Oswego, 111., to
Dundalk Family Crisis
Center, Baltimore, Md.
Ziegler, Robert, Hershey, Pa.,
to The Palms. Sebring, Fla.
Deaths
Blnkley, Harold, 80, Pine
Grove, Pa., March 2, 1983
Booz, John, 85, Shippensburg,
Pa., Feb. 24. 1983
Bonder, Mary, 95, Leola, Pa.,
Jan. 31, 1983
Burner, Mark, 78, Dixon, III.,
Dec. 4, 1982
Byer, Frank D. Sr., 60, Ship-
pensburg, Pa., March 9. 1983
Craig, Minnie Lou Frances, 83,
Harrisonburg, Va., Feb. 7,
1983
Dearth, Jerry Lee, 45, Dayton,
Ohio, Feb. 21, 1983
Dennlson, Nora B., 86, Waka,
Tex., Dec. 25, 1982
DIehl, Zona, 95, Fort Scott,
Kan., March 7, 1983
Elgenbrode, Olive, 76, Ring-
gold, Md., Feb. 9, 1983
Erb, Blanche Mae, 83, Panora,
Iowa, Nov, 11, 1982
Felerstein, Harold, 84, Troy,
Ohio, Jan. 15, 1983
Garrison, OUie E., 92, Polo,
lU., Feb. 26, 1983
Gerdes, Mildred, 63, Dixon,
lU., Jan. 10, 1983
GUbert, Emma, 93, Polo, lU.,
March 22, 1983
Grossnickle, Sharon L., 85,
Copemish, Mich., Feb. 23,
1983
Gruber, Norman M., 71,
Mount Joy, Pa., March 28,
1983
Guthrie, Millie Knox, 95,
Bridgewater, Va., March 1,
1983
Houser, Martha, 78, Troy,
Ohio, Feb. 25, 1983
Johnson, Carl C, 87, Flora,
Ind., March 5, 1983
Jordan, Charles L., 96, Flora,
Ind., March 9, 1983
Laugbman, Mabel M., 73, New
Oxford, Pa., March 9, 1983
Lentz, Ray A., 62, Lebanon,
Pa., Feb. 23, 1983
Luchslnger, L. Ruth, 72, Sur-
rey, N.D., Feb. 22, 1983
Madison, Elmer V., 58,
Eldorado, Ohio, March 10,
1983
Marchant, Inez Lucille, 66,
Panora, Iowa, Aug. 22, 1982
Matz, Susan E., 69, Pine
Grove, Pa., March 6, 1983
Merkey, Ammon, 73, Lebanon,
Pa., Nov. 19, 1982
Minion, Clark, 78, Huntington,
Ind., Dec. 28, 1982
Morgan, William Clay, 91,
Webster, Iowa, March 17,
1983
Myers, G. Elmer, 80,
Bridgewater, Va., March 13,
1983
Myers, Raymond Sr., 77, Dix-
on, lU., Feb. 15, 1983
Neal, Pearl Myra, 90, Panora,
Iowa, Sept. 31, 1982
Neher, Roy, 88, McCune, Kan.,
July 23, 1982
Oellig, Galen, 86, Pabnyra, Pa.,
March 31, 1983
Peters, Gladys B., 82, Dayton,
Ohio, March 11, 1983
Plttman, Betty Funk, 65,
Waynesboro, Pa., March 15,
1983
Plunkett, Sidney, 99, Troy,
Ohio, Feb. 22, 1983
Reed, Vesta, 58, Flora, Ind.,
Feb. 27, 1983
Keep, Viola O., 75, Altoona,
Pa., Jan. 23, 1983
Relff, Dale, 59, South WhiUey,
Ind., Aug. 4, 1982
Reynolds, Gary, 36, Yale, Iowa,
Aug. 27, 1981
RIngler, Lloyd E., 95. Cedar
Falls. Iowa, March 8, 1983
Soblnson, Floyd F., 79,
Panora, Iowa, Feb. 21, 1983
Rodgers, Caldona L.. 85,
Greenville, Ohio, March 4.
1983
Sanders, Rex, 79, Lewiston,
Minn., Jan. 17, 1983
Stolllngs, Rhodie M., 91,
Waka, Tex., Feb. 9, 1983
Stouder, Georgia, 73, South
Whitley, Ind., June 21, 1982
Licensing/
Ordination
Arlck, William Edwin, or-
dained Feb. 27, 1983,
Oakton, Mid-Atl.
Brown-Clszek, Deanna Gae,
licensed Nov. 20, 1982, York
Center, lU./Wis.
Burkholder, Gale, licensed
March 13, 1983, Pleasant
View, So. /Central Ind.
Davis, James Harmon II, li-
censed March 6, 1983, North
Liberty, No. Ind.
Fisher, Neil R., licensed Jan. 4,
1983, Mohrsville, Atl. N.E.
Garrison, Dennis W., licensed
Nov. 30. 1982, Hershey. AU.
N.E.
Haldeman, William C, licensed
March 6., 1983, Conewago,
Atl. N.E.
KIpp, Judith G., licensed Nov.
7, 1982, EUzabethtown, Atl.
N.E.
Kover, Virgil K., ordained Oct.
14, 1982, Middle Creek, Atl.
N.E.
McDonald, Richard Arnold, li-
censed Aug. 10, 1982, Wake-
man's Grove, Shenandoah
McDowell, Kimberly Anne,
licensed Sept. 11, 1982, York
Center, lU./Wis.
Moore, Roy W., Friends or-
dination recognized Nov. 20,
1982, Pacific S.W.
Richer, Florence A., licensed
Nov. 19, 1982, Glendora,
Pacific S.W.
Rogers, Ingrid, licensed Feb.
13, 1983, Manchester,
So. /Central Ind.
Serrano, Mario, other de-
nomination ordination ac-
cepted Nov. 20, 1982,
Fla./P.R.
Serrano, Olga, other denomina-
tion ordination accepted
Nov. 20, 1982, Fla./P.R.
Sherck, Ronald George II,
Ucensed March 13, 1983,
Pleasant Valley, No. Ind.
SIfrit, Lyim Curtis, ordained
Nov. 5, 1982, Wichita Hrst,
W. Plains
Thompson, Howard Kraig,
licensed Jan. 22, 1982,
Highland Ave.. 111. /Wis.
Toledo, Jorge Luis, Ucensed
Jan. 8, 1983, Vega Baja
Fellowship, Fla./P.R.
Pastoral
Placements
Bach, Jeff, to Prairie City, Nor-
thern Plains
Earhart, J. Stanley, from Dist.
Exec, So. Pa., to Director,
Field Services, half-time.
General Board/based in Pa.
Fancher, Don, to Long Beach,
Pacific S.W.
KInard, Harold S., from Wiley
Ford, West Marva, to Mount
Pleasant, Western Pa.
KInsey, James, from Hope
Church, Michigan, to District
Executive, Michigan
Replogie, Norman L., from
Bethany Theo. Seminary, to
Pleasant Dale, So. /Central
Ind.
Wilson, Leland. from York
First, Southern Pa., to
Washington Office Represen-
tative. General Board based
in D.C.
Anniversaries
Christophel, John and Libbie,
Elkhart, Ind., 55
Flora, Bruce and Dorothy,
Roanoke, Va., 50
Flora, Jonas and Opel, Boones
Mill, Va., 54
Harshbarter, Rupert and Ruth,
Lewistown, Pa., 58
Hess, Mr. and Mrs. Titus,
Leola, Pa., 50
Neely, Mr. and Mrs. Milton,
HoUidaysburg, Pa., 67
Scon, William and Olive. Ship-
pensburg, Pa., 61
Townsend, Paul and Opal,
Brethren, Mich., 50
28 MESSENGER June 1983
The Annual Brethren Press
Inventory Reduction Sale
Brethren-authored books at
drastically-reduced prices.
ORDER NOW-sale ends July 31.
Buy for church libraries, home,
gifts, study groups.
Minimum order— $12.
(Offer also good at Annual Conference.)
Use this entire form to order
All In God's Family, Fred Swartz A survey ot
ecumenism and Brethren involvement.
Anna Elizabeth, Lucile Long The joys and frustrations
ol a gjrl of the plain people
Anna Elizabeth 17, Lucile Long, A Dunker teenager
leaves her rural home and discovers the city.
Pocket size
Trade size
A Bonnet for Virginia, Evelyn Frantz A young girl of
the plain people gams acceptance.
Pocket size
Trade size
Bring an Offering, John Eash. Creative meditations
suitable for offertones
Brother Harvey, P Roy Brammell. The true story of a
beloved Brethren minister.
Children of the Conestoga, Clayton Gehman
Memories ol childhood in rural, religious Pennsylvania
Pocket size
Trade size
Cleaning Up the Christian Vocabulary, Vernard Etier.
Words Christians use should illustrate, not cloud, the
truth.
Coming Together Male and Female In a Renamed
Garden, Ruthann Knechel Johansen An honest look at
sexist oppression and how to resolve i1
Counting My Buttons, Esther Pence Garber. A sequel
to the popular Button Shoes.
Flamed by the Spirit, Dale W Brown. How the church
should respond to the Spirit-movement.
Flockfood, Donald F Durnbaugh How lo improve
preaching from a consumer's viewpoint.
Free to Be, Free to Give, Harry K. Zeller. Fourteen ser-
mons that are still timely.
A Future With Hope, Harvey Kline and Warren Esh-
bach. Understanding and accepting aging.
Inglenook Doctor Book. A collector's item Over 900
home remedies of the past
Johnstown: A Story of Tragedy and love, Wendell
Bohrer. An illustrated account of the 1977 Johnstown
flood and Brethren relief efforts.
Regular
Price
$ 2 95 $
1 95
Sale
Price Amount
35 I
35
225
45
3 95
95
1 95
35
395
75
1 95
.SO
1 50
?5
1 95
35
395
75
295
B5
395
75
1 95
35
295
R5
1 00
25
4.95
50
295
50
1 50
40
Total this column $_
Please send the books marked above to:
Name
Address
City
State
Zip.
Title
. The Old Brethren, James H Lehman. Brethren life-
style and worship, 1840-1850.
. On the Ground Floor of Heaven, Dale Aukerman
Vivid and humorous memories of Elder Reuel Prittchett
. Partners In Creation, Ronald D Retry. A theology of
stewardship and a course for leaching it m the congre-
gation.
. Passing On the Gift, Glee Yoder The biography of
Heifer Proiect founder. Dan West.
. Plumb Line, Clyde Weaver Poignant vignettes of
Christian truth.
A Raspberry Seed Under God's Denture, Earle W
Fike, Jr. The humorous and inspiring writings of William
Beahm.
. Sacraments In My Refrigerator, Mary Sue H Rosen
berger Practical prayers for all occasions.
. Silver City, Leiand Wilson Thought-inspiring reflec-
tions on life, nature, ministry, people.
. The Sliver Feather, Mae Graybill Bachman. A true
story of how faith overcame suicidal depression.
. Simple Living, Edward K. Ziegler. What living "the sim-
ple life" means today
. Springs of Love, Anna B. Mow Anna Mow's theology
in a book of daily meditations.
. Story Time; God's Story and Ours, Warren F- Groft
How faith is learned and transmitted through story-
telling
. A Tapestry of Grace, Edward K, Ziegler. An autobiog-
raphy that reflects on more than 50 years in the
ministry.
The Trumpet Sounds, Robert Lee Byrd with Doris Ann
Hartley Byrd The story ot a Brethren minister's rise
from humble beginnings.
We Gather Together (looseleaf binder). Resources for
planning and leading worship
Yeast, Salt and Secret Agents, Kenneth L Gibble
Biblical stones that relate to everyday life
. Visions of Glory, David Wieand. A study of Revelation
by a Brethren theologian.
Regular Sale
Price Price Amount
$ 2 45 $ 95
2 25
45
495
1 2.5
395
1 00
1 95
50
4 95
1 00
3 95
1 00
3 95
1 00
250
B5
1 25
25
1 95
45
2 95
45
5 95
1 45
250
R5
14 95
5 95
495
1 00
4 95
1 50
his rnlumn I
Al ORnFR I
Payment must accompany orders of less than $25.00.
Amount enclosed $ Postage and
handling are included In the prices.
Mail to: The Brethren Press, 1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120
BOX SALE
A special sale of five of tfie newer pocket size titles in
quantities of
100 bool<s.
Buy for gilts or use in your evangelism prog
ram
(.'j to Order
Title Cost per 100
Retail Value
( )
A Bonnet for Virginia $19 95
$195 00
( )
The Brass Ring by Dorns
Murdock Blough An African
youth proves his manhood 12 50
125.00
( )
Ctilldren ol the Conestoga 19 95
195 00
( )
Counting My Buttons 19 95
195 00
( )
On the Ground Floor of
Heaven 19,95
225 00
Total
Amoiinf nf Rnx Anln Mnmn OrriArnd S
In Celebration of New Beginnings...
New Church Development and
Evangelism Dinner
* June 29, 1983, 5:00 p.m.
* Baltimore Convention Center Room 310
* Cost - $6.25
* Guest Speaker:
DR. MYRON S. AUGSBURGER
(Noted Mennonite Evangelist & Educator)
Renewal & Growth Luncheon
* July 2, 1983, 12 Noon
* Baltimore Convention Center Room 319
* Cost - $5.25
* Guest Speaker:
DR. HAROLD A. CARTER
(Evangelist, featured speaker at the
American Festival of Evangelism)
Tickets can be secured by sending a check payable to ANNUAL
CONFERENCE and a self-addressed, stamped envelope to ttie
Annual Conference Office, 1451 Dundee Avenue, Elgin, IL. 60120.
Ticket requests must be received by June 17, 1983. Advance
ticket purchiase is advised.
usually is not that we don't know how to
get the job done, but that we have trouble
knowing which job most needs doing. It is
probably true that more people fail in life
because they have not learned how to get
along with other people than because they
lack the capacity to do the job they are
supposed to do. As a society we have a
greater problem with values, purpose, and
priorities then with productivity and
technical skills.
This is not a suggestion that we try to
halt or even to slow down the advance of
computers and high technology. It is
rather a plea that some parents, grand-
parents, teachers, counselors, and pastors
make it their business to encourage and
support some of our bright young people
who have the vision to see and the
courage to seek a better world through
better understanding, p>eaceful resolution
of conflict, greater attention to justice, a
rearrangement of values and a reordering
of priorities. And let's not insist that they
all know the language of computers and
high-tech. D
Robert Beery is a retired farmer and a member of
the Manchester Church of the Brethren, North Man-
chester, Ind.
CLASSIFIED ADS
REAL ESTATE SERVICE-We can sell your land
or commercial real estate in 30 days. Special ser-
vice for estate administrators/ executors. We
operate In 6 states: Virginia, No. B So. Carolina,
Maryland 6- Penn. Memtter Church of the Breth-
ren. L. L. Jonas, Bland Land Co., Harrisonburg,
and Roanoke, VA. Write: Rt. 1, Box 666, Roa-
noke or call (703) 977-6529.
SCHOOL- Scattergood School, West Branch,
lA 52358. Openings for students grades 9-12.
Approved co-educational Quaker college prep-
aratory boarding school; simple lifestyle. Empha-
sis given to peace issues and social concerns.
Students, faculty together clean buildings, do
laundry, care for pigs and chickens, work in or-
chard and garden, bake bread, and cook meals.
Small personal caring community that promotes
individual growth. Write or call. Tel. 1319)
643-5636.
TRAVEL-June 4-19, 1984. 350th Anniversary
presentation of Otierammergau Passion Play in
Germany. Also Switzerland, Italy with Rome,
Austria, Liechtenstein. Includes air and land
travel, all lodging, 2 meals per day. $2374 from
Chicago. Registration $100 due now. For infor-
mation contact Rev. John D. Er Naomi Mishler,
168 E. 6th St., Peru, IN 46970. Tel. (317)
473-7468.
TRAVEL-Alaska Motor Coach-Cruise Tour. 30
days- Sept. 3 to Oct. 2, 1983. Call or write for
details. Ralph and Betty Ebersole, 1213 Hamilton
Ave., Tyrone, PA 16686. Tel. (814) 684-1771.
TRAVEL— Juniata College Tours. Aug. 14-28
ITALY: Rome, Florence, Sorrento, Taormina
and Palermo (Sicily). $1599 all inclusive. CHINA:
September. BERMUDA Escape Nov. 11-14,
HAMILTON PRINCESS from Philadelphia-
$459. CARIBBEAN WEEK- Feb. /Mar. 1984.
Orient and Japan -Feb. /Mar. 1984. CRUISE
THE ARTIC: Summer, 1984. July 1984: OBER-
AMMERGAU & PASSION PLAY. 15 days to
Germany, Austria, Switzerland: $1498 for land
tour. All meals Included. August, 1984: 8 days
Bavaria & Salzburg: $798 land program. Meals
included. Excellent prograr.-'visrts most beautiful
scenery. WEIMER-OLLER TRAVEL, 405 Penn
St., Huntingdon, PA 16652. Tel. (814) 643-1468.
TRAVEL— To Scandinavia— the best of Norway,
Sweden and Denmark. Aug. 1-15, 1983. Also
Aug. 1984 OBERAMMERGAU PASSION PLAY.
Information: Ross & Irene Noffsinger, 54704
Holiday Dr., Elkhart, IN 46614.
TRAVEL-BIBLE LAND SEMINAR. Visit
Greece, Israel, Egypt. 11 days— Mar. 28— Apr. 7,
1984. Includes transportation from NY, 1st class
hotels, meals, sightseeing, dinner on Sea of Gali-
lee. Bus trip from Jerusalem to Cairo across
Sinai Desert. Write or call: Rev. Raymon £^
AnnaBelle Eller, 303 Kohser Ave., No. Man-
chester, IN 46962. Tel. (219) 982-6541 or Ariand
& Ruth Reinhard, Rt. 5, Bluffton, IN 46714. Tel.
(219) 824-5800.
GRAND TOUR / Israel-Otmrammergau / Passion
Play. 15 days— August 1-15, 1984. Tour price in-
cluding tips and taxes $1999. JOIN US — write to
Wendell & Joan Bohrer, POB 67, Middlebury, IN
46540. Tel. (219) 825-7381 or (219) 825-7381 or
(219) 825-2955. Some places to be visited: Am-
man/Galilee/Jerusalem/ Bethlehem/ Dead
Sea / Masada / Bethany /Garden Tomb / Vien-
na/Salzburg /Oberammergau/ Passion
Play / Liechtenstein / Lucerne / Innsbruck.
WANTED-TEMPORARY-May-Oct. 1983.
Nurse Practitioner $1400 mo., RN $1100 mo.,
LPN $775 mo.. Social Worker $1,050 mo. PER-
MANENT—Nurse Practitioner $17,000 yr..
Health Educator $15,000 (M.A. pref.; B.A. plus 3
yrs. exp.). Nutritionist, Pharmacist. Last two
positions pd. by Natl. Hearth Service Corjjs. Ex-
cellent salaries. Clinic also uses volunteers for
summer; three are funded. Will deal with
migrants and seasonal farm workers. Knowledge
of Spanish, French or Creole helpful. Apply:
Connie Gates, P.O. Box 237, Newton Grove, NC
28366. Tel. (919) 567-6194.
WANTED — Persons interested in forming a net-
work to create an energy self-sufficient com-
munity in the South / Eastern Pennsylvania area.
Especially interested in those with building skills,
gardening know-how and commitment to
cooperative living. Write Roy A. Johnson, 8204
Jonnie Ln., Garthersburg, MD 20879.
WANTED — hosts for young Englishman seeing
the US by Greyhound during July and Aug. In-
terested in farming. Contact Rot)ert Sanbloom,
R.R. 1, Box 268, Brookston, IN 47923.
X MESSENGER June 1983
Advertisement
New Bethany Hospital soon
to serve our homeland healing mission
Where once Brethren ministers and
missionaries were trained, a new
Bethany Hospital will soon stand.
Under construction since May, 1981
the new hospital facility is now com-
pletely under roof and interior con-
struction is well underway. The new
232-bed/bassinet hospital is to be com-
pleted in the spring of 1984.
Located on the site of the former
Bethany Theological Seminary on the
near west side of Chicago, the new
hospital will replace the aging and
deteriorating Bethany Hospital located
Training
Employment
Construction Progress
a few blocks away. It was established
by members of the Church of the
Brethren nearly 60 years ago.
On its opening, the new hospital will
provide a full range of medical ser-
vices. Bed space will be allocated for
medical/surgical, pediatric, obstetric,
intensive care and psychiatric care
needs.
The new Bethany Hospital will be a
radical improvement... and will have
evolved from an endangered inner-city
health care facility into a complete
medical center providing the latest
state-of-the-art treatment to needy
people of this poor neighborhood com-
munity of Chicago.
In addition, the new hospital will con-
tinue to train doctors and medical pro-
fessionals in God's healing work as
well as provide a major source of em-
ployment to residents of the community.
Thanks to the caring concern and sup-
port of Brethren all across the country,
this inner-city healing ministry will
continue to flourish.
This year will mark the culmination of
a call by Annual Conference to raise $2
million from within the Church
Healing
membership in support of the healing
ministry at the New Bethany Hospital.
Nearly $1.4 million has been raised so
far.
Your support of God's healing minis-
try at Bethany Hospital is encouraged
and welcome. Contributions and in-
quiries should be directed to the
Bethany Hospital Foundation, c/o
Rev. Olin J. Mason, 550 E. Main
Street, Annville, Pennsylvania 17003.
The Bible wrapped in cellophane
A few weeks ago while in Boston, I was a guest of
The Christian Science Monitor. While at the
Christian Science Center, I saw a 20-minute multi-
image slide presentation, "As Children of the
Light." Familiar words of the Bible were woven
among scenes of everyday life around the world.
As my brochure told me, seeing the presenta-
tion, "... you realize that the Bible's view of peo-
ple as children of God is more than fragile hope or
faith. It comes from deep spiritual experiences, ac-
tual discoveries of God's presence and reality
which seem to make 'all things new.' This is why
the words of the Bible continue to heal and to save
. . . why they lead us into understanding our
nature and destiny 'as children of light.'"
As I left the room I said to a companion, "If I
could leave church each Sunday morning feeling
like I do now after that presentation . . . Wow!"
Don't ask me where my mind was during all those
Bible classes at Bridgewater College and Bethany
Seminary, to say nothing of all the hours in Sunday
school and missionary prayer meetings. All I know
is that whereas once I was blind, now I could see!
Suddenly the Word was a lamp unto my feet,
not a rule book that I couldn't read in the dark
anyway. Oh, I had long since grasped that the Bible
is a guide and inspiration for our lives, but not
something to be thrown at other people like a Boy
Scout Handbook or landmark court decisions. But
now it meant more, much more. As a Bible
beholder, I felt . . . well, "born again."
Still euphoric from my newfound vision, I was
less than receptive a few days later when I received
in the mail a passel of promotion pieces about
something called "Year of the Bible 1983."
With all the hoopla and hype of a joint resolu-
tion of Congress and a proclamation by President
Reagan, and a bag full of gimmicks from an ap-
parently self-appointed National Committee for the
Year of the Bible, let's hear it, America, for the Bi-
ble in 1983.
I suppose we are none the worse for having held
our Bibles lower than shoulder height in 1982, and
can relax again in 1984, but this year let's really
show God we understand what being his chosen
people is all about.
The committee is pulling out all the stops. My
information packet tells me that for the asking I
can receive "brochures, lapel buttons, bumper
stickers, broadcast announcements, posters, news-
paper and magazine announcements, etc." I am
told that "literally thousands of organizations from
local churches and synagogues to national televi-
sion networks, publishers, and wire services are be-
ing utilized to inform America that 1983 is the Year
of the Bible."
Thanks, Bill Bright, and all you others, but I
think I'll stay off your bandwagon. In your en-
thusiasm for promoting the Bible (but surely not
yourselves), you overlook something important.
The Bible is timeless. It is not something to be lifted
up just this year ... or any year.
I have no problem with encouraging people to
study the Bible. It's the implications of your "na-
tional media campaign" that bother me. Your
"broadest inter-faith movement in American
history" is artificial. It trivializes God's Holy Word.
It gives us the blessed Bible all sanitized and tied up
in red, white, and blue cellophane.
Ihe "Year of the Bible" reminds me of an old
preacher down home. He was the darling of the
"Sunday" Christians, and they made such a fuss
over him and turned him into such a pet that he was
rendered harmless to any sinner, backshder, or
pious hypocrite. The poor old soul lost any effect-
iveness he might have had as a shepherd for his
fiock. He finished his career wrapped in
cellophane.
Well, okay, if there has to be a "Year of the
Bible 1983," may I mark it in my own way? I'd love
to go back to Boston and see "As Children of the
Light" again. — K.T.
32 MESSENGER June 1983
If you want an investment
with gratifying returns.
put it here.
A new congregation on Florida's Gulf Coast — Christ the
Servant Church of the Brethren — exemplifies what new
church development is all about.
Through the partnership of the General Board, the
Florida-Puerto Rico District, and the organizing parish at
Cape Coral, Donald H. Shank was called as pastor, a
three-acre site was acquired, a building for 150 wor-
shipers was constructed, and a membership of 84 and
attendance of more than 100 were attained all in a six-
year span. Moreover, the congregation moved to self
support while giving substantially to outreach.
Thanks go in part to the Church Extension Loan
Fund, which lent $40,000 to Christ the Servant Church
for capital development. Today several hundred thu-
sand dollars more are needed in this fund to assist other
new Church of the Brethren congregations.
How can you help? By investing your saving dollars
not only to earn 7V2 percent interest, but to enable new
churches to grow. And by becoming not only an in-
vestor, but a partner in mission.
Church of the Brethren General Board, 1451 Dundee
Avenue, Elgin, IL 60120. Attn: Stewart B. Kauffman.
To invest in church development through the Church Ex-
tension Loan Fund, I enclose □ check □ money order for
$ . (Minimum note: $500). Please issue an invest-
ment note at 7V2% interest for five years.
Make the note payable: D In my name as written below.
n Jointly in my name and
who is .
whose Social Security number (SS*) is
Name
(insert relationship) and
SS*
Date
St. /RED _
City
State and Zip .
Church Extension Loan Fund
(Advertisement)
On Earth Peace
CITIZENSHIP CONFERENCE
for 17-18 year-old Men and Women
Brethren Service Center
New Windsor, Maryland
June 25-26-27, 1983
Begins with lunch on Saturday, 12:00 noon; ends with
lunch on Monday.
Discussion Topics:
Beliefs about Peace and War
Privileges and Responsibilities of Citizenship
Preparing for Registration and Possible Draft
Process of Decision Making
Creative Citizenship for a World without War
Resource Leaders:
M. R. Zigler
W. Clemens Rosenberger
Shawn Perry
Linda Logan
Tim McElwee
Brethren
World
Peace
Academy
Citizenship conferences in the Brethren World Peace Acad-
emy will be held the first weekend of each month.
Annual
Conference
Assembly
Meetings
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND-July 3, 1983
7:00 a.m. Breakfast in 307 Convention Center
Professional/Vocational Groups and Deacons:
"Facing the War Issue; recruiting for the Brethren World
Peace Academy."
Professional/Vocational Groups: Doctors, Farmers,
Lawyers, Educators, Ministers, Homelife, Health and
Mental Health Workers, Builders, Businessmen, Truck
Drivers, Morticians, and others.
11:45 a.m. Luncheon in 307 Convention Center
Reunions: Alumni of the Brethren World Peace Acad-
emy, Brethren Volunteer Service Workers, Civilian Public
Service Workers, Seagoing Cowboys, China Tractor
Unit, Retired Ministers and Missionaries, and others.
Speaker: Warren E. Groff— "Response to the Threat of
War"
[TIckefs to be purchased in advance from Ticket Saies.)
For further Information Write:
ON EARTH PEACE ASSEMBLY, Brethren Service Center, Box 188
New Windsor, Maryland 21776 or phone (301) 635-6464.
messenger
CHURCH OFTHE BRETHREN
JULY 1983
1883
1983
THE GOSPEL MESSENGER: Serving
the Brethren family for a century
(g(o)[nlt^(t[n]t^^
12
17
26
28
30
CCNV: Conscience for the Nation's Capital. Washington
D.C. is a city of great contrasts— great marble monuments rise above
some of the nation's worst ghettos. The Community for Creative Non-
violence is working to help the poor through direct aid and poUtical
action. Judd Blouch reports.
Johnstown: The Times Are Bad, but God is Good. A his-
tory of ravaging floods has built up a spirit of helpfulness and community
in Johnstown. This spirit is helping the city and its residents through rough
times. Story by Sara G. Wilson with a sidebar by Wade Thomas.
The Gospel Messenger: Literary Legacy of a 19th-cen-
tury Awakening. This year marks the centennial of The Gospel Mes-
senger. Earl C. Kaylor Jr. looks back on the begiiuiings of the magazine. In
related articles, Kermon Thomasson takes a look at the men who have been
editor and also some of the early content of The Gospel Messenger.
Wherefore Run? The excitement about evangeUsm has risen recently
in the Church of the Brethren, but "there is no point in running if we
carry no news," writes Lucile Brandt. A Christian whose faith is strong
will be a constant witness, and opportunities for evangeUsm will abound.
Sister Anna Meets the Presence. Today Anna Mow is a
steadying power in the Church of the Brethren, but in her younger days
she had questions about her faith. An excerpt from Dorothy Garst
Murray's book. Sister Anna.
Annual Conference: 'A Blockbuster of a Missionfest.'
Paul Jenkins, librarian for the Basel Mission, Basel, Switzerland, visited
the 1982 Annual Conference. His outsider's view is both humorous and
insightful.
In Touch profiles William Crumley, Knoxville, Tenn., Doug Eller, Portland, Ore.;
and David Ziegler, Harleysville, Pa. (2) . . . Outlook reports on Hispanic Assembly.
Christian World Conference on Life and Peace. NCC. Midwest flooding. National
Stewardship Conference. Prayer in public schools. National staff. South African
Council of Churches (start on 4) . . . Underlines (7) . . . Update (8) . . . Listening
to tiie Word, "Acknowledge the Lord," by Chalmer E. Faw (16) . . . People and
Parish, "Feeding the Hungry," by Judy Jamieson (25) . . . Resources, "Global
Woman's Project," by Mary Brandenburg and Janine Katonah . . . (34) Opinions
of Phillip D. Carter, Byron J. Wampler, and Elmer I. Brumbaugh (start on 36) . . .
Turning Points (39) . . . Editorial, "Crawfishes at Conference" (40).
CO
CO
EDITOR
Kermon Thomasson
MANAGING EDITOR
Wendy Chamberlain
EDITORIAL ASSISTANT
Judd Blouch
FEATURES
Fred W. SwarQ
SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES
Ruth Anne Gulp
PROMOTION
Kenneth L. Gibble
PUBLISHER
John D. Metzler Jr.
VOL. 132, NO. 7 JULY 1983
CREDITS: 2 top Nancy Blankenship Hillsman. 2
bottom Jan EUer. 3 Dean Price Macniskas. 4 Chris
Keating. 6, 21 upper right Wendy Chamberlain. 7,
10-1 1 Judd Blouch. 9 CCNV. 12 Sara Wilson. 13-14
Johnstown Tribune-Democml. 15 Cover Studios,
Johnstown, Pa. 16 Religious News Service. 17, 19
upper, 24 Juniata College. 18, 19 lower, 20 (photos),
22-23 (art), 28 Brethren Historical Library and Arch-
ives. 20 top, 27, 30-33 art by Kermon Thomasson.
21 lower Nguyen Van Gia. 25 Lewiston (Miim.)
Journal. 34-35 art from New Internationalist.
Messenger is the official publication of the
Church of the Brethren. Entered as second-class
matter Aug. 20, 1918, under Act of Congress
of Oct. 17, 1917. Filing date, Nov. 1, 1982.
MESSENGER is a member of the Associated
Church Press and a subscriber to Religious News
Service and Ecumenical Press Service. Biblical
quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are from
the Revised Standard Version.
Subscription rates: $10 one year for individual
subscriptions; $18.50 two years. $8 per year for
Church Group Plan. $8 per year for gift sub-
scriptions. School rate 5<K per issue. If you move
clip address and send with new address.
Allow at least five weeks for address
change. MESSENGER is owned and
published monthly by the General
Services Commission, Church of the
Brethren General Board, 1451 Dundee
Ave., Elgin, lU. 60120. Second-class
postage paid at Elgin, 111., July 1983. Copyright
1983, Church of the Brethren General Board.
&ciipiiuiu>.
i
RATINGS AND RELIGION
The content of TV journalism is dictated by
the ratings, thus by what the TV viewing public
will watch in great numbers. When the ratings
of the program are good, then the network can
charge more for the advertising and the com-
petition for the time will make the exorbitantly
priced commercial spots easy to sell. You caimot
expect pinpoint accuracy from such an arrange-
ment.
A balanced, fair presentation of the work of
the NCC and the WCC would make dull view-
ing indeed. A detailed account of the work at
the New Windsor Center would not attract
millions of viewers. To show a graph of the ex-
penditures of the NCC and WCC and have an
interview with clergymen supportive of their ef-
forts would not provide the viewer interest and
controversy that shots of murdered civilians
do.
Persons I know and trust among the leader-
ship of the Church of the Brethren recommend
that we continue our support of the NCC amd
WCC. 1 recommend that we take their word
over that of the Reader's Digest and "60
Minutes."
Benjamin F. Simmons
Elizabethtown, Pa.
OBLIVIOUS TO HYPOCRISY
Thank you for the report of the decision of the
Peace Church of the Brethren, Portland, Ore., to
refuse compliance with the IRS in the collection
of Pastor Rick Ukena's war tax withholdings.
I rejoice to see this kind of integrity supported
within the church.
I hope that one day the greater church will
realize our hypocrisy. To officially proclaim "AH
war is sin," while we are party to war with no
visible resistance, decries our loyalty to the
gospel we claim.
Shirley Whiteside
Denver, Colo.
CATHOLICS AS CAPTORS
Living in the midst of people held captive by
Roman Catholicism, I need to take issue with
Marilyn Norquist's "One Family's Ecumenism"
(April). 1 am disappointed that you would print
an article like this that holds Roman Catholicism
as a viable means of expressing one's faith. You
should print an article sometime on the dangers
of that system. 1 am all for ecumenism if our uni-
ty is based on Divine authority and inspiration of
the Scriptures and not an experiential base or
mere emotionalism as this article upholds.
Marvin Keller
North Leeds, Maine
MESSENGER'S HIGH-PROTEIN CONTENTS
The questions Leland Wilson raises in his
"Honoring Father and Mother" (May) and the
answers he gives from his own perspective moved
me. Both as a parent of three grown children and
as a child to my own still living parent, 1 respond
to the feelings shared. Thanks for the emphasis
on adult children.
"Clergy divorce: What is fair" (Opinions,
May) needs to be heeded. Although written ap-
parently in a state of woundedness, it well il-
lustrates some of the unfairness of congrega-
tional expectations. We have a long way to go
toward mutual accountability, mutual affirma-
tion, and mutual support, of which Earl Ziegler
speaks in the February issue.
"The Silent Majority" (May editorial) is timely
indeed. Our family has hosted during recent
months spokespersons from Guatemala and
from Nicaragua, whose sole purpose for coming
to the US (paid by non-profit organizations and
private contributions here) was to tell their side
of the story since the media did such a poor job
at fairly representing the view of the powerless
and oppressed, or of the politically "undesir-
able." Yes, we do need a New World Informa-
tion and Communication Order.
Thanks for a "meaty" magazine.
Karen S. Carter
Daleville, Va.
LET HER EAT CAKE?
If Mrs. Howell E. Lewis had hinted for "a
crust or two of bread" (instead of "a few sausages
in a tin") in exchange for permission to use three
of her husband's hymn texts in The Brethren
Hymnal ("A New Song Takes More Than Sing-
ing," April), would the last Brethren Hymnal
committee have taken her so literally?
Ralph MacPhail, Jr.
Bridgewater, Va.
(Ken Morse assures me that Mrs. Lewis wrote
her request for a tin of sausages in a whimsical
context, and was not on the verge of starva-
tion. —Ed.)
THE PROBLEM WITH MESSENGER
I have been a long-time receiver of Messen-
ger. I live and work with three different congre-
gations of Brethren. I find they usually regard it
lightly, and only a very small percentage sub-
scribe. I would Uke to venture a guess as to why.
I see Messenger strictly as a denominationally
oriented paper. The need of our day is not de-
nominationalism, not a call to support denomi-
national positions on controversial social and
political issues, and not denominational back-
patting.
Fred C. Dilling
Hagerstown, Ind.
MEETING FRIENDS IN MESSENGER
"The Missionaries and the Major" (March) is
priceless to all Brethren. I was at Manchester
CoUege in 1919-1920 when Albert Helser at-
tended. And our family was somehow related to
the Kulps. God's men.
Chalmer Paw's article ("No Longer I but
Christ") was so inspiring, and Verna Sanger's
article (page 2) on the first missionaries to China
thrilled me. I am familiar with most of their
names and knew Grace Clapper as a loving
friend.
Ruby Hoke
Orlando, Fla.
oXoYoWto
Re
eaders will note that in this issue we are marking the 100th anniversary of The Gospel
Messenger. Readers with good memories may think "What's this? Didn't Messenger make a
big fuss a few years back about its 125th anniversary?"
True, in 1976 we did celebrate a 125th anniversary. So, are we just getting younger? No.
In 1851, The Gospel Visitor was founded by Henry Kurtz and is Messenger's direct
ancestor. But in 1883, after several mergers of various publications. The Gospel Messenger
came into being. For 100 unbroken years it has remained the same magazine.
Of course, to say today's Messenger is the same magazine published in 1883 calls for
qualification. The 1883 version was a tabloid (that is, it looked like a small newspaper), with
no graphics, just page after page of gray type, enlivened only occasionally by quaint display
ads — for buggies, bonnets, books, patent medicines, and railroads. (The western railroads
wooed the Brethren, giving them discount passenger rates to Annual Meetings in western
cities in hopes of attracting
The Gospel Messenger
Gospel Messengeh
INCLUDING THE MISSIONARY VISITOR
Gospel Messenger
Gospel Messenger
Gospel Messenger
messenger
CHUnCH OF THE BBFTHREN ^^
messenger
THE BRETHREN
them to settle along their
routes.) Today's version, with
its art and photography and its
attention to the worldwide pro-
gram of the Church of the
Brethren, bears little physical
resemblance to the 1 883 Gospel
Messenger.
A look at the various logos
hints at some of the history of
the past 100 years of the
magazine. From 1883 through
1930, The Gospel Messenger
kept the same tabloid size and
the same, quite formal logo.
In 1932 it changed to its
present magazine size and
came up with a fancier logo.
Note the sort of "Art
Nouveau" treatment of that
"The." The 1931 logo also
reflects the last merger in our
history: With the first issue of
1931, a little magazine called
The Missionary Visitor ceased
publication and became part of The Gospel Messenger. For several years thereafter, the
magazine ran annual Africa, China, and India issues, which updated Brethren on the work
of our overseas mission fields.
In 1938 a new logo was created that suggests the editor perhaps was favorably impressed
by Time magazine's 1930s logo typeface. Note also that the "The" was dropped from the
magazine's name! A signal of things to come, no doubt unnoticed at the time.
In 1945, still another new logo was created. Was the new editor, Desmond W. Bittinger,
feeling a need to get "ownership" and to mark his advent in Elgin?
In 1949, something happened to the logo that looks odd to me as I do this leafing through
these pages of history. A most uninspired logo was created, and then used off and on for on-
ly a few months, alternating with the 1945 logo. Then in May of 1949, a brand-new logo
popjjed up. (A rather busy one it was, to this editor's eye in 1983.) It added the denomina-
tion's name to the logo, and shrank the word "Gospel. " (Was no one observing this trend by
then, and complaining in the letters column?)
That 1949 logo proved durable, lasting through 1964. In 1965 the magazine made its most
drastic change in appearance since 1931, including shortening the name simply to Messen-
ger. In 1971 the logo was set in a new typeface (a typeface called "Anzeigen Grotesque," for
those in the trade), and that has held for these 12 years.
While there have been changes in logo, contents, and appearance through the years, one
thing has remained unchanged — the commitment of those who produce this magazine.
Messenger's staff is still dedicated to the same purposes as those pronounced in 1851 and
1883, and we pledge our best efforts to serving our denomination through the magazine's
work and witness in the years ahead. — The Editor
July 1983 messenger 1
William Crumley: He m^i
Many Brethren hope to minister to the
needs of a troubled world, but few get the
opportunity that WiUiam Crumley did last
summer. When he heard there was a need
for volunteer chaplains at the 1982
World's Fair in his hometown of Knox-
ville, Tenn., Bill signed up. In training
sessions he learned the watchwords,
"Listen, hsten, listen."
But Bill, a retired minister and a
member of the Beaver Creek congrega-
tion, was able to do more than just hsten.
Having had some experience as a lay
counselor for students at the University of
Tennessee, he could often sense when
people needed a chance to talk to some-
one and took it upon himself to be that
person. He tried to meet as many fair
visitors as he could and make them feel
welcome to Knoxville. Some noticed his
Doug Eller: An Ellervator for Peace Church
If you are told that you are attempting
the impossible, do you hang it up and
quit, or do you give it your best shot?
Doug Eller was confronted with a situa-
tion like that when given the opportunity
to salvage an elevator from a building tag-
ged for demohtion.
Doug, an elevator mechanic in
Portland, Ore., was on a committee at
Peace Church of the Brethren charged
with altering the church building to make
it more accessible for the disabled. The
original plans had not included an
elevator because of the expense. Doug
decided to keep his ears open anyway for
news of an available elevator. His chance
came last October when a construction
company was beginning the destruction of
a downtown building. Doug was told on
Tuesday that he could have the elevator if
he removed it before the wrecking ball
was swung on Friday or Saturday. He
went to work that evening. Word spread
quickly, and Wednesday evening more
than a dozen other people pitched in, in-
cluding five elevator mechanics. They
raced the clock and got out most of the
heavy equipment that night. Doug and
two others worked throughout Thursday
to remove the remaining parts. By mid-
afternoon the job was completed, and the
parts were taken to the fillers' garage for
storage. A later work crew moved the
parts to the church.
People in the construction industry told
Doug that he would never remove the
elevator in two days. But the outpouring
of physical and emotional support was so
strong that the "impossible" became possi-
ble. Skeptics had not figured on the
technical expertise of Doug's mechanic
friends. Nor had they imagined how the
church members could cooperate and
organize to complete the job. Doug insists
that they had some divine guidance along
the way. Faith and generous support won
over skepticism and "knowledgeable"
counsel.
Now Peace Church has an appropriate-
ly renamed "Ellervator" for its building
The original plans are being revised
to incorporate the equipment into
the remodeling project. Hopes
are that the enthusiasm and
support that were present dur-
ing the "tear-out" process will
continue through the financ-
ing ("putting in" phase) . . .
and that the elevator will be
operable before this summer
is over. — Jan Eller
Jan Eller is a member of Peace Church of the
Brethren, Portland, Ore., and has a master's
degree in public administration from Port-
land State University.
2 MESSENGER July 1983
hem at the fair
"chaplain" badge and initiated conversa-
tion, occasionally assuming that
"Chaplain" was his last name. Bill's pat
answer for that was that he was a relative
of Charlie's. Ice breakers such as that be-
ing his specialty, he found it easy to con-
verse with anyone he met.
One of Bill's primary duties was to
guide people to the first-aid station and to
be with them for comfort. He carried a
beeper to let him know when the fair's
paramedic team had been summoned. On
one occasion, he was called when a fair-
goer suffered a mild heart attack. Though
the man's condition was not serious, his
wife needed someone to talk to. Bill was
there, ever ready to "Usten."
Bill had many good things to say about
the "Power" exhibit that the Church of
the Brethren helped sponsor, along with
other denominations. He visited the ex-
hibit several times and said, "It brought
tears to my eyes every time I went
through." He felt it expressed basic Chris-
tian behef and the message of the Bible.
In the first segment, the presentation
shows that when the universe was created,
"God gave us all we needed along with
tremendous and awesome freedom." In
the second segment, "people usurp that
freedom and we are left standing like
dupes" surrounded by the mess we have
made. The third segment confirms Christ
as the way to regain our freedom. Bill felt
the Brethren had spent their money well
in sponsoring the exhibit since he could
attest that many people saw it and were
moved by it.
At the close of the fair. Bill was sur-
prised when he was honored as the
chaplain serving the most hours. But he
needn't have been. He admitted he was
deeply committed to the project and
would often replace other chaplains who
were unable to be there. "I tried to get ac-
quainted with everyone," meeting both
foreign exhibitors and local fair
employees.
Bill felt the fair was an "integrating in-
stitution," not only racially and pohtically,
but personally. As he put it, "a part of me
rubbed off on a lot of people, and some
of them rubbed off on me." — Nancy
Blankenship Hillsman
Nancy Blankenship Hillsman, a member of Jones
Chapel Church of the Brethren (Martinsville, Va.)
works at Screen Art, Inc., Knoxville, Tenn.
David Ziegler: A special sort of secretary
A church secretary's job description: "I
type, mimeograph, and fold the bulletins
and newsletters. I do occasional typing for
the nursery school and director of Chris-
tian nurture."
What's so unusual about that? Hun-
dreds of church secretaries do the same.
But David Ziegler, at the Indian Creek
church in Atlantic Northeast District, has
no control of his fingers. He types by
strapping attachments to his hands.
"They're Uke soft-ended sticks, one for
each hand. I can type pretty fast, but if I
go too fast I make mistakes," he says, the
lament of any typist.
David learned to type this way during
14 months in a rehabilitation hospital
after an auto accident deprived him of the
dexterity he had always known, and con-
fined him to a wheel chair. That physical
ability had helped him excel in high
school baseball, basketball, and football,
with the potential of entering professional
sports. The accident occurred in 1961, just
as he was finishing high school.
Now, as church clerk, David takes
minutes at monthly board meetings and
semi-annual council meetings. "Felt pens
are a big help, since they don't take much
pressure and can be manipulated more
easily," he explains, adding that he has
some control of his hands.
Although not a church member at the
time of the accident, David brings good
background to his present work as clerk
and secretary, since he has also served the
congregation by chairing the nurture and
witness commissions, as well as the board
of administration. "He makes a great con-
tribution to the church," says his pastor,
Luke Brandt.
David works from his home, a building
that was formerly the school house which
his father attended as a boy.
David formerly typed tax
notices for a member of the
church, but now has enough
church work to keep him busy.
With special controls on his
car, David and his mother —
Ruth — with whom he lives,
have more independence and
mobiUty. "I help him and he
helps me," she explains.
David is still interested in
sports. He enjoys television
and gospel music and has
become interested in studying
and using health foods. He is
not involved with lobbying for
rights of disabled persons, but
he notes that the longer ramp
on Indian Creek's new addi-
tion "will now meet state re-
quirements, and is a lot easier to use than
our shorter old one."
"I don't know if I am so special that an
article needs to be written about me,"
David commented when approached for an
interview, but his friends at Indian Creek
know he is indeed special. —Evelyn M.
Frantz
Evelyn M. Frantz is a free-lance writer and a member
of the Ridgeway Community Church of the Brethren,
Harrisburg, Pa.
July 1983 MESSENGER 3
Conference gives boost
to Hispanic ministries
With the adoption of a set of bylaws, the
Hispanic network in the Church of the
Brethren was strengthened at the April
Hispanic Assembly (Asamblea de
Hispanos), held at the Long Beach
(Calif.) Church of the Brethren.
The four-day, bilingual event was
organized by the Comit^ de Enlace
Hispano (Hispanic Network Committee)
and Rene Calder6n, Hispanic ministries
consultant for the General Board. Meeting
under the theme "Redeemed by God to
Proclaim Liberty," the delegates included
Hispanic leadership and others interested
in Hispanic ministries from five
geographical areas, including Puerto Rico.
"We have come together at this
assembly with the aim of seeking a com-
mon understanding among all members of
the Church of the Brethren," said Comiti
president Guillermo Encarnaci6n, pastor
in Falfurrias, Texas.
Delegates to the conference spent much
time deUberating the organization's pro-
posed bylaws and discussing elements of a
proposal to be presented to the Parish
Ministries Commission and the General
Board when they meet in October.
That proposal contains nine elements to
promote ministries with Hispanics. Includ-
ed are calls to create three new Hispanic
congregations during the next four years,
to increase Hispanic representation at all
levels of the church, to translate materials,
and to help establish — in cooperation with
Bethany Seminary — an educational pro-
gram designed to develop leadership.
Such ministries are increasingly impor-
tant, said Calder6n. He pointed out that
there are more Hispanics in the US than
Canadians in Canada, and that the US
contains the fourth largest population of
Hispanics in the world.
"The Church of the Brethren needs to
be aware of this and accept the challenge.
Hispanic leadership is ready to help in
meeting this challenge," he said.
Conference delegates heard presenta-
tions on new church development and
"Misi6n Mutua" from General Board
representatives Merle Crouse and Karen
Calder6n. An evangelism seminar was led
by Jorge Toledo, from Vega Baja, P.R.
Worship celebrations provided a break
from business sessions and included
special music from Los Angeles area
Hispanic churches.
Guillermo Encarnacidn, president, stands with the Puerto Rico group: Wilma Pirez, Olga
Serrano, Luis P^rez, Everett and Elsa Groff, Jorge Rivera, Phyllis Carter, Jorge Toledo.
Elected to the Comity for the next four
years (and to plan the next assembly,
scheduled for 1987) were Mario Serrano,
Castailer, P.R. (vice president); Sandy
Wright, Westminster, Md.; Carol Yeazell,
Lombard, 111.; Jorge Toledo, Vega Baja,
P.R.; and Tom Perry, San Diego. Guiller-
mo Encarnaci6n and Sylvia Boaz Warren,
San Diego, were reelected president and
secretary. -Chris Keating
Christian conference
condemns nuclear arms
After compromise that saved a
deteriorating Christian peace meeting, a
majority of conference participants voted
overwhelmingly in Uppsala, Sweden, for a
document declaring that the possession of
nuclear weapons for deterrence "con-
tradicts the will of God."
Despite the compromise, the seven-page
message failed to win unanimous support
at the Christian World Conference on
Life and Peace, which attracted more
than 130 Protestant, Roman Catholic, and
Orthodox leaders from 60 countries, in-
cluding the Eastern bloc and the Pacific
Islands. There was one negative vote and
eight abstentions.
The April conference was convened by
the Lutheran, Reformed, Orthodox, Roman
Catholic, and Mission Covenant Churches
in the Nordic countries. Among the 20
delegates from the US was H. Lamar Gib-
ble, peace and international affairs consul-
tant for the Church of the Brethren.
Gibble was impressed "that most of us
could declare together that a policy of
nuclear deterrence from a Christian stand-
point is morally 'unacceptable,'" especially
considering the broad spectrum of
theological orientations represented.
"It was an event that will not only have
an impact on those who participated but,
I believe, is another milestone on the way
of the Christian community declaring its
abhorrence of nuclear weapons," said
Gibble. "The work of the conference
should also be quite helpful in preparing
for the WCC Assembly in Vancouver."
The key point of contention in the
debate on deterrence was whether the
"possession of nuclear weapons is consis-
tent with our faith in God." Lutherans
and Anglicans from the United States and
Western Europe objected to the phrase,
which appeared in the second draft of the
message. They said it implied that faith in
Christ as Lord is invalid if countries
possess nuclear weapons.
The near-unanimous approval was
achieved by combining the first and sec-
ond drafts into a statement that included
the various opinions. (Final wording of
the most controversial passage appears in
the box on the next page.)
Other key portions of the message,
most of which received little attention,
said the Scriptures teach that peace and
justice are inseparably linked; that the
security of one nation can't be achieved
by endangering the security of others; that
the international arms race is sinister,
cynical, and unprincipled; and that nuclear
4 MESSENGER July 1983
warfare can never be justified.
The message calls on those negotiating
at Geneva, Vienna, and Madrid to "inten-
sify their efforts to bring these negotia-
tions to positive conclusions," and also
urges "controlled and verifiable measures
of multilateral disarmament leading to the
total elimination of all nuclear weapons
within five years."
As interim measures, governments are
urged to:
• freeze further manufacture and
deployment of nuclear weapons;
• agree immediately on a Comprehen-
sive Test Ban treaty;
• establish nuclear-free zones;
• undertake effective unilateral actions
for peace and disarmament; and
• pledge no first-use of nuclear
weapons.
The crucial paragraph:
Most of us believe that from the Chris-
tian standpoint reliance upon the threat
and possible use of nuclear weapons is
unacceptable as a way of avoiding war.
Some are wiUing to tolerate nuclear
deterrence only as a temporary
measure in the absence of alternatives.
To most of us, however, the possession
of nuclear weapons is inconsistent with
our faith in God, our concept of crea-
tion and with our membership in
Christ's universal body. Nuclear deter-
rence is essentially dehumanizing; it in-
creases fear and hatred and entrenches
confrontation between "the enemy and
us." Most of us therefore believe that
the existence of these weapons con-
tradicts the will of God. For all of us,
obedience to that will demands a
resolute effort within a specified time
for their total elimination.
In a section directed to the churches,
the participants confess that "our own
divisions as Christians weaken our witness
to peace," but express hope because of
forgiveness. Included among the appeals
to the churches:
• to proclaim Jesus Christ in both word
and deed as the life and peace of the
world;
• to develop peace education programs;
• to support those involved in specific
peace work and to uphold the right of
conscientious objection to military service;
• to cooperate in the movement toward
Christian unity;
• to support the particular contribution
of women in the work for peace and
justice;
• to encourage Christians to consider
noncooperation and nonviolent civil
disobedience to protest nuclear arms;
• to encourage persistent and informed
prayer for peace.
UFMCC gets scrutiny
at NCC board meeting
Discussion of two important issues affect-
ing the future of the National Council of
Churches dominated the May meeting of
the NCC Governing Board in San Fran-
cisco.
The board listened to viewpoints
presented by two panels and spent time
discussing the issues raised by the applica-
tion for membership of the Universal
Fellowship of Metropolitan Community
Churches (UFMCC), a predominately
homosexual denomination.
In other major blocks of time, the
board gave input to the Presidential
Panel, which was estabhshed in 1981 to
examine future directions of the council.
Robert W. Neff, Church of the Brethren
general secretary, chairs the panel.
Capping the final two days of the semi-
annual meeting was a historic statement
establishing new guidelines for relation-
ships between US churches and churches
in mainland China and a strongly worded
call for an end to all external military aid
to Central America.
The UFMCC application for member-
ship is one of the most controversial in
the council's 33-year history. The two
panel reports represented many months of
study and reflection by two separate
groups within the council, the Constituent
Membership Committee and the Commis-
sion on Faith and Order. No decision was
scheduled for this May meeting.
In November the board is expected to
vote on the UFMCC's eligibility to be
considered for membership in the NCC. If
that vote is posifive, the board could vote
as soon as May 1984 on whether to accept
the church into membership.
The Presidential Panel on Future Mis-
sion and Resources has been spending a
year examining data and gathering infor-
mation prior to recommending changes
in the council. Governing Board
members are among the hundreds whose
advice is being sought by the panel, ac-
cording to Neff. The panel will bring a
proposed statement of new directions
to the board in November.
Other items high on the board's agenda
at the May meeting were a call for in-
creased opposition to apartheid in South
Africa and an expression of support for
the beleaguered South Africa Council of
Churches; praise for the Roman Catholic
bishops' pastoral letter on nuclear dis-
armament; and a plea for rehgious liberty
in Albania.
Among domestic issues, the board:
• advocated farm tax and credit policies
that assist owners of family farms rather
than those of high-income farms;
• pressed for changes in the proposed
immigration reform and control act
(Simpson-Mazzoh bill);
• opposed the Solomon-Hayakawa
amendment to the draft registration law,
which requires universities and colleges to
withdraw Federal aid from students
suspected of failing to register for the
draft;
• expressed alarm at the increase in
racially motivated violence;
• endorsed a commemorative march on
Washington on August 27, the 29th an-
niversary of the historic march where Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his
famous "1 Have a Dream" speech.
More funds supplied
for Midwest floods
An additional $10,000 from the Church of
the Brethren's Emergency Disaster Fund
increases to $25,000 the total given in
response to Midwest floods. The funds
are supporting volunteers and providing
materials during the long-term reconstruc-
tion that began last December.
Because of the number of storms this
spring, another $5,000 has been approved
for use as disasters occur.
Brethren have responded to a number
of disasters across the nation. Both child
care workers and clean-up volunteers have
assisted in Coalinga, Calif., after earth-
quakes and in Weston, Ohio, following
tornado damage.
The Springfield (Mo.) church spent a
weekend in a "Uving ministry" after a tor-
nado touched down. Though no outside
volunteers have been needed, Roma Jo
Thompson, disaster child care coordinator
for the Church of the Brethren, was in-
vited by the local council of churches to
be a consultant on dealing with the
trauma children experience after a
disaster.
July 1983 MESSENGER 5
Commitment emphasized
at stewardship event
All 24 districts of the Church of the
Brethren were represented at the National
Stewardship Conference, which called for
"A new level of stewardship
commitment."
About 100 participants, including both
district and national leadership, gathered
in April at New Windsor, Md., to explore
more deeply the concept of Christian
stewardship, to share information, to
mutually encourage each other, and to
begin district planning.
A major attraction at the event was
guest leader Hilbert Berger, senior pastor
at Aldersgate United Methodist church,
Fort Wayne, Ind. In his three addresses,
Hilberl Berger
he presented stewardship in the broad
context of total Christian commitment.
"Stewardship has been defined as mov-
ing from self to others," he said. "The
primary motivation for stewardship is the
relationship we have with Jesus Christ.
The real motivator is what we beheve."
Emphasizing the importance of nurtur-
ing growth after spiritual birth, Berger
related levels of giving to levels of
spiritual maturity. "Christian stewardship
is as personal as salvation itself," he said.
In his final message he pointed to three
specific commitments necessary for a
meaningful faith: commitment to Jesus
Christ, commitment to the church, and
commitment to others.
Wrapped around the addresses by
Berger were five sessions on specific
aspects of stewardship: growth in giving,
district stewards. Christian financial plan-
A t the Stewardship conference in New Windsor, Md., Glenn Garner, pastor of Pleasant Valley
(Weyers Cave, Va.) congregation, visits with Lila McCray, of the national stewardship staff .
ning, new church development, and
stewardship of creation.
Conferencegoers were introduced to a
variety of resources, including a new
videotape, Share in the Vision, in which
the Beacon Heights (Fort Wayne, Ind.)
congregafion tells the story of its steward-
ship enlistment campaign.
A crucial part of the schedule was a
series of three planning sessions for
district delegations to brainstorm and set
direction for stewardship activities in the
respective districts. In a 90-minute session
on the finsil morning of the conference,
each district reported on the events, direc-
tions, and goals planned.
The last such conference was held in
Lancaster, Pa., in 1980.
Hatfield bill garners
support right and left
Senate hearings have begun on a bill that
most observers say has the best chance of
bringing Bible reading and religious
meetings back to public schools.
The bipartisan legislation, sponsored by
Sen. Mark Hatfield (R-Ore.), has gained
the support of both foes and champions
of efforts over the past 20 years to return
organized prayer to public schools.
What is different about this one is that
it would permit only student-initiated
religious gatherings before or after school
hours, and would not return state-written
prayer to the classroom. Known as the
"equal-access" bill, it would accomplish
this by making it illegal for pubUc secon-
dary schools to bar student gatherings on
the basis of the content of speech at the
meetings, giving rehgious groups the same
access to school facihties enjoyed by chess
or athletic clubs.
Supporters of the bill say it's not meant
to be a compromise or an alternative to
the school prayer amendment proposed by
the Reagan Administration. The President
and Senate backers of the prayer amend-
ment support the new legislation, as do
some groups and individuals who were
outspokenly against the amendment.
The National Council of Churches has
expressed support for the Hatfield bill,
but the American Civil Liberties Union
opposes it.
"Many organizations applaud and agree
with the bill in principle," says Louise
Bowman, staff member in the Church of
the Brethren Washington Office. "But the
bill doesn't say enough." The main worry
is a question of implementation, she says.
In its current form, the bill doesn't deal
adequately with the problem of adult
supervision of such after-school meetings.
Bowman is following closely the
6 MESSENGER July 1983
development of the bill to determine
whether it will be consistent with the 1964
Annual Conference Resolution on
"Religious Exercises in Public Schools"
(which reaffirms commitment to the
separation of church and state) while at
the same time allowing religious groups to
use public facilities.
Those who have expressed guarded sup-
port of the bill will attempt to ensure that
adult faculty not be permitted to engage
in leadership, said Bowman. School staff
may be present, but should not be leading
religious meetings on public property.
McCray, Weaver resign
from national staff
Two members of the General Board staff
have announced their resignations.
Beverly Weaver concludes four years as
coordinator of orientation for Brethren
Volunteer Service on Nov. 4. Following a
year of transition, she plans to enroll at
Bethany Theological Seminary in the fall
of 1984.
A native of Windber, Pa., Weaver
moved to Elgin, 111., in 1979, as a BVSer
working in BVS recruitment. She was
hired to her current position in September
of that year. At the end of her tenure she
will have coordinated 18 BVS units involv-
ing about 400 volunteers.
Lila McCray, a member of the steward-
ship staff, has resigned her position in
congregational support effective July 29.
She has plans for further education and
study near her hometown of Elkhart,
Ind., and is also seeking to spend more
time with her husband, family, and
friends.
Before joining the General Board staff
in June 1981, she worked 12 years for
Church World Service/CROP. She and
her husband. Jack, have served five years
as Brethren missionaries in India.
McCray has held numerous volunteer
positions, such as Northern Indiana
District moderator and member of the
board of directors of the Oaklawn
Psychiatric Center.
Beverly Weaver Lila McCray
m^^(^\^%m'i
STILL GOING STRONG
Feb. 27 was Julio Rio j as Day m Fre-
mont, Texas, because Julio, a member of the Falfurrias
church, was celebrating his 112th birthday. After a parade
in his honor. State Representative Ernestine Glossbrenner
brought him birthday greetings from President and Mrs. Reagan,
Governor and Mrs. Mark White, and other South Texas digni-
taries. . . . The Westernport (Md. ) congregation honored
Samuel Kimmel Fike on his 100th birthday with a party April
30. The Westernport church started with prayer meetings in
his home in 1927.
HONORABLE MENTION
The University of La Verne (Calif. )
conferred an honorary Doctor of Laws degree upon California
Governor George Deukmejian at a banquet co- sponsored by the
university and the American Armenian International College.
Deukmejian is the first governor of Armenian descent. . . .
Former General Board chairman Clyde Shallenberger has been
awarded Johns Hopkins Hospital's "President's Medal of Honor"
for his work as chaplain. . . . Elizabethtown (Pa.) College
has given its "John F. Steinman Award" for excellence in
research to Donald B. Kraybill , associate professor of socio-
logy and chairman of the department of sociology. He is a
member of the Elizabethtown church.
ROSA REWARDED . . . Former Nigeria missionary and General
Board member Rosa Page Welch, of Port Gibson, Miss., has been
honored by the establishment of a Christian Unity Fund by the
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) . The fund will provide
scholarships for black and minority students, ministers, and
lay people to attend ecumenical experiences. For more infor-
mation, write to the Rosa Page Welch Christian Unity Fund,
P.O. Box 1986, 222 S. Downey Ave., Indianapolis, IN 46206.
NAMES YOU KNOW
Ralph Delk retires July 31 as admini-
strator of Morrisons Cove Home, Martinsburg, Pa. Succeed-
ing him will be Gale Crumrine. . . . Robert W. Knechel Jr. is
the new director of public relations for Timbercrest Home,
North Manchester, Ind. Previously he was campus minister at
Manchester College. . . . El don E. Fahs , treasurer and busi-
ness manager at Manchester College since 1977, has been
appointed to the newly created position of vice president at
the college.
LIFE ON DEATH ROW
Bob and Rachel Gross, who have been
fieldworkers in criminal justice for the Church of the Breth-
ren, have begun a one- to two-year assignment as coordinators
of the National Coalition Against the Death Penalty. Finan-
cial support has been given by members of the Brethren Dis-
cipleship Group, the World Ministries Commission, the Gemmer
Foundation, and others.
REMEMBERED
Dewey Rowe , 85, who died May 16 in Seattle,
Wash. The father of Mid-Atlantic District executive Donald
Rowe, he was a long-time pastor who retired in 1967 but con-
tinued in interim pastorates until 1981. . . . Ralph V. Ki nzi e ,
M.D. , 69, who served 10 years on the General Brotherhood Board.
At the time of his death. May 2, he was on the national com-
mittee of Bethany Hospital.
July 1983 MESSENGER 7
PEACE TOGETHER ... Illinois /Wisconsin District was a co-
sponsor of the Ecumenical Peace Event in Milwaukee, Wis.,
April 21-2 3. Conference planners expected 200 participants,
but 900 people from 12 states filied the event to capacity —
and 200 were on the waiting list. Keynote speakers were Dom
Helder Camara , archbishop of Recife and Orlinda, Brazil;
William Sloane Coffin, Riverside Chiorch; and Elizabeth Betten-
hausen , Boston University School of Theology. Dale Brown,
professor at Bethany Theological Seminary, and General Board
staff member Chuck Boyer led workshops.
PLAYS FOR PEACE
Contest 1
The Goshen College Peace Playwriting
3 is a competition for one-act plays that address
contemporary issues of peace.
The winner will receive $500.
Deadline for the competition, which is sponsored by the
college's communication department, is Dec. 31. Send entries
to Lauren Friesen, assistant professor of drama, Goshen
College, Goshen, IN 46526.
GROWING LA VERNE . . . The University of La Verne , La Verne ,
Calif., has expanded in two ways. First, it has established
the School of Business Management and Economic Studies.
Second, the university has taken control of the San Fernando
Valley College of Law, and will administer a number of con-
tinuing education programs out of the school. San Fernando
will become a separate college of the university as soon as
necessary accreditation is given.
COMMEMORATION IN CASTANER
A commemorative plaque has
been erected in celebration of the Castaner (P.R.) Hospital's
40th anniversary. Listed on the plaque are founders Daryl
Parker, Carl Coffman, Dave Blickenstaf f , Franklin Cassel,
George Mason, Harvey Homes, Elmer Havztler, Elsie Holderead,
Fred Kidder, Rufus King, Paul Weaver, Everett Groff, and
Everett Grouch.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS
Sridgewater (Va. ) College is the
site of a Regional Conference on the Holy Spirit, to be held
Aug. 3-6. The event is intended to promote and strengthen
renewal within the church. For more information, contact Roy
and Carolyn McVey, 330 W. John Redd Blvd., Collinsville , VA
24078. . . . The annual Brethren Revival Fellowship meeting
will be Sept. 10 at Coventry Church of the Brethren, Potts-
town, Pa. The theme will be "The Sacredness of Human Life,"
with speakers Paul W. Br\ibaker, Middle Creek (Ephrata, Pa.)
church, and David R. Rittenhouse, Pocahontas (W. Va.) church.
DONOR X ... An anonymous donor has given money for the On
Earth Peace Assembly's World Peace Academy. The secret phil-
anthropist will pay the $38 fee for 100 participants. Inter-
ested people should write to OEPA, Box 188, New Windsor, MD
21776.
MILESTONES . . . The Southeastern District Board has approved
the closing of the Pleasant Valley fN.C.) church. . . . The
75th anniversary celebration of Peace (Portland, Ore.) church,
mentioned in last month's MESSENGER, has been changed from
Aug. 6-7 to Aug. 13-14.
8 MESSENGER July 1983
SACC 'distressed'
by Rees conviction
The South African Council of Churches
has said it is "deeply distressed" by the
conviction of former general secretary
John Rees. The SACC added that it was
"clear from the judgment in a fair and
open trial that Mr. Rees betrayed the
complete trust the SACC placed in him."
Reese was convicted of defrauding the
ecumenical agency of more than $275,000.
He was fined $27,000 and given a
suspended 10-year prison sentence.
Some supporters of the SACC fear that
the Rees conviction will be used against
the council in the current investigation by
the government's Eloff Commission. The
SACC, headed by AngUcan Bishop Des-
mond Tutu, has drawn the ire of the
government because of its active opposi-
tion to apartheid. The government has
threatened to bar the council from receiv-
ing any foreign funds, which constitute
about 90 percent of its revenue.
The Eloff Commission has contended
that the SACC has served as a channel of
funds to poUtical organizations and that it
has been manipulated by overseas
churches. A number of those churches
have sent representatives to testify on
behalf of the beleaguered SACC.
Representing the National Council of
Churches were Governing Board members
Arie Brouwer and J. Oscar McCloud.
Brouwer, general secretary of the Re-
formed Church in America, and Mc-
Cloud, general director of the Program
Agency for the United Presbyterian
Church, reported their conviction that the
SACC would not be the object of govern-
ment inquiry were it not for the council's
criticism of apartheid.
The two said the SACC is "the only re-
maining people's organization in South
African society where blacks and whites
can meet one another openly and as
equals. Maintaining its ministry is, thus,
urgently important for the sake of all the
peoples of South Africa."
In response to their report, the Govern-
ing Board passed a resolution expressing
support for the SACC and calling for an
end to economic collaboration between
the United States and South Africa.
The SACC represents churches with 15
million members, 80 percent of whom are
black. Most government members belong
to the influential white Dutch Reformed
Church.
CCNV: Conscience for
the nation's capital
by Judd Blouch
On the northwest side of Washington,
D.C., in a black, borderline-ghetto
neighborhood, there is a house that is
unlike the others. From the outside, you
can't tell any difference from the other
rowhouses on Euclid Street. All are rather
worn by urban wear and tear, with a
small, weedy yard in front and a muddy
alley in the back.
But if you keep your eye on this house —
perhaps only a few minutes — you will
notice something peculiar. Many of the
people entering or leaving the house are
young and white; and if you watch the
rear of the house, you will see a steady
stream of produce and other foods being
moved in and out. On the northwest side
of D.C., these are two uncommon items-
healthful food and white people.
This house is not really a house; it is
the base for a social action community
known as the Community for Creative
Non-violence (CCNV). In the midst of a
city marked by stark contrasts of wealth
and poverty, and plagued by chronic
hunger and homelessness, CCNV is a
place of hope, offering positive, creative
direction in dealing with social problems.
CCNV was established in 1970 by a
group of college students concerned with
social and economic problems. It was and
is based on Christian theology, although
its members are from various religious
backgrounds and no requirements are
made for religious participation. CCNV is
a project site for Brethren Volunteer Ser-
vice (BVS), which supplies the funding for
volunteers who go to the community.
I became acquainted with CCNV last
January as part of a swing through the
East to do several stories. My expectations
had been tainted by an overactive im-
agination, but my attitude was quickly
corrected as I walked through the door
that rainy Sunday evening.
BVSer Bernie Neidlein, a West German,
greeted me at the door, and ushered me
into a household buzzing with activity.
The community was planning a protest to
coincide with President Reagan's State of
the Union address that Tuesday, and
posters and other final preparations were
being made. Visitors were being welcomed
and settled in. Everything and everyone
was warm, generous, and welcoming.
A regular Sunday evening practice at
CCNV is a liturgy that is a unique com-
bination of communion and worship that
the community has fashioned over the
years. It is a solemn time of praise and
thanksgiving for the week past and the
week ahead. CCNV's Hturgy takes on a
special meaning because the place of wor-
ship is also the place of work and sleep.
Community members can't leave their
religion behind when the service is over.
This atmosphere of worship and
warmth was in sharp contrast to the
Washington, D.C., I experienced during
my three days at CCNV. The capital city
for me had always been the Senate and
House chambers, walking the streets of
Georgetown, and studying government at
citizenship seminars. It was like walking
across a stream on stones. Going to
CCNV and witnessing the poverty and
July 1983 MESSENGER 9
frustration in Washington was like being
pushed off those stones into the icy water
flowing around them.
All of CCNV — from its philosophical
base to its day-by-day existence — is in
answer to the problems of the real D.C.
But its goals and focus are on a much
broader scale.
"Our primary purpose has always been
to create a new world," says Mitch
Snyder, chief spokesman and a senior
member of CCNV. "A new and better
world will only be built on individual ac-
countability and responsibihty."
Bhnd ideology? Snyder doesn't think
so. He says that through the hard work
" ^*%%!ka,%.c;; .
The «l» ArE cal^,
THE VIDUhC ATE
THE JoftLLXI Are
kipemte:
10 MESSENGER July 1983
and persistence of the community, a job is
being done. People are being fed, clothed,
and sheltered; politicians, policy makers,
and citizens are being made aware of the
scope of our society's problems.
"We get a lot of folks who call us up
and tell us there are better ways," Snyder
says. "We feel we have the way."
CCNV is based on two principles — ser-
vice and resistance. "One without the
other is useless," says Snyder. Service
comes in the form of a soup kitchen, a
free food store, and a drop-in center and
overnight shelter for homeless people.
Resistance comes in the form of protests
and civil disobedience, testifying to Senate
and House committees, and educating the
public.
How CCNV keeps its services going is
almost mysterious. It accepts no federal or
grant funds because it wants to avoid the
strings that are usually attached to such
money. Snyder says that the whole com-
munity is run on small and private dona-
tions, which one wouldn't think would
amount to much. But CCNV's cellar is
packed full of freezers of fish and
chicken, and crates of vegetables and
fruit. CCNV's secrets are an astute ability
to stretch a buck, and a creative use of
things our society deems unfit for human
consumption or use.
CCNV's biggest source of fresh produce
is a wholesale distribution center between
Washington and Baltimore. Here, in-
dividual produce wholesalers set up shop
on two, long loading docks, filling orders
for truckers who will deliver the produce
to grocery stores later in the morning. The
waste is tremendous. Produce which is
sHghtly bruised or has a spot of mold is
set aside and eventually discarded.
That overly ripe tomato or torn sack of
carrots later becomes soup at the CCNV
soup kitchen. The community makes three
runs a week to the distribution center.
Some soup kitchens from Baltimore come
the other two days. CCNV's only competi-
tion for the discarded food is a pig farmer
who feeds the produce to his hogs.
I accompanied community members on
a food run, getting up at 3 a.m. for the
half-hour drive. The distribution center is
in full swing in the early morning so
trucks can make deliveries to grocery
stores before they open. CCNV has to be
there before the trash gets toted away and
to "beat the pig fanner," as community
member Clarence "Wes" West puts it.
Lena Grothmann, one of three com-
munity members from West Germany,
and I made the rounds to the individual
wholesalers, asking them for any food
they were going to throw out. CCNV is
well-known at the distribution center, and
some of the wholesalers had things
already waiting. But others seemed
bothered by our requests, and simply
brushed us off.
While Lena and I worked the front of
the loading dock, Wes and a visiting col-
lege student named Leo made the rounds
to the dumpsters, picking out food that
had already found its way to the garbage.
That day was particularly good for nec-
tarines, most with only a touch of mold
or a soft spot.
Later that day I got to use some of the
morning's take by helping to cook soup
for the soup kitchen. The soup is cooked
in four huge pots at a church near the
community, and then transported to the
soup kitchen which actually has no cook-
ing facilities. Several volunteers from out-
side the community were there that day,
helping Bobby Swan, the community
member in charge of that day's soup
cooking. A few frozen slabs of chicken
necks had been acquired the night before
and Bobby was able to cook up a rich,
meaty stew.
The rule for what parts of the
vegetables should be kept and what really
is garbage is rather simple: Keep and use
only the food that you yourself would eat.
CCNV does not go by the demeaning
adage that beggars can't be choosers.
Poor and hungry people are not beggars,
and they have the right to decent food.
My final experience with the service end
of CCNV was a night sjjent at the com-
munity's overnight shelter. The
Washington public school system has
allowed CCNV to use a vacant elementary
school in southeastern Washington as a
shelter with no charge except for the
Left: A Washington resident joins a CCNV-sponsored protest on the Capitol steps. Right:
Clarence "Wes" West searches through a dumpster for edible produce. Later, Bobby Swan
and a volunteer cut up some of that produce for a stew for the community's soup kitchen.
heating — an inexpensive deal until the
$l,700-a-week-heating bill comes.
But somehow, in its mysteriously effi-
cient way, CCNV keeps the place running.
The night I was there, about 1 1 men and
five women showed up to spend the night
in warm beds. The small number of peo-
ple who showed up for shelter that night
didn't alarm CCNV members because the
shelter was fairly new and not well-
known.
A clear line cannot be drawn between
the service and resistance sides of CCNV.
Often, CCNV's protests and media cam-
paigns end up in increased funds and bet-
ter services, and the community's services
are working protests against a system that
has let so many people down.
An example of this synthesis is CCNV's
efforts earlier this year to open idle over-
night shelters owned by the city of
Washington. The city's administration had
stated that additional shelters would not
be opened until existing ones were filled.
CCNV protested against this, stating that
the required quota for open shelters had
been raised too high. The community said
many homeless people would not go to
the city-run shelters because they were
afraid of harassment by hoodlums, did
not want to give required personal infor-
mation, or simply had no way to get to
the shelters.
Finally, after getting the run-around
from the city long enough, CCNV took
some homeless people and the press to
one of the closed shelters, and demanded
that the doors be opened and the
homeless people sheltered. The city was
backed into a corner, forced to either
open the doors or suffer some very bad
press.
All of CCNV's acts of resistance are
well-planned and pointed at a specific
issue. One of its more prominent recent
protests was Reaganville, a tent city that
the community set up in Lafayette Park,
and Congressional Village, another tent ci-
ty on the Mall. CCNV planned to house
homeless people in the tents to illustrate
the lack of housing. But park permits ob-
tained earlier this past winter allowed only
the setting up of tents and cots, and said
that the people who laid down in the tents
could not fall asleep. On March 9, the US
Court of Appeals ruled that such sleeping
is an act of symbohc speech and thus is
protected by the First Amendment. On
March 17, CCNV set up its two tent
cities.
On January 25, CCNV sponsored a
protest on the Capitol steps the same day
as President Reagan's State of the Union
address. By doing this, CCNV could state
a rebuttal to the president's predictably
positive speech even before it was
delivered. This rebuttal came in the shape
of an alternative State of the Union ad-
dress given by a homeless man named
Roosevelt Jones.
This speech, plus those of Phillip Ber-
rigan and several religious leaders, gave
ample material for lots of press coverage.
Even though the press corps that day
sometimes obscured the speakers from the
crowd and had to be moved back, its
presence was definitely appreciated by
CCNV. The community knows that press
coverage means public exposure, which
often solicits support and public
awareness.
After the speeches were concluded, the
protesters marched around the Capitol
and into the rotunda where they planned
to remain until arrested. Washington
police had already been alerted of the pro-
tester's intentions and an agreement had
been reached between law enforcement of-
ficials and CCNV. Protesters would enter
the Capitol rotunda, the building would
be closed to visitors and the protesters
asked to leave. When the protesters didn't
leave they would be arrested. Everything
went according to plan, with the pro-
testers going wiUingly with pohce to avoid
any flared tempers. The only "casualties"
were some angry tourists who were turned
away from a tour of the Capitol.
Most of the arrested protesters were out
of jail that evening, charged only with
trespassing. Many returned to the CCNV
house, and gathered around the TV to
watch the State of the Union event.
As one might expect, President
Reagan's policies of economic recovery
through bolstered private enterprise and
budget cutting are not popular at CCNV.
But the community knows that the social
change they seek will not be handed to
them willingly. Those who work at CCNV
know that worthwhile change is only at-
tained through hard work, tears, and lots
of love — things the community seems very
willing to give. D
July 1983 MESSENGER 11
JOHNSTOWN:
The times are bad,
but God is good'
^ The flood of 1977
is gone, but Johnstown's spirit of community helpfulness
remains, guiding the city through disastrous unemployment.
by Sara G. Wilson
Ask almost anyone what comes to mind
about Johnstown, Pa., and the answer is
quicker than a clap of thunder — the
flood! But lately this distinction is being
challenged by one of equally sinister
character — number one in unemployment.
Volunteers by the thousands have
journeyed to this city (you don't usually
go through it, you just come to it) with
buckets, shovels, mops, and tools for
rebuilding. Not so with unemployment. In
this kind of emergency, recovery is mostly
an inside job. And like the steel which has
brought prosperity and uncertainty,
Johnstown, tempered in the fires of
adversity, shows real quality.
Just as unpredictable as the killer
rainstorm on a quiet summer evening in
1977, the near collapse of the mighty
American steel industry would have been
unbelievable until recently. The good old
days, only a few years ago, saw vast
numbers of workers in that industry well
paid with generous benefits. Economic
shifts changed the picture dramatically,
and in some cases with ironclad finality,
massive lay-offs have occurred in every
department.
Ironically, it was the opportunity for
work that brought people to this
somewhat isolated area in the Laurel
Mountains of western Pennsylvania. They
came by train in the 1800s to work in the
mines and the mills. Name almost any
ethnic group from southern Europe, and
there is probably a representative cluster
of its people who maintain their tradition
here.
"We had very little money," the oldsters
say, "but there were jobs, and we were
glad for jobs, and we worked very hard."
Work in the mills became a way of life,
sons following their fathers, often begin-
ning at age 16. Danger, dirt, and uncer-
tainty came with the job. And disaster.
One of America's worst disasters, a
flood that killed 2,209 people when the
South Fork Dam burst in 1889, brought
the high-water mark in Central Park to 21
feet and was a real test of survival. Hard
times followed in the 1930s when the mills
and mines closed. Another flood in 1936
left eight people dead and caused $41
million worth of damage. Then, after ma-
jor attempts to prevent flooding by widen-
ing the river beds, a freak thunderstorm
flooded the valley a third time in 1977.
The high cost was 85 people dead and
damage put at S200 million.
Continuing gloom and doom would
seem to rise with the latest unemployment
Owen Hofecker, a farmer, is a Big Brother to Eddie Miller through
New Day, Inc., a community agency in Johnstown.
Elwood Dull and Dora Wallace of the Walnut Grove Church of the
Brethren arrange supplies at the church's food pantry.
12 MESSENGER July 1983
Volunteers, many of them unemployed, help
reconstruct the burned home ofMarlin and
Ruth Ott, members of the Walnut Grove
Church of the Brethren. (See page 14.)
figures, but this is not the case. A healthy
sense of optimism with a strong will to do
what is necessary to change the tide is ap-
parent.
And people remember the past.
In a special called meeting to consider
an appeal for help, a church group voted
unanimously to accept the job. When an
observer remarked that there were no
negative votes, no apparent worry about
possible damage to the building, and no
"image problem," one of the members
replied, "Well, you see, we've been
through the flood." This simple statement
carries weighty truth. When people share
suffering and loss, they develop a deeper
sense of understanding that lessens
dramatically the temptation for quick
judgment of those in need.
Whatever the reason, an outpouring of
concern by community groups and agen-
cies as well as individuals and families has
sustained and encouraged those with pro-
blems. Religious groups maintain no
boundaries; concern crosses denomina-
tional lines.
"There is a generous spirit here," says
Jane Fuge, social service director for the
United Methodist Human Services. "We
in Johnstown know that a crisis can hap-
pen any time. There is probably no family
in this city that is not helping another in
some way." Combining efforts of more
than 20 local churches, the agency
developed as a follow-up to emergency
work in the flood, and regularly supplies
numerous food outlets and provides a
minister to the cluster of folks in housing
developments.
Deacon boards, witness commissions,
small groups, and individuals in local
Church of the Brethren congregations
have been quietly at work helping
neighbors in need. Used clothing rooms
and food pantries are operated in
cooperation with neighboring denomina-
tions. The area Brethren Youth working
with the Community Action group raised
funds for fuel bills of those unable to ob-
tain service last fall. John EUis, executive
for Western Pennsylvania District of the
Church of the Brethren, remembers vivid-
ly the 1977 disaster. "Our folks shouldered
a large share of the responsibility for the
work then," he comments, "and we are
encouraging contributions now for the
Disaster Fund." Many of the 17 Brethren
congregations in the larger Johnstown
area are small, and the needs are
sometimes great. Help is not always the
usual box of food. A chain saw was pur-
chased recently for use by eight families to
cut firewood.
New Day, Inc., a community agency
that grew out of Brethren concern to
reach troubled youth, is ministering in
new and dramatic ways. "The times are
bad, but God is good," headhnes a recent
publication to the "congregation" and
friends of New Day. "The behever in
Christ has an identity and hope that far
exceeds any security offered by the
world," counsels Noah Martin, executive
director of the agency housed amid some
of the disadvantaged.
Unemployment with a multitude of
related problems frequently evokes emo-
tions that become harmful and at times
dangerous to heads of households and
their famiUes. Children suffer.
It is especially to these young people
who have experienced much of the pain
and hurt of Ufe that the ministry is
directed. Founded in 1978 as a faith
journey, co-founders Noah Martin and
John Manges, then pastoring a Church of
the Brethren congregation, beheve the call
was genuine. Presently a staff of nine per-
sons finds its services needed by an in-
creasing number of people. Some 3,500
(Continued on page 15)
July 1983 MESSENGER 13
Helping hands in Hollsopple
by Wade Thomas
Almost every day, and sometimes more than once, eight-year-old
Jeffrey Ott comes to his mother and says: "Momma, I'm glad to
be home."
And so are Momma and Daddy, Marlin and Ruth Ott, whose
house was heavily damaged by fire the evening of December 30,
1982. Exactly one month later, the Ott family moved back into
its rebuilt home. For most of those 30 busy days, the Otts were
swamped with so much help that it was remarkable even in an
area where folks have a tradition of helping each other. In a
time of high unemployment, and in an area of highest unemploy-
ment, adversity has proven to have a way of binding people
together, of heightening people's concern for their neighbor's
good.
The Otts are members of Maple Spring Church of the
Brethren, near Hollsopple, Pa. Their place adjoins the farm of
Marlin's father, Fred, and is about a dozen miles south of
Johnstown. The Otts live there
with young Jeffrey, and two
older sons, Mark, 20, and Greg,
18. A married daughter, Debbie,
wife of Tim McDonald, lives
nearby.
Ruth had noticed that the
family car was difficult to start.
On the evening of the fire, she
had returned home and parked it
in a garage attached to the
house. A short time later, Mark
discovered the car engulfed in
flames. Despite the efforts of
firemen, much of the interior of
the one-story brick home was
gutted, ruining furniture,
clothing, and possessions.
That night, and until their home was rebuilt, the Otts stayed
with Ruth's father, Ralph Hershberger.
Offers of help began pouring in the night of the fire. Next
day the Otts found out that the foundation and basement of the
burned house could be Scdvaged, and that afternoon they began
clearing away the debris.
People began to show up to help. They weren't called; they
just showed up and went to work. By that night between 30 and
50 persons were working. The brick walls had been torn down
and the charred lumber and other materials hauled away.
The volunteers came with trucks and other machinery. There
were friends, relatives, neighbors, and others. While there was a
large group from Maple Spring Church of the Brethren, other
Brethren came too, along with Mennonites, Lutherans, Catho-
lics, United Methodists, and other denominations.
On New Year's Day the response was overwhelming. The
manager of a lumber company opened his doors on the holiday
so that building materials would be available. Another lumber
company called and made the same offer and later sent trucks
with materials. At one time during the day, about 80 persons
A friend helps Marlin Ott, right, reconstruct the Ott home.
were on the job, putting up new walls, covering them, putting
rafters into place and covering them with sheeting. About half of
the volunteers were skilled carpenters.
A foreman for a manufacturing company brought equipment
that included an air compressor. Another contractor supplied
scaffolding. The owner of a building company furnished a truck
to haul away debris and to bring back building materials. A
farmer brought his generator and tractor. The owner of a fuel
company sent a bulldozer. And the women of the surrounding
area showed up with food for the workers. While there were
gifts of food from many areas, the Maple Spring women took
charge of the serving. There was never a lack of food.
By evening on New Year's Day, the house was up and under
a temporary roof. The following Monday and Tuesday, some 40
volunteers shingled the roof. Much of the work was coordinated
by Gene Miller, pastor of the Maple Spring church, who had had
earUer experience as a carpenter and construction foreman.
Some of the volunteers were unemployed steelworkers, coal
miners, and construction
workers. The unemployment
rate in the area remains at more
than 22 percent, and many of
the men said it felt good to be
doing something worthwhile
again. It was sp>ecial to be able
to do something that had mean-
ing again, to feel useful and
needed. It was real therapy.
The Otts will never forget the
fire nor the response that fol-
lowed. But one new memory will
be the sight of their youngest son
wearing a carpenter's apron and
using a hammer. That brought
back old memories of how they
had worked together as a family
to build the original house when their other children were younger.
Marlin and Ruth beUeve that one result of the fire is a new
sense of community spirit among the neighborhood churches.
They will be getting together more often in the future to help
each other, as well as neighbors outside the church. Already an
interfaith community has been formed to help the needy of the
area with food, utilities, clothing, and other necessities.
Ruth said, "We found out how kind and good people can be.
And they weren't just church-goers. A spirit of a caring com-
munity emerged."
Among the volunteers were friends of the Otts' children.
Ruth was especially impressed with their spirit: "Give kids a
chance, and they will show you that they care."
On Saturday evening, January 29, everything was ready in the
basement for the family to move back in. The next day, they
brought their clothing and stayed. More work remains to be
done before the family can occupy all of the house. But like Jef-
frey, Marlin and Ruth say: "It is good to be home." D
Wade Thomas, a member of the Maple Spring Church of the Brethren, is a
managing editor of The Johnstown Tribune Democrat.
14 MESSENGER July 1983
(Continued from page 13)
youth and their parents received help last
year alone. Programs include marriage
and family therapy, a big brother and big
sister program, summer camping, visits to
the county jail and detention home,
neighborhood assistance, and a child
abuse self-help group. In 1982 a "satellite"
office was opened in Windber, Pa., with
John Manges as director.
For some, the outlook continues to be
cloudy. Where do you turn when in-
surance benefits run out and surgery is
necessary? How do you pay for dental or
eye care, medicine, or new job training
when all available resources are gone?
Again the community is coming
together to meet the challenge. In a
makeshift office above the five-and-dime
store, volunteers are manning phones for
Operation TOUCH (Together Our
Understanding Can Help). Bringing
together business, industrial, medical, and
professional people who are willing to give
of their time and ability, these new prob-
lem areas are being solved. Some of the
ways: A group of medical personnel pro-
vides free out-patient care; prescription
assistance is available through a pharmacy
society; job skills are listed without cost in
the local paper and on TV, with a current
list of prospects for openings now or in
the future; and a "Second Wind" program
helps people get prepared to re-enter the
job market. Operated entirely by
volunteers, the agency serves as a clearing
house for any kind of need. Bill Langdon,
laid off after 19 years with Bethlehem
Steel, gives two and a half days a week
handling calls. "Most of these people
haven't needed to ask for help before," he
comments. "It is hard for them. We tell
them that people care, and we are here to
direct their need to someone who can
help."
TOUCH is just one operation under the
sponsorship of the St. Vincent de Paul
Society of the Altoona- Johnstown
Catholic Diocese. Food for Families, Inc.,
collects salvage food regularly from
grocery stores, purchases some products,
and dispenses more than five tons a
month through 12 neighborhood pantries
operated by churches of several
denominations. A thrift shop offers a
variety of items, and a home service crew
is on call for emergency construction or
repair.
Holding out hope above the troubled
sea of unemployment seems to be the key
to survival in this city. A tide of
ecumenism former appeals never witnessed
is in full swell. Knowing that others care
what happens, that they grieve when one
is hurting, is the means of turning from a
hopeless situation to try again.
There is evidence that it works. It
works in the courage and optimism which
pervades the area, in retaining for 20
years the lowest crime rate of any city its
size in the nation, in refusing to give up in
the face of repeated adversity.
Most people would be very happy to
stay out of the headlines and return to
normal. But no one can predict the
future. If perchance there is a contest for
coping and caring, Johnstown would sure-
ly be among the finalists. D
Sara G. Wilson is a member of the Walnul Grove
congregation, Johnstown, Pa., where her husband,
David, is pastor.
The flood of 1977 recedes in downtown Johnstown.
July 1983 MESSENGER 15
Listening to the Word
Acknowledge the Lord
by Chalmer E. Faw
In all thy ways acknowledge him and he
will direct thy paths (Prov. 3:6, KJV).
Right out of the heart of Old Testament
wisdom comes this strong word for us as
Christians. Acknowledge the Lord in
everything. And it is preceded by: "Trust in
the Lord with all your heart and do not rely
on your own insight" (Prov. 3:5). Give up
reliance on our understanding, it tells us,
and put God's wisdom first. This will surely
take a miracle, for our world is constantly
telling us to stand on our own feet, that we
can do it. WeU, we cannot do it and do it
right, without God. We have to be changed
into people who, in every aspect of Ufe,
acknowledge the Lord to be in control. We
must know the Lord as the source of all
wisdom and power and make this abun-
dantly clear to ourselves and others. In a
word, we are to accept the Lord God as the
dynamic center of all existence.
Like all Christian transformations this
one must come from inside out. Beginning
with our inmost selves we accept God
through Christ as Sovereign and we
discover that all of life is brought under the
Lord's grace and power. Obvious and
simplistic? Yes, in the same way that Jesus'
going to the cross was simphstic. But let us
just do it and see what happens, for it is
true of every person that "as he thinketh in
his heart, so is he" (Prov. 23:7a, KJV).
Then, as we make this known to ourselves,
we will find ways to acknowledge the Lord's
presence to others, not in any pushy way,
but not timidly or apologetically either. We
will be open to opportunities to do so, gen-
uinely and effectively, refusing to let any
other person's unsatisfactory way of doing it
keep us from doing so altogether.
Nor will this be by word alone, although
words are extremely important. What we
are (our being) and what we do (our
deeds) should so match and give founda-
tion to our words that our acknowledge-
ment of the Lord comes through clearly.
Then another thing: For us as Chris-
tians, Jesus is Lord. This was the first and
has been the most enduring Christian
creed. We should not hesitate to use Jesus'
name, reverently and meaningfully,
avoiding on the one hand the manner of
the half-behever who fails to use this name
and, on the other hand, that of the well-
intentioned novice who may cheapen the
name of Jesus by effusive over-use.
The result of acknowledging Jesus as
Lord in all aspects of Ufe, to ourselves and
to others, simply and without pretense, is a
profound one, changing our Uves from an
aimless meandering to a strong, sure pil-
Sculpture of John
the Baptis
t
pWi
^
t )m-.
^v;^^^
w
4
iP^
1
'IHvl
* n|
1
«^?Ssi
grimage. Let the Lord rule in everything,
both large and small, and we find new
strength and well-being. The Hebrew word
for "direct" in our text has the meaning of
"making straight" or removing all obstacles.
Let Jesus be in control in our lives, as he
wants to be, and his will and power are sure
to prepare the road on ahead for us.
Does this mean that all will be a bed of
roses? No, not as long as we are in this hfe.
Was Jesus' own earthly career without pain
or sorrow, or were the lives of his early
disciples? Quite the contrary. In fact. Chris-
tians were told clearly that they would suffer
hardship (Matt. 10:16-30; John 16:33; Acts
14:22). Yet the life of Jesus was eminently
successful, indeed the most successful hfe
ever lived when measured by the eternal pur-
poses of God. Through pain and suffering
Jesus provided a way for the redemption of
all humankind, experiencing the joy of do-
ing God's holy will even in the midst of
agony. This has also been the experience of
his disciples as they followed Jesus in his
sufferings and his victories. God does clear
the path of those who do the Lord's will,
not giving them a self-centered prosperity,
as some would like it, but providing suffi-
ciency for the tasks ahead. The well-known
memory verse does not say "my God will
supply every whim of yours," but every
need. Yet this is to be out of "his riches in
glory in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 4:19).
In our own daily lives, if we begin each
morning with feeding on the word, and
then, through prayer, putting the whole day
in the Lord's hands, we can go down
through it acknowledging him in all our
ways. We will be tested at times and will
have to bear hardship but there will be given
to us a wisdom for the journey beyond our
own and a strength that only God can pro-
vide. The going will be much better than if
we lean upon our own understanding or
only trust the Lord now and then. God will
indeed clear the path before us, "making
straight" our ways. D
A retired Bible teacher and missionary, Chalmer E.
Faw o/Quinter, Kan., travels extensively with his wife
Mary, in a spiritual life renewal ministry.
16 MESSENGER July 1983
The Gospel Messenger:
Literary legacy of
a 19th century
awakening
^mr-mi
In 1883 the Brethren had finally emerged
from the 'wilderness, * and they needed a
church paper to guide their future course.
by Earl C. Kaylor Jr.
July 3, 1883, dawned hot and humid in
Huntingdon, Pa. The heat did not seem
to bother 67-year-old James Quinter. As
usual, he was busy at his desk long before
sunup. For nearly 30 years his name had
been synonymous with Brethren jour-
nalism. In the recent past, though, he had
seen the press tear the church apart.
And so on that sultry Tuesday he took
hope in the debut of a new paper.
The Gospel Messenger. He was its
chief editor, and he faced the task
of helping to heal the wounds of
division.
Quinter's career had revealed him to
be as much a reformer as a man of letters.
Long before his day— after the American
Revolution and the wartime ruin of
Christopher Sauer's press — the Brethren
had lapsed into cultural inertia. In the
Civil War era a clique of broader-
visioned men suddenly appeared.
Quinter was one of them. They
sparked a 19th century awaken-
ing that, among other things,
restored a religious press and
inspired fresh intellectual
vigor.
Today's Messenger
stands as their literary
legacy. But Messen-
ger did not
originate as a start-
from- scratch maga-
Editor James Quinter (1816-1888)
was the guiding light for the new paper in
its formative years.
zine; rather, it was the culmination of re-
form journalism, the end product
of a series of mergers. And one
main arch reformist — James Quinter —
attended to each stage of its three-decade
evolution.
Messenger's pre-1883 saga, however,
does not begin with him, nor with any
birthright Brethren. That honor belongs
to a little, bent-over, pipe-smoking con-
vert named Henry Kurtz. German-
immigrant Kurtz was a defrocked Lutheran
dominie unchurched for flirting with a Uto-
pian sect in Pennsylvania. Quite by chance
the outcast settled as a fellow farmer
among the Brethren of eastern Ohio. Their
communal values, he discovered, matched
his own. And so, baptized in 1828, he
donned a straight coat.
Years later, in 1842, Kurtz outfitted his
milk house loft into a printshop. He now
combined farming and job printing for a
livelihood. The idea of a church paper
had nagged him for some time. He be-
lieved that the Brethren — then some
14,000 strong and scattered from the Penn-
sylvania and Virginia settlements to the
western frontier — needed one, to keep
them in closer touch as well as safe from
proselyting circuit riders. But Brotherhood
apathy and not a little unhappiness
discouraged him from acting immediately
on his brainchild. Not until April 1851 did
he deem it opportune to bring out The
Gospel Visitor, a brochure-like monthly.
It survived, despite Annual Meeting's
misgivings, a harbinger of changing
Brethren mentality.
James Quinter appeared on The Gospel
July 1983 MESSENGER 17
James Quinter
Visitor scene the spring of 1856. The
backwoods teacher and preacher, author
of several articles for the paper, had first
met its owner the prior year. At that time
Annual Meeting elected him Kurtz's assist-
ant as clerk. The latter, awkward in
English, happened to be on the lookout
for a co-editor. In Quinter he found the
man he wanted, but it took months of ca-
jolery before he landed him. For Quinter,
then 40, the job proved to be a mid-life
rendezvous with destiny.
His plucky boyhood reads like an
Horatio Alger novel. Fatherless and fami-
ly breadwinner at 13, he grew up in the
Philadelphia area on the edge of poverty.
He prized learning, and at 16 prepared
himself, largely by self-study, to teach.
From 1833 to 1856 he taught in his home
state, the first Brethren to make a profes-
sion of public education. Called to preach
at 22, he would turn out to be one of the
church's pulpit giants.
All his life Quinter, who fasted on
Fridays, would personify the Puritan work
ethic. He was out of bed and at work
every morning by four o'clock. He never
went on vacation or took a pleasure trip.
He was humorless, and bored by small
talk. Yet contemporaries always spoke of
him as a warm, even charismatic, person.
Quinter's metamorphosis into a
denominational figure began the very year
he made the Gospel Visitor shift. Those
mid- 1800 decades were an age of lively
debate among all Protestant bodies, and
in 1856 he entered the polemic arena on
the Brethren side. His brilliance in that
role gained him instant churchwide
stature. From then on till his death he did
nearly perennial duty on Standing Com-
Henry Brumbaugh
mittee and as Annual Meeting clerk.
In 1864 Quinter the journalist became
part owner and sole editor of the now-
enlarged Gospel Visitor. But as the
reformer he suffered a setback that year
in the demise of his short-lived Brethren
academy in Ohio. This was a deep disap-
pointment to him; his long-time ambition
had been to head up a church-backed
school. Most Brethren, still leery of
"worldly wisdom," were not ready for
that. So he bided his time. An outsider
once taunted him: "You have too much
talent to waste on those slow Dunkards."
Quinter replied, "You say they are slow;
then I'll remain with them to help them."
•J anuary 1874 found him in south-
western Pennsylvania. At Meyersdale he
merged his monthly, which he now owned
outright, with Henry Holsinger's Christian
Family Companion, the first Brethren
weekly (1865). Holsinger, a scion of Alex-
ander Mack and destined to help provoke
the Brotherhood's three-way split of
1881-1882, was a fiery reformer, much
less patient than Quinter. Ruling elders
had already tagged him a troublemaker.
This genuinely distressed Holsinger. So he
sold his paper, and, for the time being,
abdicated from the pressroom.
Quinter titled the paper born of this
union the Primitive Christian. Despite the
nation's economic slump, he opted to
make it a weekly. It went out to 5,000 or
more subscribers, competing with another
well-received weekly— T/ie Pilgrim, also
published in Pennsylvania.
The Pilgrim, marketed since January
1870, was the presswork of two brothers,
Henry and John Brumbaugh. They be-
longed to the church's oldest and most
preachered bloodline in Pennsylvania's
Middle District. Theirs was also a clan of
educational avant-gardes. An older cousin
held one of the first Brethren M.D.s
earned at a medical college (1866), while a
younger cousin, the someday famous
Martin G. Brumbaugh, would get the first
Brethren Ph.D (1894). The brothers
themselves furthered their studies at
private academies after public school.
Henry, 34 in 1870, was John's senior by
a dozen years and the more colorful of
the two. A typical Brumbaugh, he decided
for himself what Brethren code to honor
or breach. There was the Henry who
eloped with his Lutheran sweetheart,
loved to hunt and fish, read novels, and
played the melodeon. And there was the
Henry who wore the straight coat, grew a
beard, paid his Civil War exemption fine,
and at 28 got the ministerial beck.
He taught for nine years and in the late
1860s settled on the home farm, making
and selling brooms on the side. He was
too much a bookworm to be a farmer and
too aloof to make a good salesman. Like
Quinter's, his would be a deferred career.
Shy and sad-eyed John, ever the dutiful
little brother, always kept a low profile.
He did his own several-year stint at school
teaching but had no hankering to preach
(not until his 40s). For a few months in
1869 Holsinger, who was then at
neighboring Tyrone, took him under his
editorial wing. That was the extent of the
Brumbaughs' trade know-how when they
jumped into the printing business.
To them, pedagogues at heart but un-
happy in the classroom, printing offered
18 MESSENGER July 1983
Old photographs of the Quinters and Brumbaughs fit the stereotype of Brethren family life
and propriety. The fashionable photograph of the Quinter family (above) in 1884 belies the
notion of Brethren shrinking from worldly things. Quinter poses with his wife, Fannie, and
daughters Grace and Mary. Henry Brumbaugh and his wife (below), Susan, relax in
domestic tranquillity on their front porch in a turn-of-the-century snapshot.
an outlet for their creative talents. Also,
they perceived a place for a liberal weekly
less strident than Holsinger's. So Henry
sold his farmhouse, moved to a village not
far away, and set up shop in his home.
Then, in December 1873, they moved to
nearby Huntingdon, a county seat and
railroad town. There they had put up a
three-story brick duplex to house
themselves and their printery. To the
Brumbaughs, it would always be the
Pilgrim building.
Never pillars of Annual Conference like
Kurtz or Quinter, the brothers did not go
unheard. Defying a rural-fixed heritage,
they made their district the Brotherhood's
most vocal sector for Brethrenizing towns
and cities. John in particular worked to
church a string of towns along the main
line of the Pennsylvania Railroad in the
Juniata Valley. By the same token, both
of them early pushed for a professional
ministry— trained, full-time, salaried —
to staff city congregations.
Even feminism, a most un-Brethren
cause then, got a boost in their printing
rooms. They purposely recruited teenaged
girls to train in the trade. (One of them
married John.) In Wealthy C. Burkholder
they gave the church its first woman
editor. She fashioned the Young Disciple,
long a popular children's magazine. And
for a time poet Adaline Hohf, who mar-
ried the legendary William Beery, co-
edited a periodical for older youth.
As reforming journalists, however, the
Brumbaughs are best remembered for
their part in the genesis of Juniata, the
first permanent Brethren college. They
and their doctor-cousin engineered its
start in a cramped shoproom of the
Pilgrim Building. That event in April 1876
climaxed a six-year Brumbaugh-Holsinger-
Quinter crusade to make Pennsylvania a
Brethren school site. Indeed, one reason
Quinter so readily deserted Ohio for the
East in 1874 was to be near this action.
Thus he was a staunch Juniatian from the
outset. Later, the Brumbaughs, hoping to
capitalize on his name, selected him to be
the college's first president. As for the
(Continued on page 24)
July 1983 MESSENGER 19
Henry Kurtz
H. R. Holsinger
Messenger's
James Quinler
H. B. Brumbaugh
Twelve people have
served as editor of
Messenger and its
forerunners. The
title of editor has
meant, for those
who bore it, dif-
ferent things
through the years
and not all the peo-
ple pictured here
would have been considered "editor-in-chief." But it
was these twelve who did the most to make the
magazine.
Henry Kurtz began The Gospel Visitor in April
1851 on a press in the loft of his springhouse in
Poland, Ohio. In 1856, as the magazine won
cautious acceptance, caught on, and expanded,
Kurtz hired two assistants: Henry Ritz Holsinger
and James Quinter.
Holsinger, an impatient young Dunker pro-
gressive, stayed with Kurtz only six months before
moving on to enterprises that led in 1864 to his
own magazine. The Christian Family Companion.
Quinter, however, stayed on with Kurtz and suc-
ceeded him as editor of The Gospel Visitor in 1865.
In 1874 Quinter bought out Holsinger, who was
feeling conservative pressure upon his "progressive"
journalism. Quinter merged his two magazines and
published the new one as The Christian Family
Companion and Gospel Visitor, changing its name
in 1876 to Primitive Christian.
Dissatisfaction growing out of Holsinger's pro-
gressivism meanwhile had led H.B. and J.B. Brum-
baugh of James Creek, Pa., to begin their own
magazine, The Pilgrim, in 1870. In 1877 Quinter
and the Brumbaughs consolidated their two
magazines and began publishing The Primitive
Christian and the Pilgrim at Huntingdon, Pa. In
1880 the name was simplified again to Primitive
Christian. Henry Holsinger continued in "pro-
gressive" journalism, although he never again was
connected with any of Messenger's forerunners.
He had begun a new magazine. Progressive Chris-
tianity, and it was this inflammatory journal's trans-
gressions of conservative sensibilities that led, in
1882, to Holsinger smd his followers being
drummed out of the Church of the Brethren.
In 1876, J.H. Moore, Jacob T. Myers, and
M.M. Eshelman were publishing, at Lanark, lU.,
The Brethren at Work, a magazine that had suc-
ceeded one started the year before as a German
language piece, Der Briiderbdte. In 1883 The
Brethren at Work joined the Primitive Christian,
and The Gospel Messenger logo was bom. James
Quinter and H.B. Brumbaugh edited the new
magazine from two offices, Mount Morris, 111., and
Huntingdon, Pa. J.H. Moore temporarily left jour-
nalism for pioneering in orange growing in Florida.
In 1888, at Annual Meeting, James Quinter ex-
pired dramatically at the podium while leading a
prayer. D.L. Miller, a successful businessman and
foreign missions enthusiast, had become office editor
in 1885. In 1891, Miller became editor and J.H.
Moore was persuaded to return as office editor.
The team of Moore and MiUer made The Gospel
Messenger that elderly Brethren of today so fondly
remember. The editors wielded influence far beyond
their official charge— their writings virtually
amounted to today's Annual Conference resolutions
and statements . . . and beyond. Inquiries to
"Brother Moore" were almost like Conference
queries and their answers untangled knotty doc-
trinal dileimnas in many a Dunker mind.
Death alone stilled the editorial hands of Miller
and Moore. One of the 89-year-old Brother
Moore's last articles — in 1935, 20 years after his
retirement — was about the exciting possibilities for
a Brethren radio ministry!
In 1915 the first editor who had not been a
pioneer in founding Brethren journals — Edward
Frantz — came on the staff. He would serve until
1944, beginning in one world war and ending in
another. His tenure provided the magazine its
longest period of consistent format and content. In
1924 Harry A. Brandt joined The Gospel
Messenger staff as assistant editor. While he was
never given the title of editor, in the latter years of
Edward Frantz' editorship, Brandt carried heavy
editorial responsibilities — from 1942 to 1944 Frantz
I
Edward Frantz
H. A. Brandt
20 MESSENGER July 1983
twelve editors
was designated only as "advisory editor."
In 1944 a former Nigeria missionary and
McPherson College professor, Desmond W. Bit-
tinger, became editor, signaling a change from the
shape of the magazine as molded by Edward
Frantz. The new editor made waves with his strong
pacifist stance in a war in which many Brethren
men had fought. Bittinger continued to preach
peace as the victors of World War II picked up the
pieces and formed the United Nations, and as
Brethren Service came into its own.
Called to the presidency of McPherson College
in 1950, Bittinger, after six short years, turned over
his editor's chair to Kenneth I. Morse, for the past
seven years youth editor for Brethren publications.
The Morse years of Messenger's history were
highlighted by a continuation of a long-famiUar
format, with insightful editorials the trademark of
the editor. In 1965, though, dramatic change
came — the magazine became a biweekly (and
monthly in 1973), took on a completely new look,
and shortened its name— in keeping with practice
among its modern counterparts — to simply
Messenger. The changes delighted some readers
and dismayed others. Mixed with those reactions
were reactions to the explosive issues of the 1960s,
particularly civil rights, campus unrest, and the
Vietnam War, issues with which Morse courageous-
ly grappled.
In 1971, Morse became book editor, retaining
his name on Messenger's masthead for the next
seven years as associate editor. Succeeding him was
Howard E. Royer, who had come to the Elgin of-
fices in 1953 as an alternative service volunteer.
Later he, like Morse, had edited youth pubUca-
tions, including Horizons, and most recently had
been director of news services for Church of the
Brethren communications.
In 1977 Royer took on a special assignment as
General Board advocate for salvation and justice.
Kermon Thomasson, managing editor and — Uke
Bittinger— a former Nigeria missionary, became ac-
ting editor. In May 1979 Thomasson became editor
when Howard Royer returned to the communica-
tions staff as director of interpretation. D
V. Billinger
Kenneth Morse
The men who made the
Messenger were more than or-
dinary journalists and their
achievements reached far beyond
their magazine. Most were
leaders of the church: Bittinger
and Milter each served twice as
moderator. Holsinger went one
better— he founded his own de-
nomination, the "Ashland"
Brethren! D.L. Miller has been
called the "father of Brethren
missions" and Bittinger and
Thomasson were missionaries in
Nigeria. As might be expected,
the editors have been writers;
almost all have produced books
— doctrinal works, theology,
travels, novels, biographies,
poetry, and history, Kurtz was a
musician, but it was Morse who
made a real contribution in
music. Quinter, Miller, Frantz,
and Bittinger were Brethren col-
lege presidents. Thus it is quite
likely that had they not been
editors, the men of Messenger
would still have made their
marks on the church.
Kermon Thomasson
HENRY KURTZ
17%- 1874
Editor of The Gospel Visitor 1851-1864
HENRY RTTZ HOLSINGER
1833-1905
Editor of The Christian Family Companion 1865-1873
JAMES QUINTER
1816-1888
Assistant Editor of The Gospel Visitor 1856-1864
Editor of The Gospel Visitor 1865-1873
Editor of The Christian Family Companion
and Gospel Visitor 1874-1876
Editor of Primitive Christian 1876-1877
Editor of The Primitive Christian and The Pilgrim 1877-
Editor of Primitive Christian 1880-1883
Editor of The Gospel Messenger 1883-1888
HENRY B. BRUMBAUGH
1836-1919
Editor of The Pilgrim 1870- 1876
Editor of The Primitive Christian and The Pilgrim 1877-1880
Editor of Primitive Christian 1880- 1883
Editor of The Gospel Messenger 1883-1908
Corresponding Editor of The Gospel Messenger 1909— 1916
J. H MOORE
1846-1935
Editor of The Brethren at Work 1876-1879
Managing Editor of The Gospel Messenger 1883-1884
Office Editor of The Gospel Messenger 1891 - 1915
O. L. MILLER
1841-1921
Office Editor of The Gospel Messenger 1885-1891
Editor of The Gospel Messenger 1891 - 1921
EDWARD FRANTZ
1868-1962
Office Editor of The Gospel Messenger 1915-1921
Editor of The Gospel Messenger 1921 — 1942
Advisory Editor of The Gospel Messenger 1942— 1944
HARRY A. BRANDT
1885-1974
Assistant Editor of The Gospel Messenger 1924— 1942
Managing Editor of The Gospel Messenger 1942— 1946
Associate Editor of The Gospel Messenger 1946— 1948
DESMOND W. BITTINGER
b. 1905
Editor of The Gospel Messenger 1944-
KENNETH I. MORSE
b. 1913
Editor of The Gospel Messenger 1950- 1964
Editor of MESSENGER 1965-1971
Associate Editor of MESSENGER 1971 - 1978
HOWARD E. ROYER
b. 1930
Editor of MESSENGER 1971 - 1979
KERMON THOMASSON
b. 1936
Managing Editor of MESSENGER 1974- 1977
Acting Editor of MESSENGER 1977-1979
_ Editor of MESSENGER 1979-
July 1983 MESSENGER 21
A Gospel Messenger sampler
by Kermon Thomasson
For the Brethren history buff, the early
issues of The Gospel Messenger make
delightful reading. Much space was given
to what now seems like dull and tedious
preaching. One has to keep in mind the
magazine in that day reached people wide-
ly scattered, deprived of the electric
church's message, still largely rural and
uneducated. For them. The Gospel
Messenger was education as well as enter-
tainment, and they willingly tackled its
long articles and dreary gray pages. What
continues to charm us today, however, are
the shorter items in the magazine, the
ones that tell of individuals and their ac-
tivities, how it was to be Brethren in that
day. We offer a sampling of what we
mean — some items from the 1883 issues of
The Gospel Messenger.
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more. Agents wanted.
THOMAS BROTHERS,
44 N. Clark St., Chicago, 111.
Brother James Evans comments on the
new name for the magazine and outlines
his hopes for the "new paper":
Doubtless many will regret to lose the
familiar name to which they became so
accustomed, and which reminded us all
that we were brethren and workers
together in the great field of Christian du-
ty to which we are called; still we shall
have little cause of regret, if indeed a
gospel message comes to us week after
week, laden with the precious gems of
truth, making us richer in the knowledge
of divine things, and cheering our hearts,
with which the gospel is so replete.
Let the new paper be, then, a faithful
exponent of the gospel of God's grace and
love to men. Let it teach sinners the way
of life and salvation. Let it give no uncer-
tain sound, but tell men what they must
do to be saved. Let no part of the counsel
of God be shunned, but let it declare it all
as God has made it known. Let its pages
teach the whole truth and nothing but the
truth. True, neither the editors nor the
correspondents are inspired or infallible,
therefore we expect to read statements
sometimes that to our minds, are not ac-
cording to the oracles of God. But when
this is the case, we can exercise forbear-
ance, inasmuch as we ourselves may write
what other brethren disapprove of.
Let us not boil over with indignation if
we find an article that does not suit us,
but read it as the honest conviction of a
brother who loves the truth as well as our-
selves, and let us never forget the golden
rule, "Do to others, etc."
We want a Gospel Messenger to tell us
about the success of the Gospel Jesus com-
manded to be preached to every creature.
We want a pajjer to teach us our duty in
making known the love of Christ to all; the
unsearchable riches, and fullness of Christ.
Brother Christian Hope, pioneer
Brethren missionary to Denmark, tells of
a thrust into Sweden as well:
I have also been twice in Sweden lately
and have leave to come and preach among
the Separatists, a kind, earnest class of
people, who have withdrawn from the
State church, and are getting back to the
good old paths in many respects. I have
been introduced there by a man who was
born in North Russia, and who preaches
our doctrine well and does all he can for
the cause, though he yet stands outside
the fold. He speaks Finnish, Swedish,
German and Danish perfectly well, and is
a man of much use for Jesus. I hope that,
sooner or later, he will come out on the
Lord's side in all things.
Brother C.C. Root, an itinerant
evangelist in Missouri, describes the dif-
ficulty of reaching an isolated prospective
convert:
Leaving the horse, thus, on one occa-
sion, I took to foot, and, reaching a view
of the hut, I found myself once more cut
off by a ravine, so deep that it was fairly
dark, overstretched by a foot-log, so high
and so scant that cooning became the
necessary mode of travel for one not ac-
customed to bridges of such eminence and
narrowness. I thought to myself, "And
narrow is the way."
Editor J.H. Moore liked to use
preachers for his target, directly and in-
directly scoring them for bad habits at the
preacher's table:
In most of our meeting-houses, the
sf>eaker's table and seat are so close
together that there is hardly room to kneel
with any degree of comfort. And when
one gets up to speak there is barely room
to stand with proper freedom and conven-
ience. It seems to us that the speaker's
table ought to be at least three feet from
where the speakers sit. We suggest this for
the following reasons:
1 . It will give plenty of room for the
speakers to kneel.
2. It will give the preacher plenty of
standing room while preaching, so he
need not be uncomfortably wedged in be-
tween the table in front of him and the
bench in the rear.
3. When a s[>eaker at the lower end of
the table desires to speak, he will then
have room to walk in front of the other
speakers, to a point near the center of the
house, where he can be heard much
better.
4. It would break our preachers of the
very bad habit of leaning with their
22 MESSENGER July 1983
elbows on the table and their chin resting
on their hands. A sight of that kind, to a
congregation is ridiculous. They ought to
be taught to sit up straight, like the rest
of the congregation. We think it would be
a good idea to move the deacons' seat
about three feet from the table also. Such
an arrangement would make less stoop-
shouldered people, and perhaps induce
less sleep among the officials.
Another time. Brother Moore criticized
Brethren preachers for chewing tobacco
and wearing hats in church:
We have heard of ministers sitting
behind the table and taking a chew of
tobacco so publicly that everybody in the
house could see them. It seems to us that
a habit of this kind should not be tol-
erated for one moment, for it not only
pollutes the house of worship but it sets
before the people an exceedingly bad
example.
We name another habit that has not the-
best of effect, and that is the custom
some ministers have of putting on their
hats as soon as the congregation is
dismissed. They walk up to their place, on
entering the house, with hat on, and even
take their seat behind the table before
removing the hat. It seems that this does
not show proper respect to the house of
worship. We hke to see sisters enter the
house of God covered, and men un-
covered. The proper conduct of ministers
in this respect will soon impart the same
sense of good manners to the entire
neighborhood.
An anonymous sister asks why the food
isn't put on the love feast table before
footwashing. (Editor J.H. Moore replies
that has become customary in all but a
few churches):
Why do the Brethren who profess to do
the whole will of God, as near as we
know how, not have the supper on the
table before beginning to wash feet as
John 13:4 is so plain upon that point?
"He riseth from supper, etc." And why do
we not leave the remnants upon the table,
when through eating? I am unable to find
any scriptural authority for removing
them, but, on the other hand that it
should be left on, as Matt. 26:26 says,
"And as they were eating, Jesus took
bread and blessed it and brake it," and,
furthermore, I think it would save much
time, prevent much confusion, and hold
the attention of the audience much better.
Each of the early issues of The Gospel
Messenger carried a page of short items
such as these:
•Bro. David Brower is still at work in
Washington Territory. He reports five ad-
ditions to the church and good meetings.
•This week Bro. B.F. Moomaw asks the
members not to expect too much of the
revisers in regard to the Revised Minutes.
•When writing for publication please do
not write on both sides of the paper, and
always leave one inch blank at the top of
each page.
•We hope our friends everywhere will
make special efforts to increase our list. If
possible, get the paper into every family in
the Brotherhood.
•We leEU'n that Eld. Jacob D. Trostle of
Maryland, has sold his farm, and will
soon come west to look up a new loca-
tion. We presume that he has an eye on
Kansas.
•Bro. J.N. Barnhart, of Walkerton,
Ind., has returned home from the Eureka
Springs, not very much improved,
however, as the weather was not favorable
while he was there.
•This week Bro. S.M. Goughnour tells
of his travels in California and Oregon,
but does not say one word about how he
likes the country, etc. Perhaps he forgot
that part.
•Bro. Solomon Buckalew is preaching
at Pine Creek this week. He may be here
next week, or soon after. We wish to re-
mind the Brethren that Bro. Buckalew
should not be hurried from one congrega-
tion to another. Let him take his time to
it and do thorough work as he goes. It is
better to visit but few places and do
thorough work than to scatter his efforts
and accompUsh but Uttle. If possible he
ought to spend a few weeks in each con-
gregation.
•The old preacher was about right when
he stopped short in his sermon and said:
"Perhaps you would like to know what
my poUtics are?" "Well," said he, "I am
on the fence, and the mud is very deep on
both sides." □
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July 1983 MESSENGER 23
4%'
In 1873 the Brumbaugh brothers erected this building in Huntingdon, Pa., to house their
new church paper. The Pilgrim. In 1876 it also housed a new Brethren college, Juniata.
(Continued from page 19)
brothers, they maintained a dynastic hold
on the institution well into the next
century.
Juniata, it turned out, was the catalyst
for the next publishing merger. Ever since
1874 Quinter had been urging the Brum-
baughs to join forces with him. Then
came April 1876 and the school activity in
the Pilgrim Building. This impelled him to
push his case harder. He finally won, and
in October 1876 the firm of Quinter and
Brumbaugh Brothers formed, head-
quartered in Huntingdon. Quinter, the
senior partner, assumed the title editor-in-
chief. The new paper printed in the
Pilgrim Building was called the Primitive
Christian, with a combined subscription
list of about 10,000.
In 1876 yet another paper — and the last
— enters Messenger's unfolding story:
The Brethren at Work. Early that year it
made a brief appearance in historic Ger-
mantown under the name Brethren's
Messenger. Then it was relocated at
Lanark, 111., restyled The Brethren at
Work. It struggled along and was later
moved to Mount Morris, since 1879 a
Brethren college town. There in 1881 ex-
grocer D.L. Miller, the 39-year-old college
business manager, and teacher-farmer
Joseph Amick, 46, bought it at a sheriffs
sale. They hired J.H. Moore, a 35-year-
old house painter, as editor/publisher.
By 1882 the Brotherhood's tri-partition
was well underway. A half-dozen sides-
taking journals, most new-begotten, vied
for patronage. Henry Holsinger by then
had made a pressroom comeback. This
spate of partisan literature led Standing
Committee to call for a consolidation of
all adult serials. But the appeal came too
late: Positions were deep-fixed. First the
Old Order (today's Old German Baptist
Brethren) defected in 1881, then in 1882
the Holsinger Progressives (today's
Brethren Church). That left two papers:
the Primitive Christian and the cash-
strapped Brethren at Work.
M.
Leanwhile, the owners of these papers
had been negotiating — by mail and
visits — for over a year. On June 23, 1883,
they came to terms and united as the
Brethren's Pubhshing Company. The
hang-up had been over where to locate.
Huntingdon, with the Primitive Christian's
near-monopoly of Brethren readers? Or
Mount Morris, the better geographical
location? Moreover, each paper plumped
for its own hometown college.
The solution involved a three-pronged
compromise: 1) print one paper— at Mount
Morris; 2) lay it out as two papers in one —
a section each for eastern and western
readers; 3) operate two branch offices.
Heru7 Brumbaugh and J.H. Moore, respec-
tively, handled the East-West editorial
duties. Joseph Amick ran the business end
of the company. John Brumbaugh faded
out of the picture. D.L. Miller's fade-out
would be temporary; he soon returned,
eventually to succeed Quinter.
James Quinter's place in this scheme of
things was clear from the start. Despite his
age, he kept a busy daily schedule. Above
all — as D.L. Miller wrote in eulogy five
years later, "He filled a place in our hearts
second to no one in our Brotherhood." (In
1888 Quinter died at Annual Meeting in
North Manchester, Ind., on his knees, giv-
ing a public prayer.)
Who thought up the name, The Gospel
Messenger, is not known. But obviously it
was borrowed from Gospel Visitor and
Brethren's Messenger, two original papers
from each side of the jointure. There were
close to 60,0(X) Brethren that July day one
hundred years ago. About 15,000 of them
subscribed to The Gospel Messenger.
On April 18,1897, the General Mission
Board of the denomination bought out
the Brethren's Publishing Company. In
1897 Annual Meeting accepted The
Gospel Messenger as the official church
organ, and in 1899 the publishing house
was moved to Elgin, 111. There the opera-
tion was closer to the Chicago railway
hub. There, as the denomination became
more structured, Elgin became the
church's headquarters, and the magazine
became part of the total program of the
Church of the Brethren. The editors from
the 1883 beginnings called the magazine
Messenger in their columns. But in 1%5
when a facelift made the shorter name of-
ficial, a furor was raised by critics that the
staff had excised the gospel from the
magazine as well as from the logo.
But criticism heralded the birth of
Henry Kurtz' Gospel Visitor in 1851, and
so is nothing new. The Messenger of
1983 begins the second century with its
purposes as clear as Quinter and Brum-
baugh's vision of 1883 — calling the
brothers and sisters to responsible
membership in the denomination and in
the Body of Christ, applying the gospel to
the problems, challenges, and oppor-
tunities of the age in which we live. D
Earl C. Kaylor Jr. is professor of religion and
history at Juniata College, Huntingdon, Pa.
}
24 MESSENGER July 1983
'(i7[5)(o][rog[f^
Feeding the hungry
by Judy Jamieson
"Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is
good, for his steadfast love endures for
ever . . . he who gives food to all flesh,
for his steadfast love endures for ever"
(Psalms 136:1, 25).
The bounty of the earth feeds our bodies,
giving us satisfaction and good health. In
rural Lewiston, Minn., people enjoy a
great blessing of good harvests from both
family gardens and farm fields.
Several years ago, during a witness
commission meeting, members of the
Lewiston Church of the Brethren explored
ideas of sharing this abundance of food
with other members of the community
and people around the world who are
hungry. They dreamed and brainstormed
until they came up with a project that
would help both groups of people at the
same time.
The Lewiston witness commission came
up with "Hunger Stopper," a program
that sells the surplus vegetables and fruits
from people's gardens to elderly and non-
gardeners at a greatly reduced price. The
proceeds from the sales go to aid hungry
people around the world through three
agencies: Church World Service, CathoUc
Social Services, and Lutheran Social Ser-
vices. Hunger Stopper raises about $300
annually.
Hunger Stopper is staffed by members
of the church who set up card tables and
folding chairs along Main Street next to
the post office in Lewiston. But people
from all over the community bring pro-
duce from their gardens, making the stand
Paul Roth, pastor of the Lewiston church, and church members Martha Wilson and Louisa
Flint examine fresh produce at the Hunger Stopper stand.
an ecumenical piece of community proper-
ty. Produce is sold at low prices, and
what isn't sold is donated to a senior
citizen's home in Lewiston.
Not only do senior citizens patronize
Hunger Stopper, they also contribute to
its operation. Paul Roth, pastor at the
Lewiston church, says church women such
as Martha Wilson and Louisa Flint relate
well to the elderly who visit the stand.
They know the specifics of the customers
and can reach out to them in a special
way," Roth says.
This project, he explains, combined
with other efforts such as the Heifer Proj-
ect emphasis with the vacation Bible
school, get members of the Lewiston
church to think about the problems of
hunger. Roth and the witness commission
make sure news about Hunger Stopper
and other programs is reported to the
congregation to inform them about and
keep them focused on the congregation's
efforts against hunger.
"More people are thinking about not
only giving more produce, but also setting
aside more garden space for this
program," Roth says.
Another program that the Lewisfn
church sponsors to combat hunger is the
"Everyone Reach Out Somehow" pro-
gram. This allows the farmers of the rural
church to use their resources to raise
livestock and grains, which are earmarked
for sale to help meet the church's outreach
budget and maybe go beyond. Church
members who don't farm get involved
with this program by raising produce or
selUng crafts.
In a small town like Lewiston, it's im-
portant to get everyone involved. A sense
of community and self-worth is
developed, and, in the case of the Hunger
Stopper, people at home and abroad are
helped. D
Judy Jamieson, a member of the Lewiston (Minn.)
Church of the Brethren, is an elementary school
teacher.
July 1983 MESSENGER 25
Wherefore run?
Brethren are excited these days about evangelism and church growth.
We've a story to tell ...ordo we? Could it be that, like Ahimaaz, in
our eagerness to run, we are overlooking a little problem we have?
by Lucile Brandt
We Brethren are experiencing right now a
sudden and apparently deep concern
about evangelism in the church. Con-
gregations are not growing in numbers,
and new ones are not springing up fast
enough to suit us. We seem to be acutely
aware that evangehsm is the chief duty of
the church, and yet we are not satisfied
with the results of our efforts.
And so, naturally enough, we have a
flood of new books explaining how we
should go about our task. Classes on
evangelism are set up, seminars are held,
workshops are the order of the day. How
to approach people, how to lead friends
to a decision, how to make the Sunday
morning service appealing, how to get out
the good news — we are in a tizzy of ex-
citement over procedures.
In such a time, it is interesting to turn
to an Old Testament story as told in
2 Samuel 18:19-33 (KJV). Joab has led the
army of King David in a successful battle
against the rebellious Absalom and his
forces. But in direct defiance of the king's
order, Absalom has been killed. It is time
to send to the king word of what has hap-
pened. And Ahimaaz volunteers to be the
messenger. "Let me now run, and bear the
king tidings," he says. But Joab demurs.
He turns to Cushi and says, "Go tell the
king what thou hast seen."
Although Cushi starts off on his er-
rand, Ahimaaz does not give up easily.
"But howsoever, let me, I pray thee, also
run after Cushi," he begs. Says Joab,
reasonably enough, "Wherefore wilt thou
run, my son, seeing that thou hast no
tidings ready?" But at last he grants reluc-
tant permission.
Scholars have given interesting inter-
pretations of this story. Why was
Ahimaaz so eager to run? Because of the
chance of reward if he brought good
26 MESSENGER July 1983
tidings? But Joab knew that David would
inquire immediately about Absalom, and
the story of his death would not be good
news. Ahimaaz choose a route different
from Cushi's, and so actually he was the
first to report to King David. And when
the king asked the crucial question, "Is
the young man Absalom safe?" Ahimaaz
told what one commentator calls "a
discreet he." He said that he really did not
know.
The name Cushi in the King James Ver-
sion is translated by later scholars as "the
Cushite," which would mean a native of
Cush and therefore a black man,
presumably a slave of Joab. Did Joab
decide to send Cushi because his ap-
pearance would be a warning to King
David that he brought unpleasant news?
A messenger who brought bad news was
sometimes punished, even though he was
in no way responsible for the tidings. Did
Joab think that his slave was more
expendable than Ahimaaz? Whatever we
decide about such matters, the words of
Ahimaciz are interesting: "I saw a great
tumult, but I knew not what it was."
w.
hat makes a good messenger?
Perhaps we can agree that he should have
a clear-cut commission from his superior,
that he should know exactly what his
message is, and that he should give it ac-
curately and clearly. If he knows what his
message is and realizes that it is good
news, why should he have any trouble in
delivering it? The Christian, operating
under the command of Jesus in the Great
Commission, has the best of all news for
a world in dire need of it. Why is it so
difficult to get messengers to carry the
news? And why all this concern about the
techniques of saying the vital word?
We all know how easy it is to tell news
if we are genuinely interested in it. What
about your child who bursts into the
room with his latest discovery which he
carries in his hand? It is perhaps a "rare"
stone, or more probably some creature
that wiggles or crawls. Does he have trou-
ble in telling you about it? What about
the man with his new car, or the woman
who has found a new store with wonder-
ful bargains, or the EngUsh major who
has just discovered Jeremy Taylor? As an
English teacher, I always preferred
Shakespeare in the classroom to any other
author, but I certainly did not begin every
lesson with a quotation from him or a lec-
ture on why he is so great. How then did
my students so quickly discover that I
loved to teach his plays? When I moved
into a retirement home, I promised myself
that I would not "talk shop" to my
neighbors; instead I would Usten to their
useful information on such matters as
gardening and cooking. I thought I was
keeping this promise. But the other day
one said to me, "Why weren't you at the
Wednesday meeting? You would have
liked the speaker because he quoted
Shakespeare." Is it possible that I talked
about Shakespeare more than I realize?
Church leaders are concerned about get-
ting people out ringing doorbells. But
what about the fairly regular church-goer
whose associate in business says to him
one day, "Why do you go to church
almost every Sunday?" And he rephes,
"Well ... I was brought up that way, you
know. My mother would be upset if we
didn't go pretty regularly. I guess most
people think that Sunday school is good
for the kids . . . ."So this man should be
sent out to evangelize others? The words
of Joab might well ring in our ears:
"Wherefore wilt thou run, my son, seeing
that thou hast no tidings ready?"
Of course, perhaps we should not be
too severe on the man pictured above. He
might have used the words of Ahimaaz to
'Wherefore wilt thou run, my son, seeing that thou hast no tidings ready?'
describe the program at his church: "I saw
a great tumult, but I knew not what it
was." Church life can be very tumultuous:
meetings, choir practice, bazaars, church
dinners to raise money to send young peo-
ple to conferences where there will be still
more tumult, church-sponsored Little
League baseball games and bowling tour-
naments, seminars on evangelism. The list
is well-nigh endless. But what does it all
mean?
However, you still insist that we need to
learn good techniques? Certainly I would
not be favorably impressed if a stranger
walked up to me and abruptly asked if I
were "saved." Certainly a witnessing
Christian should be courteous, sensitive,
intelligent, as well as eager and diligent.
But there is no {K)int in running if we
carry no news, no use in arriving if we
cannot answer the first question. Emer-
son's words are still pertinent: "Do not
say things. What you are stands over you
the while, and thunders so that I cannot
hear what you say to the contrary." If
what we are leads a friend to ask a ques-
tion, then we are in a position to give a
testimony which may well carry
weight. But why should we
think any words will per-
suade another to believe what
cannot state with clarity, or to
accept as a way of life what we ourselves
have never attempted to demonstrate?
Even after severe persecution began in
the Roman Empire, Christianity continued
to grow. When a man did not go about
publicly announcing his faith, still people
saw, and were curious, and asked ques-
tions, and accepted a faith that might well
lead to a cruel death. There is a kind of
light which is very hard indeed to put out,
and some people — not all, but some — are
eager to follow that light. But if the light
that is in us be darkness, how very foolish
to seek a way to advertise it as light!
So I suggest that all who are trying to
train church leaders to carry the gospel to
all the world (their own home town includ-
ed) should meditate on the question which
Joab asked: "Wherefore wilt thou run?"
Do we know what has happened? Are we
willing to tell the story truly? (After all, our
story includes the death of a son, not a
rebellious one, but one who perfectly
fulfilled the will of his Father. And he said
to his followers, "In the world ye shall have
tribulation." That is not the end of the
sentence, certainly, but we should not omit
the beginning.) Has this story which we are
telling made any real difference in our
lives? If we can give the right answers to
such questions, perhaps we can reduce the
tumult in our church programs. Perhaps
we may even hear now and then the words,
"You helped me to find Jesus as my
Savior." We may not even be able to
remember the words that we said, or the
occasion when we said them. But we can
marvel, and thank God! D
Lucile Brandt is a mired educator and Nigeria mis-
sionary, living in Goshen, Ind.
July 1983 MESSENGER 27
Sister Anna meets
the Presence
"/ wanted God, but I had forgotten the
way. Then one day I happened on the verse,
7 am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no
one cometh to the Father but by Me. ' As
old as that verse is, it struck me as if I had
never heard it before. "
by Dorothy Garst Murray
Was the 90-year-old woman the Brethren
all love and revere as "Sister Anna"
always the person we know now? Persons
like Anna Beahm Mow appear to have a
secret for living that is a bit beyond or-
dinary human knowledge. They appear to
be truly "at home" in the universe.
Let Sister Anna tell in her own words
what happened to her while she was a
missionary in India that would lead her to
say later, "The old Anna had died." Anna
was struggling mightily with the question
of how Christ could become more real to
her, while on a week's visit in the home of
missionary Russell Graham:
"In those evenings in the prayer room
Mr. Graham led out, but all was spon-
taneous. Jesus seemed so real that it
seemed I must open my eyes and see Him
there with these eyes. The first evening the
subject turned to the Cross. As we read
the Word and meditated on it, it never
was so real to me before. As I faced
myself I realized more fully the barrier
that still stood between me and my Lord.
How I tried to take His unfathomable
love, but somehow I just couldn't. Kneel-
ing at the Cross and being left out is
awful, or rather being out. I had failed so
many times I was afraid to take the step
of faith which was involved in truly taking
Him. 1 knew I had to have something
which would make a real difference in my
life and would manifest itself first in my
home. But I was afraid to accept the
possibility of that for such a stumbler as I
28 MESSENGER July 1983
had been. I was bound. I felt that if the
next night we did not go to the Resurrec-
tion I would be crushed under the burden
of the Cross. In the morning Mr. Graham
tried to help me. He prayed, then he
began to talk. And I found myself putting
up a defense in my heart. I then realized
that the very act of defense proved there
was an idol still in my heart. I knew that
anything I defended was in the way and
that went, too. This made room for more
peace, but how thankful I am that I did
not feel full peace until I had the Great
Gift.
"The next night Mr. Graham read The
Recall of Love by Ralph Conner. Peter's
stumbling, his experience during the dark
days of the Cross and what the Resurrec-
tion meant to him were very vivid to me
that night. After that he read John
20:1-23, hesitated there and read no fur-
ther. After a session of prayer I felt the
urge to reread that chapter. It seemed I
could not get enough of it — the wonder of
it all. When we were in prayer again,
while Mr. Graham prayed I just felt that
if he would lay his hands on my head and
anoint me I would find freedom from the
thing that bound me. It seemed I just
couldn't let go. I didn't think of the laying
on of hands without oil and 1 thought
there would be no oil in that room and if
I asked for it someone would have to go
downstairs to get it and I did not want to
trouble folks and so I decided my urge
was all nonsense. The instant 1 put the
thought from my mind Mr. Graham
stopped his prayer and said to me: *Mrs.
Mow, I have been resisting the urge to lay
hands upon you and pray for you because
I thought you might not understand it.'
That astounded me so I could not answer
aloud. He came, laid hands on my head
and prayed for me and I was releasedl No
one can possibly know what that means
unless they want God as much as I did
and try to get over a seemingly impassable
barrier as I did, and as many have. Just
the absence of that awful long struggle is
Peace, to say nothing of what else there is
to fill the empty space. My fever was in-
deed gone in the great quiet of God. It
was too wonderful to feel ecstatic
about ....
"The second night after this when we
came down from the prayer room, a voice
said in my right ear, 'Don't take any pills
tonight, I want to talk to you.' (I had
been taking soporific pills whenever on a
strain at my doctor's direction, for I was
not yet strong enough to go without sleep
and the two nights before this I had taken
some.) I thought that hearing voices
belonged to psychical illusions. If this had
happened before the coming of this
freedom and quiet peace I would have
thought that the strain of my struggle had
caused this. But excitement was all gone.
Anyway, this was so real that I obeyed
and went to sleep at once.
"At 2 a.m. I awoke — in the actual
Presence of Jesus. And I was praying
aloud as I awoke, saying: 'Oh, Lord
Jesus, come into my heart, come into my
heart.' There was a light in the corner of
my bed. I mean a shining, definite
Presence. I thought I must be dreaming
and looked at my watch to verify my be-
ing awake. You've been in the Presence of
God thus and you know how one cannot
help but praise before Him, not the
shouting kind, but the kind that makes
one bow in adoration. The most wonder-
ful thing to me was the realization of
another Personahty within me. The pray-
ing seemed to be entirely apart from
me — it was another Spirit within. Then I
realized the greatest lack I had had
before. I had been drawn and influenced
by Christ, but there had not been enough
of his Spirit within me to make full con-
tact with the God without. I never real-
ized that God within and without before.
The fellowship of that sacred hour gave
me an entirely new vision of prayer. I had
never conceived the possibility of what
was happening to me right then. Hearing
a voice and seeing that divine Light there
was not the outstanding thing — the most
wonderful was the consciousness of the
coming into my heart of a Presence. I am
at an entire loss to describe what hap-
pened. You know and can understand; if
you did not know, there would be no way
of explaining it.
"The Lord said to me: 'Before this day
is over I will baptize you with my Spirit
. . . .' After some time I got up and for an
hour I read the Holy Spirit texts in the
New Testament to try to find out what
had happened to me. If I ever knew the
Wesley teaching on the "second blessing" I
did noi remember it. Fragments of
teaching from different ones now came to
me but just what was Truth I wanted to
know. John 13-17 were entirely new
chapters to me now. I could now under-
stand what Paul's great mystery and
"Christ in me" meant. Everything had new
meaning. I felt like searching the whole
Word just then, as if I had just discovered
a new gold mine — which I had. But after
an hour I went to bed and to sleep. At
five I awoke again, and this time had a
Hke experience— I awoke Praying: 'The
Fullness Lord, the Fullness, oh Lord, give
me the Fullness.' I never would have
prayed that prayer before. I was afraid of
that word Fullness for my exceedingly
earthen vessel. Again He said: 'This day
you shall receive.' And I answered in
humility and adoration: 'Behold thy hand-
maid, be it unto me according to thy
word.'
"I think now that I know how Mary felt
after the Holy Spirit overshadowed her. 1
had been overshadowed too, for His com-
ing into my heart. The Lord said to me: 'I
will not stir your emotions, I will stir
emotions in your heart.' That statement
has meant so much to me; even my good
emotions are to be His, not mine. Look-
ing at it in that light makes a difference. I
am conscious daily in my contacts with
others that I am "bound" to show His
emotions. I had never found it hard to
love most folks, but I found that I had
had very little Christ-love. I told the Lord
that I had wasted so many years and I
wanted Him to send the fire to clean me
up so I could fully serve Him to make up
in a measure for the wasted years. I did
not know what praying that meant. I have
found out since .... Another thing He
said to me that night was: 'The reason
you have stumbled so much and failed so
'The Presence had
not made her perfect;
it had not removed
her ordinary every-
day emotions. But
now it provided Ugh t
and guidance for her.
long is because you have gone in your
own strength. Go in my strength and you
will not fail . . . .'
"So, you see that no longer do I wonder
about the personality of God. I under-
stand the why of the after Resurrection
appearances — He was there and then He
wasn't. So they knew and I now know
that whether I see Him or not. He is. I
cannot thank Him enough for what He is
to me. I only desire to be so like Him that
others will want to know Him. There is so
much to learn, there is so much to do for
Him, I only pray to be humble enough to
be used, to go in His strength, so that my
strength will be His and not be in the
way. I want to be able to say with Paul:
'But it is through the love of God that I
am what I am. And the love that He
showed me has not been wasted' (1 Cor.
15:10)."
Ever after the night of her deeply mov-
ing confrontation with the Presence of
Christ, Anna's outlook on life was from a
totally different perspective. As she wrote
later, "The old Anna had died." For two
months she told no one what had hap-
pened. But, the memory of Russell
Graham's words lingered with her: "If you
have Christ in your heart your family will
be the first to know." And they were. After
two months she shared with Baxter what
had taken place. Although his orientation
was more scientific than of a mystical or
spiritual nature, his devout religious faith
made it possible for him to believe in and
to fully accept this deeply revealing
spiritual experience that had taken place in
the life of his peppery and devout mate.
Anna was soon to discover that ex-
periences of great ecstasy are frequently
followed by feehngs of despair and
discouragement when one faces the fact
that the same human weaknesses and
faults art still present. One morning while
walking in the hills near Landour she was
thinking with chagrin about her own
human frailty and the less desirable traits
of her personality that were still with her,
in spite of the fact that the living Presence
had been made known to her. Suddenly,
on the steep pathway going up the
mountainside, she met an ancient and
wizened little Indian woman who greeted
her warmly and then said in some sur-
prise: "How good it is to see you! I've
been praying for you and the Lord gave
me a special message that 1 should give
you: 'Whenever we see we have failed it is
evidence we are walking in the light.'"
So that was it! The Presence had not
made her perfect; it had not removed her
ordinary everyday human emotions. It
provided the light, the guidance, for her
to see the changes that needed to be made
and then she herself must do the necessary
spiritual housecleaning. "That was the
greatest spiritual lesson that I was ever
given," asserted Sister Anna. Once again
she realized that God's guidance comes at
most unexpected times and via the most
unexpected persons if we are only open to
receive it.
From the day of her experience in the
Graham home, Anna's belief in and
dependence upon the Holy Spirit was the
cornerstone of her Christian life and
witness. She had found that "the Holy
Spirit is not a substitute for an absent
Lord but the agent of his Living
Presence." She had met that Presence and
from that day forward the impact could
never be denied. D
Dorothy Garst Murray, a member of the Cloverdate
Church of the Brethren near Roanoke, Va., is on the
denomination's General Board, She is an author and
writer in the field of mental retardation.
Excerpted from Sister Anna, The Brethren Press,
1983.
July 1983 MESSENGER 29
Annual Conference:
'A blockbuster of
a Missionsfest'
by Paul Jenkins
Paul Jenkins, librarian for the Basel Mis-
sion, Basel, Switzerland (which cooperates
with the Church of the Brethren in mis-
sion work with Ekklesiyar 'Yanuwa a
Nigeria— the Church of the Brethren in
Nigeria), attended the 1982 Annual Con-
ference as an observer. His report to his
colleagues in Basel was so insightful.
Messenger decided to carry this abridged
service on Saturday evening — observation
forced its way into my consciousness
which I felt then emphasized the dif-
ference between us. The congregation of
some 4,000 people was almost equally
divided between men and women. Almost
every time I counted 20 heads it came out
to 10 plus 10. And there was no taboo
about putting your arm round your
spouse's shoulder during the service.
More: I'd already noticed the hordes of
children of all ages — who could miss
them? (And I only saw one tantrum the
whole week long.) Of course they had
their own programs. But there were
always children running in and out (one
advantage of a large and well-equipp>ed
convention hall is that a child makes only
a local disturbance, but you can hear the
platform microphone everywhere). At that
evening service though, I suddenly became
aware how many three-generation family
groups you could see there, or when walk-
ing through the crowds during the lunch-
Annual Conference was a real crash-
course in Brethren life and ways. Within
minutes of arriving 1 was listening to
speeches at the end of the Ecumenical
Luncheon, and immediately felt at home.
A prize was being presented to a woman
pastor from a southern congregation
(Wanda Callahan of Jacksonville, Fla.)
for her work in bringing "marginalized"
people and the underprivileged (the men-
tally handicapped, juvenile offenders) into
the life of Christian fellowships. The
lunch itself was addressed by the president
of the National Council of Churches. And
there were other clear signs of social and
ecumenical commitment at the lunch and
in the information on the Church of the
Brethren presented at the Conference. The
Church has a standing representative at
the World Council of Churches; and also
full-time lobbyists at the United Nations
and in Washington. Roger Ingold is cur-
rently the chairman of the Africa group
of missionary secretaries who meet under
the auspices of the NCC. Just hke us, I
thought — an old Protestant movement,
WCC-oriented, very much concerned to
link witness to concrete healing and pro-
phetic work in society.
At the last event I went to — the worship
"There was no taboo about putting your arm round your spouse's shoulder.
30 MESSENGER July 1983
break. It sounds a bit feeble to say that
marriage and the family is alive and well
in the Church of the Brethren. Perhaps if
you are in the Church of the Brethren you
are not so euphoric about all this as some-
one who lives in Basel. But 4,000 people
seem to take a week's hoHday or more to
attend Annual Conference partly because
it is a family event. And in view of the
diversity of the Church in other respects,
this is a not unimportant point.
You might say it isn't especially clever
to single out this feature of Annual Con-
ference for comment. Isn't it a common
feature of American religion? (But, the
Church of the Brethren doesn't strike me
as being an average American phenom-
enon.) Isn't Annual Conference really hke
our Missionsfest, where meeting friends
and seeing their children growing up is
probably more important than anything
else? In a way yes, Annual Conference is
a five-day blockbuster of a Missionsfest
with a daily attendance of 3,000 to 4,000
people, and a program stretching from
7:30 a.m. to midnight. But this isn't a
mission, it's a whole church — one with a
wide range of interests, political orienta-
tions, and patterns of piety; one where (a
beginner's impression, again!) judging by
this conference, maintaining unity around
this diversity is not a problem and — the
reverse side of that coin — there is much
easier acceptance of divergent points of
view than is the case in our Dienst- und
Zweckgemein-schaft.
The Church of the Brethren is more
homogeneous than the USA as a whole.
Its membership is predominantly white
and resident in rural areas and small
towns stretching from Pennsylvania
through the Midwest. But that sort of
homogeneity is no guarantee of easy unity
in American religion: The Lutherans in
"One homely sermon put it that unity between Christians is like a tossed salad.
that stretch of land have been struggling
with a new schism which has occurred in
the last 20 years. One homely sermon at
Annual Conference put it that unity be-
tween Christians is like a tossed salad,
rather than vegetable juice from a
blender. Each of the pieces in a tossed
salad has a recognizable color and taste,
and yet, cut up together and tossed in
dressing they add up to much more than
the sum of the individual parts. The Holy
Spirit does not act like a blender, reducing
Christians to a homogeneous brew. I
spent a lot of time enjoying the different
flavors at Annual Conference 1982, and a
lot of time wondering what the ingredients
of the dressing were that holds them
together so well.
The diversity was partly visible— a real
Jahrmarkt of stands and activities — and
partly audible, in the music. I was
fascinated by the quilt-makers. The
Church of the Brethren keeps up the old
American tradition of patchwork-quilt
making. The women of every congrega-
tion are invited to send an embroidered or
applique square to Annual Conference,
and a tesun of women spends the first
three days of the Conference sewing them
together into double-and single-bed quilts.
Then they are auctioned, traditionally for
some good cause in the Third World (this
year a food and school program in Port-
au-Prince, Haiti), a double-bed quilt
fetching between $1,500 and $2,500.
There were other links with the rural
past — an old hillbilly fiddle and banjo
player, whose language was completely
opaque to me, but whose music I under-
stood. But then a popular modern folk-
singer (Slim Whitman) who is a member
of the church sang us a couple of songs,
and gave an interview on local radio.
And the Conference choir and congrega-
tional singing showed that normal
classical church music is also alive and
well. "Cwm Rhondda" couldn't have
been sung better in Wales. (And I make
no apology to those of you who do not
understand that sentence — finding out
what it means is an important part of
anyone's ecumenical education!)
I have already mentioned the "Geneva-
orientation" one could sense in the An-
nual Conference. And the sermons I
heard are, to my mind, an excellent exam-
ple of modern open-ended ecumenical lay-
theological thinking. But one in 10 of the
women at Conference — many of them
young women — still wore the traditional
lace cap of the communitarian tradition.
And the signs of different kinds of
theological conservatism were plain for all
to see. The new unit of Brethren
July 1983 MESSENGER 31
Volunteer Service workers came to the
Conference (it was rather like having our
summer Vorbereitungskurs at the Mis-
sionsfest) and gave a testimony as to why
they had joined BVS, mostly in traditional
terms — conversion, and the desire to serve
the Lord. And one small-town pastor I
met had a very traditional approach to his
fellow men: The visitor from the Basel
Mission and the Holiday Inn bellman
both needed to be given a helpful tract
about man's fallen state before he could
retire to bed with full peace of mind!
So what holds the Church of the
Brethren together?
One couple suggested "Annual Con-
ference"—and it's worth carrying on with
the comparison with our Missionsfest a
little, to understand what they were mean-
ing. Like the Missionsfest, as we have
seen, meeting friends and relatives is im-
portjmt. Unlike the Missionsfest, in the
Annual Conference the constituency really
is consulted by the church's leadership,
and initiatives from the districts are clear-
ly presented for consideration. Annual
Conference business sessions go on for
five hours a day for four days. A block of
about 1,000 seats is reserved for the voting
delegates, but whenever I went into a
business session there were at least 2,000
other people listening, all of whom —
"even you," one old man proudly told
me — were entitled to take the floor.
There is a moderator who has a staff to
advise him on the conduct of the discus-
sions and the business and a clear set of
rules of debate is printed in the "Con-
ference Booklet." There is no hesitation
about putting procedural questions to the
vote ("Should we discuss this amendment,
or vote on it straight away?"). The voting
delegates do vote, several times a day,
usually by voice ("Those in favor say
'aye'") — 1,(X)0 Brethren expressing their
convictions by voice vote makes strong
music. If neither a voice vote nor a show
of hands is decisive, then a vote by ballot
is taken. But, as with the results of Swiss
referenda, a close vote on a policy ques-
tion really means that the policy cannot
"A small-town pastor gave me a tract about 'Man's Fallen State."
be accepted in the form presented, which-
ever way the formal majority lies.
So Annual Conference is a real organ
of church government, where real deci-
sions are taken — decisions which to a
striking degree come from the congrega-
tions and go back to them. The Con-
ference Booklet (192 pages in 1982) is
published a couple of months before the
Conference takes place and includes the
major reports and resolutions for discus-
sion, so it is not only the delegates who
know what will go on. And it
sounded as if the delegates'
task of reporting it back to
their congregations
is not taken
Ughtly.
The rarest and most effective agent
binding the Church of the Brethren
together, however, is the fact that it is a
"peace church." I knew this before I went
to the USA, of course, but was surprised
how prominent this feature was in Annual
Conference, with excellent information on
peace themes and serious reflection about
peace action, and moreover a tendency
for the practical commitment to peace to
crop up during discussions on other
topics — a glance at the compass while
deciding how to tackle the crossing of
this next rocky valley!
As with us in
I ^^~^ ~~"X^ Europe, peace is
The moderator has a staff to advise him on the conduct of business. '
32 MESSENGER July 1983
central problem of our contemporary
world, and the Church of the Brethren is
in the thick of Christian resistance to new
directions in Reagan's foreign policy. Dur-
ing the Conference The Brethren Press
brought out an important Christian criti-
que of the American role in disarmament
negotiations. Brethren are involved in the
refusal to pay taxes earmarked for arms
and defense. And the first Brethren young
men are coming up before courts in the
USA for refusing to register for military
service. Conscription has not been rein-
troduced in the USA, but Reagan is
rebuilding the administration necessary for
a smooth return to it, so young men of 18
are being required to register.
This lay behind one incident at Annual
Conference which shook me then and as-
tounds me still. The first Brethren young
man to be arraigned for this particular
form of resistance (Enten Eller) came on-
to the platform and spoke briefly about
what was happening. What he said was
modest and clear, and informed by the
wish to see his "opponents" as in-
dividuals—the prosecutors, etc. — and the
feeling that his main job will be to per-
suade them personally of the rightness
and "Christianness" of his stand, whatever
judgment the court hands down. He took
an aged woman (Anna Mow) with him
onto the platform. She said nothing, but
was, I think, a known symbol of the bat-
tles which past generations of Brethren
have fought against militarism. In his
speech he explicitly thanked his parents
for being as they are — this had helped to
bring him to where he stood today.
I tried to imagine something like
that — an open expression of loyalty to
three generations' commitment to Chris-
tian action — in our circles in Britain,
Switzerland, or West Germany, and my
imagination refused to produce anything
so unlikely. I looked for snags and
ulterior motives, and couldn't see any. It
was, for me, one of the two most striking
concrete pieces of evidence for the unify-
ing force of the peace church idea, and all
that goes with it.
"The young man took an aged woman with htm to the platform.
I found myself reflecting further on
the significance of the Church of the
Brethren being a peace church. People
said to me that by no means all men in
the church are pacifists. But I felt one
could hardly stay in the Church of the
Brethren without respecting pacifists, and
following the reasoning which Ues behind
a pacifist commitment. And since a
radical stand on war and miUtary service
is simply part of the life of this church
it creates "space" for radicalness in other
directions, too.
Even in a heated debate on abortion the
bulk of the speakers referred back to that
basic tenet of a peace church, that one
cannot take human life, and that
therefore abortion is wrong. Again, my
impression may be superficial. But I took
the day's discussion on abortion to be
clear evidence that the traditions of a
peace church hold the Brethren together
even in the face of issues and movements
which are causing a lot of trouble in other
parts of the American religious scene.
A final note: I was not the only person
suffering from the "damp-eye-syndrome"
during Annual Conference worship ser-
vices. It's presumably a sign of longing,
and therefore very Christian — longing, for
example, that a peak experience of unity
in emotion while singing could be carried
over into the practicalities of everyday
life, and extended to include people we
want to reach but never can. Did middle-
aged people suffer from the damp-eye-
syndrome 20 years ago? Or is it that, in
the decades after World War II, longing
was not so pronounced, because we really
did seem to be on the way to a better
world . . . whereas now, you either have
to stubbornly internalize your faith, or
face the full pain of the apparent
hopelessness of the discrepancy between
what we would love to see happen and
what actually does happen? D
Paul Jenkins is librarian for the Basel Mission,
Basel, Switzerland.
July 1983 MESSENGER 33
Cross
Keys
a developing retirement
community of individual
cottages on the campus of
The Brethren Home at
New Oxford, Penn-
sylvania
• 10 models from $24,900
• only 2 hours from
Philadelphia and D.C.
• 15 minutes from Get-
tysburg
• 12 Church of the
Brethren Congrega-
tions nearby
• activities program
• free transportation
• nite-time security
• meals, housecleaning
and nursing service
available at modest
costs
• truly independent
living
• with the assurance of
nursing care when
needed
• freedom from
household chores
''move in now while
you can still enjoy iV
Harvey S. Kline,
Administrator
For more information
contact:
Milton E. Raup,
The Brethren Home
Box 128
New Oxford, PA 17350
(717)624-2161
34 MESSENGER July 1983
mw§Mm@i
GLOBAL
WOMEN'S
PROJECT
It has been five years since the Global
Women's Project was begun, and a
number of resource materials have been
accumulated. Resources listed here are in-
tentionally limited to two specific areas.
Unless stated otherwise, all materials are
available from Mary Cline Detrick, ad-
ministrator, the Global Women's Project,
1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120. Tel.
312-742-5100.
An overview
For a self-contained, in-depth look at the
Global Women's Project, the "Global
Women's Project Resource Packet" is a
must. At $3 each, this packet offers a
bibliography, a study guide, and 15
resources for individual study, small-
group meetings, workshops, church school
classes, or a similar group experience.
Among the materials in the packet:
• "Women Hold Up Half the Sky," an
issue of New Internationalist magazine
that provides a thorough examination of
all aspects of women's lives through ar-
ticles, statistics, and book reviews.
• "Women in Development," by Bar-
bara Howell and Jill Nemeth, discusses
issues such as education and illiteracy
rates, political strength, organization, aid,
and self-reliance.
• "Giving Birth to a New World," by
Ruthann Knechel Johansen, looks at the
global impUcations of five feminist goals
and calls for a change in US lifestyles by
relinquishing or taxing luxuries.
• "Biblical Faith and Global Responsi-
bility," by Rick Gardner, answers with a
resounding "Yes" the question of whether
or not the Bible calls us to global respons-
ibility and gives bibhcal support.
• Global Women's Project brochure
and logo stickers. These items are also
available separately and provide steps for
getting started in the Global Women's
Project.
For those who would like to focus on
the Global Women's Project for a meeting
or fellowship event, there are two ex-
cellent sHde/tape presentations available.
"Poverty and Affluence in God's Global
Family" (about 25 minutes) quickly gets to
the heart of the effect of luxuries and
overconsumptive lifestyles on poor people
throughout the world.
"Coming Full Circle: Touching Kenyan
Sisters" (about 25 minutes) reflects the in-
sights of Mary Brandenburg as she tra-
veled in Kenya to the Miriu Health
Center, first recipient of a $30,000 grant
from the Global Women's Project and the
World Ministries Commission.
Rental cost for both slide/tape presen-
tations is return postage.
A "Facts and Tax" sheet and
accompanying commitment card offer
specific steps in examining luxuries and
suggestions for a self-imposed luxury tax.
This sheet, the brochure, and the logo
sticker are good resources to distribute to
a group after a presentation on the Global
Women's Project. AU three are free.
For those interested in learning more
about the role of women around the
world, two books will serve as additional
resources:
Third World Women Speak Out, by
Perdita Houston, Praeger Pubhshing,
1979, paper, $4.95.
Threatened With Resurrection, by JuUa
Esquivel, The Brethren Press, 1982,
paper, $4.95. Study guide included.
Latin America
Threatened With Resurrection is being
distributed by the Global Women's Proj-
ect, along with The Brethren Press, as
part of the project's special focus on Latin
America. Julia Esquivel, a Christian
woman exiled from Guatemala, writes elo-
quently of the pain and suffering of her
people, as well as of their hope cmd belief
in Christ's redeeming love. The Global
Women's Project is challenging 50 people
in each district to read the book to inform
themselves about oppression.
Another resource on Latin America is
"Nicaragua, a Story that Needs to be
Told," a slide/tape presentation created
by Mary Cline Detrick, who traveled in
Nicaragua last year. The Global Women's
Project helped fund a Christian Women's
Conference in Nicaragua in May.
A third resource on Latin America is
Yvonne Dilling, of the Beacon Heights
congregation in Fort Wayne, Ind. She has
worked with Salvadoran refugees in Hon-
duras and is a resource for first-hand in-
formation about survival in the midst of
revolution and the role the US has had in
the Latin American struggle. — Mary
Brandenburg and Janine Katonah
Mary Brandenburg and Janine Katonah, of the
York Center congregation, Lombard, III., are members
of the Global Women's Project steering committee.
YOUR Will
A
MATTER
OF LIFE
AND
DEATH
(BUT MOSIH
IIFE)
YOUR WILL
TAKES EFFECT
AT DEATH
AMD IT EXTENDS
YOUR
LIFE INTERESTSl
L.
Please send,
without obligation,
wills information.
Please clip and mail to:
Church of the Brethren
General Board
stewardship / Special Gifts
1451 Dundee Ave.
Elgin, Illinois 60120
7/83 I
.J
July 1983 MESSENGER 36
On finger pointing, sanctuary, and
Phillip D. Carter
Don't make liberals
the scapegoat
I thank God that Messenger allows the
expression of so many diverse opinions, in
spite of the fact that many brothers and
sisters are harshly critical of the magazine.
As an evangelical, born-again Christian
who joined the Church of the Brethren a
few years ago, I find this publication
refreshing, informative, and attuned to
the spiritual. I also appreciate the diversity
of opinions which unfortunately isn't as
easily expressed among many funda-
mentalist and conservative bodies.
I may not agree with everything in
Messenger, and sometimes I wish for a
more evangehcal perspective in the realm
of personal spirituality, but I am finding
myself much more in disagreement with
those who voice their complaints in an
unloving and self-righteous manner. If the
people who don't want to read Messenger
anymore are the "godly men and women,"
where does that leave the rest of us?
I suspect what many really object to is
the fact that many times there are articles
in Messenger critical of our country's
position on various issues. The real prob-
lem may be that far too many Believers
have mixed up their Christianity with their
American nationalism and they can't see
the difference between the two. Unfor-
tunately these people are unaware that
they have attempted to refashion God
into their own American deity.
The opinion of Sheila Nyhart (March)
has brought up another issue. It's time we
Christians quit trying to blame everything
that is going wrong (in our view) in our
society on the liberals and humanists. Life
is not so simple that we can divide the
world up between the good and the evil.
Even as saved and sanctified Christians we
still struggle with that old nature in us. It
would be historically incorrect to credit
Christians and Christianity with the only
good influence on our society and to
blame everyone else for what goes wrong.
There were many non-Christians who
played prominent roles in the founding of
our nation. Among them, Thomas Jeffer-
son and Benjamin Franklin. They believed
that Jesus was a great moral teacher but
Elizabethtown College
Interested in admission? Contact Sandra Zerby, Di-
rector of Admissions. Other Brethren colleges are
Bridgewater College, Juniata College, Manchester Col-
lege, McPherson College, and the University of La
Verne.
1 ounded in 1899 by the Church of the Brethren,
Elizabethtown has always valued the individual,
maintaining academic excellence and the liberal arts,
small classes, and concern for students' career preparation.
We offer financial aid to 80 percent of our students, including
many church/religious scholarships, and we are proud of
our excellent 94 percent job placement record.
Campus life here is vital. Cultural and pop events abound
(this year ranged from the Pittsburgh Symphony to Charlie
Daniels' Band). Our men's and women's varsity teams
make us a conference powerhouse, often nationally ranked.
There are over 40 student organizations including a thri\ ing
religious life program with weekly chapel services, student
deputation teams to area Brethren churches, discussion and
prayer groups, and an excellent religious lecture series
which this year brought to campus religious leaders Dr.
Alan Geyer and the Rev. Thomas Troger.
Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania 17022 • 717-367-1151
36 MESSENGER July 1983
Florida Brethren
neither could accept his divinity. Jefferson
believed that the doctrines such as the
Trinity, the Resurrection, and the Atone-
ment were not of God, but were schemes
of the different Christian sects. Both men
beheved we are saved by our good works
and not by faith. But despite their
liberalism, who can deny their contribu-
tion to our political system?
Without the influence of many liberal
thinkers we may not have had many of
the freedoms which we now enjoy. Many
of our reUgious forebears were intolerant
of those with different beliefs. In many
states Jews and Catholics were unwanted,
and in others they were refused the right
to vote. In Puritan Massachusetts laws
were passed to prevent Quakers from
entering their colony and the death penal-
ty was passed on any Quaker who re-
turned after banishment. Baptists were
persecuted in some southern colonies for
conducting "illegal worship services."
Alas, life is just not as simple as some
would have us think. It would be a shame
for Christians to try and make the liberals
and humanists the scapegoats for all of
society's problems. It would also be wrong.
In fact, let's give credit where credit is
due. Our nation is not a Christian nation,
it never has been, and never will be. In
the treaty with Tripoli signed in 1796 by
George Washington it is categorically
stated, to assure the Mushms with whom
this treaty was made, that the government
of the United States of America is not in
any sense founded on the Christian
religion.
In Eerdman's Handbook to the History
of Christianity it is stated, contrary to
popular mythology, that the USA was ac-
tually the first secular state. Why?
Because we were the first nation to point
to people instead of God as the authority
from which government receives its right
to govern— an obviously humanistic con-
cept which can be traced directly to the
pen of the French deist Jean-Jacques
Rousseau. He put forward the secular
theory of government, which states that
neither the laws nor the government of a
state are appointed by God, but based on
the will of the people. One glance at our
Declaration of Independence shows the
evidence of Rousseau's thought.
Liberals and humanists have been
around for quite a while, and they have
made beneficial contributions to our
society, whether we will admit it or not. I
am not saying that everything they believe
or advocate is compatible with bibhcal
Christianity. I am saying that we should
realize that we Christians are not the
"good guys" and everyone else the "bad
guys." I know plenty of Christians whose
Christianity is sadly anemic, and the fact
that they are "saved" hasn't made them
any smarter, less racist, more politically
aware, more compassionate, or easier to
get along with.
Much of what is wrong with our coun-
try and the world today could also be laid
at the feet of us Christians for failing to
live up to our calling and failing to really
put our lives in God's hands. The great
problem we face today is not with modern
people, but with the authenticity of the
church's own message. I believe we could
have a much more dramatic impact for
Christ in our society through the living
out of the gospel in each of our own lives
rather than by pointing our finger at
someone else. D
Phillip D. Carter is a licensed minister in the Santa
Ana (Calif.) Church of the Brethren.
Byron J. Wampler
Refugees worthy
of 'sanctuary'
When the Johnson City Press-Chronicle
reported the General Board's resolution
on providing sanctuary for Salvadoran
and Guatemalan refugees (see March
Messenger, page 12) it stated that "the
Church of the Brethren says providing
sanctuary ... in defiance of US policy is
an 'appropriate Christian response to . . .
injustice ....'"
The phrase "in defiance of US policy"
was a poor choice of words by the
reporter. The phrase, "in protest of,"
would have been better. In the official
release from news director Wendy
Chamberlain, it was stated that the resolu-
tion "advises congregations to consider
carefully the responsibilities and legal
ramifications before undertaking sanc-
tuary, and to work within the law as
much as possible by petitioning Congress
and the State Department to grant refugee
status to Salvadorans and Guatemalans."
The same restrained tone of caution ap-
peared in the General Board's report to
pastors and congregations. There are
about six million refugees in the
world — largely women and children. Most
35- Anniversary
Brethren
Volunteer
Service
sharing God's love through acts of service
1451 Dundee Avenue, Elgin, Illinois 60120
July 1983 MESSENGER 37
CLASSIFIED ADS
WANTED — Asst. Adm. for large Christian retire-
ment community with health services. Leader-
ship ability, human relations, communications,
supervisory and administrative sidlls req. 4 yr.
college deg., min. 3-5 yrs. supervisory & man-
agement exp. and ability to obtain Ohio nursing
home administrator's license. Avail. 10/1 or
before. Send resume to Robt. D. Cain, Jr.,
Administrator-Designate, The Brethren's Home,
750 Chestnut St., Greenville, OH 45331. Tel.
(513) 548-4117.
PHYSICIAN'S ASST. - BS grad. Aug. '83 seek-
ing family practice position with Dr. in medically
underserved area anywhere in USA. 7 yrs at mis-
sion hospital in Haiti. Alta Hodges, 815 Court
St., St. Joseph, Ml 49085. Tel. (616) 983-7454.
FOR SALE-Waubee Lake lot, Milford, IN, 90
frontage, 300" deep, trees. Must seU. Make an of-
fer. Gilbert Weldy, 5850 Capri Ln., Morton
Grove, IL 60053. Tel. (312) 966-0025.
TRAVEL— View the 350th anniversary produc-
tion of the Oberammergau Passion Play in Ger-
many the week of Aug. 27, 1984. Tour Austria,
Switzerland, & Italy. Discount for early deposit.
Contact tour hosts Paul & Mary Lee White, 135
Fenton Ave., Mogadore, OH 44260. Tel. (216)
628-4384.
TRAVEL — Oberammergau Passion Play,
Schwarzenau & other early Brethren & Reforma-
tion areas, plus Lucerne, Zurich, Marburg, etc.,
July 5-16, 1984. Contact Harold & Betty Bom-
berger for details regarding excellent trip at sur-
prisingly low cost. Write Box 72, Mt. Gretna,
PA. 17064. Tel. (717) 964-3547.
GRAND TOUR /Israel-Oberammergau/ Passion
Play. 15 days — August 1-15, 1984. Tour price in-
cluding tips and taxes $1999. JOIN US — write to
Wendell & Joan Bohrer, POB 67, Middlebury, IN
46540. Tel. (219) 825-7381 or (219) 825-2955.
Some places to be visited: Amman /Galilee/
Jerusalem/ Bethlehem/ Dead Sea/ Masada/
Bethany/ Garden Tomb/ Vienna/ Salzburg/
Oberammergau / Passion Play/ Liechtenstein /
Lucerne/ Innsbruck.
TRAVEL-Visit HOLY LAND and EGYPT Oc-
tober 3-16, 1983. Escorted by Lawrence &
Melody Rupley, MTS Ephrata. $1650 from New
York. Write: Rupley, 918 Walnut, Akron, PA
17501. Tel. 800-233-0157
are refugees because they are of the wrong
race, religion, nationality, poUtical persua-
sion or affiliation. For most of them to
return home would be to face persecution
or worse.
Not all countries accept refugees. The
US does, but with restrictions. One
restriction is that there must be a sponsor-
ing individual or group, so that the
refugee is properly integrated into our
social and economic system. This is good.
The Church of the Brethren has a fuU-
time refugee coordinator (Jan Thompson)
and has long sponsored refugees in
cooperation with its local congregations
and Church World Service. We remember
that we were once religious refugees and
were welcomed to these shores. We have a
definite conviction that we should extend
our hand to "the least of these, my
brethren" (Matthew 25:40). My pastor
recently reminded us that "God so loved
the world . . . ," and that includes "red
"The story of a Christian life joyously,
bravely, and perceptively lived. ..."
— Malcolm Muggeridge
"Dorothy Garst Murray has managed to
capture almost all of Anna in mere
words. ..."
— Eugenia Price
Now available — the biography of Anna Beahm
Mow, beloved friend, teacher, and author.
$7.95 and 95(1; p&h.
THE BRETHREN PRESS
1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120
Phone Toll Free 1-800-323-8039
PLUS! A Special offer on books authored by Anna Mow:
Find Your Own Faith The Secret of Married Love
So Who s Afraid of Birthdays Sensitivity to What?
Springs of Love
Retail value $12.05 Special sale: All five books for $4.95 and $1.25 p&h.
38 MESSENGER July 1983
and yellow, black, and white, all are
precious in His sight . . . ." This is the
philosophy at the root of the General
Board resolution.
The problem arises with a second
restriction of US refugee policy. This
limits refugee placement to certain ac-
cepted groups. Accepted groups have
changed through our history. At one time
only white, Anglo-Saxon Europeans were
welcome. Southern Europeans were ac-
cepted, but not welcomed. Asians were
farther down the Ust and Africans beyond
the pale. We have never restricted aliens
on the basis of religion, but now do on
the basis of politics and economics. No
one would question the selective rejection
of political agitators, but to reject a race
or nationality on the basis of the actions
of a few political leaders is about as
plausible as to reject all Jews on the basis
of the action of the Sanhedrin that led to
the crucifixion of Jesus.
All free persons, and especially all
Christians, should take issue with this
kind of mentality. In its action our
Church of the Brethren General Board did
so. The concept of "sanctuary," men-
tioned in the article, is akin to that of the
cities of refuge in Old Testament times,
except that we are protecting the innocent
rather than the guilty, and this is consis-
tent with Christian love and charity.
It is always easy for the church to find
reasons to comply with the expedient
policies of government. But it took
courage 130 years ago to be a member of
the Underground Railroad which illegally
assisted escaped slaves to freedom. It took
courage 1,950 years ago for Jesus of
Nazareth to break Jewish laws in order to
relieve human suffering — for which he
was branded a seditionist and crucified.
Let any humanitarian count the cost. D
Byron J. Wampler is administrator of The John M.
Reed Home, Inc., Limestone, Tenn.
Elmer I. Brumbaugh
Bradenton: Dunker
doctrines upheld
It has been our privilege to worship with
the Good Shepherd Church of the
Brethren in Bradenton, Fla., the last three
winters. This church, which celebrated its
fifth anniversary this winter, has shown
phenomenal growth. Due to the large
number of winter residents it was
necessary to have two morning worship
services for three months this year.
This congregation is made up of many
denominational backgrounds, so many are
new in the Church of the Brethren. We
have been impressed with the positive way
pastor Don White presents the doctrines
and ideals of the church. Pastor White,
who in recent years has come into our
denomination, has studied Brethren
history seriously and expresses real joy in
being a part of that heritage. He makes
one feel good about being Brethren.
He upholds the peace position of the
church and explains and practices all the
ordinances of anointhig, the full love feast
and three-fold baptism. The church is
growing. The fellowship is warm and the
enthusiasm of the pastor and his wife,
Beckie, is felt in the entire membership.
At the love feast, feet washing, and
communion (which was well attended) an
opportunity to speak was given for any
who so wished. Many gave testimony of
their new-found blessings. One said he has
been a Christian for many years but as he
experienced this service he felt nearer to
God than ever before.
We who have been members of the
church most of our lives need to find new
joy and meaning in our church which
from its beginning has had as its creed the
New Testament and which practices the
ordinances in their fullness. If we do so
and witness enthusiastically we will win
others to Christ and to his church. D
Elmer I. Brumbaugh, of Kent, Ohio, is a wintertime
member of the Good Shepherd Church of the Breth-
ren, Bradenton, Fla.
^m{i]im(oj p(d)mt
Licensing/
Ordination
BIbbce, Oavid Michael, or-
dained April 10, 1983, Crest
Manor, No. Ind.
Hagenbcrger, Gene M. Jr., or-
dained April 10, 1983, Pipe
Creek, Mid-Atl.
Huiley, Richard M., licensed
January 4, 1983, Lititz, Atl.
N.E.
Pastoral
Placements
Burkholdcr, Connie, from
Bethany, to Wooster, Christ,
No. Ohio
Dubble, Carol and Kirby, from
Paxton, Big Swatara, Atl.
N.E., to Mt. Wilson, Atl.
N.E., Team Ministry
Elkenberry, James O., from
Springfield Good Shepherd,
So. Mo. /Arkansas, to Ba-
tavia, 111. /Wis.
FIrslbrook, Clinton, III, from
Astoria, 111. /Wis., to Rice
Lake, 111. /Wis., interim part-
time
Gahm, William, from retire-
ment, to Kansas City, First
Central, W. Plains, interim
part-time
George, Charles, to Canton,
First, No. Ohio, part-time
Hersbey, Kenneth H., from
Conemaugh, Western Pa., to
YeUow Creek, Bethel, Middle
Pa.
Ratb, Michael J., to Shepherd,
Michigan
Van Houten, Steve, from
Bethany, to Cloverdale, Vir-
lina
Anniversaries
Aukerman, Mr. and Mrs. Mar-
shall, Union City, Ind., 65
Brown, Claude R. and Jeun,
York, Pa., 50
Graybill, Harry and Edna,
Rothsville, Pa.. 65
Huber, Harry and Anna, Lititz,
Pa., 51
Oswalt, Mr. and Mrs. Roy, Ar-
canum, Ohio, 57
SUfer, Mr. and Mrs. Samuel,
Bedminister, Pa., 50
Tannreuttaer, Orville and Reba,
Waterloo, Iowa, 63
Deaths
Bantz, Martha J., 86, Green-
viUe, Ohio, Jan. 30, 1983
Blaer, Osa, 92, Troy, Ohio,
April 20, 1983
Bbder, Forrest, 74, Goshen,
Ind., Feb. 15, 1983
Click, Fannie M., 89, Harrison-
burg, Va., July 12, 1982
Comerford, Naomi, 81, Wash-
ington, DC, April 22, 1983
Crownover, Marlin, 72, Sheloc-
ta. Pa., April 14, 1983
Dell, Virginia L., 66, Union
City, Ohio, April 12, 1983
Dick, Wayne H., 70, Phoenix-
ville. Pa., April 18, 1983
Drake, Edith, 81, Wakarusa,
Ind., April 8, 1983
Folk, Mrs. Poneda, 86, Ligon-
ier, Ind., March 18, 1983
Gelger, Joseph A., 84, New
Carlisle, Ohio, March 28,
1983
Hoke, Frances, 73, Greenville,
Ohio, Dec. 13, 1982
Hoover, Lucy, Akron, Pa.,
March 28, 1983
Kurtz, William, 95, Huntsdale,
Pa., Feb. 6, 1983
McCunuey, Ralph, 87, Goshen,
Ind., Feb. 7, 1983
Pepper, Paul, 22, Dayton,
Ohio, March 22, 1983
Schlldt, Mary, 92, Rouzerville,
Pa., April 4, 1983
Shank, Hoy H., 95, Finksburg,
Md., Feb. 21, 1983
Smiley, Karen E., 22, Bridge-
water, Va., Feb. 10, 1982
Smith, C. Ethel, 92, Troy,
Ohio, March 24, 1983
Sumner, Sadie Weist, 83, New
Holland, Pa., March 30, 1983
Thomu, Irma Urey, 84, Wa-
terloo, Ind., April 6, 1983
Wine, Jesse S., 90, Bridgewater,
Va., April 22, 1982
Witter, Helen, 79, Mercersburg,
Pa., March 18, 1983
Voder, Elmer, 83, Quakertown,
Pa., Feb. 6, 1983
July 1983 MESSENGER 39
Crawfishes at Conference
Once I was invited by a columnist to name some of
my favorite books. I declined, pointing out that if
I did submit a list, pride would force me to lie. To
protect my image I'd have to mention authors such
as Bonhoeffer, Dostoevsky, Ellul, and Merton. At
the very least, I'd have to name C. S. Lewis. "The
shameful truth is," I confessed, "among my top
favorites are Gone With the Wind, Huckleberry
Finn, The Egg and I, and Uncle Remus. "
That last-named tome would surely raise
eyebrows. But I make no excuses for Joel
Chandler Harris' 19th-century racist overtones. I
grew up on Uncle Remus tales. As recently as New
Year's Eve 1981 I turned to him, when a sleet
storm isolated my mother, my son, and me on the
farm in Virginia, preventing our joining the rest of
the family for merrymaking in town. The power
lines were down, and the furnace and telephone
out. So we built a cozy fire in the fireplace, lit a
kerosene lamp, and saw the New Year in, reading
aloud from Uncle Remus.
I thought of Uncle Remus just now as I con-
templated our Brethren Annual Conference in Bal-
timore. It seems that one time the animals decided
to call an assembly . . . "fer ter sorter straighten out
matters and hear de complaints." Now doesn't that
sound like Annual Conference? Can't you hear it?
"Dey spoke speeches . . . and fiung der langwidge
'roun' .... Howsomever, dey 'ranged der 'fairs, en
splained der bizness."
But, while the animals "wuz 'sputin' 'longer
one er nudder, de elephant trompled on one er de
crawfishes." How often at Conference does one of
us — or a group of us — feel "trompled on"?
And sometimes we react like the crawfishes.
These delegates from the heartland — their con-
gregation was no doubt some place such as Maple
Creek or Muddy Branch — were offended by the
elephant's insensitivity. The crawfishes "sorter
swarmed tergedder en draw'd up a kinder peram-
ble wid some wharfo'es in it, en read her out in de
'sembly." But nobody paid any attention. Uncle
Remus speculates that the mud turtle or the spring
lizard may have heard the crawfishes . . . but "dere
enfloons wuz pow'ful lackin'."
How many "crawfish" groups could we iden-
tify at Baltimore this year? I may be overlooking
some of them, but I'm fairly sure these, at least,
Eire around:
The Womaen's Caucus keeps a lower profile
than formerly, but that's not to indicate its con-
cerns have evaporated or that much progress has
been made toward giving women their equal place
in the life of the church.
The anti-abortion rights people are busy, still
trying to get a satisfactory answer to the question
of how Brethren pacifists can oppose all war but
not all abortions.
The Holy Spirit group, more successful than
some in finding accommodation, is still around,
although its large conferences of the middle 1970s
seem to have been its high water mark.
The anti-NCC/WCC folks have managed to
get another query to this year's Conference, an
achievement for crawfishes everywhere.
Most painfully obvious at this Conference
have been homosexual Brethren — what with the
human sexuality paper — although antagonism
from the rest of us keeps them virtually invisible.
There are other crawfish groups — such as the
creationists, the overseas mission enthusiasts, the
evangelicals, the fundamentalists, the war tax
withholders — my difficulty in naming all of them
suggests the scope of the problem.
How do we make sure all the crawfishes get
their "peramble" heard? I don't win any populari-
ty contests preaching tolerance and forebearance
to Brethren, especially when some of the
crawfishes are intentionally "trompled on."
Maybe we're going at it the wrong way, airing
our differences and grievances in the Conference
business sessions. After all, for most of us it's as
important to feel we've been heard as to win a
floor debate. Maybe what we need is another
category of exhibit booths at Conference — apart
from those endorsing General Board pro-
gram—and rent them out to groups at odds one
way or another with the rest of us.
W.
rhat harm would it do, say, for the
Brethren / Mennonite Council for Gay Concerns
to have a booth and offer literature explaining its
cause? If we didn't agree with it, we could avoid
that booth. After all, 1 avoid some of the booths
we already allow at Conference. And a few years
back wasn't there a booth maintained by someone
soliciting support to raise Noah's Ark, or
something? Why can't our "disagreeing-but-with-
love" practice apply to exhibit booths, and let all
the crawfish "perambles" be on display?
Anyway, it's just an idea, and my conscience is
clear now. I have presented the case for the
crawfishes at Conference. Too bad that, like that
of the mud turtle and spring lizard, my "enfloons
is pow'ful lackin'."— K.T.
40 MESSENGER July 1983
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Messenger's
just not what
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Lou can bet your beards and buggies it's not what it used to
be! Today's MESSENGER has far more to offer than the
magazine we once knew. With photographs, art, and
stories, MESSENGER tells you about members of the church
family who are doing things out on the cutting edge of
Brethren program. News stories tell you about the latest
meetings, new program thrusts. Brethren response to
human need and disaster, people making headlines. Good
Brethren writers offer spiritually uplifting articles that
clarify Brethren beliefs and practices. Bible study articles
appear regularly. General Board staff tell you about
resources at your fingertips that can enhance the program of
your own congregation. We share with you stories from
local churches that can further stimulate your thinking and
planning.
Messenger does all this and does it well — well enough
that every year recently the magazine has won national
awards for the quality of its work.
No, Messenger's not what it used to be ... we
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cit>;s<«te/zip
BOB NEFF-
Inside the NCC
m^^(^i[i\t.
8
12
14
16
19
CO
CO
Inside the NCC. Brethren have varied views of the National
Council of Churches of Christ. Bob Neff, general secretary of the
Church of the Brethren, chairs an NCC Presidential Panel with the task
of taking a critical look at the council and making recommendations
for the future. Neff discusses the panel and his role, in an interview
with Wendy Chamberlain. Sidebars by Judd Blouch look at Bob Neff,
after five years as general secretary, and at the other six delegates to the
NCC.
Brethren at the NCC: An Important Presence. The NCC
and the Church of the Brethren have had a profound effect on each
other. Harriet Ziegler, news director for the NCC, outlines this
relationship. An accompanying chart summarizes Brethren giving to the
NCC.
Can a Gay Church Join the NCC? The Universal Fellowship
of Metropolitan Community Churches wants to join the NCC. But
many churches are opposed to admission of the UFMCC because it is
predominantly homosexual. Wendy Chamberlain traces the background
of this controversial issue and reports on what is currently being done.
Three Weeks in Vancouver. The Sixth Assembly of the World
Council of Churches, meeting in Vancouver this summer, is a
celebration of both the unity and the diversity of Christians from all
over the world. Wendy Chamberlain describes an assembly and tells
what might be expected from the Vancouver meeting. In a sidebar,
William Simbro writes about a delegation of WCC members from West
Germany, Barbados, and Russia that visited the Ivester Church of the
Brethren, Grundy Center, Iowa, this past April.
Pressing Priorities. There are four major issues affecting the
Church of the Brethren now and in the near future, says Wilbur R.
Hoover — identity, leadership, structure, and priorities. The former
district executive ponders these and suggests directions.
In Touch profiles Ellen Mellinger, McPherson, Kan.; Ralph and Katharine
Loshbaugh, Westphalia, Kan.; and Jon Royer, Elgin, 111. (2) . . . Outlook reports
on New Church Development conference. Evangelical peace conference. Genetic
engineering. Bethany graduates. Bethany Seminary emphasis (start on 4) . . .
Update/ Underlines (7) . . . Resources, "Bible Commentaries," by Rick Gardner
(20) . . . Opinions, John Attaway (22) . . . Turning Points (23) . . . Editorial (24).
1
EDITOR
Kermon Thomasson
MANAGING EDITOR
Wendy Chamberlain
EDITORIAL ASSISTANT
Judd Blouch
FEATURES
Fred W. Swartz
SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES
Ruth Anne Culp
PROMOTION
Kenneth L. Gibble
PUBLISHER
John D. Metzler Jr.
VOL. 132, NO. 8 AUGUST 1983
CREDITS: cover art, 8, 9, 19 Kermon
Thomasson. 1, 12 William F. Smith. 3, 6 bottom
Judd Blouch. 4 Howard Royer. 6 top Floyd
McDowell. 10 2nd, 3rd left Nguyen Van Gia. 16
Des Moines Register. 18 art Neils Wamberg. 20-21
art by Kathy Kline.
MESSENGER is the official publication of the
Church of the Brethren. Entered as second-class
matter Aug. 20, 1918, under Act of Congress
of Oct. 17, 1917. Filing date, Nov. I, 1982.
Messenger is a member of the Associated
Church Press and a subscriber to Religious News
Service and Ecumenical Press Service. Biblical
quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are from
the Revised Standard Version.
Subscription rates: $10 one year for individual
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scriptions. School rate 50c per issue. If you move
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Allow at least five weeks for address
change. MESSENGER is owned and
published monthly by the General
Services Commission, Church of the
Brethren General Board, 1451 Dundee
Ave., Elgin, 111. 60120. Second-class
postage paid at Elgin, 111., August 1983. Copyright
1983, Church of the Brethren General Board.
■
THE PLAGUES OF HUMANISM
I am responding to Aubrey C. Todd's letter
about humanism, in the June Messenger. If
anyone is offended by the electronic church they
are just not listening to all of it, nor reading cur-
rent theology.
First, the Church of the Brethren practices
humanitarian service, not humanistic, and that is
good. The "religion" of humanism (referred to as
a religion by the Supreme Court) grew out. of the
humanities, which was a study of the literature
and art of pagan antiquity, as opposed to sacred
literature and art at that time. From a place of
humane treatment of works by non-Judeo-
Christian people along with the sacred it has
graduated to replacement of the Scriptures and
the ultimate deification of man.
According to John W. Whitehead and Francis
Schaeffer, present-day humanism is defined as
"man evolved (not created) and by reasoning out-
ward, derives the standards to judge all matters.
For such people there is no absolute or fLxed
standard of behavior, a law unto themselves.
Any standard can be eroded or replaced by what
seems necessary, expedient, or fashionable at the
time. Man is his own authority, his own god in
his own universe."
In the 19th century, humanist ideas invaded
education, science, and the arts. In the 20th cen-
tury it has invaded the courts and government, as
well as many churches. How else would society
be plagued with drugs, crime, divorce, abortion,
sexual promiscuity, pornography, and nuclear
threats?
1, too, believe the Church of the Brethren has
been way ahead in its humanitarian endeavors,
but way behind in burying our heads when these
many evils began to overtake our nation, and our
churches.
MaRG.\RET R. LE.ARN
Indiana, Pa.
ANOTHER DEFINITION OF HUMANISM
Aubrey C. Todd (Letters, June) does not men-
tion a second definition of humanism: "A ra-
tionalist movement that holds that man can be
ethical, find self- fulfillment, etc., without
recourse to supernaturalism."
For us who object to humanism, we do so
because the latter is our definition of humanism.
The word "humanism" has a connotation for us
that has nothing to do with Christian compas-
sion. It may be that our difference is due only to
definition. We who object to humanism believe
in deeds of compassion and mercy. Of course,
the greatest deed of love is to introduce people to
Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
Several years ago a poll was taken by Gallup
that showed that evangelical churches did more
to feed the hungry and minister to the physical
needs of people than the liberal churches. I have
seen this truth in Haiti with OMS. For them the
first work of the church is saving souls. Yet, they
have a health clinic, a dental clinic and a school.
They feed the hungry and are planning programs
to raise the income of the poor.
Billy Graham has programs that meets the
physical needs of man. So does the 700 Club.
What many of us object to is ministry to man
in the name of man. We believe in ministering to
the whole man in the name and power of Jesus
Christ. 1 trust that our difference with Aubrey C.
Todd is in definition of humanism — not in the
need to minister to the whole person with the sav-
ing of his soul the number one priority.
Ellis G. Guthrie
Eaton, Ohio
(Speaking of Haiti, look at what Luc Neree
and the Brethren are doing through Aide-aux-
Enfants there, if you want to see a great com-
bination of saving souls and meeting physical
needs. See "Haiti's Theological Warrior . . .
and the Brethren," Messenger, September
1982. -Ed.)
THE BISHOPS ARE RIGHT
The biggest thrill I have had in recent years
and my biggest hope for the future is the Roman
Catholic bishops' stand for world civilization and
world peace and against world holocaust by
nuclear bombs. This required great courage and
sacrifice.
The USA and the USSR have over 50,000
nuclear weapons. This represents four tons of
TNT for every man, woman, and child on our
planet.
There are 100,000 Americans with access to
nuclear weapons. We need only a drunk or a
dope-head to push the button. Since 1977 alone,
1,219 people in nuclear work were "relieved" of
their duty, because of "mental disorder," 1,365
for drug abuse, 256 for alcoholism.
Further, who and what can be trusted? The
North American Defense Command reported
151 computer false alarms in one 18-month
period. One alarm required six minutes to correct
— the same time needed to complete a first-strike
launching.
Let's support all efforts to end nuclear
weapons worldwide, and nuclear power here at
home.
We do have many other safe ways of building
world peace and understanding — and we also do
have many alternative and renewable sources of
power. Let's use them now.
George Weybright
Syracuse, Ind.
THE NATO NUMBERS GAME
As a "mere volunteer," I was flattered at being
called a "leader in the West German peace move-
ment" and at having been "involved in organiz-
ing" the Easter Marches. (See June, page 4.)
Nevertheless, I'd like to point out that the last
two sentences concerning the planned deploy-
ment of 572 new American missiles and the
Soviet missiles estimated at between 600 and 496
(the present number is actually 343 SS-20 missiles
already deployed) do not lend clarification to the
situation here in Europe.
Mentioning the number of Soviet inter-
mediate-range missiles in the same breath as
NATO's is buying into NATO's reasoning for
deploying the Cruise and Pershing II here in
Western Europe. Other than the fact that both
are deadly nuclear weapons, these missiles have
virtually nothing to do with each other. The Per-
shing II and Cruise missiles are not an answer to
the Soviet SS-20s. The Pershing II is, in fact, a
new brand of weapon, able to reach the Soviet
Union in a matter of minutes, unlike the Soviet
medium-range weapons. Its targeting accuracy is
also highly superior to the SS-20s.
Most important, though, is that the US would
be deploying nuclear weapons, outside its
borders, that are not able to reach and destroy
the SS-20s, but rather are able to wipe out the
military command and control centers in the
USSR. This could possibly precipitate a Cuban
missile crisis in reverse.
Thus these 108 Pershing II missiles to be de-
ployed this December in the Federal Republic of
Germany (the Pentagon budget calls for funds
for 385 Pershings for the European theater until
the end of 1986) would be the first step toward a
US first-strike capacity, thus raising the danger
of limited nuclear war.
Regardless of how one looks at this numbers
game, the new missiles (West Germany, for ex-
ample, already houses over 6,000 NATO-
controlled nuclear warheads) would add another
burden to this European powder keg and would
stir up a new round in the nuclear arms race.
European demonstrators do think that the
Soviet SS-20s are threatening, but they also
realize that the NATO "double-track decision"
from December 1979 was never meant to reduce
that threat.
Brethren can help educate friends, family, and
members of Congress about these realities, and
can help clear up the misinformation about the
European peace movement.
Kristin Flory
West Berlin
MESSENGER PROMOTING RAPE?
I feel compelled to write concerning the photo-
graphs on the cover of the June 5 church bulletin
and the June Messenger.
Doesn't the Church of the Brethren any longer
believe in the teaching of the Bible concerning
modesty of dress? I'm confident that you know
the teaching as well I do. Are you trying to pro-
mote rape?
Don't tell me my mind is in the gutter! I'm
thinking of our young people. There is so much
of this sort of thing today through pornography.
They don't need the help of the church.
There are so many beautiful scenes of God's
creation. Why not use them?
I pray that you will give this your considera-
tion and not print these things that are so offen-
sive and contrary to the Word of God and the
teachings of the early Brethren.
Stella Brubaker
Palmyra, Pa.
^Messenger does not produce the Living
Word Church Bulletins. And it never occurred to
us that the June Messenger cover would offend
anyone.— Ed.)
oYoYo¥%'(o
B.
►ecause Annual Conference was a week
later than usual, we had to schedule our
Conference coverage for September rather
than August. So it looked like August
might just be a "catch-all" issue, given to no
particular theme, reflecting late summer
doldrums for staff and readers.
We decided to resist that direction, how-
ever. The time seemed ripe, we reasoned, to
tell the story of our own general secretary.
Bob Neff, heading the Presidential Panel
critiquing the National Council of
Churches.
That decision was made late. And that
Harriet Ziegler, Judd Blouch, Wendy Chamberlain
meant relying on Messenger staff rather
than outside writers. Managing editor
Wendy Chamberlain and editorial assistant
Judd Blouch accepted the challenge and
went to work. That very day they were inter-
viewing Bob Neff (no mean feat with a
general secretary so much on the go). Many
phone calls and other research were needed
to gather data on NCC representatives, the
UFMCC, the WCC Assembly, and statistics
on Brethren funding of NCC program.
Even our former managing editor, Har-
riet Ziegler, was called in to help. Harriet is
now news director for the National Council
of Churches. She used her insider's perspec-
tive to tell how Brethren are involved
positively in the NCC.
What we hope appears to the reader as
the product of weeks of research and plan-
ning was actually put together in a few
days. (Harriet's story was phoned in, to
meet the deadline.)
Correction: The back cover ad in July
mistakenly reduced the cost of a two-year
Messenger subscription. Make that
$18.50, as usual.
Confession: Messenger apparently isn't
controversial enough. For the last few
months, letters to the editor have slacked
off. Please let us hear from more of you.
It's a way you can make us accountable to
you. -The Editor
August 198S MESSENGER 1
ini^Gi]
Ellen Mellinger: Something *BIG' happened
The connection is not certain, but it's a fact
that about the time Ellen Mellinger hit the
McPherson college campus last winter,
something "big" happened. The Brethren
students on campus formed an organiza-
tion, whose purpose is made clear by its
name — Brethren Identity Group, BIG.
And Ellen became its first moderator.
Ellen had been accepted by a non-Breth-
ren college when she finished high school in
Carlisle, Pa. But she opted for Brethren
Volunteer Service (BVS), and by the time
her term was completed she knew she liked
and belonged in the Brethren community.
Ellen's first BVS project was a family
crisis center in Dundalk, Md. "Most of the
women there were battered," she says, "and
believed they deserved the brutality imposed
on them by overly aggressive husbands."
She recalls an incident just before
Christmas which helped her realize the im-
portance of volunteer work: "The shelter
was full of women and children. Their anx-
iety was running high because the holidays
were approaching and they had been
forced to leave their homes. Pressure
weighed heavily on the staff,
and, feeling rather low one
night, I caught myself serious-
ly wondering if I had accom-
plished anything at the Center.
"The next morning a small
group of women due soon to
be discharged came into my
office and handed me a letter
of thanks. The women said
that before coming to us they
had felt like second-class citi-
zens. Yet in the process of
listening and talking and cry-
ing together, they had realized
their worth as human beings.
That letter was the highlight
of my stay. We had touched
lives and given people hope in
our work."
During Ellen's second year of BVS she
worked in the BVS headquarters in Elgin,
111. "I evaluated projects from Maine to
Hawaii and visited volunteers in all sorts
of circumstances — in nursing homes, inner
cities, and Appalachian poverty pockets.
Ellen Mellinger (center) with Brethren Identity Group member.\
Tim Grouse, David Steele, and Dawn Kesselring.
Everywhere, BVSers were giving of
themselves. Always their work was
challenging, always redemptive. But they
needed support because inner resources
only go so far when you're working
against overwhelming social problems.
Once in a project, volunteers quickly
realize their limitations."
Ralph and Katherine Loshbaugh: Time-tested ministry
It's a late summer evening in Westphalia,
Kan., and people are beginning to gather
at Scott Valley Church of the Brethren
where a trailer full of watermelons sits.
An elderly man gets the attention of the
crowd, welcomes them, and then gives
thanks. The watermelons are soon sliced
up and distributed; the watermelon feed
begins. Small children with oversized
pieces of melon become pink-cheeked and
sticky; boys have contests to see who is
the most accurate seed spitter; and older
folks, who revel more in the taste than the
fun of melon eating, mingle and chat.
Is this a com-
munity social or
an act of
ministry? To
Ralph Loshbaugh,
pastor at Scott
Valley, and wife,
Katherine, water-
melon feeds, taffy
pulls, and other
fun events have
become vital in-
struments in
creating a Chris-
tian community.
To say these
get-togethers have
weathered the test
of time would be
an understatement. The Loshbaughs have
been serving together in ministry for 63
years and three pastorates. The 88-year-
old duo has been ministering to Scott
Valley for 37 years.
One of the joys of the Loshbaughs' life
together has been ministering to youth in
the church and community. The taffy pull
has become a popular and effective way
to get young people together for an eve-
ning of fun and fellowship.
The taffy pull begins with devotions
with the actual pulling immediately
following. Hands are washed and buttered
so they won't stick to the taffy. The
strawberry-pink, cherry-red, lemon-yellow,
and mint-green taffy is then pulled and
stretched and shaped in a friendly tug-of-
war. After the correct consistency is at-
tained, the taffy is cut or broken, and
chewing takes the place of pulling.
Evenings like these have made the
Loshbaughs' years of ministry joyous and
exciting. A career of church service as
long as the Loshbaughs' has also afforded
them the convenience of ministering to in-
2 MESSENGER August 1983
Jon Royer: Living in the wheel world
As a BVSer herself, Ellen understood.
"I could identify with both the pleasures
and frustrations of serving. Often
volunteers would hug me and say, 'It was
really good to have you here.' Their ex-
periences convinced me that the work of
reconciliation is getting one's hands dirty
for the sake of the gospel."
From her BVS experience Ellen brings
knowledge to share with her fellow
students at McPherson of what living the
gospel is all about. She has an efferves-
cent personality, and others react positive-
ly and immediately. At the same time she
is reflective and is quick to admit to
others that she has her share of "lows."
Ellen has an early start in leadership.
And of her future career she says con-
fidently, "It must be redemptive in nature
. . . and it will be the work of the
church."— Jeanne Jacoby Smith
Jeanne Jacoby Smith is a free-lance writer from the
McPherson, Kan., congregation and is director of
publicity for McPherson College.
dividuals from their infancy to adulthood.
Ralph and Katherine have watched and
helped many people go from dedicated
babies to baptized youth to married
aduhs.
The Loshbaughs' age has not ended
their service to the church, but has only
slowed the pace. New families are still
welcomed into the community, and the
sick at home or in the hospital receive the
Loshbaughs' love via telephone, letter, or
personal visit. And despite losing the sight
in one eye, Ralph still drives many miles
on dirt and gravel roads to keep in touch
with members of his church.
Retirement isn't something the Losh-
baughs talk about very often. They're
willing to put that decision in God's
hands. — Ralph M. Hodgden
Ralph M. Hodgden is pastor of the Fredonia (Kan.)
Church of the Brethren, and a retired school teacher
and administrator.
Bicycles are usually considered a method
of transportation for people under the age
of 16. At that age handlebars are traded
for steering wheels and handbrakes for
power brakes.
But not for Jon Royer, 21, of Elgin, 111.
Jon, whose father, Howard, is the former
editor of Messenger and currently direc-
tor of interpretation for the General
Board, started biking only three years
ago. But in that short time bicycles have
become an important part of Jon's life.
Several qualities of biking attract Jon.
He has always had a knack for mechanics,
and enjoys doing all the work on his
bikes. But Jon also finds an abstract kind
of satisfaction from the clean, free-flight
feehng of biking.
"I really like riding out on the road,"
says Jon, a pleasant grin spreading over
his face. It is not hard to imagine the
slender young man on his 10-speed,
whisking through the countryside,
enveloped in a solitary world of swift,
smooth movement.
Jon learned the freedom of biking while
in the youth group of the Highland
Avenue church, where he is a member.
Bike trips to Camp Emmaus near Mount
Morris, 111., and one to Annual Con-
ference in Richmond, Va., were the major
projects of Jon's earlier biking days.
Jon says he was rather anti-athletic in
high school; he ran track in junior high
but didn't continue "because it always
hurt too much." But he liked physical
conditioning, and found in biking an en-
joyable way to stay fit.
All the riding Jon does is not of the
tranquil, touring variety, which he says
can become monotonous. He is a member
of the Blue Horizon Wheelmen, an Elgin-
based racing team, and races on both
open road and banked tracks called
velodromes.
"It's blood-and-guts-type racing when
you're out there," Jon says.
He sees an increase in both bicycle tour-
ing and racing. Jon meets more tourers on
the roads, and competes against an ever-
increasing number of racers. These new
bikers are discovering the things Jon has
known for years— the freedom, thrill, and
simplicity of biking.
Last summer Jon participated in a very
different and special kind of race — a race
across the United States.
Jon wasn't one of the four men who
rode in the race from Santa Barbara,
Calif., to New York City. Instead, he
used his technical know-how as part of
the crew for transcontinental record
holder Lon Haldeman. In the summer of
1981 Jon was on the crew for Lon's round
trip from New York to California and
back, which Lon rode in a record 24 days,
two hours.
Jon's main responsibilities were to help
drive the support vehicles and repair the
bicycles and cars. The only bike riding he
did was a 100-mile stretch toward the end
of the race to help Lon keep his concen-
tration.
The experience of Lon and crew paid
off as he won the race and broke his old
record with a time of 9 days, 20 hours,
and 2 minutes. A film crew from ABC
television filmed the entire event.
A documentary about the race was
shown last April. For Jon Royer, that is a
notable return on a sport in which self-
satisfaction and physical fitness are often
the only rewards. — J. A. B.
August 1983 MESSENGER 3
'Outer mission' spurs
assertiveness, caring
Laid off after two and a half years with a
sici manufacturer, and Hmited in job op-
portunities by multiple sclerosis, John L.
Stauffer turned to one of the skills he
knew best — woodworking.
At first as a hobby, then as a business,
he began producing wooden buckets. As
the orders piled up, he organized the
Maine Bucket Company, rented factory
space, employed assistants, and even en-
gaged his pastor, Mervin Keller, as sales
representative.
The Stauffer and Keller families were
among six Church of the Brethren families
to leave their homes in southeastern Penn-
sylvania in 1980 and 1981 and relocate 500
miles away in Lewiston, Maine, to form
the nucleus of a new church. The Lewis-
ton Brethren have grown to the point
where this June they purchased a former
synagogue as their church home.
Such ingenuity among the planners and
members of new church development in
the Church of the Brethren today is more
the rule than the exception. One small
clue to their resourcefulness is the array of
unique meeting sites they have selected. A
fire hall, a grange hall, a muffler shop, a
carport, a funeral home, and a tent have
each provided temporary shelter to a
fledgling congregation.
Diversity is still another hallmark in
Brethren church extension in the 1980s.
Koreans and Khmers are involved, as are
Anglos and Hispanics. The most recent
inquiry is from a Haitian group in Miami.
Some of the 15 new projects of recent
years were initiated by districts; some were
launched by a neighboring congregation;
some were independent groups seeking a
denominational home; some were the
work of special-interest groups, as with
the Brethren Revival Fellowship and its
colonization approach at Lewiston.
Whatever the origin, all quickly meshed
with the network of new congregations
nurtured by districts and the General
Board and coordinated by Merle Crouse,
of the Parish Ministries Commission.
A first of its kind in recent history was
the April coming-together at New Wind-
sor, Md., of some 70 representatives of
new church extension projects across the
US and in Puerto Rico. Pastors, laity,
planning committee members, and both
first-generation and old-line Brethren re-
joiced in the opportunity for sharing their
Three participants at the April conference were new church development consultants Ken
Kline Smeltzer, Elgin, III.; Don Robinson, Reading, Pa.; and Wayne Fralin, Orlando, Fla.
stories of triumph and anguish in new
church planting.
Unveiled at the retreat was the Parish
Ministries manual for church planners,
"Developing New Congregations in the
Church of the Brethren." Espousing cur-
rent understanding of church development
and based on actual but varied ap-
proaches, the manual offers essential
pointers for future undertakings.
What was unique about the New Wind-
sor retreat was that it was for Brethren
and led by Brethren. A Lincoln, Neb.,
panel centered on ministering to racial
and ethnic minorities. The Lampeter, Pa.,
pastor described his congregation's
teaching of stewardship. The Cape Coral,
Fla., pastor spoke on mission design. The
Carol Stream, 111., pastor spoke on com-
munity relations; the Blacksburg, Va.,
pastor on being a community church.
Leaders of the Massillon, Ohio, church
described their approach in reaching new
people. A Virlina district executive and a
General Board staff member spoke on
funding. Pastor and building consultant
Roy Johnson outlined a dozen ways to cut
construction and maintenance costs.
The participants included such veterans
as Don Robinson and Wayne Fralin, who
have been consultants to several of the
new groups on matters of demographics
and goal setting, and such new persons in
the field as Kenneth Smeltzer, 1983
Bethany Seminary graduate who also is
trained in urban planning, and Tim and
Jill Zook Jones, pastors-elect of the
Southern Plains project to open this fall
in the Houston, Texas, area.
The encounter at New Windsor revealed
a sense of urgency in meeting widespread
spiritual hunger. It signified foremost a
mood, a confidence, a commitment
among Brethren to bring others into
Christian community. General Secretary
Robert Neff hailed the movement as "a
pouring out of the spirit of God on all
flesh," the church becoming "everybody's
church," reminiscent of the outward
movement of the church recorded in Acts.
Pennsylvania pastor Earl K. Ziegler
credits the growing interest in "outer mis-
sion" with bringing a healthier self-esteem
to the Brethren. Virlina executive Owen
Stultz observes, "We can face the Lord
and each other with a new sense of being
in mission that is more than congrega-
tional maintenance."
A more assertive, a more hospitable, a
more caring Brethren is in the making, if
the new church developers leave their
mark.— Howard E. Royer
Evangelicals talk peace
at Pasadena conference
At a workshop leaders' orientation the
first day of the conference on "The
Church and Peacemaking in the Nuclear
Age," a scientist who had spent his career
in nuclear bomb design prayed in a small
group, "Lord, give me the courage to
change my mind if my experience here
points in that direction."
That attitude characterized many of the
1,400 participants at the May meeting in
Pasadena, Calif. As at most conferences.
4 MESSENGER August 198S
many probably left convinced as they had
come. But there is no doubt that the
issues of peace and war now have an un-
precedented visibility and respectability
among evangelicals.
The purpose of this first widely
representative peace conference of
evangelical Christians was to "examine
issues related to the nuclear arms race
from diverse Christian perspectives . . .
emphasizing the witness of Scriptures as
they shed light on such serious matters."
Representatives from the historic peace
churches were instrumental in the forma-
tion of this national conference, which at-
tracted evangelicals from 34 states and 7
countries. Twenty years ago, a few
evangehcals met with several Mennonites
for an off-the-record discussion of peace
issues. Vernon Grounds, moderator of the
Pasadena conference, helped plan that
early meeting. In 1976 a more public
meeting for the same purpose was held in
Harrisonburg, Va.
The 100 Friends, Brethren, and Menno-
nites who attended a New Call to Peace-
making caucus the last day of the con-
ference praised God that the dialog had
been so greatly expanded. They also
acknowledged that their own convictions
had been tested by this encounter with
those of different views. Some said they
became aware that "we talk too much
only with those who agree with us."
Program planners for the Pasadena
event made an effort to balance three
positions: biblical pacifism, just war, and
peace through strength. The three posi-
tions were clearly set out by a panel the
first morning of the conference.
Ronald Sider rooted the biblical basis
for pacifism in the way God in Jesus con-
fronted evil and enemies through the
cross. Richard Mouw, professor at Calvin
College, appealed for a rigorous applica-
tion of the just-war theory that would rule
out any defensive or offensive use of
nuclear weapons. Evangelist David Breese
advocated US arms as a check against
threats to peace (which he listed as Com-
munism, the Arab anti-Israeli attitude.
Islamic fundamentalism, OPEC oil price
pressure, liberation theology, and political
leaders such as Arafat and Khomeini),
and said use of nuclear weapons would be
justified to save "Western Christian
civihzation."
The connections between justice and
peace were presented by panelists Bill
Pannell and John Perkins. Joining them
in the discussion of "Biblical Faith and
Military Expenditures" was Sen. WiUiam
Armstrong, who advocated a way out of
what he called "the current nuclear
madness" through "High Frontier," a
defensive system to destroy incoming
missiles by using existing technology.
Other speakers presenting a variety of
viewpoints were Fuller Seminary President
David Hubbard; Ed Robb, chairman of
the Institute on Religion and Democracy;
retired Air Force General Robert Mathis;
Barbara Williams-Skinner, former ex-
ecutive director of the Congressional
Black Caucus; and Jim Wallis, editor of
Sojourners. —Edgar Metzler
Edgar Metzler is national coordinator for New Call
to Peacemaking, a cooperative program of Brethren,
Friends, and Mennonites.
Church leaders urge ban
on genetic engineering
A broad cross-section of religious leaders
has signed a resolution calling upon Con-
gress to prohibit genetic engineering of the
human germline cells (the sex cells).
Robert Neff, general secretary of the
Church of the Brethren, and Dale Brown,
professor of Christian theology at Bethany
Theological Seminary, are among the 59
signers. The group of co-signers ranges
from Roman Catholic bishops to Moral
Majority founder Jerry Falwell and tele-
vision evangelist Pat Robertson.
The list includes leaders of the major
Protestant denominations, the US
Catholic Conference, the National Coun-
cil of Churches, and the Reconstructionist
Rabbinical College. It also includes Ted
W. Engstrom, president of World Vision;
Richard C. Halverson, chaplain of the US
Senate; Jim Wallis, editor of Sojourners;
and Henry Nouwen, of Harvard Divinity
School.
The resolution is the first voicing by the
American religious community of moral
opposition to specific types of human
genetic engineering. The germline
regulates the transmission of inheritable
traits. Most of the signers do not object
to other forms of genetic engineering, but
they say there's no clear line between
removing a genetic defect and improving
the species. Their resolution contrasts
sharply with the President's Commission
for the Study of Ethical Problems, which,
according to the New York Times, has
concluded that there are no ethical or
religious reasons to stop the research.
Robert Neff cited three "key problems"
that he believes must be resolved before
such genetic engineering should proceed.
1) "Who has the right to decide what
are appropriate traits in human lives?"
2) "The short view. Even people in the
field say we don't know enough about the
gene pool and evolution."
3) "Who decides that? There's no one I
want to trust with that kind of decision."
'In time we may change our minds," add-
ed Neff. "I'm not down on technology, and
I'm not absolutist. But we must act respon-
sibly with the technology we have."
Bethany Theological Seminary's annual emphasis has been moved up to September
to coincide with the beginning of the school year and to provide more space be-
tween the denomination's various interpretive/offering emphases scheduled for the
last calendar quarter.
Seminary officials hope for increased participation and giving by congregations
and individuals, and have set an enlarged goal of $100,000. President Warren F.
Groff has urged each congregation to explore its relationship with the seminary.
Planners of the seminary emphasis also hope for an increased awareness of
Bethany's role in providing leadership for the total church. Graduates serve the
church as denominational and district leaders, college teachers and administrators,
camp and home managers, and pastors. This year, 17 of 21 Master of Divinity
graduates entered the pastoral ministry, and nearly one-half accepted a call to
churches of fewer than 200 members.
In addition, for congregations unable to support a full-time pastoral program,
Bethany Seminary offers programs such as Education For a Shared Ministry, ex-
tension schools, and short-term seminars. A new program, in cooperation with the
colleges and the General Board, is presently being explored.
August 1983 MESSENGER 5
June graduation honors
36 Bethany graduates
Bethany Theological Seminary's 78th com-
mencement ceremonies honored 36
graduates June 5. Lauree Hersch Meyer,
seminary professor, spoke on "God's Hid-
den Kingdom."
Those receiving Doctor of Ministry
degrees were:
Phillip K. Bradley, pastor, University
Park (Hyattsville, Md.) Church of the
Brethren. B.S. McPherson College, M.
Div. Bethany Seminary.
Donald J. Brenner, pastor. First Lutheran
Church, Chattanooga, Tenn. B.A. Con-
cordia Senior College, M. Div. Concordia
Seminary.
L. Donald Brushwyler, associate director.
Midwest Career Development Service,
Westchester, 111. B.A. Wheaton College,
B.D. Fuller Theological Seminary, S.T.M.
Andover Newton Theological Seminary.
Byron Morton Flory Jr., pastor. Beaver-
creek (Ohio) Church of the Brethren.
B.A. Bridgewater College, B.D. Bethany
Seminary, S.T.M. United Theological
Seminary.
Allen Thomas Hansell, pastor, Wilm-
ington (Del.) Church of the Brethren.
B.A. Bridgewater College, M. Div.
Bethany Seminary.
Joel David Kline, pastor. Big Swatara
(Hanoverdale, Pa.) Church of the
Brethren. B.A. Elizabethtown College, M.
Div. Bethany Seminary.
C. Curtis Rhudy, pastor, Hanover (Pa.)
Church of the Brethren. B.A. Bridgewater
College, M. Div. Bethany Seminary.
Jimmy Randall Ross, pastor, Codorus
(Loganville, Pa.) Church of the Brethren.
B.A. Bridgewater College, M. Div.
Bethany Seminary.
Twenty-one people received Master of
Divinity (M. Div.) degrees:
Ronald Charles Amett, Bethel Center
(Hartford City, Ind.) Church of the
Brethren and First United Methodist
Church, St. Paul, Minn. B.S. Manchester
College, M.A. and Ph.D. Ohio Univer-
sity. Will return to professorship of
speech communications at St. Cloud State
University, St. Cloud, Minn.
Jeffrey Alan Bach, Middletown (Ohio)
Church of the Brethren. B.A. McPherson
College. Will be pastor at Prairie City
(Iowa) Church of the Brethren.
Bradley Charles Bohrer, Prince of Peace
(South Bend, Ind.) Church of the
Brethren. B.S. Manchester College.
6 MESSENGER August 198S
Bethany Theological Seminary awarded eight Doctor of Ministry degrees. First row: C. Cur-
tis Rhudy, Joel David Kline, Donald J. Brenner, L. Donald Brushwyler. Second row: Allen
Thomas Hansell, Jimmy Randall Ross, Phillip K. Bradley, Byron Morton Flory Jr.
Twenty-eight graduates received M Dn or M A Th degrees. Front row: Musa Mambula,
Margaret Gramley, Connie Burkholder, Joan Deeter, Ruth Anne Friesen, Deborah Silver
McElwee, Margaret Schultz, Arlene Christopherson, Nvwa Balami. Second row: Timothy
Morphew, Kenneth Smeltzer, Timothy McElwee, Robert Miller, Stephen Newcomer, Steven
Van Houten, Kirby Oxenreider, Jeffrey Bach. Third row: Bradley Bohrer, Ronald Arnett,
Norman Replogle, David Witkovsky, Melvin Fike, Gary Christopherson. Not pictured: Lee
Bowman, Kathi Griffin, Mark McCulley, Dong Pham, Robert Schwarze.
Connie R. Burkholder, Chambersburg
(Pa.) Church of the Brethren. B.S.
Lebanon Valley College. Will be pastor of
Christ (Wooster, Ohio) Church of the
Brethren.
Arlene Karen Wassenaar Christopherson,
assistant pastor. Faith United Methodist
Church, Elgin, 111. B.A. Elmhurst Col-
lege. Will continue in current position.
Joan George Deeter, pastor. West Man-
chester (Ind.) Church of the Brethren.
B.A. Manchester College, M.R.E.
Bethany Seminary, M.A. Northwestern
University. Will continue in current posi-
tion.
James Melvin Fike, Maple Spring (Eglon,
W.Va.) Church of the Brethren. B.A.
Bridgewater College.
Ruth Anne Belser Friesen, Reba Place
Fellowship. B.A. Elizabethtown College,
M.A. Governor's State University.
Margaret Myers Gramley, Kaneville (111.)
United Methodist Church. B.A. North
Central College. Will be pastor at St. An-
drew United Methodist Church, Carol
Stream, 111.
Kathi Donaldson Griffln, York Center
Church of the Brethren. B.S. Elizabeth-
town College, M.S. Shippensburg State
College.
Deborah Silver McAlwee. B.S. Man-
chester College. Will be in clinical pastoral
residency at Kettering Medical Center,
Kettering, Ohio.
Timothy Alan McElwee, Warrensburg
(Mo.) Church of the Brethren. B.A. Man-
chester College.
Robert Racy Miller, Bridgewater Church
of the Brethren. B.A. Bridgewater
College. Will be pastor of Oakton (Va.)
Church of the Brethren.
Timothy Kent Sollenberger Morphew,
Kokomo (Ind.) Church of the Brethren.
B.S. Manchester College.
Kirby Lee Oxenreider, Myerstown Church
of the Brethren. B.A. Lebanon Valley
College.
Norman L. Replogle, New Paris (Ind.)
Church of the Brethren. B.A. Oral
Roberts University. Will be pastor of
Pleasant Dale (Decatur, Ind.) Church of
the Brethren.
Margaret Louise Warren Scliuitz, First
United Methodist Church, Downers
Grove, 111. B.E. National College of
Education.
Robert M. Schwarze, pastor, Maple
Grove (Norton, Kan.) Church of the
Brethren. B.A. Taylor University. Will
continue in current position.
Kennetli Kline Smeltzer, Washington City
Church of the Brethren. B.A. George
Washington University. Will be associate
pastor at Highland Avenue (Elgin, 111.)
Church of the Brethren.
Steven W. Van Houten, Blue River (Co-
lumbia City, Ind.) Church of the
Brethren. B.S. Manchester College. Will
be pastor of Cloverdale (Va.) Church of
the Brethren.
Lowell David Witkovsky, Meadow Branch
(Westminster, Md.) Church of the
Brethren. B.A. Elizabethtown College.
Will be pastor of Williamsburg (Pa.)
Church of the Brethren.
Seven people will receive Masters of
Arts in Theology (M.A.Th.) degrees:
Nvwa D. Balami, Maiduguri congregation
of Ekklesiyar 'Yanuwa a Nigeria. B.A.
Ahmadu Bello University. Will teach
Bible knowledge in College of Basic
Studies, Maiduguri, and serve part-time in
Maiduguri congregation.
Lee Allen Bowman, West Charleston
(Tipp City, Ohio) Church of the Brethren.
B.A. Cumberland College.
Gary Melvin Wassenaar Christopberson,
Faith United Methodist Church, Elgin, 111.
B.A. Illinois College.
Musa Adziba Mambula, York Center
(Lombard, 111.) Church of the Brethren,
B.A. Ahmadu Bello University.
Mark Eliot McCulley, Bethany Chapel,
Wheaton, 111. B.S. University of Virginia.
Stephen Arden Newcomer, Rocky Ford
(Colo.) Church of the Brethren. B.A.
McPherson College, M.L.S. University of
Arizona.
Dong Ngoc Pham, Vietnamese Christian
Church, Wheaton, 111. B.S. University of
Wisconsin, Madison.
mm
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JOBS, PEACE, AND FREEDOM . . . The Church of the Brethren is
one of about 200 organizations sponsoring a 20th-anniversary
March on Washington, commemorating the famous march in 1963
where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous "I Have
a Dream" speech. The massive event begins at 10 a.m. on Aug.
27 at the Washington Monument. Brethren will gather at 5:30
at Lafayette Park to focus on the objectives of the march--
jobs, peace, and freedom- -through a concert, a worship serv-
ice, and a simple meal. Participating in the program will be
Moderator Paul H. Fike, Edward K. Ziegler, Herbert Ewald,
Mary Jo Bowman, and William Hayes. For housing and other in-
formation, contact the Church of the Brethren Washington
Office, PO Box 50, 110 Maryland Ave., NE, Washington, DC 20002.
NAMES YOU KNOW
Estella Horning, adjunct faculty at
Bethany Seminary, received a Doctor of Philosophy degree from
Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. C. Wayne Zunkel ,
pastor of Glendale and Panorama City (Calif.) churches, was
awarded a Doctor of Ministry degree from Fuller Theological
Seminary. . . . A. Stauffer Curry has retired from the De-
partment of Community Health, Westchester County, N.Y. He
was twice moderator of Annual Conference and was a member of
the Elgin staff, 1960-1967. . . . Enten Eller has begun a
two-year term of alternative service with Total Action
against Poverty (TAP) , Roanoke, Va. He was assigned the term
of service after being convicted of not registering for the
draft. In May he graduated summa cum laude with a 4.0 grade
point average from Bridgewater (Va.) College. . . . Harriet
Ziegler , former managing editor of MESSENGER, was married
July 30 to Bruce Best, Melbourne, Australia. A freelance
writer, he is former editor of One World magazine. Harriet
is completing a two-year stint as director of news in the
office of information of the National Council of Churches.
ALUMNI AWARDS
McPherson (Kan.) College alumni awards
went to Lilburn and Grace Heckman Gottman, North Manchester,
Ind.; Mark £. Neher , Quinter, Kan.; Joseph B_. Hoffert, Des
Moines, Iowa; Ed_ Switzer , Hutchinson, Kan.; and LaVon Widegren
Rupel , Stockton, Calif. Honored at Manchester (Ind.) College
were H_. McKinley "Mac" Coffman , New. Windsor, Md. ; Hyedima G_.
Bwala , Maiduguri, Nigeria; Ruth Brandt Hersch, La Verne,
Calif.; Paul W_. Keller , North Manchester; and G_. Frederick
and Lois Berkebile Roop, Fort Wayne, Ind.
BROADFORDING SEEKS VOLUNTEERS
Three innovative mea-
sures will trim costs when the Broadfording congregation
near Hagerstown, Md. , begins construction: 1) Volunteers
from the Brethren Disaster Network and elsewhere are being
sought to give a week or more of assistance, thereby saving
as much as 20 percent in costs; 2) the church will act as
its own contractor; 3) the building, designed by solar con-
sultant and neighboring pastor Roy Johnson, will include
energy innovations to assure a low operating budget. A cap-
ital funds campaign raised $180,000, and the General Board
gave a $15,000 grant and an $85,000 loan. Broadfording is a
new congregation that resulted from a painful division in
1979. The congregation will furnish meals and some lodging
for volunteers. Contact the pastor, John Hostetter, PO Box
1186, Hagerstown, MD 21740. Tel. (301) 790-0551.
August 1983 MESSENGER 7
INSIDE
THE NCC
interview by Wendy Chamberlain
Not all Brethren approve c
And not all Brethren kno
NCC presiden tial pam
and making recommendation
Robert W. Neff, general secretary of the
Church of the Brethren, chairs a high-
level "Presidential Panel" that was
established in November 1981 by the Na-
tional Council of Churches Governing
Board. The group, which met for the first
time in May 1982, was charged with the
task of looking critically at the council
and making recommendations for the
future.
After a year of study and research, the
panel made its first report at the most re-
cent Governing Board meeting, in May.
Board members gathered in small groups
to discuss directional statements drafted
by the panel. The panel has added that in-
put to the wealth of material it's ac-
cumulated from hundreds of other ad-
visors. A nd at the next board meeting, in
November, the panel will begin making
recommendations.
The work of the Presidential Panel, up
till now behind the scenes, is now
attracting the attention of the media and
other NCC observers. Potentially, it
could alter the shape and direction of the
council.
In this interview. Bob Neff talks about
the panel, the National Council of
Churches, and himself.
What is the Presidential Panel?
It got its name because it was appointed
by the new president, Bisliop James Arm-
strong. A year ago May, 36 people were
named from 17 different communions.
They included Presbyterians, Methodists,
Orthodox, representatives from black
churches, some lay people, 40 percent
women, I think 20 percent ethnic minor-
ity. ... So I think it's a very represen-
tative group.
Its full name, Presidential Panel on
Future Mission and Resources of the
NCCC, suggests that there is a concern
with mission and the financing of the
council.
With the development of a new preamble
and purpose approved in November of
1981, which changed the term "agency" to
"a community of Christian communions,"
there was a concern, "What did that
mean? What was our new hfe to-
gether?"
I think there was a sense that we as
communions were not that much closer
together than we were 30 years ago — a
concern for style of life together — and
also that our funding patterns were not
allowing the kind of flexibility that any
modern organization needs. We kept a lot
of programs going, but with only one or
two cylinders. For example, the council
has almost 2,500 different programs, and
clearly the monies aren't there.
Is one possible result of the Panel a cut-
back in the number of programs, with
strengthening of the ones that remain?
There would be the capacity to set
priorities and have more focus in pro-
gram. One of the criticisms of the council
is that it's too diffuse in terms of what it's
about. That's a debated issue: There are
persons who believe that the diversity is
precisely the genius of the council.
I think the other thing that's related is
whether we can count on the member
churches for all the funding. Basically the
funds filter from the bottom up, and
there's some concern that they ought to
come to a central agency and be dis-
bursed. Monies come to units or subunits
rather than directly to the council, which
means there can be very httle centralized
planning.
What does this funding problem mean
for the council?
Well, in the last year for example, two
areas that most directly affect local people
— namely the Commission on Faith and
Order and the Commission on Regional
and Local Ecumenism — have had to
drastically cut back on their budgets
because that's not on a hot burner. At the
very moment when they appear to be
more key than ever, they are cut back. I
think that's unfortunate.
The new preamble and the Presidential
Panel were approved at the same Govern-
ing Board meeting. Did they come hand-
in-hand in the planning? How closely
related are they?
They're not totally related. Clearly the
panel was not designed to deal with the
new preamble and purpose.
I do think that it was a signal, however.
A signal that we need to be about some-
thing different in our ecumenical life to-
gether. Let me give an illustration of that.
I've heard it said around the council that
we know more about the Universal Fellow-
ship of Metropolitan Community Churches
than we do about each other. I think the
preamble pointed up a deep yearning to be
more in touch with one another.
It also suggests that we need to become
less concerned with passing resolutions —
although I can't imagine the Governing
Board being a body without passing
resolutions. But 1 do think a style is
already emerging in which we're really
8 MESSENGER August 198S
teir denomination belonging to the NCC.
tat their own general secretary heads an
harged with critically looking at the council
or its future structure and programs.
spending more time talking with one
another.
Related to that, the substantive business
of setting budget priorities is outside the
prerogative of the Governing Board. It
really does not govern. It has no way of
dealing with questions of authority and
accountability because so much of that
work is set within the units.
Lifestyle affects us in another way.
Often we talk about pohtical issues rather
than talking about our own theologies and
our own biblical heritages. There's a con-
cern that that become more of an aspect
of our hfe together.
Not everyone has bought into that con-
cept. Some feel it's carried them beyond
where their polity is. Now, speaking for
the Church of the Brethren point of view,
I think it's precisely what we ought to be
about.
Instead of thinking as a superchurch, as
so many people think of with reference to
the council, it's a way for us to manifest
the gifts that we have traditionally held,
to hear from the gifts that other traditions
bring, and to hold each other mutually
accountable. Now that's pretty much the
language of our own "Vision of Unity"
paper (adopted by the 1982 Annual Con-
ference).
The conciliar movement probably has
more advantages for the small churches
than it does for the large. It magnifies the
contribution that our individual church
can make, and I think that's why the
Bob Neff: Guiding visions to reality
by Judd Blouch
When Bob Neff was named general
secretary of the Church of the Brethren
five years ago, his son gave him an iron
casting of Daniel in the lions' den, and his
colleagues at Bethany Theological
Seminary gave him a sculpture of Jonah
in the stomach of a whale. While some
may have appreciated these as works of
art. Bob knew what they really stood
for — an Old Testament scholar leaving the
academic world to take on the untested
and perhaps hostile world of administra-
tion and management.
"There was definitely a feeling that I
wouldn't last," says Bob, who admits that
he was something of a maverick.
While the General Board knew that it
was taking a risk with Bob, it felt that the
risk was well calculated and necessary. A
change in the role of general secretary
from a behind-the-scenes manager to a
more out-front church leader was needed.
Bob was not an experienced ad-
ministrator, but his affable manner with
people, mixed with a confident charisma
and a sense of vision, made him the hkely
person for the job.
"Each time calls for particular types of
people," says Bob, recalling a historical
perspective on his job. "In the late 70s
and early '80s my personality and style
have fit."
Bob Neff the visionary has been in-
strumental in shaping the direction of the
Church of the Brethren. His main em-
phases have been to find a focus for the
church's life and to develop a planning
style that encourages mutuality. Futuristic
issues such as new church development
and Goals for the '80s have also been top
priority for him.
And yet, while looking toweu^d tomor-
row, Bob has not forgotten today. More
active interpretation and communication
on his part have improved relations be-
tween the Board and the denomination at
large. He has given increased emphasis
to stewardship as commitment to the
church. And he has worked at the rela-
tionship between the districts and the
General Board, and between the Board
and its staff.
"We set out to accomplish certain
things, and we've done it," he says.
On the way to those accomplishments.
Bob has discovered that much of manage-
ment is people, just as of teaching.
Paul Robinson, former president of
Bethany and a man Bob considers his
mentor, told him, "Never have people
come to you, you go to them." That ad-
vice has stuck with Bob. He is a "people
person," always willing to talk, with a
style that behes his position and puts peo-
ple at ease.
"I really feel that you need to be who
you are," he says. "People can sniff right
away if you aren't."
Bob's managerial skills have also been
shaped and enhanced by his sense of vi-
sion. He is constantly looking to the
future with a practical eye, but also with
the soul of an activist and a maverick.
"I have been someone deeply devoted to
change and renewal," he says.
"It's important to always be question-
ing, asking, 'Is there a better way, a more
obedient way to meet the goals of
Christ?'"
Such questioning has led Bob to see two
major concerns in the future of the
church. First is the development of leader-
ship for both church and industry, an
issue he sees as a "key for the church."
Second is dealing with the rapidly growing
and changing fields of communication
and technology, and the new information
age. He also believes that other programs
begun in the '80s need to be carried out.
Bob is not the only person with visions
for the future of the Church of the
Brethren, and his is not the only opinion
that counts. But his voice is one that
speaks for many in the church, and his
direction and guidance will help the vi-
sions become reality. D
August 1989 MESSENGER 9
Brethren — particularly in this century—
have been so much a part of the conciliar
movement. It's consistent with our own
reflection about ecumenical life.
Will the panel deal with the recent
media attacks on the NCC?
I think it has to decide which media at-
tacks are helpful and which aren't. The
Feb. 7 issue of Newsweek magazine was a
very appropriate critique. I think Ken
Woodward worked very hard to get inside
the council.
From my own biblical background, I've
always felt that the best prophets are
those who speak from within. We will pay
attention to all those critiques that appear
to be internal to what the council's about.
I think there have been some critiques
written to feather some other people's
nests, and particularly those that talk
about Marxists in the council. I just don't
find Marxists in the council.
Often in this country, things are brand-
ed Marxist because they deal with social
issues that are not pleasant for us. The
council from its very beginning has
worked with the oppressed worldwide. To
some degree these often are set within the
US framework. I feel a prophetic voice
ought to be heard within our own country
— not because we're siding with the Soviet
Union, but because we have deep feehngs,
because we are patriotic.
I take my clue from my Old Testament
courses, which is to say that the people
most critical of Judah and Israel were
those who had the deepest investment.
For me, patriotism is defined as self-
critique.
The council has encouraged the self-
critique of our culture and of the council
itself. The panel was created long before
Who
Mitchell L. Curry, Los Angeles, Calif.
Occupation: pastor of Imperial Church
of the Brethren, Los Angeles.
Other ecumenical involvements:
organizer of the Harlem-Upper Manhat-
tan Division of the Protestant Council of
New York City; member of the Southern
Cahfornia Council of Churches.
"The NCC provides a cost-effective way
of carrying out our denomination's man-
date for evangelism and services to the
world's needs. The council needs us, and
we need the council."
Milchell Curry
Ruby Rhoades
Ruby Rhoades, Elgin, 111.
Occupation: associate general secretary
for the World Ministries Commission.
Other ecumenical involvements: vice
president of the Division of Overseas
Ministries for the NCC; Church World
Service committee; Presidential Panel.
"The NCC is the one place where
denominations can together look at issues
that are confronting us all separately,
where we can work together to do things
we couldn't possibly do alone. We come
to realize that others have the same strug-
gles we do as we deal with issues such as
human sexuality and mission philosophy.
Our sharing is mutually helpful."
represents the Brethren
at the NCC?
Six Brethren delegates and one alternate
serve on the NCC Governing Board.
Standing Committee and the General
Board each nominate three. Delegate
Bob Neff is described on page 9.
Patricia K. Helman, North Manchester, Ind.
Occupation: writer and poet.
Other ecumenical involvements: South/
Central Indiana District delegate to In-
diana Council of Churches; speaker for
ecumenical groups and events.
"I believe that at any time those of us
who bear Christ's name can be in unison.
It gives us Brethren the opportunity to
share our special gifts."
Timothy D. Speicher, Lombard, 111.
Occupation: student at Bethany Theo-
logical Seminary.
Other ecumenical involvements: former
regional associate director of Church
World Service/CROP; participant in local
councils of churches.
"One role of the NCC is to carry out
programs of individual churches. Some
programs begun by Brethren, such as
Church World Service/CROP, have been
coordinated by the NCC, and it's helped
Brethren dreams come alive."
Pat Helman
Tim Speicher
Hazel Kreider Huffman, Lancaster, Pa.
Occupation: homemaker.
Other ecumenical involvements: presi-
dent of the Lancaster County Council of
Churches; member of the Pennsylvania
Council of Churches.
"Because we hve in an interdependent
world, it is imperative that we work
together for the common good. The NCC
demonstrates the value of cultivating rela-
tionships with other denominations and
doing collectively what we could not do
alone."
Hazel Huffman Nancy Faus
Nancy Faus (alternate), Lombard, 111.
Occupation: associate professor and
campus minister, Bethany Theological
Seminary.
Other ecumenical involvements: United
Ministries in Education pohcy board;
speaker at Church Women United; leader
of ecumenical workshops.
"The NCC facilitates dialog between
various communions as well as other
religious groups outside the NCC. Its ef-
fectiveness is dependent on the commit-
ment of NCC members and honest input
from each one." D
Vignettes and quotes compiled by Judd Blouch.
10 MESSENGER August 1983
General Secretary Bob Neffis a respected voice in the NCC. Here he speaks at the May J 983
meeting of its Governing Board, under the gaze of NCC President James Armstrong.
the media attacks began, and it is to the
credit of the council that it has been
undergoing study for the last three years.
Now, the real issue of the council is not
to listen to criticism, but to do something
about it. That's what's been most difficult
to do, given our diversity. I think U.S.
News & World Report and the United
Methodist Reporter have given sound cri-
tiques of the council. I've been less happy
with "60 Minutes," which I think was on a
crusade. To answer that kind of critique
would be carrying us down the wrong
avenue. It's like trying to answer your
own obituary.
But key issues have been raised, and the
council is taking them seriously through
the panel's work.
How much clout does the panel have?
What can it actually do?
The council is a representative body. It
cannot actually do more than what that
body wants.
The winds of change are blowing.
When the Presidential Panel first began,
those winds were not, probably, blowing
as strong. My own feeling about leader-
ship is that it needs to focus the forces for
change, needs to direct those forces. And
I'd say they're very alive.
Rather than speak about clout, I feel
that our task is to focus the desired
change which so many people envision. I
don't think there's a question any longer
about whether there will be change; it's
just the nature of the change.
There are some NCC staff who say the
panel hasn't come up with any new ideas.
We'll have to see. We will not solve all the
problems. But if we can solve the issues
of the way the council sets priorities,
some of the funding issues, and a dif-
ferent lifestyle together, those would be
significant changes.
And particularly the linkage question.
This is the age of communication. The
linkage with the people in the grassroots is
one which will now need to be addressed.
Whether the panel had been created or
not, that would have happened anyway.
Technology has made that necessary.
We have more sophisticated people.
People want to know; and they have
raised the issue of accountability. I know
in our own denomination people want to
know how their bucks are being spent: If
we give you any extra money, why do you
need it? Where's it going? How are you
spending it?
My view is that there will be changes —
how significant, we'll have to wait and
see. I'm more optimistic than I was just
three months ago.
The panel has been collecting informa-
tion and doing research for a year now.
What is the rest of the timeline for the
panel's work?
We hope to share a rather concrete vi-
sion of where we are, where the council
needs to move, in November of this year.
Beginning June of this year we'll begin
working on the implications of this vision,
with the hope that we'll give an initial
report to the May meeting of the council
in 1984. And final action would be taken
in the November meeting of 1984.
We think that would mean change —
structural change, organizational change.
Those are difficult words. People don't
like to hear them. But I think there has to
be some structural and orgeinizational
change if we're to do anything at all, if
we're to avoid simply being cosmetic.
What changes in feelings toward the
council have you had since working as
chairman of the panel?
I think the thing that has struck me is
the confirmation of something that has
been emerging over the last five years.
When I was in Czechoslovakia about two
years ago, Harold Rowe had preceeded
me there and I discovered the Brethren
were trusted, and that I inherited trust not
because of who I was, but because there is
a trust in terms of what we as a
denomination have to give.
So I have an increased awareness of the
Church of the Brethren as a bridge
denomination. I think we do that because
of a style that's in us. 1 think it's innate. I
don't think that those of us in ecumenical
settings have to learn to be ecumenical;
it's something that is deep in our heritage.
There's a strong sense of mutuality, of
listening, of hearing, and at the same time
a capacity to move because of our deep
convictions about peace and service. I
think those are in our genes. So, a confir-
mation of some suspicions I've had.
I'm grateful to my own denomination
for allowing me to carry out this ministry,
realizing that many other people paved
the way for me . . . such as M. R. Zigler.
Interestingly enough, I discovered that
Norman Baugher, (general secretary of
the Church of the Brethren, 1952-68), in
the very year he died, had been named to
look at the council's reorganization back
in 1968.
I think there's also a recognition that
the ecumenical effort is more complex and
much more difficult work than I had first
reedized when I undertook the job. It's re-
quiring more of me.
But we have felt that there's a ministry
to be performed. This is a feeling I carry
in general, but it's a confirmation of
something that I feel deeply: If you feel
that something's not right, then you move
to change it. You don't back away
from it.
What's more important is that the con-
ciliar movement represents the diversity
within Christianity, and therefore puts us
in touch with a group of people that we
would not otherwise be in touch with.
And for that I'm grateful. Not only to
share my own witness, but to receive one.
I guess through it all I have a deeper
appreciation for my own heritage. I'm
grateful for that heritage — which at one
time could not have thought ecumenically,
but in the 20th century has been as
ecumenical in its outlook as any church.
And of that I'm proud. D
August 1983 MESSENGER 11
The Brethren and the NCC: Ai^
'The things Brethren value most— commitments to peace, to justice f(\
are fundamental to the NCC because they are profoundly Christ iai
by Harriet Ziegler
One of the real adventures of the Chris-
tian faith is talcing place today in the
churches of the world. Are you part of it?
Have you walked in a CROP walk, or
sponsored walkers from your church? Has
your Bible study group, like tens of
thousands of other English-speaking
Christians, been enriched by the clarity
and beauty of the Revised Standard Ver-
sion of the Bible? Have you signed an
every-member enlistment card, pledging a
portion of your income to the church?
Have you helped resettle a refugee?
Sent clothes to the New Windsor Service
Center? Helped mud-out a flooded home?
Have you used the International Sunday
School Lessons? Have you made a special
gift to the One Great Hour of Sharing of-
fering? Joined others in your community
in prayer during the Week of Prayer for
Christian Unity in January?
It's likely that you said "Yes" to at least
one of those questions. If so, you are part
of the great Christian adventure called the
ecumenical movement, because each of
those activities has a direct link to our
country's largest ecumenical organization,
the National Council of Churches.
Although the NCC is far from the only
way in which you as Christians work and
worship together, it is the nationwide
"community of Christian communions" in
which the Church of the Brethren par-
ticipates.
I describe the NCC as one part of an
adventure because it is so much more than
a static institution, bureaucracy, or
agency. Rather, it is the attempt of 31
churches to understand each other, to
work together, to fulfill Jesus' prayer in
John 17:21, "That they may all be one."
Like the churches that make it up, the
NCC often stumbles, makes mistakes,
goes off in too many directions at once.
But, again Hke the churches that make it
up, the NCC sometimes manages to
preach God's loving and liberating word,
to bind up the world's bleeding, and to
breathe a prayer of hope and unity.
In the past five years, I have fallen in
love with the ecumenical movement in
general and particularly with the NCC.
12 MESSENGER August 1983
The Church of the Brethren (which I have
always loved) gave me the opportunity to
work for Messenger, to be on the na-
tional staff, and to serve on committees
of the NCC, where I first met people
from other churches — Lutheran, Ortho-
dox, Methodist, Anglican, Presbyterian,
Disciples of Christ — who cared about
Christian communication as much as I do.
Then the church let me go to another
ministry, that of communicating the work
of the National Council of Churches
through newspapers and magazines. As I
learned to know the Brethren better
through my work on the staff, then
learned to know other Christians and the
NCC better through my work for the
council, I have become ever more con-
victed of the importance of the Brethren
presence in the NCC — and the presence of
the NCC among us.
Perhaps our presence in the NCC has
been felt most keenly on the peace issue
and on matters of service. We represent a
tiny proportion of the 40 million US
Christians whose churches are members of
the NCC — only about half of one percent.
Further, our pacifist views are not com-
monly held within the wider Christian
community where a "just war" theory has
been more predominant. Yet during the
present three-year cycle of the NCC's
work, the primary emphasis of all its ac-
tivities is to be on peace with justice, with
special attention to disarmament. Every-
one—from those working on curriculum
to those planning relief programs overseas
— is to consider how peace with justice
can be emphasized in their work.
How did this come about? To say that
it was Brethren influence alone would
overstate considerably. But for many
years, a few persistent Brethren have been
saying quietly and firmly, with love and
patience, that US Christians, in their main
ecumenical meeting place, must not ignore
Jesus' call for his followers to be peace-
makers. We have been well represented by
these steadfast Brethren. Their presence
has helped others, from denominations
whose main emphasis has not been on
peace, to think a new way and to speak
with new courage on an issue that we
Brethren often take for granted, even
while it causes controversy in other
churches.
NCC news director Harriet Ziegler dialogs with Lee Smith, one of the 400 people attending
the Messenger Dinner at Annual Conference, at which Ziegler spoke about the Council.
important presence
lie poor of the world, to helping those in need, to honesty
alues, not values that Brethren alone hold/
Our role in the NCC's service ministry
is also significant. The historical connec-
tion between Brethren Service and Church
World Service, the relief and development
arm of the NCC, deserves an article in
itself. The Brethren were ready with an
organization and a history of service at a
time when other American Christians, in
anguish about the suffering of people
after the Second World War, were look-
ing for ways to relieve that suffering and
live out their faith.
The Brethren heritage of doing exactly
that prepared us to join several other
denominations on the ground floor of
organizing CWS, which now receives ap-
proximately 70 percent of all money going
to the NCC and is one of the most
respected of all US relief and development
agencies. Brethren serve on virtually all its
committees and boards, often in places of
considerable influence, and Brethren work
for CWS in several countries overseas.
In these two areas, and in countless
other parts of the NCC's diverse work,
men and women from the Church of the
Brethren have had an influence dispropor-
tionate to our small size. Always active in
Church World Service, which was one of
the founding agencies of the NCC, the
Church of the Brethren was also a charter
denominational member of the NCC.
We have contributed a number of vice
presidents to the Governing Board, in-
cluding Norman J. Baugher, Andrew Cor-
dier, Joel K. Thompson, Ronald D.
Petry, and, currently, Bentley Peters. J.
Quinter Miller served 15 years in a top
staff position.
When NCC staff members learn that I
am Brethren, they always recite a list of
the Brethren they know and respect deep-
ly, who have been active on their commit-
tees, helping shape and direct their work.
In recent years the names that repeatedly
appear are Lamar Gibble on peace and
the Middle East; Joel Thompson on
overseas work and the nuclear energy
study; Bob Neff, for his dynamic,
thoughtful leadership on the NCC's ex-
ecutive committee; Ruby Rhoades in
CWS; Ken McDowell on overseas work;
Bentley Peters on ministry and education;
Howard Royer and Stewart Hoover on
communications; Shirley Heckman on
higher education; Ron Petry on steward-
ship; Lauree Hersch Meyer and Don
Miller on faith and order; Mary Cline
Detrick on women's issues; Mac Coffman
and Jan Thompson on disaster relief and
refugee services; Roger Ingold on Africa
work.
Only a handful of Brethren, of whom 1
am but the youngest and newest, have
Do you know where your
church offerings go?
The following is a summary of Church of the Brethren giving to the National Council
of Churches. It includes both Brotherhood Fund and Emergency Disaster Fund
grants. Most of the amount hsted under the Division of Overseas Ministries is for
Church World Service programs.
Division of Overseas Ministries
Disaster response $ 64, 175
Immigration and refugee program 18,102
Overseas programs (Africa, East Asia and Pacific,
South Asia, Latin America and Caribbean,
Mideast and Europe) 27,450
Basic support. Agricultural Missions, Human
Rights Office, refugee film, international con-
gregations 21,060
130,787
Division of Church and Society
Evangelism, human rights and criminal justice in US, domestic
crisis, day care study, church-state relations, international con-
cerns
Division of Education and Ministry
Communication Commission
Stewardship Commission
NCC Washington Office
Faith and Order Commission
Commission on Regional and Local Ecumenism
Core budget
TOTAL
130,787
24,663
5,900
4,100
2,790
1,000
825
325
10,510
$180,900
August 1983 MESSENGER 13
Can a gay
The National Council
of the Metropolitan
For this church, more
served on the NCC's executive staff. In
addition to Miller, the others have been
I. W. Moomaw, who headed the Agri-
cultural Missions unit of the Division of
Overseas Ministries for many years and
was succeeded by the current director,
Benton Rhoades; Kurtis Naylor, who
worked in international relations; and
three CROP staff members, John Metzler
Sr., John Metzler Jr., and Lila McCray.
Countless other Brethren women and
men have chaired committees and served
on all manner of advisory groups in all
aspects of the council's work: developing
curriculum for Bible study, communica-
tions, providing food and material goods,
refugee resettlement, stewardship, the
church and energy production, the church
in higher education .... The list goes on
and on.
I have often wondered. How has a
small church done this? The NCC belongs
to all its member churches, but — not un-
reasonably—the ones who have the most
money often seem to have the most in-
fluence. The Brethren contribute a very
small amount of money, but somehow
our voice is heard. Why?
Throughout the NCC, in conversations
with staff people and with those serving on
committees alongside Brethren, the answer
seems to be that Brethren have made a
commitment oi people to the ecumenical
movement — people who take seriously
their promises, who follow through com-
petently, who persuade rather than over-
power those with whom they disagree.
I am reminded of two of the "slogans"
with which we Brethren grow up: "A
Brethren's word is as good as a bond" and
"No force in rehgion" (a value that seems
to equip us well for ecumenical work
because we can respect those whose
rehgious convictions differ from ours).
Non-Brethren also talk about the im-
portance of the Brethren peace position,
our commitment to Christian service, our
readiness to turn to scripture.
But I find that we Brethren whose lives
have been deeply changed by the
ecumenical movement have all come to
the same point: The things Brethren value
most — commitments to peace, to justice
for the poor of the world, to helping
those in need, to honesty — are fundamen-
tal to the NCC because they are pro-
foundly Christian values, not values that
Brethren alone hold.
That is what the NCC gives us, and
why we need to be involved with its suc-
cesses and failures. The NCC gives us the
whole world of our Christian faith. Says
Benton Rhoades, the only other Brethren
currently on the NCC staff, "We become
more open to what the Spirit is saying to
the churches of other countries, the
churches of other races. By this we test
our own understanding."
Xhrough the NCC, and through the
World Council of Churches as well, we
Brethren are exposed to the rich, mystical
worship of the Eastern Orthodox, to the
thrilling preaching of black Baptists, to
the challenging perspectives of Methodist
and Presbyterian and Reformed Church
members, and Lutherans and Moravians
in such tortured countries as Nicaragua
and El Salvador, South Korea, South
Africa, and Namibia. We learn a new
respect for the 2,000-year history of which
we are a part, as we talk with Christians
whose churches we left 275 years ago.
The NCC would not be the same with-
out the Brethren sisters and brothers who
serve it. But, perhaps even more, we
Brethren would be diminished, impover-
ished without the sharing around the
ecumenical table.
And, as in so many other aspects of our
faith, we join this adventure not because
we want to but because God calls us
there. Jesus prayed, "I do not pray for
these only, but also for those who believe
in me through their word, that they may
all be one; even as thou. Father, art in
me, and I in thee, that they also may be
in us, so that the world may beheve that
thou hast sent me" (John 17:20-21). D
Harriet Ziegler is director of news sen'ices irt the
of/ice of information of the National Council of
Churches. She is former managing editor of
Messenger and director of news services for the
Church of the Brethren.
by Wendy Chamberlain
One of the most controversial membership
applications that the National Council of
Churches has had to deal with is that of the
Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan
Community Churches GJFMCC), a largely
homosexual denomination.
What is happening now with the
UFMCC apphcation? How long will it take
for a decision to be made? What, in fact, is
the process for any church to be admitted
for membership in the National Council of
Churches?
Process for membership
• Step 1. The church files an applica-
tion, which includes such things as a creed
or statement of faith, information about
membership and number of congregations,
description of church government, and
program for the training of ordained
ministry.
• Step 2. The NCC's Constituent
Membership Committee determines, on the
basis of the constitution and bylaws,
whether the application will be forwarded
to the Governing Board.
• Step 3. The Governing Board votes on
whether the communion is eligible to be
considered for membership. This
guarantees careful study of the apphcation
before voting on the question of member-
ship itself. Communions that are eUgible
— whether they choose to become members
or not — may then serve on NCC commit-
tees and staff.
• Step 4. If the board declares the apply-
ing church eligible, the Constituent Mem-
bership Committee meets again to decide
whether to recommend the communion for
membership.
• Step 5. The application of the apply- 1
ing church comes before the Governing 1
Board for a full discussion and vote. The
application must receive a two-thirds ma-
jority in two voting procedures. First, every
communion in the National Council casts a
single vote. Second, individual delegates
vote. If the outcome falls short on either
vote, the prospective member is not ac-
cepted.
14 MESSENGER August 1983
church join the NCC?
jf Churches is processing the membership application
Community Church the way it does those of other applicants.
(s at issue, however, than whether it prof esses Christ as Savior.
Chronology of UFMCC application
September 1981: Application filed.
March 15, 1982: Constituent Member-
ship Committee decided application could
appropriately be forwarded to the
Governing Board.
May 13, 1982: Instead of accomplishing
Step 3, the Governing Board referred the
matter to the NCC's Commission on Faith
and Order for a study of the ecclesio-
logical (having to do with the nature of
the church) issues raised by the applica-
tion.
March 13, 1983: After nearly a year of
extensive theological study, the Commis-
sion on Faith and Order concluded that
the NCC's preamble and purpose do not
express a sufficient ecclesiology to pre-
scribe how the communions should vote
and that each communion should vote on
the basis of its own ecclesiology.
May 10-11, 1983: The Governing
Board, at its own request, spent a full day
in candid discussion of the application.
November 1983: The board is expected
to vote on the UFMCC's eligibility to be
considered for membership.
May 1984: If the eligibility vote is
positive, the board could vote as soon as
May 1984 on whether to accept the church
into membership.
What's happening now
At its May meeting, the NCC Govern-
ing Board spent a major amount of time
in serious discussion of the UFMCC ap-
plication. As might be expected, there are
sharply differing views. Not only do
delegates disagree on whether or not to
admit the UFMCC into membership, but
they disagree on what the real issues of
the debate are.
But many participants also hailed that
discussion as a new level of doing business
for the Governing Board. The apphcation
was "a godsend," said J. Oscar McCloud,
chairman of the Constituent Membership
Committee, because it had caused the
"most serious theological debate" he had
heard in his 1 1 years on the Governing
Board.
Clearly the UFMCC application is a test
of the NCC's fairly new preamble and
purpose, adopted in November 1981. At
that time, the board elected to call itself a
"community of Christian communions"
rather than a "cooperative agency." Part
of the current debate is over what it ac-
tually means to have membership in a
"community of Christian communions."
"The truth is," said Paul Gillespie, an
American Baptist pastor, "that there are
some very real, practical limits on what
we can elect to do together."
In addition to the issue of unity,
various speakers addressed such issues as
justice, the Christian view of human
The Brethren vote
The NCC Governing Board must vote
first on the UFMCC's eligibility for
membership. Six months later the
board votes on whether to accept the
church as a member. That second vote
is twofold: individual delegates will
vote the position they hold personally,
and then each denomination's leader
will cast a single vote. Based on An-
nual Conference discussion of the
Human Sexuality paper, it could be
presumed that the Church of the
Brethren is not willing to allow the
UFMCC into the NCC.
nature and sexuality, the appropriate
authority for drawing the line between
Christians and non-Christians, biblical
authority, and pastoral care to homosex-
uals.
Speaking for the African Methodist
Episcopal Church, the oldest black
denomination in North America, Cecil
Murray said, "Our church is not against
homosexual persons, but is against homo-
sexual practices." He added, "We will
remember you in our prayers, but we can-
not embrace you as a denomination."
Another speaker, William Creevey of
the United Presbyterian Church, asked,
"Is it approval . . . and commonality of
lifestyle that brings us together in the
NCCC? Or is our coming together
grounded, not in our behavior, but in the
reconciling work of the One whom we call
Lord and Savior?"
Speaking forthrightly against the ap-
plication. Father Alexander Doumouras
of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese said,
"The Holy Scripture would say that we
could not enter into ecumenical fellowship
with the UFMCC on any level. Neither
the clergy nor the laity would accept being
part of an organization that included the
UFMCC."
Valerie Ford of the Christian Church
(Disciples of Christ) argued that a "new
rule" of "appropriate and acceptable sex-
uality" had been inserted into the
membership process, and she asked why
the NCC does not prohibit membership to
those who do not confess dishonesty,
alcohohsm, overeating, and other "sins."
Barbara Brown Zikmund, dean of
Pacific School of Religion, said, "At first
it seemed to me to be a justice issue," but
"I became convinced that the application
raises important theological issues and
questions."
Three members of the UFMCC also ad-
dressed the board. James Sandmire,
pastor of the Golden Gate MCC in San
Francisco, said, "We feel for you in the
kinds of struggles you're going through.
We've all gone through them." He added
that the UFMCC is "not a church for gay
people. The only reason gay people come
to our churches is that they can't come to
yours."
The council is wrestling not only with
what it believes about homosexuality, but
with what it means to be a church, what it
means to be an ecumenical body, and
what effects the vote will have on the
NCC, its members communions, emd the
UFMCC.
Even if the upcoming votes are negative
(and those venturing guesses say it will
be), the issue will not disappear. At a
UFMCC press conference held during the
May Governing Board meeting, spokes-
woman Nancy Wilson pointed out that
they are in no hurry. They did not apply
"with the expectation that we'd be admit-
ted in a year or two, or even in this trien-
nium," she said. D
August 1983 MESSENGER 15
Three weeks in Vancouver
'You can't share new dreams of what it can mean
to belong to the worldwide body of Christ and
then retreat to the comfort of your corner, *
frV^^lxrw^»'y^-v^
by Wendy Chamberlain
It's almost a paradox. Four thousand
Christians gather in a tremendous show of
unity — while at the same time celebrating
their diversity.
Almost half of the delegates at the
World Council of Churches Sixth
Assembly are laity; 31 percent are women.
They represent Protestant, Orthodox,
Anglican, Reformed, Pentecostal, and In-
dependent traditions. The 305 member
churches of the World Council of
Churches now represent some 400 million
Christians in over 100 countries.
But the diversity at Vancouver is even
richer than that. In addition to a large con-
tingent of Roman Catholics, who have
long worked closely with the WCC, there
are observers from Jewish, Muslim, and
Buddhist groups.
For the first time, more than half the
delegates (53 percent) are from non-
Western countries. In 1948, the fledgling
council was predominantly Western. Now
growing into its name, the WCC is becom-
ing a true world council.
What is this assembly? Constitutionally
it is the "supreme legislative body govern-
ing" the WCC, meeting every seven to eight
years. This Sixth Assembly is July 24 to
Aug. 10. It chooses from among its
membership up to 145 people to serve on a
central committee that meets annually.
But the assembly might more aptly be
described as a family gathering of the
world church, a time for its representatives
to come together, look at where it has
been, consider where it is going, and ex-
amine issues confronting it now and in the
years ahead.
"The World Council of Churches is not
16 MESSENGER August 1983
a universal authority controlling what
Christians should believe and do," says the
1982 report of the Church of the Brethren
delegates. "It is a council — nothing
more — of 300 churches worshiping in hun-
dreds of languages, living under every kind
of political order and disorder, yet
committing themselves to sail through the
storms of contemporary history in the
same boat."
To foster wider participation in the
assembly and to improve understanding of
the concerns of churches around the
world, 75 ecumenical teams have visited
From Russia: 'How warm
by William Simbro
Gary Button, a member of the Wester
Church of the Brethren in Grundy Center,
Iowa, is a farmer, not a diplomat. But in
April, he got the chance to extend a
welcoming hand to a visitor from a country
often thought of as an enemy to the United
States.
Button's 500-acre farm was one place in
the Ivester area visited by Russian Ortho-
dox Bishop Alexander Timofeev of
Moscow, a member of a World Council of
Churches team from the Soviet Union on a
two-week US tour.
Timofeev seemed fascinated as he trudg-
ed around the farm, asking questions
about the care and feeding of 250 crossbred
hogs. He was impressed by the two big
tractors primed to get into the fields.
As he prepared to leave, Timofeev
grasped the right hand of Caryl Button
Russian Orthodox Bishop Alexander Timofeev, part of a World Council of Churches team
on a two-week tour of the US, visited Ivester Church of the Brethren, Grundy Center, Iowa.
churches in about 100 countries. Lamar
Gibble, peace and international affairs
consultant for the General Board, was
vice chairman of the team that toured the
Middle East.
Several teams toured sections of the
United States, including one that stopped
at Ivester Church of the Brethren in
Grundy Center, Iowa. (See sidebar.)
o.
'ne of the most important actions at
Vancouver, for the 930 or so
delegates — along with the several thou-
sand journalists, visitors, guests, staff,
translators, and other folks — is corporate
worship. And the house of worship is a
mammoth tent of 2,320 square meters.
Uniting the worshipers is the theme
"Jesus Christ — the Life of the World."
The first week is devoted to discussion of
this theme and its sub-themes: "Life, a
gift of God"; "Life confronting and over-
coming death"; "Life in its fullness"; and
"Life in unity."
During the second week, "issue groups"
are focusing attention on eight issues: 1)
witnessing in a divided world; 2) taking
steps toward unity; 3) moving toward par-
ticipation; 4) healing and sharing life in
community; 5) confronting threats to
peace and survival; 6) struggling for
justice and human dignity; 7) learning in
community; and 8) communicating with
conviction.
Brethren have ample opportunity in
small discussion groups and in the larger
issue groups to voice Brethren values and
concerns. Of special note is the pre-
assembly caucusing done by represen-
tatives of the Historic Peace Churches
(Brethren, Mennonites, and Friends). Last
January they wrote to the moderator and
general secretary of the WCC to en-
courage the council's executive committee
to give priority to concerns about the
nuclear arms race, growing mihtarization,
and their interlinkage with underdevelop-
are your hearts*
between his two large hands. Moved by
his reception in the friendly Iowa coun-
tryside, he held his grip on her hand and
said through his interpreter:
"God bless you, your family, your
children, and your farm."
That evening he told the Ivester con-
gregation: "These hours will be within our
hearts for a long, future time. We have
felt how warm are your hearts. We have
come to each other with open hearts for
all the people in the whole world.
"It is important that the voices of the
churches be heard by those in power. We
must have unity. We must not be divided.
Our soUdarity will bring results. We are
one in Jesus Christ. We have one Lord."
Then at the close of the long day in
Iowa that wrapped up the team's tour, the
bishop raised his hand and blessed the
members of the church and their families.
Other team members said the only other
time the bishop was moved to offer such
a blessing was during a visit to a New
Jersey Greek Orthodox church, a religious
tradition close to his own.
The Ivester church received the
bishop's blessing and the honor of having
the distinguished visitors after it was
selected by the Iowa Inter-Church
Forum, in which the congregation is very
active. The team was one of 80 WCC
visiting groups that are trying to visit
more than 300 denominations around the
world before the council's Sixth Assembly
this summer in Vancouver.
Konrad Raiser, a West German
Lutheran and deputy general secretary of
the WCC, was a part of the team that
visited Ivester. He said the purpose of the
visits has been "to provide living links,
Unks of solidarity" among Christians of
the world.
Raiser told the 125 people gathered in
the country church that in the team's
American tour "we've received more than
we've given. We've received a living
witness that God's spirit is at work in his
people."
w,
ith such dignitaries visiting, some
churches might try to put on airs, but not
the Ivester church. Wanda Button, Ivester
member, General Board member, and
chairwoman of the World Ministries Com-
mission, said the church's planners for the
visit asked, "What do people of Ivester do
from 3 to 6 on a Friday afternoon?" — the
time of the team's visit. They then worked
out schedules to give the visitors a true
glimpse of life in rural Iowa. After their
tours, the visitors were treated to an Iowa
country church potluck.
"What we tried to do was to give these
people a typical rural-church experience,"
said Arhn Claassen, pastor at Ivester.
The team that came to Iowa had experi-
enced a variety of American life, ranging
from visits to universities and seminaries to
big-city churches and social ministries such
as soup kitchens in poverty areas.
They agreed that the rural Iowa visit
was a moving and memorable climax.
"If we were to make a rating of which
of our hosts of these two weeks get the
highest marks, there is no doubt you
would get the highest," Raiser told the
church group. "This afternoon (visiting in
the community) has refreshed us in a very
special way. You have opened your
houses, your places of work, your arms,
your hearts in Christian love."
Dora Browne of Barbados, West Indies,
who is an official of the Caribbean Coun-
cil of Churches and a team member, was
amazed to find several generations of the
same family attending the same church.
"It has been a witness such as I never
encountered before," she said. "My father
always said the family that prays together
stays together. I have seen that today."
After dinner came a discussion about the
work of the WCC and the controversy that
surrounds it. Many questions centered on
allegations about a leftward political tilt
and supposed support of groups engaged in
armed revolution. Raiser and Timofeev
fielded most of the questions.
The end result of all the touring and
questioning and discussing was a better
understanding of how similar all people
are. Wanda Button caught the vision of
what happened at Ivester: "The hours the
WCC team was here were hours working
at peacemaking." D
William Simbro is religion editor for the Des
Moines Register.
August 1983 MESSENGER 17
merit, repression, peaceful resolution of
conflict, and nonviolent change.
In response to this request and others, a
special time is being considered in the pro-
gram for common action for justice and
peace by the whole assembly.
The final week of the assembly is given
over to full plenary sessions to hammer out
policy. Throughout the entire three weeks
there are numerous sideshows in addition
to the activity in center ring. A sampling:
• Three major forums — one on prayer;
one on women's concerns; and one featur-
ing two black Africans, Anglican Bishop
Festo Kivengere of Uganda and Allan
Boesak, South Africa, president of the
World Association of Reformed
Churches.
• Daily programs for accredited visitors,
open events, displays, and concerts.
• Peace and Justice Coffeehouse, spon-
sored by Project Ploughshares, the
Fellowship of Reconciliation, and Chris-
tian Movement for Peace.
• The Agora, a "marketplace" of
special -interest groups.
• "The Well," a center for women.
• Noontime concerts.
So, a WCC assembly consists of
business sessions, worship, evaluation,
dialog — but perhaps most important is
fellowship. The World Council of
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vidual growth, W.'ite or call, Tel, (319) 643-5636.
TRAVEL — Oberammergau Passion Play-
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TRAVEL— Grand Tour— Israel- Oberammer-
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Tour price including tips and taxes $1999. Join
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Sea / Masada / Bethany / Garden Tomb / Vienna
/ Salzburg / Oberammergau / Passion
Play / Liechtenstein / Lucerne / Innsbruck.
Churches is the most representative Chris-
tian organization in the world, and the
global fellowship of a WCC assembly can
be a major witness.
In a time when churches talk peace but
often practice division, it is significant to
be able to gather 300 churches around
their unifying belief in Jesus Christ. When
four thousand Christians can come
together and say — regardless of political
and national boundaries, regardless of
theological differences — that they are one
in Christ, that is cause for celebration.
And one cannot remain unchanged by
that fellowship. "You can't talk and sing
and pray for three weeks with Christians
for whom ecumenism is a life-and-death
affair and expect to feel easy about
belonging to the same movement
yourself," says John Bluck, WCC com-
munications director.
"And you can't share new dreams of
what it can mean to belong to the
worldwide body of Christ and then retreat
to the comfort of your corner." D
Representing the Brethren
The following people are participating
in an official capacity at the WCC
Sixth Assembly:
Robert W. Neff, delegate.
Mary Blocher Smeltzer, delegate.
H. Lamar Gibble, advisor.
Melanie May, accredited visitor and
consultant.
John T. and Geraldine Click, ac-
credited visitors.
Steve Reid, Bible study leader.
Howard Royer, press.
Wendy Chamberlain, press.
M. R. Zigler, invited by WCC
General Secretary Philip Potter as
guest.
E. Paul Weaver, accredited visitor-
at-large.
18 MESSENGER August 1983
(g(o)Dy[nii][n]
by Wilbur R. Hoover
Pressing priorities
After serving 30 years as a pastor and the
past 12 years as executive in the complex
and far-flung Western Plains District, I
have come to see four major issues affect-
ing the church now and in the immediate
future. They are identity, leadership,
structure, and priorities.
•Identity. Paul W. Hoffman, 1983 An-
nual Conference moderator, has said that
our church has an identity problem. He
means we are not quite sure of ourselves
and thus are hesitant about our mission
and message.
As I ponder opportunities and needs in
the world, I see the Church of the
Brethren, with its tradition of radical
discipleship and service, in a unique posi-
tion to give leadership in the ecumenical
community, both mainstream and the so-
called evangelical. For example, other
faith groups hunger to address the ques-
tion of nonviolence. There is also an
openness in the ecumenical community to
rituals that are a part of our tradi-
tion—the agape love feast, believer's bap-
tism, and the anointing service.
Some of our brothers and sisters will
see a compromise of our identity in our
participation in the ecumenical movement,
but we must accept a degree of pluralism
in our ranks if we are not merely to
withdraw into sectarian isolationism.
•Leadership. There has been progress in
training and continuing education for our
pastoral and lay leadership.
But still needed is a joint effort by the
seminary and the colleges in the design of
a legitimate substitute for the earlier
Bethany Bible Training School. This
would be helpful to those potential leaders
who do not feel comfortable at the
seminary, yet who need solid training in
biblical studies and communication skills.
•Structure. Our denomination has been
flexible in its approach to structure the
past decade or so. We have adjusted staff
aligmnents and portfolios. While we
should continue this flexibility, structural
changes should always be made for solid
reasons and never simply to attune
ourselves to the latest process or manage-
ment theories.
An addition, I believe the emphasis on
equality for women in our church struc-
tures is biblical and should be continued
with faithful intensity.
•Priorities. The Church of the Brethren
should attempt in the immediate future to
do the things we seem best equipped to do
well and not try to specialize in
everything. The following are what I con-
sider our most pressing priorities:
1) We should be untiring in our efforts
at peacemaking and conflict resolution.
This should include education and ap-
plication of acquired skills in all levels of
life. Faithful efforts at consciousness-
raising are peuticularly needed in develop-
ing awareness of systemic violence,
especially to women and minorities.
2) We should develop workable tech-
niques for faith-sharing. We should strug-
gle to develop a Church of the Brethren
form for evangelism, and challenge and
equip our people to be comfortable with
one-to-one witnessing to the Christian
faith. This could possibly result in new
congregations and church growth. The
fact that radical discipleship and peace
witness are not always palatable should
not relieve us of the responsibility to
make our testimony of faith.
3) We need to revive the concept of
volunteering and service as exemplified by
the Brethren Service vision of the 1940s
and '50s. Service in the name of Christ is
one of our unique gifts and messages to
the ecumenical community. We should
keep it as a central focus.
4) In the late 1970s, the Church of the
Brethren, though small, was a leader in
education and action regarding the
media — such as television, radio, the arts,
and the printed word. We should again
make this one of our specialties. We
should also affirm the unique place that
Messenger holds in the life of our
church and in the ecumenical community.
5) Courageous study and exploration of
the impact our economic system has in the
world community should be carried out in
a biblical context. The opportunity for
such study is soon to be implemented by
the General Board. Congregations should
not back away from this challenge.
6) We should continue our efforts to
recruit, train, support, and hold account-
able, lay and professional leadership for
our faith community at all levels. In order
to achieve this end, we must involve our
colleges more forthrightly in such efforts
through joint planning and evaluation.
7) We are largely a white, middle-class
church. May God help us do better in
relating to other racial and national
groups. "Misi6n Mutua" is a good idea.
We should be open to such partnerships
wherever possible.
8) We should continue our relationships
with the ecumenical community and also
seek to be in dialog with groups that are
not a part of it. This includes other
Brethren and anabaptist groups and
responsible evangelicals.
All this would require a great deal of
dedication, prayer, and work, but as the
author of Galatians said, "Let us not
grow weary in well-doing, for in due
season we shall reap, if we do not lose
heart. "D
Wilbur R. Hoover, a member of the McPherson
(Kan.) Church of I he Brethren, was formerly executive
of Western Plains District.
August 1983 MESSENGER 19
mmmmi
BIBLE
COMMENTARIES
Exactly seven years ago, Messenger
printed a resource article with a title
similar to this one. In August 1976, the
commentary series available for review in-
cluded Barclay's Daily Study Bible, The
Interpreter's Bible, Harper's New Testa-
ment Commentaries, New Century Bible,
Old Testament Library, Laymen's Bible
Commentary, Cambridge Bible Commen-
tary, Anchor Bible, International Critical
Commentary, Hermeneia, Tyndale
Biblical Commentaries, and New Interna-
tional Commentary.
With that many commentaries on the
market, one might assume that no further
series would be needed for a long time.
Guess again! A number of new series now
clamor for attention alongside those
listed, some of which deserve serious con-
sideration. The following paragraphs at-
tempt to sort out some of the new con-
tenders. Since we won't be commenting
further on the series treated in 1976, you
may wish to review that article as well.
(Reprints are available from the author.)
Bridging the gap
One of the longstanding gaps in
commentary-writing has been the gap be-
tween highbrow scholarly commentaries
and popular inspirational commentaries.
For the average lay student, one type is
too demanding and the other not
challenging enough. The Barclay,
Layman's, and Tyndale series all work at
bridging this gap. Several of the newer
series do the same, enabling lay readers to
make use of newer scholarly understand-
ings of the text.
20 MESSENGER August 198S
First, Westminster is publishing an Old
Testament counterpart to Barclay's New
Testament volumes in the Daily Study
Bible. The team of writers preparing the
paperback volumes is mainly British, with
evangelicals well represented. As was true
of Barclay, the Old Testament DSB
volumes offer a lot of information on the
historical background of the text,
presented in a folksy, devotional,
sometimes rambhng style. The RSV text is
included.
From a Roman Catholic publisher,
Michael Glazier, Inc., come two parallel
paperback series entitled the New Testa-
ment Message and the Old Testament
Message. The New Testament volumes
have all been published, and the Old
Testament series is underway. I am quite
favorably impressed with
this series is being produced under
Lutheran auspices. Its volumes feature
detailed literary outlines and careful verse-
by-verse analysis of the text. Although the
biblical text is not printed separately, par-
ticular words or phrases under discussion
are printed in boldface type. Only a cou-
ple of the (paperback) volumes have yet
been published, but the quality so far
looks good.
For communicators
Another area where older commentaries
frequently fall short is in helping us inter-
pret the larger meaning and significance
of biblical texts. What are the moral and
theological issues at stake in a given
passage, with which the church's com-
municators need to engage their listeners?
Several new series aimed specifically at
the volumes I have seen thus far. The
scholarship is solid, the writing clear and
concise, and the faith perspective
ecumenical. (Nine women are among the
authors, a statistic that puts comparable
Protestant series to shame!) Again, the
RSV text is printed in full.
For the New Testament, we can heartily
recommend the Augsburg Commentary on
the New Testament, from Augsburg
Press. As the name of the series suggests.
preachers and teachers give special atten-
tion to this question.
The "loser" in this round of entries is
The Communicator's Commentary, 12
hardbound volumes published by Word
Books. The format can best he described
as a series of miniature homilies on the
various sections of text in a given New
Testament book. Prepared by various
well-known preacher-communicators, the
volumes are full of the kind of material
that makes good Bible hour addresses but
provides only minimal help to interpreters
who need to do their own work with the
text.
A decided "winner," however, is the In-
terpretation hardbound series published
by John Knox. Subtitled "A Bible Com-
mentary for Teaching and Preaching," it
represents a stimulating new approach to
commentary writing. Its volumes explore
the text section-by-section rather than
verse-by-verse, with the goal of unfolding
historical-critical-Unguistic exegesis." The
greatest strength of its volumes lies in
their thorough analysis of the language of
the Greek New Testament.
Even more ambitious is the Word
Biblical Commentary, published by Word
Books. Barely begun, the series will run to
52 hardbound volumes when complete.
Each volume includes a fresh translation;
comments on textual, literary, and
theological matters; reflections on the
larger canonical significance of a passage;
and detailed bibliographies. Both the
D^nD
the theological message of the text and
what that means for faith and life. Com-
ments are based on the RSV, but the text
is not printed in the commentary. On the
basis of the two volumes that have ap-
peared so far (including Genesis by Walter
Brueggemann), this series may become a
"must" for serious pastors, teachers, and
Bible study leaders.
Two series of smaller scope also have
communicators in mind. The Proclama-
tion Commentaries from Fortress Press
offer compact paperback summaries
(100-1- pages) of key topics and issues in
particular books or groups of books in
the Bible. The comparable Knox
Preaching Guides published by John Knox
are not actually labeled as commentaries,
but their brief section-by-section analysis
of the text actually reads more like a com-
mentary than the Fortress series. Both
series are of high quality and reasonably
priced.
Still more for scholars
Two new important series for scholars
have appeared since our last review. The
New International Greek Testament Com-
mentary, published by Eerdmans, at-
tempts to provide "a theological
understanding of the text based on
Word and the New International Greek
series are the product of evangelical
scholars. Although neither will take the
place of other scholarly commentaries,
each provides a respectable counterpart to
series such as Hermeneia.
Yet to come
What would a Believers' Church Bible
Commentary look like? In two or three
years our readers will be able to answer
that question. Several Mennonite
denominations and the Church of the
Brethren are cooperating in the produc-
tion of just such a series. Writers are just
now being commissioned to prepare
volumes for the series, and several
Brethren Bible teachers are among that
group. For now we can only whet your
appetite and promise more details for
later.
Books from any of the series mentioned
above may be ordered from The Brethren
Press, 1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120.
For suggestions on the best commentaries
on a particular book of the Bible, write to
Robert Bowman or Rick Gardner at the
same address. — Rick Gardner
Rick Gardner, a member of the Parish Ministries
staff, is editor of A Guide for Biblical Studies and
director of Education for a Shared Ministry.
Cross
Keys
Village
a developing retirement
community of individual
cottages on the campus of
The Brethren Home at
New Oxford, Penn-
sylvania
• 10 models from $24,900
• only 2 hours from
Philadelphia and D.C.
• 15 minutes from Get-
tysburg
• 12 Church of the
Brethren Congrega-
tions nearby
• activities program
• free transportation
• nite-time security
• meals, housecleaning
and nursing service
available at modest
costs
• truly independent
hving
• with the assurance of
nursing care when
needed
• freedom from
household chores
"move in now while
you can still enjoy it''
Harvey S. Kline,
Administrator
For more information
contact:
Milton E. Raup,
The Brethren Home
Box 128
New Oxford, PA 17350
(717)624-2161
August 1983 MESSENGER 21
(o)io)n[ninco)'
On whether the Brethren should
John Attaway
A calling to
urban ministry
Not long ago, a respected and loved
brother asked whether the Church of the
Brethren should be in the cities (Novem-
ber, page 25). He pointed out quite ac-
curately that the Brethren have not been
extremely successful in urban centers. To
To hold in respect and fellowship those in
the church with whom we agree or disagree
is a characteristic of the Church of the
Brethren. It is to the continuation of this
value, and to an open and probing forum,
that "Opinions" are invited from readers.
a great extent, of course, this is true.
He also points out that all people are
not capable of doing everything well. I'm
not sure if this means that our church is
not capable of ministering in the city or if
those people who live in the city are in-
capable of being good and faithful Breth-
ren; but neither has to be true.
Of course, our church comes from a
rural heritage. But whether we like it or
not, society is changing. People are mov-
ing off farms, and now 80 percent of all
Americans live in towns of over 20,000
people. Our young people tend to move
to urban centers in the pursuit of higher
education and careers.
We have churches in many of our ma-
jor metropolitan and suburban centers.
Yes, some of them are struggUng; but
others are highly successful. Many of the
struggling ones are now in various stages
of intentional redevelopment as we better
learn how to minister in the city. We have
almost two dozen new churches that have
recently begun, are just beginning, or are
in the planning stages. Most of these are
located in or related to cities.
Ms
Lany of our new ministries are inten-
tionally directed toward minorities such as
Cambodians, Puerto Ricans, and
Koreans. Some of our city churches are
not large in numbers, but are very valid in
their ministry because they are actively in-
volved in serving their neighborhoods, hv-
ing their faith under sometimes difficult
circumstances, and bringing a Christian
and Brethren witness to their world.
They do this with day-care programs,
tutoring, children's clubs, prison
ministries, food distribution, visitation.
Juniata College
With roots in the Church of
the Brethren, Juniata
College's heritage in-
^^^^^ eludes the peace tradi-
tion. Our Peace and Conflict
Studies Program provides a broad
academic foundation that includes
opportunities for independent
studies, field trips and internships
No matter what course of study
you select— pre-medicine, pre-Iaw,
business administration, humani-
Other Brethren colleges are Bndgewater, Eltzabethlown,
Manchester, McPherson. and the University of La Verne
ties, health professions, liberal
arts or 25 other fields from among
17 academic departments— Jimi-
ata's flexible Program of Empha-
sis and unique advising system
make it possible for you to design
a personal and meaningful pro-
gram.
For further information contact
Mrs. Gayle W. Kreider, Director of
Admissions, Jimiata College, Hun-
tingdon, PA 16652, 814-643-4310.
22 MESSENGER August 1983
be in the cities
and counseling, as well as other forms of
ministry and outreach. I have found that
some of the Brotherhood's best trained
and most dedicated pastors minister in the
city, because this is where they feel the
Lord is leading them.
To my way of thinking, there is no
question as to whether the Brethren
should be in the city or not, because we're
already there.
As to the question of our overall
effectiveness, perhaps we need to consider
another perspective as well as our own
past history. I love the faithfulness, com-
mitment, and insight of Alexander Mack;
but, with all due respects to a beloved
brother, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ,
our Lord and Savior, and not Brother
Mack.
The early church grew because Paul and
the apostles took it to the great cities of
Rome, Corinth, Ephesus, and others. I
believe that God intends us to go where
we are needed the most — whether that's
the farm, small town, or downtown
Chicago. Christians are to go and minister
where there are people and need, and the
city certainly fills both of those re-
quirements.
I cannot believe that Jesus would be the
head of a church that is capable of
ministering to only 20 percent of the peo-
ple in the US. If we are not successful in
urban ministries, then we should not give
up but see it as an even greater challenge
and calling to learn how to reach all peo-
ple everywhere. D
John A riaway is pastor of Tampa Church of the
Brethren, Tampa, Fta.
tmmm^ pmMi
159th BVS
Orientation Unit
(Orientation completed May 17,
1983)
Bums, Vivian, Harrisburg, Pa.
Ebersole, John, Orangeburg,
S.C., to New Windsor Service
Center, New Windsor, Md.
Ebersole, Marie, Orange-
burg, S.C., to New Windsor
Service Center, New Wind-
sor, Md.
Frantz, Jacob, Dayton, Ohio,
to Center for Human Devel-
opment, Jackson, Miss.
Frantz, Mildred, Dayton, Ohio,
to Center for Human Devel-
opment, Jackson, Miss.
Gump, Ann, No. Manchester,
Ind., to Casa de Modesto,
Modesto, Calif.
Haney, David, Goshen, Ind., to
Camp Blue Diamond, Peters-
burg, Pa.
Miller, Margaret, Dayton,
Ohio, to The Palms, Sebring,
Fla.
Miller, Wanita, Corvallis, Ore.,
to Alderson Hospitality
House, Alderson, W.V.
Miller, William, Dayton, Ohio,
to The Palms, Sebring, Fla.
Rife, Mary-Belle. Chambers-
burg, Pa., to The Palms, Se-
bring, Fla.
Shaw, Gerald, No. Syracuse,
N.Y., to United Ministries
Volunteer Corp, Seattle,
Wash.
Licensing/
Ordination
Baker, Maynard, licensed Jan.
9, 1983, Green HUl, Mid-Atl.
Calderon, Karen I., ordained
May 8, 1983, Elgin, lU./Wis.
Douglas, Lucinda M. E., li-
censed July 10, 1982,
Pomona Fellowship, Pacific
S.W.
Henry, Barry, ordained March
4, 1983, Sugar Ridge, Michi-
gan
Hubbell, Donald, ordained
Nov. 28, 1982, Hagerstown,
Mid-Atl.
Hugged, John Blake, licensed
Nov. 13, 1983, Messiah, Mis-
souri
Kieffaber, Nancy Jo, licensed
Nov. 20, 1982, York Center,
111. /Wis.
Landls, Henry, ordained Nov.
20, 1982, Montgomery, West-
ern Pa.
Mambula, Musa A., licensed
May 15, 1983, York Center,
lU./Wis.
Powers, Thomas Samuel, or-
dained Mayl5, 1983, Mount
Morris, 111. /Wis.
Thompson, R. Jan, ordained
Feb. 6. 1983, Union Bridge,
Mid-Atl.
Warfield, Dennis, licensed Jan.
9, 1983, Green Hill, Mid-Atl.
Wilson, Robin Dawn, hcensed
May 15, 1983, York Center,
lU./Wis.
Pastoral
Placements
Bowman, Dale E., from Leake's
Chapel, Shenandoah, to Tire
Hill, Western Pa.
Burketl, Edward, from other
denomination, to Ten Mile,
Western Pa., part-time
Diaz, Manuel A., from Bristol,
Southeastern, to Locust
Grove, Western, Pa.
Laslo, Andrew, from retire-
ment, to Trinity, Shenan-
doah, interim part-time
Lutz, Ronald Gene, from Ger-
mantown, Atl N.E., to Am-
bler, Atl. N.E., associate
minister
Meyer, Matt, from General
Board Staff, to Naperville,
HI. /Wis., part-time
Mummert, John D., from
Garden City, W. Plains, to
Pleasant View. No. Ohio
Phillips, Marvin C, from Co-
lumbia City, No. Ind., to
Pittsburgh, Western Pa.
Simmons, Brian, to Shade
Creek, Ridge, Western Pa..
interim
Slauffer, Paul, from Midland,
Michigan, to Ottumwa, N.
Plains
Tilus, Michael R., from
Bethany, to Grants Pass.
Fruitdale, Ore. /Wash.
Wilkovsky, L. David, from
Bethany, to Williamsburg,
Middle Pa.
Young, David S.. from secular,
to Mingo, Atl. N.E.
Ziegler, Esther Rittie, from
Lancaster Seminary, to The
Brethren Home, Southern
Pa., chaplain
Anniversaries
Alexander, Mr. and Mrs. Fred,
Hagerstown, Md., 50
Fielitz, Paul and Elma, Toledo,
Ohio, 61
Hartong, Howard and Edna.
Phoenix. Ariz., 61
Hufford, Mr. and Mrs. Charles,
Leola, Pa., 50
Long, Mr. and Mrs. Albert,
Hagerstown, Md., 62
Richards, Mr. and Mrs. Arthur,
Hagerstown. Md., 50
Schaff, Mr. and Mrs. Jay,
Hagerstown, Md., 52
Deaths
Bachman, Elmer, 84, Phoenix,
Ariz., March 22, 1983
Barks, Joseph M., 82, Phoenix,
Ariz., April 30, 1982
Becker, Clara, 68, Mount Joy,
Pa., May 10, 1983
Bell, Sally, 91, Phoenix, Ariz.,
Nov. 16, 1982
Brown, Cliff, 78. Phoenix,
Ariz.. Nov. 19, 1982
Brumbaugh, Glenn Q., 86,
Lorida. Fla.. April 29, 1983
Cox, Warren E., 61, Ashton,
Iowa, April 7. 1983
Diffendal, Robert, 71,
Hagerstown, Md., May 1,
1983
Durling, William, 72, Hagers-
town. Md., March 2. 1983
Ebersole, Clara Mabel, 91, La
Verne, Calif., March 19, 1983
Evans, Paul, 94, Sheldon,
Iowa, March 17, 1983
Feightner, Harold, 78, Phoenix,
Ariz., April 10, 1983
Gearhan, Abram, 75, Shady
Grove, Pa., April 24. 1983
Gearhart, Leah, 85, Hagers-
town. Md., March 31, 1983
Gish, Luella, 87, McPherson.
Kan.. April 16. 1983
Greenwall, Ina, 85, Hagers-
town, Md., March 12, 1983
Guthrie, Ward B., 66, Phoenix,
Ariz., July 11, 1982
Guyer, Larue, 60, Woodbury,
Pa., April 18, 1983
Harmon, Hubert, 63, Hagers-
town, Md., April 13, 1983
Haynes, Lawrence W.. 68,
Bridgewater. Va., May 12,
1983
Highbarger, Ralph, 85, Hagers-
town. Md., Dec. 29, 1982
Hollinger, Clayton, 90, Lan-
caster, Pa., May 1, 1983
Howdyshell, Preston, 88,
Bridgewater, Va., May 7,
1983
King, Blanche, 85, Hagerstown,
Md., April 2, 1983
Kocher, Judith A., 35. Bedford
Pa.. April 7, 1983
Koons, Chalmer, 65, Phoenix
Ariz., June 2, 1982
Koontz, Kenneth W., 75. Wind
ber, Pa., May 3, 1983
Lahr. Harry A., 80. Warren
Ind., March 26, 1983
Landhuis, Cornelius, 75, Early
Iowa. April 13, 1983
Lewis, Beatrice, 78. Hagers
town, Md.. April 21, 1983
Little, Ethel, 79, Hagerstown
Md., Jan. 28, 1983
Mangus, Dorothy M., 70, Ko-
komo, Ind., April 22, 1983
Martin, Ada Earhart, 88, Eliz-
abethtown, Pa.. March 2
1983
Miller, Angie, 86, Phoenix
Ariz., April 12, 1983
Mullendore, Lee, 80, Hagers
town, Md., Feb. 3. 1983
Muntzing, Ernest E., 75, Roa
noke, Va., May 3. 1983
Myers, Paul, 63, Hagerstown
Md.. Nov. 24, 1982
Pinlo, Mark R., 22, New Cum
beriand, Pa.. April 1983
Rowe, Dewey, 85. Seattle,
Wash.. May 16, 1983
Shively, Mildred, 75, West
Manchester, Ohio, May 6,
1983
SibbitI, Cora G.. 91, Flora
Ind.. April 26, 1983
Slack, Paul W., 74, Zanesville
Ohio. April 6. 1983
Wharton, Paul K., 77, Altoona
Pa., Feb. 2, 1983
Whetstone, Mildred, 63, Wood
bury. Pa., March 23, 1983
Wray, Vena, 89, Ottawa, Kan.
Feb. 11. 1983
Vankey, Mary Virginia. 67
Nokesville, Va., May 14
1983
Zook, Ray E., 86, Wenatchee
Wash., April 29, 1983
August 1983 MESSENGER 23
A world I'd love to see
Behind the General Offices here in Elgin, lie
several acres of good Illinois prairie land, owned
by the church and long removed from farm use.
For many years now, we have had that land
plowed annually, divided into 40 x 40 plots, and
rented out at a nominal price to people in the com-
munity, first-come- first-served.
I have two ties to the gardens. I cultivate one of
the plots near my house, and my footpath to and
from work meanders through them. Both my gar-
dening and my walks are of considerable thera-
peutic value to me. (The fresh vegetables are of no
inconsiderable usefulness, as well.)
Much in the frame of mind of the housewife
who thinks pretty thoughts as she looks out the
kitchen window above her sink, I am given to
reflection as I work and as I stroll. The gardens
are a microcosm of a world I'd love to see.
There is something about seeing people working
in their gardens that leads you to trust them, to
like them, to feel good about them. If they believe
in tilling the soil you know they can't be all bad. I
look up from my work and beam benevolently at
people in adjoining gardens whom I would prob-
ably avoid or harbor suspicions about if I ran into
them downtown.
I speak to people in the gardens who would be
rank strangers elsewhere, but who become instant
and welcomed neighbors in this peculiar setting.
We chatter about our gardening techniques and
the resultant products. We have a bond — our pur-
pose in being there is one.
Across the gardens, I notice, I am not alone in
my warm feelings. On any day you can observe a
mixture of humanity at peace — black and white,
well-off and poor, in cheery conversation, calling
back and forth to each other. You can hear
English, Spanish, German, PoUsh, Japanese, Lao-
tian, Cambodian, Vietnamese being spoken, but
language is no insurmountable barrier. It can be
crossed by offering a sample of one's first fruits or
by sharing a few cabbage plants. It is as if a host
of countries has been reduced to small plots and,
looking across one's national boundaries, one can
see we aren't so different from each other, after all.
There are differences, but they seem insignifi-
cant. Different ethnic representatives grow some
different crops; some gardeners bring their chil-
dren, who gambol about while parents toil; some
of us are more expert gardeners than others, but
our degrees of expertise do not divide us along
racial or ethnic lines.
Mc
Lost important, we look across at our garden-
ing neighbors and we feel good about each other.
We trust each other. We bear no ill will. We sense
a bond of unity. We understand how each of us
just wants to get along. We see how much alike we
really are.
From time to time I pause, lean on my hoe han-
dle, and think there must be a germ of an editorial
or a sermon here, some lesson to be drawn. Maybe
when the crop's all in this fall, I'll have time to
think about it. Right now I just want to enjoy this
peaceable kingdom, found in my garden.- K.T.
24 MESSENGER August 1983
>. -5!5«6
}, ^v'i
-JJfc,,'
-^WSk
•
1^ ^j*^l^%r^*<fl^^^^H
r R
THE giftThat Bliili^^
• can entitle you to a charitable contribu-
tion deduction
• can save long-term capital gains tax if
funded with appreciated property
• can provide an attractive income for life,
with no management worries
• can save estate taxes for heirs
• can increase spendable income
Write or call today. I will gladly provide in-
formation based on individual circumstances.
Stewart B. Kauffman, Consultant for Special Gifts.
Church of the Brethren General Board
Office of Stewardship Enlistment
1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120
Telephone 312 742-5100
Please send me more information on the gift
that brings results
Klgj
Name
age (mo day yr ]
Address
r^:-^^^^
If you want an investment
with gratifying returns.
"^i^ir^--
put it here.
Trinity Church of the Brethren. Massillon. Ohio
What kind of return do you seek from an investment?
One of the most rewarding is seeing your savings
help build new churches, all the while earning you a
7V2 percent rate of return.
This is the plan of the Church Extension Loan Fund,
to assist the development of such new congregations as
Trinity Church of the Brethren at Massillon, Ohio.
Trinity began in 1977 when the Northern Ohio Dis-
trict called Herbert Fisher to be the organizing pastor.
Starting without a core of Brethren, Trinity in six years
has grown to a membership of 91. In erecting the new
building in 1980, members and friends donated 6,000
hours of work, arranging for an old-fashioned barn-
raising to roof the structure.
Loans, grants, and counsel from the denomination
were a major factor in Trinity's story. A dozen other
projects now seek such help.
This is why your participation in the Church Exten-
sion Loan Fund is crucial. Help more Trinity projects to
happen. Send your investment now.
Church of the Brethren General Board. 1451 Dundee
Avenue. Elgin, IL 60120 Attn: Stewart B. Kauffman
To invest in church development through the Church Ex-
tension Loan Fund, I enclose _] check LJ money order for
$ (Minimum note: $500) Please issue an invest-
ment note at 7V2% interest for five years
Make the note payable: D In my name as written below.
C Jointly in my name and
who is
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Church Extension Loan Fund
SEPTEMBER 1983
GOD'S GRACE A HEAVENLY THEME
FOR A MEETING ON EARTHLY MAHERS
mM(^M'.
10
12
13
29
31
God Before and Beyond. The sweep and flow of time fascinated the
psalmist who wrote Psalm 90; the link between what has gone on before
and what can carry on is clearly stated. Timothy K. Jones writes that this
sense of past and future is a constant theme throughout the Scriptures.
Ecumenical Optimism. As a vice president of the National Council
of Churches, J. Bentley Peters is committed to that ecumenical body
because "it is an effort toward wholeness and oneness in God," and because
"it is good for the present and future Church of the Brethren."
The Brethren in Baltimore. Brethren came by land, air, and sea to
gather for Annual Conference, held this year in the city by the Chesapeake.
Meeting in the new Convention Center near Baltimore's renovated Inner
Harbor, delegates debated such important issues as human sexuality,
sanctuary for Salvadoran and Guatemalan refugees, alternative service, the
office of deacon, and many more. There was also the usual variety of
insight sessions, meal events, concerts, and other forms of learning and
fellowship. Messenger's staff was there and presents 18 pages of stories
and photos that tell what the "big meeting" of 1983 was all about.
Conference Manager Doris Lasley: New to the Title, not
to the Job. After five years as assistant to her predecessor, Doris Lasley
has been appointed Annual Conference manager. While her title changes,
the job stays pretty much the same— organizing the aimual event that holds
the Brethren family together.
The Lord Said, "Go!" Ananias, not the most famous Bible character,
had the important task of going to the blinded Saul of Tarsus to heal him
and forgive him. Like many other people called by God, Ananias hesitated.
But he followed God's call, writes Chalmer E. Faw, and so must we.
In Touch profiles Edgar Hummer, Pennville, Ind.; Mary Virginia Wampler,
Jonesboro, Tenn.; and Roy and Kathryn Zimmerman, Ephrata, Pa. (2) . . .
Outlook reports on Kirchentag. Dayton, Ohio, celebration. Lititz "Run for Peace."
Norm and Carol Spicher Waggy. India emphasis. Presbyterian reunion. A.D.
magazine. People of the Covenant. Global Women's Project. Personnel. Draft
registration ruling. BVS Unit 160 (start on 4) . . . Underlines (7) . . . Update (8)
. . . Resources, "Aging," by Harvey S. Kline (32) . . . Opinions of Wesley
Brubaker, Alice B. Abbott, and Theo Waits Barber (34) . . . Turning Points (39)
. . . Editorial, "Let's Raise the Cost of War" (40).
DIVORCE NOT NECESSARILY FAILURE
Thank you, Frederick Walz, for pointing out
that divorce does not always connote failure, but
can be a recognition that two people entered into
a marriage for the wrong reasons, not realized by
them at the time, and now they would like to be
honest with themselves and their mate to dissolve
an unhealthy relationship.
Having experienced a divorce, I will not
minimize the pain involved in that process, but in
time 1 recovered and experienced a newness of
life that would never have been possible living in
an unhealthy relationship.
I feel we should continue to hold up marriage
for a lifetime an "ideal" as we do many Christian
principles, but when two people fall short of that
ideal the church or the Body of Christ should
support them in finding new, healthier relation-
ships.
Name Withheld
CHRISTIAN SCIENCE A CULT
in the June Messenger the editor wondered
where his mind was during Bible classes at
Bridgewater College and Bethany Seminary. I
wonder where his mind was when he wrote his
editorial ("The Bible Wrapped in Cellophane").
While I don't get particularly excited about a
Presidential proclamation for the "Year of the
Bible" (we shouldn't need such to promote the
Bible), I'm less excited, in fact disgusted, about
the editor's put-down of evangelicals and his pro-
motion of a cult.
Yes, Christian Science is a cult. It is basically
neither "Christian" nor "Science." It is a system
full of error. And while the "Year of the Bible"
campaign "trivializes God's Holy Word," Chris-
tian Science twists the truth of the Word and
mixes it with untruth.
Shame on the editor for his promotion of an
erroneous religion.
John A. Harpold
Richland, Pa.
00
EDITOR
Kermon Thomasson
MANAGING EDITOR
Wendy Chamberlain
EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS
Judd Blouch, Mike Klahre
FEATURES
Fred W. Swartz
SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES
Ruth Anne Gulp
PROMOTION
Kenneth L. Gibble
PUBLISHER
John D. Metzler Jr.
VOL. 132, NO. 9
AUGUST 1983
CREDITS: Cover, 1, 13-30 William F. Smith. 2
Dorothy Gall. 3 bottom Paul Brubaker. 4 Harold
Steiner. 5, 19 bottom, 21 bollom, 28 top. 29 top
right Judd Blouch. 5 bottom Bill Longenecker. 6
Religious News Service. 7 art by Mark Mitchell. 9
bottom John Carter. 11 art by Giandomenico Tie-
polo. 12 Randy Miller. 22 Wendy Chamberlain. 24
Nguyen Van Gia. 31 Art by Ben Enwonwu. 33
Wallowitch.
Messenger is the official publication of the
Church of the Brethren. Entered as second-class
matter Aug. 20, 1918, under Act of Congress
of Oct. 17, 1917. Filing date, Nov. I, 1982.
Messenger is a member of the Associated
Church Press and a subscriber to Religious News
Service and Ecumenical Press Service. Biblical
quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are from
the Revised Standard Version.
Subscription rates: $10 one year tor individual
subscriptions; $18.50 two years. $8 per year for
Church Group Plan. $8 per year for gift sub-
scriptions. School rale 50« per issue. If you move
clip address and send with new address.
Allow at least five weeks for address
change. MESSENGER is owned and
published monthly by the General
Services Commission, Church of the
Brethren General Board, 1451 Dundee
Ave., Elgin, III. 60120. Second-class
postage paid at Elgin, 111., September 1983.
Copyright 1983. Church of the Brethren General
Board.
e
EIGHTY-THREE YEARS OF MESSENGER
I appreciated the July Messenger. It brings
me back to the years when there were pictures
like that on the July cover or in Messenger
regularly. 1 am 83 years old. My father was a
minister in the Mingo Church in Pennsylvania. I
read Messenger as I was growing up. I
remember when they used to print the topics for
prayer meeting and our church used them as we
held prayer meeting in different homes. Many
times my father and I walked to prayer meeting
carrying a lantern.
I miss the news from local churches, since that
is the way I used to know the better ministers of
the Brotherhood.
I am now in the Indian Creek congregation
and have known David Ziegler (In Touch, July)
since he was born. He is such a dedicated and
wonderful person.
1 heard recently that James Quintet worshiped
in the old Indian Creek church, the first that was
built above Harleysville.
I am sometimes displeased at the covers of
' Messenger. Often they seem like pictures that
one sees on the covers of worldly papers. A
church paper should be different, more on the
spiritual side.
Amy Hartley
Telford, Pa.
ANOTHER FORTY YEARS?
Having read Marilyn Norquist's heart-
warming article ("One Family's Ecumenism,"
April) with delight, 1 was floored by Mervin
Keller's response (July). Are we, like the
Children of Israel, to spend another 40 years
wandering the ecumenical wilderness until the
present generation dies off?
In joint services held with the Church of the
Brethren, we somewhat staid Lutherans were
much enriched by the Brethren vigor in making a
joyful noise unto the Lord, the enthusiasm of the
proclaimed Word, the genuine extension of heart
and hand in fellowship, and by many other
spiritual gifts.
Would Keller deny our Roman Catholic Chris-
tian brothers and sisters this rich treasure of the
Brethren heritage? He should read some Roman
Catholic writers, particularly Richard P.
McBrien in his book Catholicism and Hans Kung
in On Being a Christian. In their works he would
find as magnificent confessions and proclama-
tions of the Christian faith as are to be found
anywhere.
I remind Keller that the ecumenical spirit is
one of unity and reconciliation. I do not ask him
to give up his identity, his beliefs, or his Brethren
tradition. I extend my hand in fellowship so that
in unity we may proclaim the Christian message
of the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
James N. Rodger
Hooversville, Pa.
PEACE IN FUNNY FORMS
Congratulations on The Gospel Messenger's
100th birthday.
Indeed, you have been in touch, you have
nourished us with Christian outlook, underlined
our responsibility to God's people, updated us
despite the pain felt, listened to the Word and
shared it with us, moved us as people & parish to
the global community — indeed, you are a re-
source. And in the lives of so many, a turning
point.
Peace be yours. It comes in funny forms.
Edward R. Killackey. mm.
Maryknoll Catholic
Foreign Mission Society of
America. Inc.
Washington, D. C.
A RELUCTANT HERO
I appreciated the June Messenger article and
the Annual Conference display on Ted
Studebaker.
Ted, himself, would have been a reluctant
hero. Ted was no "Lone Ranger." He was always
a team player. At Manchester College, whether
he was in the heat plant, in the classroom, on the
wrestling mat, or on the football field, his love.
care, and concern came through.
I believe Ted would have four questions for us
today:
Do you know and apply the Bible?
Are your roots still in the soil?
Is your biblical knowledge in dialog with other
bodies of knowledge?
What are you doing to help the oppressed, the
uprooted, and the dispossessed today?
Teams need players like Ted Studebaker. Ted
Studebaker needed the Brethren to affirm his life
and values and give him strength. The joy is that
God created such a man. The tragedy is that he
stayed on the playing field such a short period of
time. The joy is that his example and the price
that he paid are so powerful that they profoundly
influence the lives of some of us yet today.
Steve Stone
Dunkirk, Ind.
IGNORANCE IS DEGRADING
Regarding "Catholics as Captors" by Mervin
Keller (July Letters), I will quote a Spanish prov-
erb which translates "Ignorance is daring." In
fact, after reading Keller's letter, I ask: What
does he know about Catholicism, the faith of
almost a billion souls? Also it is clear that he
knows nothing or very little about the Brethren
spirit itself.
He may be an intolerant, fanatical denomina-
tionalist, but is he knowledgeable? This would be
another story. If he were knowledgeable, his let-
ter would not have been written.
I suggest that Mervin Keller not rely on gossip
and prejudice, but that he rely instead on factual
information.
After all, the Catholic church has been the
target of contradiction for 2,000 years and will
not be affected by his statement. Rather, it is the
Church of the Brethren which he has degraded
with his ignorance.
Anthony Stefany
Lyons, Kan.
FOR FREE-FLOWING IDEAS
The July editorial, "Crawfishes at
Conference," was one of the best. I hope our
church leaders see the light and begin to allow a
free flow of thought, even if they do not agree.
Jesus would have as much to say to us today as
he did to the Scribes and the Pharisees in the way
we try to keep the "status quo," by not allowing
or by placing hindrances in the way of those
groups that have an idea to present.
We hear beautiful sermons about how there
must be a free flow of ideas if we are to know the
truth. But just try to get an announcement in a
district newsletter, or get a booth at Annual Con-
ference or make an announcement in a worship
service . . . unless it is in accordance with the
thinking of those in authority.
We do need to have some restrictions, but let's
not deny someone a voice simply because it is not
the official position of the Church of the
Brethren.
W. Otis Loucks
Bremen, Ind.
0X0 O 0^ (Q
A or the third time in recent years, we are
using a quilt photo on the cover of the An-
nual Conference issue of Messenger. The
popularity of the quilting party and auction
goes on and on.
Thinking that surely some day we will be
jaded with this familiar process. Messen-
ger's staff has come up with a variation
(which we haven't tested yet with Annual
Conference Central Committee). The idea
came to us in a discussion of how to ex-
pedite Conference business.
Killing two birds
with one stone, so
to speak, here is
our idea: Instead
of debating issues
and voting on
them in a formal
business session
(which just creates
tension and exac-
erbates hostile
feelings), let's abol-
ish the business sessions and accomplish the
same thing with quilts.
"How?" you ask, quite legitimately. Sim-
ple. Each congregation would receive, well
in advance, a list of the issues to be settled
at Conference. Then it would hold a con-
gregational meeting, brainstorm, and create
a quilt square for each issue. On each
square, the congregation would indicate its
feeling about an issue, either with some-
thing symbolic or with just an embroidered
statement.
For example, suppose the NCC question
came up again (and why suppose that it
wouldn't?). If a congregation were against
the NCC, it might submit a quilt square
with the letters "NCC" inside a circle with a
diagonal line across it, like a no-no traffic
sign. Or it might embroider the symbolic
ecumenical ship, and show it sinking. Or, if
lacking originality (but not resolve), it
might just stitch on its square, "Let's git out
of the NCC!"
At Conference we would sort and assem-
ble the squares — a different quilt for each
business item. After the quilts were com-
pleted, the officers would tally up the "pro"
and "con" squares for each item, settling
the issue in each case . . . just like a vote,
but loads more fun.
Then we would auction the quilts, divvy
the profits, and head home, one big happy
denomination.
Well, maybe our quilt idea doesn't
have all the creases out yet, but don't
throw a wet blanket over it until you give
it some thoughtful consideration. —The
EDITOR
September 1983 messenger 1
m
h
Edgar Hummer: Journey through the Bible
"Do you think God is telling me to go in-
to the ministry?" was the question Edgar
Hummer asked his wife, Euha, as they
shared the grief over their two-year-old
son's death. Her answer was, "I think you
have a ministry right here."
With their four daughters they farmed
140 acres and built up a herd of shorthorn
cattle. The ministry they shared was in the
small, rural Hickory Grove Church of the
Brethren near Pennville, Ind.
Edgar was the ministry commission at
Hickory Grove for 20 years or more. This
was before the district executive era, when
each church found its ministers with its
own resources. Edgar was always alert to
all sources, such as student ministers and
professors at Manchester College, as well
as those names announced in Messenger
as fwrsons available for a series of
meetings. The goal of the congregation
through the 1930s and '40s was to have
preaching services twice a month,
evangelistic services for two weeks each
year, and sometimes summer pastorates.
Through Edgar, God sent to Hickory
Grove such people as J.O. Winger, Lon
Karns, J. W. Fidler, J. Oliver Dearing,
Ivan and Dorotha Fry, Albert Harsh-
barger, emd Frank Mulligan.
Edgar will soon be 86 years old. He has
taught Sunday school classes for 60 years.
In the early 1960s his class expressed con-
cern that none of them had ever read the
entire Bible cover to cover. This was an
accomplishment they longed for, but
seemed unable to achieve individually.
"Edgar," they asked, "why don't you
use the Bible as a textbook and help us
read through it on Sunday mornings?"
And so they began a journey through the
Scriptures. Some Sunday mornings they
covered several chapters. Other times they
dealt with only four or five verses,
depending on how the discussion moved.
They wanted more than a casual reading;
they sought understanding as well.
Although Edgar completed only an
eighth-grade education, he has gathered a
library of reliable resources and uses them
to prepare inspiring and meaningful
lessons.
2 MESSENGER September 1983
He is unsure of the exact year his scrip-
ture journey began, but in 1964 he noted
in Exodus the completion of that portion
and has continued to keep track of the
progress of his class since then. Around
Thanksgiving last year, the note in Edgar's
Bible said that his class had finished
Revelation. Many of the original group
have stayed with the class, and now can
say they have studied the entire Bible,
verse by verse, over a continuous period
of time.
Edgar continues to teach the class,
leading the members through studies of
the Bible with the help of various com-
mentaries and study series. And, as he ap-
proaches 90, Edgar is just now thinking
of retiring from farming. — Dorothy
Gall
Dorothy Gall is the daughter of Edgar Hummer and
a member of Bethany Church of the Brethren, New
Paris, Ind.
Mary Virgini
When Mary Virginia Wampler was a
child, one of her favorite play places was
the landing on the staircase in her home.
There Mary Virginia would set up her
dolls to play teacher. And on this landing,
her mother, Virgie McAvoy Miller, would
coach Mary Virginia on the art of public
speaking.
"Mary Virginia, you have something to
tell these people," Virgie would say. "And
if you're here as a messenger, you don't
have to be afraid."
Years later, the talents that Virgie
Miller saw in her daughter have been
recognized by the people of Southeastern
District, who called Mary Virginia, a
member of the Jackson Park church,
Jonesboro, Tenn., to be the district's first
lay speaker. However, this title just makes
official something Mary Virginia hsis been
doing for a long time.
"For several years previously I had been
asked to deliver sermons at revival
meetings and special emphasis services,"
she says. "I had been speaking all my life
as a lay person."
And speaking successfully. Mary
Virginia's talent as a pubhc speaker is
Roy and Kathry
"Maybe it's because we were never able to
have children," Roy responded
thoughtfully to my question about the
motivation for his and Kathryn's Ufe of
serving others. "We've accepted the idea
of not having children as God's will," he
said, "although it's been difficult."
Kathryn continued emotionally, "Yes, so
often I've felt cheated, especially during a
baby-dedication service."
But Roy and Kathryn Zimmerman
agree that their thoughtful deeds and
kindnesses would be more limited today if
there were children to occupy their time.
Their childlessness hasn't caused them to
withdraw, but rather has provided the im-
petus for extending themselves to others.
About 20 years ago Roy began ar-
ranging and providing floral bouquets for
the services at Middle Creek Church of
the Brethren, near Ephrata, Pa., where he
has been a Hfe-long member. "I've never
thought of charging the church for this,"
Roy says, "because this is something I can
do." After church, the floral arrangements
ampler: Officially speaking
widely known in Tennessee, and her
phone number is a popular one to call
when a pulpit is empty.
"I've had such a tremendous response
every time I've spoken, especially at
revivals," Mary Virginia says. "I've always
liked to share my own experiences, and
this has appealed to people."
One of the most immediate ways to
measure the success of a revival service is
the altar call. Mary Virginia tries to in-
clude one of these in each revival service,
and usually gets a good response.
Creative ways of expressing a message
grab and hold a listener's attention. One
way Mary Virginia puts a special touch on
her sermons is by doing a dialog with her
husband, Byron ("B.J.") Wampler, ad-
ministrator at the John M. Reed Home,
Limestone, Tenn.
Mary Virginia says the most frequently
used subject for these dialogs is the home
and family. While she gives the female
side, B.J. gives the male side, and both
draw heavily on their 40 years of mar-
riage. "We've been down the road a little
ways," Mary Virginia says.
Mary Virginia says she didn't want to be
licensed or ordained because she didn't
want to "run competition" to B.J. In ad-
dition, she has been a full-time teacher for
23 years, and now is not the time to
change professions. Besides, Mary
Virginia's position as a lay speaker offers
all the opportunity she needs to put to use
her God-given talent of bringing a
message. — J. A. B.
immerman: Saying it with flowers
go on to other places. "We go wherever
the Spirit leads," Roy explains. "Maybe
someone is having a birthday, or maybe
someone's sick or home-bound. Flowers
are a way of showing others you care."
Roy showed a card he received recently
from a seven-year-old boy who had
undergone a tonsillectomy. The printing
was uphill and in typical second-grader
style: "Dear Roy and Kathryn, Thank you
for the flowers, and have a very good
year! - Love, Marcus."
The Zimmermans, who work in a shoe
factory, have another facet to their
ministry: "Each morning I look at the
church's birthday calendar," Roy explains,
"and then all day I try to think about the
good in the lives of those people who are
having birthdays that day, and I also pray
for them." He adds, "You know, the Bible
says, 'Cast your bread upon the waters, for
you will find it after many days.'"
The flowers, the notes of encourage-
ment, the prayer support, the visits, the
heart-felt expressions of concern — these
are typical of the Zimmermans' style.
"Hearts as big as bushel-baskets!" is the
comment often heard regarding their
ministry. -Paul W. Brubaker
Paul W. Brubaker is moderator and minisler of
Middle Creek Church of the Brethren, Lititz, Pa.
September 1983 messenger 3
Kirchentag becomes
anti-nuclear event
Most of the 140,000 people attending
West Germany's 20th annual Protestant
church day oppose stationing new
American Cruise and Pershing II missiles
in western Europe later this year, but they
are determined to keep fellowship with
those who disagree with them.
That was the impression left by the
"violet scarf action" organized at the
church day, or Kirchentag, by a group of
10 peace organizations led by the influen-
tial Action Reconciliation/Service for
Peace (Aktion Suehnezeichen/Friedens-
dienste).
The Kirchentag, which took place in
June in Hannover, West Germany, is a
Reagan gets reminders
of Mennonite pacifism
The German Mennonite Peace Com-
mittee (DMFK) has initiated a postcard
campaign on the occasion of the 300th
anniversary of the arrival of the first
German immigrants to the US.
Campaign planners note that the an-
niversary is being used by the govern-
ments of the United States and the
Federal Republic of Germany to reaf-
firm the commitment of NATO coun-
tries to deploy 572 new missiles this fall
in western Europe, 214 of them in
West Germany.
The DMFK is urging both German
and North American Mennonites to
send postcards to President Reagan
reminding him that the Germans who
emigrated to the US in 1683 were
pacifist Mennonites and Quakers.
(Brethren fleeing religious persecu-
tion, in part because of their refusal of
military service, found refuge in Penn-
sylvania in 1719, 1729, and 1732.)
lay movement with origins early in this
century and has been held every two years
since 1945. This year's theme, "Turn back
to life," is based on the words of Ezekiel.
That theme was printed on the scarves,
along with the sentence "The time has
come for an unconditional No to weapons
of mass destruction." Nearly 90,000 par-
ticipants wore the scarves, which were
symbohc of repentance.
Officially representing the Church of
the Brethren was Kristin Flory, a Brethren
Celebrating the 275th in a plain and simple way
It began as the idea of a Sunday school class studying the book Heritage and Promise,
and ended up £is a spiritual day for the members and friends of Prince of Peace Church
of the Brethren, in Dayton, Ohio. With a buggy on the front lawn and a Sauer Bible on
display, the congregation learned history and heritage in the renewal of worship.
Gathering at the East David Road meetinghouse, 170 members and friends
celebrated the Church of the Brethren's 275th anniversary with an old-style worship ser-
vice. Tieless brethren sat on the left; sisters with covered heads sat on the right. Five
elders, including pastor Michael L. Hodson, sat at a table up front and led hymns,
prayers, scripture reading, the spoken word, and testimony. Deacons lined the hymns and
punctuated the message with verbal "amens."
Among the many visitors were Harold and Grace Steiner from the East Chipp>ewa
congregation. They are pictured above in the plain clothes of the early Brethren.
Volunteer Service worker with Action
Reconciliation. BVSers Caith Wiles, with
Living Without Arms (Ohne Rustung
Leben), and Myrna Frantz Gerhard, with
Church and Peace, were also involved in
the Kirchentag.
Long before the five-day event began,
fears were expressed that the scarf action
might be considered discriminatory toward
those who rejected the scarves, said Flory.
The campaign was accused of possibly
splitting the church.
Most of these fears were dissipated dur-
ing the Kirchentag, Flory reported.
Coupled with the visible effect of wearing
a violet scarf was the wiUingness of the
wearer to be approached on the matter.
Uniformed soldiers, also Kirchentag
visitors, were often seen in intense conver-
sation with scarf-wearers.
Almost 100,000 attended a peace
demonstration at which a long list of
speakers — including Bishop Kurt Scharf
of West Berhn, South African Reformed
theologian Allan Boesak, and US Menno-
nite John Howard Yoder — rejected the
planned stationing of the new missiles.
Roman Catholic Archbishop Rembert J.
Weakland of Milwaukee read sections of
the recently issued American bishops'
pastoral letter on peace.
Kristin Flory was honored at the Kir-
chentag as one of the recipients of the
Gustav-Heinemann-Burgerpreis (a peace
prize in the name of the former president
of the Federal Republic of Germany). She
received the prize for involvement in
peace activities during the past two years.
Myrna Frantz Gerhard reflected, "It is
very overwhelming for me, for Church
and Peace, and for us Brethren to be
plugging along at the peace-church
message and then come into contact with
the power and energy of so many other
people who earnestly desire peace and are
now demanding an understanding of
jjeace in their lives, from their churches,
and from their governments." Church and
Peace, the organization Gerhard works
with, is similar to the US peace church
organization, New Call to Peacemaking.
"Not all who wore scarves fully under-
stand pacifism," said Gerhard. "But for
many it was a chance to really express
their desire to turn from this arms race. It
also showed that the peace movement in
Europe is made up of thousands of Chris-
tians, committed to nonviolence."
She expressed dismay at the violence
that occurred later that month, when 40
4 MESSENGER September 1983
out of 20,000 peaceful protesters fought
the pohce during Vice President Bush's
visit to Krefeld. "It will be a difficult
fall," Gerhard said, "not only because of
violent demonstrations that could occur,
but because Christians must also respond
to the deployment (of the NATO
missiles), but in a way that is in agreement
with Christ — nonviolently."
Christians in the peace movement are
preparing nonviolent ways to protest the
planned deployment of the Cruise and
Pershing II missiles later this year.
Gerhard reported that many fasts and
peace worship services will take place.
German Mennonites have invited US
churches to join in solidarity with these
actions on Oct. 16.
Lititz 'Run for Peace'
has El Salvador focus
More than 220 runners, many of them
Brethren, took part in a "Run for Peace"
on June 18 in Lititz, Pa. Sponsored by
the Lititz Church of the Brethren, the
event was planned to focus attention on
issues of international peace and justice.
About 150 ran in the 10,000-meter race,
which was preceded by a 1.8-mile "Fun
Run" in which another 70 runners par-
ticipated. Many ran to demonstrate their
concern for peace and to donate registra-
tion fees to Brethren work in Salvadoran
refugee camps in Honduras. More than
$500 was collected.
Favored to win the race was local
Brethren star Jeff Bradley, three-time win-
ner of the Five-Mile Red Rose Run. But
he had to bow out less than two hours
before the race, when his wife went into
labor and subsequently gave birth to a
baby girl. Jay Haug, an Episcopal
minister from Lancaster, easily out-
distanced the other runners.
Coordinators of the Run for Peace ex-
pect it to become an annual event. Each
year an international trouble spot will be
lifted up, and Brethren peacemakers
working in the particular area will receive
the profits from the race. In addition to
publicity about the race, seminars and
speakers help to educate the community
about peacemaking in war-torn areas.
As part of this year's emphasis on El
Salvador, the Lititz church has arranged
for Yvonne DiUing, who spent a year and
a half working with Salvadoran refugees
in Honduras, to speak locally and be in-
terviewed for radio and newspapers.
Norm and Carol Waggy:
New Nigeria workers
Norm and Carol Spicher Waggy and
daughter Crystal leave this month for a
two-year term of service at Garkida,
Nigeria.
Norm, a medical doctor who has just
finished his residency in South Bend,
Ind., will be medical consultant for the
Rural Health Program. His tasks will be
more in administration and education
than in hands-on care. He will be respon-
sible for stocking the dispensaries, helping
to train and evaluate Village Health
Workers, interpreting program, visiting
villages, verifying the accuracy of training,
and monitoring the program.
Norm's decision to enter the medical
practice was influenced largely by a close
friend, the late Homer Burke, long-time
medical missionary, who established the
medical program in Nigeria.
Carol, a licensed minister in the Prince
of Peace Church of the Brethren, South
Bend, has a Master of Divinity degree in
pastoral counsehng and Master of Social
Work degree. She has previously been a
medical center chapl2un, a case manager,
and a teacher. Carol is of Mennonite
background, and the couple "keeps feet in
both denominations."
India gets the spotlight
in October emphasis
In anticipation of the 90th anniversary of
Brethren involvement in India, congrega-
tions across the denomination will be em-
phasizing the program in India through
the World Mission interpretive offering
emphasis. The emphasis will be Oct. 2.
The first Brethren went to India in 1894
to start an evangelism and teaching
ministry. Today the Brethren work in
partnership with the Church of North In-
dia, which it helped form in 1970.
A new sUde/tape presentation, "As a
Living Tree," gives current information
about the work of the church in India. It
can be ordered from The Brethren Press,
1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120. Other
resources on India are a brochure, called
"Enter the World of India," and a major
feature in the October Messenger.
Congregations may also call upon mis-
sion interpreters who have visited India
during 1983: Glen and Betty Campbell,
Monticello, Ind.; Paul and Emma
Hoover, Windsor, Pa.; Jack and Lila Mc-
Cray, Elkhart, Ind.; Howard Royer,
Elgin, 111.; and Joseph and Fern
Schechter, Upland, Calif.
Steve Longenecker, a member of Mechanic Grove (Pa.) Church of the Brethren, crosses
the finish line at the first annual "Run for Peace," sponsored by the Lititz congregation.
September 1983 messenger 5
Presbyterians reunite
after 122 years apart
At a solemnly joyous celebration of the
Lord's Supper, the 2.3 million-member
United Presbyterian Church in the USA
and the 890,000-member Presbyterian
Church in the US reunited to officially
constitute the new 3.2 miUion-member
Presbyterian Church (USA).
The first general assembly of the new
church, held in June in Atlanta, marked
the end of the division between the
"northern" and "southern" branches,
which split in 1861 over the slavery ques-
tion. The historic communion service was
observed by some 30,000 Presbyterians
across the nation via a communications
satellite hookup.
A white Southern pastor, J. Randolph
Taylor of Charlotte, N.C., who was one
of the major architects of the reunion,
was elected first moderator of the new
church. He named as his vice moderator
Joan Salmon-Campbell, a black lay
presbytery official from Philadelphia.
Co-Stated Clerks William P. Thompson
of the UPC and James Andrews of the
PCUS will serve on an interim basis for a
year, and a committee will nominate one
permanent stated clerk to be elected at the
1984 assembly.
Still to be written is "A Brief Statement
on the Reformed Faith" for the new
church to supplement the confessions of
faith to which the uniting bodies already
subscribe. Other decisions yet to be
reached include the structure of the
church's bureaucracy, the boundaries of
Final moderators James H. Costen (UPCUSA) and James E. A ndrews (PCUS) and their wives
led a triumphant parade to City Hall, where Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young greeted the crowd.
presbyteries and synods, and the number
of seminaries needed.
An especially controversial issue will be
the location of church agencies. Head-
quarters of the predecessor bodies are in
New York and Atlanta. Other cities that
have been mentioned as possible sites are
St. Louis, Kansas City, Washington,
Dallas, and Chicago.
In the closing hours of this first general
assembly, the delegates voted to add two
"recognized conservative evangelicals" who
are former members of the PCUS and
two conservatives from the UPC to the
General Assembly Council. The council,
created in the Plan of Reunion, consists
of 26 members from each former
denomination, plus the moderator. The
addition was seen as a symbolic reconcil-
Criticism and controversy surround A.D. demise
An 11 -year-old ecumenical partnership ended this summer when the final issue of
A.D. magazine went to press. The monthly periodical, published jointly in two edi-
tions since 1972 by the United Presbyterian Church (UPC) and the United Church
of Christ (UCC), ceased publication with its July-August issue.
Criticism and controversy have surrounded the unilateral decision of the
Presbyterian Support Agency to end the partnership and close down the magazine.
Co-Stated Clerk Wilham P. Thompson of the Presbyterian Church (USA) denied
that A.D. was "one of the first casualties" of the reunion of the United
Presbyterian Church and the Presbyterian Church in the US. Jean Edwards,
former chairwoman of the Support Agency board, had contended that the decision
was based on A.D.'s decUning circulation and financial deficits. A.D. staff and
board members said they were not consulted before the decision was made.
In its June meeting, the general assembly of the newly reunited Presbyterian
body approved a set of guidelines designating Presbyterian Survey, the magazine of
the former Presbyterian Church in the US, to be the publication of the new church
during an interim period of restructure.
ing action to reassure conservatives who
had opposed the union.
In the midst of the jubilation over re-
union, there is recognition that not all
Presbyterians in the two churches voted
for reunion. About 20 percent of all those
who voted in the PCUS presbyteries op-
posed the plan. "Reunion is a fact, but
unity must now be achieved," wrote Ben
Lacy Rose in the PCUS magazine.
He noted, though, that many of those
who opposed reunion are pledging to sup-
port the new church. Southwest Georgia
Presbytery, the first in the PCUS to vote
against reunion, urged its members "to
work dihgently and loyally to make our
new reunited denomination an even better
instrument of God's grace than has been
our beloved Presbyterian Church in the
United States."
People of the Covenant
starts in 3 districts
People of the Covenant, an education
program for adults in Church of the
Brethren congregations, begins its pilot
year this month in the Southern Ohio,
Pacific Southwest, and West Marva
Districts.
During the pilot year, the materials and
structure of the program will be tested.
The three districts were picked because
they represent three geographical locations
and three sizes of districts.
Shirley Heckman, General Board staff
member and coordinator of People of the
Covenant, said that if all goes well four
more districts will be invited to join the
6 MESSENGER September 1983
program. Districts will then be added until
the entire denomination is involved.
People of the Covenant is the largest
educational program since Mission 12 in
the 1960s, and it is perhaps the General
Board's most extensive emphasis ever.
Heckman said the program is expected to
be an emphasis until the end of this cen-
tury, and maybe longer.
The basis of People of the Covenant is
small groups with trained leaders. In these
small groups,
people will in-
tentionally live
out their faith
as they become
more biblically
informed,
globally aware,
and more sen-
sitive of their
relationships
with God, self, and others.
The educational focus of the program is
guided by Paul's perspective on covenant in
2 Corinthians 3:5-6: "Our sufficiency is
from God, who has qualified us to be
ministers of a new covenant, not in a writ-
ten code but in the Spirit."
Women to fund project
in Costa Rica jungle
The Church of the Brethren Global
Women's Project (GWP) is launching a
new program in Costa Rica to educate
women in isolated jungle areas. The proj-
ect replaces a planned endeavor in Peru
that was never started because of a lack of
leadership.
The Costa Rica project will be done in
cooperation with the Faith and Sanctifica-
tion Pentecostal Church, a denomination
that has been educating women in the city
of Cartago. The program has enabled
women to meet for Bible study and to learn
skills that have helped them and their
families.
GWP's grant of $15,000 will be used to
extend this education program into the
jungle village of San Andres. There women
will be led in Bible study and will learn
health and subsistence skills.
So that the women can make their
children's school uniforms instead of buy-
ing them, GWP would like to send treadle
sewing machines, which run without elec-
tricity. Any person wiUing to contribute
one should write to Global Women's Proj-
ect, 1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120.
y[^(^(t[rl^(t^
IN THE SERRVICE
Joanne Nesler Davis has been named manager
of the SERRV International Gift Shop at the denomination's
Elgin, 111. , offices. She has worked at Elgin before, as
assistant treasurer and as Brethren Volunteer Service director.
Also new to the SERRV staff are Marci a Sue Bubel , manager of
receiving and pricing, and Richard A. Foster , manager of
storage and distribution. Both work at the New Windsor (Md. )
Service Center.
ROOTS
A sermon by Norman F. Reber at the Mohrsville
(Pa. ) congregation was filmed as part of a West German tele-
vision documentary tracing the Reber family from its roots in
Germany to the present. A minister in the New Fairview church,
Norman is a former editor of Pennsylvania Farmer and a former
editorial assistant with MESSENGER.
HEADED FOR HIROSHIMA ... Charles and Helen Sutton of the
Mack Memorial (Dayton, Ohio) church, are beginning a term as
co-directors of the World Friendship Center, Hiroshima, Japan.
A former United Methodist minister, Charles has worked seven
years with the American Friends Service Committee. The World
Friendship Center is supported by the Friends, Mennonites, and
Church of the Brethren.
WASHINGTON WITNESS
David Deeter , a Manchester College
political science student, worked as a volunteer intern in the
Washington Office this summer. Major responsibilities were
research on genetic engineering — in preparation for an Annual
Conference query — and a paper on procedures for honorable dis-
charge from military service for conscientious objectors.
PUBLISHED ... "Memories of the Melting Season," a poem by
15-year-old Lisa Ruinmel (daughter of Palmyra, Pa., pastor
Donald Rummel) , was awarded top honors in the Harrisburg
Patriot News Scholastic Writing Contest. . . . Merlin Carter ,
a minister in the Roanoke (Va. ) Central church, has published
his autobiography. Tilted Halo. . . . Ingrid Rogers , North
Manchester, Ind. , has written a peace songbook, "Peace Be
Unto You. "
NAMES IN THE NEWS
Timothy A. McElwee , recent graduate
of Bethany Theological Seminary, is the new campus minister at
Manchester College. . . . Formerly executive of the Tri-Dis-
trict, Charles Lunkley has been appointed part-time chaplain
at Timbercrest Home in North Manchester, Ind. . . . William
G_. Willoughby , retired professor at the University of La
Verne, is the 1983-84 scholar-in-residence at Bethany Seminary.
. . . Esther R. Ziegler , Harrisburg, Pa., began Aug. 1 as
chaplain at The Brethren Home in Neffsville.
REMEMBERED
Risku Madziga, one of the first four
Christian converts of the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria,
died June 26 in Jos, Nigeria, at the age of 81. He and the
now last survivor of that group, Pilesar Sawa , were pictured
on the March 1983 MESSENGER cover. ...D.J. Bhonsle , a
spiritual leader of the church in India, died July 6 at Pal-
ghar, India. He was a pastor, elder, and moderator in the
Church of the Brethren in India, and then gave active leader-
ship to the formation of the Church of North India.
September 1983 messenger 7
^©(^(o
HYMNAL COUNCIL . . . Qualified and interested people are being
sought to help in the production of the new hymnal. The pro-
posal is for a small Hymnal Council to coordinate the work of
people who bring specialized skills and knowledge in congre-
gational singing, hymnology, music, worship leadership, and
theological understanding. Those interested, or who know of
someone to suggest, should write to the Office of Worship Re-
sources, Church of the Brethren, 1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL
60120.
NOMINATIONS
are being sought for the sixth annual
Martin Luther King Jr. Award , to be presented by the Fellow-
ship of Reconciliation to a person or group making a signifi-
cant contribution to the nonviolent struggle for a peaceful
and just society. Submit nominations in the form af a typed
letter, between one and four pages long and describing the
nominee's work. Any supporting material should not exceed
three pages. Send nominations to Marci Ameluxen, FOR, PC Box
271, Nyack, NY 10960, by Oct. 1.
BYTE-SIZE FUN . . . After two computer camps got overbooked ,
Woodland Altars, Peebles, Ohio, had to schedule a third camp.
It was open to any interested 5th through 8th graders.
NAME-CHANGING
The Evangelical Hospital Association,
which operates Bethany Hospital in Chicago, has changed its
name and adopted a new organizational structure. Now called
Evangelical Health Systems, it consists of a parent company
and four subsidiaries.
MENNONITES MEETING
. For the first time, the two largest
Mennonite groups in North America — the Mennoni te Church and
the General Conference Mennoni te Church — held their denomina-
tional meetings together. Both denominations met separately
during the week of Aug. 1-7, but a day of joint sessions
enabled delegates to hear reports and take action on coopera-
tive work. To pioneer discussion and suggest action on the
future of inter-Mennonite relationships, the general boards of
both denominations prepared a statement to which conference
participants responded.
MILESTONES ... The Sugar Creek (Lima, Ohio) congregation
is celebrating its 150th anniversary on Sept. 25 with a 10:30
a.m. worship service, a noon meal, and an afternoon fellow-
ship. Speakers will be former members who have been called to
the ministry, and the congregation welcomes all visitors. . . .
With the theme "From Roots Grow Branches," Lewiston (Minn.)
church marked its 125th year with an activity-packed weekend
July 29-31. A hymnsing, old-fashioned games, a focus on mis-
sions, and an old-style worship service were among the events.
. . . This is centennial year for Sugar Ridge (Mich. ) , which
celebrated July 16-17, and Oak Grove (Lowpoint, 111.), which
is observing the event on Sept. 11. . . . The Carthage (Mo.)
congregation held a homecoming on May 8 to celebrate its 90th
year. . . . The Fruitland (Idaho) congregation observed its
75th anniversary on July 10. . . . Friends of Oak Grove (Roa-
noke, Va. ) church are invited to join in a homecoming cele-
bration Oct. 7-9. Former pastors will speak Friday and Sat-
urday nights and Sunday morning, and the festivities end with
a special Sunday afternoon program.
8 MESSENGER September 1983
Denominational staff:
Six change positions
Paul E.R. Mundey has been appointed to
the full-time position of General Board
staff for evangelism, beginning Sept. 1.
He has been serving as interim, part-
time field staff for evangelism, and at the
same time has been full-time pastor of
Friendship Church of the Brethren, near
Baltimore. A graduate of Fuller
Theological Seminary in Pasadena, Calif.,
Mundey has served in a part-time
pastorate at Fairview-Endless Caverns
(New Market, Va.) church, and also held
summer pastorates at the Dundalk (Md.)
and Arlington (Va.) churches.
The staff position for evangelism has
been half-time since 1977. In the
reinstated full-time position, Mundey wiU
work with the Church Renewal and
Growth program and People of the Cove-
nant, and will be convenor of the
Evangehsm Strategy Committee. A long-
range goal will be the development of a
comprehensive evangehsm strategy for the
Church of the Brethren.
Wilbur T. Wright Jr., of the
Westminster (Md.) Church of the
Brethren, began in August as director of
SERRV. Based at New Windsor, Md.,
SERRV is a self-help handicraft program
of the World Ministries Commission.
Wright has been a foundation represen-
tative to Costa Rica and Panama for
Inter-American Foundation, Rosslyn, Va.
In that position he has visited and provid-
ed assistance to local groups attempting to
bring about social and economic develop-
ment through their own initiatives. These
groups include cooperatives, handicraft
associations, vocational training centers,
nonformal schools, health cUnics, worker-
owned businesses, and appropriate
technology centers.
Wright has also held several positions
with a consumer cooperative, has been a
consultant for the National Cooperative
Development Institute of Costa Rica, has
been a financial analyst with the US
Department of Commerce, and has served
in the Peace Corps. Fluent in Spanish, he
lived in Central America 5 years.
Harold Smith of Hyattsville, Md., has
been named to the General Board posi-
tion of executive of On Earth Peace
Assembly (OEPA). The position became
a part of General Board staff with the
recent incorporation of OEPA into
Board program.
1
Phyllis Carter
Smith, a past president of OEPA's
board of directors, will be accountable to
both the executive of the World Ministries
Commission and to the board of directors
of OEPA, an arrangement that will be
tested for the next three years and then
reviewed. (For more information on the
OEPA/General Board agreement, see the
Annual Conference wrap-up in this issue.)
As executive director of OEPA, Smith
will be responsible for the overall leader-
ship of the program, which includes the
Brethren World Peace Academy and
Bookstore, professional and vocational
groups, and mailings and press releases.
Smith will also serve as a member of the
General Board peace team, and will carry
all the regular responsibilities of a board
staff member.
Previously, Smith was an agricultural
economist with the University of
Maryland and Kansas State University.
His work took him to Thailand, El
Salvador, Panama, Puerto Rico, and the
Philippines.
Roger Ingold, a veteran of many years
of field service in Nigeria, has resigned as
Africa representative for the World
Ministries Commission.
Ingold's service in Africa began in 1960
when he and his family moved to Nigeria,
and he took a position with Waka
Teachers' College. After a few months,
Ingold was named field secretary for the
mission, succeeding Stover Kulp. He also
served 10 months as assistant director of
the Christian Council of Nigeria's Relief
and Rehabilitation Commission after the
Nigerian Civil War in 1%9.
In 1975, Ingold moved his office to the
denominational headquarters in Elgin, 111.,
although he had been serving as Africa
representative for several years while still
living in Nigeria. Currently he is chairman
of the Africa Committee of the National
Council of Churches.
Phyllis Carter has resigned as district
executive of Florida/Puerto District to
become pastor of the Goshen City (Ind.)
Church of the Brethren.
Previously, Carter had served as pastor
at the Bethel Center and Wabash churches
in South/Central Indiana District. She has
served as both moderator and chair-
woman of the district. In 1968 Carter was
elected to the General Board, and she
chaired the World Ministries Commission
from 1974-1978.
Earl K. Ziegler has been named district
executive of Atlantic Northeast District
beginning Sept. 1. He succeeds Harold Z.
Bomberger, who is retiring.
Ziegler is well-acquainted with the
district. Brought up and ordained in the
Heidelberg (Pa.) congregation, he served
as pastor of the Mechanic Grove (Quar-
ryville. Pa.) church for the past 13 years.
He has also been district moderator.
A graduate of Elizabethtown College
and Bethany Theological Seminary,
Ziegler has served in other full-time
pastorates at the Black Rock (Hanover,
Pa.) and Woodbury (Pa.) churches.
Law tying draft to aid
okayed by high court
Apphcants for Federal student loans once
again are required to indicate whether
they have registered for the draft.
A US district judge had declared the
law unconstitutional, but a June 29 order
from the Supreme Court temporarily set
aside that ruUng. Judge Donald D. Alsop,
in St. Paul, Minn., had ruled June 17 that
the requirement was a violation of the
constitutional protection against self-
incrimination. By issuing a stay of that
order, the Supreme Court has not finally
settled the matter, but has permitted the
Government to file an appeal of Judge
Alsop's order for possible hearing during
the high court's 1983-84 term.
At the same time the Supreme Court
acted, the Selective Service System an-
nounced that it plans to send the Justice
Department the names of 70,(X)0 young
men for possible prosecution for failing to
register for the draft. The announcement
was described as "all this rhetoric and fan-
fare" by Barry Lynn, president of Draft
Action. He said that "prosecution of
nonregistrants has come to a virtual stand-
still," and noted that only 15 young men
had been indicted in the past year.
The Supreme Court action is expected
to produce massive confusion since many
colleges have not been requiring aid ap-
phcants to indicate their draft-registration
status since Judge Alsop issued a
prehminary injunction against the rule on
March 9.
Twelve post-30 BVSers complete training
Brethren Volunteer Service Unit 160, meeting May 2-10 in St. Charles, 111., has com-
pleted its orientation. Pictured above are (front row) Marie Ebersole, Margaret Miller,
Ann Gump, Vivian Burns, Mary-Belle Rife, Wanita Miller, and Mildred Frantz, and
(second row) John Ebersole, William Miller, John Carter (leadership), Beverly Weaver
(leadership), David Haney, Jacob Frantz, and Jerry Shaw.
September 1983 messenger 9
MM^ ^imSj
God before end
Read Psalm 90.
The fascination with the sweep and flow
of time in Psalm 90 dovetails with a strik-
ing story. Recounted by Methodist pastor
Don Shelby, the story concerned an un-
successful try on a mountain summit.
Upon the climbing team's return from the
peak, a reporter interviewed them.
"Disappointed?" he asked.
"No," responded one of the members.
"You see, mountains are scaled on the
shoulders of others. A part of the way we
went up along the line that other climbers
had gone. Then... we blazed the trail.
Someday, someone else will safely trek the
route we traveled and carry on."
The psalmist mirrors this clear sense of
linkage to what has gone on before and
what others can carry on. The Scriptures
are replete with such keen awareness of
yesterday's history and tomorrow's hope.
But the psalm writer's contemporaries
had not sensed deeply enough. The
Author of their world and Creator of
their peoplehood became captive to their
narrow experience and near-sighted hopes.
How easily that happens with people
rooted deeply in the riches of tradition!
But it means shrinking the largeness of
God's purposes. Faith becomes an inade-
quate foothold for understanding life, and
a shoddy foundation upon which to build
a framework with which to meet crisis.
Some crisis was compelling the people to
find meaning behind the tangible and the
immediate.
The psalmist is eager to push the
legacies of history, and promise strides
further: God's people not only stand on
the shoulders of history, but they rest in
the presence of One who inhabits eternity,
whose heritage reaches back and forward,
before and beyond (verse 1).
So verse two reminds, "Before... thou
hadst formed the earth and the world,
from everlasting to everlasting, thou art
God." This is the language not only of
story and recollection, but of worship.
Likely we are immersed here into the
cadenced awe of a htany from temple
worship. Only there would the sight of
the Hebrew worshiping community be
stretched beyond lackluster memory and
plain hopes. Reverence!
But also humihty. With all their absorp-
tion with the anxieties of ambitious plans
and self-centered projects, the responsive
worship dialog would stop them cold:
Thou dost sweep (people) away;
They are like a dream.
Like grass which is renewed in
the morning, (verse 5)
Next to God's grandeur and preemi-
nence, is not pride a futile and visionless
folly? Our seeming self-sufficiency is empty
and thin against the backdrop oi eternity.
Instead of evading and denying life's
Umitations and transitory character, the
psalmist would have us face them.
I listened with a responsive chord when
I read of a woman's struggle to these
limitations in the light of her father's
poignant yearnings. Reflecting on his
death, she explained that he had planned
for his hfe to be a symphony, but it was
more like a whisper. Few had known he
had come and gone. The inheritance left
her could be contained within a small
envelope. What he had left, meaningful
enough for a daughter, could not be
measured by external recognition or pass-
ing acclaim.
The dramatic thrust of the psalm is that
our story from the past, even our vision
for tomorrow, stops short unless it
recognizes the Lord before time and
beyond history. Meaning is not found by
grabbing for more of life, but finding
more depth within it.
Here the psalm rings clearly. The eternity
of God may underline the brevity of human
life. It also supplies the answer to it.
The eternal God of whom humanity's
experience is but an instant (verse 4: "For
a thousand years in thy sight (are) but... a
watch in the night"), whose existence
reaches far before memory (verse 5: peo-
ple are like a "dream"), is also helper and
shelter. "Thou hast been our dwelhng
place in all generations."
In the background here is hkely the an-
cient custom of temple asylum and sanc-
tuary for the troubled and beleaguered.
Now in this liturgy of lament for the
gathering community, the people, the na-
tion, of distressed and broken hopes finds
in the tabernacle (hterally: place of dwell-
ing) a refuge.
The language is reminiscent of
Deuteronomy 33:27. There the context
omorroLu is a pac^ or promise, j
10 MESSENGER September 1983
bcqond
was the wilderness wandering of Israel
and her hope in the trial of uncertainty.
Its trusting tone now weaves its way into
the psalm.
This is why the psalmist evidences a
pendulum-Uke swing of mood in verse 14.
The "dweUing place" of Israel's homeless
exodus wandering could be a refuge now.
From minor to major mode, the writer
moves from pessimism over life's short-
ness to confidence about tomorrow.
Satisfy us in the morning with thy
steadfast love....
Make us glad as many days as thou
has afflicted us. (verses 14, 15)
Let the night of broken faith and dark
crisis £md stinging judgment move toward
dawn!
It must have been a time like our own.
Polls reveal that for the first time the
public believes that the past was a better
time than the present, and is likely to be
better than tomorrow.
But what is nostalgia, asks John
Claypool, but the fear that God cannot
do in the future what he has done in the
past? How faithless to forget that yester-
day's God holds possibilities for tomor-
row's faith and life!
Life may be brief, even fragile, but not
futile. Our lives can leave a mark in eter-
nity and history. Our labor, to anticipate
Paul the apostle, need not be in vain.
However httle the room for pride, there
is ample place for constructive, productive
hope. "Let the favor of the Lord our God
be upon us," prays the psalmist as he
looks toward tomorrow.
George Bernard Shaw once put it this
way: Life for him was no weak candle. "It
is a torch which I've got hold of for the
moment, and I'm going to make it burn
as brightly as possible before handing it
on to the next generation."
The psalmist found encouragement in
just such conviction. We are not only con-
nected to a past, but we also form links to
a broadening future nudged and drawn by
the everl2isting Lord. Tomorrow is a place
of promise for us because God inhabits
our future as well as our past.
So now the worshiping body in the
psalmist's time is moved to ask.
"Scenes from [he Creation I. " by Giandomemco Tiepolo
Let thy work be manifest to thy
servants,
and thy glorious power to their
children, (verse 16)
Let God ring the changes and move us
through the key changes in this touching
psalm. God can transform cautious
nostalgia into growing hope.
The psalmist and his worshiping
brothers and sisters could supplicate, "The
work of our hands establish thou it."
They uncovered that trust and that
perspective from an everlasting God. So
may we. D
Timothy K. Jones is pastor of the Southern Plains
new church development project beginning this fall
near Houston, Texas.
bq imo
September 1983 messenger 11
(g(o)Dy[fif^^
by J. Bentley Peters
Ecumenical optimism
I am one of the vice presidents of the Na-
tional Council of Churches of Christ. For
my entire 13 years on the General Board
staff, I served on some NCC committee.
As an NCC vice president, I chair one
of the three major program divisions, the
Division of Education and Ministry. Since
so much media attention is focused on the
political and social actions of the council,
the work of this division is not well
known. The division is responsible for
professional church leadership and minis-
try issues including seminary education,
continuing education, support and com-
pensation and ordination; the copyright to
the Revised Standard Version of the Bi-
ble; Christian education concerns such as
curriculum and development, family life,
and human sexuality; higher and public
education; outdoor education and publica-
tion of resources. Not very controversial
programs!
X et all I hear and read is that the NCC
is totally involved in questionable and
radical issues and programs and misuse of
funds. In the division I chair, much of
what takes place under the banner of the
NCC is related to the core of congrega-
tional life. Never in all my years related to
the NCC has any action been taken or
decision made that violated my personal.
Church of the Brethren, or total Christian
beliefs.
The Church of the Brethren offers
much to the NCC and receives much in
return. We regularly contribute major
leadership to the council — which means
not only that we carry far more respon-
sibility than our denominational size
would indicate, but that we also have
significant influence on what decisions are
made and what strategies and programs
are developed. At the same time, the
monies we contribute are expanded far
beyond what we can do alone. Further,
we have the opportunity to learn from
other denominational strengths, use
resources that are far more extensive than
our staff can provide, and be influenced
by the experience of our brothers and
sisters in other communions.
A he NCC is an imperfect human
organization! In no way would I argue
that there are not problems within the
council. Communicating the work, the
program, and the specific communion
roles to denominational constituencies is
inadequate. At many points the structure
is top-heavy and cumbersome. The
Governing Board is not as involved in
decision-making as it should be. Commu-
nion executives hold too much power. It
may be too centralized in New York. It
may, at times, have been oriented around
too narrow an arena of issues.
It is not, however, dishonest or
faithless. Decisions are made and actions
taken at times with which I do not agree.
That, too, is true of Annual Conference,
the General Board, and the congregation
in which 1 am a member. My response,
however, is not to turn away, criticize
from misinformation, or make false ac-
cusations. Frequently, the way that NCC
decisions are made, programs are devel-
oped and sensitivity is shown for the faith
and human needs of persons throughout
our society causes me to feel at "home" as
much as I do at Annual Conference and
within the Church of the Brethren.
In order that major concerns and weak-
nessess of the council can be addressed,
a special committee, chaired by Bob Neff,
has been working for well over a year to
study the past and present and to
formulate the council's future. Through
this Presidential Panel, Bob Neff, and
again the Church of the Brethren, have a
major influence on the council, its pro-
gram, and its future.
To this point, my comments about the
NCC have been organizational. But there
is another word — a biblical and theologi-
cal word. God calls us to strive for and
live in unity.
Nowhere in my understanding of the
gospel are we called to denomina-
tionalism. Denominationalism is a
necessary reality built on our human
shortcomings. The NCC is an imperfect,
human — yet faithful — effort toward cele-
brating and learning from diversity and
pointing us toward a oneness — within that
diversity — with God. Mixed within the
multi-faceted mosaic that is ecumenicity
are many experiences from which we can
learn much about faithful commitment
and living— for ourselves and the Church
of the Brethren.
My hope is that the members of the
Church of the Brethren will seek informa-
tion, ask hard questions, and make
responsible decisions about the NCC,
based on the knowledge of people you
know and therefore can trust. I'm com-
mitted to the NCC because I think it is an
effort toward wholeness and oneness in
God and because I think it is good for the
present and future Church of the
Brethren. The vehicles of the media and
misinformed outside critics may have very
mixed motives for their positions. God
calls us to unity. And the NCC, with
Church of the Brethren support, is one
faithful effort toward that end.D
J. Bentley Pelen is organizational development con-
sultant for Evangelical Health Svstems Corp., Oak
Brook,' III.
12 MESSENGER September 1983
THE BRETHREN
IN BALTIMORE
What will we remember about Annual
Conference in Baltimore— the Human
Sexuality paper, sermons on God's
grace, the singing of the Nigerian
sisters, or perhaps some serendipitous
happening or encounter of our own?
Whatever was memorable about
Baltimore 83, we hope this summary
will help to capture it.
Text by Messenger staff Judd Blouch, Wendy
Chamberlain, Kenneth L. Gibble, Mike Kiahre, Fred
Swortz, and Kermon Thomasson; and outside writers
Terri Fryman and Dave Leiter.
Photography by William F. Smith
Gay issue dominates sexuality debate;
'covenantai relationships' ruled out
Index to Conference
business items
Readers who want to refer to the Annual
Conference Booklet as they read their
Messenger will find this index handy.
The number in parentheses following the
business item is the corresponding page
number in the Booklet. The number after
the dash is the page in Messenger on
which the item is reported.
Unfinished business:
1. Associate Membership (121)— 18
2. Office of Deacon (122)- 17
3. War Tax Consultation (142) -20
4. Human Sexuality from a Christian
Perspective (148)- 14
5. Recommended Statement on
Abortion for the Church of the Brethren
(162)-26
6. Report to Annual Conference Re-
garding Bethany Hospital (167) — 26
New Business
1. Request of the On Earth Peace
Assembly for Recognition by the Annual
Conference (170) -20
2. Alternative Service Registration
(171)-20
3. Guidance in Relation to Genetic
Engineering (172)- 18
4. Affiliation with the National
Council of Churches of Christ and the
World Council of Churches (172) -22
5. Study of Leadership Development
and Ministry Issues (173)— 17
6. Church of the Brethren Housing
Resolution (174) -20
7. Resolution on Providing Sanctuary
for Salvadoran and Guatemalan Refugees
(176)- 18
8. International Religious Year of
Persons with Disabilities (not in Booklet)
-22
9. Resolution on Nicaragua: The
Undeclared War (not in Booklet)- 18
"How did you decide to include homosex-
uality in this paper?" pastor Myrl Weyant
asked the Human Sexuality study commit-
tee in its June 28 hearing.
"Because that's where the church was
asking the questions," answered commit-
tee member Clyde Shallenberger.
And that's where the church kept asking
the questions . . . right up till the final
delegate vote on the Human Sexuality
paper. No matter that "Homosexual Per-
sons and Sexuality" was only one part of
a four-part section that also dealt with
single persons, married persons, and fami-
ly life: The issue at Baltimore was
homosexuality.
The paper was presented to Conference
by Guy E. Wampler Jr., a Fort Wayne,
Ind., pastor, and chairman of the Human
Sexuality Study Committee. He an-
ticipated and addressed the concerns of
those in the church who take a strong
stand against homosexuals.
Wampler reminded the delegates of the
necessity for holding the church together.
"Almost every one of us would Uke to
change something in this paper. But the
paper does represent a balance of thinking
. . . without 'columns' or a minority
report. This paper is probably the best the
church can produce at this time."
As the fioor was opened, first to in-
quiries and then to amendments, it was
clear the question was whether the paper's
balance could, indeed, be maintained at
all. One proposed amendment called for
deleting all but the first four paragraphs.
Later, an amendment was proposed
that stated that the lifestyle option of
"covenantai relationships" between
homosexual persons is not acceptable to
the church. Going further, the amendment
called for deleting a follow-up sentence of
text that said, "After struggUng with this
option, the church is not of one mind."
Ironically, the delegates, in voting on
the amendment, were not of one mind,
deciding by a split vote of 528 to 428 that
the church is of one mind on covenantai
relationships for homosexuals. Com-
mented Wampler later, "I am disturbed
about the deletion of the sentence that
said the church is not of one mind. When
a 55-45 vote decides we are of one mind,
we are in danger of forcing a 'consensus,'
and, as a result, of cutting out a large sec-
tion of the church."
Another proposed amendment called
for heterosexuals to repent of the ways
they have sinned against their homosexual
brothers and sisters through lack of com- '
passion and understanding.
Speaking in favor of that amendment.
What does the Church of the
Brethren now officially say about
homosexuality?
• Homosexuals are no more pro-
miscuous or offensive in their pubUc
behavior than are heterosexuals.
• People do not "decide" to become
homosexual.
• Homosexual orientation usually is
formed early in life.
• Up to 10 percent of the popula-
tion is primarily homosexual.
• The Bible upholds heterosexuality
as the reflection of God's image.
• Modem distinctions about
homosexuality are missing in the Scrip-
tures.
• Homosexuals need the active sup-
port and love of the church as they
struggle with God's plan for their lives.
• The church should offer "redemp-
tive help" to homosexuals in its midst.
(The paper stops short of calHng
homosexuality a sin.)
• Cehbacy and "conversion to
heterosexual orientation" are accep-
table hfestyles for homosexuals.
"Covenantai relationships" are not. D
Kerby Lauderdale, an ordained minister
and a delegate from the Peace congrega-
tion in Portland, Ore., pointed out that if
there were 5, (XX) Brethren present in
Baltimore, some 500 of them, by the law
14 MESSENGER September 1983
Homosexual minister Kerby Lauderdale
(above) questioned heterosexuals' right to
judge. Study committee member Jim Myer
(right) led a successful move to salvage the po-
sition paper from being "whacked" to pieces.
of averages, must be homosexual . . . but
forced to live in secrecy. Lauderdale, an
acknowledged homosexual, ended his
speech by observing, "There is something
profoundly inappropriate in heterosexuals
deciding whether homosexuals are whole
or not."
The debate, which began Friday after-
noon, resumed on Saturday morning. On-
ly the one amendment had passed, but the
Unes of would-be speakers were still at the
microphones. It looked as if more amend-
ments were in the works. Then committee
member James F. Myer, a minister in
Pennsylvania's White Oak congregation,
made his move — a not unfamiliar one for
conferencegoers who remember Seattle 79
and Myer's salvaging there of the Biblical
Inspiration and Authority paper.
Citing the years of work put into the
paper, and the amount of input from
churches across the denomination, Myer
wondered "whether we are going to im-
prove the paper by continuing to whack
away at it." He pled for preserving the
"delicate balance" of the committee's
work, while confessing there were places
in the paper he personally would like to
see changes made.
It was a pivotal speech, and one of
those memorable moments of Annual
Conference drama. The crowd senses an
arresting of attention of the delegates.
They have been swayed.
Following Myer's plea, a massive call
for the question arose. The vote was
taken and the Human Sexuality paper was
accepted as the official position of the
church.
"I feel basically good about what has
happened," reflected Guy Wampler a few
minutes later. "The affirmative vote
looked like about 90 percent to me, and I
had not expected such overwhelming sup-
port for the paper." He expressed the
hope that homosexual Brethren will not
feel rejected by everyone because of the
amendment calling covenantal relation-
ships unacceptable. "I hope that homosex-
uals and their friends in the church con-
tinue to speak up, that we can all have a
chance to continue the dialog."
Concluded Wampler, "I am glad per-
sonally to take this issue off the front
burner for a while. Not that this is an end
to the matter. But sometimes you can deal
more constructively with things like this if
they are on the back burner for a while."
Whether homosexuality stays on the
back burner remains to be seen. But one
thing is certain; it won't be taken off the
stove. — K.T.
How are Brethren to react to
homosexuals?
The Human Sexuality paper calls on
Brethren to:
• Welcome into the fellowship of
the church all inquirers who confess
Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
• Work at understanding causes of
homosexuality.
• Challenge and counteract
homophobia (fear, hatred, and harass-
ment of homosexuals).
• Dialog with homosexuals.
• Advocate rights of homosexuals
to jobs, housing, and legal justice.
• Insist that all antisocial, sexually
promiscuous acts are contrary to Chris-
tian morality (for homosexuals and
heterosexuals alike).
• Support homosexuals seeking to
be faithful to a heterosexual marriage
covenant. D
September 1983 messenger 15
FOR BRETHREN/MENNONITE COUNCIL FOR GAY CONCERNS,
BALTIMORE WAS THE TIME TO GET INTO THE DIALOG
[CASTS
Not permitted at this Annual Confer-
ence to maintain an exhibit booth or
to convene an insight session, the
Brethren /Mennonite Council for Gay Concerns (BMC) still
managed to be more involved at Baltimore than at any
previous Annual Conference.
Members of the Washington-based group spoke up boldly
in the Tuesday evening hearing, and during debate on the
Human Sexuality paper later in the week. In addition, BMC
held a vigil (see photos above) that attracted over 100 gay and
non-gay participants over Saturday noon, protesting the
passage of the "nonacceptance amendment" to the paper.
BMC also conducted a worship service Saturday evening at
Christ Episcopal Church. At the initiation of Barbara Dat6 of
the Springfield (Ore.) congregation, the Annual Conference
office arranged a forum on Sunday morning with a panel of
six gay BMC members, attended by about 200 people.
"This week was great in many ways," reckoned Martin
Rock, BMC coordinator. "More gays than ever were willing
to take the risk of speaking out, of being identified. Several
Brethren who are homosexual confided the fact for the first
time at this Conference — to their delegate, pastor, friends,
relatives, or to BMC members."
Dialog was constructive, in Rock's judgment. "Some very
anti-gay people showed up at the forum Sunday morning, but
at least gays and non-gays were talking issues face-to-face.
That was great."
Rock cited examples of eye-opening encounters at
Baltimore. At Saturday's vigil a married couple accosted one
young BMC member with hostile accusations, only to
discover that his parents, who happened to walk by just then,
were friends of theirs.
During the floor debate, Helen Brubaker,
of Southern Ohio, told the study committee
how she loved and accepted her lesbian
daughter Beverly and how Beverly loved the church and had
hoped to continue fully in its hfe and work. "Does this paper
encourage such participation?" she asked. She also wondered
how the paper speaks to gays who fear for their acceptance
and their family's acceptance if they announce their sexual
orientation to the church.
"Experiences hke that are painful but helpful," remarked
Rock. "They dispel the image of gays being anonymous peo-
ple 'out there' somewhere. They help us discover that gays are
all around and among us, normal human beings, who,
because of their sexual orientation, must lead Uves of deceit
to avoid persecution."
As for the Human Sexuality paper and its passage. Rock's
assessment was, "The paper is a good start, and worth all the
effort and expense of the church. However, the real effect of
the 'nonacceptance amendment' will be, for many, to make
secret short-term relationships more attractive than open,
covenantal relationships. So, all is not the way we'd hke it to
be. I just hope the dialog that's begun here can continue so
everyone can learn and grow. Lesbians and gay men need the
church and the church needs them."
* • *
The Brethren /Mennonite Council for Gay Concerns,
whose ranks contain both gays and non-gays, was founded in
1976, having among its purposes to support lesbians and gay
men and their relatives and friends, to provide information on
homosexuality, and to foster dialog in the church. Its address
is Box 24060, Washington, DC 20024. Tel. (202) 544-0845
(after 6 p.m. Eastern Time). D
16 MESSENGER September 1983
Deacons paper clarifies functions of office;
gives congregations leeway in qualifications
In an attempt to clarify whether or not
the Church of the Brethren still recognizes
the office of deacon. Annual Conference
has worked on a policy statement for
three years and changed the makeup of its
study committee twice. Delegates in
Baltimore finally approved — by the
necessary two-thirds majority — the paper
prepared by the new committee appointed
a year ago.
The new paper on deacons outlines
qualifications, duties, and organization of
the office, and makes several changes in
former church policy on deacons, provi-
sions for periodic accountability reviews
for deacons, and separate elections for
husbands and wives.
Although the 1982 study committee
relied heavily on the work of the previous
committee, it did make two major revi-
sions. One is the suggested use of the term
"deacon" for both genders, noting that the
New Testament uses the same word,
"diakonos," for both men and women
who are deacons. The term "deaconess,"
the report points out, is properly used
only in reference to a religious order of
women. The other change is the addition
of "A Vision for Deacons," which gives
the basic needs of the church that the
deacons are asked to fulfill.
The debate on the deacon policy paper
was fairly extensive. In response to a
question about whether divorced people
can serve as deacons, committee chair-
woman Estella Horning answered, "We
have observed that some divorced people
can serve some congregations. But we feel
that the churches should decide for
themselves." The committee emphasized
several times that the paper specifies that
the decision of whether persons are
qualified for or should be disqualified
from the office of deacon is ultimately
that of the congregation.
Other delegates questioned the paper's
suggestion that all individuals elected to
the deacon board be elected in their own
right. Many churches continue the prac-
tice of assuming a spouse of an elected
deacon is automatically a member of the
deacon board. One speaker was concerned
about how or whether the office of
deacon would need to be implemented in
congregations where deacon bodies are in-
active or nonexistent.
The only amendment accepted by the
delegates provided for copies of the paper
to be made available in Spanish, French,
and Korean, as well as in English. —M.K.
New leadership/ministry committee
in broad study of pastoral needs
Annual Conference appointed a commit-
tee of five to address issues related to the
calling, training, licensing, and ordaining
of leaders in the Church of the Brethren.
The query from the General Board
identified the needs for consistency in
understandings of ordination, initiative in
calling individuals to leadership positions,
standards for licensing and ordination.
options for ministerial training, revisions
in educational preparation standards, and
resources to implement suggested pro-
grams. The study committee is also to ex-
amine the reasons for pastoral attrition.
Appointed to the study committee were
Carroll M. Petry, Warren Groff, William
Hayes, Henry Hunsberger, and Alice
Martin-Adkins. — M.K.
Moderator Paul Hoffman scored high in his role as leader, whether
making solemn decisions from the moderator's chair or playfully ac-
cepting a hug from Dunker matriarch Anna Mow. Said Hoffman in
his moderator's address, rather than stew about the past. Brethren
should "move within the New Testament in whatever way God leads.
The more we try to protect Brethren identity, the more we lose it. "
September 1983 messenger 17
Associate membership query broadened
to include more aspects of the issue
Upon recommendation from the General
Board, Conference appointed a committee
to study all current defmitions of
membership categories and to update the
church's understanding of membership.
The General Board's Congregational
Renewal Team had been charged with
studying the feasibility of establishing an
"associate membership" category for
students and others who temporarily
reside away from home. The team con-
cluded that a more extensive study of the
entire issue of membership was needed,
and recommended the appointment of an
Annual Conference study committee.
The committee, also studying the con-
cern of associate membership, consists of
Hubert R. Newcomer, Harold E. Yeager,
Judy Hershey Herr, Howard A. Miller,
and Rick Gardner. -W.S.C.
Genetic engineering
slated for study
In response to a West Marva District
query on genetic engineering. Annual
Conference instructed the General Board
to seek out possible Brethren participation
in the development of guidelines for
ethical research. It requested the Board to
examine the areas of concern, controver-
sy, and change, and to report to the
membership within two years in the form
of a study paper or by other means.
The delegates also encouraged the
Brethren Health and Welfare Association,
and other interested groups in the church,
to continue to evaluate and discuss the
issue of genetic engineering. — W.S.C.
Sanctuary offered
political refugees
Sanctuary is "an appropriate Christian
response to injustice being suffered by
Latin American and Haitian political
refugees," Annual Conference said.
The delegates emphasized the church's
commitment to obey the law unless such
obedience violates conscience, and "en-
couraged congregations to employ all
lawful means to protect refugees, in-
cluding: providing legal assistance to
refugees through administrative or judicial
appeals of actions of the Immigration and
Naturalization Service, petitioning Con-
gress and the State Department to grant
refugee status to those fleeing political op-
pression in Latin America and Haiti, and
providing the general public with informa-
tion on the crucial issues."
When lawful means have been ex-
hausted. Annual Conference "encourages
congregations to prayerfully consider
sanctuary as a faith response to the cur-
rent situation in Central America."
The delegates also committed up to
$10,000 per year from undesignated
balances for grants to congregations that
face legal expenses related to lawful
assistance and protection or providing
sanctuary for refugees such as those from
El Salvador and Guatemala. -W.S.C.
Brethren protest
Nicaragua stand
The delegate body expressed disapproval
of US "military covert action in order to
destabilize the Nicaraguan government"
and also protested economic boycotting of
Nicaragua.
Annual Conference called on the US
Government to withdraw all activity that
has the effect of undermining and over-
throwing the Nicaraguan Government; to
respect the right to self-determination of
the Nicaraguan people; to dialog with
Nicaragua's Government to negotiate the
differences; to encourage in the negotia-
tions involvement of the Organization of
American States and the United Nations;
and to resume full trade relations with
Nicaragua.
The delegates prefaced their call to the
government by saying the message was "in
keeping with our heritage of peacemaking
and our biblical calling to be ministers of
reconciliation, and in the spirit of the
1974 resolution adopted by the General
Board which states, 'That we urge the
President and Congress to instruct the
CIA ... to avoid any actions which . . .
deny the rights of nations and peoples to
manage their own internal
affairs."'-W.S.C.
Mediation worl<shop
foresees network
Conflict is a part of everyday life, and our
natural tendency is either to avoid the
conflict or to bring in outsiders such as
attorneys and law enforcement officers. A
third option is mediation, in which a third
party attempts to guide the disputants in
arriving at their own solution to the con-
flict. The mediator uses listening skills as
well as problem-solving techniques to ob-
tain this goal.
A pre-conference mediation workshop
at Baltimore brought together some 140
participants interested in developing ways
to deal with conflict among the Brethren.
Groundwork for the event had been laid a
year ago, at a sptecial meeting called dur-
ing the Wichita Conference.
Leadership for the workshop consisted
of Ron Kraybill, director of the Men-
nonite Conciliation Service; Barbara Dati,
Springfield, Ore.; Larry Hoover, Har-
risonburg, Va.; and at least a dozen other
trained mediators from the circles of the
18 MESSENGER September 1983
Nigerian choir hit of Conference
Easily the most popular group at Conference, the 18-member Nigerian women's choir
sang at meal events and insight sessions as well as participating in Saturday night wor-
ship. Wherever they appeared, their joyous music, enthusiastic witnessing, and gracious
manners added new dimensions to Brethren conceptions of their mission work in Nigeria,
and made easily understandable the term "unity in Christ."
Left: Noami Gambo talks with Ellen Keim of North Manchester, Ind., about Nigerian life.
Friends, Mennonites, and Brethren. A
valuable portion of time allowed the par-
ticipants to become familiar with the pro-
cess of mediation by witnessing a
simulated role play, consisting of two
disputants and one mediator. The
onlookers then had their chance to try the
role of mediator.
At the end of the day-and-a-half
workshop, the participants divided ac-
cording to districts to discuss specific ac-
tion that could develop in their local
areas. The ideas shared with the larger
group included introducing mediation to
local congregations and providing training
to interested parishioners.
While the Church of the Brethren has
often spoken out against war and violence
on the international level, conflict on a
personal level has frequently been
neglected. The workshop pointed out
scriptural support for mediation. In Mat-
thew 18, for example, the advice is to deal
with conflict by personally confronting
the other party. If this fails, two or three
other church members are to become in-
cluded. If the conflict is still not resolved,
it is to be dealt with by the entire church.
Ron Kraybill explained conflict resolution
to mediation workshop participants.
Planners of the Baltimore workshop ex-
pect it to be the impetus for the formation
of a Brethren concihation service — one
coordinated by Chuck Boyer, peace con-
sultant for the denomination, and carried
out by a network of trained mediators.
"The Church of the Brethren has em-
phasized the aversion to shedding blood
and participating in war more than it has
emphasized some of the other dimensions
of peacemaking," says Boyer. "We all
recognize that there is a need for inner
personal peace, peace between groups of
persons. We realize that we don't know
how to be peacemakers locally, and we
want some skilled training.
"I think that, as individuals gain skills
to work locally and interpersonally, they
will find that there is an interrelatedness
between peacemaking at home and
peacemaking far away from home."
Boyer and others helping to launch
such a program have benefitted from the
expertise of others already involved in
mediation work. In particular, they have
received the support of the Mediation
Group of New Call to Peacemaking, a
cooperative effort of the three historic
peace churches — the Mennonites, Friends,
and Church of the Brethren. — Dave
Leiter
Dave Leiter of Waynesboro, Pa., is a student at
Bethany Theological Seminary.
September 1983 messenger 19
On Earth Peace now Board program;
Assembly exec member of WMC staff
The On Earth Peace Assembly, Inc.
(OEPA), will become General Board pro-
gram and an officially recognized part of
the denomination's peace program as a
result of an action by the Baltimore Con-
ference. OEPA petitioned the 1982 Stand-
ing Committee for Conference recognition
in order to solicit funds throughout the
denomination. Standing Committee
postponed its answer for one year, re-
questing that a relationship be explored
with the General Board.
Applauding the work of a team of
negotiators, including representatives from
both the General Board and OEPA, Con-
ference delegates accepted the team's pro-
posal that for a three-year trial period
OEPA function within the World
Ministries Commission. Under the agree-
ment, OEPA will retain its incorporated
status, elect a board of directors to guide
its program, and have a full-time General
Board staff member related to it.
Budgeting, funding, and promotion of
OEPA activity will follow the regular
policies of the General Board, with the ex-
ception that OEPA will continue to ap-
proach individuals on its mailing list for
support during the three-year trial period.
OEPA will not solicit funds from con-
gregations.
The proposal brought appreciation
from delegates for the unity it brings to
Brethren peace efforts. The specifics of
integrating OEPA staffing and program
within General Board structure will be the
shared responsibility of the executive for
the World Ministries Commission and the
president of OEPA. Standing Committee
appointed a committee of three (Paul W.
Hoffman, Clyde C. Fry, and Anita
Flowers Metzler) to oversee the implemen-
tation of the relationship between OEPA
and the General Board.
Primary activities of the On Earth
Peace Assembly, Inc., are the Brethren
World Peace Academy, the Brethren
World Peace Bookstore, and periodic
meetings of professional groups on timely
peace issues. The OEPA program will
continue to be based in New Windsor.
-F.W.S.
Conference lifts up
alternative service
Alternative service is still an acceptable
recommendation for the Church of the
Brethren to make to its youth, according
to em Annual Conference response to a
query from Northern Indiana District.
The query, written in August 1982, was
in response to newly proposed alternative
service regulations from Selective Service.
The proposals set priorities on job
placements by how they met national
military interests, and also could have
hindered Brethren youth from serving
through Brethren Volunteer Service.
Many churches and peace groups, in-
cluding the Church of the Brethren
through its 1982 Annual Conference, pro-
tested these proposed regulations. And
last March a new, and much-improved,
set of alternative service guidelines was
approved by Congress.
Because of the changes, Annual Con-
ference answered the query, "Yes, we can
continue to recommend alternative service
to our youth." The response said the new
guidelines include a likelihood for civilian
administration in the near future; freedom
for conscientious objectors to seek their
own alternative service assignments, in-
cluding BVS; the possibility of overseas
assignments; and the accessibility of
civilian review boards in case of un-
satisfactory work assignments. — J. A. B.
War tax holdback
recommended act
What started out at the 1982 Annual Con-
ference as a study on war tax resistance
came out of the 1983 Conference as a
position paper.
The job of the study committee on war
tax consultation was to answer the basic
question of how an institution should re-
spond to employees who object to pay-
ment of the part of their taxes that goes
for military support, said Phillip Stone,
General Board member and chairman of
the committee.
In its list of recommendations, the com-
mittee suggested that "congregations and
church-related institutions give considera-
tion to a range of extra-legal options." In-
cluded is the option of corporate civil
disobedience by supporting an employee
involved in war tax resistance.
Moderator Paul Hoffman said that by
recommending civil disobedience the study
paper became a position paper, and need-
ed a two-thirds majority— which it did
receive from the delegate body.
Preceding the listing of extra-legal op-
tions was a listing of legal means by which
institutions could support employees in-
volved in tax resistance. The committee
stated that only after legal means were ex-
hausted should an institution enter into
civil disobedience.
In conclusion, the committee called on
the larger church community to give sup-
port to any church-related organization
involved in civil disobedience. — J. A. B.
Right to housing
urged for all
In response to the current housing crisis,
delegates affirmed the right of every per-
son to have a decent place to Uve, the
need to raise awareness to the housing
problem, and the importance of finding
ways to build and maintain housing.
Some opposition was expressed by
delegates who said the resolution was
pointed to the government, thereby deny-
ing the responsibility of individual
Christians.
The resolution got strong support,
however, from a number of other
delegates, including Joe Myer, Mid-
Atlantic, and Dwayne Yost, Southern
Ohio. Both are involved in nonprofit
housing corporations. Myer emphasized
the need for skills banks, housing cor-
porations, and housing ministries, and
said, "People are living in such poor hous-
ing because they have no choice."
In addition to affirming various ways
the Church of the Brethren is involved
with housing issues, the resolution calls on
the Federal government to reinstitute
funding for low-income housing programs
and social programs that care for the
needs of the homeless. The paper also
calls upon state and local governments in
the US and Puerto Rico to respond to
their communities' housing needs. — M.K.
20 MESSENGER September 1983
Brethren musicians
perform in plaza
The Brethren made their presence in
Baltimore known in several ways. While
some pulled weeds or shopped at Inner
Harbor, other Brethren gave to
Baltimoreans the gift of music.
The Center Plaza Ministry in Music of-
fered a lunchtime entertainment menu to
both Brethren and city natives. Wednes-
day the Brethren Chapel Bells from the
Hagerstown (Md.) church performed;
Thursday Tiff Bates of Utica, N.Y.,
ministered with clowning; and Friday the
Nigerian women's choir brought the music
of Africa to downtown Baltimore.
The 4-H's, a male quartet from East
Chippewa, Ohio, was scheduled for Satur-
day, but a mix-up resulted in no electricity
for the group's amplification system, and
the event had to be cancelled.
Shoppers and workers passing by Center Plaza had a lunchtime treat each day as Brethren
musicians gave a gift of music to the city. Among the entertainers were the Brethren Chapel
Bells, a bell choir from the Hagerstown (Md.) church, led by Karl Schrock.
Sue Snyder, coordinator of the music
ministry, was pleased with the success of
the program. "The people we touched
were glad we were there," she said.
The group that got the best response
was the Nigerian women's choir, Snyder
said, because of its great volume and also
because by Friday people had become ac-
customed to seeing performers in the
plciza. — J.A.B.
Bretliren ministers
hear Harrei Becic
If you were an Old Testament professor
asked to address a group of Brethren
clergy, what would your purpose be?
For Harrei F. Beck, of Boston Universi-
ty School of Theology, that question was
answered simply: "I want to get these
clergy to take a fresh look at the Scrip-
tures." For harried pastors. Beck main-
tains, it is all too easy to assume they've
"read all that before." This attitude prevails
especially in regard to much of the Old
Testament.
"A fresh look" is certainly what Beck
gave to members of the Ministers'
Association at their annual meeting, just
prior to Annual Conference. Speaking on
the topic "Old Testament Wisdom: a
Literature for Anxious Times," he regaled
his listeners with insights, stories, and im-
ages all aimed at driving home the impor-
tance of wisdom literature. The Law and
the Prophets have gotten most of the atten-
tion from scholars and preachers in recent
years, said Beck, but the books of Pro-
verbs, Ecclesiastes, the Song of Songs, and
Job are essential to an understanding of the
full biblical message.
Why is wisdom literature so important?
Speaker Harrei Beck encouraged Brethren
ministers to take a fresh look at wisdom
writings in the Old Testament.
Because it is honest about life and about
suffering, because it will not permit reduc-
ing God to a formula, because it reminds
us that faith is relational more than
prepositional, and because Jesus was
himself greatly influenced by wisdom
teachings and, in fact, was a wisdom
teacher called "rabbi" by his disciples.
Spicing his presentation with frequent
tales from his own experience. Beck kept
his hearers with him. He modulated from
hilarity to poignancy with expert touch.
"Very entertaining," was a frequent re-
sponse from listeners. Maybe a bit too
entertaining? Several in the audience
thought he overdid the funny stories and
one-liners. They struck some listeners as
gimmicky and even annoying.
"1 really didn't hear anything 1 hadn't
read in seminary," commented a recent
graduate. But no one questioned his ability
to communicate. One pastor's spouse
especially appreciated that Beck's presenta-
tion, although offered to clergy, was
"understandable." Other words used to
describe his lectures were "very
stimulating," "provocative," "challenged us
to be a biblical people."
There can be little doubt that Beck
achieved his purpose of encouraging
Brethren ministers in attendance to take a
fresh look at wisdom writings in the Old
Testament. His gift for aphorism was ap-
parent with such statements as: "God is the
most incorrigible humanist there is,"
"Justice is love activated," "Life is lived in
the space between faith and agnosticism,"
and "God loves honest people." — Ken-
neth L. GlBBLE
September 1983 messenger 21
NCC/WCC concerns
answered in 1981
Annual Conference recognized the con-
cern of a Southeastern District query
about the National and World Councils of
Churches.
The delegates adopted Standing Com-
mittee's recommendation that asked the
churches of Southeastern District to study
the 1981 Annual Conference paper en-
titled "Affiliation with the National Coun-
cil of Churches of Christ and World
Council of Churches."
Standing Committee asked the churches
in Southeastern District to give special at-
tention to the reasons given for continued
membership in both organizations. The
query had asked for the Church of the
Brethren to consider withdrawing
membership because the NCC and WCC
"do not follow the 'time-honored peace
stand of our church,' but instead have
supplied arms and ammunition to some of
the Third World countries."
Standing Committee said, "We believe
that each of the concerns listed in the
query is addressed in that paper." — W.S.C.
Brethren urged
to aid disabled
Endorsing the 1983 International Religious
Year of Persons with DisabiUties, the
delegate body urged congregations to
move toward more awareness of the prob-
lems faced by people with various han-
dicapping conditions.
The goal of the 1983 Year is for con-
gregations to become accessible, by over-
coming attitudinal, communication, and
physical or architectural barriers. The
delegates also recognized the decade of
1983-1992 as the Decade of the Disabled,
as designated by the United Nations.
"Since we have been talking about
human rights in other countries," said
Chris Tobias, Standing Committee
delegate from Northern Ohio, "we believe
we should do something about the rights
of these persons in this country."
The resolution refers interested people
to the Church and Persons with
DisabiUties Network of the Church of the
Brethren, a part of the Brethren Health
and Welfare Association. — M.K.
Kenneth L. Gibble's play, "That Your Days May Be Long, " provided a focal point for
discussion at the Health and Welfare Conference. In the scene above, actors Ken Gibble,
Carol Nelson, Jim Tice, and Jim Nelson discuss the termination of elderly citizens.
Health and Welfare Conference
talks values, ethics, priorities
Could our older adults be forced to live in
restricted environments and then be con-
vinced that voluntary termination, or
euthanasia, would be a highly moral act in
the best interest of society? Could
economics and pohtics be higher priority
than human life?
This was the theme of Ken Gibble's
play "That Your Days May Be Long."
Participants in the Health Care Con-
ference, held in Baltimore just prior to
Annual Conference, were deeply affected
by the drama, which appeared uncomfor-
tably real. The play was set in the year
2031, and the "venerables," or senior
citizens, had become a burden to society.
Categories had been established to deter-
mine who would be "terminated" first.
Who would be next in the list of expen-
dable people? The "slippery slope" argu-
ment states that one exception to the rule
will lead to a decline of moral values. And
the direction cannot be reversed.
Those attending the Health Care Con-
ference wrestled with the moral dilemmas
that exist in the world of health and
human values. Modern developments in
health care have created many choices:
When will new technologies be used? Who
will benefit? Who will be given the
authority to make those decisions?
Genetic testing, in vitro fertilization, ad-
vanced diagnostic procedures, and rare
and expensive medications are a few ex-
amples of new technologies.
Leaders Frank Harron, an Episcopal
minister with experience in medical educa-
tion, and Marlin Wenger, a doctor from
the Elizabethtown (Pa.) Church of the
Brethren, presented the group with the
moral dilemma of whether or not medical
treatment should always be provided to all
people, regardless of the consequences.
Small groups discussed four case studies
dealing with moral decisions, euthanasia,
applied genetics, and economic and
poUtical factors.
Group members found it difficult to
make decisions about the moral choices.
Is the preservation of life more moral
than relief of human suffering? Does the
development of genetic testing present an
obligation to future generations to
decrease the incidence of genetically deter-
mined disease? Should age, "social
worth," or the ability to pay be a factor in
providing costly medical treatment? Who
has the right to make proxy decisions
about life-saving standard medical treat-
ment for incompetent people?
These questions and the problems they
present are increasingly being recognized
as the problems of all people, including
those within the Church of the Brethren.
After being confronted with moral values,
ethics, and priorities, many participants
left the conference sessions with more
questions than answers. — Terri Fryman
Terri Fryman is a member of the Greenville (Ohio)
Church of the Brethren. She is a licensed practical
nurse at The Brethren Home, and a member of the
steering committee of the Church and Persons with
Disabilities Network.
22 MESSENGER September 1983
The 1980 Conference featured a first — signing of worship services for the deaf
and hearing impaired. This year provided a first— simultaneous translation of
worship services into Spanish. Rene Calderdn, Parish Ministries staff for
Hispanic ministries, was the translator for all the services.
Dinner hour music
vies with noise
During dinner hours at Annual Con-
ference, one could hear guitars, flutes,
handbells, soloists, quartets, and choirs.
The one man who heard them all was
Dale Dowdy, pastor of the Conestoga
congregation (Leola, Pa.), and program
coordinator for the dinner hour.
On Wednesday, vocalist Paul Roth sang
secular and religious music, including
duets with Del Keeney. He was followed
by Ruth Litz, who "sang in the style of
Joan Baez." She played the guitar and
performed both secular and religious
music.
On Thursday, three groups performed:
Curtis NoUey, singing with piano and
guitar accompaniment; flautist Deb
Crouse Morris; and the ZME (Nigerian
women's fellowship) Choir. "The people
were really delighted by them," said
Dowdy.
On Friday, Cheryl Nauman began the
program by singing several religious
songs, and was followed by the East
Chippewa Male Quartet, which performed
quartet and gospel numbers.
Three choirs performed on Saturday:
the Koinonia Handbell Choir, the Midway
Church of the Brethren Senior Choir, and
the Lightshine Choir, which sang two
numbers from the musical "Lightshine."
There was some trouble with crowd
noises, and Dowdy is thinking of sug-
gesting that next year the dinner-hour pro-
gram be in more of a concert setting.
-M.K.
Ruth Litz, guitarist and singer, was among
the entertainers who provided dinner music
each day in the cafeteria. As always in such
settings, music competed with noise.
insight sessions
*ail loolced good'
Choosing a Conference insight session to
attend was like trying to choose candy at
a store. They all looked good.
On Wednesday, you could go in one
room and hear the question, "What do
you read in Messenger?" You could step
into another and hear an explanation of
the United States agricultural system or
into another and hear Jan Thompson say,
"We are a church with refugee rootage,"
as he spoke of displaced persons. You
could hear laughter in another and walk
into the 35th-anniversary celebration of
Brethren Volunteer Service.
On Thursday, one room held a session
on computers with information being
"signed" for the deaf. Another room had
a session on the problems of multi-ethnic
worship in cities. Another had represen-
tatives from The Brethren Press excitedly
discussing their historical books. Still
another showed videotapes on steward-
ship. Then there was the loud, ringing
voice of John Davis singing for an ap-
preciative audience.
Friday's sessions continued the variety.
There was one about the old Brethren
hymns and when they were printed. There
was another about the mission in Sudan,
where there is frustration and fear, but
hope. There was yet another where many
discussed the problems of the electronic
church.
In the end, it was a pity you couldn't
take in more. But perhaps it was best you
didn't try. -M.K.
September 1983 messenger 23
Elections and appointments bring new
faces to General Board and committees
The two candidates for moderator-elect
put forward by Standing Committee,
James F. Myer and Guy E. Wampler Jr.,
have had considerable exposure before the
denomination because of their years of
work on the Human Sexuahty Committee.
At one point early in the week at
Baltimore, Myer jokingly suggested the
two of them run on a joint ticket, be co-
moderators, and have as their theme,
"Human Sexuahty."
As it worked out, however, Myer
became moderator-elect on his own,
chosen from a ballot that had Joan
Deeter, North Manchester, Ind., added to
it, nominated from the floor. Myer, a
43-year-old dairy farmer and minister
from the White Oak congregation in
Pennsylvania, will moderate the 1985 An-
nual Conference in Phoenix, Ariz.
Other elections and appointments:
General board, district representatives
(5-year terms): Peggy Reiff Miller,
Kalamazoo, Mich. (Michigan); L. Gene
Bucher, Brodbecks, Pa. (Southern Penn-
sylvania); and Esther Frantz Boleyn,
Morgantown, W. Va. (West Marva).
General Board, at-large representatives
(5-year terms): Anita Smith Buck waiter,
Lansing, Mich. (Michigan); David B.
Eller, Bluffton, Ohio (Northern Ohio);
and (fining an unexpired term until 1985)
Harold S. Martin, York, Pa. (Southern
Pennsylvania).
Annual Conference Central Committee
(3-year term): Lois Fike Sherman, Fort
Wayne, Ind.
Committee on Intercburch Relations
(3-year terms): Roderico (Tom) A.
Grahan, San Diego, Calif.; and Naomi
Kulp Keeney, Harrisburg, Pa. (General
Board appointee).
Bethany Theological Seminary Board of
Directors (5-year terms): Guillermo Encar-
naci6n, Falfurrias, Texas (clergy); and
Janice L. Ruhl, Manheim, Pa. (laity).
Standing Committee's Nominating
Committee (2-year terms): Ruthann
Angle, Milford, Ind. (Northern Indiana);
James M. Beckwith, Oaks, Pa. (Atlantic
Northeast); Carl Cawood, Ashland, Ohio
(Northern Ohio); and Clara Patterson,
Dayton, Ohio (Southern Ohio).
Continuing through 1984: Betty Ann
Cherry, Huntingdon, Pa. (Middle Penn-
sylvania), chairwoman; Warren M.
Eshbach, York, Pa. (Southern Penn-
sylvania); Lavon Rupel, Stockton, CaUf.
(Pacific Southwest); and June Wolfe,
Roann, Ind. (South /Central Indiana).
Ministers' Association (3-year term,
elected by the association): Ronald E.
Wyrick, Bridgewater, Va., secretary.
(WiUiam K. Roop, Roaring Spring, Pa.,
Abortion Statement Study Committee
(appointed by the General Board, October
1982): Kenneth L. Brown, North Manches-
ter, Ind.; Sharon P. Graybill, Pottstown,
Pa.; Elaine M. Sollenberger, Everett, Pa.;
Donald E. Miller, Lombard, lU.; Lauree
Hersch Meyer, Lombard, lU.; and Fred W.
Wampler, Mountain City, Tenn.
Commission chairmen Phillip Stone, Fumitaka Matsuoka, and WiUiam Hayes.
serves as chairman for 1983-84; Jean
Lichty Hendricks, Sheldon, Iowa, is vice
chairwoman; and Delbert W. Kettering,
Walbridge, Ohio, is treasurer.)
Review and Evaluation Committee
(serves through 1985): Wanda Will But-
ton, Conrad, Iowa; A. Blair Helman,
North Manchester, Ind.; Wilbur R.
Hoover, McPherson, Kan.; Dean M.
Miller, Hagerstown, Md.; and Nevin H.
Zuck, Lancaster, Pa.
General Board /On Earth Peace
Assembly Oversight Committee: Paul W.
Hoffman, McPherson, Kan.; Clyde C.
Fry, Mansfield, Ohio; and Anita Flowers
Metzler, Nappanee, Ind.
Annual Conference Study Committees:
Leadership Needs and Ministry Issues
Study Committee: Warren F. Groff, Lom-
bard, 111.; William A. Hayes, Baltimore,
Md.; C. Henry Hunsberger, Mercersburg,
Pa.; Carroll (Kaydo) M. Petry, North
Manchester, Ind. ; and Alice Martin-
Adkins, Kensington, Md. (A staff liaison
will be announced later.)
Membership Study Committee: Hubert
R. Newcomer, Sebring, Fla.; Harold E.
Yeager, Saint Thomas, Pa.; Judy Hershey
Herr, Grand Junction, Colo.; Howard A.
Miller, Clarksville, Md.; and Rick Gard-
ner, Elgin, 111.
Bethany Hospital Foundation Study
Committee (appointed by the General
Board): Graydon F. Snyder, Lombard,
111.; Dorothy Garst Murray, Roanoke,
Va.; Jay Gibble, Elgin, 111.; Stewart B.
Kauffman, Elgin, 111. (staff liaison); Hazel
Peters, New Windsor, Md.; and Larry
Ulrich, Lombard, 111.
Hymnal Council: Named by the
General Board as Brethren representatives
to a four-denomination Hymnal Council
to consider a joint hymnal are Robert C.
Bowman, Elgin, 111.; Nancy Faus, Lom-
bard, lU.; Robin Risser Mundey, Elgin,
111.; and Jimmy Ross, Lititz, Pa.
General Board reorganization: Ex-
ecutive Committee: Re-elected chairman is
Curtis W. Dubble, Lancaster, Pa. (1984).
Re-elected vice chairwoman is Elaine M.
Sollenberger, Everett, Pa. (1986). Fran
Clemens Nyce, Westminster, Md. (1986),
and H. Fred Bernhard, Gettysburg, Ohio
(1985), serve as at-large members. The
three commission chairpersons are also
members of this committee.
Goals and Budget Committee: The
above group, chaired by Elaine M.
Sollenberger, plus Administrative Council,
comprises the Goals and Budget Com-
mittee, with three ex-officio members:
district executives Donald E. Rowe
24 MESSENGER September 1983
Consecrated at Conference end were Paul
Fike, 1984 moderator, and James Myer,
moderator-elect and 1985 moderator.
(Mid-Atlantic), Carl E. Myers (Il-
linois/Wisconsin), and Bert G. Richard-
son (Southeastern).
Pension Board. The members of the
General Board also comprise the Pension
Board. The Pension Board chairman and
vice chairman are, respectively, Lowell A.
Flory, McPherson, Kan. (1986), and
William H. Cable, Syracuse, Ind. (1987).
(Wilfred E. Nolen is secretary /financial
officer, salaried staff.)
The Pension Board Executive Commit-
tee includes, besides Lowell A. Flory and
William H. Cable, Vernard EUer, La
Verne, Calif. (1984); Robert G. Mays,
Seattle, Wash. (1984); Dorris Murdock,
Nampa, Idaho (1986); Dorothy Garst
Murray, Roanoke, Va. (1985); Kurtis
Friend Naylor, Mountain Grove, Mo.
(1987); and Randall Lee Yoder, Kokomo,
Ind. (1985).
General Services Commission: Phillip
C. Stone, Linville, Va. (1987), chairman;
William H. Cable, Syracuse, Ind. (1987);
Vernard EUer, La Verne, CaUf. (1984);
Lowell A. Flory, McPherson, Kan.
(1986); Robert G. Mays, Seattle, Wash.
(1984); Dorothy Garst Murray, Roanoke,
Va. (1985); Dorris Murdock, Nampa,
Idaho (1986); and Elaine M. SoUenberger,
Everett, Pa. (1986).
Parish Ministries Commission: William
A. Hayes, Columbia, Md. (1985), chair-
man; L. Gene Bucher, Brodbecks, Pa.
(1988); Anita Smith Buckwaher, Lansing,
Mich. (1988); Emily Mumma, Largo, Fla.
(1987); David B. Eller, Bluffton, Ohio
(1988); Fran Clemens Nyce, Westminster,
Md. (1986); Jorge Rivera, Castaiier, P. R.
(1987); and Randall Lee Yoder, Kokomo,
Ind. (1985).
World Ministries Commission:
Fumitaka (Matsu) Matsuoka, Fremont,
CaUf. (1986), chairman; H. Fred Bern-
hard, Gettysburg, Ohio (1985); B. Stanley
Bittinger, Kingsville, Texas (1984); Esther
Frantz Boleyn, Morgantown, W.
Va. (1988); Karen S. Carter, Daleville,
Va. (1984); Peggy Reiff Miller,
Kalamazoo, Mich. (1988); and Kurtis
Friend Naylor, Mountain Grove, Mo.
(1987).
Ex-officio members of the General
Board are Paul H. Fike, Orrville, Ohio
(Annual Conference moderator); James F.
Myer, Lititz, Pa. (Annual Conference
moderator-elect); Warren F. Groff, Lom-
bard, 111. (president of Bethany
Theological Seminary); Graydon F.
Snyder, Lombard, 111. (dean of Bethany
Theological Seminary); and Beverly
Dunston Scott (observer /consultant from
American Baptist Churches).— K.T.
Bible study electives and scripture
teaching at mid-morning business session
breaks are becoming fixtures at Annual
Conference. Harold S. Martin (above)
was one of the most popular Bible teach-
ers, seen here elaborating on a point from
his study series on 2 Timothy. Editor of
the BRF Witness, a publication of the
Brethren Revival Fellowship, Martin was
elected at Baltimore to the denomination's
General Board.
Nvwa Balami (right) addressed the Con-
ference Saturday evening. He illustrated
God's grace with a description of a tradi-
tional Nigerian ceremony for reconciling a
murderer with the community. We are
given a new identity as we are trans-
formed by God's grace. Living that identi-
ty is to carry out the Commission of our
Lord, Jesus Christ.
September 1983 messenger 25
News briefs: Some other big items
and a whole lot of little ones
• The World Council of Churches
Assembly in Vancouver July 24 - August
10 had Brethren on hand as participants
and press. (The October Messenger will
carry a report.) In their report to Con-
ference, WCC representatives explained
why Brethren need to be in that world
body: "It is neither the fact that we
receive from others or give out of our rich
heritage to others in the context of the
Council that calls us to be involved with
the World Council of Churches. Our
membership is a theological statement of
who we are in the Body of Christ and
what our vision for the church and the
world is."
• General Secretary Bob Neff, report-
ing on the NCC, said it would have been
desirable not to have had recent adverse
criticism of the Council by the media, but
it has given opportunity to highlight the
good that the NCC does. (See the August
Messenger, much of it devoted to NCC
coverage.)
• The Brethren Health Education
Foundation granted six 1,000-dollar
scholarships, one 2,000-dollar graduate
fellowship, and loans exceeding $24, (KX)
during 1982 to Church of the Brethren
students preparing for professions in the
healing arts. The Fund marked its 25th
anniversary in 1983.
• The new Bethany Hospital in Chicago
is nearing completion, ahead of schedule.
The development drive has produced near-
ly $S million in pledges and contributions,
including gifts from Church of the
Brethren congregations.
• Bethany Theological Seminary a tiny
enclave of Brethren scholars? Hardly. In
1982 Bethany had students from India,
Hungary, Nigeria, the USA, and Vietnam
representing 13 denominations. The
seminary had 36 graduates this June, the
largest graduating class in recent years.
• The Church of the Brethren Pension
Board had a growth of $3.5 million in
1982. That was the first year of self-
insurance for the Group Insurance Plan,
and the switchover resulted in higher
premiums to cover claim backlogs.
Wilfred E. Nolen is the new Pension
Board executive.
• Yes, next year is 1984, and Big Brother
and all the other Brethren will be watching
for you at Southern Illinois University in
Carbondale, 111., June 26 - July 1. The
University is offering a package deal ($154
a person) for lodging and meals. Future
sites and dates: Phoenix, Ariz., July 2 - 7,
1985; Norfolk, Va., June 24 - 29, 1986;
Cincinnati, Ohio, June 23 - 28, 1987; and
St. Louis, Mo., June 28 - July 3, 1988.
• Annual Conference attendance didn't
meet expectations this year. Sunday morn-
ing attendance reached only 5,295 —
nowhere near the 9,000 Sunday morning in
Pittsburgh in 1980. Total registration was
higher than Pittsburgh — 6,132 total
registration, including 1,089 delegates.
• Conferencegoers gave $20,978 toward
Annual Conference expenses and $24,624
for the Brotherhood Fund, for a total of
$45,602 in offerings during the week's wor-
ship services.
• SERRV sales at Baltimore totaled
$16,663, about $100 less than Wichita sales
in 1982. SERRV personnel attributed the
disappointing sales partially to Harbor
Place competition.
Brethren Press book sales, on the other
hand, soared to a new record — $55,450
— $8,500 over Wichita's total. Maybe it was
the buggy and the buckets that did it.
• The party's not over. The quilting par-
ty goes on and on it seems, as popular as
ever. Five quilts were produced at
Baltimore and sold at an auction at week's
end for $10,810. The fifth quiU went for
$1,010, then was resold for $3,400, the
highest price ever, someone said. Half the
profits were donated to Brethren work in
Sudan. The other half went to AACB (the
Association for the Arts in the Church of
the Brethren), the sponsor of the quilts
project.
• The Brethren Journal Association
(BJA) is jubilant these days. Its Edward K.
Ziegler Endowment Fund has reached
$44,000 (the goal is $60,000). BJA
publishes Brethren Life and Thought, a
28-year-old scholarly journal "published in
the interests of the Church of the
Brethren." The association, whose presi-
dent is Joan Deeter, North Manchester,
Ind., elected Leland Wilson, Washington,
D.C., its new vice president at its Baltimore
meeting. Re-elected to the BJA Board were
Marlin Heckman, La Verne, Calif., and
Emmert Bittinger, Bridgewater, Va. Newly
elected to the Board is Olden D. Mitchell,
Elkhart, Ind.
• The study committee on the Bethany
Hospital Foundation will bring a report to
the 1984 Annual Conference, as will the
study committee on abortion.
• Congregational Renewal and Growth,
a movement stemming from the 1981
Diminishing Membership action of Con-
ference, is living up to its name. Advances
in renewal and growth are being made in
four districts — Southeastern, Southern
Plains, Virlina, and Mid-Atlantic. One of
the moving forces behind this impressive
progress is Paul E. R. Mundey, working
this past year from his home base in Lin-
thicum Heights, Md., as part-time interim
field staff in evangelism /new member
ministries. Starting this month, Paul is on
the national staff, full-time. (Watch for the
November Messenger, which will focus
on this ministry.)
• The Brethren Encyclopedia project
continues on schedule, in the printing stage
now, with plans to have the first two
volumes (the ones containing articles)
ready by the end of 1983. Volume 111
(statistics, lists, appendices, and bibli-
ography) will be ready in 1 984. Sets may be
ordered in advance for $130 plus $3.25
postage and handling from Brethren En-
cyclopedia, P. O. Box 18869, Phila-
26 MESSENGER September 1983
Far left: Steve Slrycker of Goshen, Ind., defies sexist role-
casting as he adroitly threads a needle and joins the annual
quilting party. Lefl: Critics who say we have taken the bread of
life, the gospel, out of Messenger, may have wondered if we
were saying, "Let them eat cake. " To celebrate the 100th an-
niversary o/The Gospel Messenger, the magazine's staff served
over a thousand pieces of cake after Thursday evening service.
Below left: Youth demonstrate that Brethren values of simplici-
ty and ingenuity are still around, as they don trash bags in an
evening downpour. Below: Finally, let's just say that John
Schrock of Mayom, Sudan, is . . . well, "into art."
delphia, PA 19119.
• "Empowered by our Birthright" is the
theme for the upcoming centennial of
women's organizations in the Church of
the Brethren. A number of events are
planned, including a Church of the
Brethren International Conference in the
summer of 1985, and a book, to be
authored by Pam Brubaker Lowe.
• The 1983 Church of the Brethren
Ecumenical award, presented annually by
the Committee on Interchurch Relations
(CIR), went this year to Ira W. and
Mabel Moomaw, Sebring, Fla., for their
long-time work in India and in Agri-
cultural Missions. CIR also presented its
Wanda Luce Callahan Ecumenical
Scholarship ($250) to Gail Erisman, a
Bethany Seminary student. (The scholar-
ship is named for the previous year's re-
cipient of the Ecumenical Award.)
• Samantha Smith, eat your heart out!
Clyde Weaver, Brethren Press marketing
director, is in Moscow this month and
hopes to hand-deliver a letter to USSR
president Yuri Andropov. The letter, call-
ing for friendship and peace, was dis-
played at Conference and signed by over
2,000 people, some of whom added their
own mini-messages.
• Sister Anna Mow, a Conference
habitu^, called to the editor's attention the
fact that at Baltimore she not only wore a
brand-new dress, but also one even older
than the dress shown on the covers of the
September 1976 and September 1982
Messengers. Surely the most admired
woman in the Church, Sister Anna turned
90 on July 31.
• "Paul's Epistles" were a feature of
this Conference — daily letters to the
delegates from moderator Paul Hoffman.
Part inspiration, part update, part jjep
talk, the letters were apparently an effort
to confront the perennial problem of the
delegate body being a bunch of in-
dividuals (and a few mavericks) instead of
being a unit whose members are sensitive
to the mood of the total group.
• Myron Augsburger, noted Mennonite
educator and evangelist, addressed the
New Church Development and Evangelism
Dinner. Said this pastor of a new church
on Washington's Capitol Hill, "Evangelism
is anything that makes faith in Jesus
possible. If we are not evangelistic,
the church will dry up on the spot."
• Sylvia Oiness was on her way to the
Nigeria mission field in April 1941 when
her ship, the ZamZam, was torpedoed and
sunk by the German navy. Sylvia never got
to Nigeria, and 42 years passed before she
met any of her would-have-been fellow
missionaries. After her rescue she changed
plans and served 30 years as a nurse in
Swaziland. At Baltimore, Sylvia and
fellow ZamZam survivor Alice Engel (in
Nigeria 1937-40) were special guests at the
Mission '80s Luncheon. One poignant
greeting, from retired Nigeria nurse Mary
Dadisman, "Sylvia, so I finally meet you! I
was your replacement, in 1941!"
• A prayer vigil was held over the noon
hour on Friday, to show support for sanc-
tuary for refugees, and to protest unjust
conditions in Central America. Held at the
Holocaust Memorial in Baltimore, the vigil
was sponsored by the Brethren Peace
Fellowship and the local Clergy and Laity
Concerned. Among those who spoke to
the group was Julia Esquivel, exiled
Guatemalan poet, whose book Threatened
With Resurrection was published by The
Brethren Press last year. D
September 1983 messenger 27
Showing Baltimore
how to volunteer
The 1983 Annual Conference featured
something new — the presentation of a gift
to the host city.
The gift given to Baltimore wasn't
material or expensive, however. In good
Brethren fashion, the gift was volunteer
service to the city for two hours on Thurs-
day and Friday of Conference week. The
project was conceived and coordinated by
Lorele Yager, Churubusco, Ind.
About 1 30 people participated in pull-
ing weeds, edging sidewalks, painting pic-
nic tables, and other projects. For many,
it was not only a chance to do something
constructive and helpful, but it was also
an opportunity to stretch legs and relax
other parts of the body tensed up by sit-
ting through business meetings.
One group of about 30 people went just
across Pratt Street from the Convention
Center and pulled weeds from a bank by
the sidewalk. A larger group walked to
the Federal Hill park, which overlooks the
Baltimore Harbor, and swept sidewalks,
painted park benches, and trimmed grass.
Arnold Lein takes a break and explains Brethren volunteering to a local TV reporter.
And a third group was more spread out,
doing jobs such as cleaning glass panels
and — what else — pulling weeds.
Reasons for participating were as
various as the participants themselves.
Kenneth Fogelsanger said it was "the
relaxing end of Conference," while E.
Merritt Hoist said he was there because
"I've been compelled to love."
As ordinary as acts of service are for
the Brethren, they are ejr/ra-ordinary for
the people of Baltimore. At the Pratt
Street location, motorists at the busy in-
tersection gazed at the odd collection of
laborers. One curious passerby stopped a
worker to question him about the goings-
on, and then stood and stared while the
worker returned to his weeding.
The volunteer work even received
coverage from two local television sta-
tions. Arnold Lein, pastor of the
Brooklyn (Iowa) church, was one of the
surprised laborers-turned-TV star. He told
the reporter that he was simply "showing
his love" by volunteering.
One television reporter went so far as to
report that 9,000 Brethren had worked on
the project. With only 6,000 at the con-
ference, that is unlikely. Maybe next
year. — J. A. B.
"Ttitrs is nBllter Jn m Bi«»k'. *!, jisil" ,
lot yog art ill m i "
Supplementing the General Board report
was an impressive exhibit in the main lob-
by of the convention center, highlighting
Brethren "heroes" who "counted the cost. '
Among them was Mat tie Dolby, the first
woman officially installed in the ministry
in the Church of the Brethren (1911).
Board reporting
goes multimedia
In "the bold, new medium of radiovi-
sion — sometimes radio, sometimes televi-
sion, sometimes live, sometimes not so
live," the General Board came to life for
Annual Conference participants on Friday
morning.
Anchored by General Board members
Elaine Soilenberger and Philhp Stone, the
board report, "Count Well the Cost,"
used interviews, slides, and film to re-
count the past year of Board activity.
A distinct element of the report was the
commemoration of several anniversaries.
The 35th anniversary of Brethren
Volunteer Service was marked by a slide
show and a song written by BVSer Jill
Duffey. While she and fellow BVSer
Leslie Billhimer performed the song, slides
depicted BVSers at work.
Another anniversary marked was that
of 60 years of Brethren involvement in
Nigeria. After slides of the anniversary
celebration in Nigeria, Naomi Bitrus
Sawa, a member of the Nigerian women's
choir, was interviewed by Donna Elliott.
The lOOth anniversary of The Gospel
Messenger was noted with an audiovisual
presentation. Also noted was the 90th an-
niversary of Brethren involvement in In-
dia, which comes up next year. The Oc-
tober Worldwide Mission Offering Em-
phasis will highlight work in India, and a
new resource — a slide/tape show called
"As a Living Tree" — premiered during the
board report.
Mission work in the Sudan was also
given coverage. Ruby Rhoades, executive
of the World Ministries Commission, in-
terviewed field workers Steve and Karen
Metzler and Roger and Carolyn Schrock,
who were back in the US. The four
discussed the well-digging and primary
health care projects, and also described
the tensions caused by civil unrest in that
country.
Reports were also given on The
Brethren Press, MICAH Mission, Disaster
Child Care, People of the Covenant, and
other programs. A slide/tape show by Jim
Lehman gave an overview of an area of
common enthusiasm among the
Brethren — new church development.
General Board Chairman Curtis Dubble
summed up the multimedia report with a
statement on the true meaning of "count-
ing the cost." — J. A. B.
28 MESSENGER September 1983
Conference manager Doris Lasley:
New to the title, not to the job
In telling the story of An-
nual Conference manager
Doris Lasley, Judd Blouch
not only presents a reveal-
ing picture of the person
behind the job, but also
takes us behind the scenes
at Annual Conference.
Through the week Doris
and Karla Lasley command
a small army of volunteers
handling innumerable
chores, such as stuffing the
^, delegate packets on
Tuesday evening
(below).
■S
by Judd Blouch
Annual Conference has a new manager,
Doris Lasley. But the Big Meeting is not
in the hands of an untried greenhorn.
Doris has had six years of experience
working with her predecessor. Matt
Meyer. And she has great help in the new
job— her secretary is... well, just like one
of the family.
• • •
Annual Conference for most people is a
hectic schedule of business sessions, meal
events, insight sessions, hugs from
seldom-seen friends, and even some
sightseeing and swimming in the hotel
pool.
But if participants stop and think, they
realize that somebody is responsible for
putting the agenda in their hands, a din-
ner in their stomachs, and a bed under
their tired legs at the end of the day. The
place where responsibility lies for this
endless stream of big and small details is
the Annual Conference office.
Actually, the Annual Conference office
is staffed by only two people — the
mother/ daughter team of Doris and Karla
Lasley. What might be misconceived as
nepotism is actually just a simple twist of
fate. At the same time that Karla had
become disenchanted with her job as
September 1983 messenger 29
switchboard operator at the Elgin offices,
Doris' secretary resigned for health reasons.
"I wasn't sure about Karla coming to
work with me, but it's the best idea
anybody ever had," Doris said. "It is un-
canny that we have such a professional
relationship."
Karla wasn't as surprised as her mother.
"We've always gotten along perfectly," she
said. "Just like best friends."
After serving as administrative assistant
to the general secretary for nine years,
Doris took the position of assistant An-
nual Conference manager in 1978. She
landed the position of manager after Matt
Meyer resigned, assuming her new respon-
sibilities this July.
Doris believes very strongly that Annual
Conference is for all the Brethren, not
just the delegates and church officials.
Her top priority is to keep a personal
touch present in all aspects of Conference
planning and administration.
"Annual Conference time is a time for
all these people to come together," says
Doris, who handles many of the small
items like individual calls and inquiries.
"When that phone call comes in, that's the
most important thing I have to do at the
moment."
People with more nervous personaUties
than Doris and Karla have might not be
able to handle the job. Doris attributes
her survival to flexibility, a sense of
humor, and enjoyment of people.
"If you'd get uptight, you'd have a
crackup," Doris says.
o,
'ne appreciates this statement even
more when the hst of Doris and Karla's
responsibilities is examined. The planning
of a conference is actually begun four or
five years prior to the meeting. This is
when possible sites have to be inspected,
submitted to Annual Conference Central
Committee for approval, and finally
reserved.
The detailed planning of a conference
begins about a year and a half in advance.
How did we manage before we had
an Annual Conference manager?
Annual Conference is almost as old as the Church of the Brethren itself, but the
position of Conference manager is not. Doris Lasley is only the fourth person to hold
the position.
The first Annual Conference manager was Donald Rowe, now executive of Mid-
Atlantic District, who took the job in 1961 . He was followed in 1970 by Hubert
Newcomer, now director of The Palms retirement home in Sebring, Fla., who was
succeeded in 1977 by Matthew Meyer, now pastor of the Naperville (111.) Church of
the Brethren.
Before Donald Rowe became manager, administration of Annual Conference was
handled by various committees, such as the Locating, Program and Arrangements,
and Nominating Committees. Responsibilities were rotated among General Board
staff members. The closest thing to an Annual Conference manager was the coor-
dinator of the Program and Arrangements Committee, a position passed around
among Administrative Council members.
The major change that occurred with the introduction of an Annual Conference
manager, according to Rowe, was a movement toward pre-conference registration,
briefing, and planning. Prior to 1961, delegates to Conference had to register for
credentials and then waited to appear before and be approved by the Credentials
Committee.
In addition to pre-conference registration, the sending of materials to delegates
ahead of time was introduced, and the Nominating Committee began to meet before
Conference.
A major advantage of having a year-round Conference manager has been the
smoother handhng of the rapidly growing scope of Annual Conferences. Rowe
recalls that there used to be few meetings at Conference other than business sessions
and evening worships. But modern Conferences have 200 or more extra meetings, in-
sight sessions, and meal events. The growth of Annual Conference has
also required more extensive facilities, in turn necessitating more advanced planning
and consistent management. — J. A. B.
The first step is the organization of a
coordinating committee consisting mostly
of people from around the conference
area. From this, individual teams are
developed to organize specific programs
such as child care, youth and young adult
activities, and music. These committees
keep coming back to Doris with ques-
tions, and she monitors what is going on
and how they are doing by reading the
minutes from their meetings and keeping
in close contact.
One of the biggest jobs, says Doris, is
getting every meeting room scheduled with
complete set-up instructions. Some con-
vention centers charge $.50 a chair that
must be moved, so a major miscalculation
can be costly. But before any rooms or
chairs can be arranged, Doris and Karla
have to collect all the information on in-
sight sessions and other activities from
committee coordinators and General
Board staff.
While all this is happening, new
business items, changes in the agenda, and
other details are flowing into the Con-
ference office and must be dealt with.
Late registrations and last-minute details
continue to arrive up until the Lasleys
leave for Conference.
"People are constantly calling in and
saying, 'I forgot this, change this, do
this,'" Doris says. But she denies being
frustrated by procrastinators and perfec-
tionists. "I feel good about the confidence
they have in me," she says. "I'm just
grateful that I can be there to hear what
they have to say."
A Church of the Brethren Annual Con-
ference is unlike most other conventions.
The number of participants varies from
conference to conference, and even over
the course of the week. Convention plan-
ners who are used to meetings of veterans
or auto workers have difficulty envision-
ing and understanding what "Annual Con-
ference" is Uke.
"One of the hardest things each year is
when you go in to do planning with cities
or convention centers," says Doris. "They
can't seem to understand the scope or
complexity of the program."
For the Lasleys, a conference isn't over
when the last straggler leaves the conven-
tion center. Bills must be sorted out, costs
distributed, minutes pubhshed, and study
committees convened. And then there is
always next year's conference, the plan-
ning for which started a couple of years
ago and which will remain on Doris's
agenda long after the event is over. D
30 MESSENGER September 1983
Listening to the word
The Lord said, *Go!'
by Chalmer E. Faw
Read Acts 9:1-19.
The Christians of Damascus are startled
by the news that Saul of Tarsus is on his
way to their city. He has already ravaged
the church around Jerusalem. Now he is
coming to Syria, where he will arrest and
bring to trial and possible death as many
of their number as he can.
Ananias is one of these Christians,
possibly their leader. What a surprise,
then, when he hears the voice of the risen
Lord tell him to go across town to a cer-
tain address and ask for this man Saul.
This is enough to send a shiver down the
spine of the most stout-hearted Christian.
It sounds Uke, "Go stick your head in a
hon's mouth." Quite understandably
Ananias protests. He reminds the Lord of
the harm this fellow has caused his
followers in Jerusalem and tells him of
this new operation here in Damascus.
This is not the first time the Lord's
faithful servants have talked back when
confronted by a divine command.
Abraham talked back, as did Moses and
various ones of the prophets. The Lord
listens, as always: fears, inadequacies, in-
hibitions. God has heard it all before.
But the divine answer is simply "Go."
Just go, Ananias, and you'll find out what
it is all about. "This man," the risen Jesus
explains patiently, "is a chosen instrument
of mine to carry my gospel to the far-flung
Jewish world and even to the Gentiles."
Well, this word helps Ananias. It really
is the Lord then who is speaking. Only he
could pull this one off, transforming a
man like Saul into an agent of his eternal
purposes.
Then Jesus says something that speaks
most convincingly to Ananias. "I will show
him how much he must suffer for the sake
of my name," he adds. Good! This fellow
has been making others suffer. Now he is
going to get a taste of it himself. Then, too,
this means he is becoming a Christian, for
they are the ones who always seem to get in
on suffering.
Even before this, the risen Lord shares
something so mysterious and wonderful
that Ananias must still be trying to grasp
it. Saul is over on Straight Street, he says,
praying in the house of Judas. While
doing so he has seen a vision of Ananias
himself coming in and laying hands of
healing upon him — and all this before it
even happens. It is a vision within a vi-
sion. Yes, this is the Lord all right, and
he is working at both ends of the line to
bring about a meeting of these two men.
So Ananias goes. What thoughts and
fears race through his consciousness on
the way over we may never know. The ac-
count simply says he leaves his house and
enters that of Judas. There, just as Jesus
said, Saul is bowed in prayer. But some-
thing great has taken place within
Ananias. His fears are now gone.
Whatever anger and hostility he harbored
toward this man are changed to compas-
sion. He enters and lays warm, loving
hands on Saul and utters what must be
two of the sweetest words in the whole
New Testament. "Brother Saul," he says.
Not persecutor Saul or arch-enemy Saul,
but Brother Saul! Jesus himself had
taught this sort of thing, and now
Ananias finds himself practicing it.
"Brother Saul," Ananias says, "the Lord
Jesus who appeared to you on the road by
which you came, has sent me that you
may regain your sight and be filled with
the Holy Spirit" (Acts 9:17).
Jesus, the risen Lord, who caused Saul's
blindness with his divine light out on the
road, is now Lord of them both and has
brought them together to witness two
miracles: the restoration of physical sight
and the infiUing of the Holy Spirit. What
a wonderful moment in the history of
Christianity! Here God is using this other-
wise obscure believer to bring to salvation
and complete Spirit-infiUing and healing a
man destined to become one of the
greatest missionaries of all time and the
author of about a fourth of our whole
New Testament.
What else took place on that memor-
able day we are told only sketchily. Scales
fell from Saul's eyes and he could see.
This was no mere psychological experi-
ence, but the actual removal of organic
matter obscuring his sight. He rose up a
new man, took food, and was strength-
ened after his days of fasting. Then he
joined the disciple group in Damascus, the
very people he had come to lead to their
death.
Moreover, through his same encounter
with the Lord, Ananias was healed of his
fears and his hurts. The Lord had said
"Go," and in full obedience he had
gone. D
A retired Bible teacher and missionary from
Quinter, Kan., Chalmer E. Faw and his wife, Mary,
are helping with the expanded ministry at the
Antelope Park Church of the Brethren, Lincoln, Neb.
September 1983 messenger 31
Cross
Keys
Village
a developing retirement
community of individual
cottages on the campus of
The Brethren Home at
New Oxford, Penn-
sylvania
• 10 models from $24,900
• only 2 hours from
Philadelphia and D.C.
• 15 minutes from Get-
tysburg
• 12 Church of the
Brethren Congrega-
tions nearby
• activities program
• free transportation
• nite-time security
• meals, housecleaning
and nursing service
available at modest
costs
• truly independent
living
• with the assurance of
nursing care when
needed
• freedom from
household chores
"move in now while
you can still enjoy it''
Harvey S. Kline,
Administrator
For more information
contact:
Milton E. Raup,
The Brethren Home
Box 128
New Oxford, PA 17350
(717)624-2161
mmmm^.
To maximize our understanding of aging
in others and within ourselves, there are
two critical assumptions: 1) the aging pro-
cess is universal and none of us escapes it;
and 2) because we have never experienced
being older than we are, the only avenue
for understanding the person older than
ourselves is through a creative use of
empathy.
Because we are free moral agents, we
do have the option of choice. We can do
something about the quality of our own
Uves. This is at the heart of the gift of the
Christian faith.
Following are some avenues that are
open to us. Unless otherwise indicated, all
books are available from The Brethren
Press, 1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL
60120.
32 MESSENGER September 1983
In print
Christian Living magazine's March-April
issue, a special one on aging, is an ex-
cellent resource of testimonials of older
people. My experience sharing it with an
older friend suffering from cancer in-
dicates the quahty of the publication. A
single issue costs $2.95 and is available
from the Mennonite Publishing House,
Scottdale, PA 15683.
A new book that presents a message of
hope for folk concerned about the quality
of the aging process is written by Eugene
C. Bianchi and entitled Aging as a
Spiritual Journey (Crossroad /Continuum,
$17.50). "The transitional challenges of
middle age afford us . . . unique oppor-
tunities for personal growth and com-
munity service," writes Bianchi. "Through
the negativities of this period, we learn to
accept our limits, and even to transform
them into occasions for spiritual growth.
. . . We begin to discover within ourselves
a new center for integrating the light and
the dark, consciousness and uncon-
sciousness, the inner and outer, past, pres-
ent and future."
Of a broader base is a carefully edited
softback book on Health / Medicine, by
Martin E. Marty and Kenneth L. Vaux
(Fortress Press, 1982, softback, 350 pages,
$19.79). This book, which includes view-
points from philosophers, physicians,
historians, and theologians, sets forth
ways the faith traditions in medicine shape
a life and deals with the questions of
health and sickness, in Ught of the "in-
creasingly frequent medical dilemmas with
which modern technology confronts us."
Conferences
Jay Gibble's office, with the denomina-
tion's Parish Ministries Commission, is
sponsoring five Church and Health Con-
ferences across the country. Two have
already been held with excellent results. A
schedule of the other three area con-
ferences is available from his office. A
summary of the first event, held June
1982 at Juniata College, will soon be
available from his office.
A first was a Health and Welfare Con-
ference held Monday evening and Tuesday
of Annual Conference week. Frank M.
Harron and Marhn E. Wenger provided
leadership, under the theme of "Health
and Human Values." Harron, most
recently director of the Health and
Human Values Program of United
Ministries in Education, wrote the study
book used at the conference: Health and
Human Values— a Guide to Make Your
Own Decisions (Yale University Press,
1983, softback, 194 pages, $6.95). Write
to Yale University Press, 92A Yale Sta-
tion, New Haven, CT 06520. Wenger is a
member of Elizabethtown (Pa.) Church of
... r /
*\
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1
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^^^K aS^^Hi Im
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"TVie aging process is universal and none of us escapes it. '
the Brethren and is in private practice
with Lancaster Rheumatology Associates.
New directions
Also at the Baltimore Annual Conference
was the initial meeting of a new Task
Force on Aging, to be chaired by Leah
Zuck, co-chaplain at Brethren Village,
Lancaster, Pa. This task force, which is
being developed by Jay Gibble's office
through the Brethren Health and Welfare
Association, has the following respon-
sibilities:
a) To develop a denominational policy
statement on aging.
b) To identify needs regarding aging
within the Church of the Brethren.
c) To be an advocate for goals and ob-
jectives relating to aging within the
denomination.
d) To recommend denominational
strategies and programs.
e) To identify resources that are
available.
Three resource books being used as
foundation pieces by the task force in-
clude:
• Ministry with the Aging, edited by
William M. Clements, Harper & Row,
1983, softback, 274 pages, $8.95.
• Aging — the Fulfillment of Life, by
Henri J. M. Nouwen and Walter J. Gaff-
ney. Image Books (Doubleday & Co.
Inc.), 1976, softback, 160 pages, $3.50.
• A Future with Hope, by Harvey S.
Kline and Warren Eshbach, The Brethren
Press, 1978, softback, 93 pages, $2.95.
Resources are available all around us.
The best counsel that can be given: Keep
your eyes open to see what is available
through books, films, conferences, and
significantly through faith in God.—
Harvey S. Kline
Harvey S. Kline is administrator of The Brethren
Home, New Oj^ford, Pa.
"One of the most helpful guides I
know to basic Christian living. "
— Billy Graham
THE POWER
WITHIN YOU
by
Pat Williams
and
Jerry B.
Jenkins
A successful manager in professional
sports presents his key to enjoying a
more productive and satisfying life as
found in the Christian faith. This
down-to-earth book shows how to tap
the resources that are within you,
turn weaknesses into strengths, and
start living from the inside out to
become the person God intends.
"Transforming reading."
— John MacArthur
Hardbound, $12.9,5, at local
bookstores or direct from
The Westminster Press.
An uncommon book indeed! . . .
a testament of spirit, courage,
hope, and faith. "
— Sylvia O. Richardson, M.D.
AN
UNCOMMON
GIFT
by
James S.
Evans
The son of Dr Louis H. Evans, Jr and
Colleen Townsend Evans, James
Evans knows first-hand the pain and
confusion that come with being
dyslexic and hyperkinetic. His very
personal story of how he overcame
these handicaps through
determination, self-discipline, the
help of family and friends, and a deep
faith will provide inspiration and help
for all who refuse to accept defeat.
Hardbound, $10.95,
at local bookstores
or direct from
The Westminster Press.
H
THE WESTMINSTER PRESS
925 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia. PA 19107
September 1983 messenger 33
On assertiveness, Japanese- American
Wesley Brubaker
The importance of
coming on strong
The most annoying fellow around is the
person who rocks the boat. Just when
everyone else is satisfied with the status
quo, he has to come up with something to
make the rest uncomfortable. And he
always has to be dramatic about it. He
comes on strong. Everyone else is
satisfied; why can't he let well enough
alone?
Those who come on strong are usually
pioneers in a cause. They see something
that needs, according to their standards,
to be corrected.
At the close of the Civil War, the Con-
stitution was amended to give black
people the same rights as the whites.
What happened? Nothing. The reason
nothing happened was that there were few
To hold in respect and fellowship those in
the church with whom we agree or disagree
is a characteristic of the Church of the
Brethren. It is to the continuation of this
value, and to an open and probing forum,
that "Opinions" are invited from readers.
among the blacks who had enough train-
ing to lead their people. For nearly a cen-
tury they endured a situation that was lit-
tle better than slavery.
But the time came when they developed
leaders, and they decided it was time that
their rights be recognized. The rest of us
complained because they came on so
strong. They had learned that being
passive got them nowhere.
Then the women's movement devel-
oped. Women complained that they were
tired of being second-class citizens. We
complained that they came on too strong.
Why couldn't they just negotiate a settle-
ment of their grievances?
After them came the pro-lifers. For 10
years unborn children have been
slaughtered by the milhons. Their rights
have been violated, said the right-to-life
movement. These people said that the
American Holocaust must be stopped.
Persistent in their efforts, they have
pointed out the inconsistency of a peace
church complacently accepting all this kill-
ing. Again we complain that they are
coming on too strong.
As our nation kept getting involved in
one undeclared war after another,
"peaceniks" tried to point out how this
was leading us into waters that would
soon be over our heads.
Finally we began to realize that if we
35- Anniversary
brethren
volunteer
Service
sharing God's love through acts of service
1451 Dundee Avenue, Elgin, Illinois 60120
weren't careful we might become involved
in a nuclear war that would vaporize us
by the millions. Some who had been indif-
ferent began to speak out when they saw
that their own lives were at stake. They
believe it is time to become involved. And
they are coming on strong.
After 10 years of legal abortion we have
gotten onto the slippery slope of infan-
ticide. Newborn babies are being des-
troyed because they have some defect with
which their parents don't want to cope.
The callousness of the Brethren is made
apparent in that we as a denomination
have never uttered a word of protest.
B.
'ut there are those within the church
who feel we have dilly-dallied entirely too
long and that now we should become in-
volved. Those who are crying out in pro-
test are accused of coming on too strong.
If you are accused of coming on strong
when the rights of the weak are being
violated, accept it as a compliment. Every
victory recorded in history came about
because someone was concerned enough
to come on strong.
Yes, Jesus came on strong. He cleansed
the temple. He said to the high priest,
"God shall smite you, you whited wall."
And we must come on strong if we are
going to make the world any better. Our
adversary, the devil, comes on strong, and
by God's grace, we must outdo him. D
H'es/ey Brubaker, a member of the Union Church
of the Brethren, Waikerton, Ind.. is active in the
Brethren anti-abortion movement.
Alice B. Abbott
Insults and shame
at Manzanar Camp
Cheers to the General Board for adopting
a resolution calling on Congress to
acknowledge the wrongness of the intern-
ment of Japanese-Americans and to make
just redress for the damage done to those
citizens. This action was taken in October
1981. What have they or we done since? I
wasn't aware of this until it was men-
34 MESSENGER September 1983
nternment, and miscarriages
tioned in the May Messenger (page 5).
Many people lost brothers, husbands,
or sons in World War II, so, of course,
they don't agree with my position.
My husband and I worked almost three
years in Manzanar Camp. He was as-
signed to the motor pool, and I was hired
as a second-grade teacher. Later my hus-
band was an evacuee escort, driving
"Japs" (as they were called by everyone)
to the state line, Kingman, Ariz., Los
Angeles, or wherever they were permitted
to go. Like prisoners, they couldn't go
anyplace without an evacuee escort.
At the time of the first anniversary of
the bombing of Pearl Harbor, there was a
demonstration, and the Army used tear
gas to force people back to their barracks.
Later on they forced the adults to sign
statements indicating whether they were
loyal to the US or to Japan. This caused
friction among families and friends.
Mc
Lost of us teachers did the best we
could for the children and their parents.
But in no way could we make up to them
the harm our government and most of our
people did to them.
The area in southern California was
stripped of anyone who had a speck of
Japanese blood — red-headed Irish, Mex-
ican, babies born out of wedlock, the old
and dying, farmers, tradespeople, business
people, college students, and doctors.
Most were forced to sell at low prices or
give away family possessions. In no way
can we make up for all those insults.
Some day I'll write a book about my
experiences at Manzanar. In the mean-
time, I recommend the following book:
Tule Lake, by Edward Miyakawa, House
by the Sea Publishing Co. (8610 Highway
101, Waldport, OR 97394), 1979. D
Alice Abbott is a reader from Riverdale, Calif.
(Messenger has carried three major
stories in recent years about Japanese-
American internees of World War II—
"Liberty and Justice Suspended, " by
Esther Ho, June 1976; "Mary Blocher
Smeltzer: Peace Is no Passing Fad, " by
Steve Simmons, December 1981; and
"Another Day of 'Infamy, ' " by Dean L.
Frantz, December 1981. -Ed.)
Theo Waits Barber
A letter from a
grieving mother
I lost a child. I don't know if it was a boy this death? The Church of the Brethren
or a girl. It had no name, no body, no
form. Yet it was still a child to me.
Many women suffer through miscar-
riage, and many suffer alone. Since
miscarriage is quite a common experience,
why does the church ignore this event,
BARCELONA SPAIN
\": \\ c
STRASBOURG FRANCE
BRETHREN COLLEGES ABROAD
Brethren Colleges Abroad provides an
adventure in living and studying with
English, French, Germans and Spaniards,
fully integrated into their educational in-
stitution. BCA offers the opportunity for
either o year or semester of study for
qualified college students at the Universi-
ty of Barcelona. The College of St, Paul
and St. Mary in Cheltenham, the Univer-
sity of Marburg and the University of
Strasbourg. A maximum of 38 semester
hours may be earned during the
acodemic year and 15-18 semester hours
in one semester.
BCA hos Resident Directors at each center
who are knowledgeable and experi-
enced educators who take an interest in
students' personal and educational
needs.
Candidates must have completed two full
years of college before leaving for
Barcelona, Marburg, or Strasbourg and
have a grade average of "B." Before
leaving for Cheltenham, candidates must
have completed one full year of college
and have a grade overage of 2.5.
Cost:
1983-84 year is S6,875 and S3, 975 for one
semester. This includes; Orientation
Period, Intensive Language Preparatory
Course for Barcelona, Marburg, and
Strasbourg students. Transportation,
Room and Board, Tuition, several excur-
sions.
CHELTENHAM ENGLAND
ir'''^^'"^t*- BRETHREN COLLEGES ABROAD
604 College Avenue
N. Manchester, In. 46962
(319) 9B2-3141 Eit. 238
September 1983 messenger 36
has funeral services for other deaths and
anointings for illnesses; why is it so silent
when hope and love are lost through
"natural" abortion?
All death experiences are different, but
the need for support and love for the
grieving is the same. It is difficult to reach
out to the wife whose spouse has died, or
to the sister who has lost a brother. It is
even more difficult to minister to a parent
who has lost a child. But the need to
reach out is recognized.
The loss of an unborn child is not so
recognizable. In my case, there was no
body to be buried. What had been my
baby was simply thrown into a garbage
can. There was no need for a funeral.
Or was there? My baby, who had been
real to me, was dead. So were my hopes
and dreams for that child. Where was the
church in my time of need?
Some of my friends were able to sup-
port me, to help me through my time of
mourning. Most were unable to face my
pain. They ignored the fact that anything
had happened to me at all. They did not
even reach out to touch me.
People say that they can't visit the
grieving because they don't know what to
say. It isn't the words that count; often
they hurt more than help. Answers aren't
necessary at such painful moments, but
acts of love are essential. A simple touch
can say more than words. Much of Jesus'
healing was done through the power of
touch. We, as God's representatives to the
world, must not forget this power.
I had relied upon the church to help
hold me together, to help me through the
incredible pain of loss, the nights of
dreams in which I heard my baby cry. I
wanted more than anything for friends to
touch me, to hug me. Yet it seemed that a
touch was impossible for them to give.
Where can we turn, to whom can we go,
if not to the church for that loving, heal-
ing touch?
God was there in the emergency room
that night as the doctor cleaned what had
been my baby, what had been the embodi-
ment of love, out of my body. God was not
somewhere up above judging me, telling
me, "You can't have this baby" because of
some past, forgotten sin that I had com-
mitted. God was with me in my pain.
God was also with me in the form of a
doctor who held my hand and wiped away
my tears. The doctor was present, not just
as a physician, but as a father who had
also lost a child, as a man reaching out to
a woman in his care.
How can the church congregation show
its care for the parents who have lost a
child through miscarriage or stillbirth?
One, it can face up to the reality of what
has happened. When we announce this
death during the sharing of joys and con-
cerns on Sunday morning, or pass the
word along the prayer chain, we can say
that Jane and John have lost a child. Or
at least that Jane has miscarried.
The only one who had the guts to say
to me, "I'm sorry you lost your baby,"
was the nurse in the hospital. It was a
simple, but difficult, statement. It showed
me that she understood exactly what I was
going through. It also served to help me
to face up to what had happened, to help
God's People Without God's Word
TOWERING
BABBLE
VERNARD ELLER
TOWERING BABBLE:
God's People Without God's Word
By Vernard Eller
Using the Church of the Brethren as a case study, popular
author and theologian Vernard Eller shows how the 20th
century church has drifted from a biblical God-centered to an
encultured man-centered one. According to Warren F. Groff,
President, Bethany Theological Seminary, 'This book is wor-
thy of serious attention by Brethren and by the wider audi-
ence it addresses." And Harold S. Martin, editor of Brethren
Revival Fellowship Witness writes, "Towering Babble is
designed for those who are willing to think deeply about
whether the New Testament is actually our 'rule of faith and
practice.' ... I heartily recommend the book." A stimulating
resource for churches and individual Christians seeking
renewal.
$7.95, paper, 190 pp. — plus 95(t postage and handling.
Order from The Brethren Press, 1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120
36 MESSENGER September 1983
Herald Press:
Fall Shopping List
'cSsOE^f
Great Gifts ■
For Conscience' Sake
Sol Stucky's novel "recounts the
conscientious objection of three
generations of a Mennonite family
in Kansas. The sights and textures
of Kansas farmland are
interwoven with the struggles of
conscience faced by young men in
time of war. From a plow in the
sun-warmed soil of Kansas to the
jungles of the Pacific to the 60s
peace rally in Washington. D.C.,
you walk with father, son, and
grandson in the search for the way
of peace." — John Stoner, MCC
Peace Section
Paper $9.95
Festive Breads of
Christmas Norma Jost
Voth's newest treasury of old
traditions, recipes, and lore of the
Christmas season. Here are
recipes for Moravian Lovefeast
Buns, Alsatian Zopf, Hungarian
Walnut Roll, Ukranian Kolach,
and much more.
Paper $3.25
For Today's H
Families H
Experiencing More with
Less Meredith Sommers
Dregni wrote this guide for
families and groups of all ages
interested in exploring the "life
standards" of the book. Living
More with Less, using simulations,
music, art, games, discussion,
practice, worship, and celebration.
Excellent for camp and retreat
settings, this book makes the
subject of responsible living
inviting and fun.
Paper $4.95
Cherishable: Love and
Marriage David
Augsburger's new trade
paperback edition of his classic
work which explores creative
relationships for marriage — wise
and warm steps to a lasting
relationship. It provides resources
to enrich any marriage, solve
problems, and determine whether
a marriage fails, is only bearable,
or becomes the relationship of a
lifetime.
Paper $4.95
When Caring Is Not
Enough David
Augsburger's fourth book in his
"Caring Enough " series.
Provides clearly defined skills for
fair fighting. Through the book
readers will grow in their
understandings of a just, fair, and
trustworthy relationship.
Paper $4.95
Dear Children Hattie
Larlham's remarkable story of
trial and triumph. "Sensitivity,
love, and toughness infuse this
autobiography by a Christian
nurse who started what is today
the Hattie Larlham Foundation, a
center providing 24-hour care for
severely disabled children.
Larlham shares a bit from her own
childhood and young adulthood,
but her emphasis is on the
children themselves. A moving
glimpse into the life of a
remarkable woman and her
family." — Libran; Journal
Hardcover $9.95
For Today's ■
Children H
Celebrate the Seasons
From the authors of Loaves and
Fishes, a charming gardening
book for children that invites them
to participate in God's bountiful
wonders. The book abounds with
clear, practical, step-by-step
information illustrated with
colorful children's art. Creative
"gifts from the garden" and
delicious recipes provide children
a chance to share the rewards of
their work with family, friends, or
their neighborhood food bank.
Paper $6.95
Winter Caboose Dorothy
Hamilton's latest juvenile novel is
a sequel to one of her first
books — The Blue Caboose. In this
story, we see Jody Bryant and his
mother reunited with the father
who abandoned them. In the
midst of a winter storm, Jody
realizes that his mother was fair
when she said Barney Bryant
deserved a chance to prove that
he wanted to be a part of the
family again.
Paper $3.50
The Shiny Dragon Esther
Vogt. award winning author of
Turkey Red and Harvest Cold
(David C. Cook), has a new
mystery/adventure book for 8-to-
12-year-olds. Through the
mystery of the shrouded mansion
and the shiny dragon that guards
the tower, children will learn
something about God's love and
care for little things, as well as big.
Paper $3.50
Amish Adventure An
automobile accident with an
Amish buggy sends 12 year-old
Ian MacDonald into the
bewildering world of the "Plain
People." He is confused by the
clothes that look about 200 years
out of date and the absence of
20th-century conveniences like
cars, electricity, and plumbing. But
as he gets to know the family, the
Benders, that he is staying with, he
comes to love and respect them.
Once again Barbara Smucker
has written a children's book that
will be loved by 10-to- 14-year-
olds. From the award winning
author of Days of Tenor.
Paper $6.50
Herald Press
Dept. MES
I
New Series for h
Junior High ■
Readers ■
In Search of Liberty Ruth
Nulton Moore's new. epic novel
begins a new series for junior high
readers. In it we follow the travels
of a 1 794 liberty head penny
through two centuries in time and
across a continent as it brings
hope and a message of freedom
to the many young people that
own it. From a poor chimney
sweep in Philadelphia to a slave
boy whose parents have been sold
down river to a fugitive on the
underground railroad to a traveler
on the Oregon Trail to an Indian
escaping to Canada and freedom
to a Vietnamese refugee. Twelve-
to-fifteen-year-olds will find plenty
of excitement in this new book.
Paper $6.50
Acclaimed
Children's Bible
Story Series Now
with Workbooks
"Eve MacMaster's series of story
books projected to be 'the
complete story of God and his
people as recorded in the Bible'
tells the stories with few
additions except historical and
geographical explanations, using
conversation when it is indicated
in the Scripture- She has
succeeded admirably, retelling
each story faithfully and
understandably. Action and
dialogue maintain interest
throughout." — Library Journal
Do you have a small
congregation looking for
nondated Sunday school
material? A house church or
fellowship seeking flexible Bible
studies for 7-to-12-year-olds?
How about families wanting
worship aids that everyone can
enjoy, young and old? Or a
Christian school seeking a faithful
retelling of the Bible story without
additions or subtractions?
The Herald Story Bible Series
with the accompanying Activity
Books meet all these needs and
Story Books:
God's Family, paper, $5.95
God Rescues His People,
paper, $5.95
New!
God Gives the Land, paper,
$5.95
God's Chosen King, paper,
$5.95
Activity Books:
God's Family Activity Book,
paper, $3.00
God Rescues His People
Activity Book, paper, $3.00
Scottdale,PA 15683
Kitchener, ON N2G 4M5
CLASSIFIED ADS
INVITATION — Enjoy living and worshiping in
Florida. Come to Lorida Church of the Brethren,
15 mi. SE of Sebring off U.S. 98. Church school
9:30 a.m., worship 10:30 a.m. Friendly, active
fellowship. Adjacent to Palms Estates on Lake
Istokpoga with campground for self-contained
R.V.'s Part of Florida Brethren Homes, Inc. John
D. Keiper, Pastor, Box 461, Lorida, FL 33857.
Tel. (813) 655-2466 or 655-1733.
INVITATION -Attend Sunday worship 10 a.m.
in an active church, visit Brethren families, spend
a winter in mild climate, explore Southern attrac-
tions. Roanoke, LA is 1 mi. SW of exit 59 on
1-10, 30 mi. E of Lake Charles, LA. Mobile home
accom. available. Contact: Pastor Lowell Rit-
chie, Rt. 1, Box 233, Roanoke, LA 70581. Tel.
(318) 753-2545 or Glenn Harris, 1810 N. Cutting,
Jennings, LA 70546. Tel. (318) 824-2671.
FOR SALE-'The Hagerstown Brethren" by
Cathy Simmons Huffman published in connec-
tion with Hagerstown, MD Church of the
Brethren Centennial Year. Hard cover, over 200
pgs. many pictures. $12. plus $1. postage and
handling. Women's Work, c/o Mrs. Elizabeth
Arnett, Rt. 3, Box 2, Hagerstown, MD 21740
FOR SALE — Unique, rustic house in Orlando, FL
in the heart of world's most visited tourist center.
Centrally located near airport, shopping £t less
than one block to Orlando Church of the
Brethren. Save $4,000 buying direct from seller.
Contact W. A. (Wip) Martin, 7110 Coon Rd.,
No. Ft. Myers, FL 33903. Tel. Home (813)
995-4302, Church Office A.M. (813) 997-3488.
REAL ESTATE SERVICE-We can sell your land
or commercial real estate in 30 days. Special ser-
vice for estate administrators/executors. We
operate in 6 states: Virginia, West Virginia, No.
& So. Carolina, Maryland & Penn. Member
Church of the Brethren. L. L. Jonas, Bland Land
Co., Harrisonburg, and Roanoke, VA. Write: Rt.
1, Box 666, Roanoke, VA 24012 or call (703)
977-6529.
TRAVEL — Grand Tour Israel/Oberammer-
gau/Passion Play. 15 days Aug. 1-15, 1984. Tour
price including tips and taxes, reduced $1889.
Join us — write to Wendell & Joan Bohrer, POB
67, Middlebury, IN 46540. Tel. (219) 825-7381 or
(219) 825-2955. Some places to be visited: Am-
man/Galilee/Jerusalem/Bethlehem/Dead
Sea/Masa da/Bethany/Garden Tomb/Vi-
enna/Salzburg/Oberammergau/Passion
Play/ Liechtenstein/ Lucerne/ Innsbruck.
TRAVEL — Juniata College Tours. Bermuda
escape Nov. 11-14 Hamilton Princess from Phila.
$459. Caribbean Week Feb/ Mar. Orient & Japan
Feb/Mar/Apr. Cruise the Arctic: June 14, 12
days from Southampton to Fjords, No. Cape,
Copenhagen. Option to Greenland & Iceland.
Oberammergau & Passion Play 15 days to Ger-
many, Austria, Switzerland: $1498 land with all
meals. Aug. 17, 8 days Bavaria & Salzburg with
Passion Play $798 land with all meals. Weimer-
Oller Travel, 405 Penn St., Huntingdon, PA
16652. Tel. (814) 643-1468.
TRAVEL— Bible Land Seminar. Visit Greece,
Israel, Egypt. 11 days. Mar. 28-Apr. 7, 1984. In-
cludes transportation from NY, 1st class hotels,
meals, sightseeing, dinner on Sea of Galilee. Bus
trip from Jerusalem to Cairo across Sinai Desert.
Write or call: Rev. Raymon & AnnaBelle Eller,
303 Kohser Ave., No. Manchester, IN 46962.
Tel. (219) 982-6541 or Arland & Ruth Reinhard,
Rt. 5, Bluffton, IN 46714. Tel (219) 824-5800.
TRAVEL— Grand Tour of Europe with Oberam-
mergau Passion Play. June 4-25 and June
25-July 16, 1984. Scandinavia and Oberam-
mergau Passion Play July 16-Aug 1. For
brochure and information write to J. Kenneth
Kreider, 1300 Sheaffer Rd., Elizabethtown, PA
17022.
URBAN LIFE CENTER, an Urban Studies pro-
gram for college students in the midwest has
developed specialized seminar/exposure pro-
grams for church groups. Youth classes, Chris-
tian Education groups and other communrty
groups can spend one to four guided and secure
days in the city. They will explore neighborhood
issues, social problems and appropriate mission
responses. The beauty and pain of the city are in-
tegrated in a variety of neighborhood tours. The
Center welcomes program and non-program
related groups to use its overnight guest
facilities. Interested groups should contact Ur-
ban Life Center, 5004 S. Blackstone, Chicago, IL
60615. Tel (312) 285-6059.
WANTED — Any person who has knov\^edge of
Brethren locating in the Washington D.C. area,
please notify the Evangelism Commission of
Flower Hill Church of the Brethren, 7412 Mun-
caster Mill Rd., Gaithersburg, MD 20877.
WANTED -Resident Mgr. for The Palms
Estates, rural retirement community, Div. of The
Palms, Sebring, FL. Resp. include managing
travel home reservations, marketing promotion,
community relations, providing security control,
etc. Housing & utilities provided. Prefer couple
in eariy retirement yrs. Related exp. helpful. Con-
geniality & ability to relate well required. Con-
tact: Hubert R. Newcomer, The Palms, P.O. Box
2026, Sebring, FL 33870. Tel. (813) 385-0161.
The UNIVERSITY OF LA VERNE is an independent
university emphasizing the hberal arts, the sciences, and
S career preparation.
Founded in 1891 by members of the
Church of the Brethren, the
University proudly acknowledges
the importance of its Christian
heritage. La Verne Students are
encouraged to think seriously about
the world and its people, and are
assisted in forming values that
promote a commitment to what is
best for humankind. The University
consists of La Verne College-the
undergraduate, liberal arts and
sciences college which grants the
Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of
Science degrees; the American Armenian International College; the College of Graduate and Professional Studies
which grants the Doctor of Education Degree; and the School of Continuing Education.
The University is characterized by personal "caring" attention, warm and friendly relationships, a dedicated facultv
noted for their effectiveness as "teachers," and conscientious individualized counseling.
For more information, contact: University of La Verne, 1950
Third Street, La Verne, CA 91750. Tel. (717)593-3511. Other
Brethren schools are Bridgewater College, Elizabethtown College,
Juniata College, Manchester College, and McPherson College.
ULN^
38 MESSENGER September 1983
me recognize my own real loss.
The church also needs to recognize that
the father needs just as much support and
care as the mother. He has lost someone
too. It wasn't just something that hap-
pened to the mother's body. It was a very
real death in the family.
A possibility for showing concern for
the grieving family is to provide names
and telephone numbers of support groups
for parents who have lost children
through miscarriage or stillbirth. One such
group is called "Compassionate Friends."
There did not happen to be such a group
in my community. These groups help the
parents to not feel all alone in their grief,
to know that others are facing the same
loss. To open this door to them may be
like throwing a life preserver to a drown-
ing person.
Counseling parents after they've suf-
fered a miscarriage should also be in-
cluded in the training of our pastors at
the seminary. Ministers often suffer from
the same inabihty to console the grieving
as do laity. They feel they should have the
answers to the question "why?" There are
no answers. There is only compassion and
love to offer for healing.
Pastors also need to learn how to
minister to each other. They suffer from
the same human frailties and losses.
Pastors and their wives often suffer from
having no minister of their own.
God reaches out to us through other
people. Sometimes, however, we are not
open to God working through us. Jesus
calls us to follow his example and be
physically present for others when they
are sick or in mourning. They are hurting
too much to ask for us to meet their
needs. It is a rare person who can say,
"Please touch me, I'm hurting."
Where is God when we need God's heal-
ing presence? God is present in the church,
in people. Where are we, the church, when
those among us are in such pain that they
are desperate for just a simple touch? D
Theo Waits Barber is a member of Worthington
Church of the Brethren, Reading, Minn., where her
husband is pastor.
t^yiT^DOiif] p©mt.
Licensing/
Ordination
Baker, David Wentworth, Jr.,
licensed June 5, 1983, Long
Meadow, Mid-Atl.
Baldeo, Isaac, Nazarene ordina-
tion recognized. May 29,
1983, Rockingham, Missouri
Brown, Edward M., IV, or-
dained May 29, 1983, Fruit-
dale, Southeastern
Estep, John Robert, licensed
May 24, 1983, Trout Run,
Shenandoah
Foster, Harold Sanford, li-
censed May 15, 1983,
Messiah, Missouri
Fry, Dorotha Winger, ordained
June 5, 1983, Turkey Creek,
No. Ind.
Grlffln, Kathi D., ordained
May 29, 1983, LaPorte, No.
Ind.
Henckel, Elmer, ordained June
5, 1983, Canaan, Western Pa.
Malniero, Andrew John, li-
censed May 18, 1983,
LaVerne, Pacific S.W.
Meyer, Lauree Hersch, or-
dained May 29, 1983, York
Center, 111. /Wis.
Morphew, Timothy, ordained
June 18, 1983, Kokomo, So./
Central Ind.
Nowak, Steve Jeffrey, licensed
June 19, 1983, Lake Breeze,
No. Ohio
Oxley, Leah Lyn, licensed June
12, 1983, Columbia, Oakland
MiUs, Mid-Atl.
Replogle, Norman L. , ordained
June 12, 1983, New Paris,
So. /Central Ind.
Van Houten, Steven Wayne, or-
dained June 12, 1983, Blue
River, No. Ind.
Pastoral
Placements
Blby, Fred M., from other de-
nomination, to Fresno, Pa-
cific S.W., assoc. pastor
Bohrer, Bradley C, from
Bethany, to Brook Park, No.
Ohio
Bowman, Harold I., from
Cloverdale, VirUna, to Buena
Vista, Shenandoah
Brown-Ciszek, Deanna, from
secular, to Skyridge, Mich-
igan
Crummelt, Wilmer, from
Troutville, Virlina, to Staun-
ton, Shenandoah
Ebersole, George D., from Al-
bright, Middle Pa., to Moh-
ler, Atl. N.E.
Elam, (Paul) Joseph, from
Beaver Dam, Mid-Atl., to
Friendship, Mid-Atl.
Fike, Emerson S., from Mid-
Atl., to Valley Pike, Shenan-
doah
Fike, J. Melvin, from Bethany,
to Framington Bethel, West-
ern Pa.
Fisher, Chester L., from Old
Furnace, West Marva, to
Leake's Chapel, Shenandoah
Griffin, Kathi, from Bethany,
to Sebring, Fla./P.R., asso-
ciate
Griffin, W. LeRoy, from chap-
lain and secular, to The
Palms, Fla./P.R., chaplain
Hanley, Richard, from Lancas-
ter seminary, to Monroeville,
Western Pa.
Heisey, Dean, from Bethany, to
Elkhart Valley, No. Ind.
Huggetl, John B., from Beth-
any, to Champaign, 111./
Wis.
Hunter, Jonathan C, from
Glade Valley, Mid-Atl, to
Harrisburg, Ridgeway, Atl.
N.E.
Longenecker, Samuel W., from
retirement, to Staunton,
Shenandoah, interim
McKinnell, James C, from
Rockford, Ill./Wis., to Sun
Valley, Birmingham, South-
eastern
Miiler, Robert R., fiom Beth-
any, to Oakton, Mid-Atl.
Meyers, Clarence M., from
Barren Ridge, Shenandoah,
to Meadow Branch, Mid-Atl,
Oxenreider, Kirby Lee, from
Bethany, to Buffalo, South-
ern Pa.
Radcliff, David Richard, from
Roanoke, Williamson Road,
Virlina, to Midland, Mid-Atl.
Riccius, Dan, continue part-
time at Bethany, to Michigan
City/LaPorte, No. Ind.,
part-time
Riley, Bobby A., to Mount Joy,
Virlina, part-lime
Ross, Jimmy, from Codorus,
Southern Pa., to Lititz,
Atl.N.E., senior pastor
Sifrit, Lynn C, from chaplain,
to Canton, 111. /Wis.
Smeltzer, Kenneth Kline, from
Bethany, to Highland Ave.,
Ill./Wis., associate half-time
Strawderman, Dennis, from
Sandy Ridge, Shenandoah, to
Grottoes, Shenandoah
Waitersdorff, Chris, from
secular, to York, First,
Southern Pa., youth director
Williford, Kathy F., from
secular, to Beaver Creek,
Southeastern, interim
Ziegier, Earl K., from Mechanic
Grove, Alt. N.E., to District
Executive, Atl. N.E.
Anniversaries
Baker, Frank and Alice, Water-
ford, Calif., 60
Ditmer, Emerson and Thelma,
Laura, Ohio, 50
Ditmer, Harold and Martha,
Phillipsburg, Ohio, 50
House, John and Ruby, New
Madison, Ohio, 50
Ikenberry, Mr. and Mrs. Gil-
ford, McPherson, Kan., 60
Johnson, Russell and Clara,
Waterford, Calif., 60
Jones, Charles and Mary,
LaPlace, 111., 58
Koehler, Mr. and Mrs. Chris,
Lititz, Pa., 61
Lehman, Harvey and Ruth,
McPherson, Kan., 55
Lehman, Mr. and Mrs. Hobart,
Windber, Pa., 62
Marchand, Earl and Dorothy,
McPherson, Kan., 55
McKimmy, J, Ray and Mary,
Beaverton, Mich., 63
Parker, Delmar and Irene,
Beaverton. Mich., 50
Rash, Ocel and Irene, Water-
ford, Calif., 56
Ream, Mr. and Mrs. Walter,
Windber, Pa., 50
Utz, Harley and Sylvia, Ar-
canum, Ohio, 65
Deaths
Andrews, Kenneth W., 63, Sus-
quehanna, Pa., June 2, 1983
Balsbaugh, Nancy, 42, Ar-
canum, Ohio, May 28, 1983
Burger, Lawrence, 83, Thomas,
W. Va., April 30, 1983
Bums, Lena F., 85, Flora, Ind.,
June 6, 1983
Cassell, Wiley, 73, Delphi, Ind.,
April 8, 1982
Gripe, Ruby Mae, 82, LaPlace,
111., May 5. 1983
Dewalt, Agnes, 64, Lebanon,
Pa., June 3, 1983
DIehl, Weltie, 70, Elkton, Va.,
May 2, 1983
Echard, Iva Eye, 80, Harrison-
burg, Va., May 1, 1982
Eiiwood, Olin W,, 81, McPher-
son, Kan., June 13, 1983
England, L. Chester, 97, Ev-
erett, Pa., May 14, 1983
Flemming, John, %, Oakland,
Md., May 18, 1983
Gabelman, John Alvin, 86,
New Carlisle, Ohio, June 14,
1983
Gnagy, Margaret, 89, Glen-
dora, Calif., May 5, 1983
Good, Isaac, 60, Harrisonburg,
Va., April 25, 1982
Good, Virginia Sipe, 86,
McGaheysville, Va., Oct. 24,
1982
Hershberger, Evelyn, 78, Wind-
ber, Pa., April 5, 1983
Inman, Margaret, 85, Green-
ville, Ohio, April 15, 1983
Jarrels, Myrle Hulvey. 77, Port
Republic, Va., April 8, 1982
Jones, J. Wesley, 100, Preston,
Minn., May 1, 1983
Kenworthy, Alice 85, Delphi,
Ind., Feb. 16, 1983
Kinzie, Ralph Vernon, 69,
Tonasket, Wash., May 2,
1983
Kipp, Dorothy B., 73, Neffs-
ville. Pa., June 1, 1983
Lehman, Hobart, 86, Windber,
Pa., April 29, 1983
Mamozic, Eva, 67, Lebanon,
Pa., May 22, 1983
Metzler, Vernon J., 83, South
Bend, Ind., June 14, 1983
Paul, Ruth, 84, Fori Wayne,
Ind., May 25, 1983
Pence, Herbert W., 77, El-
dorado, Ohio, June 6, 1983
Riggs, Virginia Fifer, 78,
Dayton, Va., May 5, 1983
Shipp, Marcus, 77, Waynes-
boro, Pa., May 25, 1983
Slaubaugh, Ezra, 97, Eglon, W.
Va., April 18, 1983
Wader, Otto H., 84, South
Bend, Ind., May 16, 1983
Wampler, Harold, 69, Mount
Crawford, Va., Nov. 22, 1982
Wampler, Ruby Oellig, 81,
Bridgewater, Va., June 25, 1983
Wenger, Mrs. Paul, 77, Leola,
Pa., May 19, 1983
Weyant, Anna M., 73, Roaring
Spring, Pa., May 8, 1983
Whitacre, Jennings, 61, Ridge-
ley, W. Va., June 16, 1983
September 1983 messenger 39
Let's raise the cost of war
How easily we assume that life is simple and hap-
py for ordinary people in faraway places, and how
quickly those people can be reached by war . . .
our western, //r5^world version of it.
A few years back I had a Central America
assignment that called for a sidetrip to El
Salvador. (See "Song of Jocoaitique," September
1977.) I recall now, with grim irony, that I told
friends, "This is the first time I've been to a coun-
try I knew nothing about beforehand." I recall
with further irony that on that carefree trip I even
hitchiked on the Pan-American Highway, inno-
cent of impending disaster for El Salvador.
Several years before that trip, I showed up one
day in N'djamena, the drowsy little mud-walled
capital of the central African country of Chad.
Driving into town with no idea where to lodge, our
party decided to look up the American embassy
and seek its counsel. We turned in at a gate with
an American emblem on it, only to discover it was
not the embassy but the ambassador's residence.
Sweaty, dirty, and quite casually dressed from
our desert ride, we tried politely to retreat. But a
gracious African servant welcomed us in and in-
sisted we sit and await the ambassador's arrival.
Several minutes later, we were emptying our
drink glasses for the third or fourth time, when the
ambassador walked in ... as casually dressed as
we were (but cleaner). He had been strolling by the
river in the relative cool of the late afternoon.
"Nothing ever happens here," he explained, ob-
viously delighted to see six Brethren Volunteer
Service guys on his verandah. "My stroll is the big
event of the day."
I wonder if today's US ambassador to Chad
takes evening strolls along the cool green banks of
the Shari.
Who would have imagined a few years back
ever seeing Chad in big headlines on the front page
of US newspapers? Yet the Reagan administration
has committed $25 million in military aid to that
remote country, which exports virtually nothing,
has almost no mineral resources, and is of negligi-
ble strategic value to any country. American
AWACS radar planes scan the Saharan skies, and
in that once drowsy town of N'djamena, US
military "advisers" are busy teaching Chadian
soldiers how to use Redeye missiles against Libyan
aircraft.
A cartoon in Wesl Africa magazine says it elo-
quently: Tanks bear down from all directions on a
cowering peasant, who quavers, "Why me? I can't
help being a Chadian."
No, he can't. And because he can't, my con-
science as a Christian and as a citizen of a war-
exporting country is heavy burdened.
The 4.6 million Chadians are an amalgam of
religious and ethnic groups that were arbitrarily
united by French colonial rule. Joined within an
artificial boundary are the nomadic Muslim
culture of the Sahara and the black African tradi-
tions of Christians and animists on the farmlands
of the south. Like neighboring Sudan (where
Brethren are engaged in mission), Chad began its
internal struggle as a north/south conflict. Now it
is a power struggle between two Muslim warlords.
To the north, in Libya, Colonel Moammar
Qaddafi (who rules over people who can't help be-
ing Libyans), covets at least the northern
borderland of Chad and is intervening in the war.
As for the US presence, our government apparent-
ly feels that Chad is important to its Middle East
strategy, since it is neighbor to our allies in Sudan
and Egypt. And, besides, the US can't stand Col-
onel Qaddafi.
Oo once more, by proxy at least, each of us in
this country is supporting calamity on innocent
people as our government helps to introduce them
to warfare US style. I have few illusions about per-
suading any government to avoid war for moral
considerations. It jars my Christian sensibilities
that our own government apparently can be
dissuaded from war only by a calculation of the
pragmatic political costs of a protracted struggle.
That certainly seems the case in Central America
and, if the Chadian conflict continues to worsen, I
assume the same would hold true there.
If the political cost is what gives President
Reagan pause, let us in the churches do what we
can to make that cost as dear as possible. The best
war news I have read lately was a statement by
the White House blaming the news media and
the churches for "continuing public ignorance
of and opposition to the administration's (war)
strategy." That "ignorance" leaves me positively
bhssful.-K.T.
40 MESSENGER September 1983
*You belong
to Christ, and
Christ belongs
to God'
To the divided Churcli at Corinth, the apos-
tle Paul spoke forthrightiy. He urged the
Christians to put aside their competing
loyalties and to lay claim to their rightful in-
heritance. "Actually, everything belongs to
you," he wrote; "Paul, Apollos, and Peter,
this world, life and death, the present and the
future — all these are yours, and you belong
to Christ, and Christ belongs to God."
Paul's message of unity and solidarity has
special meaning in India. There the church is
in the process of becoming as a living tree
with deep roots and spreading branches.
The challenge to the Church of North
India, which the Church of the Brethren
helped form in 1970, is to be responsive to
the reconciling power of the Gospel. It is to
be a sign, a pathfinder, a bearer of the
liberating Word. It is to sustain the signifi-
cant breakthroughs in evangelism and in ser-
vice now being achieved.
For this year's World Mission Offering on
October 2, give in support of the General
Board's ministries in India. Express thanks
for the courage and vision of our India sisters
and brothers. And pray with them that Paul's
message of unity may empower us all:
"You belong to Christ, and Christ belongs
to God."
World Mission Offering
Sunday, October 2, 1983 • Church of the Brethren General Board, 1451 Dundee Avenue, Elgin, IL 60120
INVEST IN MINISTERIAL
and CHURCH LEADERSHIP
You and your
Congregation can assist
^.
Bethany Seminary in providing: ^i'j^ -!
^
Quality professional educa- ^^^ih^
tion for pastoral leadership ~/^
Training for "shared "3*. ^ •
ministry" teams in smaller T^ ' "^^V
congregations
^^-^^
• Seminars and continuing
education events for
pastors and lay persons
• Preparation for camp,
college, district and
denominational personnel
Invest today in tomorrow's
leaders. Please send your gift to:
4
Z^;^*
r.'
Bethany Seminary
Att: Warren Groff, President
Oak Brook, IL 60521
'^Jt&i
OCTOBER 1983
IE CHURCH OF NORTH INDIA:
FLOURISHING AMID ADVERSITY.
€@[?l]fe(i^1^^
O In Many Tongues. The World Council of Churches Sixth
Assembly was primarily a place of worship, reports Wendy
Chamberlain. Brethren played a significant role in this worldwide
gathering of Christians, described by one as "a celebration in many
tongues, but with one accord."
13 Church of North India. "Outsiders tend to look upon India as a
land of mysticism and spirituality, of inwardness and acceptance, of
serenity," writes Howard Royer in the lead article of a cluster on India.
These perceptions are accurate, he says, but there is also much conflict
and confrontation. Despite the obstacles, in the Church of North India
the work of ministry flourishes.
iy Rural Service Center. Eighty percent of India's population Uve in
rural areas and depend on agriculture for their livelihood. This has
made agricultural improvements and education an important part of the
church's work in India. Howard Royer and Lila McCray write about
the Rural Service Center, an innovative and enterprising program that
the Brethren helped start to benefit India's rural people.
21 Other Ministries. The Brethren have also had an impact on
women's involvement in the church; the publishing of tracts and books;
improvements in adult literacy and translation of reading material; and
theological training for pastors. The section on India is concluded with
an "India Q & A" by Lila McCray.
In Touch profiles Valibai Bhagat, Bulsar, India; Amersingh Rajwadi, Netrang,
India; and Glen and Betty Campbell, Monticello, Ind. (2) . . . Outlook reports
on Mennonite conference. Personnel changes. Emergency Disaster Fund. World
Peace Tax Fund. Wheaton mission conference. Video network. Amsterdam 83.
Nicaragua peace visit. Sanctuary. Hunger resolution. Nigeria personnel (start
on 4) . . . Underlines (7) . . . Update (8) . . . Poetry, "Letting Go," by Emily
Sargent Councilman, and "Eastern Boundary," by Mark Mitchell (12) . . .
Resources, "Death Penalty," by Bob and Rachel Gross (23) . . . Opinions of
Lauree Hersch Meyer and Bruce Wood (24) . . . Turning Points (26) . . .
Editorial, "From What Spring Will Justice Roll?" (28)
UNITED STATES NOT CHRISTIAN
Phillip D. Carter's opinion (July) "Don't Make
Liberals the Scapegoat," states well my own
thinking. Carter is right, that our nation is not a
Christian nation, and on target about the lack of
religious liberty in early America.
I doubt if many people today would like to live
under such restrictions as nonestablishment
groups had to contend with in their worship of
God in colonial times. Baptists and Quakers were
banished or punished in some of the colonies.
1 don't understand why some of our present-
day Christians, including some Brethren, want to
force school prayer on children in the public
schools. I heard many sermons on religious liber-
ty by Brethren ministers when 1 was young. This
is one reason why I don't always agree with the
"electric church." Some of the television
ministers sound as if they would like the United
States to be a theocracy (under their leadership, I
suspect). They mainly use Old Testament
references that applied to ancient Israel to prove
their point.
1 don't believe that the "people of God" and
the "United States" mean the same thing.
Sometimes, it may be the one against the other.
Jason Hollopeter
Selinsgrove, Pa.
THRILLING EVENTS IN JULY
No periodical, religious or secular, ever
brought more interesting and thrilling events to
my mind as those contained in the July
Messenger.
One of the real joys of old age is the ability to
review and reflect on events and people who have
influenced our lives. James Quintet was a hero of
my grandparents and 1 spent many an hour
listening to tales of the great church leader. D. L.
Miller was the hero of my parents' day. Johns-
town was the hometown of a prosperous uncle,
where we often visited. Anna Mow is someone I
greatly admire. Paul Jenkins' feature is finished
to perfection by the illustrations.
Raymond R. Stayer
Denver, Pa.
00
00
EDITOR
Kermon Thomasson
MANAGING EDITOR
Wendy Chamberlain
EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS
Judd Blouch, Michael Klahre
SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES
Ruth Anne Gulp
PROMOTION
Kenneth L. Gibble
PUBLISHER
John D. Metzler Jr.
VOL. 132, NO. 10
OCTOBER 1983
CREDITS: Cover, 2, 8 (2nd and 3rd), U, 13-22
(excepted as noted below) Howard E. Royer. 3
William Smith. 4 left, 8 top, bottom, 9, 10 Wendy
Chamberlain. 5 Peter Michael. 6 Billy Graham As-
sociation. 14 lop left Glen Campbell. 8 top left
Jack McCray. 21 bottom left James H. Lehman.
23 RNS.
Messenger is the official publication of the
Church of the Brethren. Entered as second-class
matter Aug. 20, 1918, under Act of Congress
of Oct. 17, 1917. Filing date, Nov. I, 1982.
Messenger is a member of the Associated
Church Press and a subscriber to Religious News
Service and Ecumenical Press Service. Biblical
quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are from
the Revised Standard Version.
Subscription rales: $10 one year for individual
subscriptions; $18.50 two years. $8 per year for
Church Group Plan. $8 per year for gift sub-
scriptions. School rale 5(K per issue. If you move
clip address and send with new address.
Allow at least five weeks for address
change. Messenger is owned and
published monthly by the General
Services Commission, Church of the
Brethren Genera! Board, 1451 Dundee
Ave., Elgin, III. 60120. Second-class
postage paid at Elgin, 111., October 1983. Copyright
1983, Church of the Brethren General Board.
■
REQUIREMENT FOR PACIFISM
The July editorial states that "The anti-
abortion rights people are busy, still trying to get
a satisfactory answer to the question of how
Brethren pacifists can oppose all war but not all
abortions."
Actually, those who oppose all war but not all
abortions are nol pacifists. To be a pacifist you
must reject the Church of the Brethren's 1972
position on abortion and support the right-to-life
movement. Furthermore, it is derogatory to refer
to opponents of abortion as "anti-abortion rights
people." We are pro-lifers.
The editorial also says there is no harm in
allowing the Brethren/Mennonite Council for
Gay Concerns to have a booth at Annual Con-
ference and offer literature explaining its cause. I
agree. In fact, the position taken by the
Brethren/Mennonite Council should be the of-
ficial Brethren position.
It may not be fashionable to defend gay people
and the unborn at the same time, but Christians
are called to defend all the oppressed.
Jerry C. Stanaway
Elmhurst, 111.
(I prefer the term "anti-abortion" rather than
"pro-life" because the tatter term suggests that
unless one is rigidly opposed to all abortions one
is "pro-death, " which, of course, is not true. In
any case, I prefer dialog instead of a shoving
match over what to call each side in the issue.
And I'd still like an answer to the question refer-
red to in the editorial. —Ed.)
ENCOURAGE THE DIALOG
"Amen!" to the July editorial, "Crawfishes at
Conference." I was quite appalled to learn that
the Brethren/Mennonite Council for Gay Con-
cerns (BMC) was not allowed to have a booth
nor to make announcements from the podium at
Annual Conference. The reason given was that
BMC is not officially recognized by the church.
It is interesting to note, however, that not all
booth-holders nor announcement makers are of-
ficially recognized by the church — for example,
the Brethren Revival Fellowship.
I think the General Board and the Annual
Conference manager should not only permit, but
encourage, dialog from groups that represent
something other than the norm. Is this not the
way we learn, grow, change, and accept even
"the least of these"?
Beverly A. Brubaker
Camden, Ohio
THE GIFT WITHOUT THE GIVER
Arriving home again tonight from the
Baltimore Conference, I unpack, unwind, and
reflect a bit, feeling both filled and exhausted.
For the moment, I am spent, having given my all
to the church, as I have for much of my life.
Many people thank me for contributing to
their experience at Annual Conference. People
praise my leadership as "spiritual" and "inspir-
ing." I believe them because I, too, felt the
leading and enabling of the Holy Spirit. Some of
these same people support an action that declares
my life "unacceptable" in the church I love and
serve.
Thankfully, I trust in the priesthood of all
believers, where the gift of God's grace comes
directly to me through faith in Christ, and I need
not look to a pastor or deacon board, or even to
the Annual Conference of our small segment of
the Christian church, for the dispensation of
salvation. My relationship with God is secure.
Yet I feel some all-too-human pain that the
church that so gladly accepts my gifts can be
somehow unable to accept me. Perhaps some-
day....
Name Withheld
UNAWARE OF THE FROWNS
In order to understand Stella Brubaker's com-
plaint about Messenger "promoting rape," I
took another look at the June cover photo. I saw
two children about 10 or II years old, playing in
what looks like a stream. They are fully dressed
— in shorts, tee shirts, and even shoes and socks.
And they give themselves to their innocent
children's play with exuberant faces.
1 am glad they were yet unaware of the frowns
of those who see in their photo only a "promo-
tion of rape" and find their behavior contrary to
the Word of God.
Thanks to Messenger for a refreshing,
wholesome picture of fun and joy in God's out-
of-doors.
Karen S. Carter
Daleville, Va.
PROMOTING ROMPING, NOT RAPE
When I read in the August Messenger the let-
ter from Stella Brubaker suggesting that the June
cover photo "promoted rape," I immediately
looked up that issue. I studied that photo intent-
ly, but all I could see were two beautiful, ap-
parently healthy, children enjoying a part of
God's great out-of-doors. To my eyes this was "a
beautiful scene of God's creation."
Although I agree that we need to use discretion
in our dress, 1 also believe with the writer of the
Genesis story that what God created, he saw as
very good.
I saw children playing happily, which is one of
the ways that we adults as well as children can
celebrate God's creative act and claim the new
life Christ promised. We are a new creation and
through play and laughter we affirm that we are
re-created through Christ.
Clara Zimmerman
North Manchester, Ind.
SORTING WHEAT FROM CHAFF
Robert Beery (June, page 27) seems to have
talked himself into a reassurance that by en-
couraging our bright young people to seek a bet-
ter world through better understanding, peaceful
resolution of conflict, greater attention to
justice, and rearrangement of values and a
reordering of priorities, we will really not have to
fear this "high tech" world.
In addition, his concern that a number of
liberal arts colleges are requiring more
mathematics and science courses may be mis-
placed. I'm sure he would agree that one way to
understand a subject more fully is to study it. If
so, then he would agree that those requirements
represent progress, and that during my attend-
ance at Manchester College 30 years ago the fact
that I was granted a degree without taking one
mathematics course was a mistake.
We have not thrown out television because
much of what is offered is "trash" or trivial;
rather, we have practiced selective viewing, and
have encouraged quality offerings. In the same
manner, it seems to me, we should applaud ad-
vances in technology that may have much to of-
fer for the future good of humanity. As practic-
ing Christians, then, we may continue to sort out
the wheat from the chaff, and, to the best of our
understanding, the good from the evil.
Wade Bollinger
Tucson, Ariz.
A he crest of the Church of North India
incorporates a lotus blossom in its design. I
had not spotted it, but, in a helpful ex-
planation of the crest I found in a CNI
brochure, I read, "Behind the cross is a
lotus, the symbol of the spiritual quest of
India. The lotus is also the symbol of purity
rising out of the mud under the water."
While Howard Royer and Lila McCray
were in India gathering material for this
month's cluster of articles on the Church of
North India, they had occasion once to take
a stroll on the
beach, along the
Indian Ocean.
There they saw a
young woman
drawing in the
sand. They asked
her what she was
drawing, and she
explained it was a
traditional lotus
design.
Howard wanted to photograph the lotus,
but a wave rolled in and erased it. The
young woman obligingly redrew the design
and Howard got his photograph (see cover)
before the next wave arrived.
This lotus drawn in the sand seemed to
add a new symbolic dimension to the
Church of North India crest. It symbolizes
the resiliency of the church in India and, in-
deed, of the Christian church wherever it
has sprung up in the world . . . "purity ris-
ing out of mud."
As Howard and Lila's stories attest, de-
spite adversity, Christ's church in India con-
tinues to flourish. In all the muck and mire
of sin, of mistrust and suspicion, of prej-
udice and hate, of divisions among Chris-
tian sisters and brothers, the lotus continues
to blossom.
Like the young woman who redraws her
lotus blossom when the sea attempts to
destroy it, there are faithful Christians in
India who are not daunted by waves of
adversity, but instead are strengthened by
them, and continue to witness to Christ and
the gospel.
We thank God for them.
And they need our gifts and our prayers.
Our brothers and sisters in India face the
challenge to be responsive to the reconciling
power of the gospel. In Howard Royer's
words, their challenge "is to be a sign, a
pathfinder, a bearer of the liberating Word.
It is to sustain the significant breakthroughs
in evangelism and in service now being
achieved."
Read and respond. —The Editor
October 1983 messenger 1
in
h
Valibai Bhagat: *God will take care of us'
Valibai Bhagat is the mother of seven sons
and three daughters, none of whom live in
her home community of Bulsar, India. As
a matter of fact, three of her children Hve
in the United States and one in England.
Among her daughters- and sons-in-law she
counts persons of Hindu, Catholic,
Methodist, Maharashtrin, Chinese, and
American backgrounds.
Such a global and ecumenical perspect-
ive was not something Valibai experienced
early on, although she is a second-
generation Christian. At age 15 and
already married, she declined the urging
of her husband and others to pursue
schooling beyond the seventh standard.
The training school was a six-hour trip
away; her response was, "Who would
want to go that far from home?"
Her husband, the late P. G. Bhagat,
was one of the foremost leaders not only
of the Church of the Brethren but of the
wider Christian church in India. From his
study both of the Bible and of Brethren
beliefs, he discerned that the character of
Christ's church is unreservedly ecumenical.
While P. G.'s work involved him in ex-
tended travel in India and abroad, Valibai
saw as her calling to keep the family going
and to provide hospitality for a continual
stream of guests. Included in the latter
were not only church people but beggars.
"We are the Church of the Brethren," she
told her children, "and that means
everyone's brother."
In her early married years Valibai
taught primary school, placing her newest
infant in the cradle beside her in the
classroom. As the family grew larger, she
maintained a herd of water buffalo to
augment the family diet and income. She
did the milking; the children delivered the
fresh milk to customers.
After his death in 1968, she declared,
"The house where my husband died is
where I want to live."
Fifteen years later, she sits in the chair
by the table and cupboard where P. G.
Amersingh Rajwadi: One with his people
Amersingh Rajwadi grew up in the village
of Taropa in India's Gujarat State. His
family were farmers and continue to work
the land. Amersingh attended the large
mission school in Taropa, then the Voca-
tional Training College at Anklesvar.
After becoming a teacher, he and his
wife, Sumati, went back to the villages to
teach primary school. The two often
talked together about the future and what
they wanted for their children.
Teaching as a life's work did not satisfy
them. They were not surprised when
leaders of the church suggested that they
go to theological school. Feeling this was
what God wanted them to do, they
packed up their belongings and took their
small children to Baroda, where the
United School of Theology was then
located. They lived there as a Christian
family — working, studying, and playing
together, removed from the world,
almost. However, upon graduation they
said goodbye and turned to the life of a
village pastor's family.
Finding he needed resources in English,
2 MESSENGER October 1983
Amersingh began language study. He
never became proficient, but he could
read and lead short worship services in
English. For many years he has used the
English edition of The Upper Room for
his personal devotions.
Amersingh is now pastor of the large
Church of North India congregation at
Netrang. This church area encompasses
many miles of jungle, 50 villages, and
Amersingh Rajwadi, center, speaks wiih two young evangelists from the .\etrang area.
Glen and Betty Campbell: A journey of love
had daily devotions to engage in her own
meditation. While cataracts maice reading
difficult and arthritis slows her pace, she
offers prayers of thanks for those who
look after her and for all who come to
visit. She also prays for "the people of the
church to work together" and for "the
broken to be healed." At times she bursts
forth in song; her favorite hymn is "He
Leadeth Me."
The diminutive, dynamic Valibai wishes
of course that she might more frequently
see her 10 children and their spouses, her
42 grandchildren, and her 12 great grand-
children. Still, she is not anxious over
their whereabouts. Out of a lifetime of
trust and obedience, she says with
assurance, "It doesn't matter how far
away we are from one another. God will
take care of us."- Howard E. Royer
Howard E. Rover is director of interpretation on
the Communication/Stewardship Team.
people of many dialects. Amersingh has
three evangelists working under him. He
travels by bicycle and bus to keep all his
appointments.
Amersingh is noted for the bright
twinkle in his eyes and the shy duck of his
head as he laughs. His stories are filled
with humor. All the problems and dif-
ficulties fade away as he laughs at
himself. On the other hand, living for
God is serious business and any suggestion
of being lax brings a stern, straight look
from those usually twinkling eyes.
Amersingh presents the gospel simply.
He is one of the people and has no
pretentions of being someone above them.
The people respond. It is no wonder that
here on the growing edge of the church
hundreds are turning to believe as they
hear the outpouring of God's love through
this humble follower. — Laura Sewell
Laura Sewell is a Church of the Brethren missionary
in Bulsar, India.
Having lived and worked in India for 16
years. Glen and Betty Campbell viewed
with mixed emotions an invitation to
return there. Of course, they would like to
greet old friends, but they knew they
would be saddened by the divisions that
had developed in the church in recent
years. After much prayer Betty and Glen
responded, "If this is God's will, he will
make it happen." And it happened.
The Church of North India had asked
the Campbells to come for three months,
specifically to work toward a "spirit of
fellowship and unity" among the Chris-
tians of the South Gujarat area. Though
the Church of the Brethren in India had
joined with five other denominations to
form the Church of North India in 1970,
after a few years some members wanted to
return to the former church structure. The
Campbells were encouraged to meet and
fellowship with as many Christians as
possible, on both sides of the issue. They
also were to lead institutes and retreats,
and to conduct lay and pastoral training.
In January, February and March of
this year, the Campbells were
in a hundred cities and
villages of India, speaking
110 times and visiting in
more than a thousand homes.
They found the Christians
eager to share their joys and
concerns. "Some groups meet
regularly to pray for the
work and witness of the
church throughout
India and for heal-
ing and reconcilia-
tion among the
Christians. A few
seem to be working
for their own per-
sonal ends, rather
than for the good
of all the church,"
they say.
From India, Glen
and Betty returned
to their work in the
Guernsey and Mon-
ticello Pike Creek
churches in South/
Central Indiana
District, thankful
for the warm spirit
with which they had been received and
heard. "It could well be that the true pur-
pose of our going to India was to be a liv-
ing witness to God's love, a love that
cares enough to approach all people with-
out prejudice," they reflect.
The Campbells continue to pray for
healing and reconciliation within the India
church. They see this time of struggle as a
test of faith. While many Christians de-
scribe the period as painful, they also
recognize it as a time of spiritual growth.
"Reconciliation and healing will never
come from without," the Campbells de-
clare, "but only as God's Spirit works
within the lives and hearts of those who
are separated from one another."— Lila
McCray
Lita McCray, a former India missionary, was. until
July, a member of the Communication / Stewardship
Team.
October 1983 messenger 3
War taxes and sexuality
on Mennonite agenda
Meeting jointly for tlie first time, the
General Conference Mennonite Church
and the Mennonite Church approved the
first part of a two-part study on human
sexuahty, called on the US Government to
halt military aid to Central America, and
called on the US to halt deployment of
Pershing missiles in Germany.
Separately, the General Conference
Mennonite Church authorized its officials
to cease withholding taxes from the wages
of employees who, for reason of con-
science, choose not to pay part of their
taxes because of military expenditures by
the Government. This endorsement of
civil disobedience is similar to the Church
of the Brethren paper on War Tax Con-
sultation, approved this year at Baltimore.
The Mennonite Church, later in the
week, offered moral and religious support
to church members who withhold a por-
tion of their taxes.
The first part of a study paper on
human sexuality was approved by the
delegates after intense discussion. Upper-
most in the minds of many was the treat-
ment that the study eventually would give
to the subject of homosexuality.
Representatives from the Brethren/
Mennonite Council for Gay Concerns held
a workshop and distributed literature dur-
ing the conference. The churches will
resume discussion of the study paper after
the committee has drafted the second part
of the two-part document.
The Mennonites also accepted a study
on Justice and the Christian Witness, a
guide on individual and congregational
applications of the biblical concepts of
righteousness and shalom. On the topic of
Central America, delegates called upon
the US Government to halt military aid to
any government or counter-government
group and to observe a policy of military
non-intervention. The delegates asked the
Canadian Government to raise the
2,000-a-year limit on the number of
refugees allowed from Central America,
and they asked both governments to ac-
tively encourage a negotiated settlement of
the conflict in Central America.
In response to "the celebration orches-
trated by President Reagan's Tricentennial
Commission to commemorate the 300th
anniversary of the coming of German set-
tlers to America," the delegates expressed
concern over the "militarization of the
Mennonite-Quaker story." The delegates
called upon the US to halt its deploy-
ment in Germany of Pershing missiles
and encouraged the US "to cultivate a
new community of friendship among na-
tions, not only with the people of Ger-
many, but also with the peoples of other
nations, including the Soviet Union."
In a closing resolution, delegates from
both churches committed themselves to
seek additional ways to work together.
The General Conference Mennonite
Church has 65,000 members, and the
Mennonite Church has nearly 100,000.
Herzog resigns staff;
Eslibach appointed DE
Lynn Herzog, personnel relations and
development staff for the General Board,
has resigned her position effective Dec. 1 .
She joined the staff in November 1981.
A graduate of Bethel College, St. Paul,
Minn., Herzog previously worked in the
personnel offices of the Zurich-American
Insurance Co. She has also worked for
Tyndale House and the Metropolitan Life
Insurance Co. She plans to return to
school in preparation for a possible career
change.
Warren Eshbach, pastor of the West
York (Pa.) congregation, has been named
district executive for Southern Penn-
sylvania District, effective Nov. 1 .
Previously he was pastor of the Friendship
congregation near Baltimore and chaplain
at Cross Keys Home, New Oxford, Pa. A
graduate of Gettysburg (Pa.) College and
Lutheran Theological Seminary, Eshbach
has served as a member of the Annual
Conference Standing Committee.
Lynn Herzog Warren Eshbach
EDF to benefit Sudan
and Central America
The General Board's Executive Committee
has asked the Communication/Steward-
ship Team to raise up to $60,000 to help
buy a small plane for use by missions in
Sudan. The board is also seeking a
pilot/mechanic for the program.
The money, appropriated through the
Emergency Disaster Fund, was requested
by the Sudan Council of Churches to help
toward the total cost of a half-million
dollars to be raised over three years. The
amount includes personnel and program
costs related to the project.
Brethren workers in Mayom and Bentiu
must have access to a plane, said World
Ministries executive Ruby Rhoades,
because air transportation is the workers'
only access to the outside world during
the rainy season. Services from Missionary
Aviation Fellowship have been cut recent-
ly, and commercial services are unreliable.
Another Emergency Disaster Fund ap-
propriation has been made in response to
Church World Service's appeal for Central
America. The $15,000 will help provide
legal protection, reception centers, food
and medicine, and other refugee needs in
Central America.
Refugees in the US will benefit from an
EDF grant of $45,000, to be used for the
refugee program at the New Windsor
(Md.) Service Center. The money will pro-
vide follow-up services and other obliga-
tions to refugees already in the country,
and will aid refugees who will arrive in the
US to be placed by Brethren groups.
An allocation of $15,000 will aid vic-
tims of Hurricane Alicia in Te.xas. Sixteen
Brethren child care workers and one bi-
lingual volunteer to help with Spanish-
speaking victims worked in the Houston
area in late August and early September.
Peace tax fund efforts
widened to grassroots
The national steering committee of the
World Peace Tax Fund has begun a
grassroots pilot project to put more
pressure on Congress and generate more
support for the bill. Previously, lobbying
for the tax fund was focused on gaining
additional congressional co-sponsors.
The World Peace Tax Fund bill, intro-
duced into Congress 10 years ago, would
amend the Internal Revenue Service Code
so that conscientious objectors could have
their tax payments spent for nonmilitary
purposes. This year's Annual Conference
affirmed its 1978 endorsement of the
bill when it passed the War Tax Consul-
4 MESSENGER October 1983
tation paper (see September, page 20).
Hoping to move the bill toward
passage, the steering committee has ap-
pointed three regional coordinators to
generate persistent grassroots lobbying.
The pilot project area of Michiana —
southern Michigan and northern In-
diana—was chosen because of the high
concentration of Brethren, Friends, and
Mennonites. Other regional coordinators
are in New England and Richmond, Ind.
Lobbying will be done by letter, per-
sonal contacts, and visits by delegations
with members of Congress.
The addition of 10 congressional co-
sponsors during 1983 drives that group's
size to 42. Mark Hatfield (R-Ore.) is the
only Senator sponsoring the bill.
Evangelicals discuss
mission philosophy
A conference of evangelical Christians
held in Wheaton, 111., attempted to deal
with the problem of so-called "cultural
imperialism" of Western missionaries.
More than half of the 300 participants
were from Africa, Asia, and Latin
America. Sponsored by 50 churches,
denominations, and service agencies, and
convened by the World Evangelism
Fellowship, the gathering on the nature
and mission of the church was meant
especially as a sounding board for non-
Western evangelicals.
The conference dealt with the church in
its local setting; the church and new fron-
tiers for missions; and the church and re-
sponse to human need. The diversity of
viewpoints meant extensive redrafting of the
statements on these three areas. But the par-
ticipants worked together on the "Wheaton
83 Letter to the Churches," which was
issued at the close of the conference.
The letter noted the sometimes serious
tensions between churches and parachurch
agencies and appealed to those involved to
be responsible stewards. It also observed
that "a century ago mission was still most-
ly a one-way operation. Today it is dif-
ferent. Churches in all parts of the world
are crossing frontiers at home and abroad,
creating their own sending agencies."
While acknowledging that many
churches and Christian agencies are in-
volved in the work of relief, justice, and
transforming community, the letter called
on the churches not to limit the gospel to
a message about life and death.
Video project: Visible
ministries in Indiana
It's showtime in South/Central Indiana
District. Ten churches. Camp Mack, and
the district office have acquired videotape
equipment, thus forming the first video
network in the Church of the Brethren.
Peter Michael, co-pastor of the North-
view congregation in Indianapolis, is
audiovisual director for the district and
the driving force behind the network's
creation. He initiated the idea about five
years ago and received enthusiastic sup-
port from district executive Kaydo Retry.
The main concern about starting the
network was that it might cost too much
for individual congregations to get in-
volved. The cost was held down, however,
by a special rate arranged with RCA,
along with subsidies from the district's
special projects fund, the General Board,
and the Gemmer Foundation.
Although the network is quite young
and the equipment quite new to the
churches, the benefits of videotaping are
already being noticed. Churches have been
recording Sunday servic-es and special
events, enabling them to extend their im-
pact. Recorders and tapes can be
transported easily to allow shut-ins and
the ill to see, and not just hear, what is
happening at church. Congregations can
also share programs with other churches.
A popular use of the videotaping equip-
ment is the recording of personal events
such as dedications, solos, consecrations,
and ordinations. "Everybody wants their
wedding videotaped," says Michael.
New uses for the equipment are being
Mark Hinkle of the Norihview church video-
tapes the mayor of Indianapolis.
discovered. Michael said his church taped
Indianapolis Mayor William Hudnut, a
former Presbyterian minister, as he
discussed the role of churches in the city.
Petty discovered a money-saving use for
videotaping when he taped interviews of
candidates for a job opening with SERRV
and sent the tapes to the New Windsor
Service Center. Instead of paying to send
an interviewer from Maryland to Indiana,
SERRV paid Petty $20 for expenses.
An important part of the video project
in South/Central Indiana is development
of a strong video network. The
cooperative will expand the scope of each
church's budget while keeping costs down.
The network hopes to tap the resources of
the General Board staff, Bethany
Seminary, and Manchester College.
Another key element is the district's video
library, which is small but growing.
"We're just in the fledgling stages,"
Petty said about the entire network. "The
future is opening up to us."
October 1983 messenger 5
Amsterdam event is
eye-opening: Kettering
Meeting just days before the World Coun-
cil of Churches Sixth Assembly, some
4,000 itinerant evangelists gathered in
Amsterdam to reaffirm their biblical and
evangelistic beliefs, and to receive training
and trade strategies for use in their work.
The 10-day International Conference for
Itinerant Evangelists — dubbed Amsterdam
83 — was sponsored by the Billy Graham
Evangelistic Association.
One of the participants was Bob Ketter-
ing, pastor of the Florin (Mount Joy, Pa.)
Church of the Brethren. In addition to
serving as assistant coordinator of
workshops, Kettering was the official
Church of the Brethren representative to
the event, observing for the
denomination's evangelism office.
Kettering said the experience was eye-
opening and gave him fresh, unexpected
insight into "non-Western" Christianity.
"Non-Western Christians are more
forthright, more eager to share their faith
and win converts," he said. "Our attitude
is come and see; theirs is go and tell."
Graham and his associates put forth a
special effort to get evangelists from all
over the globe to attend the conference.
Because this meant recruiting many
evangelists with little or no income,
transportation, room, and board had to
be provided. But even the poorest
evangelists had to find their own way to
the nearest international airport. Johannes
Gobai, who works in Indonesia, sold his
pigs to raise the $300 to get to Jakarta.
That was equivalent to one year's wages.
Kettering said that this effort to have
representation from around the world
gave the event an international spirit in-
stead of domination by North Americans.
Conferencegoers represented 133 coun-
tries.
Kettering was also pleased by the atten-
tion paid to social concerns, particularly
by Graham, whose first speech was on
peace. With so many people from im-
poverished areas, social issues naturally
came to the forefront, said Kettering.
At the end of the conference, the
evangelists adopted a set of 15 affirma-
tions—simple statements that formed a
sort of code of conduct and belief. The
Amsterdam Affirmations call for authen-
tic biblical faith, personal morality, shun-
ning of manipulation and coercion of con-
verts, ethical use of money, close relations
with local churches, and authentic
evangeUcal and social concerns.
Though the conference is now over, aid
for evangelists in developing countries will
not end. Each Third-World evangehst was
given a tape recorder to take home, and a
tape ministry is being planned for
preachers in remote areas. Conference
planners also envision an international
network of itinerant evangelists, con-
ferences such as the one in Amsterdam
being held on every continent, and schools
of evangelism to train lay people.
Public sanctuaries
total 45 in nation
As of early August, 45 individual
church congregations in the US had
declared themselves public sanctuaries
for Salvadoran and Guatemalan
refugees, according to the Chicago
Religious Task Force on Central
America. Those 45 sites are being sup-
ported by more than 500 pubHcly en-
dorsing congregations and several na-
tional denominational bodies, including
the Church of the Brethren. More than
100 congregations are involved in sanc-
tuary organizing committees in more
than 40 cities.
Anti-hunger resolution
approved by Congress
Heavy lobbying by more than a thousand
church groups has produced an over-
whelming vote in the House of Represen-
tatives against any further cuts in domestic
food programs. The House voted 407 to 16
in favor of the "Preventing Hunger at
Home Resolution," initiated by the Chris-
tian anti-hunger lobby, Bread for the
World. The resolution was approved by the
Senate in a voice vote in late June.
The non-binding resolution puts
members of Congress on record in favor
of protecting poor and newly unemployed
people from further reductions in Federal
food and nutrition programs in fiscal 1984
and 1985. In shaping the 1984 budget,
Congress derailed administration efforts
to cut another $1 billion in Federal food
program spending. In its first two years,
the administration cut $5 billion from
food and nutrition programs.
US Christians witness
for peace in Nicaragua
Two Brethren, Hilda Carper and Jeri
Seese-Green, were part of a group of
more than 150 US Christians who visited
Nicaragua in July. During its sLx-day stay,
the delegation studied current problems
and social action programs in Nicaragua,
held two peace vigils, and worshiped with
the people of the country.
Emphasizing both their rehgious convic-
tions and their patriotism, the North
Americans expressed their behef that the
current policy of their government con-
tradicts both.
One of the major parts of the visit was
a two-day stay in Jalapa, a border town
that has been torn by the fighting between
Sandinista soldiers and Honduran-based
contra rebels. Hilda Carper of Reba Place
fellowship, Evanston, 111., said a vigil held
with the townspeople of Jalapa "was a
moving experience for all of us."
"The most moving part (of the vigil)
was not planned at all," Carper wrote in
her diary. "Three of the mothers of young
people who had died in the conflict were
there and began talking with several of
our group about what had happened to
their children.... We all gathered around
in silence, weeping with them."
Jeri Seese-Green, a nonresident member
of Peace (Portland, Ore.) Church of
6 MESSENGER October 1983
the Brethren, was sponsored by the
Brethren Peace Fellowship. She stayed in
Nicaragua almost three weeks after the
rest of the delegation returned.
"During my extra time there I got a
sense that the wide majority of people
supports the Sandinista Government,"
Seese-Green said. "The people want to
just get on with building a new society."
One of the worship services for the
delegation was a mass with campesinos in
a slum area of Managua. Fr. Uriel
Molina, who led the mass, said to the
group: "You, the religious community of
North America, are our hope."
In a separate trip, a group of
evangelical educators who toured
Nicaragua in August voiced support for
the Sandinista Government and said there
is "little evidence to support (the charge
oO a 'communist takeover' in Nicaragua."
The professors and administrators
from seven evangelical colleges and
universities said, "We and other in-
vestigators from a wide spectrum of
countries and persuasions have not found
in Nicaragua evidence to support our
government's public descriptions of this
government, nor have we found evidence
to support our government's negative
positions. What we have found is a
desire to be respected as a sovereign na-
tion in control of its own destiny and to
live in peace."
Romberger to Nigeria
as new music teacher
Sandy Romberger of Codorus (Logan-
ville, Pa.) Church of the Brethren has
been named to teach secondary music at
Hillcrest school in Jos, Nigeria.
Romberger is a recent graduate of Mans-
field (Pa.) State Col-
lege, with a bachelor
of arts degree in
music education. She
was president of
Sigma Alpha Iota, an
honorary music fra-
ternity; served as vice
president and secre-
tary of the Pennsylvania chapter of the
Music Educators National Conference; and
performed in Europe with the Penn-
sylvania Ambassadors of Music.
At Hillcrest, she will be responsible for the
high school band and chorus and will give
private lessons. She hopes to start a junior
high band and to produce some musicals.
[y]^(2](§^[rl^(t^
A CHAIR FOR ANNA ... "Sister Anna" has been recognized for her
long and distinguished service to the church and higher educa-
tion by two anonymous Harrisonburg, Va. , couples. The
$200,000 commitment made to Bridgewater College is the initial
contribution toward building a $500,000 endowed fund that
would establish the Anna B. Mow Chair in the Humanities.
NAMES IN THE NEWS
Alan Ki effaber , pastor of Emmanuel
(Dayton, Ohio) church, gathers cans and bottles in what he
calls a "trash-a-thon, " and sponsors pledge a penny a can to
benefit Camp Woodland Altars. . . . Ella Journey , Prince of
Peace (Sacramento, Calif.) church, received the Faith and
Service Award from the South Sacramento Ecumenical Parish for
her work with their food closet. . . . Nelda Snider , member
of the Middlebury (Ind.) church and a high school home econ-
omics teacher, has been named Teacher of the Year by the
Indiana Home Economics Association. . . . Patricia Cole
Stauffer, of Polo, 111. , was the 22nd-place winner in the
short story category of the 1983 Writer' s Digest competition.
Her entry was chosen from more than 8,000 others.
COLLEGE DAYS
Juniata College (Huntingdon, Pa.) has
selected Robert G. Clouse, professor of history at Indiana
State University, as the J. Omar Good Visiting Professor of
Evangelical Christianity for the current academic year. . . .
William G. Willoughby, retired professor of the University of
La Verne (Calif.) is this year's scholar-in- residence at
Bethany Seminary. . . . Debi Stanley, assistant director of
admissions at ULV and a member of the La Verne church, has
been named an "Outstanding Young Woman of America. "...
William Eberly, professor of biology at Manchester (Ind.)
College, has been appointed to the Council of the Sagamores
of the Wabash, the highest honor an Indiana governor can
bestow upon a citizen. . . . Robert F. Eshleman, Mount Joy,
Pa. , was appointed to the Education Commission of the States
by Pennsylvania Governor Dick Thornburgh. He is a professor
of sociology at Franklin and Marshall College and former
president of the Pennsylvania School Boards Association.
MISSION ACTION ... The following Brethren are in mission
work throughout the world: Jeanine L. Ewert (Modesto,
Calif.), Mennonite Central Committee, Brazil; Steve and Carol
Baskauf , (Pleasant View, Lima, Ohio) , Mennonite Central
Committee, Swaziland; Trent Showalter (Greenmount, Harrison-
burg, Va.), Mennonite Disaster Service; Wendy Bachman (York,
Pa., Second church), Wycliffe Bible Translators, the Solomon
Islands; Donna Fahnestock (East Fairview, Manheim, Pa.),
Wycliffe Bible Translators, Brazil; E_. Leroy and Evelyn Dick,
Christian World Outreach Inc. , Haiti.
REMEMBERED . . . George Mason , longtime agricultural mis-
sionary in India, died July 23 in Chehalis, Wash. He and his
wife, Rae, worked at the Rural Service Center from 1951 till
retirement in 1978, and George returned to India on short-
term assignments between 1978 and 1981. A fund has been
established for those wishing to contribute to his memory by
sending gifts for work at the Rural Service Center. Checks
should be made to the George Mason Memorial Fund and sent
to the General Board in Elgin.
October 1983 messenger 7
[i^p(^(o]te
FOR SALE . . . Property formerly owned by the Paoli/Immanuel
(Pa.) congregation is available now to Brethren institutions
or individuals. Those interested in the 20-year-old build-
ing and the 5i-acre lot should contact the Atlantic North-
east District Office.
THANK- YOU NOTE
The mayor of Baltimore has issued a
citation thanking the Church of the Brethren for the volun-
teer labor given during Annual Conference by about 130 con-
ferencegoers. They pulled weeds, painted benches, and
cleaned, as a gift to the city.
WAKE-UP CALL ... For the 21st consecutive year, the three
Brethren congregations in the Sabetha, Kan. , area served free
coffee, cookies, and fruit drink to tourists over the Labor
Day weekend. The project encourages safe and relaxed driv-
ing, rest, and fellowship during the holidays.
TRAVEL TIPS ... A new Mennonite Your Way IV will be pub-
lished in March 1984. First published in 1976, the direc-
tories list nearly 2,000 host families throughout North
America who have agreed to host travelers coming through
their area. The majority listed are from Church of the
Brethren, Mennonite, Brethren in Christ, and related groups.
Those who wish to be listed as hosts should write for an
application form by Nov. 30 (Box 1525, Salunga, PA 17538).
JANUARY IN JAPAN ... A special travel/study course called
"January Business Study in Japan" is being offered to Breth-
ren college students. The 21-day course is planned by Mc-
pherson (Kan. ) College in cooperation with the College and
University Partnership Program. The focus is on comparative
management practices, cultural understanding, and current
economic conditions. Contact James Dodson, 316-241-0731.
MILESTONES ... Owl Creek (Bellville, Ohio) congregation
celebrates its 160th anniversary Oct. 15-16. . . . Guest
speakers at Milledgeville' s (Dutch Town, 111.) 125th anni-
versary celebration Oct. 8-9 are Melvin Ritchey, former
pastor, and district executive Carl Myers. . . . When Car-
thage (Mo.) church celebrated its 90th anniversary May 8,
the women's fellowship presented each co-pastor with a friend-
ship quilt. . . . West Mi 1 ton (Ohio) congregation marked its
75th year on Sept. 10-11 with skits, historical displays,
and meals. . . . Seventy-fifth anniversaries were celebrated
by Dixon (111.) church July 31 and the Akron (Ohio) First
church Sept. 17-18. . . . Visitors are invited to the dedi-
cation of a new Sunday school building at Phoenix (Ariz.)
First church on Nov. 13. . . .A homecoming reunion, known
as the Prodigal's Return, drew about 200 people to English
River (Iowa) church on Aug. 20-21.
DEADLINE
The Brethren Health Education Foundation
Inc. gives loans to qualified students entering nursing
education or other health- related professions. Send appli-
cations by Oct. 15 to the BHEF Office, 1451 Dundee Ave.,
Elgin, IL 60120.
8 MESSENGER October 1983
mmm mim
In many tongues
by Wendy Chamberlain
Just before the opening celebration at the
World Council of Churches Sixth
Assembly, held in Vancouver, B.C., July
24-Aug. 10, 1 overheard one person say to
another, "This is what it will be like in
heaven, eh? We'll all be together."
Not all was heavenly at the Vancouver
assembly, of course: The family had its
share of squabbles. Those who wanted a
voice had to have some degree of political
savvy. Sometimes individual fervor
seemed to overshadow Christian love.
But the ecumenical vision is to struggle
through the disagreements anyway, with
the conviction that belief in Christ is
stronger than our parochial differences.
And, amazingly, the commitment works.
Though debates on political issues fre-
quently got heated, participants were
buoyed by the regular spiritual nourish-
ment received in the tent — that mammoth,
yellow-and-white striped symbol of God's
pilgrim people. The assembly returned
again and again to the theme, "Jesus
Christ — the life of the world."
Some seasoned observers mentioned the
very evident theological and spiritual
underpinnings of this assembly — more
noticeable at Vancouver than at any
other. The assembly celebrated a liturgy
that reflected an epoch-making statement
of theological agreement. Called "the feast
of life," the liturgy incorporated "doc-
trinal convergences" expressed in the
document "Baptism, Eucharist, and
Ministry," approved by the WCC faith
and order commission last year.
"In these experiences," reflected Lamar
Left: A feetwashing service highlighted the
closing worship at the Ploughshares Coffee-
house. Julie Garber, seated, coordinated
volunteers for the coffeehouse. Top: Hope
and anxiety show in the faces of father and
daughter at an all-night peace and justice
vigil. Far left, from top: The worship tent
became a symbol for the Vancouver
assembly; Brethren delegates were Bob
Neff and Mary Blocher Smeltzer; a historic
step in the journey toward Christian unity
was celebrated in "the feast of life"; Sitnem-
biso Nyoni, of Zimbabwe, held her baby as
she spoke on "Life, a gift of God. "
October 1983 messenger 9
After preaching at a noon worship service in the tent. Brother Roger, founder of the ecu-
menical monastic community in Taize, France, greets Wendy Chamberlain. The Taize com-
munity has been host to many thousands of young people and has a worldwide following.
Gibble, an advisor to the assembly, "you
have more than a hint of Pentecost — with
the celebration in many tongues, but in one
accord and with mutual understanding."
Though spiritual unity was a high
priority, the assembly did not back away
from the controversial stands for which
the council has often been criticized. The
news media paid particular attention to
statements on the Middle East, Central
America, South Africa, and Afghanistan:
The Middle East. Among suggestions
on the Middle East conflict, the assembly
reiterated the WCC position that a peace-
ful settlement requires "the withdrawal of
Israeli troops from all territories occupied
in 1967" and "the right of all states, in-
cluding Israel and Arab states, to live in
peace with secure and recognized boun-
daries." The delegates also said any settle-
ment will need to ensure "the rights of the
Palestinians to self-determination in-
cluding the right of establishing a
sovereign Palestinian state."
Central America. Delegates accused the
Reagan administration of trying to "de-
stabilize" the Nicaraguan Government as
part of an attempt to "contain the aspira-
tions of the Central American peoples."
Their statement commended the San-
dinista Government for its "life-affirming"
achievements.
South Africa. The South Africa state-
ment asked churches to campaign for dis-
investment from South Africa and en-
dorsed "mandatory and comprehensive
sanctions" against the Pretoria Govern-
ment. The proposal was accepted after
Bishop Desmond Tutu, a black Anglican
who heads the South African Council of
Churches, asked that the statement in-
clude an expression of "love and care" for
the white South Africans. "The world
church is not anti-South Africa, but anti-
injustice and anti-apartheid," he said.
Afghanistan. While some delegates
called for more balance, the assembly
adopted a resolution supporting United
Nations efforts toward peace in Afghan-
istan. The statement says arms supplies to
opposition groups from outside should be
ended, and that Soviet troops should
withdraw as part of a total political solu-
tion. Said William P. Thompson,
moderator of the originating committee:
"We have reached a position where it was
the least that could be accepted by one
side, the most that could be accepted by
another." Only 479 of 642 voting delegates
approved the paper, with 142 abstaining.
The Sixth Assembly also issued state-
ments on human rights, the situation in
Cyprus, the problems of people in the
South Pacific, the struggle for land rights
of Canada's aboriginal people, and the
world food crisis.
An overriding issue throughout the
Briefly....
• One of the 23 US delegates named to
the Central Committee was Bob Neff,
general secretary of the Church of the
Brethren. He and Lamar Gibble both
served on Policy Reference Committee II,
the body responsible for all public
statements of the assembly.
• The WCC welcomed into its member-
ship two churches: the Baptist Convention
of Nicaragua, with 35,000 members, and
the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of
South Africa, with 30,000.
• In a message sent to the assembly,
Pope John Paul said, "You have affirmed
our common belief that Jesus is the
crucified Saviour, the Redeemer of all, the
Lord of life...." He called the unity of
Christians an "urgent task" which "re-
quires obedience to the will of God and
cooperation with his grace."
• Disabled people sent an "Epistle to
the Sixth Assembly," which asked that 10
percent of the delegates to the next
assembly be people with disabilities.
Among other requests, the epistle called
for establishing a desk on "Community
and Persons with Disabilities" at the WCC
headquarters in Geneva.
• To "create a living bridge of solidarity
in Christ spanning the Americas," more
than 300 Central American and United
States participants signed a Covenant for
Life. The covenant called for a freeze on
new arms shipments and the withdrawal of
all outside military personnel in Central
in Christ spanning the Americas," more
than 300 Central American and United
States participants signed a Covenant for
Life. The covenant called for a freeze on
new arms shipments and the withdrawal
of all outside military personnel in Central
America. Signers committed themselves to
unite in prayer and fellowship and to
serve as "agents of justice and reconcilia-
tion."
• The program guidelines committee set
the following priorities for the council's
next seven years: progress toward the goal
of visible unity; fostering ecumenical rela-
tionships; theological work; evangelism;
"commitment to justice, peace, and the in-
tegrity of all creation"; full participation
of women, men, youth, children, the
disabled, and laity; making concerns of
women integral to all areas of WCC
work; and ecumenical learning.
• Native Americans participated active-
ly in the Sixth .-Assembly. Part of their
presence was a 50-foot totem pole given
to the churches of the world. Erected tem-
porarily at the assembly, the "Israel pole"
is being taken to Geneva for permanent
display. — W.S.C.
10 MESSENGER October 1983
18-day conference was peace and justice.
Underscoring its importance to the
delegates were the several papers deaHng
specifically with peace and justice, an all-
night vigil on Hiroshima Day, and the
popularity of the Ploughshares Peace and
Justice Coffeehouse.
The assembly newspaper noted that 25
years earlier the historic peace churches
had called on the WCC to urge "total
renunciation of all nuclear weapons" for
Christians. It's not surprising, then, that
Brethren and representatives from the
other historic peace churches (Mennonites
and Friends) were especially active in the
peace and justice issues. Bob Neff gave a
short address to the issue group that dealt
with "confronting threats to peace and
survival." Lamar Gibble helped draft the
public statement on peace and justice.
Julie Garber coordinated a large group of
volunteers who staffed the coffeehouse.
Some feared that the issue would be
peace versus justice. Representatives from
developing nations said that joining in the
peace movement becomes a luxury when
people's immediate problems are day-to-
day survival. Nuclear disarmament tended
to be viewed as a popular cause of North
Americans and Western Europeans.
But the final public statement declared
emphatically, "No peace without justice,"
and it recognized the fact that for millions
the most immediate threat to survival is
not posed by nuclear weapons. The docu-
ment, considered the strongest yet passed
by a major Christian body, declared pro-
duction and deployment of nuclear
weapons to be a "crime against humanity"
and called Christians to consider civil
disobedience as a way of protest.
"Even though there were hints even
before the assembly began that the pro-
ponents of peace on the one hand and
justice on the other might clash," said
Lamar Gibble, "1 feel that the two were
integrated as they should be and that
there were strong and balanced statements
related to both peace and justice issues."
While Brethren put much effort into
this one issue, their visibility was
somewhat wider. Melanie May, invited as
a consultant, led a seminar at the Bell-
ingham Forum (a program that ran con-
currently with the assembly) and served
on a panel discussing "Voices of Women:
Language, Identity, Is God Male?" She
and delegate Mary Blocher Smeltzer both
attended the Women's Pre-Assembly
Meeting.
Steve Reid led Bible studies for a con-
ference of seminary students that was held
in conjunction with the assembly. Long-
time ecumenical laborer M.R. Zigler was
introduced during a plenary session as a
special invited guest. A number of other
Brethren took part in the Sixth Assembly
as accredited visitors or as Bellingham
Forum registrants.
While the WCC hasn't been known for
its evangelistic work, there's good news
for those looking for more balance be-
tween proclamation and social action.
In an open letter to the assembly, a
group of evangelicals said the Vancouver
assembly had "challenged stereotypes
some of us have had of the WCC." The
evangelicals noted "significant progress
over the last two assemblies in its over-
arching spiritual and biblical orientation,"
and cited refreshing worship, wider space
to basic biblical themes, and the calling of
tne assembly to accept the reality of Jesus
Christ as life of the world. Signers of the
letter also affirmed the inseparable rela-
tionship between peace and justice and the
need to relate biblical truths to the prob-
lems of today.
The evangelicals did express disappoint-
ment that the 1982 WCC statement on
Mission and Evangelism was never re-
ferred to in a plenary address. The
assembly failed to treat adequately either
the gospel proclamation or the invitational
aspects of evangelism, they wrote, and lit-
tle was said about spiritual alienation or
personal ethics.
Nevertheless, the evangelicals issued an
enthusiastic call for other evangelicals to
be actively involved in the ecumenical
movement. Mentioning the "scandal of
disunity," the signers wrote, "Because we
have seen evidence of God at work here,
we cannot but share our growing convic-
tion that evangelicals should question
biblically the easy acceptance of with-
drawal, fragmentation and parochial isola-
tion that tends to characterize many of us.
Should we not be more trustful of those
who profess Christ's lordship?"
Those who issued this letter were a
small group at Vancouver, but their input
is a good example of the participation
that was emphasized so frequently. Many
delegates pushed for increased participa-
tion by those who have often been
voiceless — women, youth, the disabled,
developing nations.
More than anything, perhaps, the WCC
assembly is a place to hear everyone. It's a
place for the body of Christ to gather, to
fellowship, to challenge, to confront, to
disagree — and to continually reaffirm that
Jesus Christ is the life of the world. D
There was a large contingent of Brethren at the assembly: John T. Click, accredited visitor;
M.R. Zigler, guest; E. Paul Weaver, accredited visitor; Melanie May, consultant; Geraldine
Z. Click, accredited visitor; Lamar Cibble, advisor; Nancy Cibble, accredited visitor; Mary
Blocher Smeltzer, delegate. Not pictured: Bob Neff, delegate; Steve Reid, Bible study
leader; Howard Royer, Harriet Ziegler, and Wendy Chamberlain, press.
October 1983 messenger 11
Letting go
by Emily Sargent
Councilman
More frost last night.
And today
the maple tree
relinquished
a shower of patterned gold
mixed
with rusty brown.
You said,
"I like to see them
there
covering the ground." D
Emily Sargent Councilman is a poet from Bur-
lington, N.C.
Eastern boundary
by Mark Mitchell
Out of my window, the farthest trees to be seen
aren't that far away, yet there at sunset my world ends.
The top maple over the yellow house
stands as a kind of eastern boundary for my thought,
and seemingly forever, the limits of my hfe.
Somehow it's not an end of thoughts and compassion
and dreaming, but a beginning.
Even though I know very well what lies beneath
and beyond those trees, they still remain for me
the solid end of things completed,
a beginning of what is always just about to be. D
Mark Mitchell, a poet and graphic artist living in
Elgin, III., is a former editorial assistant with
MESSENGER.
12 MESSENGER October 1983
o„
utsiders tend to look upon India
as a land of mysticism and spirituality, of
inwardness and acceptance, of serenity
and peace. The image is appropriate, ex-
cept that one bit of counterpoint needs to
be added. And that is that India seldom
shies away from a confrontation.
So it is not altogether surprising that
within India's Christian community, where
love and unity are to be made manifest,
there is contention within the ranks.
Care needs to be taken, however, not to
overplay the dissent. Observers may er-
roneously assume that the disruption
began with the formation by six
denominations (including the Church of
the Brethren) of a united church in
1970- the Church of North India (CNI).
The fact is that some of the litigation and
underlying issues date back years before
that epochal event. Onlookers may
assume further that the clashes are
somehow limited to the Church of North
India. However, Methodist, Nazarene,
and Assemblies of God churches — totally
unrelated to the CNI — likewise have
become involved in lawsuits and disputes
over church buildings and properties.
Surprisingly, even in the congregations
where polarization is deeply rooted, the
work of ministry flourishes. And for the
majority of congregations and dioceses
that comprise the Church of North India,
there is no disaffection at all.
Vyara, a church whose membership of
nearly 1 ,600 was reported a couple of
decades ago to be the largest of any
Church of the Brethren congregation in
the world, is one of the churches
experiencing division. Still, the congrega-
tion's outreach is vigorous. This past April
at just one of the church's many outposts
— Saraiya — a visiting delegation from the
United States observed the baptism of 34
adults.
In the Dangs, where the former Second
Church
of
North
India
Despite the obstacles, the
work of ministry flourishes
by Howard E. Royer
October 1983 messenger 13
District of the Brethren serves the
Marathi-speaking hill tribes, solid growth
also has been reported. Last Christmas,
the Ahwa church held a festival to com-
memorate two anniversaries — 75 years
since the first Brethren missionary arrived
in the community, and 50 years since the
Ahwa church was established. The
festivities climaxed with the congregation
and musicians marching three miles to the
Bhurra River for a baptismal service for
203 new members.
Both at Saraiya and Ahwa the local
pastors officiated, baptizing the new
members into the Church of North India
and using the traditional rites of the
Brethren. At Ahwa, the CNI bishop of
Nasik, D.J. Vairagar, admitted the newly
baptized into the communicant member-
ship of the church with the laying on of
hands and prayer.
Netrang, in the Rajpipla area of Gu-
jarat state, is a former Church of the
Brethren congregation that baptized 124
new members last year. Today the CNI
church is served by Amersingh Rajwadi
(see page 2), whose parishioners are scat-
tered in 50 villages that he reaches by
bicycle or bus. He is assisted by three
evangelists — one of them Ramish Chandra
Vasand, a missionary sent out by the
Bulsar congregation.
An at least two states in India, baptism
may be more the occasion for suffering
than celebration, for the laws in these
states forbid conversion. In isolated in-
stances, pictures of a baptismal candidate
about to be immersed have been introduc-
ed in court as evidence of physical coer-
cion. Promises of peace in one's heart or
of eternal life have been termed in-
ducements. To avert such accusations, the
church in some sectors of India gives
scant attention to statistics on growth or
records of membership.
On a wider scale, the India government
has made virtually impossible the entrance
into the country of new missionary per-
sonnel on a long-time basis. Of the 107
expatriate workers related to the Church
of North India, most have been there for
long terms of service. In the next decade a
vast proportion will retire. Laura Sewell,
the lone Church of the Brethren mis-
sionary in India, is due to complete more
than 35 years of service and retire at the
end of 1984.
The declining presence of missionaries is
not all loss, however. The Church of
North India has solid leadership at all
levels. What fewer missionaries and
diminishing investment from abroad
means, in the view of CNI general
secretary Pritam R. Santram, is that the
work will still get done, but it will take
the India church longer to do it.
While such rural churches as Vyara and
Under renovalion . . . original church building at Bulsar.
Ahmedabad's new egg-shaped church under construction.
Paul Chauhan, bishop of CNI's Gujarat Diocese.
Ishwartat Chrislachari, retired bishop of Gujarat.
14 MESSENGER October 1983
Ahwa and Netrang exhibit amazing vitali-
ty, the top leadership of the Church of
North India is deeply concerned about the
condition of rural churches in general.
One of the chief priorities of the CNI
for the next several years is the recruit-
ment of pastors for the rural congrega-
tions.
o.
'ther key concerns before the Church
of North India include:
Evangelism. Whirlwind evangelistic
campaigns contribute Uttle to helping the
church in India expand and mature. To
the contrary, mass crusades disrupt a
sense of community and foster distrust
and alienation. The Church of North In-
dia is laboring hard to define evangelism
as more than counting heads; it seeks to
relate evangelism to the whole of life and
to prophetic witness.
Institutions. The crisis of India's
medical, educational, agricultural, and
service institutions is not unlike that faced
by church-related institutions in the
United States. Namely, who is to benefit
from them — the poor and disadvantaged,
for whom most of the institutions were
created, or the middle and upper classes,
who can afford the fees that are essential
to sustain the operation? Is Christian
distinctiveness, Christian mission, a goal
to be maintained?
Property. Given the scarcity of land to
purchase in India, and the hunger for it,
the issue of who controls property is an
explosive one. As missionary societies
withdrew, they turned over sometimes
vast amounts of property but with the
legal implications left unclear. The laws
tend to favor squatters or long-time oc-
cupants over owners. When matters go to
court, the process may drag on not just
for years but for decades. There is a sense
in which law officials benefit from seeing
that matters do not get resolved.
Pluralism. With Christianity being em-
braced by only two or three percent of In-
dia's people, the relation of the Christian
faith to other religious expressions, old
and new, is a sensitive and complex mat-
ter. While the earliest missionaries saw
mission as a conquest of India for Christ,
the emerging attitude today calls for
dialog with other faiths — to make Christ
known through creative interaction.
Worship. A new song is emerging
among Christians in India, an Indian
song, augmenting the music and worship
forms transported from abroad. More in
the villages than in the cities, folk art, in-
digenous instruments, and interpretive
dance are being incorporated as contem-
porary expressions of worship.
When it comes to nurturing the faith
community and equipping the people of
God for ministry, for this writer one
celebrative experience in the Church of
Church of North India's new headquarters in Delhi.
I! M '! I'
Chapel in CNI headquarters building.
Laura Sewell, Pritam Santram, Bishop Gorai of CNI.
Worshipers at one of the outposts of Netrang church.
October 1983 messenger 15
North India stands out.
At Agaswan, a 50-year old congregation
in the Gujarat Diocese, 350 worshipers
gathered from miles around for an eve-
ning love feast. The service was conducted
in part under a canopy adjacent to the
church and in part under the stars.
As the overseas visitors arrived, so too
did a bullock cart hauling barrels of water
from the river. Men tended the fellowship
meal being cooked over an open fire. The
young pastor, Thakore Bhagat, a recent
graduate of Gujarat United School of
Theology, had been ordained only a
month before by Paul Chauhan, the
bishop of Gujarat, with Glen Campbell
assisting (see page 3); this love feast ser-
vice was the first Thakore had led.
To join the congregation in feetwashing
by the light of the moon; to see the
members seated on the ground in long rows
at three sides of the canopy, partaking of
the fellowship meal of rice and dhal;
to observe Thakore Bhagat and Navelki-
shore Rajwadi (a neighboring pastor)
break the chappati bread and offer the
cup of raisin wine to each communicant;
to ponder the congregation's statement of
history and mission especially prepared
for the occasion; to hear the youth choir
play and sing spontaneously long after the
benediction . . . these images are indelible
enough to last a lifetime.
LJome days earlier in Delhi, at a meeting
of the CNI executive committee, we had
learned that the Brethren-style feet-
washing, love feast, and communion ser-
vice are becoming known and practiced in
CNI congregations and dioceses far from
where the Brethren have ever been. What
a gift — if the celebration at Agaswan is
any measure — of what the love feast may
come to mean more widely in the Church
of North India.
But I hasten to add how enriched the
Church of the Brethren is, in turn, by the
gifts of Indian Christians. The primacy
given to /^rrcrpersonal communication, the
evident spirituality of the bishops and the
pastors in the CNI, the sense of inward-
ness and interconnectedness of the laity,
the expression of patience and hope by
persons who could be embittered — these
in part are their legacy to us.
After centuries of heavy cultural im-
plantation from Europe, Canada, and the
United States, the church of India is mov-
ing into its own. The missionary engage-
ment goes on, in fresh and compelling
ways, under Indian leadership.
Our task and the task of the church in
India is to build the partnership, to in-
crease interaction, to mutally correct and
uphold one another, without creating a
dependency on either side. D
Howard E. Rover is director of tnierpreiation on
the Communications/Stewardship Team.
Among 350 worshipers at Agaswan love feasl.
Partaking of the fellowship meal of rice and dhal.
Pastor Thakore Bhagat distributing chappati bread.
Indelible memories . . . love feast in the CSI.
16 MESSENGER October 1983
A,
■ gricultural improvement and eco-
nomic uplift programs iiave been an in-
tegral part of the mission of the church in
India almost from the beginning. They are
strategic ways of reaching the 80 percent
of India's population who live in the rural
villages and who are dependent on
agriculture for their livelihood.
One of the most enterprising ventures in
village development has been the Rural
Service Center (RSC), a program the
Church of the Brethren helped launch in
the early 1950s. While its projects focus
largely on Anklesvar and surrounding part
of the Broach District in Gujarat State, its
impact has been far-reaching throughout
India and beyond.
Among the current innovative programs
of the Rural Service Center is the con-
struction of biogas systems for converting
animal and agricultural wastes into
methane for cooking and power. Some
150 plants have been installed to serve
single homes in a dozen villages. Con-
struction is to begin soon on an installa-
tion to serve multiple homes or a small
neighborhood — a first for the center.
Gobar or biogas plants have been
known in India for 40 years, but only
recently have they been regarded as a
significant energy source. The under-
ground system used by the Rural Service
Center and financed in most instances by
grants from the India Government, is less
expensive and requires less mechanical
engineering than previous models.
In further cooperation with the Indian
Government, the Rural Service Center has
conducted several training programs for
masons and supervisors from throughout
the region, instructing them how to build
the biogas plants.
Another activity in cooperation with
government is reforestation, using
marginal or unused land to grow eucalyp-
tus trees for fuel, wood pulp, and lumber.
Rural
Service
Center
The goal is to develop not
only the land but the people
by Lila McCray and
Howard E. Royer
RSC director Idrak B. Dirt, right, and colleagues check out a plot of millet.
October 1983 messenger 17
Besides "energy plantations," as the
acreage is called, railway right-of-ways
and the ditches along public roads also
are being planted. The seedlings are pro-
vided by state-operated nurseries.
In 1982 the Rural Service Center
assisted farmers in planting 20,000
eucalyptus trees, 1,000 bamboo and other
types of trees, 400 fruit trees, and 50 acres
of banana trees. Far beyond the yield of
fruit or timber, widescale forestry
enhances the climatic conditions of the
region and the socioeconomic life of the
community.
B<
'oth the biogas and reforestation pro-
grams draw on simple technology to ad-
dress domestic energy needs. The RSC is
at home in applying resources on such a
scale; appropriate technology has been the
watchword all along.
For example, in deploying the workers
it has trained to conduct village develop-
ment projects, the center locates them in
the village they are to serve. There the
staff not only teach in structured settings
but demonstrate in daily living more
thoughtful approaches to sanitation, diet,
land and energy use.
In public health, the workers (called
gram sevaks) give foremost attention to
preventive care. They help villagers build
latrines and construct smokeless chulas or
stoves. They provide immunization against
contagious diseases. They offer help in
family planning. At one time they enabled
300 leprosy patients to be treated in their
homes through the use of DDS tablets.
In addition, the village workers help
care for
— exhibits and demonstration farming
carried out in conjunction with churches
of Gujarat,
— the introduction of high-quality seeds
and multiple cropping patterns,
— the selection of fertilizers based on
specific soil and water sampling, and
— land leveling and the building of
check dams to control erosion, conserve
water, and enable irrigation for multiple
crop farming.
The Rural Service Center also assists the
disadvantaged in buying cattle with the
aid of government subsidy and in forming
cooperatives to solve problems of
marketing.
X,
Lhe Rural Service Center's 17-member
staff is directed by Idrak B. Din, who
holds a master's degree in agriculture and
who has engaged in agricultural research.
He and his wife, Rachel, are committed
Christians concerned about social justice.
They welcome the opportunity to work
with the church in addressing ways of
identifying with the poor and landless.
The Dins are concerned particularly
about the division of Indian society into
two groups, one with access to resources
and another without access to resources.
Director Din ai Anklesvar office of RSC.
Din, left, with officials at eucalyptus nursery.
Maniben S. Bhagai . . . village worker at Limet
The Vasavas of Limet . . . resourceful farm family.
18 MESSENGER October 1983
The former can afford to invest in pro-
duction; in the process they become
richer. The poor cannot participate in this
way, and their productivity remains low.
The consequence is that the gap between
rich and poor, urban and rural, educated
and uneducated, widens.
Though the Rural Service Center works
through pastors and other community lead-
ers, its program aims to serve villagers with-
out regard to creed or caste. The program
has insisted that, so far as possible, the per-
sons receiving help pay for services received.
T.
Lhe autonomous board of the center
relates to two overseas churches, the
Church of the Brethren and the Irish
Presbyterian Church, both of which pro-
vide support, and from time to time to
other church-related agencies. Beyond an
annual grant of $10,000, the the Brethren
this past year made possible the purchase
of a new diesel jeep for the center.
Missionary Laura Sewell represents the
Church of the Brethren General Board on
the RSC Executive Committee. Shantilal
P. Bhagat of the General Board staff was
the center's first director, for 13 years.
Other Brethren especially remembered for
their contributions to the center are the
late George Mason, agronomist and
former director; Leonard and Betty
Blickenstaff, doctor and nurse; and
Kathryn Kiracofe, adult literacy teacher.
Out of their own rural background in
America, many of the Church of the Breth-
ren missionaries brought to India not only a
concern for but skills in rural development.
Interestingly, their early endeavors coin-
cided with the program of village
reconstruction being emphasized by
Mahatma Gandhi, himself a native of Gu-
jarat State.
A forerunner to the Rural Service
Center was the Anklesvar Training School
opened in 1924. Later known as Voca-
tional Training College, the institution
stressed practical education in agriculture
from its inception. Its founder, l.W.
Moomaw, went on to head Agricultural
Missions, enabling him to apply globally
and ecumenically the creative pioneering
of the Anklesvar Vocational College.
The upgrading of social and economic
life in India's rural areas has not come
readily nor without faltering. Yet through
the pioneering work of the Rural Service
Center in soil conservation, public health,
animal husbandry, social forestry, ap-
propriate technologies, family planning,
and vocational guidance, development has
occurred; strides have come about in
wholeness and productivity.
For more than 30 years the Rural Ser-
vice Center has pioneered in transforming
not only land and systems but people.
Ultimately, that is what development is all
about. D
Lila McCray, a former India missionary, was, until
July, a member of the Stewardship Unit of the Com-
munication/Stewardship Team. Howard E. Rover is
director of interpretation on that team.
m-:
::*>^>"f5
- ' •-
Davji Rajwadi . . . on RSC's soil conservation team.
Last year the center leveled land for 54 farmers.
Installation for converting wastes into methane.
Biogas systems revolutionize cooking in homes.
October 1983 messenger 19
Other
ministries
Women's involvement
Chronicling the Church History of Gujarat, writer Robin
Boyd cited as one of the distinguishing features of the
Brethren in India the partnership of husband and wife in
leadership. "In speaking of the Church of the Brethren," he
noted, "it is natural to name couples who made outstanding
contributions to the life of the church — Dr. and Mrs. P.O.
Bhagat, Dr. and Mrs. G.K. Satvedi, the Rev. and Mrs.
Navanji Solanki, Mr. and Mrs. J.B. Solomon.
At the same time, women's activities flourished and still do
under the CNI. Sharda Solanky, of the Bulsar church, is the
synod or national president for the CNI Women's Fellowship.
Laura Sewell is national secretary. Rachel Din, of the
Anklesvar church, heads the work in Gujarat Diocese.
While the Church of North India voted in 1977 to ordain
women, as yet none have been called. Rachel Din hopes to
change that; she is studying and looking forward to
becoming a minister in the united church.
Sharda Solanky of Bulsar . . . heads CNI women.
Rachel Din of Anklesvar . . . an eye toward ministry.
Tracts and books
Translation into Gujarati and publication of The Upper
Room is among the projects of the Gujarat Tract and Book
Society. Translated by Jayavanti Chauhan, an editor and
writer, the devotional guide goes to 4,000 homes.
Periodicals and books for women and children are also
produced by the society. The Church of the Brethren
General Board assisted with funding for the first two titles
in a series of full-color books for 12-year-olds and older.
One of the titles is The Life of Jesus Christ, dealing with
parables and miracles. Eight more books are projected, in-
cluding titles on the resurrection and passion of Jesus and
the story of David.
The Book and Tract Society was formed in 1852
representing various missions. Since 1970 it has maintained a
large bookshop and literature center in Ahmedabad. Dr.
Hamilton Satvedi is secretary of the organization. The
General Board contributes regularly to the society's work.
Jayavanti Chauhan of Ahmedabad . . . editor and writer.
Core staff of Gujarat Book and Tract Society.
20 MESSENGER October 1983
Literature
From the beginning of missions in India, there has been a
critical need for adult literacy and for reading matter in the
language of the people. In earlier years, very few of the
village folks could read or write; even today only 3 out of
10 Indians are literate.
Through the years Anna Warstler, Lillian Grisso, Kathryn
Kiracofe, and Laura Sewell have given leadership in writing,
translating, publishing, and distributing resources for
pastors, women, children, and youth. Many Indian Chris-
tians also have given leadership to the task.
Laura Sewell continues this essential ministry by
translating Bible studies, family devotional guides, and
World Day of Prayer services into Gujarati. She also copy-
edits the manuscripts of Indian writers, manages a Christian
supply store for the Gujarat Diocese of the Church of North
India, oversees a free library for the Bulsar community, and
catalogs books for various training institutions.
Laura Sewell . . . translator, publisher, librarian.
Bible studies in four of CNI's nine languages.
Theological training
For 40 years the Gujarat United School of Theology
(GUST) has been the prime training center for Gujarati-
speaking pastors. Students of Anglican, Brethren, Presby-
terian, and Methodist background have lived and studied
together under some of India's most noted church leaders.
In 1953, GUST moved from Methodist premises in
Baroda to a former Presbyterian campus, Stevenson Col-
lege, at Ahmedabad. The school, the Bible Society House,
the Gujarat Book and Tract Society, the office and
residence of the Bishop of Gujarat, and church being con-
structed for the local Church of North India congregation
all occupy adjacent sites.
According to GUST acting principal J.G. Crispal, two of
the most urgent needs are to enlist more young persons in
training for pastoral leadership and to involve more laity in
theological study. Pastoral recruitment is at the top of
priorities for the Church of North India.
Bishop J. G. Crispal . . . GUST acting principal.
On campus at Gujarat United School of Theology.
October 1983 messenger 21
India
Q&A
by Lila McCray
When did the Brethren first send missionaries to India?
In 1894 Wilbur B. Stover, Mary Emmert Stover, and
Bertha Ryan went to India to begin evangelistic and teaching
ministries just north of Bombay. Since that time more than
150 persons from the Church of the Brethren in America
have served in India.
Why did the Church of the Brethren in India join with
five other denominations in 1970 to become the Church of
North India?
The Christians of India make up only 2.6 percent of the
population. In 1970 the Brethren had only 9,000 members in
a country with a population of over 650,000,000. The
Brethren and other Christians felt a need for a more united
witness in India.
Why are we not sending more missionaries to India?
Does the Church of North India want them?
The Church of North India would be happy to have
some additional leaders from Western countries to work
with them, but the government of India at this time refuses
to grant visas to missionaries from the United States. There
are now many Indian Christians who are doing evangelistic
mission work in their own country.
Do other religions in India bring pressure on the govern-
ment to keep out Christian missionaries from abroad?
Since 85 percent of the people in India are followers of
Hinduism and 1 1 percent are Muslim, there certainly is that
possibility. There are also public officials in India who resist
any outside influence on their culture.
Is the church growing in India?
It is for certain in some areas. Over 200 people were
baptized in one service last Christmas at the Ahwa church
and 34 were baptized last April near the village of Saraiya.
The concern of many church leaders is providing ongoing
Christian teachings to help the new Christians become
mature in their faith.
Have the former members of the Church of the Brethren
integrated well into the Church of North India?
The vast majority of former Brethren— 80 to 90 percent —
have identified with the Church of North India. Many
pastors and some lay men and women hold positions of
prominence in the united church. An estimated 10 to 20 per-
cent of the former Brethren are not supportive of the CNI.
What are the reasons for some former Brethren not fully
integrating into the Church of North India?
The reasons are complex. It is my understanding that
some do not like the structure of the Church of North
India. They prefer to have districts rather than dioceses.
There also is much concern about property and positions of
leadership. Other concerns have to do with schooling and
medical help and a desire to receive direct support from out-
side India.
For people who have not lived and worked in India, the
situation is most difficult to understand.
Is anything being done to reconcile the Church of North
India members in the former Brethren area and the dis-
affected group?
Yes, at the invitation of the Church of North India, Bet-
ty and Glen Campbell (see page 3) were in India for the first
three months of this year. They visited in over a thousand
homes at more than a hundred locations, working at recon-
ciliation. Upon their return they shared this insight: "Recon-
ciliation and healing will never come from without, but only
as God's Spirit works within the lives and hearts of those
who are separated from each other."
Periodic overtures have been made by CNI officials to
hear grievances and to mediate disputes over leadership and
property matters.
How is the Church of the Brethren in America involved
in the Church of North India?
We contribute financial resources, prayer support, and
personnel. We work as a partner with the Church of North
India and its ministries. Laura Sewell, Church of the
Brethren missionary, serves on the CNI executive committee
and gives valuable leadership to the Women's Fellowship
and to literature production. Periodic visits are made by
General Board personnel to India and by CNI leaders to the
Church of the Brethren in the USA.
Given the current political climate of India, what is the
potential for the growth of Christianity?
Some persons in India are afraid to become Christians
for fear of being ostracized by their family or community.
Still, the spread of Christianity has never been stopped by
political climate or persecution.
This is a time of testing for the Christians in India as it
is in much of the world. Without adequate ongoing
teaching, some may not be able to remain true to their
Christian faith.
Neither the church in India nor the church anywhere else
in the world can ever be destroyed from without. The
church can only be destroyed from within when members
fight among themselves rather than share the good news of
God's love with those around them. D
Lita McCray, a former India missionary, was. unlit July, a member of
the Stewardship Unit of the Communication Stewardship team. .
22 MESSENGER October 1983
m%@mmi
DEATH
PENALTY
The good news is that many nations have
abolished capital punishment in recent
years, and the United Nations has urged
all its members to do so.
The bad news is that our own country
still kills criminals. Over 1,200 people
presently are awaiting execution. Many
are coming to the end of their appeals
process, signaling the likelihood of more
frequent executions in the future. The
USA remains in the company of South
Africa and the Soviet Union as the only
industrialized nations still practicing
capital punishment.
Since last May, we two Brethren have
been working for the National Coalition
Against the Death Penalty as its first
regular staff. We continue our previous
involvement with the Death Row Support
Project and Brethren Criminal Justice.
This work has put us in touch with
most of the organizations active in work
against the death penalty.
Ecumenical effort
The National Coalition Against the Death
Penahy (1501 Cherry St., Philadelphia,
PA 19102. Tel 215-241-7118) is an infor-
mation and resource center for persons
and groups working to stop executions
and to abohsh the death penalty. Over 50
organizations are members of the coali-
tion, including church denominations, na-
tional organizations, and state death
penalty coalitions. Its publications,
available from the above address, include:
Lifelines— & monthly newsletter, the on-
ly comprehensive newsletter on the death
penalty that has a national scope.
Subscriptions are $10 a year.
Organizing Against the Death Penalty:
A Handbook — a looseleaf manual for
beginners and experienced organizers, in-
cluding more than 30 articles on subjects
ranging from lobbying and lawyer recruit-
ment to lethal injection. It is available this
month (price not yet determined).
Organizations Working Against the
Death Penalty — diU updated list of all
known national, state, and local groups
working against the death penalty.
Brethren who want to find avenues for
involvement in this concern should write
for this list to locate their own state or
local group.
Other Resources
The following resources may also be
ordered from the National Coalition
Against the Death Penalty:
Capital Punishment: What the Religious
Community Soys— compiled and pub-
lished by the National Interreligious Task
Force on Criminal Justice. Its 43 pages in-
clude statements of many religious groups
on the issue of capital punishment.
The Death Penalty in America, edited
by Hugo Bedau. Third edition, Oxford
Press, 1982 — excerpts from major death
penalty cases, empirical investigations,
and research data on all the controversial
issues in this area; a major work on the
subject; 424 pages; hardcover; $5.
Slow Coming Dark: Interviews on
Death Row, by Doug Magee, Pilgrim
Press, 1980 — interviews with 12 people on
death row, with a chapter on the
historical perspective; 181 pages; hard-
cover; $5.
Death as a Penalty: A Moral, Practical,
and Theological Discussion, by Howard
Zehr, 1983 — an excellent new booklet
covering the major arguments for and
against the death penalty, and presenting
a good Old and New Testament perspec-
tive. Single copies free.
A poster, showing a hand ready to
throw a stone, and the text, "Jesus was
once asked for his support of the death
penalty. His reply: 'Let one who is
without sin cast the first stone.'" Single
copies free.
Two groups that help
Amnesty International USA (304 West
58th St., New York, NY 10019. Tel.
212-582-4440) has made the death penalty
a major priority and program focus. Most
of AI/ USA's 360 adoption groups in the
USA have people designated as death
penalty coordinators.
Fellowship of Reconciliation (Box 271,
Nyack, NY 10960. Tel. 914-358-4601) has
been centrally involved in death penalty
work. It stocks a long list of resources, in-
cluding:
People Are not for Killing — 20-m'inuie
slide show with tape; good for small
groups or good sound systems. Best
audiovisual now available. Rental $10;
purchase $50.
Especially for Brethren
Brethren Criminal Justice (c/o Bob
Gross, 1501 Cherry St., Philadelphia, PA
19102. Tel. 215-241-7118) is a volunteer
ministry within the Church of the
Brethren that provides a range of
resources (available at our address), in-
cluding:
Death Penalty Packet for Brethren — the
best comprehensive, introductory
resource, especially for Brethren. It in-
cludes theological, social, factual, per-
sonal, and Brethren perspectives on the
death penalty, with suggestions for in-
volvement and further resources. $2.
Death Row Support Project (c/o
Rachel Gross, 1501 Cherry St.,
Philadelphia, PA 19102. Tel.
215-241-71 18) is a Brethren-sponsored
ministry of correspondence with people on
death row. It has been a rich experience
for many who have participated, both in-
side the walls and outside. Write to ask
for a correspondent or for more informa-
tion.—Bob AND Rachel Gross
Bob and Rachel Gross are a Brethren husband-and-
wife-team working for criminal Justice in cooperation
with the Church of the Brethren Washington Office.
October 1983 messenger 23
On God's use of the unacceptable, and
Lauree Hersch Meyer
Transforming our
unacceptability
Our amendment vote on the Human Sex-
uality paper at Annual Conference
(September, page 14) was so close we
counted carefully as the church removed
the phrase saying we are not of one mind
regarding the lifestyle option that
To hold in respect and fellowship those in
the church with whom we agree or disagree
is a characteristic of the Church of the
Brethren. It is to the continuation of this
value, and to an open and probing forum,
that "Opinions" are invited from readers.
homosexuals live in covenantal relation-
ships. We now say the church finds
homosexual covenantal relationships unac-
ceptable.
Unacceptable.
That is a hard word. Yet it is an impor-
tant word in this paper. I have tried to
understand both what we may and what
we may not mean with its use.
My earliest memory recalling the pain
of this word occurred during World War
II, when I was a little girl. Dad was a
dairy farmer. Farmers were asked to milk
their cows three rather than two times a
day to increase the nation's milk produc-
tion. (Dairy farmers and nursing mothers
understand that.) I struggled with our
decision to comply since I knew Brethren
participation in whatever contributed to
war was "unacceptable."
It is unacceptable that Brethren drink
alcohol. Yet we do. And until the late
1800s it was not unacceptable, but was the
accepted practice.
It is unacceptable that Brethren smoke.
Yet we do. We also raise tobacco as a
cash crop.
Women as ministers were unacceptable
when Sarah Major's evangeUstic preaching
moved thousands of Brethren. Today it is
acceptable that women be ministers. Even
so, the church is not of one mind.
Premarital and extramarital sexual rela-
tions as well as inappropriate use of sex
within marriage in addition to homosexual
convenantal relations are, if we read the
Human Sexuality paper carefully, unac-
ceptable.
What is and what is not acceptable in a
faith community is important. It
sometimes changes. At other times we
decide how to live with what is unaccept-
IN STRAW AND STORY, Revised Edmon
by Joyce Erickson
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recipes, patterns for handcrafted gifts and decorations, and traditions
for use in Christ-centered Christmas celebrations.
"If your community takes Advent seriously, this book is a
must. It provides all the makin's for a special extended
family feast. Some churches have a 'hanging of the
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At your local bookstore or order new from;
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1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin. IL 60120
Phone Toll Free 1-800-323-8039
24 MESSENGER October 1983
our use of the Bible
able. Brethren, like Paul and centuries of
Christians before us, know we are not
saved by compliance with what even the
faith community finds acceptable. We are
saved by God's ever-new incarnate
presence and Holy Spirit among us. By
grace we are transformed to receive and
be a blessing where we had felt ourselves
guilty, judged, condemned, cast out by
the community and God — or accusing,
vindictive, judgmental in God's and the
community's name.
G.
'od responds marvelously to what is
unacceptable. God responds not to con-
demn but to re-create. In Genesis 3, it was
unacceptable that Eve and Adam eat the
forbidden fruit. God found and redeemed
them. God did not undo the effects of
what they had done. But they were
transformed from guilty garden outcasts
to stewards of God's creation. They were
set in the world as "the mother of all liv-
ing" and one whose sweat and labor
would feed and nurture the living.
Throughout scripture, God's response
to our unacceptable attitudes and
behavior is re-creation. The harder things
got, the more God participated in the
human condition. Finally, God became
human in Jesus Christ.
Even so, we Christians all do unaccep-
table things. We also disagree as to what
is acceptable. Both experiences rend the
fabric of communal love and covenant.
The church suffers, congregations suffer,
families suffer, persons suffer.
But the church — members of the body
of Christ committed to spread abroad
God's saving presence in all crea-
tion—knows what /5 acceptable. We see
and know what is acceptable in witness-
ing, receiving, and participating in God's
response to the unacceptable. However
painful, costly, and short of embodying
our confessions is our life together, it is
acceptable and indeed good that Brethren
go with God into unacceptable situations
and to persons who do unacceptable
things. For God has, from the beginning
of human memory and choice, entered in-
to and dwelt among us in our unaccept-
able places, behavior and attitudes.
We deeply desire to return to or restore
the garden, to go back to how we believe
things were before pain, chaos, crisis, "the
fall." But from the beginning, God
responds to what is unacceptable by
transforming rather than restoring.
Biblical ethics therefore looks forward to
God's new creation rather than back to
our lost treasure when God's people find
themselves in the midst of what is unac-
ceptable. Whether from Genesis 3, Israel's
exile, or Jesus' crucifixion, we know God
brings salvation into our chaos, making
things new, when we confess that the old
we treasured has passed away and we
dwell in unacceptable territory.
Who can fail to love and magnify the
Lord who saves creation by re-creation in
the face of overwhelming human unaccep-
tabilities — even in betrayal, denial, and
death? Blessed be God whose unspeakable
compassion is pleased to dwell in our
midst, transforming our
unacceptability. D
Lauree Hersch Meyer leaches biblical theology at
Bethany Theological Seminary.
Bruce Wood
Unwrapping
the Bible
The June editorial, "The Bible Wrapped
in Cellophane," referred to a 20-minute
multi-image slide presentation at the
Christian Science Center in Boston. The
editor reported how the slide presentation
opened up understanding for him, so that
"the Word was a lamp unto my feet, not
a rule book that I couldn't read in the
dark." Then a few days later, back at his
office, he received mail concerning a
"Year of the Bible," with suggestions
for observing it from "an apparently self-
appointed National Committee."
1 also have some serious questions
about a joint resolution of Congress and a
proclamation of the President calling for a
national year of the Bible or of the Koran
or of the Hindu Vedas or any other
sacred writings. The variety of religions in
our country is too great to make any
(Continued on page 27)
Keys
Village
a developing retirement
community of individual
cottages on the campus of
The Brethren Home at
New Oxford, Penn-
sylvania
• 10 models from $24,900
• only 2 hours from
Philadelphia and D.C.
• 15 minutes from Get-
tysburg
• 12 Church of the
Brethren Congrega-
tions nearby
e activities program
• free transportation
• nite-time security
• meals, housecleaning
and nursing service
available at modest
costs
• truly independent
living
• with the assurance of
nursing care when
needed
• freedom from
household chores
"move in now while
you can still enjoy it''
Harvey S. Kline,
Administrator
For more information
contact:
Milton E. Raup,
The Brethren Home
Box 128
New Oxford, PA 17350
(717)624-2161
October 1983 messenger 25
immn(oj pmM,^,
Licensing/
Ordination
Davis, F. Mikel, licensed March
22, 1983, Donnels Creek, So.
Ohio
Dubble, Carol Cave, licensed
June 26, 1983, Big Swatara,
Atl. N.E.
Hironimus, Bertha, licensed
June 12, 1983, Ligonier,
Western Pa.
Shoemaker, Timothy, licensed
June 26, 1983, Eaton, So.
Ohio
Smith, Shyrl Reynolds, or-
dained June 19, 1983, South
Fork, Shenandoah
Wilson, James Michael, li-
censed June 19, 1983, Liber-
ty, 111. /Wis.
Pastoral
Placements
Bowser, Mark B., from Fellow-
ship Mid-Atl., to Mathias,
Shenandoah
Brumbaugh, Lillian, to Denton,
Mid-Atl., part-time
Carter, Phyllis N., from District
Executive, Fla./P.R., to
Goshen City, No. Ind.
Freeman, Wendell, from other
denomination, to Knob
Creek, Southeastern
Click, J. D., from Troy, So.
Ohio, to Harrisonburg,
Shenandoah
Gohn, Greg, to Middle Creek,
Western Pa.
Groth, John F., from Yellow
Creek, No. Ind., to Western-
port, West Marva
Long, John D., from Meadow
Branch, Mid-Atl., to York,
First, Southern Pa.
Morphew, Timothy K. S., from
Bethany Seminary, to West
Charleston, So. Ohio
Anniversaries
Anstine, William A. and
Florence, Hartville, Ohio, 61
Baker, Clair and Orpha, Curry^
ville. Pa., 60
Brumbaugh, Eli and Emma W
Martinsburg, Pa. 52
Brumbaugh, Raymond and Ber.
della, Hartville, Ohio, 57
Burket, Herman and Mae, Mar
tinsburg. Pa., 50
Burket, Wilson and Freda R.
Martinsburg, Pa., 57
Clapper, Ralph and Mary K.
Martinsburg, Pa., 5!
Dunlap, Percy and Rosetta,
Phoenixville, Pa., 60
Fake, Sylvester and Esther,
Bethel, Pa., 50
Gebhardi, Harvey and Anne,
Oaks, Pa., 59
Hartman, Galen and Dorothy,
Annville, Pa., 50
Hendricks, Herald H. and Vera
M., Adrian, Mich., 65
Holsinger, Paul and Helen S.,
Martinsburg, Pa., 58
Kagarise, I. Harvey and Alice
S., Martinsburg, Pa., 57
Knox, Charles and Esther, Port
Providence, Pa., 59
Myers, Roy and Alverna, Hart-
ville, Ohio, 61
Pelry, Earl and Lizzy, West
Manchester, Ohio, 70
Smith, Robert and Helen,
Oaks, Pa., 59
Swinehart, Edgar and Dorothy,
Ashland, Ohio, 60
Wareham, Irvin and Esther F.,
Roaring Spring, Pa., 60
Deaths
Armanlrout, Rea, 55, Modesto,
Calif., Sept. 13, 1982
Auchterman, Genevieve, 80
Hollidaysburg, Pa., June 13
1983
Baker, Herbert, 57, Goshen
Ind., May 27, 1983
Beeler, Trix, 85, Parsons, Kan.
May 9, 1983'
Bennington, Leroy, 73, Wash.
bum. III., April 14, 1983
Bernhard, Howard W., 72,
Lancaster, Pa., Feb. 27, 1983
Burnidge, Luella Z., 72, Elgin
III., Aug. 4, 1983
Click, Sudie, 99, New Hope,
Va., Feb. 5, 1983
Crist, Daniel Floyd, 87, Quintet
Kan., Aug. 3, 1983
Evans, Elizabeth M., 81
Huntsdale, Pa., April 17
1983
Foltz, Orville M., 81, Hagers-
town, Md., Oct. 7, 1982
Hardman, Andrew, 81, Spar
land. III., Jan. 5, 1983
Hare, Joseph, 67, Lowpoint
III., Feb. 7, 1983
Henry, Helen, 67, Goshen,
Ind., June 6, 1983
Hicks, Grady W., 87, Boones
Mill, Va., Dec. 2, 1982
Holsinger, Clelus A., 86, New
Hope, Va., June 23, 1983
Howes, Vernon, 58, Copemish,
Mich., May 23, 1983
Knoll, Lloyd, 71. Lowpoint,
111., March 1, 1983
Knotis, Evelyn E., 65, West
-Manchester, Ohio, June 30,
1983
May, Leonore, 81, Breezewood,
Pa., July 14, 1983
Miller, Vola, 87, Wellman,
Iowa, June 25, 1983
Myers. Waldron D., 67, Lititz,
Pa., April 20, 1983
Niswander, Vertie E., 96, Cear-
foss, Md., Oct. 5, 1982
Reeves, Pearl, 93, Olympia,
Wash., June 23, 1983
Riley, Clyde, 68, Spring Grove,
Pa., May 19, 1983
Shuppert, Irene, 86, North
Liberty, Ind., June 16, 1983
Streem, KathrvTi Flora, 69,
Floral City, Fla., Feb. 9, 1983
Weesner, Geraldine, 58, Harris-
burg, Pa., July 21, 1983
Wersller. Chester A., 63,
Greentown, Ohio, April 1,
1983
Workman. Glen K., 74, Massil-
lon, Ohio, March 22. 1983
Zimmerman, Barbara, 87, Mar-
tinsburg, Pa., March 8, 1983
nt
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26 MESSENGER October 1983
(Continued from page 25)
proclamations about sacred literature
from any of the religions.
Even the word "Bible" has different
definitions, depending on who is using it.
When Jews speak of the Bible, they mean
a collection of 39 writings produced over
several hundred years and accepted as
authoritative for them. But the Christian
Bible includes those 39 books plus an ad-
ditional 27 that are also authoritative.
Some Christians go further and include 15
writings known as the Apocrypha.
Another problem with promoting the
Bible with this kind of campaign is that it
tends to encourage a simplistic, literalist
view of the Bible. This puts all the
writings in the Bible on the same level.
Thus, a person could supposedly open the
Bible and find appropriate guidance from
any verse.
There is much misunderstanding about
the origins of the writings in the Bible,
and how they were inspired, and how they
should be interpreted. Too often the Bible
is treated as some sacred idol, mysterious-
ly inspired and guaranteed to be literally
true in every detail. Many people who
revere the Bible know little about it. They
are easily captured by some authoritarian
preacher who insists God has specially
revealed to him the key to interpretation.
There are others, who, in ignorance of
modern Biblical scholarship, have relegated
the Bible to being an ancient writing which
seems outdated. The Year of the Bible will
probably only further alienate such people.
It is a thrill to see the Bible as a collection
of living writings by individuals who are
wrestling with understanding themselves
and their supreme being.
Let's not wrap the Bible in cellophane or
put it on a pedestal to worship. Let's un-
wrap it and study it with intelligence and
openness. Then we can learn from its in-
spired writings how to live and serve, using
our God-given minds and hearts to the best
of our ability. D
Bruce Wood retired at the end of July as pastor oj
the Coniniunttv Church of the Brethren, San Francisco.
Calif
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33857. Tel. (813) 655-2466 or 655-1733.
INVITATION -Attend Sunday worship 10 a.m.
in an active church, visit Brethren families, spend
a winter in mild climate, explore Southern attrac-
tions. Roanoke, LA is 1 mi. SW of exit 59 on
1-10, 30 mi. E of Lake Charles, LA. Mobile home
accom. avail. Contact: Pastor Lowell Ritchie, Rt.
1, Box 233, Roanoke, LA 70581. Tel. (318)
753-2545; or Glenn Harris, 1810 N. Cutting, Jen-
nings, LA 70546. Tel. (318) 824-2671.
FOR RENT— 1 and 2 room efficiencies. Senior
citizens. Across from Brethren church. Write or
call Paul W. Claypool, 319 Ibis Ave., Sebring, FL
33870. Tel. (813) 385-3107.
FOR SALE — Unique, rustic house in Orlando,
FL, in the heart of world's most visited tourist
center. Centrally located near airport, shopping
&• less than one block to Orlando Church of the
Brethren. Save $4,000 buying direct from seller.
Contact W. A. (Wip) Martin, 71 10 Coon Rd., No.
Ft. Myers, FL 33903. Tel. Home (813) 995-4302,
Church Office A.M. (813) 997-3488.
FOR SALE — "The Hagerstown Brethren" by
Cathy Simmons Huffman published in connec-
tion with Hagerstown, (Md.) Church of the
Brethren Centennial Year. Hard cover, over 200
pgs. many pictures. $12. plus $1. postage and
handling. Women's Work, c/o Mrs. Elizabeth
Arnett, Route 3, Box 2, Hagerstown, MD 21740.
REAL ESTATE SERVICE-We can sell your land
or commercial real estate in 30 days. Special ser-
vice for estate administrators/executors. We
operate in 6 states: Virginia, West Virginia, No.
& So. Carolina, Maryland 8- Penn. Member
Church of the Brethren. L.L. Jonas, Bland Land
Co., Harrisonburg, and Roanoke, Va. Write: Rt.
1, Box 666, Roanoke, VA 24012 or call (703)
977-6529.
SCHOOL-Scattergood School, West Branch,
lA 52358. Openings for students grades 9-12.
Approved co-educational Quaker college
preparatory boarding school; simple lifestyle.
Emphasis given to peace issues and social con-
cerns. Students, faculty together clean
buildings, do laundry, care for pigs and chickens,
work in orchard and garden, bake bread, and
cook meals. Small personal caring community
that promotes individual grov\rth. Write or call.
Tel. (319) 643-5636.
TRAVEL— Bible Land Seminar. Visit Greece,
Israel, Egypt. 11 days Mar. 28-Apr. 7, 1984. In-
cludes transportation from NY, first class hotels,
meals, sightseeing, dinner on Sea of Galilee. Bus
trip from Jerusalem to Cairo across Sinai Desert.
Write or call: Rev. Raymon &■ AnnaBelle Eller,
303 Kohser Ave., No. Manchester, IN 46962.
Tel. (219) 982-6541 or Arland & Ruth Reinhard,
Rt. 5, Bluffton, IN 46714. Tel. (219) 824-5800.
TRAVEL — Juniata College Tours. Bermuda
escape Nov. 11-14 Hamilton Princess from Phila.
$459. Caribbean Week Feb/ Mar, Orient & Japan
Feb/Mar/ April. Cruise the Arctic: June 14, 12
days from Southampton to Fjords, North Cape,
Copenhagen. Option to Greenland & Iceland.
Oberammergau & Passion Play 15 days to Ger-
many, Austria, Switzerland: $1498 land with all
meals. Aug. 17-8 days Bavaria & Salzburg with
Passion Play $798 land with all meals. Weimer-
Oller Travel, 405 Penn St., Huntingdon, PA
16652. Tel. (814) 643-1468.
TRAVEL- May 28- June 11, 1984. 350th An-
niversary presentation of Oberammergau Pas-
sion Play in Germany. Also Switzerland, Italy
with Rome, Austria, Liechtenstein. Includes air
and land travel, all lodging, 2 meals per day.
$2029 from Chicago. Registration $100 now due.
Contact Rev. John D. & Naomi Mishler, 168 E.
6th St., Peru, IN 46970. Tel (317) 473-7468.
TRAVEL — Grand tour of Europe with Ober-
ammergau Passion Play. June 4-25 and June
25- July 16, 1984. Scandinavia and Ober-
ammergau Passion Play July 16 — August 1. For
brochure and information write to J. Kenneth
Kreider, 1300 Sheaffer Road, Elizabethtown, PA
17022.
TRAVEL — Grand Tour/lsrael-Oberammer-
gau/Passion Play. 15 days - Aug. 1-15, 1984.
Tour price including tips and taxes reduced
$1889. Join us. Write to Wendell & Joan Bohrer,
POB 67, Middlebury, IN 46540. Tel. (219)
825-7381 or (219) 825-2955. Some places to be
visited: Amman /Galilee/ Jerusalem/ Bethlehem/
Dead Sea/Masada/Bethany/Garden Tomb/Vi-
enna/Salzburg /Oberammergau /Passion Play/
Liechtenstein /Lucerne/ Innsbruck.
TRAVEL — Germany, including Schwarzenau,
The Passion Play, and other historic locations.
To Israel and Egypt departing July 9, 1984. This
exceptionally good tour is being hosted by David
Yingiing, Pastor of Central Church, Roanoke and
Glenn E. Kinsel, Pastor of Antioch Church,
Rocky Mount, VA. Write to David A. Yingiing,
1827 Mt. Vernon Rd. SW, Roanoke, VA 24015.
WANTED- Pre-1945 records of the Kingsley,
Iowa, Church of the Brethren. Persons with in-
formation concerning the location of minutes of
church councils or or congregational business
meetings, church boards, commissions, or com-
mittees, membership records or records of other
church officers or organizations are asked to
contact James R. Lynch, Archivist, Brethren
Historical Library and Archives, 1451 Dundee
Ave., Elgin, IL 60120.
WANTED — Any person who has knowledge of
Brethren locating in the Washington, D.C. area,
please notify the Evangelism Commission of the
Flower Hill Church of the Brethren, 7412 Mun-
caster Mill Road, Gaithersburg, MD 20877.
WANTED — Persons interested in forming a net-
work to create an energy self-sufficient com-
munity in the South /Eastern Pennsylvania area.
Especially interested in those with building skills,
gardening know-how and commitment to
cooperative living. Write Roy A. Johnson, 8204
Jonnie Ln., Gaithersburg, MD 20879.
WANTED — Brethren Village is accepting ap-
plications for part-time (25-30 hrs. per week)
Director of Development. This key management
position is responsible for maintaining and
guiding the Village's program of gift cultivation
activities and fund-raising. Individuals wishing to
apply for this position may do so in confidence
by contacting Jacob H. Ruhl, Executive Direc-
tor, Brethren Village, P.O. Box 5093, Lancaster.
PA 17601. Tel. (717) 569-2657.
October 1983 messenger 27
From what spring will justice roll?
A writer in a recent issue of The New Yorker,
reflecting on the August 27 "March on Washing-
ton," asks, "What are the sources of fundamental
change in our society? From what spring will
justice roll down like water? That mighty stream
of righteousness — how do we find it?"
The writer goes on to answer his own question:
"Martin Luther King Jr., in his 'I Have a Dream'
speech, delivered at the Lincoln Memorial as the
climactic event of the 1963 March on Washington
... located that spring inside people: in their
hearts, or souls, or whatever the organ is called
that can override selfish calculation and act in-
stead on love."
I was at the March on Washington on August
27, braving the devastating summer heat to march
with 300,000 brothers and sisters down the Mall to
the Lincoln Memorial. Our Brethren contingent
found shade and a place to sit under the trees by
the Reflecting Pool. Although we were still so far
from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial that we
couldn't pick out the speakers there, the speeches
and songs were amplified skillfully so that one did
not sense a gap between and listener.
The setting reminded me of what it might have
been like to be among the "great crowds" follow-
ing Jesus to the Mount. The voices thundering
over the amplifiers sounded more like the Old
Testaments prophets in a dudgeon than Jesus
listing the Beatitudes, but the image still prevailed.
Like some folks who followed Jesus, I had not
thought to bring food and water. When thirst
became a major distraction, an old friend I hadn't
seen for some time came strolling up with a ther-
mos of cold water. When hunger began to gnaw, I
started to go look for food (right in the middle of
Jesse Jackson's speech). But another kind friend
thrust a bunch of grapes in my hand and then two
sandwich halves. I ate one and gave the other to
someone else. He broke it and gave half of his half
to another hungry soul.
At a Brethren picnic supper that evening in
Lafayette Park, we shared our food and drink
with passersby — drunk people, men spaced out on
drugs, people heading home from the march. In
another biblical reminder, the extra food was col-
lected in big plastic bags and taken to a
Washington soup kitchen to help feed the poor.
All day I felt caught up in a spirit of love, com-
passion, and what can only be conveyed by that
out-of-date word, "brotherhood." So why did I
leave Washington feeling a bit discouraged, like
we hadn't really "pulled it off?
The New Yorker writer hits the nail on the
head when he reminds us how Martin Luther King
Jr. succeeded in his cause by changing people's
hearts so that the civil rights developments of the
1960s were possible. Today those strides are part
of history, even taken for granted by many black
teenagers of today, ignorant of the price their
parents paid.
Competing with the mean-spirited world of the
1980s, compassion, such as Martin Luther King
Jr. could arouse, loses out.
"If all, or almost all, Americans are to have
jobs," says the writer, "if 30 million living in
poverty are to be given significant aid, if the
hungry are to be fed, then taxes must rise and the
standard of living for the rest of us must fall.
Either that, or there must be fundamental changes
in our economic system.
"Like St. Matthew's sorrowful rich man, even
those of us who are willing to follow all the Com-
mandments remain powerfully reluctant to part
with possessions."
To be courageous and hardworking is not
enough, the writer concludes. The champions of
the poor and oppressed whom I heard speak in
Washington were not the saints and giants needed
to "transform people's insides and draw out the
good in our souls."
M,
.y biblical allusions were getting uncomfort-
able. It was easy to sit in the shade on the Mall and
cheer and clap while speaker after speaker cried,
"Woe to those who are at ease in Zion,... the
notable men of the first of the nations." But I went
away from the Mall feeling sorrowful, because I
knew I was part of the problem: I am part of that
white middle-class majority that elects Presidents,
passes legislation, pays taxes, and dominates
America. I have great possessions ...and a reluc-
tance to part with them. — K.T.
28 MESSENGER October 1983
Herald Press:
Fall Shopping List
Great Gifts ■
For Conscience' Sake
Sol Sfucfcy s novel "recounts the
conscientious objection of three
generations of a Mennonite family
in Kansas. The sights and textures
of Kansas farmland are
interwoven with the struggles of
conscience faced by young men in
time of war. From a plow in the
sun-warmed soil of Kansas to the
jungles of the Pacific to the 60s
peace rally in Washington, D.C.,
you walk with father, son, and
grandson in the search for the way
of peace." — John Stoner, MCC
Peace Section
Paper $9.95
Festive Breads of
Christmas Norma Jost
Voth's newest treasury of old
traditions, recipes, and lore of the
Christmas season. Here are
recipes for Moravian Lovefeast
Buns, Alsatian Zopf, Hungarian
Walnut Roll, Ukranian Kolach,
and much more.
Paper $325
For Today's H
Families H
Experiencing More with
Less Meredith Sommers
Dregni wrote this guide tor
families and groups of all ages
interested in exploring the "life
standards" of the book. Living
More with Less, using simulations,
music, art, games, discussion,
practice, worship, and celebration.
Excellent for camp and retreat
settings, this book makes the
subject of responsible living
inviting and fun.
Paper $4.95
Cherishable: Love and
Marriage David
Augsburger's new trade
paperback edition of his classic
work which explores creative
relationships for marriage — wise
and warm steps to a lasting
relationship. It provides resources
to enrich any marriage, solve
problems, and determine whether
a marriage fails, is only bearable,
or becomes the relationship of a
lifetime.
Paper $4.95
When Caring Is Not
Enough David
Augsburger's fourth book in his
"Caring Enough " series.
Provides clearly defined skills for
fair fighting. Through the book
readers will grow in their
understandings of a just, fair, and
trustworthy relationship.
Paper $4.95
Dear Children Hattie
Larlham's remarkable story of
trial and triumph. "Sensitivity,
love, and toughness infuse this
autobiography by a Christian
nurse who started what is today
the Hattie Larlham Foundation, a
center providing 24- hour care for
severely disabled children.
Larlham shares a bit fi-om her own
childhood and young adulthood,
but her emphasis is on the
children themselves. A moving
glimpse into the life of a
remarkable woman and her
family." — Library; Journal
Hardcover $9.95
For Today's ■
Children H
Celebrate the Seasons
From the authors of Loaves and
Fishes, a charming gardening
book for children that invites them
to participate in God's bountiful
wonders. The book abounds with
clear, practical, step-by-step
information illustrated with
colorful children's art. Creative
"gifts from the garden" and
delicious recipes provide children
a chance to share the rewards of
their work with family, friends, or
their neighborhood food bank.
Paper $6.95
Winter Caboose Dorothy
Hamilton's latest juvenile novel is
a sequel to one of her first
books — The Blue Caboose. In this
story, we see Jody Bryant and his
mother reunited with the father
who abandoned them. In the
midst of a winter storm, Jody
realizes that his mother was fair
when she said Barney Bryant
deserved a chance to prove that
he wanted to be a part of the
family again.
Paper $3.50
The Shiny Dragon Esther
Vogt, award winning author of
Turkey Red and Harvest Gold
(David C. Cook), has a new
mystery/adventure book for 8-to-
12-year-olds. Through the
mystery of the shrouded mansion
and the shiny dragon that guards
the tower, children will learn
something about God's love and
care for little things, as well as big.
Paper $3.50
Amish Adventure An
automobile accident with an
Amish buggy sends 12-year-old
Ian MacDonald into the
bewildering world of the "Plain
People." He is confused by the
clothes that look about 200 years
out of date and the absence of
20th-century conveniences like
cars, electricity, and plumbing. But
as he gets to know the family, the
Benders, that he is staying with, he
comes to love and respect them.
Once again Barbara Smucker
has written a children's book that
will be loved by lO-to-14-year-
olds. From the award winning
author of Days of Terror.
Paper $6.50
Herald Press
Dept. MES
I
New Series for h
Junior High ■
Readers H
In Search of Liberty Ruth
Nulton Moore's new. epic novel
begins a new series for junior high
readers. In it we follow the travels
of a 1 794 liberty head penny
through two centuries in time and
across a continent as it brings
hope and a message of freedom
to the many young people that
own it. From a poor chimney
sweep in Philadelphia to a slave
boy whose parents have been sold
down river to a fugitive on the
underground railroad to a traveler
on the Oregon Trail to an Indian
escaping to Canada and freedom
to a Vietnamese refugee. Twelve-
to-fifteen-year-olds will find plenty
of excitement in this new book.
Paper $6.50
Acclaimed
Children's Bible
Story Series Now
with Workbooks
"Eve MacMaster's senes of story
books projected to be 'the
complete story of God and his
people as recorded in the Bible'
tells the stories with few
additions except histoncal and
geographical explanations, using
conversation when it is indicated
in the Scripture. She has
succeeded admirably, retelling
each story faithfully and
understandably. Action and
dialogue maintain interest
throughout." — Library Journal
Do you have a small
congregation looking for
nondated Sunday school
material? A house church or
fellowship seeking flexible Bible
studies for 7-to- 12-year-olds'
How about families wanting
worship aids that everyone can
enjoy, young and old? Or a
Christian school seeking a faithful
retelling of the Bible story without
additions or subtractions?
The Herald Story Bible Series
with the accompanying Activity
Books meet all these needs and
more!
Story Books:
God's Familii. paper, $5 95
God Rescues His People,
paper, $5.95
New!
God Gives the Land, paper,
$5.95
God's Chosen King, paper,
$5.95
Activity Books:
God's Family Activity Book,
paper, $3.00
Cod Rescues His People
Activity Book, paper, $3.00
Scottdale,PA 15683
Kitchener, ON N2G 4M5
On Earth Peace
October 1983
NEW WINDSOR, MD.-ON EARTH PEACE ASSEMBLY
took the bold step of establishing the BRETHREN
WORLD PEACE ACADEMY over a year ago. The
Academy celebrates its first year of accomplish-
ment with 86 youth (58 men, 28 women) having
participated in eleven Citizenship Conferences.
Most were from seventeen Churches of the
Brethren in ten states.
The BRETHREN WORLD PEACE ACADEMY relies on
local churches to alert its 17 and 18-year-old
men and women to the opportunity to attend the
BRETHREN WORLD PEACE ACADEMY.
Among typical comments have been:
"This was a vital experience at a crucial
time and will be remembered always."
"When you have a follow-up to it, I'll be
there."
"I know now that I have a good argument
against all war and can back it up."
"I learned lots of things I did not know about
war and peace."
Two congregations are sending one or more
youth each month. What is your congregation
willing to do?
Youth interested in scholarship support may
write:
BRETHREN WORLD PEACE ACADEMY
Box 188
New Windsor, MD 21776
ON EARTH PEACE ASSEMBLY, the parent
organization of the BRETHREN WORLD PEACE
ACADEMY, is a non-profit organization and relies
on contributions from supporters who share the
vision of M. R. Zigler and the Board of Directors.
One Man's Peace, a story of M. R. Zigler as over-
heard by Inez Long, is available at a cost of
$3.50 plus 85C postage from:
BRETHREN WORLD PEACE BOOKSTORE
Box 188
New Windsor, MD 21776
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
OCTOBER 15:
W. NEWTON LONG
RECOGNITION DINNER
New Windsor— 6:30 p.m.
NOVEMBER 4-5-6:
BRETHREN WORLD PEACE
ACADEMY Conference
NOVEMBER 6:
BRETHREN WORLD PEACE
FESTIVAL
In celebration of M. R.
Zigler's 92d birthdoy
Westminster High School,
Westminster, MD
DECEMBER 2-3-4:
BRETHREN WORLD PEACE
ACADEMY Conference
DECEMBER 16-17:
ON EARTH PEACE
ASSEMBLY
New Windsor
DECEMBER 27-28-29:
BRETHREN WORLD PEACE
ACADEMY ALUMNI
Advanced Conference
1984, 1st weekend
of every month:
BRETHREN WORLD PEACE
ACADEMY Conference
CHURCH OFTHE BRETHREN
HELP US, LORD,
BE RENEWED
mM(^Mi
8
11
12
13
14
17
18
20
24
26
Marching for a Dream. Michael Klahre was among 200 Brethren
marching for "jobs, peace, and freedom" in Washington this past August.
The Prayer of Faith. Chalmer E. Faw deals with the question of
the power of prayer to "heal." Can we pray ourselves well?
A Prophetic— yet Inviting — People. Paul E.R. Mundey says
we are being unfaithful if we are prophetic without being "inviting."
Awaking a Sleeping Giant. Timothy K. Jones says folks in
Virlina District are speaking now with a new evangelistic fervor since
experiencing the "Renewal and Growth Plan."
Keeping up With the Joneses. Judd Blouch profiles an up-
and-coming pastoral team, Tim and Jill Zook-Jones.
A Brethren New Age. L. Wayne Fralin explains why the Church
of the Brethren is experiencing a new excitement about evangelism.
Prophetic Evangelism. John F. Alexander calls for an
evangelism that sounds more like Amos or Jesus than Jerry Falwell or
Oral Roberts.
North Margi Gets the Gospel. Howard Ogburn describes a
new evangelization thrust in the Nigerian church. .
Ordaining the Sisters. Pamela Brubaker Lowe highlights the
history of ordaining women in the Church of the Brethren.
Patience Under Trial. Harold S. Martin explains how Christians
"hang in there" when the going gets tough.
In Touch profiles Opel Flora, Rocky Mount, Va.; Julie Garber, Oak Brook,
111.; and Grace Ziegler, Richland, Pa. (2) . . . Outlook reports on personnel.
Gift shop. Disaster relief. BVS anniversary. Peace Letter. Youth conference.
Weyland Beeghly. Phone tax. Annual Conference ballot. BVS unit. Airline
boycott (start on 4) . . . Underlines (7) . . . Update (8) . . . Resources,
"Renewal and Growth," by James McKinnell (23) . . . Opinions of Leo T.
Travers, John Warren Dilley, Thomas Fogle, Beverly A. Brubaker E. Myrl
Weyant, Albert L. Sauls, and Don Snyder (start on 28) . . . Turning Points
(35) . . . Editorial, "Going Forth With Power Endued" (36)
CO
00
EDITOR
Kermon Thomasson
MANAGING EDITOR
Wendy Chamberlain McFadden
EDITORIAL ASSISTANT
Michael Klahre
SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES
Ruth Anne Gulp
PROMOTION
Kenneth L. Gibble
PUBLISHER
John D. Metzler Jr.
VOL. 132, NO. 11
NOVEMBER 1983
CREDITS: Cover, 15 David Radclifl. 2, 13 lop, 14
Judd Blouch. 3 left Tim Frye, 3 righl Howard E.
Royer. 4 lefl Manchester College. 4 upper righl Jan
Thompson. 5 an by Kalhy Kline. 5 John Carter. 7
lower right Wendy Chamberlain McFadden. 9, 10
lower right Kermon Thomasson. 10 left center,
lower left Patty Byam. 10 top Religious News
Service. 11, 27 Three Lions. 13 Marshall Flora Sr.
17 Nguyen Van Gia 21 Lois Schmidt. 25 Brethren
Historical Library and Archives.
MESSENGER is the official publication of the
Church of the Brethren. Entered as .second-class
matter Aug. 20, 1918, under Act of Congress
of Oct. 17, 1917. Filing date, Nov. 1, 1982.
Messenger is a member of the Associated
Church Press and a subscriber to Religious News
Service and Ecumenical Press Service. Biblical
quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are from
the Revised Standard Version.
Subscription rates: $10 one year for individual
subscriptions; $18.50 two years. $8 per year for
Church Group Plan. $8 per year for gift sub-
scriptions. School rate 50<t per issue. If you move
clip address and send with new address.
Allow at least live weeks for address
change. MESSENGER is owned and
published monthly by the General
Services Commission, Church of the
Brethren General Board, 1451 Dundee
Ave.. Elgin, 111. 60120. Second-class
postage paid ai Elgin, 111., November 1983. Copy-
right 1983, Church of the Brethren General Board.
THE GOSPEL IS STILL THERE
I read The Gospel Messenger for years, and
now am a faithful reader of Messenger. 1 hear
some people say they don't subscribe to
Messenger or read it because there is not enough
gospel in it . . . like there used to be.
Maybe it depends on what they call "gospel."
Gospel means "good news." And, speaking of
good news, there was so much good news in the
July Messenger. The articles on Hollsopple and
Johnstown are demonstrations of Christ's com-
mands to love one another, to serve one another,
to bear one another's burdens. Also, these ar-
ticles show that all things work for good for
those who love the Lord.
The editorial, "Crawfishes at Conference,"
was also good news. July was certainly one of the
best issues of Messenger in some time.
We live in a changing world, but 1 hope we
never change from having the New Testament as
our creed. There is so much greed, selfishness,
and evil in the world today. May we all, Uke the
folks of Johnstown and Hollsopple, stand for
what is good and right, and help each other.
Marguerite Snoeberger
Cumberland, Md.
VERIMARD ELLER TO THE RESCUE
I attended one day of the Hispanic Assembly
in Long Beach (July, page 4) and was disturbed
by certain denigrating remarks made about white
people by a person of high standing at the
meeting. In addition, there was surprising
resistance against putting in a statement in the
bylaws that placed the mission of the gospel, and
mentioned Jesus by name. There was also an
underlying current of sympathy with "liberation
theology" and certain un-Christian revolutionary
movements that makes me think some of the par-
ticipants should read chapter 5, "On Selective Sin
and Righteousness," in Vernard EUer's new-
book, Towering Babel.
One bright note: Sylvia Warren Boaz did an
excellent job in organizing the meeting. Without
her the assembly would have been impossible.
Frank Ramirez
Los Angeles, Calif.
CHRISTIAN SCIENCE IN QUINTER
Thank God Messenger isn't edited by some-
one like John A. Harpold (September letters).
How can he so malign another church? I am sure
he considers himself a good Christian member of
the Church of the Brethren and would protest
mightily if someone accused him of bigotry and
intolerance.
1 am a member of the Mother Church, the
First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston,
Mass. Having no such church near here. 1 have
attended the Quintet Church of the Brethren
with my husband for 40 years.
The Harpold letter hurts me deeply as a Chris-
tian Science member, but I would have felt the
same revulsion had it been a "smear" against any
other church.
Mrs Wilfred Jamison
Quinler, Kan.
A FARMER FOR MODERATOR
Just after Conference, Franklin Cassel and I
and our wives, Peggy and Eleanor, dropped in at
the Jim Myer farm at Lititz, Pa.
Jim's wife, Faye, met us at the door, wearing
her prayer covering. She told us Jim was out at
the barn. We walked to the barn, only to be
greeted by Jim calling out, "Sorry, I can't come
right now."
We saw why. Jim and a veterinarian were work-
ing with a cow struggling with a breach birth.
Like many Brethren, we had not known
whether Jim Myer held forth from an office on
his farm and had others doing the manual work,
or was a down-to-earth farmer. Few activities
could be closer to earth than what we saw.
Not for many years have we had a farmer for
moderator of our denomination. God's richest
blessings on farmer/moderator-elect Jim Myer,
who reflects kindness, courtesy, ability, religious
devotion . . . and is down-to-earth.
A. Stauffer Curry
Mamaroneck, N. Y.
ABOUT LETTERS
Letters to the editor do not necessarily
reflect the viewpoint of the editors or the
official position of the denomination.
Letters should be brief and brotherly,
short and sisterly. Only a sampling of
what we receive can be published. All let-
ters will be edited. To save postage, we
have discontinued acknowledging receipt
of letters to the editor or sending copies of
our edited versions.
We will agree to withhold the writer's
name only if the name and return address
are given to us. If we don't agree that
anonymity is warranted, we will return
the letter.
Remember, a letter to any editor (that is
obviously an opinion letter) carries with it
tacit permission to be published. If you
don't want your letter in print, be sure to
state that it is not for publication. —The
Editor
WHO'S ON THE PLAQUE?
In the July Update column, the name of Elsie
"Holderead" appeared as a founder of Castaiier
Hospital. Actually it was Elsie's twin brother,
Elzie Ray Holderreed, who served at Castaner
and lost his life there.
Andrew H. Holderreed
Buhl, Idaho
SEXIST TO LEAVE OUT MOM
The writer of the article about Jon Royer
(August) specifically identified Jon's father but
made not the slightest reference to his mother.
Jon's father's position or station in life is in-
sufficient reason to cite only him or to ignore the
mother.
How difficult it is to purge ourselves of at-
titudes and language that bespeak sexism.
Fred Rice
Elizabethtown, Pa.
FOUND: THE MISSING LINK
Harriet Ziegler's August article, "The Brethren
and the NCC: An Important Presence," was
most helpful in linking the folks at the decision-
making level of the NCC with the folks in the
local church.
So often those two groups never hear each
other. The article connects them by listing ac-
tivities in which we all participate.
I am grateful for the commitment of people
that the Church of the Brethren has made to the
NCC through the years. The depth of that com-
mitment is made real by Ziegler's article.
Thanks for the missing link.
Tim Ritchey Martin
Franklin Grove, 111.
GOOD INFO ON NCC/WCC
After so much adverse publicity about the
WCC and NCC in the news media, the August
Messenger was welcome news. "Inside The
NCC," "The Brethren and The NCC," and
"Three Weeks in Vancouver" were informative,
as were the statements by the Brethren delegates
to the NCC and the sidebar, "Do You Know
Where Your Church Offerings Go?"
Gladys Haugh
Waynesboro, Pa.
CLINGING TO OLD EXPLANATION
Homosexuals are not born homosexual. Nor
do they choose to be homosexual any more than
heterosexuals choose to become heterosexual.
They are the product of their relationship with
their parents during their formative years.
The reason the biblical writers were so hard on
homosexuals is the same reason they were hard
on epileptics and why many Christians today are
hard on homosexuals also. They simply did not
understand why people become homosexuals. In
both cases the biblical writers thought it was an
evil spirit. We have learned to accept the scien-
tific explanation of epilepsy but we still cling to
the biblical explanation of homosexuality.
John W. Gosnell
Murfreesboro, N.C.
SHARING A DISCOVERY
I wonder why the Brethren have spent so much
time discussing how to act toward homosexuals
(September, page 14) when God has told us
through Jesus not to judge other people (Matt.
7:1-2; Luke 6:32-38). Since the Church of the
Brethren was founded by people who studied and
emphasized the New Testament, I am surprised
that this often repeated admonition from Jesus
has been so neglected.
Most of my life I judged people too. But while
I was serving five years in Jerusalem, God told
me to study what Jesus had taught us about God
in the New Testament. When 1 found that judg-
ing was again.st God's will, I quit it, and my rela-
tionship with the whole human race has been
much happier.
Other Brethren should try this also.
Ruth Nelson
Elgin, 111.
OYOTOW (O
/~\. question often asked me is, "How do
you find the stuff you put in MESSENGER?"
This month's Messenger is as good an ex-
ample as any of how we "find the stuff."
The theme for the issue was born one
night last January in a Lake Delavan, Wis.,
restaurant booth. Paul Mundey, Bob Bow-
man, Wendy Chamberlain, and I had sup-
per together and talked excitedly about
evangelism until the restaurant closed and
chased us out. Right then and there we said,
"Let's have a special issue — say, next fall —
on renewal and growth."
We kept talking about it, and commis-
sioned Tim Jones to write the cover article,
since he was involved in renewal and growth
in his district.
In August, Judd Blouch was doing some
assignments in the Roanoke, Va., area, so
we decided to have him do a feature on the
Joneses, while he was there in the area.
September 1, to our joy, Paul Mundey
joined the staff as evangelism consultant.
One of his first tasks after coming to Elgin
was to write the introductory article for the
renewal and growth cluster.
Paul suggested we ask Wayne Fralin to
do a "Column," to round out the cluster.
Then, just as we were finalizing things, Paul
called our attention to John Alexander's ar-
ticle on "prophetic evangelism," so we got
permission to reprint it. Next, a routine
report from Nigeria caught my attention
and looked ready-made for inclusion, so I
added that. At deadline time the scheduled
"Resources" page hadn't come in, so I asked
Jim McKinnell (who was moving next day
from Rockford, 111, to Birmingham, Ala.)
to whip out a "Resources" page on renewal
and growth. He agreed.
As for the other November "stuff," the
"In Touch" stories are assigned, and Mike
Klahre did the "March on Washington"
report as a special news assignment. Mike
also helps Wendy with the regular news
pages.
Chalmer Faw is doing his "Listening to
the Word" series every other month
through 1984. Pam Lowe's article on or-
daining women highlights women's ac-
tivities as we approach the l(X)th anniver-
sary of women's work. Harold S. Martin
submitted three or four good Bible studies
for us to consider and we chose "Patience
Under Trial" as the first one.
Of course, "Letters" and "Opinions" are
unsolicited, and "Turning Points" come
from various sources. And it goes without
saying who, in quiet desperation, throws
something together for the "Editorial" page
and "Page One." -The Editor
November 1983 messenger 1
ifit^^
Opel Flora: Parallel to a parable
In the parable of the talents, Jesus told of
the faithful servant who took the wealth
entrusted to him by his master, and in-
creased it. Faithful Christians take the
talents bestowed on them by God, and
work to develop and use them.
Opel Flora of Rocky Mount, Va., dis-
covered her artistic talent as a quilter
when she was seven years old. Later she
found she was also good at painting and
poetry.
Over the 76 years she has been quilting,
Opel has worked on a countless number
of quilts. "I wish 1 knew how many," she
says. Last winter alone, she assembled five
or six on her own.
Painting is really where Opel has made
a name for herself. Eighty-four years old
now, she began painting in 1959 at the
urging of her daughters, and since then
has completed about 160 paintings. She
says her late start was due to her full-time
job of raising a family and helping her
husband, Jonas, run a farm.
Autumn scenes are Opel's favorites,
with the different hues of brown and
orange. She paints a lot of landscapes,
particularly with mountains, of which she
is especially fond. Opel doesn't go for the
"wild, abstract" style of painting, opting
instead for the soft tones of impres-
sionism. "I like to 'do my own thing,'"
she says, "And I'm not stingy with my
paint."
Although Opel says she hasn't "painted
any two alike," she has done a series of
paintings of her home church, Antioch
2 MESSENGER November 1983
Church of the Brethren. The first two
were of the original frame church, erected
in 1873, and its replacement, dedicated in
1919. A brick addition was added in 1961,
but Opel had yet to do an update.
"Buildings require precision and 1 don't
enjoy it," she says.
But in the spring of 1982, the pastoral
board at Antioch asked Opel if she would
paint the church and its addition. The
word "No" comes hard to people like
Opel, and she accepted the challenge. But
her dislike for the exact and precise
showed itself in procrastination, and some
nudging from pastor Glenn Kinsel was
needed before the painting was completed.
"This painting wouldn't have been done
yet if it hadn't been for them pushing
me," she says.
Such pushing is rarely necessary to start
Opel's creative juices flowing. Sometimes
thoughts for her poems come to her at
night and she climbs out of bed to write
them down. Opel doesn't work on her
painting at night, though. "You kind of
have to get up for that," she says. "I like
to paint on a bright day, not on a cloudy
day."
Like the "faithful servant," Opel seems
determined to multiply the fruits of her
talent. "1 have more ideas than I know
what to do with," she says. — Judd
Blouch
Judd Blouch, of Mitlersvitte, Pa. , t5 a former
editorial assistant with MESSENGER.
Julie Garber: Discipleshi
The stellar cast read like a "Who's who"
of the world peace movement: Dr. Helen
Caldicott, Randall Forsberg, Coretta Scott
King, Julia Esquivel, Philip Potter, Des-
mond Tutu, Dorothy Soelle, Jim Wallis,
John Howard Yoder. The idyOic setting
offered sweeping vistas of straits, inlets,
mountains, trees. The concerned and com-
mitted group of muhinational participants
numbered into the hundreds and even
thousands for key events.
And what an array of events. Forums,
films, concerts, drama, caucuses, an all-
night vigil, poetry, daily worship and
prayer, and a concluding Brethren-style
feetwashing service. Two weeks of
12-hours-a-day intellectual and emotional
bombardment. And no mere adjunct or
sideshow, but a central and persuasive
presence.
This describes the public programing of
the Ploughshare Peace and Justice Cof-
feehouse at the Vancouver Assembly of
the World Council of Churches. The per-
son charged with orchestrating the events
was Bethany Theological Seminary stu-
dent Julie Garber.
Julie was the only expatriate dispatched
Grace Ziegler: Love is a
When Grace Cox married Victor K.
Ziegler in 1952, she seemed to be giving
up her dream of becoming a missionary.
Instead, as a farmer's wife, mother of
three daughters and two sons, grand-
mother of five, and a full-time home-
maker, Grace has found a mission field
"white already to harvest" (John 4:35
KJV), just outside her farmhouse door.
"Our door has always been open to
anyone with a need," Grace says. "We
just live one day at a time and take situa-
tions as they come. Our goal is simply to
be there for others."
The Zieglers had been married only
three years when the Brethren Home in
Neffsville (now Brethren Village) appealed
for foster homes for children. Having
been raised in a foster home herself,
Grace felt this was a special call to her.
Over the years, the Zieglers have cared for
five foster children, two of whom were
mentally retarded.
A growing recognition of the needs of
calls for thick skin
by the Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR)
to staff the Vancouver operation, planned
by Project Ploughshares of Canada and
FOR. She was assisted by a host of local
and area volunteers. The Church of the
Brethren gave $2250 for the project.
Julie, whose style is not to fret about
tough issues but to do something about
them, has worked her way through the
ranks of FOR. She helped organize a local
chapter in her home community of North
Manchester, Ind., in 1979 and 1980, and
coordinated the Plowshares Coffeehouse
in New York during the United Nations
Special Session on Disarmament in 1982.
She is a member of the FOR national
council.
Although Julie's overseas experience is
limited to one semester of study in
England while a Manchester College stu-
dent, her current interest is in Central
America and South Africa. Her chief
regret about the Vancouver Coffeehouse
was the lack of Third World people in the
planning, to balance their concern for
justice and liberation with the Western
world's concern for nuclear disarmament.
Julie feels positive about the Church of
the Brethren's approach to peace witness;
the feetwashing service
she planned at the
closing Ploughshares
event is one indication
of that fact. She sees her
own peace vision as being
deeply etched by the Ser-
mon on the Mount and
"the resiliency it requires."
It is her perception that "we
can all be more thick-skinned
than we are, less oversensi-
tive, less conscious of the
slings and arrows. And when
that happens, discipleship and
reconciliation become more
possible."
Activist, doer, disciple .
those roles Julie deems essentia
to peacemaking today.
-Howard E. Royer
Howard E. Royer is director of inter
preiation on the Communica-
tion/Stewardship Team.
these special children prompted yet another
response from Grace. For the past five
years, she has been volunteering a half-day
each week in a nearby middle school's
special education class. Each summer, she
invites these children to visit her home and
enjoy a day on the farm.
"My life has certainly not been smooth
and easy, but I guess I've been able to see
the stumbling blocks as stepping stones
... it seems when one door in life closes,
the good Lord just opens another."
In 1972, Idi Amin closed the door to
Asians in Uganda. As a direct result of that
negative action in Africa, a positive action
by Grace and Victor in Lebanon County
opened many new doors. Through their
local congregation and Church World Ser-
vice, the Zieglers became the first family in
Lebanon County to sponsor a refugee
family from Uganda. They have since
sponsored 15 families from various coun-
tries, nine of whom have lived in their
home for up to three months.
They also became the first family in
their county to provide foster home care
for the elderly. For three years, they made
a home in their farmhouse for nine
women and one man, all of whom were
able to care for their own personal needs,
though unable to "keep house" in-
dependently.
The Zieglers, members of the Richland
(Pa.) Church of the Brethren, are
seriously considering a year of Brethren
Volunteer Service. As Grace says, "It's not
what you do for yourself, but what you
do for others that really makes life worth
living.
"I know a door was opened for me, and
I want to keep reaching out to others.
After all, that's what life is all about, isn't
it? Love is the open door."— Nancy
Kettering Frye
Nancy Kettering Frye, a freelance writer from
Lebanon, Pa., was raised in the Annvitle (Pa.) Church
of the Brethren.
November 1983 messenger 3
James K. Garber named
to new executive post
James K. Garber of North Manchester,
Ind., has been named executive of Human
Resources for the Church of the Brethren
General Board, effective Jan. 1.
In this expanded post, Garber will be
responsible for creating a plan for human
resources in the Church of the Brethren,
as well as for supervising the Office of
Human Resources. He will be directly
reportable to Robert W. Neff, general
secretary, and will be part of the Ad-
ministrative Council, which oversees the
organization's goal-setting, budgeting, and
program planning.
"Our leadership needs have grown,"
said Neff. "The church is taking seriously
the need for leadership, and this is one of
our top priorities."
A Manchester College graduate, Garber
earned a master of business administration
degree with an emphasis in personnel ad-
ministration from Indiana University. He
has been director of public relations for
Manchester College for 20 years. In that
position he has directed capital cam-
paigns, directed conferences and
workshops, coordinated efforts of the
alumni association, taught occasional
classes in economics and business, lec-
tured, published the college catalog, and
represented Manchester College.
An active and committed churchman,
Garber teaches Sunday school, has held
several church board positions, has
chaired the annual stewardship emphasis,
and is an occasional lay speaker. His ex-
tensive community involvements include
top leadership positions with organizations
such as the Community Chamber of Com-
merce, Kiwanis Club, YMCA, the Volun-
tary Action Center of Wabash County,
and the United Fund.
Disaster volunteers rebuild Missouri home
Volunteers from across the denomination have completed a disaster project in Ava, Mo.
Nine districts provided 50 volunteers who rebuilt a three-bedroom home that had been
destroyed by a tornado last Christmas Eve. The American Red Cross provided materials
for the house and food for the volunteers. The Church of the Brethren provided project
administration and volunteers with the necessary skills. Pictured above are volunteers
Ron Stoner of Hanover, Pa., and Cliff Anderson of Wooster, Ohio.
SERRV gift shop opens
at Elgin headquarters
Visitors to the General Offices in Elgin,
111., will see changes in the front lobby.
What used to be a bookstore is now an
International Gift Shop of SERRV items.
SERRV Self-Help Handcrafts is a non-
profit alternative marketing program of
the World Ministries Commission. Based
at the New Windsor (Md.) Service Center,
SERRV markets over 1,200 handcrafts
from 41 countries around the world. The
items are sold through churches or other
groups on resale terms.
Retail sales are made through the four
SERRV-owned International Gift Shops,
including the new one in Elgin, managed
by Joanne Nesler Davis. Newly appointed
as manager of the Nappanee, Ind., store
is Barbara Berkey. Other stores are in
Oakdale, Calif., and New Windsor.
The former bookstore carried a limited
line of SERRV products, as well as
Brethren Press books and other books
and gift items.
Church resources are still available at
the Elgin offices through a new system set
up in The Brethren Press area. A
telephone-equipped exhibit displays all
curriculum, Brethren Press books, and
other resources. Visitors at the exhibit can
call Doris Walbridge to discuss resources
available and then call Bonnie Booth to
place an order.
Churches to highlight
BVS 35th anniversary
Brethren Volunteer Service will be em-
phasized throughout the denomination in
the Christmas/ Achievement offering on
Dec. 18. BVS is observing its 35th an-
niversary this year.
More than 4,300 volunteers ha\e served
in BVS since its beginning in 1948. Both
at home and abroad, BVS strives to ad-
vocate justice, make peace, and meet
basic human needs.
Among materials available to interpret
the BVS program are two audiovisuals,
"Vive L'Amour: The Brethren in Europe"
and "Tve Troubled for You"; a special
tabloid called "BVS Today"; and a dialog
drama called "The Dream and the
Reality." The audiovisuals are available
from The Brethren Press; the print pieces
are available from the BVS office.
Most districts have BVS representatives
prepared to speak in congregations. Other
interpreters available are BVS staff and
volunteers.
4 MESSENGER November 1983
Brethren peace letter
delivered to USSR
Though he didn't meet with Yuri An-
dropov, Clyde Weaver gave a letter with
more than 2,000 Brethren signatures to
Archbishop Pitirim of the Russian Ortho-
dox Church, who promised to forward it
through the proper channels. Weaver is
director of marketing for The Brethren
Press and was in Moscow for the Inter-
national Book Fair.
Signed by participants of the Baltimore
Annual Conference this summer, the sym-
bolic gesture of peace read in part, "We
want to affirm our common humanity
with your country in the midst of our
political and economic differences. As
Christians we are committed to this end
and will use our influence to promote the
solving of these conflicts through
diplomacy and negotiation rather than
through military force."
During his visit in September, Weaver
also appeared on Soviet television and
read parts of the letter.
Helman to coordinate
spiritual life team
The denomination's cadre of spiritual life
consultants will be gaining new visibility,
as Patricia Kennedy Helman takes
responsibility for coordinating their
work. Newly named as denominational
consultant for spiritual life, she will work
with the Parish Ministries Commission
(PMC).
An ordained minister, writer, and poet
from North Manchester, Ind., Helman is
a frequent leader for workshops and
retreats and is the visiting chaplain at
Timbercrest Home. She is a member of
the National Council of Churches plan-
ning group on Spirituality and Concern
for Justice. That group is planning a con-
ference on spirituality for the summer of
1984.
A PMC-sponsored spiritual life retreat
is designed to help people focus on the
spiritual aspects of life and to enhance
private and corporate prayer life. Those
available to lead retreats are Mary and
Robert Baucher, Modesto, Calif.; Phyllis
Carter, Goshen, Ind.; B. Wayne Crist,
McPherson, Kan.; Nancy Faus, Bethany
Theological Seminary liaison; Paul Grout,
Brattleboro, Vt.; T. Wayne Rieman,
North Manchester, Ind.; and Edward K.
Ziegler, New Windsor, Md.
As part of her work with the team of
consultants, Helman will produce a
quarterly newsletter to be sent to pastors,
district executives, and nurture commis-
sion chairpersons.
SAC team begins plans
for youth conference
"Love Never Ends" is the theme of the
Study/Action Conference, to be held at
Manchester College in North Manchester,
Ind., June 22-26. Held just prior to An-
nual Conference, the event is open to
LOVeV
rteVeRFNDs....
(1Cor. 13:8)
those youth who have completed ninth
grade through those one year out of high
school at the time of the conference.
Members of the steering committee are
Kathy Ludwick, Doylestown, Ohio
(volunteer coordinator); Kathy Gingrich,
North Manchester, Ind. (adult advisor);
Tim McElwee, North Manchester (college
liaison and campus minister); Stephanie
Bowman, Polo, III.; Denise Clark,
Roanoke, Ind.; Dennis Creps, Wabash,
Ind.; Paul Minnich, Elgin, 111.; Mark
Shafer, Plymouth, Ind.; and Nancy
Stickel, Elkhart, Ind.
At its first meeting in August, the com-
mittee discussed leadership, daily
schedules, and the daily focus. The con-
ference will center on interpersonal, in-
trapersonal, international, and inner
church conflict, and the affirmation of
God's love within that conflict.
SAC conferences and National Youth
Conferences are a program of the Parish
Ministries Commission. The next NYC
will be held at Estes Park, Colo., Aug.
13-18, 1986.
Brethren farmer named
US attache in Moscow
A Brethren farmer from Iowa is the new
US agricultural attache to the American
Embassy in Moscow. Weyland Beeghly,
of Pierson, Iowa, began his new position
July I.
A member of Kingsley Church of the
Brethren, Beeghly has been working on
the family farm since 1978. For two years
prior to that he served as assistant
agricultural attache in Moscow. Another
Brethren, Dale Posthumus of University
Park (Md.) church, currently is assistant
attache.
Beeghly's chief responsibilities in the
two-year assignment are determining
Soviet crop conditions and promoting the
sale of US farm goods to the Soviet
Union. He was involved in the initiation of
the recent grain agreement worked on in
Vienna, and a television interview of him
appeared on a Chicago station Sept. 3.
Beeghly holds a bachelor of science
degree in agricultural journalism from
Iowa State University and a master's
degree in agricultural economics from
Cornell University. He has attended
McPherson (Kan.) College and Bethany
Theological Seminary.
He has worked with the Foreign
Agricultural Service of the US Depart-
ment of Agriculture in Washington, D.C.,
the International Rice Research Institute
in the Philippines, and the Ford Founda-
tion, in India.
Phone tax endorsed by
Michigan District
The Michigan District board has in-
structed its district personnel to withhold
the Federal excise tax on district telephone
bills. It is forwarding the resolution to the
Internal Revenue Service and to congres-
sional representatives.
The withheld funds will be redirected to
a Michigan District Peace Tax Fund and
used by the district witness commission.
The action was based on Annual Con-
ference statements of 1935, 1970, and
1982. The board "commend(s) this witness
to all Brethren, local congregations, the
General Board, and Annual Conference
for their study and prayerful considera-
tion," and also encourages other forms of
witness, such as lobbying for the World
Peace Tax Fund Bill.
November 1983 messenger 5
AC nominations sought;
theme will be renewal
The 1984 Annual Conference theme will
continue the emphasis on grace that was
begun this year at Baltimore. The theme,
"God's Grace Renews & Empowers," will
stress experiencing God's grace and gain-
ing spiritual renewal and power.
Daily topics related to spiritual renewal
are "filling the cup"; "personal
acceptance"; "indwelling presence";
"prayer, scriptural meditation, and the
power of prayer"; "fellowship, celebration
of commitment to the church"; and
"spiritual renewal, healing, wholistic
faith."
The 1984 Conference takes place June
26-July 1 at the Southern Illinois Univer-
sity campus in Carbondale, 111. All
meeting rooms and dormitories are air-
conditioned.
Suggestions for nominations for the
Carbondale Annual Conference are being
requested by the nominating committee of
Standing Committee. Individuals, con-
gregations, or district boards are invited
to suggest potential candidates by sending
suggestions to the Annual Conference Of-
fice, 1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, 111. 60120
by Dec. 1 .
The nominating group or person is
responsible for contacting the nominee
and obtaining that person's willingness to
serve. Only official biographical informa-
tion forms (mailed in Source and
distributed at Annual Conference) will be
accepted. Additional forms are available
from the Annual Conference office.
Positions open are:
Moderator-elect. Two-year term. In-
eligible: William R. Eberly, Duane H.
Ramsey, Earle W. Fike Jr., Paul W.
Hoffman.
General Board (Pension Board) district
representatives (three people). Five-year
term. Eligible: Any person from Northern
Indiana, Northern Ohio, and Southeastern
Districts.
General Board (Pension Board) at large
representatives (two people). Eligible: No
more than one person from a congrega-
tion; no more than one district represen-
tative and one at-large representative from
a district. Ineligible: Florida-Puerto Rico,
Northern Indiana, Michigan, Mid-Atlan-
tic, Northern Ohio, Pacific Southwest,
Middle Pennsylvania, Southern Penn-
sylvania.
Annual Conference Central Committee
(one person). Three- year term.
Committee on Interchurch Relations
(one person). Three-year term.
Elector, Bethany Theological Seminary
(one person representing college). Five-
year term.
Representatives to the National Council
of Churches of Christ (three people).
Three-year term.
Four change positions
in N. Indiana, Elgin
J. Roger Schrock, a veteran of field ser-
vice in Sudan and Nigeria, has been
named Africa representative for the
World Ministries Commission.
For the past three years, he and his
wife, Carolyn, have been coordinating the
start of a primary health care program for
the Sudan Council of Churches. Roger
had been instrumental in creating and
setting up the Lafiya primary health care
program in Nigeria. He coordinated that
program from 1971 to 1976. Previously he
taught Bible, history, and geography at
Waka Schools.
Roger also has experience as a pastor,
having served the Lewiston (Minn.)
Church of the Brethren from 1977 to
1980. He is a 1967 graduate of McPherson
(Kan.) College.
Ralph and Mary Cline Detrick have
resigned from their positions with the
Parish Ministries Commission. They were
employed nine years ago in the first
shared position on the General Board
staff.
The Detricks have continued to share
the life cycle ministries position for
which they were hired. In addition, for
the past year and a half Ralph has car-
ried responsibility for youth and young
adult ministries, and Mary has carried
responsibility for person awareness.
During their employment they have pro-
vided leadership on issues such as the
roles of men and women in the church,
sexuality, family life, intergenerational ac-
tivities, marriage enrichment, and singles
ministry, and have been responsible for
youth and young adult conferences.
Separately, Mary is administrator of the
Global Women's Project.
Ralph has accepted a call to become
pastor of the Douglas Park (Chicago,
111.) Church of the Brethren, beginning
Nov. 1. Mary's plans for employment
are uncertain.
BVS Unit 161 renovates building in Manhattan
Renovating a building in New York City and hauling firewood in Elizabethtown, Pa.,
gave the 26 members of Brethren Volunteer Service Unit 161 two different views of
the world. They spent two weeks on the Lower East Side of Manhattan helping to
renovate a building for A Better Way, a local, nonprofit organization. The group also
studied the city's culture and the issue of racism. The unit spent the remaining three
weeks in Elizabethtown discussing such topics as human sexuality, nuclear war, drug
addiction, economics, and world awareness. A highlight was a Brethren history tour.
BVSers who completed orientation in mid-August are pictured above. Front row:
Joan Cunningham, Cynthia Peel, Audrey Cox, Kim May, Martha Beahm, Be\ Wea\er
(leadership). Second row: Brian Clark, Julie Bechtel, Nina Dulabaum, Gail Heisel,
Kevin Wagoner, Suzanne Rhoades. Third row: Edward Sidhom, Richard Mover,
Patricia Hornbaker, Lucy Heggenstaller, Jesse Rhoades. Fourth row: Ad de Witte,
Dawn Kirkpatrick, Christina Corry, Gemma McKenna. Back row: Ke\in Carpenter,
John Carter (leadership), Michael Nissley, Michael Klahre, David Hostetter.
6 MESSENGER November 1983
Mary Cline Detrick
Ralph L. Del nek
Ronald D. Finney has been apppointed
associate district executive for Northern
Indiana District, effective Oct. I. Since
1980 he has been training and program
coordinator for Federally Funded
Employment Training Programs. Previous
experience includes 17 years of
schoolteaching in Indiana and Colorado,
and he received an honorable mention in
1978 as a nominee for Colorado Teacher
of the Year.
His wife, Harriet J. Finney, is associate
pastor of Plymouth (Ind.) Church of the
Brethren.
EEO efforts supported
by religious groups
At least 15 church organizations, in-
cluding the Church of the Brethren, have
notified their staff and travel agencies to
book air travel on airlines that have pro-
vided equal employment opportunity
validation to Project Equality. The six
airlines that have thus demonstrated their
commitment to equal employment oppor-
tunity are American, Eastern, Midway,
Ozark, TWA, and United.
More than $4 million is estimated to be
spent annually for air travel by these
organizations. Church of the Brethren
staff have been asked to use the approved
airlines unless appropriate schedules are
unavailable or when the cost is signifi-
cantly higher.
Project Equality is a national interfaith
organization established to encourage and
assist employers to achieve equal employ-
ment opportunity. The General Board
uses its validation service to verify the
EEO commitment of suppliers of goods
and services.
THE NEW BRETHREN
A second Korean minister has been re-
ceived into the ministry of the Church of the Brethren.
Pastors Dan Kim and Wayne Zunkel directed the service at
Valley Korean church, in which Ick Won Kim' s previous ordina-
tion in the Methodist Church in Korea was recoqnized.
FILLING CAVITIES, FILLING NEEDS
Charles and Catherine
Strickler , of the Bridgewater (Va.) church, gave a month of
dental service at Hillcrest School in Jos, Nigeria, during
October. Catherine, who assisted her husband, is a counselor
at Harrisonburg High School. Their son, Aaron , continued his
eighth-grade education at Hillcrest during their stay.
SHENANDOAH INTERNSHIP
Shenandoah District just com-
pleted something new. Kevin Daggett , a Bridgewater (Va. )
College senior, worked 10 weeks for college credit as an
intern in the district office. Among his duties, he attended
all board, commission, and coitunittee meetings; served as the
primary staff member for the senior high cabinet; and devel-
oped the district conference booklet. Kevin is a philosophy
and religion major and plans to attend Bethany Seminary.
GIVING TESTIMONY . . . Orlando Redekopp , pastor of Chicago
First church, testified Sept. 18 in support of an Illinois
bill that would permit state pension funds now invested in
South Africa to be reinvested in Illinois. As one who lived
three years in southern Africa and who now pastors an inte-
grated community church, Orlando supported H.B. 0559 as an
end to support for racism and oppression and as an opportunity
to generate employment in the US. He also cited Church of the
Brethren guidelines and Annual Conference actions that dis-
courage US investment in South Africa.
NAMES IN THE NEWS
Paul Hoover's poetry is "alluring.
fantastic, disarming, curious, probing, and — more often than
not — deeply felt," says Chicago magazine in reviewing the
Brethren poet's second collection, Somebody Talks a^ Lot .
Hoover contributed to Watermarks, a 1971 volume of poetry pub-
lished by The Brethren Press. ... An eight-year research
project has been completed by Roger E. Sappington , professor
of history at Bridgewater (Va.) College. The book of church
history, tentatively titled The Brethren in Industrial Amer-
ica, will be published by The Brethren Press in 1984. . . .
Philip M_. Kulp, former missionary in Nigeria and currently
professor of anthropology at Shippensburg University of Penn-
sylvania, presented a paper, "African Responses to Missionary
Activity in Nigeria," at the 11th International Congress of
Anthropological and Ethnographical Sciences, in Quebec.
CORRECTIONS
Charles Lunkley begins his part-time
assignment as chaplain at Timbercrest Home in June 1984,
after his April retirement as Tri-District executive. An
earlier issue incorrectly stated that he had concluded his
position as district executive. . . . Esther Ziegler is
chaplain at The Brethren Home in New Oxford, Pa., not Neffs-
ville, as stated previously. ... A. Stauffer Curry retired
from the Department of Community Mental Health, not the De-
parliment of Health, and he worked on the General Board staff
from 1946 to 1949 and 1955 to 1960 in addition to the years
reported by MESSENGER in the August issue.
November 1983 messenger 7
y©@@te
TV SPECIAL ... On Sunday, Nov. 20, ABC will air The Day-
After , a startling account of the effects of nuclear war.
The two-hour special will portray what life would be like
after a nuclear attack on Kansas City, as seen through the
eyes of a doctor who survives the attack and must begin con-
fronting the suffering in its aftermath. Some of the footage
was shot at Washington Creek Church of the Brethren .
Ground Zero, a nonpartisan, educational organization, has
prepared a brief viewing guide with questions and information
to help groups discuss their reaction to the program and to
learn more about preventing "the day after" from becoming
reality. The one-page guide is available free (individually
or in large quantities) from Ground Zero, 806 15th St. , NW,
Suite 421, Washington, DC 20005, 202-638-7402 or 393-7333.
DUNKER DAY ... Good Shepherd (Blacksburg, Va.) Fellowship
held "Dunker Day at Virginia Tech" on Oct. 8, and made Tech's
president, William Lavery, an "honorary Dunker" for the day.
SIMPLY DELICIOUS ... Trying to cut down, but finding it
hard with all the carry-in dinners? Concerned about over-
consumption and its effects on the poor and hungry people of
the world? Simply Delicious : Quantity Cooking for Churches ,
edited by Grace Winn, is a 100-page cookbook designed to help
groups reflect their values by making responsible, nutritious,
economical, and varied meals for large numbers. The book
offers more than 150 appealing recipes, including meatless
and low-meat dishes, low-sugar desserts, and alternative
snack food and beverages. Order the cookbook for $4.50 plus
$.85 postage each from Alternatives, P.O. Box 1707, Forest
Park, GA 30051. Alternatives is a not-for-profit organiza-
tion that provides resources for "more responsible living and
celebrating. "
MEETING IN MEDINA ... A new church has been planted in
Medina , Ohio. The Northern Ohio district board hopes to
place a new pastor into the arowing community by Sept. 1.
COLLEGE CHAPLAINS ... Virlina District's Commission on
Ministry has begun a college chaplaincy program. The com-
mission selects an active, ordained minister to serve the
Brethren students in each college. These ministers will be
volunteers on call and will also function as part of the team
ministry programs of the colleges.
MILESTONES ... A host of events have been planned to com-
memorate the 225th anniversary of the Bermudi an (East Berlin,
Pa.) congregation. An old-fashioned Brethren service was
held June 26 at the Altland Meeting House. On Oct. 9 the
congregation honored ministry at Bermudian with a homecoming
celebration. And Brethren historian Donald Durnbaugh took
part in the final anniversary event Nov. 19-20. . . . The
60th anniversary of Windber (Pa.) congregation's church build-
ing was observed June 12. . . . The same day was a "note-
burning" celebration for the mortgage on the parsonage at
Hostetler (Pa.) church. . . . The Moxham (Pa.) church held a
two-day celebration in honor of the 2 5th anniversary of the
church building.
8 MESSENGER November 1983
Marching
by Michael Klahre
"'I have a dream . . . ' was his phrase
repeated over and over, one certain to be
echoed in America's ear for years to
come. He went on to describe his dream
as that day when 'the sons of former
slaves and the sons of former slave owners
will be able to sit down together at the
table of brotherhood' and when a state
'sweltering with the heat of injustice,
sweltering with the heat of oppression will
be transformed into an oasis of freedom
and justice'" (Messenger, Oct. 19, 1963,
page 20).
A dream. Echoes. Heat. Unity.
Freedom. Justice. All these words apply
to the March for the Dream in Wash-
ington, D.C., on Aug. 27, 1983. The
words of Martin Luther King Jr. echoed
20 years later, as more than 300,000 peo-
ple from all over the country protested in-
justice and oppression. Their cry was
"Jobs, Peace, and Freedom." Their aim
was to make more people aware of
massive unemployment, to declare a
public witness to peace, and to renew
commitment to human rights.
More than 200 members of the Church
of the Brethren gathered for this com-
memorative event, which was spearheaded
by Coretta Scott King and Joseph
Lowery, president of the Southern Chris-
tian Leadership Conference. Many of the
Brethren had marched in Washington 20
years before.
"The intent of the march is to form a
new coalition of conscience," said Leland
Wilson, director of the denomination's
Washington Office. "It is hoped that new
working relationships with other groups
will start through this march."
For many in the Brethren group, the
march experience began the evening
before at a national interreligious service,
held at the Metropolitan .African Metho-
dist Episcopal church. Television cameras
and newspaper reporters swelled the
standing-room-only crowd. Gospel singing
moved people to stand and applaud their
favorites. There was a joy that people
were unafraid to express.
Allan Boesak spoke with such elo-
quence and passion that the crowd rose to
its feet, applauded, and began singing,
"Oh, Freedom." A South African, and
president of the World Alliance of
for a dream
CHURCH
OF THE
BRETHREN
Reformed Churches, he described the
nonviolent struggle to end apartheid in his
country.
The people responded also to the Rev.
Jesse Jackson, president of People United
to Save Humanity (PUSH). They chanted,
"Run, Jesse, run!" and joined him in
shouting phrases such as "I am
somebody" and "There's a freedom train
a-comin', but you've got to register to
ride."
The many who left after Jackson spoke
missed a moving moment at the end of
the service. Paul Fike, moderator of the
Church of the Brethren, gave the benedic-
tion as the remaining people held hands,
swaying, and hummed "We Shall Over-
come." What was supposed to be a two-
hour service stretched to four hours.
More singing and Bible reading fol-
lowed at Lafayette Park, after a
candlelight procession from the church.
There was an eerie moment when a black
actor delivered a haunting rendition of
King's "1 Have a Dream" speech. People
cried, "Yes, Martin!" and "You tell 'em,
Martin!" And everyone joined in on the
final line, "Free at last, free at last. Thank
God Almighty, we're free at last!"
On the day of the march itself, the
Brethren contingent met at 10 a.m. near
Top: A bout a hundred Brethren managed to stay together during the march, with newcomers
joining, guided by helpful signs. Brethren activities were coordinated by Washington Office
director Leiand Wilson (right, with sign). Above: Moderator Paul Fike carried a banner de-
signed by artist Kathy Kline. At right: General Board chairman Curtis Dubble.
the Washington Monument. Marchers car- where. Nearby were the United Auto
ried homemade placards announcing who Workers, the National Audubon Society,
they were, and Paul Fike carried the of-
ficial Church of the Brethren banner.
Surrounding the group were banners,
placards, balloons — and people every-
the United Methodist Church, and hun-
dreds of other groups. Posters read "Hell
is War," "Remember 1963-1983," and
"Bread, not Bombs." Spanish, Swedish,
November 1983 messenger 9
Clockwise, from bottom: Jesse Jackson
delivered a spellbinding sermon at an
ecumenical service the night before the
march. Following Jackson's sermon.
Church of the Brethren moderator Paul
Fike closed the service with his benediction.
On the steps of the Lincoln Memorial civil
rights leaders old and new stood to com-
memorate "the dream." Following the
march. Brethren gathered in Lafayette Park
in front of the White House for a closing
worship service and a picnic supper hosted
by York (Pa.) First Church of the Brethren.
Giving music leadership was a folksinging
group from Westminster, Md., Dovetail.
We fm Have Al>teaiH
\J[vWPjWWm^MTVM <Ti » 1
French, Chinese, and several African
languages could be heard, and the garb of
many of the people was as colorful as
their signs.
The church groups, who were to march
together, quickly got separated as the
parade began down Constitution Ave.
Songs and chants tloated up and down
the avenue as marchers ducked under ban-
ners, trying to join up with their delega-
tions in the bewildering mass of people.
Some dipped weary feet in the Reflecting
Pool to cool off.
The program on the Mall included more
than 70 speakers and singers, and ended
three hours later than scheduled. Brethren
left the Lincoln Memorial for Lafayette
Park to begin their worship service at
5:30. After listening to "Dovetail," a folk
trio from Westminster, Md., the group
heard the rellections of Leland Wilson,
Paul Fike, Alice Martin-Adkins, Mary Jo
Bowman, Bill Hayes, and about a dozen
who had marched in 1963. Many empha-
sized the need to carry on the ideals of the
march after everyone had returned home.
Then, once more, the Brethren joined
hands and sang "We Shall Overcome."
Passersby paused to join the singing, and
they were invited to stay for a simple
meal, prepared by First church in York,
Pa. Ten or twelve gathered on the grass
around each cooler to enjoy the meal and
a time of fellowship.
And a time of unity. Brethren and non-
Brethren alike, they all had the common
bond of marching tor a dream. Though
views and memories may ha\e been dif-
ferent, all were united in spirit for one
day. And the hope was that that spirit
would be carried home to make dream
become reality. D
10 MESSENGER November 1983
Listening to the Word
The prayer of faith
by Chalmer E. Faw
"And the prayer of faith will save the sick
man" (J as. 5:15).
What does this mean, this promise that
the "prayer of faith" will save the sici<?
Does this message, which is read at our
anointing services, mean instant and com-
plete heahng? If not, is it because there is
something wrong with our faith? What
actually is meant here by the "prayer of
faith?"
These and other questions come to us
whenever we pray for healing for one
another, whether in the anointing service
or not. In order to find answers we need
to realize first of all that most scriptures
contain only certain facets of the total
truth and must be studied in connection
with other passages on the subject.
Consider, then, some other scriptures
that throw light on this "prayer of faith."
In John 15:7 Jesus himself says, "If you
abide in me and my words abide in you,
ask whatever you will, and it shall be
done for you." This makes it clear that
the prayer of faith is the kind prayed by a
person who has been abiding in the Lord
and who has fed on his words. Such a
one, Jesus says, when asking anything of
the Lord will receive it.
Why? Because such abundant abiding
means that the request will be exactly
what the Lord Jesus himself would want
to happen. This is the force and meaning
of a number of other texts that speak of
praying in Jesus' name, that is, praying
just as Jesus would pray (for example,
John 14:13f; 15:16; 16:23-26).
Another scripture of great significance
is one that speaks of agreement in prayer.
This is implied in the anointing passage
but is made more explicit in Matthew
18:19: "Again I say to you, if two of you
agree on earth about anything they ask, it
will be done for them by my Father in
heaven." This does not mean that addi-
tional pressure is now brought to bear
upon the subject so much as that more
channels of faith are now open and God
is invited in to move more fully through
them to accomplish his will.
Perhaps the most penetrating passage
and one that sheds real light on our ques-
tion is Mark 11:24 where Jesus says,
"Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in
prayer, believe that you have received it,
and it will be yours." Some ancient
manuscripts read "are receiving" in place
of "have received."
What a statement! Put together with
"James, " by El Greco
what we have learned thus Tar it says:
Whatever you ask as one abiding fully in
Christ and his word, in agreement with
the other members of the body, will be
given you, if you believe that you have
already received it or are receiving it!
What can this possibly mean beyond some
kind of redundancy that what you have
received you will receive?
Consider first of all that faith is a gift.
It is a response to the moving of God
upon and within us. Thus /a///; is a sens-
ing deep within us that God is already
healing this person even as we pray, so
that our prayers are an extension here on
earth of what has been initiated in
heaven.
Think this over a bit. Isn't that really
the way Jesus healed? After much prayer
and communion with the Father he was so
deeply in relationship with God's will that
he sensed within his being the divine heal-
ing as it moved into the lives of people.
Often this was so strong that he did not
have to voice a prayer. Sometimes he
would touch the person or speak a word
of healing or even feel the power flowing
forth from him into the person (Mark
5:30).
But this power was not confined to
Jesus. Peter, for example, had this kind
of faith when confronted by the cripple at
the gate of the temple (Acts 3:4-8). He
simply said he would give the man what
he had, and this proved to be a command
in the name of Jesus to rise and walk.
The man did!
Such a gift of faith did not die with the
first Christians, but is still alive among us
today. There is first that close abiding in
Christ and his words, and then the gift of
a sense of the healing power and presence
of the living God.
And is the person instantly and com-
pletely healed? Sometimes. Other times
the will of the living Lord is expressed in
more gradual healing, or delayed healing,
or sometimes a spiritual healing in place
of or along with the physical healing.
In every case in which the conditions of
abiding, agreement, and the genuine gift
of faith are present, the sick person is in-
deed "saved" as the text says. The precise
will of God is sought for and accom-
plished. And along with the healing, if
there is sin it is forgiven, restoring the
persons involved to wholeness. D
A retired Bible teacher and missionary from
Quinter, Kan., Chalmer E. Faw and his wife, Mary,
are helping with the expanded ministry at the
Antelope Park Community Church of the Brethren,
Lincoln, Neb.
November 1983 messenger 11
A prophetic — yet
inviting — people
We are contributing to the oppression of the
world when we fail to tell others the Good
News that a liberating Savior can be known.
by Paul E.R. Mundey
Earlier this year a report on congrega-
tional renewal and growth was compiled
for Annual Conference. A portion of that
report asked district executives to list their
concerns related to evangelism, renewal,
and church development/growth. One
response was particularly striking: "We
are still struggling to find the Brethren
way."
I imagine that any number of us could
have made a similar response. At this time
in our denominational life we are still
struggling, searching, yearning for the
Brethren way to renewal and growth. As
various options for evangelism and faith-
sharing confront us, where do we fit in?
In spite of the struggle, however, there
has been movement in the area of evange-
lism and new-member ministry. The
following is a partial listing of recent
developments in the area of renewal and
growth:
1) A denominational strategy commit-
tee is hard at work reviewing and recom-
mending new approaches and strategies
for evangelism and renewal and growth.
2) A new national staff person (Paul
E.R. Mundey) has been appointed to con-
centrate on evangelism and new-member
ministry.
3) A bold, new effort to work more
intentionally at new-member ministry has
been launched in Mid-Atlantic District. Working in partnership
with the Institute for American Church Growth and the
evangelism committee of Mid-Atlantic, the Parish Ministries
Commission is seeking to develop a two-year approach to
membership expansion that is wholistic in mission philosophy,
yet deliberate in the calling of new disciples.
Along with these recent developments are any number of
existing strategies and programs in the area of evangelism and
congregational revitalization. The Renewal and Growth Plan
(highlighted in this issue of Messenger), the Congregational
Goals Discovery Plan, and the Brethren Lifeline (a ministry to
moving and scattered Brethren) are three of the more promi-
nent resources currently available.
It is important to note our honest searching in the area of
evangelistic outreach, but also our progressive movement
toward an effective style for new-member ministry. Increasing-
ly, we are saying to one another that we must become more
Paul E.R. Mundey became Parish Ministries
staff for evangelism Sept. 1, as part of an
intentional emphasis on sharing the gospel.
effective in calling people toward the
fellowship of the kingdom of God. It is
frightening to realize how many persons
see violence, immorality, materialism,
and secularism as their only real options
in life. Certainly a part of Christian mis-
sion is to help dispel this myth. Through
radical, costly deeds and loving, sensitive
words, we need to help people discover
that Jesus Christ is also a live and real
option in our world.
The Jesus we lift up, however, is not
just any Jesus. The Jesus that we affirm
and herald seeks first the kingdom, not
nationalistic ways; he yearns for commu-
nity, not individualistic faith; he
shoulders a "rugged cross," not a soft
one.
As a rigid, fundamentalist faith
begins to dominate much of the
American church, we are increasingly
challenged to be evangelistic about this
"different" kind of Jesus. It is irresponsi-
ble to allow a shallow, Americanized
brand of Christianity to dominate the
nation's bookstores, airwaves, and
pulpits. Somehow we need to be more
bold in inviting people toward a dif-
ferent kind of Christ and a different
kind of church.
The most severe injustice that many
of us are partner to is the injustice of
grasping the power, joy, and mission of
the servant Jesus all to ourselves. In a
very real way we are contributing to the oppression of the
world as we fail to extend to others the Good News that a
liberating Savior can be known and realized.
A friend of mine used to remark, "It's a sin to keep a
good thing to yourself." 1 believe that. Unfaithfulness is found
not only in being "inviting" (evangelistic) without being pro-
phetic; it is also found in being prophetic without being "in-
viting."
The good life, the good God, that Brethren have long af-
firmed needs not only to be incarnated, but disseminated to
the great mass of people who still yearn for that which will
bring life, hope, and meaning. Ultimately, then, meaningful
renewal and growth come about not only as we live out the
lifestyle of the kingdom, but also as we introduce people to
the very life and light of that kingdom — Christ and the
fellowship of his church. D
Paul E.R. Mundey is Parish Ministries stuff for evangelism.
12 MESSENGER November 1983
Awaking a
sleeping giant
Virlina District is awaKe and moving,
thanks to a three-year experience with
the Brethren Renewal and Growth Plan,
by Timothy K. Jones
Several years ago 1 heard someone
describe Virlina as a "sleeping giant."
Virlina, the third largest Church of the
Brethren district membership-wise, spreads
over southern Virginia and parts of North
Carolina and West Virginia. And yet my
friend could not escape the impression
that Virlina's witness does not match its
size. Leadership lies dormant. Resources
rest untapped. People need a stirring and
stretching of vision.
My friend's image has perceptive
biblical warrant. Prophets like Isaiah
regularly prodded the composure of a
sleep-fogged people. Paul, an apostolic
firebrand, often unsettled the comfortable
and stirred movement. And in Acts, in the
midst of a gathering full of energy and ac-
tion, Luke includes the story about drows-
ing young Eutychus, sleepily falling from
his window seat to the ground below.
A cluster of 10 Virginia congregations is
beginning to tell another ending to the
story. The members of these congrega-
tions speak of shaking off sluggishness
that has long robbed witness of purpose
and power. In the same breath they speak
of the Three-Year Congregational
Renewal and Growth Plan, known more
simply as the Renewal and Growth Plan.
"It has helped us turn a corner," de-
clares Bill Walk, pastor of the Blue Ridge
congregation. Elma Loomis, Ninth Street
church member and volunteer Renewal and
Growth district field coordinator, points to
"a new impetus, a new enthusiasm." Bob
Cassell at First church in Roanoke can't hide
his enthusiasm when he says, "Some things
happened that wouldn't have if
we hadn't gotten into the program .
Tim Jones was pastor
of Germantown Brick
church during its parti-
cipation in the Renew-
al and Growth Plan.
Brick Church is a rural
congregation, and had
been typically living
out its faith as a wit-
ness instead of demon-
strating it in more
overt forms of evan-
gelism. Among its new
activities is a visitation
program that targets
the unchurched of the
community.
It made people stop dud think, 'What do we
really want out of the church?'"
Denominational strategists had a hunch
there was just such potential. Targeted
were congregations that "perceived they
were on a plateau and needed something to
get them moving again," according to
Wayne Fralin. Wayne is a Florida layman
and Virlina Renewal and Growth field
coordinator for the General Board (see
next article).
Simply put, the Plan organizes several
-IT*
November 1983 messenger 13
opportunities for such congregations. It
outlines three years of goal-setting, Bible
study, and evangelism training. The Plan's
overall goal centers on growth — by both
motivating outreach and renewing con-
gregations' enthusiasm.
Former General Board staff member
Matthew M. Meyer developed much of
the Plan. Awaking sleeping churches
hinges on linking all levels of church life,
he believed. He sat down and wrote the
Plan after conferring with district ex-
ecutives, Don Miller of Bethany
Seminary, and a number of local church
representatives. As Matt worked, a "cen-
tral conviction" emerged: "the need for a
clear contract among the three par-
ticipating groups — namely, the local con-
gregation, the district, and the national
staff." He also grew convinced that more
was needed than "scattered weekend
events" — hence the three-year framework.
But Matt Meyer moved on to other in-
volvements. Late in 1980, staff respon-
sibility shifted to Merle Grouse, Parish
Ministries staff for new church develop-
ment. Virlina was just beginning the pro-
gram in early 1981 as Merle assumed
leadership.
"I was almost as green in the program
as the folk in Virlina who were getting
geared into the program," Merle con-
fesses. Nevertheless, early Virlina informa-
tion meetings with Merle set off con-
tagious anticipation.
Despite the abrupt staff transition, a
"Launch Sunday" in each participating
congregation got things moving. Con-
gregational planning teams began tailoring
the Plan's outline to specific local needs.
Enthusiasm grew as congregations
glimpsed all they would be doing in the
years ahead in evangelism, Bible study,
and goal-setting.
There were also problems. Ghurches
soon discovered the program plan had
structural gaps. Promotional literature
was almost non-existent. Many of the
church members were fuzzy about what to
expect. In late 1982 staff responsibility
shifted to a third person, Paul Mundey,
diminishing continuity still again.
It was clear from the beginning that the
Plan was an experimental pilot project.
"Here is a program that has remained
alive and vital in spite of an absence of all
the things you should do," reflects Paul
Keeping up with the Joneses
by Judd Blouch
When Timothy K. Jones took his first
pastorate at the Germantown Brick
(Rocky Mount, Va.) Church of the
Brethren, one of the first things he did
was to reduce the size of the huge garden
next to the parsonage. And this past sum-
mer, as Tim, his wife, Jill Zook-Jones,
and their two sons got ready to move to
Houston, Texas, the garden was little
more than tomatoes and beans.
Looking at that garden, one might
think that the two have little interest in
new life and growth. But that impression
is quickly defused when looking at the
Joneses' faith and personal life. The
garden was first reduced so Tim could
concentrate on renewal and growth at
Brick Church, and Jill could concentrate
on the births of Abram and Micah. And
the garden was let go this past summer so
Tim and Jill could prepare for their new
jobs as co-pastors of the Houston new
church development project.
Their involvement in Christian growth
and renewal is a longstanding goal and
commitment. Tim says he has felt
motivated toward evangelism since high
school, when he decided to enter the
ministry. And together, the Joneses, who
met while attending Princeton Theological
Seminary, have felt a calling to a team
outreach ministry.
The first manifestation of that calling
was Tim and Jill's experience with the
Lampeter (Pa.) church. After getting mar-
ried in May 1978, Tim served the
Lampeter congregation for the summer as
its first pastor, and Jill returned to
Mechanic Grove, the mother church of
Lampeter, to serve a second year as sum-
mer pastor.
When talking about their views on
church growth, renewal, and outreach,
Tim and Jill constantly refer to Mechanic
Grove and its former pastor. Earl Ziegler,
who is now executive of Atlantic North-
east District. The enthusiasm and vibrancy
of Mechanic Grove deeply affected Jill
and Tim, and Earl became their model of
a pastor dedicated to church growth.
With such a commitment to growth and
outreach, Tim's pastorate at Germantown
Brick might be considered a compromise.
After a successful first pastorate in Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains, Tim Jones has now
teamed with his wife, Jill, to co-pastor a new congregation being founded in a Houston,
Texas, suburb. Says Jill: "God has a plan for us in Houston and has included us in it. "
14 MESSENGER November 1983
Mundey. "If we were being evaluated by
an administrator or program developer
we'd get very low marks."
The different emphases of the Plan met
with varying levels of success. Awakening
Virlina's Renewal
and Growth Team
strategizes and
evaluates. Clock-
wise, from left
foreground: Tim
Jones, Elma
Loomis, Glenn
Kinsel, Bill Walk,
David Ho II, Bob
Jones, and Paul
A Iwine.
congregational commitment for
evangelism, for example, came early in the
Plan's three-year outline. Virlina flew in
Brethren growth advocate Wayne Zunkel
for a weekend workshop. Wayne persuad-
ed participants to pick up "keys" to
growth like commitment and eagerness to
share the faith. And congregational
leaders were to return home to share their
rekindled vision for outreach.
This was to happen through a 13-week,
church-wide study and action experience
called "Invitation to Adventure," co-
authored by Wayne. Though it was one of
the few structured components of the
Plan, some congregations dragged their
feet. Most eventually welcomed with high
hopes its focus on growth.
A theologically articulate study offering,
it was believed, could break down un-
healthy congregational stereotypes of evan-
gelism. "Churches have a 'set pattern' for
what they think evangelism ought to be,"
one Virlina leader explains. And Wayne
Brick Church is a small, but strong and
faithful. Brethren church. Tim says his
pastorate there has been more
maintenance than building.
But even in such a stable, sturdy con-
gregation, the Joneses have been able to
foster growth and nurture newness.
Through the Renewal and Growth Plan,
Brick Church and other Virlina congrega-
tions have found new needs and goals.
The program didn't really change the
people of Brick Church, say Tim and Jill.
Like many Brethren, they are used to liv-
ing out their faith as a witness instead of
demonstrating it in more overt forms of
evangelism. Rather, the program benefited
the church as a whole by making the
members look at what was wanted and
needed.
"The group meetings were the most
helpful part of the whole thing," explains
Tim. "We were stretched and pushed to
do things we wouldn't do otherwise."
Despite the renewal experienced at
Brick Church, Tim and Jill began to grow
restless last year as Tim started his fourth
year as pastor. Much of it was a youthful
wanderlust, a yearning to try new
grounds. Jill, who had been commuting to
Eastern Mennonite College to work
toward her master of divinity degree, was
especially eager to find a place where her
pastoral skills could be used.
"Tim was pastor, and I'm much more
satisfied when I'm pastoring," says Jill. "It
was frustrating at times."
The Joneses' disturbing restlessness was
not shortlived. One of the major con-
tributors to the young couple's anx-
iousness was a struggle with identity and
simple living.
"It was a struggle with what we had as
compared to other people," Jill said.
The struggles and restlessness started to
subside after they attended a memorial
concert for Christian musician Keith
Green. At that concert, members of the
audience were invited to stand if they felt
God's spirit working in their lives. Spon-
taneously, Tim and Jill stood. It was that
simple act of commitment that set their
minds and souls at ease.
"It was humbling to hear how God had
plans before us," Jill reflects.
A he comfort of that knowledge eased
their pain. God's grace was pouring on
them, Jill feels, and the restlessness had
turned to calm.
"It was a new kind of resolution, a
sense of rest or a foundation of peace,"
Tim adds.
Jill saw an especially marked difference
in Tim's attitude and outlook. He was
more patient with the children and more
sensitive to her. For the first time Tim
was able to get up at 5 a.m. every day for
a time of prayer, solitude, and exercise.
"It freed me to be more of myself,"
Tim says.
The relief of anxiety also helped Tim
and Jill as they waited and watched for a
ministry and more outreach. Their wait
wasn't long. In January, Merle Crouse,
General Board staff member for new
church development, called to ask permis-
sion to submit their names for the job at
the Houston project.
The two weren't that hopeful about the
position. First, they had said they would
accept the Houston job only if they could
work in a team ministry. Second, Texas
was not their top choice for a location.
They sent their resumes in January, and
it wasn't until April 30 that they met the
selection committee from Southern Plains
District. But after touring the Woodlands,
the Houston suburb where the new church
will be located, and meeting with the com-
mittee, Jill and Tim could feel a calling.
"It was apparent to us all along that
God has a plan in the Woodlands, and
now God has favored us by including us
in those plans," says Jill.
At the Houston airport, as Tim and Jill
were getting ready to fly back to Virginia,
the selection committee encircled them
and extended the call. The Joneses asked
for two weeks to decide; after two days
they called the folks of Southern Plains to
accept.
Jill and Tim's expectations and goals
for the new church vary. On the one hand
they would be happy with a short stay if
they had remained faithful and touched
some lives; on the other hand, they
wouldn't mind staying a long time and
building a church that would eventually
give birth to a cluster of churches in the
Houston area.
What may seem like youthful flexibility
or even insecurity is actually faith — a faith
that around the Joneses God will gather a
church. D
Judd Blouch of Millersville, Pa., is a former
editorial assisiani with MESSENGER.
November 1983 messenger 15
7 am convinced that God is using the Plan, bugs and all. Our wake-
ful God of energy and life must be present in what is happening. '
Fralin reasons, it was important to give
congregations "an awareness of some
evangelistic methods" to get them "moving
toward actual numerical growth."
That thrust stirred some controversy.
"Numerical growth" set some on an
uneasy edge, with visions of compromise
and accommodation. Others balked at the
attention to statistics. Others still would
have preferred an accent on global witness
rather than personal conversion.
Paul Mundey, now full-time staff for
evangelism, still defends the emphasis.
Whatever our attentiveness to the global
picture, he understands part of the Plan
"to be focused very intentionally and
unapologetically on a kind of evangelism
that centers on calling new disciples and
assimilating new members into the life of
the church."
That undergirding vision of evangelism
did leave a mark in the district. Paul
Alwine of First church, Roanoke (and
chairman of the District Renewal and
Growth planning team), notes "stimulated
interest" in his church for visiting inac-
tives. Members at Germantown Brick
formed a community visitation committee,
targeting community unchurched.
Bethlehem church is more assertively
ministering to the physical needs of per-
sons outside their fellowship circle. In-
dividuals and pastors depict a new alert-
ness to the summons of Christ to outreach
and witness.
But the thrust seems to have only begun
to open sleepy eyes. "Invitation to Adven-
ture" has not had the dramatic effect most
churches hoped it would have. Whether
the church growth emphases will stir a
still-dormant witness awaits more
evidence.
While the Renewal and Growth Plan
aroused interest in outer witness, it also
emphasized inner growth. Over 20 Virlina
persons attended a LIFE Lab especially
for Renewal and Growth congregations.
Using a lecture and small discussion group
format, the two consecutive weekends in a
retreat setting spurred personal growth.
Insights abounded on faith, forgiveness,
listening skills, and an array of other
issues related to personal and community
wholeness. While touching fewer in
number than other Renewal and Growth
events, the impact on those participating
was dramatic.
The Plan's accent on inner growth
found another strong focus in the
discipline of Bible study. Members from
rural Antioch church, such as Tim Em-
mons, will tell you the Renewal and
Growth Plan helped "generate greater in-
terest in Bible study," and that several
Bible study groups continue to meet
because of the Plan's influence.
1 learned of two couples at Roanoke's
Ninth Street church who grew uneasy with
the attendance at mid-week Bible studies.
As Pastor David Holl tells it, "They said
to one another, 'We'll load it on ourselves
to provide a meal at 6 o'clock at the
church so you can eat and have Bible
study at 7.'" With that kind of en-
thusiasm, David explains with a twinkle in
his eye, attendance jumped from 7 to 32
in just a few weeks.
Local emphases were not all. Early in
1983 a Renewal and Growth Plan-
sponsored Biblical Awareness Seminar
drew in members from all the par-
ticipating churches. Leader Bob Bowman
from the Elgin offices sounded a number
of his convictions about Bible study at the
weekend-long event. He stated strongly,
for example, that "renewal and growth
has to be grounded in the God of Jesus
Christ who meets us in the Scriptures."
He went on to say, "We will find what we
are called to be as a church in scripture
study."
A hat event offered a glimpse of Bible
study as it can be. Confronted by a
wealth of methods and approaches, Bible
study became a fresh and replenishing ex-
ercise. For participants like Lisa Bowman
of Rocky Mount, Va., it brought
discovery and an assurance that you
needn't get "caught in a rut" when it
comes to studying the Bible.
This stirring of new life in Bible study is
far from all of the story. Many in Virlina
are convinced that the Plan's strongest im-
pact arose out of an undergirding of
carefully crafted goals.
The denominational resource tool called
the "Goals Discovery Plan" comes early in
the Renewal and Growth Plan's outline. It
patterns an enlivening process of scripture
study, prayerful program evaluation, and
congregation-wide meetings in small
groups.
Of the "Goals Discovery Plan" Wayne
Fralin says, "Every congregation, to a
congregation, said to me, 'That has been a
highlight; it has been beneficial. It has
helped us look at ourselves, our character
as a congregation, and helped us really do
some good.'" Or Bob Jones will tell you
emphatically, "If congregations annually
look at who they are and what their
ministry is about and then set goals, it
cannot help but be a more effective con-
gregation."
Members of the Red Oak Grove con-
gregation in rural Floyd County, Va., will
tell you much the same. Pastor Elbert
Naff can tick off a list for you that covers
several written pages of "things going that
we didn't have" before the Goals
Discovery segment of the Plan.
Rita Gibson of the Bethlehem church
sounded a note I was to hear again and
again. She highlighted the "Discovery
Groups," church-wide discussion group-
ings that became the backbone of the
goals process. They "gave a chance for
every one to give their point of view in a
small group," she explains.
Planning groups at each congregation
then compiled the small groups' input.
Church boards translated the needs and
hopes that surfaced into definable goals
and measurable objectives, ranging from
youth ministry to outreach giving.
The goals process worked. A few con-
gregations noted slight follow-through
snags, but all remained convinced of the
impact. Other churches report a striking
phenomenon: There is interest in
repeating the goal-setting process. It is
becoming an ongoing part of their
ministry. Antioch pastor Glenn Kinsel
says of his church, "The goal-setting proc-
ess is established and will continue. I
don't think there is any question about
that."
District Executive Bob Jones seems to
be right when he says, "Congregations are
beginning to look deliberately at project-
ing their ministry." That looms as an e.x-
citing prospect for Virlina churches.
I am convinced that God is using the
Plan, bugs and all. Our wakeful God of
energy and life must be present in what is
happening. For in a sincerely committed
but sometimes drowsing corner of Christ's
church, the Spirit is moving to awaken
witness and life. D
Formerly pastor of Germantown Brick (Rocky
Mount, \'a.) Church of the Brethren, Timothy X'.
Jones, and his wife. Jilt, are the pastoral team for a
new church development project near Houston, Texas.
16 MESSENGER November 1983
€@Dyoim
by L. Wayne Fralin
A Brethren new age
Something new is happening in the life of
our denomination. Districts and congrega-
tions are becoming concerned about
growth and renewal. We now have a full-
time person for evangelism on the General
Board staff. New church development
continues to expand rapidly.
What has brought about this phenom-
enal new age in the Church of the
Brethren?
One catalyst was certainly the concern
felt by many in the late 1970s that
something must be done to reverse our
decline in membership. Out of this con-
cern grew the study committee on
diminishing membership and the high
priority given to growth and renewal in
the Goals for the 80s. It also prompted
the initiation of the Renewal and Growth
Plan in 1981.
This Plan is a concentrated, three-year
effort to work at growth and renewal ob-
jectives. The events and experiences of the
program emphasize recommitment of local
churches to Christian discipleship. De-
signed to be flexible, the Plan varies from
congregation to congregation, depending
on how a church assesses its needs.
Three districts and 22 congregations are
now engaged in an intensive program. A
fourth district, Mid-Atlantic, has just
begun with a variation of the original pro-
gram, but with clear growth objectives.
In the first year, the Goals Discovery
Plan and a study series on growth and
evangelism must be completed. Then each
congregation, based on its assessment of
individual strengths and weaknesses and in
consultation with district and General
Board representatives, designs its own
program to renew its Hfe and ministry and
to bring about numerical growth.
Generally, the plan includes:
— evaluating the local church structures,
programs, and relationships;
— learning basic church growth prin-
ciples and related biblical concepts;
— recognizing barriers to and oppor-
tunities for growth and health;
— being aware of and responding to
community needs and resources;
— enriching corporate worship, church
school, and fellowship experiences;
— helping members to reach out and
share their faith;
— developing a regular, permanent
visitation program conducive to the
church's style and life;
— planning for membership training and
assimilation programs;
— encouraging awareness and respon-
siveness to world, national, and local
issues;
— reviewing and evaluating implementa-
tion and follow-through procedures.
In Virlina District a district committee
oversees the program. While the district
executive has overall administrative
responsibility, a district coordinator ac-
tually manages and coordinates the pro-
gram activities. A number of district-
planned seminars, workshops, and wor-
ship services have proved successful — not
only as learning times but as opportunities
for fellowship and community-building.
X~\.dditionally, the Parish Ministries
Commission assigns a field coordinator in
each district to represent the General
Board, and this person visits each con-
gregation at least once a year. The con-
gregations also have their own committees
to supervise their individual programs. At
various times the program is assessed and
any needed changes made.
A key aspect of the program is flexibil-
ity. It is not highly structured in order to
give congregations the opportunity to
assess their own lives and ministries and
to determine what they need to bring
about renewal and growth in a wholesome
way. To that extent, the program has
been successful.
But its unstructured nature has also
been the program's greatest weakness.
Once the requirements were met, churches
were unsure of next steps and floundered
until new directions were found.
The Renewal and Growth Plan has not
been a highly visible part of General
Board program. Does it have a future?
Yes! I would hke to see it tied to new
church development, in the sense that as
new life is being born old lives are being
renewed with new visions about reaching
out to more people. We cannot forget our
existing congregations in our enthusiasm
for the new. The Plan has the potential to
be a vital, moving force for congregations
that feel stagnant and in need of new
directions and visions.
Congregations in Virlina's program have
developed a renewed purpose for ex-
istence. Programs have been developed
for youth and community. Visitation and
fellowship have increased. That speaks
well for a program still in the process of
becoming.
Each congregation, as well as the total
church, must be in a constant state of
renewal, or it dies. General Secretary Bob
Neff describes himself as "deeply devoted
to change and renewal" and says that "it's
important to always be asking, 'Is there a
better way, a more obedient way to meet
the goals of Christ?'"
I share those values. The church is cap-
turing a new vision that will propel us into
the next century. I believe the Renewal
and Growth Plan will be a vital part of
that thrust. D
L. Wayne Fralin, of Orlando, Fla., is a Renewal and
Growth coordinator for the General Board.
November 1983 messenger 17
Prophetic
evangelism
^Prophetic evangelism, then, mean
serving God or serving the prince o
wickedness is not to be sneezed a
and change. Our relationship to Got
by John F. Alexander
The evangelism we need today is a pro-
phetic evangelism, and evangelism that
sounds more like Amos or Jesus than
Jerry Falwell or Oral Roberts. It's an
evangelism that sees the poor as victims
who need to be radicalized and given self-
respect as well as forgiven for their sins;
they are not just a pool of cheap labor to
be pacified into accepting the status quo.
It's an evangelism that sees the rich as op-
pressors who must repent and be forgiven
or face justice to come.
In some cases, prophetic evangelism
might look a lot like a Billy Graham rally.
Except violence, greed, and racism would
be denounced as clearly as sexual pro-
miscuity and drunkenness. And coming
forward would signify not only a desire to
be forgiven but a willingness to fight
alongside the poor.
Personally, I'm partial to the prophetic
evangelism in which you use your body to
obstruct a missile site. Such actions
become prophetic evangelism when you
make a clear statement that the nation
and its people must choose between serv-
ing the crucified God and the crucifying
bomb. Or you might go to the Christian
Booksellers' Convention and overturn the
tables of the moneychangers while calling
on them to stop using God's name in
vain. Of course, to do this kind of pro-
phetic evangelism, you have to travel
light. You never know where you'll lay
your head that night. Or when you'll be
with your family again.
But prophetic evangelism can also be a
conversation over the back fence. Maybe
you'll be able to talk to your neighbor
about God and the poor. Or maybe you'll
be able to suggest that there's more to life
than a new car and a secure income.
People need to be challenged to take
stock of their lives. They need to explore
18 MESSENGER November 1983
whether they're hurting and oppressing
others, whether they are committing
suicide by wasting their lives, whether they
are selling ice boxes on a burning deck.
Then they need to be told of forgiveness
through Christ's death — and of change
through his resurrection.
Yet many politicized Christians are
hung up over evangelism. We'll vote. Or
we'll march in demonstrations. Or we'll
wear badges for Solidarity and the United
Farm Workers. But we hesitate to say too
much about God. And we're not about to
ask people whom they serve.
And that's understandable. After all,
many of the most visible evangelists are
peddlers of death. They are not pointing
to springs of living water but to a fire
escape from hell. They have preached
repentance and forgiveness — but for a
select list of sins. And where they've
flourished, so has sexual repression,
racism, legalized violence, and economic
exploitation.
-I— /ven the saner advocates of evangelism
have rarely understood the breadth or
radicalness of biblical evangelism. Nor
have they understood today's problems.
They haven't seen the gospel's stress on
the poor and oppressed or the centrality it
gives to rejecting financial idolatry. So
they never ask rich young rulers to sell
their possessions — or do anything else
even half that drastic. And they don't
have a broad enough view of the gospel to
call people to light their candles in the
struggle against darkness.
In other words, the evangelism we have
seen often strengthens the very forces we
oppose. It feeds rather than challenges the
injustice and dehumanization of our day.
Traditional evangelism, in thousands of
cases, helps people get their lives together.
And that is not nothing. But it rarely pro-
duces a deep distress over racism or over
official violence. And people who get
their lives together without changing
whom they serve — such people may be
dangerous. They may become better
soldiers, able to kill more gooks in a
single blow. And they may become twice
as much children of hell as before.
Traditional evangelists usually forget
that when the Bible addresses morality, it
covers the waterfront: idolatry, oppres-
sion, ecology, sex, witchcraft, love, and
justice.
Take a look at Leviticus 19 sometime.
If I were to list all the kinds of sins out-
lined in that one chapter, it w ould take
half this page. Or look at Jeremiah. In
one of his sermons, after condemning
adultery, he proclaims, "The house of
Israel and the house of Judah ha\e been
utterly faithless to me, says the Lord ....
They set a trap, they catch people. Like a
basket full of birds, their houses are full
of treachery; therefore they have become
great and rich, they have grown fat and
sleek. They judge not with justice the
cause of the fatherless" (Jer. 5:11,26,28).
And in the Sermon on the Mount,
Jesus manages to touch on humility, mer-
cy, persecution, letting your light shine,
anger, lust, divorce, taking oaths,
nonresistance, love, doing things for
others to see, materialism, trusting God,
judging others, and on and on and on.
Jesus and the Bible know no narrow list
of sins. Their conception of evil is broad
and biting. And that's what makes
evangelism biblical. That's what makes
evangelism prophetic.
Christians have endless debates about
the relationship between evangelism and
social action — and they never seem to get
anywhere. The idea of prophetic evange-
lism, however, seems to give us a way out,
for it refocuses the question.
Prophetic evangelism is not the tradi-
asking people to choose between two ways of life—
darkness. We have chosen the wrong way, and such
. But by God's grace, we can repent, be forgiven,
and to others can be restored, '
tional liberal answer of collapsing social
action and evangelism into each other.
When you do that, about all that's left is
doing good. People are seldom asked to
decide who their master is. And repent-
ance is all too often thrown out the
window.
Nor does prophetic evangelism give a
secondary place to social action, as do
many of those folks who stress the prior-
ity of personal salvation. Working for the
poor to have jobs is not an optional extra.
Nor can it wait for a more mature stage
of discipleship. No, combatting the op-
pression of poverty is a moral necessity.
Economic oppression is as serious as rape.
And growing fat and sleek while kids
starve is as bad as armed robbery. They
are all sin. That is the central point of
prophetic evangelism.
Finally, prophetic evangelism is not
dualistic. Some progressive evangelicals
stress that social action and evangelism
are necessary but separate activities. Social
action may prepare the way for more ef-
fective evangelism, and evangelism may
prepare the way for increased social ac-
tion, but the two are separate, at least
conceptually.
While there may be some truth to such
a perspective, it doesn't go far enough. It
doesn't see the integral connection be-
tween social action and evangelism. From
the perspective of prophetic evangelism,
most of the world's problems are moral
and spiritual. So the crucial thing is to call
sinners to repentance. Poverty is largely
the result of sin, especially oppression; so
the solution is not soup kitchens but the
evangelizing of oppressors. Third-world
hunger is indeed caused by drought, but
it's not a drought of water; it's a drought
of the word of God.
We may need soup kitchens for a long
time to come. (Jesus said it's easier for a
camel to go through an eye of a needle
than for rich oppressors to repent.) But
we must remember that such things don't
deal with the problem. They don't deal
with sin. They only alleviate its effects.
And then there is God. Prophetic
evangelism recognizes that reconciliation
with God is at the heart of it all.
We are magnificent beings, made in the
image of God. And we live in a wonder-
ful, beautiful universe. Life could have
been full of joy and peace and fun. But
we would have none of it. We disrupted
our relationship with God and others by
doing some dreadful things. We hurt
'Prophetic evangelism
. . . will proclaim we
are freed from the
American dream.
That is, we don't need
to get rich, get laid,
or get even. '
others. We oppress them. We devote vast
sections of our lives to the pursuit of glit-
tery trinkets. We do not serve God but
mammon. We have turned our backs on
our creator and are moving rapidly away
from the center of our lives, leaving a trail
of death and destruction and malignancy.
The way out is a restored relationship
to God. That, and only that, will put
Humpty Dumpty back together again. It
will restore our ethics, our politics, and
the rest of our relationships, for they are
all of one piece.
The prophets are famous for their at-
tacks on injustice. But they denounce
turning from God every bit as often. "My
people have forsaken me, the foundation
of living waters, and hewed out cisterns
for themselves, broken cisterns, that can
hold no water" (Jer. 2:13).
The key to everything is restoring our
relationship to God.
Prophetic evangelism, then, means ask-
ing people to choose between two ways of
life — serving God or serving the prince of
darkness. We have chosen the wrong way,
and such wickedness is not to be sneezed
at. Sensitive people are sometimes
haunted by things they've done, and they
should be. But by God's grace, we can re-
pent, be forgiven, and change. Our rela-
tionship to God and to others can be
restored.
So prophetic evangelism may occur in
confrontations with politicians and land-
owners who are asked to repent of their
oppression and be born again. It may oc-
cur at the dinner table where friends are
told they needn't retaliate when someone
hurts them. It may occur among the poor
who will be asked to repent of their
disrupted relations — but they will also be
told that they are not nothing, that God is
on their side, and someday right will
prevail.
In North America, prophetic evangelism
to a large extent will proclaim that we are
freed from the American dream. That is,
we don't need to get rich, get laid, or get
even. We don't need to be successful in
any area. We don't need to kill poor and
oppressed people just because the govern-
ment tells us to. We don't need to tolerate
massive levels of unemployment just so we
can build more bombs to threaten our
neighbors with. We can be freed from all
that by repenting and following God's
way. D
John F. Alexander is co-edilor o/The Other Side
magazine.
Reprinted with permission from The Other Side. 300
W. Apsley St., Philadelphia, PA 19144. Copyright "
1983.
November 1983 messenger 19
North Margi
gets the gospel
The church in Nigeria, when it works to
spread the gospel, knows the law is on its
side, but those who administer it are not.
Still, effective evangelism is practiced.
by Howard Ogburn
The Church of the Brethren in Nigeria
(Ekklesiyar 'Yanuwa a Nigeria— EYN) is
aggressively evangelizing among people
who have for years been under Muslim in-
fluence. It has focused its attention the
last couple of years on an area north of
the traditional Brethren territory.
This report tells of the difficulties en-
countered in gaining the cooperation of
local government authorities, who are
Muslim, in placing church workers in the
area. Prepared for the church in Nigeria,
the report makes thrilling reading as well
for American Brethren who support the
evangelistic work of the church, out on
the mission frontiers. — Ed.
There is no political entity that cor-
responds exactly to the area of our new
evangelistic push. We call it "North
Margi" because of the Margi-speaking
people there. The area lies within the local
government areas of Gwoza and Damboa,
both in Borne State, with more of it lying
in Damboa than Gwoza. The boundary
between North Margi and Central Margi
(the Margi of the Lassa and Dille area)
runs about nine miles north of the villages
of Dille, Ngurthlavu, and Huyim. The
North Margi area extends north to
Maiduguri, the state capital. There is a
new hard-surfaced highway connecting the
towns of Gwoza in the east to Damboa in
the west.
Much of the land is virgin bush, but
many small villages are springing up along
the new highway. Thousands of people
have left their old homes back in the
bush, to locate along this convenient com-
munication link. An estimated 60,000 peo-
ple still remain in their old homes.
North Margi is quite flat, and covered
in the east by a textbook example of "or-
20 MESSENGER November 1983
chard bush" — scattered trees and shrubs
about 15 feet high, set in grassland, and
looking like a vast, unorganized orchard.
To the west, around Mulgwe and beyond,
the land is densely wooded. Clearing
farmland is more of a task there than in
the east.
Because of the flat land, the new
highway was built on a causeway more
than 10 feet high in places. By the road
are numerous pits where mechanical
earth-movers got fill for the road. Many
of these still had water in them seven
months after the final rains of 1982, pro-
viding water for wandering cattle herds.
There are few, if any, government wells in
the area.
My Margi friends call all the people of
the area "Margi," although it is apparent
that not all speak Central Margi as their
mother tongue. They have acquired the
Central Margi dialect from contact with
their southern neighbors.
Mc
Lost of the people are at least
nominal Muslims. There are still animists
among them, but their number is declin-
ing. The people realize that the old tradi-
tional ways of life are fading fast, and for
expediency's sake they adopt Islam or
Christianity. Most of the Muslim converts
have been in recent years. Christianity,
unfortunately, has not had much impact
on their lives, and it is this lack that gives
us our impetus to evangelize.
About 45 years ago, missionary Stover
Kulp and others tried to get permission to
take the gospel into North Margi. Kulp's
strategy was to take the gospel first to
centers of population. Lack of coopera-
tion from government and limitations on
personnel and funds caused by World
War II were factors working against that
original evangelistic effort. Evangelism
was limited to occasional preaching tours
by Nigerian preachers such as pastors Kar-
bam, Audu Dunama, and Jilasari.
In the areas around Dille and Ngurth-
lavu, there has been and still remains
work among the North Margi people.
Those who became Christians at Kopci
moved south to Kilekesa, an evangelistic
outpost of the Dille church. Ngurthlavu
church has continued evangelistic work at
Bdagu.
Recently we learned that the new
evangelist sent to Bdagu by the Lassa
Gunduma (district) was murdured by rob-
bers in the night. Lassa church operates
the northernmost outvillage church, Izge.
(Nigerian Christians use the term
"evangelist" for church workers who settle
in a new area, become part of the com-
munity, and slowly build a new church.)
In May 1982, I was part of a group of
EYN Christian leaders that toured the
North Margi area to assess evangelistic
possibilities. With me was EYN general
secretary Toma Ragnjiya, treasurer
Karagama Gadzama, Lassa pastor Jilasari
Karashi, and Izge evangelist Bitrus
Dlagai.
We started from Izge. Our first village
stop, Kalvali, was tiny but our experience
there set the tone for our whole tour. The
people said they had become Muslim
because their neighbors to the north, the
large and dominant Kanuri tribe, had
laughed and called them pagans. Now
that they had converted, the Kanuri still
laughed at them and called them pagans.
Muslims traditionally consider people
"pagan" for seven generations after their
ancestors convert to Islam. The folks of
Kalvali told us they wanted to try Chris-
tianity!
Our second stop was at Mbulangelang,
The people of North Margi welcome Chris-
tian workers into their midst, seeing what
the gospel has meant to their neighbors.
where we received our warmest welcome
and spent the night. With about a dozen
family units, this village was a bit larger
than Kalvali. The people there told us that
a generation ago, their area was as ad-
vanced as Lassa (Church of the Brethren),
Gwoza (Sudan United Mission), or
Ngoshe (Basel Mission). But when they
compare their area now with any of those
villages, they see the contrast brought by
the presence of Christianity. They were
eager for us to send them an evangelist.
Our third stop was at the ancient village
of Mulgwe, mentioned in written histori-
cal works of three or four hundred years
ago. We asked to see the lawan (head of
the village area), but he was out of town.
We were able to talk, instead, to a group
of interested men of the village. When we
asked them if they were interested in our
sending an evangelist, they replied,
"Forty-five years ago, 'Dokta Kulpu'
(Stover Kulp) came to us and asked the
same thing. We told him we did not wish
to receive the gospel. Today, we see we
made a mistake at that time."
The men of Mulgwe went on to com-
pare their village with the thriving Chris-
tian villages, as had our Mbulangelang
hosts. They noted that those villages had
hospitals, primary, and post-primary
schools, and other amenities, while all
Mulgwe could point to was one primary
^fi
school building with two rooms and no
teachers, and a dispensary building that
had neither been stocked with medicines
nor staffed for the past four years. They
told us that they would welcome a Chris-
tian worker.
At the large new village of Begomairi,
the village head welcomed us in the best
genial Kanuri style (although he was a
Margi), and told us that he did not want
us sending evangelists to this village.
A,
Lt the large town of Damboa, where
the Chibuk church has evangelistic work,
we found that the evangelist had left to
further his education at a teachers' col-
lege. Beyond Damboa, at Kauje, where
Chibuk had had evangelistic work for
years, we found the work had fallen on
bad days. There was no Christian leader
and only 1 1 Christians. A Muslim koranic
teacher was living in the evangelist's
house!
This past May we made a second visit
to North Margi. About two months
before, Lassa Gunduma had sent an
evangelist to Mulgwe, a Maltam (Mr.)
Thlawar, who had relatives in Mulgwe.
He was allowed to settle there with his
relatives, and he began visiting people in
and around Mulgwe. The lawan would
not allow him to begin preaching until
EYN had received permission from the
local government headquarters in
Damboa.
Mallam Toma, our general secretary,
understood well the tactics of the lawan.
The familiar Kanuri ploy, adopted by the
Margi Muslims who are local or district
leaders, is to be genial and to sound most
cooperative, but to maintain that nothing
can be done until they get permission
from higher authorities. That permission
somehow never comes, of course. So, in-
stead of writing to ask permission, Toma
wrote to the authorities in Damboa and
simply informed them that we would be
sending evangelists to the Mulgwe area.
When we arrived in Mulgwe, the lawan
was not at home. We retreated from the
115-degree heat to the shade of a huge old
tree by his compound, and waited. Finally
the lawan appeared and the long greetings
began.
After the greetings were over, Toma
November 1983 messenger 21
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presented our plans and the lawan
responded with interest, as a good host.
Then, when it became apparent that we
intended for Thlawur, our evangelist, to
begin work immediately, the lawan said,
"But, of course, that will have to wait un-
til you get a reply from Damboa."
Toma answered that, as we had not
asked permission, but had only informed
them of our plans, no answer would be
coming. Next, the lawan told us that all
the people of Mulgwe were Muslim, and
did not want a Christian worker preaching
the gospel among them. To substantiate
this claim, the lawan turned and asked the
30 or so men who had gathered, "Do you
want someone to preach the gospel to
you?"
There were no audible replies, but the
lawan turned back to us and cheerily said,
"See, they don't want any evangelist
here." Obviously they really did, it seemed
to us, but they were afraid to disagree
with their lawan.
Mc
22 MESSENGER November 1983
Loses Thliza, assistant director of the
Rural Health Program of the Church of
the Brethren Mission, now began to pre-
sent the idea of beginning health work in
Mulgwe, showing how Mulgwe could have
medical service that would tie into the
health systems of both the mission and
Borno State. But it was evident, that to
the lawan, a Christian project by any
other name was still a Christian foot in
his Muslim door. While Moses was still
making his presentation, the lawan stood
up abruptly and announced it was time
for his Muslim prayers!
He retreated through the curtained
doorway of the nearby mosque as we hud-
dled and discussed strategy. About five
minutes later, we walked around the
mosque to go to the lawan's entrance
house.
The lawan must be the fastest pray-er
around, because he was already seated
outside his compound! Ordinarily,
Muslims take up to five minutes or more
just in ablutions before they pray, to say
nothing of the length of the prayers
themselves.
When he saw us coming, the flustered
lawan at first retreated into his house.
When he emerged a few minutes later, we
told him we would visit another village for
the evening, but would return to spend
the night at Mulgwe.
Next morning, when we called on the
lawan to take our leave, Toma told him,
"Since you say that you are all Muslims
here and you don't want an evangelist, we
will take Mallam Thlawur to Sabon
Tasha, where the people are all pagan and
where they do want an evangelist." Sabon
Tasha, which means "new station," is a
new hamlet just a few miles from
Mulgwe.
We went on to Sabon Tasha, where the
people seemed eager to receive the gospel.
When the women were told that a Chris-
tian Women's Fellowship would be started
there, the joy they expressed seemed gen-
uine. The men of the village had already
begun building a house for Thlawur and
his family.
A few days later we learned that on the
very day we were in Sabon Tasha, our
lawan of Mulgwe had gone to Sabon
Tasha and threatened its leader with im-
prisonment for allowing a Christian
evangelist to settle there without his per-
mission. Thlawur attempted to intercede
on the leader's behalf, but the lawan told
him he must pack up and get out.
In June, General Secretary Toma and
others visited the Damboa authorities
again and were able to turn the situation
around. An agreement was reached,
whereby EYN was allowed to survey a site
in Mulgwe to build on. Already a site has
been selected, where a church, two staff
houses, and a dispensary will be built.
One house is already under construction.
EYN is recruiting two trained Bible school
graduates, a medical worker, and a
pastor. Plans call also for digging a well.
This all sounds good, but given the con-
ditions I have described, one cannot be
certain that future problems will not con-
front us. The law is on our side, but the
people who administer the law in the
Mulgwe are not. Still, if we had no prob-
lems we would trust ourselves instead of
the Lord. You don't have miracles if
everything goes smoothly and you trust
your own strength. D
Howard Ogburn has been a Church of the Brethren
missionary in Nigeria since 1962.
mmmm^.
RENEWAL
AND
GROWTH
While the Renewal and Growth Plan is in-
tended to work with groups of small con-
gregations, its resources are no secret.
They are available to congregations of any
size to enable them to become healthier
and stronger through the processes of
renewal and growth. These processes em-
phasize 1) a goal-oriented approach to
congregational life and mission, and 2) an
"up-front" evangelism lifestyle and pro-
gram.
Unless otherwise noted, all resources .
Hsted are available from the Church of the
Brethren General Offices, 1451 Dundee
Ave., Elgin, IL 60120.
First step
The Renewal and Growth Plan is seen as
a series of steps toward congregational
health and strength. The first step in-
volves identity — an assessment of who we
are and who we want to become.
The best single resource for this process
is the Congregational Goals Discovery
Plan (CGDP). Originally a Mennonite
resource, this material has been revised
especially for use among Brethren. It in-
volves the congregation in a variety of
ways: as a total group, in small discovery
groups, as a church board, as a congrega-
tional business meeting, and in the pro-
gram units of the congregation.
The CGDP is a renewal experience in
itself because it involves Bible study,
prayer, and reflection.
As many small groups as the congrega-
tion can organize take part in six sessions
that explore present goals: congregational
identity; neighborhood and global com-
munity; church performance in terms of
numerical growth and stewardship; and
relationships with Christ, others in the
church, and world neighbors.
The CGDP tends to simplify and clarify
the work of the church because it limits
the congregation to two or three major
goals a year, for which there is broad
understanding and ownership. It comes in
a packet with a clearly written leader's
manual and large, colorful poster/
worksheets for a year of goal-setting and
follow-through.
Step up to growth
The major numerical church growth
course published by the Brethren is Invita-
tion to Adventure, by C. Wayne Zunkel
and Irven F. Stern. This is a low-cost way
to get into a church-growth frame of
mind, since the leader's guide costs only
$5 and the student's book is $.75. An
audiovisual kit is available from the
evangelism office for a small rental fee.
Zunkel has more recently written a
study book on church growth. Growing
the Small Church: A Guide for Church
Leaders (David C. Cook). It has
reproducible worksheets and transparency
copy, and is available through The
Brethren Press for $14.95.
Two other David C. Cook resources on
church growth have been used by
Brethren with good results. One is
organized around Leighton Ford's book
Good News Is for Sharing ($14.95), and
comes in a kit that includes Ford's book,
a leader's manual, and six pupil's books.
This course may be supplemented by a
series of 16 mm films or videotapes that
feature Ford discussing the characteristics
of an evangelistic lifestyle. Order films
and videotapes from David C. Cook, 850
N. Grove, Elgin, IL 60120.
Still one more Cook resource is a set of
cassette tapes entitled Helping Your
Church Grow, by C. Peter Wagner, a
leading spokesman for the church growth
movement at Fuller Theological Seminary.
This kit includes six workbooks and costs
$39.95.
An excellent Anabaptist resource on
church growth is A New Look at Church
Growth, by Floyd Bartel, and published
by the Mennonite Publishing House and
Faith and Life Press, Newton, Kan. This
case study approach to church growth in-
Design from A New Look at
Church Growth, by Floyd Bariel.
eludes the Wilmington (Del.) Church of
the Brethren. Material includes a reading
book ($1.50)and a leader's guide ($2.95)
with reproducible pull-out sheets.
Other ways
Growth happens in other ways than
evangelistic or numerical. The spiritual life
office offers two resources for growth in
awareness of how God works:
Spiritual Life Groups ($2) is a manual
plus worksheets assembled by Matthew
M. Meyer. Order from the Spiritual Life
Office.
// is the Same God ($6.95), by James
H. Lehman, is the title of a cassette tape
of eight Brethren talking about their faith.
The study guide is by B. Wayne Crist.
Order from the spiritual life office.
Worship enrichment is another way to
renewal and growth. Consider the packet
($6.95) assembled around Kenneth
Morse's book Move in our Midst (The
Brethren Press), which includes a cassette
tape and a leader's guide.
CommPac, a kit for stewardship enlist-
ment, offers real possibilities for renewal.
It comes in a rainbow-confetti box with
color-coded materials that include a goal-
setting procedure, and costs $35.
Finally, groups of congregations might
wish to schedule a Biblical Awareness
Seminar with a representative from the
Parish Ministries staff. For a minimal
registration fee, you get a hands-on
weekend of Bible study, great fellowship,
and a beautiful looseleaf notebook to
carry it all back to the folks at
home. -James McKinnell
James McKinnell is pastor of Sun Valley Church of
the Brethren, Birmingham, Ala.
November 1983 messenger 23
Ordaining the sisters
Twenty-five years ago, the Brethren fully sanctioned
the ordaining of women to the ministry, capping a long
process in which many bold sisters took a stand.
by Pamela Brubaker Lowe
Twenty-five years ago, women were
granted "full and unrestricted rights in the
ministry" of the Church of the Brethren,
ending a debate that had gone on for
more than a century.
Through the years there had been a
growing recognition of the gifts of women
for ministry with positions being taken by
Annual Meeting in 1834, 1859, 1922, and
1952. Yet each of those positions had
stopped short of granting women "full
and unrestricted rights in the ministry."
The early queries had come in regard to
the preaching of Sarah Righter Major.
Sarah had begun preaching in the Philadel-
phia area in 1828 with the encouragement
of her father, John Righter, and area elders
Peter Keyser and Israel Poulson.
In response to an 1834 query "concerning
a sister's preaching," Annual Meeting stated
disapproval of women preaching, adding
that "such sister being in danger, not only
exposing her own state of grace to tempta-
tion, but also causing temptations, discord,
and disputes among other members."
The question arose again in 1859. This
time, a distinction was made between
teaching, ministering, and prophesying.
Annual Meeting decided that a sister
could prophesy, but not preach or teach.
Sarah continued preaching, however, until
near her death in 1884 — including a ser-
mon during the 1878 Annual Meeting.
Other Brethren women were also begin-
ning to preach. Mattie A. Lear began
preaching in Illinois in the 1870s and con-
tinued until her death in 1903. Her
obituary in The Gospel Messenger claimed
that "as a scripturist she had few equals,
and possessed a most graceful and fluent
way of giving expression to her views."
Bertha Miller Neher did evangelistic
work in Indiana early in this century. She
also served a year as interim pastor of
Winona Lake church. Mattie Cunningham
Dolby, installed into the ministry in
Southern Ohio in 191 1, is the first woman
to appear in the ministerial list of the
Church of the Brethren.
Now the queries coming to Annual
Meeting questioned by what authority
24 MESSENGER November 1983
some districts were giving women permis-
sion to preach. In response, a ministerial
statement brought to the 1922 Annual
Conference included a provision for
"licensing sisters to preach." This recom-
mendation caused considerable controver-
sy. The leading spokesman for those who
felt that women preaching was contrary
both to scripture and to the tradition of the
church was B.F. Kessler, who later
withdrew from the Church of the Brethren.
Others supported the recommendation.
Otho Winger, later president of Man-
chester College, cited references the Apos-
tle Paul made to women who worked with
him, as well as pointing to the preaching
of Sarah Righter Major. Wilbur B.
Stover, pioneer missionary to India, spoke
highly of the work of women on the mis-
sion field, including their preaching.
Naomi Shaw, one of the first women ever
to speak during Annual Meeting debate,
called for man to "follow the example of
his head (Christ) and woo instead of rule"
so that "woman could fill her mission"
given by God.
T.
. he recommendation for licensing sisters
to preach passed by a vote of 389 to 149.
After this decision, the number of
"licensed sisters" in the ministerial list of
the church grew year by year. Their
ministries were varied. Some preached
regularly — on a circuit, like Wilma
Waybright of West Virginia, or in
evangelistic meetings, like Mary L. Cook
of Michigan. Some served in team
ministry with their husband, like Alice D.
Sell in Pennsylvania and Martha Keller in
Michigan and Minnesota. Others served in
home and foreign missions, like Alice
Eisenbise of Nebraska and Ida Shumaker
in India. Grace Deal Showalter of
Michigan was a minister of music.
Among those in the pastoral ministry
were Elizabeth Jennings Broughman, who
pastored several churches in Virginia dur-
ing a preaching ministry that spanned
nearly 50 years, and Bertha Cline, a grad-
uate of Bethany Seminary, who pastored
churches in Oklahoma and Colorado.
Women serving as pastors were not per-
mitted offically to perform all ministerial
functions, such as weddings and baptisms.
The 1922 decision had stated clearly that
the licensing of sisters was only for
preaching. Recognizing the difficulty this
caused, the McClave church in Colorado
petitioned Annual Conference in 1949 "to
allow women equal rights with men in the
ministry." At this time. Bertha Cline was
their interim pastor.
Annual Conference referred the petition
to the General Board, which requested the
following Annual Conference to appoint a
committee to study this question as part
of a larger study of the role of women in
the life of the church. The five-member
committee (T.F. Henry, Eva Bowman,
E.R. Fisher, DeWitt L. Miller, and Ruth
Shriver) brought a report to the 1952 An-
nual Conference that included a recom-
mendation that "women be granted equal
opportunity with men in the ministry." In
supporting this recommendation, the com-
mittee claimed that "there can be neither
male nor female in Christ Jesus."
A heated debate ensued. Edward K.
Ziegler, alternate moderator of the 1952
Conference, remembers it well: "At that
time, some old elders made impassioned
pleas to defeat it, professing their concern
that sisters be spared the pain and burden
of the kind of counseling which pastors
have. Also, they were concerned about the
propriety and the difficulty that a woman
minister would have in baptizing big
adults by immersion."
J.L. Miller and S.S. Blough were
among these elders. J.L. Wine opposed
the recommendation, saying there were no
biblical references supporting the ordina-
tion of women and neither was there an
apostolic precedent.
Calvert Ellis, president of Juniata Col-
lege, raised other objections. He claimed
that ordaining women would not be prog-
ress. Charging that the feminist movement
of the past half century had contributed
to the breakdown of the home, he cited
studies that claimed that this movement
Mattie Cunningham Dolby struggled
against prejudice on two fronts to become
in 1911 the first sister listed as a Brethren
minister. (See January 1976 cover feature.)
had spent itself. Women's central place
was to be a mother.
Supporter of the recommendation gave
equally impassioned speeches. The first
was from Florence Fogelsanger Murphy,
who had been installed into the ministry
in 1935 by her home congregation in
recognition of her ministry in Women's
Work. She claimed that there is "no sex in
Christ." Equal opportunity in the ministry
was dependent on the leading of the
Spirit. "It is the Spirit we are to follow,
not biblical literalism," she said.
In response to Ellis, DeWitt Miller
pointed out that the feminist movement
had been a needed "corrective in a
masculine dominated society." He granted
that it may have gone too far, but pleaded
that the church not go too far in the other
direction. "Women need to be able to
answer the call of the Spirit."
Cora Fisher, president of the National
Women's Work Council and a pastor's
wife, questioned the claims of protecting
women. Pastors' wives already bore many
of the burdens of pastors, she said, in-
cluding counseling. She also pointed out
that men did not rush to protect women
from the hard work of packing relief
boxes. "Had the work of women's hands
loomed so large that it had been forgotten
that women also had minds and hearts?"
After several hours of debate and the
loss of an amendment that would have
granted women the privileges of the or-
dained ministry but not ordination, Paul
Robinson declared that a compromise was
needed. Citing the shortage of pastors and
the number of women who were currently
serving as pastors, he moved that "a
woman who is the pastor of a church be
granted the privileges of the ordained
minister to function in the congregation
of which she is a pastor."
One supporter of the motion argued,
"If women have the gift of the Spirit, how
can men forbid them to minister?" Robin-
son's substitute motion passed and re-
placed the committee's recommendation in
the report on the role of women in the
church, which was subsequently adopted.
Edward K. Ziegler was disappointed
with this decision. While pastor of the
Williamson Road Church in Virginia, he
wrote a query requesting the 1958 Annual
Conference "to grant to women full and
unrestricted rights in the ministry."
Standing Committee recommended
favorable action on the query. "There is
no female or male in Christ," said L.
John Weaver, speaking for Standing
Committee. He also referred the delegates
to the 1952 report on the Role of Women
in the Life of the Church and asked that
its original section on women in the
ministry now be accepted.
X~\. very brief debate followed. One
brother opposed the motion as not being
acceptable in a New Testament church.
Reuel B. Pritchett repeated the concern he
had shared during the 1952 debate.
"Scripture supports women praying and
prophesying, but they are not to be put in
positions of authority." He asked the
delegates to look carefully before making
a change, "so as to be scriptural."
Then, the author of the query made an
impassioned plea for its acceptance. He
pointed to the ability of women and the
greatly increased needs in pastoral
ministry, as well as to action in favor of
the ordination of women in sister
denominations. He concluded that "the
time is here in the anniversary year ... to
recognize that the gift of God may be
bestowed equally on sisters of the
church."
After one more supporting speech made
by the husband of a "licensed sister," a
hand vote showed "a strong vote for pas-
sage." Women had finally been granted
"full and unrestricted rights in the
ministry."
Within the next few years, a number of
women were ordained. Among them were
three who had been licensed to preach in
1922 — Elizabeth Jennings Broughman,
Mary Cook, and Madolin Taylor. Others
were Anna Beahm Mow, former mis-
sionary to India and professor at Bethany;
Nettie Senger, former missionary to
China; Opal Pence, who had pastored
churches in the Midwest; and Harriet
Bright, in team ministry with her hus-
band. For these women, ordination was
an affirmation of ministry they had long
been carrying out.
For the church, the 1958 decision
opened up the possibility of many more
women entering its ministry, and an in-
creasing number of women have done so.
These women have ministered quite ably
as pastors and associate pastors, as
writers, seminary professors, campus
ministers and hospital chaplains, as retreat
and spiritual growth leaders, as denomina-
tional staff members, and as district ex-
ecutives.
Yet even 25 years after ordination was
granted to women, there is still resistance
to women preaching or serving as pastors.
A few district executives report difficulty
in placing women.
But there are also congregations that
are supportive of women in ordained
ministry. Such support was significant for
Connie Burkholder, a 1983 Bethany
graduate, in responding to her own grow-
ing sense of call to the parish ministry.
She was licensed with the encouragement
of the Polo (111.) church — site of a suc-
cessful field experience. She was recently
ordained after accepting the call to be
pastor of the Wooster (Ohio) church.
The preaching and pastoral ministry of
women within the Church of the Brethren
spans 155 years — from the first sermon of
Sarah Righter Major to the ministries of
the 143 currently licensed and ordained
women. Twenty-five years ago, the
Church of the Brethren affirmed that God
does bestow gifts of ministry on women
by granting them "full and unrestricted
rights in the ministry."
In celebration of this occasion, may we
all continue to encourage and support the
ministries of women within the church. D
A doctoral student at Union Theological Seminary
in New York, Pamela Brubaker Lowe has done exten-
sive research on women in the Church of the Breth-
ren. She is writing a book on the subject, which will
be published in 1985 by The Brethren Press.
November 1983 messenger 25
Patience under trial
Read James 5:7-1 1.
James 5:7-11 is an appeal for patience and
steadfastness when under trial. The early
verses of James 5 describe the miseries of
those who gain wealth by underhanded
means, and the poverty of wage-earners
who scarcely have enough to live on.
Many Christians then (and now) have
been among those who are relatively poor
in this world's goods. Christians in New
Testament times were mostly laborers, and
the wealthy often took advantage of their
good natures. Sometimes Christians were
the objects of ridicule and persecution,
sometimes defrauded of their rights, and
sometimes falsely accused.
The keynote of the paragraph beginning
with James 5:7 is patience. The Lord is
going to punish those who oppress, and
this should be incentive to let things re-
main in God's hands. We must be long-
suffering regarding our injustices and
hardships. We must not seek retaliation
against our oppressors.
This does not mean that we should not
try to remove evil, but that we can expect
hostility because of our faith — and when
it comes, it must be borne valiantly. To
enforce his appeal for patience under
trial, James uses four illustrations.
The coming of the Lord
"Be patient, therefore, brethren, until
the coming of the Lord... for the coming
of the Lord is at hand. ..behold, the Judge
is standing at the doors" (Jas. 5:7a, 8b,
9b).
Jesus is coming, and when he comes the
wicked will be put down, the oppressor
will be stopped, and the world will be set
straight. In our Lord's presence there will
be no sorrow nor persecution nor afflic-
tion (Psa. 16:11; 17:15).
Our trials will not continue forever, and
thus we should wait patiently for the
harvest of eternal glory. We are ad-
monished in Galatians 6:9, "And let us
not grow weary in well-doing, for in due
season we shall reap, if we do not lose
heart." When the Lord comes back,
wrongs will be righted and the sorrows of
life will quickly fade into the background.
The patience of the farmer
"Behold, the farmer waits for the
precious fruit of the earth, being patient
over it until it receives the early and the
late rain. You also be patient" (Jas. 5:7b,
8a).
The work of the farmer involves faith
and patience. He prepares the soil, sows
the seed, cultivates the new growth — and
then waits. There are many things that
can trouble the farmer — no rain, too
much rain, diseases, insects — but he waits
patiently. He knows that in due time the
crops will mature and the harvest will
come. Then all the long hours of labor
will be rewarded.
x\. farm family works long hours,
usually working very hard. After many
long hours of labor, the farmer waits pa-
tiently for the harvest — and his work is
eventually rewarded. So it shall be with
God's people who leave vengeance in the
hands of the Lord.
The experience of the prophets
"As an example of suffering and pa-
tience, brethren, take the prophets who
spoke in the name of the Lord. Behold,
we call those happy who were steadfast"
(Jas. 5:10, 11a).
Elijah, Jeremiah, Daniel, and others are
examples of suffering affliction and of pa-
tience. The New English Bible says the
prophets "are a pattern of patience under
ill-treatment." And when it falls our lot to
be like them in suffering, we should strive
to be like them in patience.
It is always a comfort to know^ that
others, too, have gone through ex-
periences that were hard. Daniel was put
into a den of lions. Elijah fled from the
wicked Queen Jezebel. Jeremiah was
placed into a dungeon filled with mire,
and he sank up to his armpits in the mud.
Hebrews 11:36-38 describes further
deprivations.
James says we must not give up on days
when we face hard places; instead, we
must let the example of the prophets who
have gone before us give us fresh courage
to keep going on. In other words, God's
arm is not shortened. God's power has
not grown less. What the Lord did once
he can do again.
The example of the patriarch Job
"You have heard of the steadfastness of
Job, and you have seen the purpose of the
Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and
merciful" {}as. 5:11b).
Job had been overwhelmed suddenly
with affliction. The Sabeans stole his
oxen; lightning killed his shepherds; the
Chaldeans carried away his camels; a
great wind blew over his house and killed
his children. This would have been more
than enough to make most of us give up.
But later there was added affliction. Job's
body was covered with boils. His wife
laughed at him and told him to curse
God. His best friends accused him of
hiding some secret sin. Yet Job did not
lose faith in God.
Sometimes there were impassioned out-
bursts from Job (times of pleading for
mercy), but, in spite of all his trials, Job
maintained a persistent trust in God. And
n.
UQCK sorroujs o^comG suj
GG
26 MESSENGER November 1983
V
"The Suffering Job and
— his Friends. " by
Julius Schnorr
-^ von Carolsfeld
there is something about such resolute en-
durance that all of us admire. We count
them "happy who were steadfast." The
word "steadfast" is "hupomone" — not a
passive patience, but a gallant spirit (a
brave endurance) that refuses to give way
even under pressure.
Job lost his property, his family, and
his health. Keep in mind that during all
this time he was given no explanation
about why these evils befell him. Yet we
know that afterward God blessed Job far
beyond anything he knew before his suf-
ferings. And just so, God has something
noble in store for us too. In the mean-
time, God is full of pity and tender
mercy.
All of us know that in the end our
greatest trials have brought us our greatest
blessings. Some of our darkest sorrows
have been transformed into our sweetest
joys.
Guy King tells of the small boy who
carved a boat out of wood. When he took
it to the lake, it rode the waves better
than he had expected, but the string
slipped from his fingers and it was carried
beyond his reach. He appealed to an older
companion to help get the boat.
The older boy (without saying a word)
threw stones into the water, as if he were
trying to hit the boat. But the stones went
beyond the boat, and the circular waves
made by the huge stones gradually
brought the boat closer to shore.
Just so, when we get beyond our depths
and find ourselves in deep water, we cry
for help. God doesn't always answer our
appeals as we expect. Sorrows sometimes
crowd in and troubles pile up. But in the
end we discover that God has been quite
sympathetic and has been teaching us
great lessons.
We must keep going, James is empha-
sizing. Some of our most difficult trials
are the ones we experience when we are
sincerely trying to do the right things.
There is always the temptation to quit
because of trouble. James says, "Don't
quit. Blessed is the man who endures." D
Harold S. Martin serves in the free ministry in the
Pleasant Hill (Spring Grove, Pa.) Church of the
Brethren, works as a staff person for the Brethren
Revival Fellowship, and is a member of the General
Board.
OU5
bu narod
artin
November 1983 messenger 27
On crime, prayer, genetics, homosexuality.
Leo T. Trovers
New weapon
against crime
Even though probation and work-release
programs are very well intended as a
positive approach to rehabilitating the
criminal, those programs, plus our prison
system and capital punishment, are just
not working. Prisons have become a col-
lege for further education in crime.
In all this talk about crime and prison,
there remains one very important group
that, with some exceptions, has been swept
under the rug — the innocent victims.
As part of the penalty for their crimes,
all criminals should be made to reimburse
their victims for the amount the court
deems appropriate. How is this possible?
If private business could set up shop
behind prison walls, a working prison
could be established, where profits would
make the prison self-supporting. Taxes
would be paid, and victims of crimes
would receive restitution. The prison
population would live in an environment
similar to regular society. Work release
and probation, which have become very
unpopular with society, would not be
necessary under those circumstances.
Laws need to be changed to allow
private enterprise behind prison walls.
Once that is accomplished, we can solicit
investors to create factories and businesses
that the prisoners themselves could
operate from the position of president on
down to janitor. The investors would
oversee all production and monitor profits
with an established board of directors.
The board's main goal would be quality
workmanship and victim restitution.
A self-supporting prison would be no
cost to the taxpayers. At present, the
To hold in respect and fellowship those in
the church with whom we agree or disagree
is a characteristic of the Church of the
Brethren, ft is to the continuation of this
value, and to an open and probing forum,
that "Opinions" are invited from readers.
We do not acknowledge receipt of ob-
vious "Opinions" pieces, and can only print
a sampling of what we receive. All
"Opinions" are edited for publication.
citizens are double losers: We are the vic-
tims and we have to support the persons
who committed the crimes against us.
This program could deter crime. If peo-
ple breaking the law knew they were going
to have to work hard and pay taxes when
they entered prison, they might decide it
would be easier and more profitable to be
honest and law-abiding. Then they would
be able to use any money they earned, in-
stead of forfeiting earnings to repay their
victims.
My idea could boost our economy, put
idle people back to work, and lower
crime. It could be America's newest
weapon in the fight against crime. D
Leo T. Trovers is a member of ihe Tampa (Fla.J
Church of the Brethren.
John Warren Dilley
Open minds for
shut hearts
Regarding Benjamin Haldeman's letter,
"Birds of a Feather" (June), I never cease
to be amazed at the attitude among con-
servatives, that what they believe is 100
percent right.
I am not an atheist, but I oppose prayer
in public schools because it violates the
separation of church and state. Whose
prayer is to be said? There are all kinds of
prayers, many of which are not based on
God's truth. 1 do not want my children to
be subjected to these prayers. Not all peo-
ple uphold God's love for every person,
and for all things in our universe. Not all
children are of Western Christian heritage,
but may be Jewish, Muslim, or other
religions. The only prayer that should ever
be used in schools is that of a silent
meditation where each person could pray
or not pray his own way.
1 do not identify with the Pharaoh of
Moses or King Herod, but 1 do favor the
freedom of choice. Abortion laws are
wrong if they either prevent the right to
choose abortion or force a woman to have
an abortion. As the father of three
children, I love each of them and would
not have prevented their births. But there
are circumstances of unwanted pregnan-
cies where it is people's God-given right to
make that choice, not a conservative's
right to choose for them. The question of
when a soul enters an unborn baby is a
controversial and unsettled one, with
answers ranging from conception to the
moment of birth.
As for Haldeman's devil, it is a
mythological entity in the minds of some
people who need a scapegoat for their
shortcomings. Each of us is solely respon-
sible for our own separation from God,
resulting in shortcomings and lack of
perfection.
Every person is a child of God. That in-
cludes people of all nations, races, and
religions. Yes, even the atheists and
agnostics. It may come as a shock to
some Christians someday when they find
the heavenly realms made of people from
other religions and not just conservative
Christians. Each person is on his own
path to God, reaching toward the light of
God according to his own understanding.
When each of us learns to live in com-
plete harmony with God's law, we will
have more true freedom than we can ever
have living separately. Love is the key. D
John Warren Dilley is a Sunday school teacher in
the Dial he (Kan.) Church of the Brethren.
Thomas Fogle
In defense of
genetic research
I was greatly disturbed by Robert Neff
and Dale Brown's recent decision to sign a
resolution banning genetic engineering on
human germline cells (see August, page
5). Although their cause appears noble,
their rationale is based on false premises
concerning the direction of current genetic
research.
At present, extensive efforts are being
put forth to isolate, analyze, and reinsert
pieces of DNA (the carrier of genetic in-
formation) into a host of organisms. Such
experiments are not intended simply to
linker with life, but rather these investiga-
tions are designed to uncover the intricate
complexities of the cell. This knowledge
will, in turn, help provide cures for many
of our most crippling diseases. .\ by-
product of this effort will be the ability to
change the DN.A in cultured human cells,
just one step away from using it in human
beings. The capability will be there.
28 MESSENGER November 1983
resolutions, weight
whether or not a ban exists — it is just a
matter of time.
The three "icey problems" identified by
Neff have already been faced by society in
different contexts or are irrelevant to the
issue. Neff asks, "Who has the right to
decide what are appropriate traits in
human lives?" This is downright misdirec-
tion, analogous to the clever wave of a
hand by a magician. Genetic engineering
would be used in a therapeutic sense to
repair the DNA of couples who are
known to be carriers of a serious genetic
defect. In such cases, the parents would
then be capable of having a normal baby.
No one in the scientific community
seriously expects to tailor-make babies to
specifications made by the parents. This is
not only impractical technically, but —
more importantly — it is unethical. Selec-
tive improvement of the human gene pool
has been debated for many years, and the
overwhelming consensus is that the inten-
tional manipulation of human life is
repugnant because it leads to the "who
decides" question mentioned by Neff. Un-
fortunately, the resolution signed by Neff
and Brown bans the kind of manipulation
of human freedom that everyone already
agrees is wrong while stifling the positive
side of this research.
Ne
lefPs other concern relates to our lack
of knowledge about the gene pool and
evolution, but this has little to do with the
application of the technique. Gene
therapy on individuals will have a negligi-
ble impact on the gene pool and is
therefore a non-issue with respect to
evolution.
Even so, Neffs argument is no more
appropriate to genetic engineering of
germline cells than many medical tech-
niques that are widely practiced today.
For example, medical intervention that
clears a blocked fallopian tube or cures a
genetic condition (such as phenylketo-
nuria) permits transmission of genetic in-
formation to the next generation that
otherwise would not have occurred. Is not
the gene pool altered through human ef-
forts here also?
The real issue at stake is, Do we have
the right to deny this technique to people
in need? Ironically, this hotly debated
form of biotechnology may not be widely
utilized even if available. Other less exotic
methods would be appropriated more for
the majority of cases, and some experts
predict that couples receiving gene therapy
would need to fit such rigid guidelines
that their numbers would be relatively
small.
The three problems raised by Neff point
out all too clearly that simplistic analyses
of complex issues can lead to recom-
mendations that are not clearly thought
out and may not be in the best interest of
Is your church
a part of our
bulletin family?
The Church of the Brethren Living Word Bulletin is a
special way of bringing us closer to each other and
enhancing our worship experiences together. Every
bulletin cover has a colorful photograph that illustrates a
biblical theme and helps make our worship more meaningful. The back of the bulletin contains
either a statement about a Church of the Brethren program or belief or a worship resource such as a
song, litany, poem, or a prayer. And Bob Bowman always presents a short, stimulating reflection
on the cover and its biblical message. It is this unique back page which has helped make these
bulletins such an important part of our keeping in touch on Sunday mornings.
We invite you to join the growing number of churches who use the Living Word Bulletins. Become
a part of the Brethren bulletin family!
For a brochure and free samples, contact:
THE BRETHREN PRESS, 1451 Dundee Avenue, Elgin, IL 60120. Or call 1-800-323-8039.
November 1983 messenger 29
society. The concern that there is "no
clear line between removing a genetic
defect and improving the species" places
little faith in our existing ability to make
ethical decisions. D
Thomas Fogle, a member of the Prince of Peace
Church of the Brethren, South Bend, Ind.. is a
biologist at St. Mary College.
Beverly A. Brubaker
God's good gift
— for some
The Church of the Brethren has finally
taken a stand on the Human Sexuality
paper. The Brethren had an opportunity
to stand up to the world and to show sup-
port for the least understood group of
people (lesbians and gay men) in our
history, and the Brethren blew it.
The paper as it was initially presented
was barely acceptable: It "reeked" of
heterosexism and of homophobia, but it
did, at the very least, allow that some
Brethren do believe that committed
homosexual relationships can be accept-
able. But, lo, even that was too much for
the Brethren in Baltimore. They decided
that only two options exist for lesbians
and gay men: 1) be celibate or 2) convert
to heterosexuality.
For many of us heterosexual and homo-
sexual beings, celibacy is a denial of our
full selves; even the Church of the
Brethren has consistently referred to sex-
uality as "God's Good Gift"— why deny
it! And choosing to "convert" one's basic
sexual orientation makes as much sense
as choosing to convert to lefthandedness
from righthandedness, or to being blond
from being dark-haired, or to being short
from being tall.
X imagine that the Brethren at Baltimore
hope that the Human Sexuality paper is
the end of this issue. I seriously doubt
that it is. I know of several people who
returned from Baltimore more angry and
more "politicized" than ever before. I had
never seen my mother as disappointed in
the Brethren as she was after she spoke on
the Conference floor in behalf of my gay
Brethren sisters and brothers and myself. I
personally think the paper is merely the
beginning of the issue.
Soon after Conference, I received a let-
ter from a friend which poignantly il-
lustrates the seriousness and the tragedy
of the Brethren's decision. This friend of
CLASSIFIED ADS
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97304.
FOR SALE— Do you have your copy of What
Happened, Grandpa?" You may laugh or shed
tears over the joys and trials of Little Willie &
Dolly (later Mrs. Archie Patrick) in this Hoosier
Dunkard family as they pioneered in No. Dako-
ta, New Mexico, Kansas at turn of century. 200
pgs. beautiful cover. Only $4.95 prepaid.
Author, Wm. Whisler, 208 W. 4th, Bremen, IN
46506.
FOR SALE — Unique, rustic house in Orlando, Fl,
in the heart of world's most visited tourist center.
Centrally located near airport, shopping & less
than one block to Orlando Church of the
Brethren. Save $4,000 buying direct from seller.
Contact W. A. (Wip) Martin, 7110 Coon Rd.,
No. Ft. Myers, Fl. 33903. Tel. Home: (813)
995-4302, Church Office A.M. (813) 997-3488.
FOR SALE — "The Hagerstown Brethren" by
Cathy Simmons Huffman published in connec
tion with Hagerstown, MD Church of the Breth
ren Centennial Year. Hard cover, over 200 pgs
many pictures. $12. plus $1. postage and handl
ing. Women's Work, c/o Mrs. Elizabeth Arnett
Route 3, Box 2, Hagerstown, MD 21740.
INVITATION-Attend Sunday worship 10 a.m.
in an active church, visit Brethren families, spend
a winter in mild climate, explore Southern attrac-
tions. Roanoke, LA is I mi. SW of exit 59 on 1-10,
30 mi. E of Lake Charles, LA. Mobile home ac-
com. available. Contact: Pastor Lowell Ritchie,
Rt. 1, Box 233, Roanoke, LA 70581. Tel. (318)
753-2545; or Glenn Harris, 1810 N. Cutting, Jen-
nings, LA 70546. Tel. (318) 824-2671.
INVITATION — Enjoy living and worshiping in
Florida. Come to Lorida Church of the Brethren,
15 mi. SE of Sebring off U.S. 98. Church
School 9:30 a.m., worship 10:30 a.m. Friendly,
active fellowship. Adjacent to Palms Estates on
Lake Istokpoga with campground for self-
contained R.V.'s, part of Florida Brethren
Homes, Inc. John D. Keiper, Pastor, Box 461,
Lorida, FL 33857. Tel. (813) 655-2466 or
655-1733.
SCHOOL- Scattergood School, West Branch,
lA 52358. Openings for students grades 9-12.
Approved co-educational Quaker college prepa-
ratory boarding school; simple lifestyle. Empha-
sis given to peace issues and social concerns.
Students, faculty together clean buildings, do
laundry, care for pigs and chickens, work in or-
chard and garden, bake bread, and cook meals.
Small personal caring community that promotes
individual growth. Write or call. Tel. (319)
643-5636.
TRAVEL— McPherson College Alumni Tour to
Europe June 4-22, 1984. Visit France, Luxem-
bourg, Germany (including Schwarzenau and
Oberammergau), Austria, and Italy. Hosted by
Eugene and Eloise Lichty. Land cost $1452.
Write McPherson Travel Center, Inc., P.O. Box
846, McPherson, KS 67460. Tel. (316) 241-5830.
TRAVEL — Bible land seminar. Visit Greece,
Israel, Egypt. 11 days-March 28-Apr 7, 1984. In-
cludes transportation from NY, 1st class hotels,
meals, sightseeing, dinner on Sea of Galilee. Bus
trip from Jerusalem to Cairo across Sinai Desert.
Write or call: Rev. Raymon & AnnaBelle Eller,
303 Kohser Ave., No. Manchester, IN 46962. Tel
(219) 982-6541 or Arland & Ruth Reinhard, Rt. 5,
Bluffton, IN 46714. Tel. (219) 824-5800.
TRAVEL— Grand tour of Europe with Oberam-
mergau Passion Play. June 4-25 and June
25-July 16, 1984. Scandinavia and Oberam-
mergau Passion Play July 16-August 1. For
brochure and information write J. Kenneth
Kreider, 1300 Sheaffer Road, Elizabethtown, PA
17022.
TRAVEL — Juniata College Tours. Caribbean
Week-Feb/Mar. Orient & Japan Feb/Mar/April.
Cruise the Arctic: June 14, 12 days from South-
hampton to Fjords, North Cape, Copen-
hagen. Option to Greenland & Iceland. Ober-
ammergau & Passion Play 15 days to Ger-
many, Austria, Switzerland: $1498 land vifith all
meals. Aug. 17 - 8 days Bavaria & Salzburg
with Passion Play $798 land with all meals.
Weimer-Oller Travel, 405 Penn St., Hunt-
ingdon, PA 16652. Tel. (814) 643-1468.
TRAVEL— Germany, including Schwarzenau,
The Passion Play, and other historic locations.
To Israel and Egypt departing July 9, 1984.
This exceptionally good tour is being hosted by
David Yingling, Pastor of Central Church,
Roanoke and Glenn E. Kinsel, Pastor of An-
tioch Church, Rocky Mount, VA. For brochure
write David A. Yingling, 1827 Mt. Vernon Rd.
SW, Roanoke, VA 14015.
TRAVEL — Grand tour/lsrael-Oberammergau/
Passion Play. 15days — August 1-15, 1984. Tour
price including tips and taxes reduced $1889 —
write to Wendell & Joan Bohrer, POB 67, Mid-
dlebury, IN 46540. Tel. (219) 825-7381 or (219)
825-2955. Some places to be visited: Amman/
Galilee/ Jerusalem /Bethlehem /Dead Sea Ma-
sada/ Bethany/Garden Tomb/ Vienna/ Salzburg/
Oberammergau/Passion Play/ Liechtenstein/ Lu-
cerne/Innsbruck.
WANTED-Pre-1945 records of the Kingsley,
Iowa Church of the Brethren. Persons with infor-
mation concerning location of minutes of church
councils or congregational business meetings,
church boards, commissions, or committees,
membership records or records of other church
officers or organizations are asked to contact
James R. Lynch, Archivist Brethren Historical
Library and Archives, 1451 Dundee Avenue,
Elgin, IL 60120.
WANTED — Any person who has knowledge of
Brethren locating in Washington, D.C. area,
notify Evangelism Commission of the Flower
Hill Church of the Brethren, 7412 Muncaster
Mill Rd., Gaithersburg, MD 20877.
WANTED — One dozen copies of boys and girls
magazine with flower and bird designs. Magazine
used in churches in the 1930's. Write Sheryl Hollis
Snyder, Route 1, Box 324A, Biglerville, PA 17307.
30 MESSENGER November 1983
mine is still "in the closet" about her sex-
ual orientation and was watching to see
how the Brethren would respond to the
Human Sexuality paper.
As she said, the original version was
barely acceptable, but
now it's even less. The Brethren
had their biggest chance to be
greater than other denomina-
tions and not follow the crowd,
and they blew it! ... I really
wish they would have left the
paper as it was. At least with
the paper saying the church
was 'not of one mind' on the
issue of covenant relationships
between homosexual persons, I
wouldn't have to feel like I was
operating on the outside of the
church I love.
1 am saddened to know that there are
hundreds of other Brethren men and
women who echo those same sentiments
about the church they love.
I grew up "dyed in the wool" Brethren.
My family goes back many generations in-
to the Church of the Brethren and Ger-
man Baptist Brethren before that. I am
proud of my anti-war heritage and my
heritage which supports people for being
true to themselves (be it blacks, women,
draft resisters, those engaged in civil
disobedience).
But I am truly disappointed in, in fact
somewhat ashamed of, my church, which
has now cast another stone by shutting
the door on many, many people who long
for acceptance and support from the
church they love. D
Beverly A . Brubaker operates a foster-tare home
for mulli-handicapped children, in Camden, Ohio.
E. Myrl Weyant
2 Chronicles 7:14
is the answer
The Holy Spirit led Annual Conference to
lay the issue of homosexuality out on the
table. Homosexuality cannot be erased in
1983; there are too many homosexuals in
the church for that to happen. If 2
Chronicles 7:14 were ever applicable in the
Church of the Brethren, it is now.
Homosexuals will not humble
themselves, nor pray, nor seek the face of
God, nor confess their sin of selfish
desires until born-again believers show
them divine love, like that Jesus showed
the adulterous woman. After we
demonstrate that kind of love, we can say
to homosexuals, "Go and sin no more."
The Human Sexuality paper was hur-
riedly passed to prevent destruction of its
content. Brother James Myer's advice was
needed and was helpful at the time he
gave it.
Out of this paper God spoke to me in
five ways:
— The paper gave me more faith in the
Word of God.
— It helped me to pray for more love
from God, so 1 could love others more.
— The Holy Spirit gave me a Godly
love for homosexuals as creations of God,
souls for whom Christ died. But I have to
denounce their sin.
— 1 was made more aware of Satan's
deception.
— I was given more praise for the vic-
tory in Christ, who dwells in us.
We cannot condemn homosexuals,
because we too have sinned. We dare not
sever our relation with the Church of the
Brethren, because every denomination has
this problem of homosexuality. We need
to do our pan in taking the sword of the
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either a year or semester of study for
qualified college students at the Universi-
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and St, Mary in Cheltenham, the Univer-
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BCA has Resident Directors at each center
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students' personal and educational
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Candidates must have completed two full
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Cost:
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November 1983 messenger 31
luosaj
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School Program
David Andersen, Wendell Brooker
Exciting new ideas for planning special
Interest programs that will attract men and
women who do not now participate in the
established church school classes.
Paper, $4.95
Organizing a Youth Ministry
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Jeffrey D. Jones, Kenneth C. Potts
Creative ideas from experienced leaders,
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Spirit, the Word of God, to combat evil,
so that the Church of the Brethren can re-
pent, experience renewal, and get ready to
meet Christ. D
E. Myrl Weyant is pastor of the Holsinger Church
of the Brethren, New Enterprise, Pa.
Albert L. Sauls
Let's resolve
not to resolve
Over its 275 years of life and service to
Christ and his church, the Church of the
Brethren has been challenged to "count
the cost" before acting. If there is any
unique characteristic of Brethren
noticeable to the eye, mind, and heart, it
is: "Brethren act deliberately in making
decisions about the church and its
ministry in the world." For the most part,
a brother or sister's word is "as good as a
bond." We are a trustworthy people.
One major area of our life and service
together, however, gives me cause for
concern: The Church of the Brethren,
primarily through Annual Conference, has
"resolved to resolve to resolve," only to
find the resolution hardly echoing past the
Conference halls, in the media, or
elsewhere. Resolutions do more to divide
than unite us. I question whether it is
good stewardship of the delegate body's
time to hassle over, and sometimes actual-
ly rewrite, the intent of the resolution.
According to Webster, a resolution is to
"clear up," to "dispel doubts," or "to find
an answer" to continuing problems facing
the church and its people. Most business
comes to Annual Conference in the form
of queries, which grow out of local con-
cerns, are scrutinized by districts and
Standing Committee, and often are
assigned to a committee so the issue may
be studied and debated before becoming
"law" for Brethren.
Resolutions, on the other hand, are
usually written by a staff person and
presented to the General Board and
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32 MESSENGER November 1983
Standing Committee, with less input from
the grassroots before action at Con-
ference. Not only that, but such resolu-
tions often take more time on the Con-
ference floor, and are given more
coverage in newspapers and in
Messenger than the answers to queries.
In short, resolutions usually deal with
political questions about some issue or
country which the delegate body has little
information other than what could be
read in the newspaper.
I encourage the Brotherhood not to
resolve so much about issues that are
more political than is germane to the
ongoing work of the church. I doubt
seriously if doing away with resolutions
altogether would affect the work and ser-
vice of Christ's church on earth.
A have attended Annual Conference for
30 years. I cannot recall any resolution
passed by the Brethren which had "major"
effect upon the local congregation of
which I served. As one brother suggested:
"We pass resolutions at Annual Con-
ference, and the local church keeps on
keeping on."
I am convinced that "needful concerns"
could and would find adequate expression
through Bible Studies, sermons, and com-
ments by the officers, without taking ma-
jor blocks of time pooling ignorance
about some South American country.
Often we give major time to such discus-
sions and only minimal time to issues hav-
ing to do with polity in the church. In-
deed, who is to scan the globe in order to
determine the most needful issues in
which to address?
A„
Ln example: At the Baltimore Con-
ference, the resolution on Nicaragua was
changed in a major way by one brother's
amendment. The entire direction, moving
from negative to positive, was changed.
Though it was a healthy move, such an
example is indicative of the way resolu-
tions come to Annual Conference and of
the few people involved in writing such
resolutions.
In the late 1970s, I attended the
American Baptist biennial meeting in
Denver, Colo. The group meeting was
much larger than the Brethren meetings,
and resolutions were almost impossible to
negotiate. I was told later that so much
contention arose over the issues that the
American Baptists resolved not to resolve
anymore at their world-wide meetings.
We Brethren could learn from our
brothers and sisters in the faith. For years
I have observed discussions — almost
arguments — over content in resolutions.
The long, drawn-out discussions usually
dealt more with politics and opinions than
with matters of conviction.
Is it not time for the General Board,
Annual Conference, and the Brotherhood
at large to take a long look at the worth
of resolutions, especially as they are
presented today? I believe our democratic
way of sharing freely on the Annual Con-
ference floor is the best way to remain
open to the Holy Spirit. Resolutions do
little to change us, unite us, move us, or
to help us speak the gospel forthrightly in
today's world. Let's resolve to "count the
cost" before acting as a church and as a
delegate body. D
Alben L. Sauls is paslor of I he Ephrala (Pa.)
Church of the Brethren.
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34 MESSENGER November 1983
Don Snyder
Is Christianity
a weighty matter?
At Annual Conference 1 couldn't help
noticing the abundance of overweight
Brethren. Allowing for a certain amount
of body malfunction, and for the tact that
folks do inherit tendencies, there is still a
lot of unnecessary blubber being carried
around on Brethren frames.
It is not my intention to make a Federal
case here, or to put anybody on the spot,
but 1 do think we all — including myself—
should look at this problem from a moral
and spiritual, as well as a physical, stand-
point. The matter of diet I shall leave to
doctors and dietitians— I'm concerned
with whether or not it is a sin to carry
around too much weight.
I saw hundreds of people who were
overweight, many of them excessively so.
Maybe 25 or 30 could hardly waddle.
Others were overweight only in certain
parts of the body. A certain percentage of
those folks — I don't pretend to know how
large — could correct the condition if they
only put forth some effort and exerted
some willpower.
I tried to find references to this condi-
tion in the Bible, and all I can come up
with is mention of the sin of gluttony.
"Glutton" and "gluttony" are both used
several times, but not in the sense of put-
ting on pounds or of being overweight.
Instruction is given as to what to eat and
what not to eat, but here again not in the
dietary sense. I find no specific reference
to putting on weight as the result of
overeating. I suppose we have to read bet-
ween the lines and apply general instruc-
tion given regarding gluttony and other
sins. Gluttony, as sin, can certainly relate
to overeating as a cause of overweight.
Is not overweight as a result of failure
to exercise self-control a sin both of omis-
sion and commission? Are those who
allow themselves to get into this condition
truly Christian? Is it not beyond a doubt
the sin of gluttony to deliberately eat
oneself into an overweight condition?
w
re talk about the sins of mistreating
the human body in other ways and about
the body being the temple of the soul, but
other than the physical ramifications we
say little about overeating and overweight.
I can't remember ever hearing a sermon,
reading an article, or teaching a Sunday
school lesson on this subject.
We recognize i//!rfemourishment as an
unhealthy situation — even a sin in some
cases — and we deplore the fact that there
are starving masses the world over. Why,
then, can't we deal openly with overeating
and overweight from the moral and
spiritual standpoint? We say that throwing
food away is waste — and therefore sin.
Isn't eating that which we don't need also
waste, and thus sin?
We urge the practice of deciding what
Jesus would do in a given circumstance
and then following his lead. I've ne\er
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heard mentioned the reaction Jesus might
have in this situation. What do you think
Jesus would say about overeating? It isn't
hard to imagine Jesus teaching against any
practice that would lead to obesity. I'm
sure he was in prime physical condition,
considering his fasting and general
philosophy of abstinence. If he, then, is
our example, our decision should be clear.
I would suppose that there are few
healthy people who don't like to eat, to
whom eating is distasteful. It's not only an
enjoyable function, it's necessary to main-
tain life — God intended it so. But to sus-
tain life — and properly as God intended —
the ingesting of food must be done with
judgment as well as joy. Let's put as
much effort into control and discretion as
we do into enjoyment. D
Don Snyder is a Sunday school teacher and regular
Conferencegoer from the Waynesboro (Va.j Church
of the Brethren.
tmmm
161th BVS
Orientation Unit
(Orientation completed Aug,
14, 1983)
Beahm, Martha, Nokesville
Va., to Western Ave. Com
munity Center, Blooming
ton, 111.
Bechtel, Julie, Hollidaysburg,
Pa., to Fahrney-Keedy Me^
morial Home, Boonsboro,
Md.
Carpenter, Kevin, LaPorte
Ind., to Teen Challenge
Training Center, Rehrers
burg. Pa.
Clark, Brian, Davis, Calif., to
Kindred House, Des Moines
Iowa
Corry, Christiana, Glen Mills
Pa., to IFOR, Holland
Cox, Audrey, Lancaster, Pa.
to Hospital General Castan-
et, Castaner, P.R.
Cunningham, Joan, of Quarry-
ville. Pa., to Insights Project
Portland, Ore.
de Wille, Ad, of Netherlands,
to Casa de Modesto, Modes-
to, Calif.
Dulabaum, Nina, of Elgin, 111
to Fraternal Worker Pro-
gram, West Germany
Heggenstaller, Lucy, of Logan-
ton, Pa., to Food Preserva
lion Center, New Windsor
Md.
Heisel, Gail, of Modesto
Calif., to Near Eastside
Multi-Service Center, Indian
apolis, Ind.
Hornbaker, Patricia, of Hutch-
inson, Kan., to Washington
Office, Washington, D.C.
Hosteller, David, of Hershey,
Pa., to Refugee Program,
New Windsor, Md.
Kirkpalrick, Dawn, of Cutler,
Ind., to Prince of Peace Child
Care Center, Denver, Colo.
Klahre, Michael, of Everett,
Pa., to MESSENGER, Elgin,
111.
May, Kim, of Bridgewater, Va.,
to Bar 41 Ranch, Wilbur,
Wash.
McKenna, Gemma, of North-
ern Ireland, to Shalom
Ministries, Chicago, 111.
Moyer, Richard, of Eliza-
bethtown. Pa., to Poland
Nissley, Michael, of Harris-
burg. Pa., to New Windsor
Service Center, New Wind-
sor, Md.
Peel, Cynthia, of Cuyahoga
Falls, Ohio, to Lend-A-
Hand, Walker, Ky.
Rhoades, Jesse, of Dale-
viile, Va., to Kokokahi
Hunger Model, Kaneohe,
Hawaii
Rhoades, Suzanne, of Daleville,
Va., to Kokokahi Hunger
Model, Kaneohe, Hawaii
Sidhom, Edward, of London,
U.K., to Brethren Village,
Lancaster, Pa.
Wagoner, Kevin, of LaVerne,
Calif., to Connecticut Food
Bank, New Haven, Conn.
Licensing/
Ordination
Bach, Jeffrey Alan, ordained
July 24, 1983, Middletown
So. Ohio
Brenneman, Jerry Dean, or
dained August 14, 1983
Columbia City, No. Ind.
Burkholder, Connie R., or
dained June 26, 1983
Chambersburg, Southern Pa
Cupp, O. Shawn, licensed Sept
4, 1983, Mill Creek, Shen
andoah
Deffenbaugh, E. Todd, licensed
June 19, 1983, Glendale,
Pacific S.W.
Delwiler, Samuel K., ordained
Jan. 23, 1983, Wiley, W.
Plains
Dietz, Paul E., ordained July
10, 1983, Arbutus, Western
Pa.
Kim, Ick Won, Korean Meth-
odist ordination received,
Aug. 14, 1983, Pacific S.W.
Moore, Edwin Jr.. licensed July
24. 1983, Uniontown, West-
ern Pa.
Repine, Thomas W., Church of
God ordination received, July
17, 1983, Penn Run, Western
Pa.
Rusmisel, Dan David, licensed
July 10, 1983, Pleasant View,
No. Ohio
Smellzer, Kenneth Kline, li-
censed June 26, 1983, Wash-
ington City, Mid-Atl.
Sollenberger, Nancy, licensed
July 3, 1983. Annville,
Atl.N.E.
Thomas, Paul Ellis Jr., licensed
July 24, 1983, Pleasant
Chapel, No. Ind.
Wilder, Earl James III, or-
dained July 24. 1983. Pasa-
dena, Pacific S.W.
Yealer, Norman D.. licensed
July 17, 1983, Lost Creek,
Southern Pa.
Ziegler, Esther Rittle. ordained
July 31. 1983, Harrisburg
Ridgeway, Atl.N.E.
Pastoral
Placements
Alexander, James, from other
denomination and lliff Semi-
nary, to Bethel. W. Plains,
part-time
Bowman, David Lee, from
Oakton, Mid-Atl., to Glade
Valley. Mid-Atl.
Bowser, Roy, from secular, to
Rockton, Western Pa., part-
time
Eshbach, Warren M., from
West York, Southern Pa., to
District Executive, Southern
Pa.
George, Ivan, from other de-
nomination, to Los Angeles,
Imperial Heights, Pacific
S.W., interim
Gillis, Tommy Lynn, from sec-
ular, to Cedar Creek, South-
eastern, part-time
Gulel, William, from secular
other denomination, to Flint
First, Michigan, parttime
Hall, Richard, from York Mad-
ison, Southern Pa., to Hope-
well, Virlina
Johnson, James, from other de-
nomination, to New Haven,
Michigan
Johnson, John, from Nanty
Glo, Western Pa., to Sugar
Run, Middle Pa.
Lehman, Clyde, from LaPlace.
111. /Wis., to Kansas City,
First Central, W. Plains
McCulley, Mark, from Bethany
Seminary, to Midland. Michi-
gan
Miller, Debra, from secular, to
Mount Morris. III. /Wis.,
youth worker
Platler, Fenton, from Selma,
Virlina, to Pleasant Dale, Vir-
lina, part-time
Ringgold, Daniel S., from Beth-
any, Mid-Atl., to Fellowship,
Mid-Atl.
Stanford, Glenn, from New
Church Development, No.
San Diego, Pacific S.W., to
Garden City. W. Plains
Slovall, Earl F., from Rocky
Mount, Virlina, to Saunders
Grove, Virlina
Street, Gary, from other de-
nomination, to Big Sky, No.
Plains
Talley, Delmar, from other
denomination, to Seattle.
Lakewood. Oreg./Wash..
interim
Wine, Jacob C, from Birm-
ingham Sun Valley, South-
eastern, to Mount Zion
Road, Atl. N.E.
Anniversaries
Bales, Elwood and Ida, War-
rensburg. Mo., 60
Bradford, Milton and Claudine,
Oaks, Pa., 59
Crouse, Clifton and Esther,
Queen Anne. Md., 60
Dilling, Elmer C. and Olive K.,
Martinsburg, Pa. 53
Grimes, G. Albert and Hannah
S., Martinsburg, Pa., 52
Heldenbrand, Charles and lla,
Hartville, Ohio, 60
Hochsletler, Homer and Viola,
Ashland, Ohio, 55
Keener, Franklin and Kathryn,
Ashland, Ohio, 54
Keener, Orra and Evelyn,
Ashland, Ohio, 55
Oswald, Maynard and Dorothy.
Hartville. Ohio. 50
Rusch. Kenneth and Faith, Ol-
tumwa, Iowa. 50
Shenk, Charles and Mary, East
Petersburg, Pa., 50
Slern, Luke and Frances, Mar-
tinsburg, Pa., 53
Stickler, Russell and Ethel,
Hartville, Ohio, 57
Wareham, Paul and Ruth F.,
Martinsburg. Pa.. 53
Yerger, Paul and Frances. Mont
Clare, Pa., 50
Deaths
BIystone, Barry, 23, Huntsville,
Tex., July II, 1983
Bookwaller, Donald, 78, Sara-
sota, Fla., Aug. 3, 1983
Booth, Ada L., 94, Flora, Ind.,
July 18, 1983
Bowman, Peter, 88, Cordova,
Md., June 25, 1983
Cable, Myra, 81, Cerro Gordo,
111., June 8, 1983
Carbaugh, Julia M., 81, Wil-
liamsporl, Md., July 3. 1983
Cheeseman, Delia, 91. Mil-
ledgevillc. 111.. July 16. 1983
Dunlap, Dessa Berry. 84. Holli-
daysburg, Pa.. July 6. 1983
Ebling, Amos S., 86, Ridgely,
Md., July 18. 1983
Foster, Isabelle Edith, 97, Glen-
dora, Calif.. July II, 1983
Greenzweig, Ethel, 85, Parsons,
Kan., May 11, 1983
Hippensteel, Sylvia Stover, 60,
Waynesboro, Pa., July 23,
1983
Hoke, Ruby M., 85, Orlando,
Fla., June 28, 1983
Holderread, Melda, 92, Gush-
ing, Okla., July 12, 1983
Horst, Robert E., 65, Harrison-
burg, Va., July 2, 1983
Keilhley, David R., 52, Roaring
Spring. Pa., May 6, 1983
Kinsley, Mary F., 88, New Car-
lisle, Ohio,' July 8, 1983
Knauer, Harry G. Sr., 86, Man-
heim. Pa., June 19, 1983
Knolls, Martha, 75, Hamble-
ton, W. Va., Aug. 3, 1983
Kreider, Preston, 70, Milledge-
ville. III., July 24, 1983
Mace, Clarence P., 63, Waynes-
boro, Pa., July 21, 1983
Mason, George, 67, Chehalis,
Wash., July 23, 1983
Miller, Jacob Daniel, 97, Oak-
ridge, Ore., July II, 1983
Rudalph, Lessie Marie Smith,
95, Eden, N.C., July27, 1983
Slalder, Noah, 84, Cerro Gor-
do, 111., June 2, 1983
Slover, Howard, 77, Miliedge-
ville. 111.. Aug. 16. 1983
Toms, Lisa Ann, 20, Victoria,
Tex., July 9, 1983
Traverse, Marcia. 93, Polo, 111.,
July 9, 1983
Turner, Charles, 49, Schwenks-
ville. Pa., July 5, 1983
Weis, Lawrence, 72, Swanlon,
Ohio, July 26, 1983
Wcnger, Ida, 91, Elgin, 111.,
July 16, 1983
Whilmer, Charles I., 54, N.
Liberty, Ind.. July 14. 1983
Wolf, Ruth M., 76, Hartville,
Ohio, June 17, 1983
November 1983 messenger 35
Going forth with power endued
A recent visitor to my office gave me a small
lesson in evangelism. Meeting her for the first
time, and never having heard of her before, I
found her a remarkable person ... in several
ways. She had been born in poverty and depriva-
tion. Later, as a middle-age housewife without a
high school diploma, she pursued further educa-
tion. That pursuit led to a master's degree and two
Ph.Ds and a career in college teaching. Unfor-
tunately, she is also remarkable in that she is a
black member of the Church of the Brethren, part
of a distinct minority.
Upon learning that she had become Brethren
just a few years ago, I asked her how she came to
join this predominantly white denomination. Her
answer surprised me. She joined a congregation
just four blocks from her home, liking it because
"no matter who you are economically or socially,
in this church you have an equal opportunity to
participate."
I had never thought about someone liking the
Church of the Brethren for that characteristic. I
felt a bit the way I have on occasions when
students of a quarter century ago have told me of
some act, small but meaningful, that I did for
them as their teacher. In most cases, I don't even
remember the incident, but 1 marvel that so unwit-
tingly I touched someone's life for good.
The Church of the Brethren is sort of like that,
and our evangelistic work suffers because of it.
Unwittingly, it seems, we do good works that we
should turn to our advantage in making "gains for
the kingdom."
Two years ago, I got a letter from an editor of
A.D. magazine, James A. Gittings, a friend of the
Church of the Brethren. I printed the letter in the
August 1981 MESSENGER.
In it, Jim says of the Church of the Brethren,
"There is a particular part of Christian turf that
belongs to your community and to almost nobody
else — a pacifist, activist, service-oriented, and cor-
porately understood lifestyle and understanding
of the believer's mandate that is implacably
Christocentric and yet open to light from else-
where. You Brethren are lovely people; it is a pity
that you cannot believe it of yourselves."
After showing how our disbelief stunts our
denomination's numerical growth, Jim concludes,
"The fault in the Brethren whom I know is not
that they do not love and serve Jesus. It is that
they do not recognize the work of God's Holy
Spirit when they see it in their own number, and
thereby cheat themselves, and the world, of the
sight and sound and joy of evident grace at a time
when much else is dark."
As the cluster of articles on renewal and
growth in this month's Messenger attest, the
Church of the Brethren must become more inten-
tional, more aggressive, more open in its approach
to evangelism. Paul Mundey says, "unfaithfulness
is found not only in being 'inviting' (evangelistic)
without being prophetic; it is also found in being
prophetic without being 'inviting.'"
Tim Jones confirms that in his district
(Virlina), Brethren have learned from the Renewal
and Growth Plan that to grow means adopting
new evangelistic methods and demonstrating one's
faith more overtly.
We need to find what it is we do that could at-
tract others to our denomination. For my new
friend, it was providing equal opportunity for all
to participate; for others, it may be something
else. Then, we need to do those things well . . .
and tell everyone "invitingly" what being Brethren
can do for their lives.
1 he Church of the Brethren needs to grow, not so
that we can boast of our numbers, but so that we
can demonstrate by those numbers that we are effec-
tively living out the lifestyle of the kingdom, and are
following our Lord's injunction to introduce others
to the light of that kingdom — the Lord, Jesus
Christ, and the fellowship of his church.
At the Church Renewal and Growth luncheon
at our Annual Conference in Baltimore, we sang
with vigor that beautiful, moving hymn, "Renew
Thy Church." It should be our theme song as we
seek renewal and growth in the Church of the
Brethren. May we go out to win others for Christ,
singing sincerely, "O send us forth with power en-
dued. Help us. Lord, be renewed."— K.T.
36 MESSENGER November 1983
BRETHREN UNIVERSITY
Department of Bible
Course Offerings 1983-84
B-101. STGDIES IM ISAIAH
Offered Winter, 1983-84
Instructors:
Donna Ritchey Martin (a)
Willard Dulabaum (b)
B-102. THE GOSPEL OF MARK
Offered Spring, 1984
Instructors:
John David Bowman (c)
Paul W. Brubaker(d)
B-103. THE LETTER OF JAMES
Offered Spring, 1984
Instructor: David S. Young (e)
B-104. RISE AND FALL OF A MATIOM
Offered Summer, 1984
Instructors:
Robert W. Dell (f)
L. Gene Bucher (g)
B-105. LETTERS OF PAUL— PART I
Offered Fall, 1984
Instructors:
Paul E. R. Mundey (h)
Nelda Rhoades (i)
CASSETTE SUPPLEMENT TO COURSES
Offered for each course
Instructors:
Graydon F. Snyder (j)
Eugene F. Roop (k)
REGISTRATION: No paperwork required. Simply show up on Sunday mornings at a Sunday school class using
the Brethren adult quarterly, A Guide for Biblical Studies. You will meet the instructors above through the
lesson comments which they have prepared. If your class has not yet subscribed to A Guide for Biblical
Studies, it may do so via the Church of the Brethren curriculum order form or by writing directly to:
A Guide for Biblical Studies
c/o The Brethren Press
1451 Dundee Avenue
Elgin. IL 60120
If you want an investment
with gratifying returns.
Mdssillon. Ohio
put it here.
What kind of return do you seek from an investment?
One of the most rewarding is seeing your savings
help build new churches, all the while earning you a
7V2 percent rate of return.
This is the plan of the Church Extension Loan Fund,
to assist the development of such new congregations as
Trinity Church of the Brethren at Massillon, Ohio.
Trinity began in 1977 when the Northern Ohio Dis-
trict called Herbert Fisher to be the organizing pastor.
Starting without a core of Brethren, Trinity in six years
has grown to a membership of 91. In erecting the new
building in 1980, members and friends donated 6,000
hours of work, arranging for an old-fashioned barn-
raising to roof the structure.
Loans, grants, and counsel from the denomination
were a major factor in Trinity's story. A dozen other
projects now seek such help.
This is why your participation in the Church Exten-
sion Loan Fund is crucial. Help more Trinity projects to
happen. Send your investment now.
Cliurch of the Brethren General Board, 1451 Dundee
Avenue. Elgin, IL 60120 Attn: Stewart B, Kauffman
To invest in church development through the Church Ex-
tension Loan Fund, I enclose D check □ money order for
$ (Minimum note; $500). Please issue an invest-
ment note at 7V2% interest for five years.
Make the note payable; 3 In my name as written below.
. Jointly in my name and
who is .
(insert relationship) and
whose Social Security number (SS*) is
Name
SS"
Date
St RFD_
City
State and Zip .
#84 11/83
Church Extension Loan Fund
r
messenger
CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN
DECEMBER
RCMFMBGRING
WHO WE ARC.
mM(^M'.
10
12
13
16
18
21
23
25
CO
CO
The Sign of Immanuel. Kenneth L. Gibble teaches us to say "GOD-
with-us," not "God-with-US," pointing out that this is the essence of the
birth of Christ — "that, here living with us all, is none other than God."
Thirty-five Years of Brethren Volunteer Service. Brethren
Volunteer Service began 35 years ago when Ted Chambers mounted his
orange crate before a mike at Annual Conference and called for a
volunteer service program for Brethren youth. Story by Becky Baile.
Steve and Sue Williams: Volunteering as a Lifestyle.
Committed to simple living, BVSers Steve and Sue Williams have the
right project: They teach others how to be good stewards . . . and
neighbors. Story by Judd Blouch.
Why BVS? Wendy Chamberlain McFadden does an overview of current
Brethren Volunteer Service projects, and explains how the program stays so
popular even though it pays no salaries and demands hard work.
Remembering Who We Are. Warren F. Groff, at the end of the
denomination's 275th anniversary year, reminds us to "look ahead by
looking back," and to strive "to live the life of one we nailed upon a tree."
Mock Meetinghouse: Maintaining a Monument to our
Past. Michael Klahre takes us to a newly restored Mock meeting-
house, a log church built in 1843, to see why its restorers felt its
preservation was important.
Memories of a Meetinghouse. Turn-of-the-century historian
David Emmert describes the interior and activity of a Brethren meeting-
house of the 1800s.
Russia Visited. David J. Morris went to the Soviet Union and
found there folks just like the ones he left at home.
In Touch profiles Car! W. Ziegler, Elizabethtown, Pa.; Vi and Glen Seitz,
Nickerson, Kan.; and Gene and Anne Petry, Akron, Ohio (2) . . . Outlook
reports on Peace rally. Tricentennial. Tax protest. Berleburg anniversary.
Krefeld. German art. Disaster relief auction. Farm crisis. Hispanics. NCC TV
study. NCC lectionary. Lutheran, Reformed dialog. BEM document. Joe
Detrick. Bethany Hospital. Womaen's Caucus. McPherson performers (start on
4) . . . Underlines (7) . . . Update (8) . . . Column, "Russia Revisited," by
Clyde E. Weaver (26) . . . Resources, "Peace Education," by Shirley Heckman
(28) . . . Opinions of "Name Withheld," L. Wayne Fralin (start on 30) . . .
Turning Points (32) . . . 1983 Index (34) . . . Editorial (36).
EDITOR
Kermon Thomasson
MANAGING EDITOR
Wendy Chamberlain McFadden
EDITORIAL ASSISTANT
Michael Klahre
SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES
Ruth Anne Gulp
PROMOTION
Kenneth L. Gibble
PUBLISHER
John D. Metzler Jr.
VOL. 132, NO. 12 DECEMBER 1983
CREDITS: Cover art by Cathy Walsh. I,3righl. 12
art Kermon Thomasson. 2 left Tim Frye. 2 right Wil-
liam F. Smith. 3 left Ron Achilles. 5, 18-20, 23, 24(an
and photo) Brethren Historical Library and Ar-
chives. 9 McPherson College. 1 1 , 23 Religious News
Service. 13-15, 17 lower, 27 Judd Blouch. 16, 17 top
Becky Baile. 21 , 22 top and center Donald Dibert.
Messenger is the official publication of the
Church of the Brethren. Entered as second-class
matter Aug. 20, 1918, under Act of Congress
of Oct. 17, 1917. Filing date, Nov. 1. 1982.
Messenger is a member of the Associated
Church Press and a subscriber to Religious News
Service and Ecumenical Press Service. Biblical
quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are from
the Revised Standard Version.
Subscription rates: $10 one year for individual
subscriptions; $18.50 two years. $8 per year for
Church Group Plan. $8 per year for gift sub-
scriptions. School rate 50C per issue. If you move
clip address and send with new address.
Allow at least five weeks for address
change. MESSENGER is owned and
published monthly by the General
Services Commission, Church of the
Brethren General Board, 1451 Dundee
Ave., Elgin, 111. 60120. Second-class
postage paid at Elgin, 111., December 1983. Copyright
1983, Church of the Brethren General Board.
S(.lipilUIIS.
■
WHOSE IS ON FIRST
I have never read Messenger in this sequence
before, but "Pressing Priorities" by Wilbur R.
Hoover (August) captured my attention.
Although it was Hsted last on contents page, I
turned to it first because you have the issues af-
fecting the church — identity, leadership, struc-
ture, and priorities (in that order). When I,
alarmed, turned to the article, I found that, sure
enough, you had copied the author correctly with
"identity" first.
Is our identity as the Church of the Brethren
our number-one issue now and in the future?
Are we really not quite sure of ourselves, as
Hoover interprets our Conference moderator,
and unsure of our mission and our message?
Are we ever going to stop worrying about our
growth as a denomination and stop being proud
of our heritage and traditions, our uniqueness,
and our impact?
If it is true that we are more concerned with
who we are rather than whose we are, I suggest
that we study Christ's e,\ample with new vigor
and that we apply the message of John 12:24 to
our denomination, our beloved Church of the
Brethren. E.xcept a grain of wheat die unto itself,
it cannot produce fruit.
Janet M. Helbert
Broadway, Va.
DOING AS JESUS DID
I have read and treasured Messenger
throughout the 38 years of my new life in Christ.
If Messenger is read and applied, it will serve as
an assistant to our pastors and help us all live a
full life for Christ and the church.
The letter, "The Gift Without the Giver," (Oc-
tober) and the editorial "From What Spring Will
Justice Roll? (October) lead us to realize that we
must deal with all persons as our Lord did.
In no other way can we fulfill the Great Com-
mission as Jesus laid out for us as his disciples,
and in no other way can we receive the abundant
life that Jesus came to bring us.
Ir.^ M.alott
Wabash, Ind.
SINGING AT CONFERENCE
Directing music for a crowd of people as large
and scattered as that at an Annual Conference is
difficult and perilous, especially if the tempos are
too rapid, as I believe they were most of the time
in Baltimore.
When the tempos are unduly rapid the leader
has no trouble carrying along the organist, the
choir, and those persons in the front of the audi-
torium, but people in the back of the auditorium
cannot hear what is going on at the front, much
less see the director.
Thus, there develop two differing musical fac-
tions, who find it difficult to sing together.
The results would be more worshipful if the
music at the front were slow enough that all peo-
ple could participate together, (.\mateurs, in this
case singers who are not choir members, are
slower than trained musicians. Professionals can
speed things up at will.)
Many times it seems that the aim of the direc-
tor and organist is to stay a half beat ahead of the
congregation, fearing that if they do not do so,
the congregation will sing too slowly. This is not
conducive to worshipful singing. The chief func-
tion of a Conference director of congregational
singing is to keep the widely-spaced assembly
together as much as possible. Many years ago, as
director of Annual Conference singing at Ocean
Grove, N. J., I discovered that if I conducted the
many people in the rear of the convention hall,
the singing of the people in the front would take
care of itself.
Nevin W. Fisher
Sebring, Fla.
ABOUT LETTERS
Letters to the editor do not necessarily
reflect the viewpoint of the editors or the
official position of the denomination.
Letters should be brief and brotherly,
short and sisterly. Only a sampling of
what we receive can be published. All let-
ters will be edited. To save postage, we
have discontinued acknowledging receipt
of letters to the editor or sending copies of
our edited versions.
We will agree to withhold the writer's
name only if the name and return address
are given to us. If we don't agree that
anonymity is warranted, we will return
the letter.
Remember, a letter to any editor (that is
obviously an opinion letter) carries with it
tacit permission to be published. If you
don't want your letter in print, be sure to
state that it is not for publication.— The
Editor
SEEING CONFERENCE DIFFERENTLY
My husband was a delegate at the Indianapolis
Annual Conference when the Human Sexuality
study document was introduced, and I was a
delegate at Baltimore when the position paper
was brought to a vote. Much prayer went into
that Conference. The record number of delegates
indicates that most congregations took seriously
their responsiblity to be about the Lord's
business. The spirit permeating the delegate body
was an inspiration to me. I came away with a
positive feeling about the spiritual health of our
denomination.
After reading the Messenger coverage of the
Human Sexuality paper, however, 1 must con-
clude that you folks were at a difference con-
ference from the one I attended.
Debbie Beer
Bluffton, Ohio
TEMPLE CLEANSING TIME
Not to call sin "sin" is the greatest sin. Not to
call evil "evil" is the greatest evil. The Church of
the Brethren is guilty.
The church doesn't need a human sexuality
study. It needs a return to Bible study. The of-
ficial denominational statement from Baltimore
concerning homosexuality is 100 percent op-
posed to the plain Word of God.
If this spiritual leprosy is allowed to be invited
into our churches we have denied our historic
faith. Worse than that, we have called God a liar.
Is it time for another temple cleansing?
Who is leading our leaders?
I will not abandon my children and grand-
children to an evil that God condemns from
Genesis to Revelation. I will continue to preach
the Bible as God's truth and stand against
cowardly, worldly compromise and spiritual
prostitution.
W. Landers Gutel
Flint, Mich.
TREAT GAYS AS SICK PEOPLE
In the article on Brethren/Mennonite Council
for Gay Concerns (September) Martin Rock said
"Gays are all around and among us, normal
human beings."
Where can this statement be verified? When
only 10 percent of a population is of one state of
being, how can it be called "normal"?
I am not a radical against gays or lesbians. I
just believe that we should base our opinions and
decisions, for the church and our lives, on what
God has told us in his Word. Until someone can
show me where God approves of homosexual
behavior, I will continue to believe that it is a sin.
Homosexuals should be treated with love, as any
human being should be, but not accepted as a
full Christian counterpart until they have
repented and turned away from their former way
of life. Homosexuals should not be feared or
mistreated, but they suffer from an illness, and
should be given help and counseling.
Kathy D. Bashore
Mifflintown, Pa.
CONFERENCE AS EXPERIENCED
The review of Annual Conference, "The
Brethren in Baltimore" (September), was ex-
cellent. From the three-page spread detailing the
handling and interpretation of the Human Sex-
uality Position Paper to the tiny image of Jon
Schrock resting in the womb of the Henry Moore
sculpture, the reporting was accurate in emphasis
and mood as well as in fact. This was Conference
as I experienced it. Congratulations on a job well
done.
Albert Herbst
La Verne, Calif.
CHRIST'S OKAY MOST IMPORTANT
To the writer of the October letter, "The Gift
Without the Giver," I would say this: Continue
to give to the church, even though your church
will not accept you. Your basic concern is to be
accepted by Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son
of God, our heavenly Father, through and by
whom each one of us meets our heavenly Father.
We are not judged on a collective basis, but each
one as an individual. All conflict must be re-
solved between Christ and the individual.
May you walk in peace.
Gordon E. Burkey
Lititz, Pa.
(p)(oiD^@[M
iVAichael Klahre got a taste of what his
job as editorial assistant would be like
when, as a delegate to last summer's Annual
Conference, he served us as a reporter.
Then, following Brethren Volunteer Service
orientation in July-August, Mike came to
Elgin to begin his year of internship.
Mike wrote this month's cover story. The
assignment was a natural since Mike is from
Everett (Pa.) congregation, and the Mock
meetinghouse is in that area. Another plus
was that Mike loves history — an interest he
shares with writing,
music, and drama —
and his Brethren/Ger-
man roots run deep in
a section of Dunker-
land that has churches
with names such as
"Lower Claar" and
"Upper Claar."
You will be seeing
Mike's by-line often
this year as he cranks
out feature stories. In
Touch profiles, and
news items.
Since this issue high-
lights the 35th anniver-
sary of BVS, it is fit-
ting that we feature on
Page One our current
BVSer on the Messen-
ger staff (that includes an editor and
managing editor who are former BVSers).
— The Editor
Letter from Nigeria
"Greetings to you in the name of the Lord.
We, the Nigerian Women's Choir, are happy
to write you after arriving back home safely.
"Please accept our deep gratitude and ap-
preciation for the wonderful hospitality and
love each person, family, and congregation
gave us during our choir tour last June.
"We continue to think back about the
wonderful times we shared with you in the
USA. The headquarters in Elgin, the semi-
nary, colleges, retirement homes, and the
Annual Conference were things of wonder to
us. They made lasting marks on our minds
about God's work in your land.
"The church here and the Zumuntar
Matan Ekklesiya in particular express their
gratitude to the World Ministries Commis-
sion and the Global Women's Project for
their support of our tour. Remember us all in
your prayers, that the Holy Spirit will guide
us in doing the Lord's work here in Nigeria.
"May God bless you all.
Nganu Gamece
Yola, Nigeria"
December 1983 messenger 1
Mike Klahre
in
h
Carl W. Zeigler: Lessons taught and learned
Carl Wenger Zeigler of Elizabethtown,
Pa., modestly remembers himself as hav-
ing been "sort of scholarly" as a boy. The
fact is, he took to school like a duck to
water — "skipping" third grade, winning a
junior-high scholarship award, graduating
as valedictorian.
For this "officially retired" Annville
High School teacher, Lebanon Church of
the Brethren pastor, and Elizabethtown
College professor, a book in the hand is
worth everything. Particularly if that book
is the Bible.
The 1972 winner of Elizabethtown Col-
lege's Steinman Award for excellence in
teaching, Carl calls teaching his "first
love." During the 1983-1984 school year,
Carl is back in his natural habitat — in the
college classroom.
Carl's students are not just names or
numbers or a blur of waiting receptacles
into which he can pour his hard-earned
wisdom. He is that once-in-a-lifetime
teacher who frequently becomes a lifelong
friend.
2 MESSENGER December 1983
"I've had as students any number of
young men and women who've gone into
church vocations. They're serving now as
ministers, missionaries, teachers . . . and I
do enjoy corresponding with them. In
fact, I've just received a very beautiful let-
ter from one who's a missionary in
Kenya," he beams.
Carl declares he has always enjoyed the
"preparing, reading, and sharing" involved
in first-class teaching. He says he prefers
to lecture first, then allow for questions.
"And, if there are no questions raised,
that's a sign of poor teaching," he firmly
believes.
Concerning events in his own life, Carl
has had many occasions to "question" the
Master Teacher. Perhaps the greatest test
of the Christian faith he had both learned
and taught so well came to Carl in 1971,
when his beloved wife, Naomi, was dying
of cancer.
He recalls, with tears in his eyes, a
crucial lesson he learned on one of
Naomi's last days. "She was feeling
miserable. I had been sitting there in her
hospital room for hours, not knowing
what to do or say. All at once I just
seemed to get a message: 'Carl, take a
walk.'"
Carl walked several blocks, then felt he
should return to Naomi's bedside. "Again,
I heard a clear message: 'Carl, keep on
walking.'"
Again, he obeyed without knowing
why. When he came to the bulletin board
of a United Methodist church, Carl knew
his answer. On the board was a lesson for
this long-time Bible teacher. "Remember,
Christians never say goodbye for the last
time," he read.
"I felt strengthened, comforted, like the
hand of God was on my shoulder," Carl
confesses.
Perhaps the best teachers are not
marked by the lessons they've taught. Like
Carl, they're marked by the lessons
they've learned. — Nancy Kettering Frye
Nancy Kettering Frye, a freelance writer from
Lebanon, Pa., was raised in the Annville Church of
the Brethren, Annville, Pa.
Vi and Glen Seitz explained their "Immer-
sion" tapestry to conferencegoers.
Gene and Anne Petry: i
Gene Petry is a dentist who makes house
calls. Granted, he doesn't make too many
calls, but when one call takes you 5,000
miles and involves hundreds of patients.
that is understandable.
Gene Petry had recently retired, when
he was asked almost three years ago to
volunteer for a month of dental work for
students at Hillcrest School in Jos,
Nigeria.
"I didn't even know what Hillcrest
was," Gene recalls with a chuckle. "I had
no idea if it was in the bush or in town,
whether it had dental facilities or not.
Even if it uad electricity."
But he quickly learned that Hillcrest is
an ecumenical boarding school for
elementary and high school students,
founded by the Church of the Brethren in
1942. It is in town, has electricity, and,
while it doesn't have the most modernly
equipped dental office. Gene needed only
to take along his "pet" instruments. "My
only problem was, I'm lefthanded and the
Hillcrest equipment is for righthanded
dentists," he adds.
Gene's wife, Anne, a retired educator
(for 17 years director of special education
in the Akron, Ohio, public school
system), went along to Nigeria with him, a
full-time partner in the volunteer venture.
She became Gene's dental assistant. "I
trained her myself," Gene says, "and she's
Vi and Glen Seitz: Weaving wonders
It was on a McPherson College alumni
tour that Vi Seitz got the inspiration. Vi,
an accomplished weaver of tapestries, and
her husband. Glen, were in the German
village of Schwarzenau, where the Church
of the Brethren began in 1708. One of the
first places they visited there was the Alex-
ander Mack School with a colorful mural
painted on its facade.
"As soon as we climbed that mountain
ir'\->^
and saw the mural, 1 said, 'There's my
next tapestry,'" Vi recalls.
This is no ordinary tapestry, which one
might frame and hang on a living room
wall. The "Immersion" tapestry, as Vi and
Glen named it, is 13 by 14 feet, and took
up a commanding spot in the exhibit area
at Annual Conference in Baltimore.
The physical size of the tapestry is
dwarfed in comparison to the amount of
time and effort Glen and Vi put into the
project. The tapestry took them 10,000
hours to complete, working as a team.
One reason for this huge output of hours
is that all 90,000 yards of wool for the
tapestry were spun by the two of them.
Vi is the captain of the two-person
tapestry team. A native of Canada, she
learned weaving and spinning from her
mother and grandmother.
Glen, a retired cattleman and farmer.
has become an expert at repairing old
spinning wheels and was kept busy
keeping the equipment in working order
while the wool was being spun for the
tapestry.
One might think that such a tapestry
would have little utilitarian value. It's too
large for a bedspread and too valuable to
use as a rug. But Vi and Glen had a
very specific purpose in mind for the
tapestry. First, the tapestry was dedicated
in the Salem Cummunity Church of the
Brethren, Nickerson, Kan., their home
congregation. Now they are showing it in
churches where they are invited, to
benefit the Church of the Brethren
Emergency Disaster Fund. A special
offering is taken and the money sent to
the relief fund. — Judd Blouch
Judd Blouch, of Millersville, Pa. . served in
1982-1983 as a MESSENGER intern.
olunteer project with teeth in it
good. It was the first time in 43 years that
I had been boss."
Gene and Anne's hours at Hillcrest are
long, and jam-packed with appointments.
They see over 400 students, plus many
parents and staff. "We are tired at night,
but it feels good to be so needed and so
useful," they remark.
One visit to their dental office explained
for me the Petrys' popularity with the
Hillcrest children. They come bearing
gifts. Anne gives out "Super Patient" but-
tons, pencils, and other small gifts. On
her second trip to Hillcrest, she brought
little "treasure chests" for children to put
their extracted teeth in. "Even the high
school students like them," Anne laughs.
But it isn't the gifts alone that make
trips to the dentist pleasurable for
Hillcresters. The children sense that the
Petrys genuinely love children, and they
respond. The Petrys eat in the Hillcrest
dining hall, and develop a good rapport
with the children. "They like to hold our
hands and sit on our laps," Gene and
Anne explain.
Gene and Anne love their work and
their patients, and they love to serve.
They told me, "We felt the Lord led us to
this project. We have worked in our home
congregation, Eastwood, in Akron and on
our district board's mission and social ac-
tion commissions, finding people to do
service jobs. Now it is our turn to serve."
So far the Petrys have done two annual
one-month stints at Hillcrest. They are
open for longer projects in Brethren
Volunteer Service. They expect the Lord
will do some more leading. But they do
not expect to find another project with
any more grateful recipients of their ser-
vice than this one among the boys and
girls at Hillcrest. -K.T.
Hillcrest student Usen Akpan was one of several hundred students treated by the Petrys.
December 1983 messenger 3
At peace rally, 15,000
protest missile plans
More than 15,000 demonstrators,
representing US and West German
church, peace, and civic groups, gathered
in Philadelphia on Oct. 6 to protest the
planned December deployment of Cruise
and Pershing II missiles in the Federal
Republic of Germany and to urge a
nuclear-arms freeze.
The rally was planned by a broad coali-
tion of US and German church and peace
activists to coincide with the 300th an-
niversary of the first German settlement in
America by 13 persecuted pacifist Menno-
nite and Quaker families in 1683. A mile
away, at an official Tricentennial banquet.
Vice President George Bush and West
German President Karl Carstens were the
honored guests.
Organizers and participants in the
demonstration, which included some of
the leading peace activists of the two
countries, asserted that they, not the of-
ficial celebrants, truly represented the
pacifist beliefs of the original German set-
tlers.
Pennsylvania Governor Dick Thorn-
burgh, speaking at the official observance,
said it offered a chance to reflect on
"what the first German arrivals felt when
they reached these shores, their fears and
their hopes." But retired NATO General
Gert Bastian, who resigned from the Ger-
man army to protest the placement of
nuclear missiles in his country, told the
protesters that the US and West German
governments "misrepresent the memory of
the first German settlers if they say friend-
ship must be based on nuclear and
chemical weapons."
Myron Augsburger, moderator of the
General Assembly of the Mennonite
Church, said it was God who put people
in positions of power. "God is still above
the powers, and sometimes we must say to
those powers, 'We must obey God rather
than man.' We say respectfully to them,
'There must be a stop to the arms race.'"
Before the rally, a number of Phila-
delphia churches held worship services
marking the first religious service held by
the original 13 German families. At the
old Friends Meeting Hall, some one thou-
sand Mennonites and Quakers heard
Michael King, pastor of the historic Ger-
mantown Mennonite church founded by
those settlers, tell how they came to
America to "work out the dream of prac-
The October 6 Witness was "a demonstra-
tion of faith and conscience" to protest de-
ployment of Pershing II and Cruise missiles
in Western Europe and to celebrate the 300th
anniversary of German immigration.
ticing Christ's love."
"Three hundred years later, that church
still stands and that dream lives on," he
said. "Tonight we gather as Mennonites
and Quakers to proclaim that dream with
renewed vigor."
The Philadelphia rally was the first of
more than 100 anti-nuclear/peace
demonstrations planned during October in
the United States to protest deployment of
the missiles in Germany. Similar
demonstrations were scheduled in the
Federal Republic of Germany and other
parts of Europe.
Church staff request
tax non-withholding
Because of the government's high rate of
military spending, seven employees of the
General Conference Mennonite Church
central offices have requested that their
federal income taxes not be withheld. The
seven will individually pay a portion of
their taxes each quarter, but will put the
balance — the amount they feel they can-
not voluntarily pay because of military
spending — into a special account at the
General Conference headquarters.
The seven employees are acting on the
basis of a resolution adopted at the
church's conference (see October, page 4).
That resolution was the result of nearly
eight years of work on the tax issue, and
was passed only after all legal attempts to
solve the problem had been ex-
hausted—including seeking a simple ad-
ministrative solution from the IRS.
The church has informed the Internal
Revenue Service of the action and the
location of the account to which the IRS
may proceed.
"We're trying to be completely open
and above board with them," said Vern
Preheim, general secretary.
What's the fuss about
the Tricentennial?
Peace advocates on both sides of the
Atlantic have expressed indignation at the
militarization of the 300th anniversary of
German immigration to the US. Church
and peace groups charge that the govern-
ments of the US and the Federal
Republic of Germany are using the
Tricentennial to justify deployment of
missiles and to boast of their strong
military alliance.
Since the original immigrants left Ger-
many because of their pacifist views, the
justification is shockingly inappropriate,
say the critics. West German Mennonites
issued a call for Mennonites in the US to
join in a Transatlantic Peace Sunday on
Oct. 16. A rally in Philadelphia on Oct. 6
was timed to coincide with a high-level
celebration honoring Vice President
George Bush and West German President
Karl Carstens.
President Reagan's Tricentennial Com-
mission, which planned the official obser-
vances, consists largely of corporate ex-
ecutives, military personnel, and govern-
ment officials. No member of the com-
mission represents a Quaker or Mennonite
viewpoint. The chairman is Richard Allen,
former National Security Advisor for
President Reagan.
When a comm.emorative stamp was
issued in Philadelphia, no Mennonite or
Quaker representatives were invited, and
those speaking at the ceremony stressed
the importance of strong military forces.
"1 am appalled at the misuse and ig-
norance of history," observed German-
town resident .Anne Ewing. "here being
distorted to support politics that would
nearly break the hearts of those in whose
name we celebrate.
"They came seeking peace, they
respected and aided the poor, they made a
religious statement against slavery nearly
200 years before it was ended in this
country," said Ewing. "It is these attitudes
and characteristics which ha\e made Ger-
mantown such a marvelous place through-
out its 300 years, and this is what we
should celebrate."
4 MESSENGER December 1983
Durnbaugh is guest at
Berleburg anniversary
When the city of Berleburg, West Ger-
many, celebrated its 725th anniversary,
the mayor invited Donald Durnbaugh of
Bethany Theological Seminary to take
part. Berleburg is just a few miles from
Schwarzenau, birthplace of the Church of
the Brethren.
In an interview on a German television
special, Durnbaugh spoke about Alex-
ander Mack and the origins of the Church
of the Brethren. He was also asked to join
in a discussion of politics, peace, and
disarmament.
During his visit, Durnbaugh visited with
a private historical and tourist committee
in Schwarzenau that is interested in con-
tact with the Church of the Brethren. The
group maintains a library of books
donated by Brethren in the US. This past
summer, Kenneth I. Morse officially
presented the village of Schwarzenau with
an additional 10 books from the
Historical Committee.
Brethren have ties to
historic Krefeld, too
As the US joins with the Federal Republic
of Germany in celebrating the 300th an-
niversary of German immigration to the
colonies, an active Mennonite congrega-
tion that meets in Krefeld, West Ger-
many, is the focus of special attention.
It was from this church community that
the original 13 Mennonite and Quaker
families emigrated to America, arriving on
the ship Concord at Philadelphia on Oct.
6, 1683. This church community is of in-
terest to Brethren because its hospitality
extended to Brethren who lived and wor-
shiped in Krefeld from 1715 to 1719.
By that time, the Krefeld Mennonites
were worshiping in their own church,
erected in 1695. The old church stood for
more than 200 years at its downtown loca-
tion in the German city, until it was large-
ly destroyed during the bombing of
Krefeld in 1943. Only a large stone gate at
the rear of the church property survived
intact. The church was rebuilt in 1950.
Krefeld Mennonites have a long record
of welcoming religious refugees into their
midst, beginning in the 17th century.
More refugees, including the Brethren,
came to their community in the 18th cen-
tury. At this time, the church had trained
Krefeld Mennoniies
extended hospitality
to Brethren between
1715 and 1719. That
church stood for
more than 200 years
until it was largely
destroyed during the
bombing of Krefeld
in 1943. Only a large
stone gate, pictured
at left, survived in-
tact. The church was
rebuilt in 1950 with
the help of Ameri-
can Mennonites.
ministers, including Gosen Goyen (1667-
1737), who was baptized by immersion
and was friendly to the Brethren. Leaders
of the church also intervened with their
government on behalf of Brethren im-
prisoned in Germany and Switzerland.
Peter Becker, Christian Liebe, and John
Naas were among the leaders of the
Brethren group between 1715 and 1719.
They were active not only in Krefeld but
in other cities in the Rhine area. Brethren
from Krefeld in 1716 baptized six young
men and some women in the Wupper
River near Solingen.
Trouble in the Brethren congregation
developed between John Naas and Chris-
tian Liebe over the marriage of a Brethren
man to the daughter of a Mennonite
preacher. This may have led to the migra-
tion of most of the Brethren, under the
leadership of Peter Becker, in 1719. John
Naas came with other Brethren in 1733.
Two Brethren marriages are recorded in
the Mennonite church book (1717, 1718).
In a census at that time, four Brethren in-
cluding Peter Becker were listed as too
poor to purchase their citizenship rights.
About 20 Brethren families left with
Peter Becker. Some remaining members
joined the Mennonites. The Brethren con-
gregation in Krefeld was dissolved some-
time between 1740 and 1760. — Kenneth
I. Morse
Chicago is last stop
for German art tour
"The Pennsylvania Germans," a special art
exhibit commemorating the 300th anniver-
sary of German immigration to the US, is
on its way to the final stop on its national
tour.
The exhibit opened in Philadelphia,
moved next to Houston, and recently ap-
peared in San Francisco. It will appear at
the Art Institute of Chicago from Dec. 10
to Jan. 29.
A celebration of Pennsylvania German
arts from 1683 to 1850, the exhibit in-
cludes three Christopher Sauer imprints
from Juniata College, Huntingdon, Pa.; a
copy of the 1743 edition of Sauer's Bible;
an issue of the German newspaper that
Sauer edited for 40 years; and a page
from the Sauer Almanac. Also included
are several items from the Ephrata (Pa.)
community.
December 1983 messenger 5
Auction nets $90,000 for disaster relief
Proceeds from the seventh annual Atlantic Northeast Disaster Relief Auction topped all
previous years. Held Sept. 16-17 at the Lebanon Area Fairgrounds, the event drew six to
seven thousand people, making it the second largest Brethren gathering in the denomina-
tion. The auction netted about $90,000 from the sales of 49 heifers, 68 quilts, and craft
and food items. The proceeds go to the Church of the Brethren Emergency Disaster
Fund. Chairing this year's event were Mark and Marty Hershey of Lititz, Pa. Next year's
chairpersons are Thorn and Sue Keller of Newmanstown.
Family farmers appeal
for church assistance
America's family farmers need help — not
just pastoral care — from their churches.
That was the message of a Des Moines,
Iowa, conference called "The Church En-
counters the Rural Crisis," which involved
close to 60 farmers and clergy.
Farmers and church leaders said that
church response to the plight of farmers
has been sorely lacking. As farmers are
pushed toward bankruptcy and fore-
closure by crop failures, mounting debts,
high interest rates, and unstable rates, the
very survival of the farm family is at
stake, said the participants.
The conferencegoers listened to the strug-
gles described by three panels — farm
couples, small town business people, and
rural church clergy — and heard statistics
about the recent rapid decrease in the
number of medium-sized family farms. In at
least one geographic area, one in three
farmers faces bankruptcy, said one
panelist.
Those at the conference appealed to the
churches to take action on legislative and fi-
nancial matters that affect farmers, to edu-
cate people about the crisis in rural com-
munities, to support farmers and clergy in
rural communities, and to be vocal in their
involvement in the rural crisis.
The October conference was one of
three to be called by the National Council
of Churches in response to the current
domestic economic crisis. Other sponsors
were the Iowa Inter-Church Forum, Na-
tional Catholic Rural Life Conference,
Rural America, and Rural Iowa.
Hispanic Assembly hits
Reagan foreign policy
The Hispanic Assembly of the Church of
the Brethren is "deeply disturbed" about
the foreign policy of the US toward Latin
America, according to a letter sent to
President Reagan.
Written on behalf of the assembly by
the Comite de Enlace Hispano (Hispanic
Network Committee), the letter says that
the "'double standard' diplomacy current-
ly practiced by our government is neither
appropriate nor effective in dealing with
Latin America." The assembly charges
that the government speaks only of
"order" and "security," and uses the dollar
"as the cornerstone of our foreign policy,"
thereby aligning the US with the wealthy
and oppressive minority in Latin America.
"As Christians, we believe in a God
who can be found among the poor, uplift-
ing them in their struggle to attain a fuller
life and a more just share of the world's
bounty," says the letter.
NCC launches study of
violence in film, TV
A study of exploitative sex and violence in
film and television has been staned by a
committee of the National Council of
Churches' communication commission.
"Our goal is for the industry to take
seriously its responsibility for the
gratuitous violence and exploitative sex in
movie theaters and on cable and broad-
cast television," says James Wall, editor
of the Christian Century and chairman of
the nine-member committee.
"We hope to arrive at a strategy" for
reducing such content "especially in the
denigration of women that comes with the
excessive meshing of sex and violence
against women in the media," says Wall.
He estimates that it will be at least a year
before the committee returns with recom-
mendations.
The committee was formed, said assist-
ant general secretary William F. Fore,
because of the "growing concern we have
discovered among mainline church
people" about increasing content of sex
and violence in motion pictures and on
television.
Non-sexist lectlonary
completed by council
A new inclusive language lectionary has
been published by the National Council of
Churches. The much-publicized lectionary
has sparked great interest and public
debate since the project was announced
three years ago.
A lectionary is not a Bible; rather it is a
cycle of scripture readings for use in
public worship. In its most common form
today, a lectionary consists of selected
readings from the Old Testament, the
Epistles and Revelation, and the Gospels,
organized over a period of three years.
Over a three-year period, worshipers will
have heard about 95 percent of the New
Testament and about 60 percent of the
Old Testament read in the context of wor-
ship.
Lectionaries are widely used in some
denominations. Others, such as the
Church of the Brethren, traditionally do
not use them.
This new worship resource, titled "An
Inclusive Language Lectionary,"
represents an "important interdenomina-
tional effort to express without bias the
6 MESSENGER December 1983
Christian message to all persons," said
David Ng, NCC associate general
secretary for education and ministry.
The term "inclusive language" describes
attempts to avoid words that exclude
women or somehow make them appear
secondary in the eyes of God or the
church. Whereas "generic language"
assumes that a masculine word like "men"
really means both "men and women," in-
clusive language makes an attempt to in-
clude both genders. Inclusive language
also deals with the words used to describe
God.
"Readings for Year A," the first of the
new lectionary's three volumes, were
available for use beginning with Advent,
which began Nov. 27. Readings for Years
B and C will be published in 1984 and
1985.
Readings in the lectionary are based on
the Revised Standard Version of the
Bible, as well as original Greek and
Hebrew texts.
Dialog bears fruit for
Reformed, Lutherans
Theologians from major Lutheran and
Reformed churches are recommending to
their national church bodies that the
churches celebrate the Lord's Supper
together, exchange pulpits, and start com-
mon mission projects.
The recommendations were approved
by 14 theologians of the two traditions
after two years of discussions. Two
previous rounds of dialogs — one in the
1960s and the other in the 1970s- failed
to yield agreements.
Lutheran participants in the dialog were
the three Lutheran churches that are plan-
ning to unite by 1988 — the Lutheran
Church in America, the American
Lutheran Church, and the Association of
Evangelical Lutheran Churches. The
Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod par-
ticipated, but could not recommend
eucharistic sharing with Reformed
churches. Reformed participants include
the Presbyterian Church (USA), the
United Church of Christ; the Reformed
Church in America, and the Cumberland
Presbyterian Church.
Lutherans recently have taken ecu-
menical steps with the Episcopal Church
and the Roman Catholic Church. Before
this most recent ecumenical agreement is
official, the three Lutheran bodies must
vote at their conventions next summer.
[i^[n)^(tFDD[n](t^
SCOUTING TALENT
In an effort to encourage and promote the
development of video production skills among students of
communication arts, the General Conference Mennonite Church
has created a Mennonite Video Arts Award. The $500 prize will
be awarded to a Mennonite or Church of the Brethren college
student. Entries will be accepted from students at Menno-
nite or Brethren schools, or from college students affiliated
with one of the denominations. Submit productions of 10 to
30 minutes on video cassette tape by May 31, 1984. Award
announcement will be made July 15. Specific themes should
relate to one of the many topics of interest to the denomina-
tion's Commission on Home Ministries — such as peacemaking,
family life, aging, loneliness, prejudice, poverty and
affluence, media awareness, and Hispanic and Native American
concerns. Write: Media Division, General Conference Menno-
nite Church, Box 370, Elkhart, IN 46515.
ALTERNATIVE VIEWS . . . "Veterans for Peace" is the theme of
the 26th On_ Earth Peace Assembl y , scheduled for Dec. 16-17
at the New Windsor (Md. ) Service Center. The program will
deal with acceptance of all people regardless of their views
on peace, and with the church's response to those who hold
or have held alternate views on peace issues. Send reserva-
tions to OEPA, Box 188, New Windsor, MD 21776.
CAMPUS COMMENTS . . . Two colleges have dedicated new build-
ings. Mcpherson (Kan.) College dedicated a $1.5-million
Center for Sport and Physical Education. Elizabethtown (Pa.)
College' s new $2.2-million chemistry facility is named Musser
Hall, in honor of Dr. Benjamin G. Musser , chief of cardio-
vascular surgery at Harrisburg Hospital and the Harrisburg
Polyclinic Medical Center, and his wife. Vera Shoop Musser.
Both are Elizabethtown graduates. . . . For the fifth con-
secutive year, the Campus Times, student newspaper at the
University of La Verne (Calif.) , has received the All Ameri-
can rating from the Associated Collegiate Press. . . . The
1984 Olympic swim coach, Ray Bussard, conducted a competitive
swim clinic at Bridgewater (Va.) College in October. A
Bridgewater graduate, Bussard is swim coach at the University
of Tennessee, where he has coached 24 collegiate Ail-Ameri-
cans and two Olympic gold medalists. . . . W_. Donald Clague,
vice president for academic affairs at the Uni versi ty of La
Verne has been named executive vice president. He will
assume many of the duties of Armen Sarafian, president,
freed to spend more time traveling and raising funds.
REMEMBERED
S. Clyde Weaver, 82, died Sept. 28.
The
father of The Brethren Press marketing director Clyde E_.
Weaver , he was a minister for 49 years in the East Peters-
burn (now Hempfield) (Pa. ) congregation.
BREAKING INTO PRINT
Murray L. Wagner , professor of
historical studies at Bethany Theological Seminary and direc-
tor of the combined libraries of Bethany and Northern Baptist
Theological Seminary libraries, is the author of a new book by
Herald Press. Titled Petr Chelcicky : A Radical Separatist in
Hussite Bohemia, the book lifts up the 15th-century pacifist's
vision of radical Christian discipleship and community, and
his call for a just social order and world peace.
December 1983 messenger 7
^p(S(Q}i^
GENERAL BOARD ... met Oct. 18-21 at the New Windsor (Md.)
Service Center. Welcomed were new Board meir±iers Peggy Reiff
Miller, L. Gene Bucher , Esther Frantz Bolegn, Anita Smith
Buckwalter, David B. Eller, and Harold S. Martin.
SENT
a query to Annual Conference, asking for a study
of tax resistance.
POSTPONED . .. the finalization of the Abortion paper until
the March meeting, feeling it needed more positive language.
ADOPTED
a 1984 gross budget of $14,241 ,670 , and a net
budget of $5,370,000.
RESCINDED its endorsement of the Nestle boycott, feeling
that the Nestle' Company had essentially complied with demands
that it stop promoting its infant formula in Third World
countries.
APPROVED
a new plan for representation of district
executives on the Goals and Budget Committee, using as repre-
sentatives the chairperson of the Council of District Execu-
tives and the district representatives on the Planning Coordi-
nating Committee.
APPOINTED ... a committee to do a five-year study of pas-
toral compensation: Helen Persons , Ray Click, Alton McDaniel ,
Opal Pence Nees , and a_ representative of the Council of Dis-
trict Executives.
HEARD ... a reading of proposed revisions of the Manual of
Organization and Polity , and made plans to distribute them for
study during 1984 and '85.
RECOGNIZED
Dora and Marion Showalter , retired from 19
years of missionary service in Nigeria; Roger Ingold, who has
resigned as Africa representative; Beverly Weaver , who has re-
signed as BVS orientation director; and Wilfred E. Nolen, who
has left World Ministries to be executive of the Pension Board.
GENERAL SERVICES COMMISSION
increased interest rates on
church and home loans from 10*j percent to 11 percent; appointed
Elmer Gleim to the Historical Committee; and received a re-
port of a reshuffling of stewardship staff: Don Stern to spe-
cial gifts, Stewart Kauffman to part-time special gifts (work-
ing from Pennsylvania) , and Dale Minnich to congregational
support (stewardship education open at present) .
PARISH MINISTRIES COMMISSION
dialoged with the Hispanic
Caucus, Brethren Revival Fellowship, and Holy Spirit Confer-
ence, to hear concerns; and approved the naming of a committee
to design a model for the training of leadership in urban con-
gregations .
WORLD MINISTRIES COMMISSION
looked at the New Windsor-
based Food Preservation Systems , preparatory to deciding its
future; heard and discussed reports on India from Howard E_.
Royer and Glen Campbell; and recommended to the Board (which
approved) a $200 , OOP fund drive for meeting hunger needs.
8 MESSENGER December 1983
CIR urges BEM study,
holds talk with NAE
The Committee on Interchurch Relations
is urging congregations to study the "Bap-
tism, Eucharist, and Ministry" document,
completed last year by the World Council
of Churches Faith and Order Commis-
sion. This recommendation and others are
The BEM document
"Baptism, Eucharist, and Ministry" is
the fruit of a 50-year process of study
across the World Council of Churches
It details a "large measure of agree-
ment" by church bodies of many and
varied traditions in these three crucial
areas of church doctrine and practice.
The document was completed in
1982 at Lima, Peru (hence the term
"Lima document"), by some 100
theologians representing virtually all
branches of the Christian faith. (The
WCC's Faith and Order Commission
includes a broader membership than
the council.)
Churches have been asked to return
an initial response to the document to
Faith and Order by December 1984,
with a more substantial response due
by December 1985. This long time
frame allows discussion of the docu-
ment to include local congregations, as
well as theologians and leaders.
"Baptism, Eucharist, and Ministry"
is available for $3.50 from The
Brethren Press, 1451 Dundee Ave.,
Elgin, IL 60120. The "Lima Liturgy,"
based on the BEM document and used
at the WCC Vancouver Assembly, is
available from the WCC's US office,
475 Riverside Dr., New York, NY
10115.
the outcome of the CIR's September
meeting, in which members discussed ways
to implement the 1982 Annual Conference
paper on "A Vision of Unity." That docu-
ment describes the style with which the
Church of the Brethren will undertake
ecumenical involvements.
At the September meeting, the commit-
tee also met with Art Gay, president of
the National Association of Evangelicals,
as part of ongoing conversations to
discuss ways the Church of the Brethren
can participate in the NAE. (The NAE
does not permit members to belong to any
other conciliar movement.)
The goals listed in the Vision for Unity
paper relate to recognition of baptism and
the eucharist in other denominations; lay
involvement in national and international
ecumenical events; educational programs
for all ages — especially youth; interfaith
dialog; and conversations with those in-
volved in conciliar movements.
While specific objectives for achieving
these goals are still being refined by the
committee, general directions have been
set. In addition to encouraging congrega-
tions to study the BEM document, for ex-
ample, the CIR hopes to design a
denominational network to assist in
ecumenical involvements, and plans to
develop a loose-leaf handbook that would
pull together many ecumenical resources
for congregations and individuals.
Joe Detrick appointed
BVS training director
Named to the position of orientation coor-
dinator of Brethren Volunteer Service is
Joe Detrick, pastor of Logansport (Ind.)
Church of the
Brethren. He
begins his work in
January.
A former
BVSer, Detrick
has served six
years as pastor at
Logansport. He
graduated from Bethany Theological
Seminary in 1977 and from Manchester
College in 1971.
As a member of the BVS team, Detrick
will help develop and coordinate the BVS
program, including planning and leading
orientation units and serving as a
counselor to the volunteers.
December move planned
for Bethany {Hospital
With construction work running several
months ahead of schedule, the new
Bethany Hospital will open its doors in
December. Hospital staff hope the move
can be made in one day.
Bethany Hospital, in Chicago, is
operated by Evangelical Health Systems
and receives substantial support from the
Church of the Brethren. As the end of the
capital gifts effort approaches. Brethren
giving is on the upswing, reports Olin
Mason of the office of church relations.
By the end of September, Brethren had
contributed nearly $1.6 million toward the
$2-million goal. The denomination-wide
effort concludes at the end of this year,
but several districts will continue the ap-
peal through 1984.
Though the organization that operates
Bethany Hospital recently changed its
name from Evangelical Hospital Associa-
tion to Evangelical Health Systems, the
name of the hospital remains the same.
Womaen's Caucus event
to study nonviolence
The topic is feminism and nonviolence,
but the event isn't just for women. The
Womaen's Caucus of the Church of the
Brethren is inviting children, women, and
men to a conference titled "As the World
Turns," held May 25-27 at Elizabethtown
(Pa.) College.
Conferencegoers will consider 1) how
one's personal life supports or eradicates
violence; 2) how militarism and sexism
reinforce each other; 3) what Christ's ex-
ample and the New Testament teach
about resisting violence in the home and
among the na-
tions; and 4)
"how security in
every age lies in
turning from at-
titudes of fear
and structures of
domination
toward the joy
and courage of
responsible in-
terdependence
and mutuality."
Leaders of the general sessions are
Shantilal Bhagat, Yvonne Dilling, Melanie
May, Andrea Warnke, and June Alliman
Yoder. The conference will include study
and play time for children ages 6-13,
separate workshops for men and women,
combined sessions, and intergenerational
activities.
Members of the planning committee,
which met in September, are Mary Jo
Bowman, Ruthann K. Johansen, Sondra
Simmons, Ann Earhart Gibble, Beth
Glick-Rieman, Tom Kinzie, and Shirley
Kirkwood. For more information, write to
Shirley Kirkwood, Womaen's Caucus,
Route 1, Box 215, Mt. Solon, VA 22843.
McPherson groups perform at Renaissance Festival
For the third year, the McPherson (Kan.) College Madrigal Singers and Trombones were
invited to appear at the Renaissance Festival of Kansas City. The musicians performed
period music from the 14th and 15th centuries. The annual festival imitates the lifestyle
of the Renaissance period, complete with authentic costumes, conversations in Old
English, food served without silverware, and jousting knights in armor.
December 1983 messenger 9
The sign of Immanuel
by Kenneth L. Gibble
"Lord, give me a sign."
Have you ever said that? Faced with a
tough decision or beaten down by
discouragement, you long for some
unmistakable direction from on high.
How wonderful it would be if God spoke
in a clear, loud voice. And so many
believers have prayed for a sign from the
Lord.
I have not been one of them.
Oh, not because my faith is so strong
that I don't need divine guidance. No, I
confess it is fear, not faith, that has
motivated me. You see, getting signs from
God is dangerous business. After you've
seen visible proof of God's will, you're
hooked. No longer can you protest that
God hasn't made himself clear. No longer
can you insist you surely would have done
what God wanted you to do, if only the
Lord had made his divine intentions plain.
I take some comfort in the fact that a
biblical character named Ahaz also took
this approach. Isaiah the prophet came to
King Ahaz (who was in some hot water at
the time) and said to him: "Ask the Lord
your God for a sign."
But Ahaz, very politely — and with some
pious vocabulary tossed in just to be on
the safe side — refused.
"1 will not ask, and I will not put the
Lord to the test." That does sound mighty
fine, doesn't it? Ahaz doesn't want to
"test" the Lord — that's the same answer
Jesus gave to one of the Devil's
temptations. It's a good Sunday school
answer, right?
Well, no, not in this case. Because what
old Ahaz is trying to do is to keep a safe
distance. You and I do it too. We prefer
to keep God somewhere "out there" so
God can't gel close enough to make
demands on us. And so if God offers to
reveal the divine will, offers to change
something in our lives, we politely decline.
It wouldn't do to put ourselves under any
kind of obligation to the Almighty, And
so we say, "Thanks, but no thanks. If it's
all the same to you. Lord, I prefer to
think of you as Cosmic Force or Eternal
Truth or Supreme Being. That's good
enough for me."
Ahaz tried that, but it didn't work.
Isaiah told him the Lord was going to give
Ahaz a sign whether he wanted one or
not. A maiden will bear a son, Isaiah
said, "and you shall call his name
Immanuel."
Immanuel. That's a word we hear often
at this time of year. We see it on
Christmas cards and hear it in songs like
"O Come, O Come, Immanuel." Most
Christians know that Immanuel is one of
the names given to Christ; they may even
know that the word means literally: "God
with us." But many of them don't know
the name goes back to Ahaz and the sign
he didn't want to have.
The early Christians believed that Jesus
was the fulfillment of that "sign-child"
Isaiah had announced. Jesus was God-
with-us indeed! It was only natural,
therefore, that they should see the angel's
announcement to Joseph of a son soon to
be born to Mary as a striking parallel to
the sign given to Ahaz. Of course! Jesus
himself was the true Immanuel promise,
now made tlesh and blood.
A,
Lnd yet, in this Christmas season, you
and I need to go beyond knowing what
Immanuel meant to people of long ago.
The crucial question for us, in the fading
years of the most violent century in
human history, is this: What does it mean
for you and me to speak of Immanuel?
How shall we say "God with us"?
We must take our clue from the center
of our faith. That is always the Christ,
and in this season, we cannot avoid
considering his birth. And when we do so
meditatively, we are struck by the utter
incongruity of giving the name
"Immanuel" to it. How shocking, how
incredible to think of a squalling infant,
born in a tiny country village to obscure
peasant parents, how preposterous to see
all this and say: "God with us"!
If you or I had written the script for
the coming of Immanuel, we'd have made
some changes. The planning meeting
might have sounded something like this:
All right, if God is coming to earth,
we've got to make sure all the right people
know about it. First, let's prepare a press
release for the Associated and United
Presses. We'll contact all the television
networks to guarantee satellite coverage.
Maybe we can coax Walter Cronkite out
of retirement just for this event.
Naturally, the President of the United
States will be informed, as well as the
premiers of the Soviet Union and China.
(Those last two are atheists, but the
political ramifications will probably
outweigh religious scruples. They'll come.)
This will be a religious occasion, so we
ought to have an invocation. How about
the Pope? And to prove this is a truly
ecumenical event, we'll get Billy Graham
to give a brief homily in keeping with the
theme of the day. We'll need music too.
The London Symphony Orchestra ought
to suffice for the instrumental side of
things. As for choral music— no group
will do but the Mormon Tabernacle
Choir.
Enough of that. The whole thing
sounds terrible, doesn't it? Yet can you
doubt, even for a moment, that this
obscene spectacle would be exactly the
way our world would handle the coming
of Immanuel?
And do you not also see now why God
chose a far different way of sending the
Son to earth? God-with-us is indeed a
momentous thing, a unique, earth-
shaking, eternal event. But to have made
of his coming a spectacle, a grand state
occasion with the world's great in
attendance, would ha\e missed the whole
point of who this Christ was to be and
what he was to do. It would have denied
God's way of relating to men and women
in times past. For if there is one thing we
should ha\e learned about God's presence,
it is that God does not intrude into the
world's affairs with roll of drums and
nourish of trumpets.
If you want to see God at work in the
most personal, loving ways, do not
eagerly scan the headlines, do not study
the pages of People magazine. Instead,
10 MESSENGER December 1983
seek out a public school teacher who has
been lovingly challenging students for a
generation. Visit a retirement home where
a nurse has been treating the elderly not
as a collection of nuisances, but as real
human beings. Visit a summer playground
where a teenager is spending time giving
careful attention to children hungry for
love. Trace the brief career of a man who
trudged the countryside talking and eating
with the poor and saying to them: "Come
unto me, all you who are weary and
heavy-laden, and I will give you rest."
Do your best to forget and forgive
human arrogance that has taken the
phrase God-with-us and used it for selfish
ends. All too often, people have said
God-with-us and have meant God-on-our-
side. And so in the name of Immanuel
religious persecution has flourished,
economic oppression has grown, and
bombs have been dropped.
For whenever a group or nation says
"God-is-with-us" and means by it "God-is-
on-our-side," then the gates of hell swing
open. And do not think that only the
Germans under Hitler were guilty of the
God-on-our-side mentality. You and I are
guilty of it too whenever we smugly sup-
pose that our brand of religious ex-
perience is superior to that of anyone else,
that our family is so much nicer than
Immanuel means
'God with us/ All
too often, people
have said God-with-
us and have meant
God-on-our-side.
And so in the name
of Immanuel,
religious persecution
has flourished,
economic oppression
has grown, and
bombs have been
dropped.
other families, that our church is more
nearly what God approves of than any
other church.
Let us ask God to forgive our ar-
rogance. And as we draw ever nearer to
the blessed day of Immanuel's birth, let us
not say to ourselves: God-with-US, but
rather GOD-with-us. For that is the
essence of the birth of Christ — that, here,
living with us all, is none other than God.
It's the best and only answer to the
prayer of our heart's yearning: "Lord, give
me a sign." D
Kenneth L. Cibble, of Harnsburg, Pa., is promo-
lion consultant for MESSENGER.
December 1983 messenger 11
Thirty- five
years of
Brethren
Volunteer
Service
It was 35 years ago
that Ted Chambers
mounted an orange crate
at Colorado Springs
Annual Conference
and made his plea
for a volunteer
service program
for youth. Today,
BVS reaches round the
world.
by Becky Baile
A 4-foot- 10 Manchester College
sophomore, Ted Chambers, delegate from
Michigan to the 1948 Annual Conference,
watched for the signal. When moderator
Calvert N. Ellis stuck up his thumb, it
meant Ted was to race to an orange crate
strategically situated before a microphone,
and introduce a new business item not on
the regular agenda.
Brethren youth developed the plan
Chambers proposed from concern for
youth in the event of conscription. It
called for immediate action by the Church
of the Brethren General Board to launch a
volunteer service program with financial
support from the entire denomination.
Conference unanimously accepted the
statement, which instituted Brethren
Volunteer Service.
That was 35 years ago in Colorado
Springs, Colo. Today, more than 4,300
volunteers later, BVS is one of the
foremost programs of the World
Ministries Commission.
BVS began from dreams of well-known
Brethren, including Dan West. He helped
the youth behind the scenes in 1948 to
draw up the plan for volunteer service. In-
itially, BVS training was three months in
length. But in 1949, units were
shortened to eight weeks (later increased
to nine) because eager volunteers wanted
to get to their projects.
The first BVS orientation unit gathered
at New Windsor, Md., but because of its
size, it was divided into two sections.
Some volunteers went to Camp Harmony,
a Church of the Brethren camp, while
others remained at the New Windsor Ser-
vice Center.
"It was an intense orientation under
Dan West's leadership," former BVSer
Julia Laprade recalls. During the Camp
Harmony orientation, the group discussed
many social and world issues. 'We visited
a Quaker family whose son was in prison.'
For two years Julia lived out of a suit-
case while she traveled with three other
volunteers in a peace caravan project.
"We visited churches in Virginia, West
Virginia, Maryland, Tennessee, North
Carolina, and Florida, talking about
peace," she recalls. "It was tremendous
and gave me insights into what I should
do with my life."
From 1949 to 1971 most volunteers
were trained at New Windsor, where their
physical and clerical work paid for about
60 percent of the training costs. In 1971,
mobile training units began and units were
shortened to four or five weeks. Camps,
urban churches, and inner city projects
were among the sites used for training.
During this time, the concept of training
evolved into one of orientation.
Three specific goals that BVS maintains
today are advocating justice, peacemak-
ing, and meeting basic human needs.
Presently, BVSers serve in projects related
to these goals in 22 states and 8 nations.
Minimum requirements to be a
volunteer are 18 years of age, good
physical and mental health, high school
education or equivalent, and a willingness
to examine and study the Christian faith.
Volunteers in the United States must com-
mit one year of service including the
orientaton period. Overseas \olunteers
serve two years after arrival at the project.
While on project, BVSers receive room,
board, medical care, and a S35-a-month
allowance (increased to $45 during a sec-
ond year of service).
BVS welcomes qualified persons eager to
accept assignments commensurate with their
skills. D
Becky Baile works in agricultural Journaiism in Saint
Joseph, \fo. . after B \ 'S service in Poland and the Mid-
dle East.
12 MESSENGER December 1983
Steve and Sue Williams:
Volunteering as a lifestyle
Inseparable from the Williamses' dedication to volunteer service is
their commitment to simple living. Striving for the simple life led
them to BVS, and BVS has enabled them to practice it.
by Judd Blouch
Quakers are not known for their
sermonizing. That is what makes Sue and
Steve Williams' Brethren Volunteer
Service assignment so unusual and often
difficult.
Steve and Sue are Quakers who joined
BVS in April 1982, and spent seven
months with Aide-aux-Enfants in Haiti.
Since returning to the States, they have
each taken BVS assignments in Roanoke,
Va., their home before BVS. Steve's
assignment is with Roanoke Area
Ministries (RAM), and Sue is working in
stewardship of creation with Virlina
District and the General Board.
But in addition to these duties. Sue and
Steve have been filling pulpits in area
Brethren congregations, and telling about
their experiences in Haiti and elsewhere.
Standing in a pulpit in front of a crowd
of strangers, serving as the focal point of
the worship service, is an odd assignment
for a Quaker.
"In Quaker worship there are no
prepared sermons," Sue says. "You just
say something you never thought of
before."
Of the two. Sue is the more comfort-
able public speaker. She has taught
college-level French, and is more outgoing
and gregarious than Steve. His strong
point is building and organizing, the prac-
tical points of a volunteer ministry. But it
doesn't always work that way. While Sue
was leading a group of youth campers at
Virlina's Camp Bethel in building a solar
water heater this past summer, Steve was
off preparing a sermon.
"There's a real struggle to get up the
courage to get up in front of a strange
December 1983 messenger 13
church," Steve says.
But Steve and Sue are not two people
who let a little fear or apprehension stand
in the way of giving a message that they
believe is important. Although they were
in Haiti for only seven months, in that
time the Williamses saw hunger and
destitution in staggering amounts.
"1 had traveled a lot, but I had never
seen anything like Haiti," Sue says.
Steve especially has an investment in
educating people to the tragedy of ex-
treme poverty. While Sue's first encounter
with starvation was in Haiti, Steve had
already witnessed its effects as a Peace
Corps volunteer in Ethiopia in the early
1970s where he taught school and spent
his summers helping eradicate smallpox.
Hunger education is also part of Steve's
work with RAM and the Viriina World
Hunger Action Coordinating Committee.
He appreciates the awareness that many
Brethren already have of global hunger.
"When in a Church of the Brethren you
can start from a more advanced point,"
Steve explains. "It's easier to talk about
social issues."
When Steve and Sue get up in front of
a congregation or some other group, their
message isn't concerned just with Haiti or
hunger or stewardship of creation. Their
message is also about volunteers, and the
life they lead.
Sue and Steve are dedicated to
volunteering as a lifestyle. Inherent in and
inseparable from this dedication to
volunteer service is their commitment to
simple living. A quest for a more basic
lifestyle led them to join BVS, and con-
versely volunteer service has enabled them
to live simply.
"We don't have to worry about money,"
Sue points out. To many people, the lack
of money would only cause them to worry
about it. But Sue and Steve have only
enough money to buy what they need,
and, therefore, don't worry about buying
Above and left: Steve's work with Roanoke
Area Ministries (RAM) includes both
hunger education and alleviation. Steve
thanks Williamson Road Church of the
Brethren pastor Harold Moyer for donated
food, and transports it to a local food pan-
try.
Below and right: Sue's work with steward-
ship of creation led her to build a solar
water heater at Camp Bethel. She used
campers as helpers, discussing energy sav-
ing as the project progressed.
14 MESSENGER December 1983
alternative. One was simply to make a lot
of donations to charity.
"Before BVS we were working full-time
and giving a lot of money away," Steve
said. "We began looking for a way to give
away time and not money."
Actually, at that time Steve and Sue
were giving away bolh time and money.
He was working on disarmament, and she
was working on conflict resolution. But
they were feeling the pressure of time and
started looking for a way to make peace
and other social and religious issues the
main focus in their lives.
They had no problems finding biblical
justification for simple lifestyles and
volunteer service. Steve paraphrases much
of Jesus' teachings as "if you do God's
will, your needs will be taken care of."
After returning from Haiti, the
things they can't afford.
Another attraction to volunteer service
for the Williamses was their desire not to
pay taxes for war purposes. Before they
married, Steve was a tax resister,
withholding a certain amount of money as
a protest against the government's using
his taxes for the military. But Sue was un-
comfortable with tax resistance and, after
they married, they began looking for an
Williamses struggled to find God's will for
them. They had left Haiti after only seven
months of a two-year term, and they
questioned whether they should be in
volunteer service. Both could easily find
work, Steve as a science teacher and Sue
as a French teacher or a computer pro-
gramer.
But they wanted to continue living
simply and serving in BVS. A search
around the Roanoke area turned up one
available BVS project and revealed the
possibility for another.
Steve's job was a BVS project waiting
for a volunteer. With RAM, he picks up
and delivers food for food pantries, works
with poor families to help them make
ends meet, and assists in running an office
that deals with hundreds of requests for
food, clothing, and shelter, and help with
rent and energy bills. Director Leonard
Pick says Steve's organizational skills
"brought order out of the chaos I had."
In comparison, Sue's stewardship of
creation work has been all new ground.
Her BVS project had to be created. Much
of what she does and the materials she
uses Sue has had to design on her own.
Her biggest project thus far has been
the solar water heater built at Camp
Bethel. But this fall, she has been working
with local churches on weatherization,
particularly in a workshop at the Topeco
church in Floyd County, Va. There
she's working with church representatives
on insulation, crack-sealing, and the use
of space and timers to conserve heat and
energy.
"Nothing very enormous, just the
cheapest, most basic stuff you can do,"
Sue says.
In their education work, Steve and Sue
use a lot of simulation games to put peo-
ple in touch with how it feels to be a
starving child or an animal in the wild. A
lot of these games they make up
themselves; some work and some don't.
Yet, the two are always willing to try
something new. They feel more secure
when interacting with other people rather
than standing in the pulpit.
But stand in pulpits they do. And the
situations aren't always comfortable. One
church started the service 10 minutes early,
and Sue had to set up the slide projector
during the service. At another church, all
of Sieve's credentials were announced
before Sue was briefly identified as the
speaker for the service.
But such instances are uncommon and
don't discourage the two of them. Getting
up in front of crowds never ceases to be
difficult but, after all, there's educating to
be done. D
Judd Blouch, of Millersville, Pa., served in 1982-83
as a MESSENGER inlern.
December 1983 messenger 15
Why BVS?
How can a program stay so popular when it
pays no salaries and demands hard work?
by Wendy Chamberlain McFadden
• The telephone hothne rang. Lisa Swartz
picked up the phone and answered,
"Women in Transition, this is Lisa," but
she heard nothing on the other end of the
line except sobs.
She began thinking fast and said the
first thing that came to mind — "May I
help you? My name is Lisa; what's
yours?"
Finally she got an answer: "My name's
Paula, and Rick just pushed me and my
seven-month-old baby down the stairs.
We both have bruises, and 1 can't go back
there."
Many calls to the Susquehanna Valley
Women in Transition center in Lewisburg,
Pa., begin this way. The people served
there need answers to legal questions.
They need emergency shelter. But most of
all, they need to know that someone
cares. Lisa Swartz, of Pleasant Hill, Ohio,
cares enough to work there with only sub-
sistence pay.
• Richard, 52, worked 23 years for the
government, lost his job, and began
drinking. He started coming to the
Washington City Church of the Brethren
soup kitchen to get a nutritious meal.
After several months of hard times, he
got a part-time job as a janitor and
started living on his own. He returned the
Research for this article was done by
Becky Baile as a short-term project with
the interpretation office. She is manag-
ing editor and writer of a special
tabloid, BVS Today, published for the
Christmas/ Achievement Interpretive Of-
fering Emphasis. Becky has served two
years as a B VSer in Poland and the
Middle East.
day before Christmas to give Karen
Powell, McFarland, Calif., and Kathy
Ludwick, Doylestown, Ohio, each a card
with $3 enclosed.
"He just wanted to say thanks," said
Kathy. "It was the most meaningful
Christmas card I have ever received."
• An overnight in the woods provided
the first camping experience for many of
the youth at The Club, Harrisburg, Pa.,
an after-school program sponsored by
First church. After supper, Janet Stutz-
man, Wenatchee, Wash., was walking
down a trail with Adrianne, a tough, in-
dependent, 13-year-old.
"It began to get dark and she got scared,"
remembers Janet. "She grabbed my hand,
taking off that tough act, and trusted
me. That felt really good."
Janet often walks around
the racially mixed neighbor-
hood to come in contact with
youth and their parents.
"The longer I'm there, the
safer I feel," she says.
"Drunks will tell me, 'Say a
prayer for me,' because they
know where 1 work."
Lisa, Karen, Kathy, and
Janet are Brethren Volunteer
Service workers. These stories
are but three ways that BVS
is working in 1983, its
35th year.
Why do people choose to work — with-
out pay — in soup kitchens, shelters, after-
school programs, peace projects, and
refugee camps?
"My faith in and understanding of
Jesus Christ leads me to follow his
lifestyle as closely as I am able," wrote
Jeff Hunn, a former BVSer, before he
entered volunteer service. "I want to
spend a year serving others without pay to
foster my trust of God and become in-
terdependent with others. In serving
others, we serve Christ." He and his wife,
Jane, of North Manchester, Ind., spent a
year with the Center for Law and
Pacifism, Colorado Springs, Colo.
In her faith statement, BVSer Jane E.
Graves, from Garden City, Kan., wrote,
"The one thing I am most sure about is
the need to make a contribution — of my
time, love, and talents. The saddest thing
must be to grow old and wish for the
chance to "do it over" because too much
time was wasted, no contribution made.
Life is too precious to waste it." Jane
works at a camp in Wilbur, Wash.
It's not surprising that a number of
BVSers work in peace-related projects.
Lisa Irle, of Warrensburg, Mo.,
volunteers at the Peace Resource Center
and the Iowa Peace Network (IPN), in
Des Moines. IPN's coordinator is Duane
Grady, a former BVSer. Lisa is co-editor
of IPN's newsletter, plans workshops and
programs, and helps make peace literature
and films available.
In Europe, BVSers at their fall retreat
called upon the Church of the Brethren to
express clear and resolute opposition to
the deployment of US Cruise and Per-
shing II missiles. A number of them have
participated in various forms of protest in
several European countries.
"All of our BVSers in Europe and the
Middle East are involved in some aspect
of reconciliation, several serving directly
with peace movements that are church-
related," notes Dale Ott, Brethren staff in
16 MESSENGER December 1983
Clockwise from left: BVSers Byron Thill (left) and Earl Eby renew ties at an in-service
retreat. Feetwashing is a popular expression of faith among B VSers. Marie Ebersole works
with refugees at New Windsor, Md. Lisa Irle serves the Iowa Peace Network.
BVSers Byron Thill, Wenatchee, Wash.,
and Marco Murillo, San Jose, Costa Rica,
work at CCNV. In addition to the two
Washington soup kitchens mentioned,
BVSers work at soup kitchens in Des
Moines, Iowa, and Bakersfield, Calif.
Soup kitchens such as these offer both
spiritual and physical food. "We tried to
meet more of the personal needs of the peo-
ple by sharing and laughing with them," says
BVSer Kathy Ludwick, who is now volun-
teer coordinator of the upcoming (June
1984) youth Study/ Action Conference.
For five BVSers in Central America,
Geneva, Switzerland. "Their work here
may seem largely symbolic. But it is
strong symbolism! I have been told many
times that the "third party" presence of
BVSers is very helpful and much ap-
preciated."
About 75 percent of BVSers work in
projects that relate to another kind of
violence: poverty. "The violence of pover-
ty is a serious challenge to the Christian in
the United States today," says Joyce
Stoltzfus, BVS director.
The Community for Creative Non-
violence (see July, page 9) is one
organization that works at both sides of
the problem. To tackle the immediate
needs of the poor, it operates a soup
kitchen, a free food store, a drop-in
center, and an infirmary for street people.
To tackle the root causes of poverty and
injustice, CCNV undertakes energetic
campaigning and lobbying with the hope
of changing Washington.
their presence speaks more loudly than
words. "The most important role that our
volunteers are doing is giving protection
to the people just by being there," says
Karen Calderon, Latin America represen-
tative for the Church of the Brethren.
Carol Rose, Hollister, Calif., and David
See, Broadway, Va., work with Salva-
doran refugees in Honduras, and Minor
Sinclair, Hollins College, Va., is helping
resettle refugees in Belize. Anne and Gib
Griffith Barrus, Burnsville, N.C., work in
Honduras on an agricultural project.
Are all BVSers young people just out of
high school or college? Not by any means.
Volunteers come in all ages, and there are
"Post-30" units designed for people in retire-
ment or those interrupting normal careers.
John and Marie Ebersole, both in their
early 60s, married five years ago. Both
had lost spouses after raising families that
now total seven children and seven grand-
children. Their commitment to God
through marriage led them to a decision
to join BVS.
"I wanted to put my caring for people
into a specific project, serving in a more
dedicated way," says Marie. They left
their home in Orangeburg, S.C., and now
work in the hospitality department at the
New Windsor (Md.) Service Center.
"Our role is sort of like parents," Marie
explains. One Cambodian refugee, now
resettled, has written them two letters that
begin "Dear Father and Mother."
There's another "Mom and Dad" in
Jackson, Miss., where seven BVSers from
the Brethren Revival Fellowship serve with
the Voice of Calvary Ministries (VOC).
After the January BVS/BRF orientation,
Earl and Barbara Eby (Chambersburg,
Pa.) and their five "children"— Daniel
Dunmore, Pottstown, Pa.; Richard Patch-
es, Lebanon, Pa.; David Rogers, Bethel,
Pa.; Iris Loop, Linwood, Md.; and Grace
Wenger, Ephrata, Pa. — moved into a
four-bedroom home in an 80-percent
black neighborhood.
"It's been an educational experience to
live, work, and worship in such a dif-
ferent setting," says Barbara. "The longer
we're here, the more we develop a sensi-
tivity to the people of the area." The VOC
operates a family health center, a clothing
cooperative, a housing development
group, an international study center, and
a child evangelism fellowship. Founded in
1960 by John Perkins, a preacher and civil
rights activist, the organization strives to
change systems that propagate poverty
and racism.
Despite the diversity of projects and
people in BVS, many of the volunteers are
quite similar. They appear unfettered by
concerns about possessions and "success,"
they give generously of their time, they
maintain a sense of adventure, they seem
to be tuned in to the problems and needs
of the world, and they seem to be open to
the call of God.
"Each new venture that I have taken in
my life has resulted in a stronger relation-
ship with my God," reflects Martha E.
Beahm, a BVSer in Bloomington, 111.
"Not knowing where I'll be a year from
now, and any time thereafter, could be a
bit scary. But to me it is more exciting
than scary, because I know that God is in
control of where I am led." D
December 1983 messenger 17
Remembering
'Remember who you are* was good advice for i
It's good advice, too, for a denomination 27:
charter and its goal from 'identity/ We fittingly
uncertain future by gratefully and obediently
by Warren F: Oroff
Birthdays are very special times. As in-
dividuals, though, we may feel ambivalent
about them. We like the gatherings of
family and friends with the many expres-
sions of love and good wishes. But as one
year follows another, each seeming to go
faster than the one before, we are tempted
to join Jack Benny in fantasizing that we
are 39-and-holding. Some of us, like
myself, may even be traumatized the first
time we are offered a senior citizen's dis-
count for a restaurant meal.
As institutions, as denominations, we
are less uncertain about advancing age.
This year the Church of the Brethren is
275 years old. We state that boldly. We
celebrate it.
In any case, whether of individuals or
of a denomination like our own, birthdays
are opportunities for renewed commit-
ment to one another and to the things
that matter most.
Therefore, may this 275th anniversary
year that is closing be a time of recommit-
ment to our founding vision and guiding
purpose; may it be a time when Brethren
heed the admonition of Paul Hoffman,
which he made during his Conference
moderator's address; "Not to stew about
our past, but to move within the New
Testament in whatever way God leads."
Or, to be guided — in fitting ways — by our
heritage and by God's promise.
Growing up as I did in HarleysN'ille,
Pa., a son of parents with deep roots in
both Mennonite and Brethren commu-
nities, centered in the Pennsylvania Dutch
culture, 1 was occasionally given specific
instruction about fitting behavior; Don't
dawdle after school! When you do a
rho i^e are
Dunker boy in rural Pennsylvania,
years old. 'Mission' receives its
respond to the challenge of an
'remembering who we are. '
thing, do it right! Don't waste food; clean
your plate! Wipe your shoes before com-
ing in the house! Walk, don't run! Don't
be so rutschlich! so doppich! so wunner-
fitslich!
More often, instruction came by a sim-
ple admonition. The occasions evoking
this admonition were varied: returning to
school after receiving a chipped front
tooth during a playground scuffle; taking
out the family car for a Saturday evening
with other teenage friends; boarding the
train to go to New York City to attend
evening high school and a Bible Institute;
later marrying, and enrolling at Juniata,
Bethany, and Yale. The simple admoni-
tion came repeatedly on such occasions:
"Remember who you are!"
%^Fomehow, for my parents, that said it
all. And in a very real way it did.
"Remembering who I was" — member of
a particular household, son of particular
parents, belonging to a particular
neighborhood and to particular church
communities — had a great deal to do
with my sense of fitting actions, with my
vision of future possibilities and life
directions.
This applies equally to the Church of
the Brethren during this 275th anniversary
year. "Mission" receives its charter and its
goal from "identity." We fittingly respond
to the challenge of the next quarter cen-
tury and beyond, with its threat and its
promise, by gratefully and obediently
"remembering who we are."
We respond not merely as individual
moral agents who act in terms of duties
and principles, means and ends, and
perceptions of the right and the good. We
are such agents and do determine our ac-
tions on such terms, but not merely so!
We respond not merely as members of
American society, with its self-
understandings, its
fears and uncertainties
its dominant behavior
patterns and cultural
tendencies. We are members
of American society, and are shaped
by it, but not merely so!
Nor do we respond merely as
members of the Church of the
Brethren, with the distinctive
memories and aspirations of
this one faith community
among the many others that
make up the church universal.
We are Brethren, and do so re-
spond, but not merely so!
We are heirs of the promise God
first made to Abraham and Sarah:
Through them "were born de-
scendants as many as the stars
of heaven and as the innumer-
able grains of sand by the sea-
shore" (Heb. 11:12). Like Ab-
raham and Sarah and all their
heirs, we are called to respond to
God's promise and God's command;
to be on a journey of faith and obedience;
to acknowledge that our very life as per-
sons and as a people is a gift gratefully to
be received; and, with humility, to confess
our need of empowerment, of penitence,
and of renewal every step along
the way.
Fe gain inspiration and guidance from
that "great cloud of witnesses" who, in
every age, make up this pilgrim people.
These witnesses include the many par-
ticipants in the unfolding histories of
Israel and the church.
While commending many of these
faithful witnesses, the writer of Hebrews
blurts out, time would fail me to tell of all
those "who through faith conquered
kingdoms, enforced justice, received
promises, stopped the mouths of lions,
quenched raging fire, escaped the edge of
the sword, won strength out of weakness"
(Heb. Il:33-34a). So time would fail me
to tell of all those who, through the cen-
turies, have obeyed when "Christ Jesus
says, 'Count well the cost.'"
Helped by Kenneth Morse in his June
Messenger article, our recital of those
who have "counted well the cost" would
include: the "eight brothers and sisters
who made that bold move 275 years ago,
separating themselves from the established
church in Germany, risking persecution,
loss of home and property, even loss of
life itself; the "Solingen Six," early
Brethren who were imprisoned for their
faith from 1717 to 1720, all the while
writing hymns and singing when they
could get together, and saying of this time
of testing, "We did not fear any man.
December 1983 messenger 19
because Jesus, his truth and teaching were
our protection and solace"; Sarah Major,
who kept preaching even when the Annual
Meeting of 1834 said, "To allow a woman
to preach is 'not approved'"; Nettie
Senger, the 20th-century missionary who,
in spite of hardships and frustrations,
"loved all her work in China, because
'God works for good.'"
Surrounded by many who are indeed
well attested in their faith, "let us also lay
aside every weight, and sin which clings so
closely, and let us run with perseverance
the race that is set before us, looking to
Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our
faith" (Heb. 12:lb-2).
We center our confidence not in
ourselves, but in the One who endured the
shame of a criminal's death on the cross,
and, even more, the unthinkable threat
and agony of bearing humanity's aliena-
tion from God: "My God, my God, why
have you forsaken me!"
In running "with perseverance the race
that is set before us," we receive our en-
durance and our direction from Jesus
Christ. He is, and he represents to us the
simple reality of God, whose power is at
the same time grace; whose love is also
justice; whose justice is a plumbline that
unerrringly marks the path of truth;
whose gift of new life requires dying to
old patterns: "for as grains of wheat
before they grow are buried in the earth
below, so too must we from sin and self
be free."
In Christ we receive that gift of new
life, of freedom from sin and self;
freedom from expecting too little or too
much from ourselves, too little or the
wrong things from God; freedom to face
even life's deepest threats and contradic-
tions strengthened by the confidence that
"in Christ all things are held together."
If we are to "move within the New
Testament in whatever way God leads,"
where else can we turn than to Jesus
Christ, in whom all things hold together?
He is God's "No" when we are too
despairing and too optimistic; he is God's
"No" when we expect too little or too
much of ourselves, and when we expect
too little or the wrong things of God. He
is God's "No" to continuing human
rebellion and disorder, whose boundary
limits are now clearly marked by the cross
and the empty tomb. He is God's "No"
because he is God's "Yes" pronounced on
all God's promises, every one of them!
An this 275th anniversary year, let us
"remember who we are!" We are those
who "follow after Jesus." "For to this you
have been called, because Christ suffered
for you, leaving you an example, that you
should follow in his steps" (1 Peter 2:21).
As Brethren, this text still speaks plainly
to us. Nachfolge! Following after Jesus!
Radical discipleship! That is our identity,
which "stirs us to build new worlds in
Christ's name," which charts the direction
of our continuing pilgrimage!
Not only called but also empowered!
Not merely for outward imitation, for ex-
ternal copying, but for a life of grateful
obedience based on Christ's prior in-
itiatives. "We are not asked to seek the
way. The way has come to us. We have
but to rise and walk!"
Called and empowered! We need not
climb the heavenly steeps to bring the
Lord Christ down. Because the "Word
became flesh and walked among us" we
may live by simple trust like those who
heard beside the Syrian sea; we may take
the next step without knowing all that re-
mains ahead except God's promise: "I
shall be your God; you shall be my peo-
ple."
Called and empowered! "In the fight
against sin we have not yet had to keep
fighting to the point of death, and if we
think of the way Jesus stood such opposi-
tion from sinners, then we shall not give
up for want of courage."
Called and empowered! To witness by
deed and not only by words to "having
died with Christ so that we might also be
raised with him." That witness may be
faithful stewardship of gifts and resources
in building up the worshiping-serving
church of Jesus Christ. It may be finding
compelling ways to express the heartfelt
conviction that "we've a story to tell to
the nations, that shall turn their hearts to
the right."
It may be support of a Catholic
Bishops' "Pastoral Letter" urging active
peacemaking in response to the nuclear
threat. It may be conscientious objection
to or noncooperation with the draft, war
tax resistance, or some form of alternative
service.
All such actions are signs that we are
continuing with boldness on our journey
of faith and obedience. And so, let us
lean toward the "moving years, and
marching days" still ahead, knowing that
even when the path is dark and threaten-
ing we can take refuge in God's steadfast
promise.
That promise is "to us better than a
light or any known way." We need not
settle for illusory rest stops that offer only
false security. We may be strong in
Christ's prior obedience and in the
manifold gifts of Christ's Spirit. Looking
ahead by looking back, let us seek, by
God's grace, to live the life of one we
nailed upon the tree. For then all creation
is filled with promise, its claim to con-
fidence as certain as the truth that sets us
free! D
Warren F. Croff is president of Bethany Theo-
logical Seminary, Oak Brook. III.
20 MESSENGER December 1983
Nock meetifigliouse:
Maintaining a
monument
to our past
by Michael Klahre
From the road, the building in the clear-
ing looked, to me, like an ordinary cabin.
There was little besides the adjacent bury-
ing ground to indicate that it once had
been a place of worship. There was new
mortar between the aged oak logs, and
new wooden shingles on the roof. The
building could have been erected yester-
day, I thought. Despite my first impres-
sion, this was, in fact, a venerable Church
of the Brethren meetinghouse.
In 1843, Christian Mock donated land
to a small colony of Brethren that lived
near Pleasantville, Pa. In the fall of that
year, they began building a log meeting-
house and completed it in 1844. For 50
years, regular services were held at the
Mock meetinghouse. During the 1870s,
members began drifting to the newer and
nearer Dunnings Creek church. Finally, in
September 1893, Mock's last service was
held. Over the next eight decades, the
building sank into a sad state of dilapi-
dation.
Recently, however, major restoration
has been done. Now, 140 years since its
erection. Mock meetinghouse, maintained
by the Dunnings Creek congregation, has
become a precious monument to our rural
Brethren past. It stands as a tangible part
of our heritage, one of our oldest
unaltered meetinghouses . . . and the
oldest of them of log construction*.
More than 300 people attended a
rededication service this past Sept. 11.
Among the speakers were Middle Penn-
* The Blooming Grove meetinghouse near
Williamsporl, Pa., is a log structure built in
1828 by the Church of the Brethren. But in the
late 1800s the Brethren were absorbed by the
German Baptists. Well preserved. Blooming
Grove meetinghouse bears a bronze plaque
placed by the Pennsylvania Historical Commis-
sion calling it the "Blooming Grove Dunkard
Meeting House built 1828. "
Newly restored. Mock meetinghouse displays signs of early Brethren practices. Originally, it had a cor-
ner door in each end, one for men, one for women. After it fell into disuse, except for funerals, a larger,
central door that would accommodate caskets was cut.
sylvania district executive Monroe Good
and Brethren historian Earl C. Kaylor Jr.,
chairman of the history department at
Juniata College. There are plans to begin
using Mock meetinghouse for Sunday
school classes, love feasts, and retreats.
When I entered the restored meeting-
house that day last summer, I felt I was
walking into a deserted home. While the
inside walls were clean and whitewashed,
the floor was covered with dust and dirt.
There were six unadorned windows. On
one side of the room was a large and
rustic table, covered with tools. Still, to
complete the picture of a pioneer dwell-
ing, I had the feeling there should be a
fireplace, beds, chairs, and pegs for hang-
ing pots and pans.
Wk. dismissed the deserted home impression
and tried to see the building as a place of
worship. I began to see signs, such as a
long wooden bench sitting near one wall,
and other benches with carved legs, being
repaired. The "tool" table was undoubted-
ly the ministers' table of years
past. There were pegs inserted in the wall
for hanging broadbrimmed hats.
Two original doors had been sealed
sometime in the past. One was the
women's entrance, the other was the
men's. When the congregation arrived for
church, the sexes separated and stayed
separated for the entire service. Today's
wider, central doorway was installed to
accommodate coffins, in later years when
the old deserted meetinghouse was used
for funerals.
Now I could begin to see the room as a
place of worship. I could imagine a beard-
ed Brethren patriarch standing behind the
table, proclaiming the Word of God, and
thundering against worldly temptations set
to trap the unwary believer. Perhaps it
was George Holsinger I could see, the
great-great grandson of Alexander Mack
Sr., who ministered there along with
Moses Rogers. Or maybe it was Christian
Long from Aughwick or Martin Miller
from Yellow Creek, who spoke to the
congregation in German. Or Levi Roberts
or Peter Lutz, who regularly walked 20
miles from Johnstown to speak to them in
A visit to a restored meetinghouse provides a
reminder of Brethren Spirit, past and present
December 1983 messenger 21
The meetinghouse is built on a slope, with the burying
ground above. Among the graves is that of Christian Mock,
who donated the land and gave the church its name.
M
^" w^^^
^\M
m
Center left: The exterior corners offer an excellent example of corner notching, using the
regular V-notch. Center right: In the restoration a section of interior wall was left open to ex-
hibit the "chinking" and "daubing" that filled the spaces between the logs. Above left:
Behind the ministers table at the Sept. 11 dedication were (from left) Monroe Good, Chris-
tian Arndi, Earl Kay lor, Forrest Gordon, Bob Mock, Madolin Taylor, and Herb Schimpf.
Above right: Ada Slambaugh and Babs Mitchell, in period dress, arrive by buggy.
English. Maybe it was crippled John
Mineely, who came on horseback monthly
to lead three services.
1 could imagine that when the sisters
and brothers at Mock meetinghouse
talked of long departed friends and
relatives they would gesture toward the
burying ground outside, where repose
many of the early members, including
Christian Mock.
With me as guides were Clair Mock, a
descendant of Christian Mock; Glenn
Callihan; Ruth Lewis; and Herbert
Schimpf, pastor of Dunnings Creek
church. All these had been instrumental in
renewing interest in the old meetinghouse.
Clair and Glenn (and Donald Mock) are
trustees of the Mock burying ground and
had maintained the property in the past.
As my hosts led me through the burying
ground, Glenn told me, "There are some
people buried here we don't have any
record of." He explained that the early
Brethren marked only a few of the graves,
putting up large, flat, uninscribed stones.
These simple Brethren thought it too
worldly to keep burial records. So many
occupants of the early graves are
anonymous.
Anonymous. Like so many people who
contributed money and time to plaster the
walls, patch the floor, straighten a sagging
ceiling, scrub and clean the walls, burn
bushes, trim the grass, and fix the roof.
"There are so many people, I hesitate to
name names," said Glenn.
Names are not the important thing,"
added Clair. "It was done for the glory of
God."
"Why repair it?" I asked them.
"This is something tangible . . . that has
been left and preserved . . . that 1 benefit
from," said Glenn.
"This is something we want to give to
our kids," added Ruth.
And Pastor Schimpf reminded me, "If
these people had quit, there would not be
a Dunnings Creek church today."
As I was about to leave this little shrine
of Brethren history, Clair Mock gave me a
small token of my visit. "It's an old
square-headed nail that we took out of
the meetinghouse wall," he said. "Keep
it."
Not everyone is lucky enough to carry a
piece of the past in his shirt pocket. My
nail gives me a tie to a time when the
church was really more like a home . . .
and the simple worship of God was a
larger part of people's everyday life. D
22 MESSENGER December 1983
' Tallow Dips.'
Memories of a
meetifighouse
'The autobiography of those who built here gener-
ations ago was written in stone and mortar. '
by David ETmmert
Nothing in the way of architecture could
be more severely plain than the country
churches — "the meetinghouses" of the
rural Brethren, built a hundred years ago.
Some have been replaced by structures
quite out of harmony with the landscape.
A few survived the lapse of time and the
march of progress even to the dawn of the
memory of the present generation.
Apart from their interest as mere bits of
architecture, they formed centers for the
study of the history and the social life of
the community. The new buildings repre-
sent denominationalism — religious exclu-
sion, reclusion, or rivalry. The old stood
for brotherly love and human fellowship.
People of all shades of religious belief
joined hands to build the old "union" meet-
inghouses when no one sect was able to
stand alone. Then, when religious preju-
dices grew so strong as not to permit all, in
good conscience, to worship together,
services were held by "turn" according
to program — some in the morning "every
four weeks," others in the afternoon or
evening "every three weeks," while to
others whose membership was sparsely rep-
resented the bread of life was broken only
at long intervals of two to four months.
Relish is given to the spiritual food of most
mortals when it is served according to their
own well-established traditions.
In the cycle of these religious services,
there occurred some strange adjustments.
The spirit of tolerance usually permitted
the announcement of "the appointments"
of the other sects; then with perfect
deference when the meeting day
came there was an exchange of
places and new faces were to be
seen behind the preacher's desk
and on the long backless bench-
es, where the faithful sat in
rows. Thus generation after gen-
eration came and went, receiv-
ing in life encouragement and
counsel for the struggle, and in
death a solemn consignment to
The Old Knob
Creek meeting-
house near John-
son City, Tenn.,
was typical of rural
Brethren meeting-
houses of the
1800s. It main-
tained the design
of the older meet-
inghouses farther
east. The small
wing on the left is
the love feast
kitchen. The shed
roof on the right
protected the wor-
shipers' horses
from bad weather.
Knob Creek was
razed in 1905.
the sacred resting place adjoining.
"The country meetinghouse" became in
the early days the center of the social, as
well as the religious, life of the commu-
nity. They met a social need, for the
monthly meeting was the only opportunity
these hardy, frugal toilers had to meet
and exchange greetings. All, busy with
their affairs of farm or shop or mill, lived
their own little lives. However strong the
religious sentiment might have been in
these simple-mannered and simple-hearted
people, the hunger for companionship —
the social instinct — sought satisfaction
'The great wooden bier."
December 1983 messenger 23
Grave T00I3
under the guise of a
higher motive.
Let us visit (even
if it must be in
memory) such an
old-time Brethren
meetinghouse.
Standing on a hill-
top barren of trees
and foliage, over-
looking a little
valley with a near
background of blue
mountain, once
stood the simple
structure around
which memory still lingers. The picture
here appended is a study from life and is
all that in the wide world exists to tell the
story of its place in a period that was
distinctive in people and manners.
The naked and weather-beaten form
seemed almost human. Generations had
come and gone and taken their places in
the silent city under its shadows, and now
like one living out of his time, forsaken of
friends but an object of pity, it was ready
to mingle its dust with theirs.
The autobiography of those who built
here generations ago was written in stone
and mortar. Strong and simple qualities
then developed under sterner conditions
than the present age imposes. They built
with patient, honest toil for strength and
endurance, sacrificing ornate beauty un-
consciously to gain beauty of harmony
with nature's simplest aspects.
Within, the interior had nothing to at-
tract—plain white walls, a low ceiling of
once-smooth pine boards, now white-
washed to cover the stains of time, but
with patches flaked and fallen; a few
unhewn posts supporting the heavy joists;
deep window casements (which on or-
dinary occasions served as a receptacle for
wraps and on special occasions as a sort
of gallery for fair young damsels who
were as anxious to be seen as to see and
hear); windows of clear, small glass,
unscreened except as the spider wove her
gossamer webs in festoons in remote cor-
ners, and the mud wasp built homes near
the weather-beaten sash on the outside.
The pulpit, a plain table after the most
democratic fashion, stood on a level with
the congregation. What matter whether
the people saw the preacher or not? He
was always capable of making himself
heard by voice or vigorous pounding of
the sacred book. Besides, ofttimes the
' A auoer old scraper."
message was delivered with eyes closed,
as if communing with the spirits. The
radiant interest of an audience and the
nod of assent to a favorite doctrine was
not a tribute coveted by the speaker.
The duty was done when the Word was
declared with solemn warning.
Backless benches indicated how little
regard was had for the comfort of the
congregation, or suggested the purpose
to crucify the flesh and make religious
service a penance. The large Bible,
leather bound and heavily clasped, lay
on the table.
A plain glass lamp with a corrugated
reflector, the only modern touch in the
picture, hung im-
mediately above,
and a half-dozen
similar ones were
scattered through
the room, suspend-
ed by rude iron .;
hooks from the ceil-
ing. Against the
sides at intervals
were queer-looking holders for the tallow
dips. And on a shelf back of the
speaker's bench stood several brass
candlesticks, all bearing signs of disuse
since the advent of illuminating oil, and
evidently now preserved against emergen-
cies rather than out of respect for their
antiquity.
Rows of wooden pins stretched along
the walls at convenient heights, where
hung hats, overcoats, bonnets and
shawls, with an implication that the wor-
shipers were disposed to leisurely pro-
cedure and had come to stay regardless
of the restlessness of the children and
the impatience of the young people.
Large wood stoves, one at each end of
the room, with pipes meeting in a great
drum near the middle, overhead, served
the purpose of warming the early comers
and roasting the later ones, when the
house was packed toward the end of the
service.
Near the ceiling on wooden hooks, cut
from the forked branches of a tree,
hung, with horrible suggestion, the great
wooden bier for carrying corpses, and
just back of the door stood the
gravedigger's tools. These and the rude
stones and marble slabs, plainly visible
through the windows in the burying
ground adjoining, helped to solemnize
the assembly, while the sermons
were more often exhortations to
preparation for departure than inspira-
tions for life.
There were no carpeted aisles, and why
should there have been? Through mud
and slush, through dust and drought, peo-
ple came heavily shod, afoot or otherwise,
over rough roads and along bypaths to
find at the door nothing save a queer old
scraper, set in the broad stone sill and
which served its most distinguished pur-
pose as a stumbling block to the
thoughtless or as a mere suggestion of
cleanliness.
To one accustomed to the luxuries,
ease, and charm in modern city church-
going and service, the fortitude of these
country folk seems almost inexplicable.
Thus under the dim light of the old per-
forated tin lantern suspended over the
doorway by a hoop-shaped iron rod, the
aged climbed into carriages, or carryalls,
and the timid beaux waited for the buxom
belles.
It is early springtime and the mire of
the roads is deep. The horses, from
idleness and overfeed through the long
winter, are fractious and full of life.
There is neighing and pawing and pranc-
ing. Through the long sermon the poor
brutes stood and shivered in the cold, for
the day of delicate sympathy for the
animal world had not yet dawned and
horse blankets were unknown.
Meanwhile queer scenes were transpir-
ing about the "up-
ping block," those
great knotty sec-
tions of tree trunks
in which wide steps
were deeply hewn.
Women and young
maidens with long
"riding skirts" for
protection rather
than adornment,
were each waiting
for husband or father or lover to steer
his steed close enough to her perch to
enable her to bound to the seat behind
him. Then, the rearing and chaffing of
the horses, the violent splash of mud.
and in all directions the riders went scur-
rying homeward, driving the poor
pedestrians to fences for protection as
they passed. D
David Emmerl, writer and ariisi, was a professor at
Juniata College when he submitted a series of
historical sketches to Our ^'oung People, a Church of
the Brethren publication, in the early 1900s. This arti-
cle is adapted from the Emmerl pieces, published
Nov. 25. 1905 and Jan. 6, 1906.
" The upplng block."
24 MESSENGER December 1983
Russia visited
7 wish we could proclaim our similarities rather
than our differences. We are all God's children. *
by David J. Morris
The USA- USSR Citizens' Dialogue, Inc.,
was founded in 1979 to promote our
ongoing dialog between citizens in both
countries who are dedicated to creating
better understanding between the two
countries, and to furthering the cause of
peace. The chief activity of the interna-
tional group is a series of visits between
citizens of selected US and Soviet cities.
The first visits were in 1980. In October
1981 a delegation of Soviet citizens visited
three US cities, including Toledo, Ohio.
In April-May 1983, a US delegation from
those three cities paid a return visit to the
USSR.
In that US delegation was David J.
Morris, pastor of the Deshler (Ohio)
Church of the Brethren, and director of
Friendly Center, Inc., a settlement-house
type of community center in Toledo.
Funded in part by the World Ministries
Commission of the General Board, Morris
traveled to the USSR not only in the in-
terests of the USA-USSR Citizens'
Dialogue, Inc., but as a Brethren fervently
devoted to the cause of peace and interna-
tional understanding. Since the downing
of the Korean airliner by the Soviets in
September, a new era of misunderstanding
seems to have begun. This makes the type
of exchange that David Morris espouses
even more crucial, so that Americans and
Soviets can learn to know each other as
friends, not enemies; as neighbors, not
strangers; as all part of one humanity.
Following are excerpts from a report
Morris filed with Messenger:
Wandering the streets of Leningrad.
I had been told by many Americans and
friends of Toledo, Ohio, that there would
be lots of restrictions on us visiting in the
Soviet Union.
My first morning in Leningrad I was so
excited about being in the Soviet Union
that I could not sleep any longer. So I
Right: David Morris
presents Church of
the Brethren books on
peace to Archbishop
Trimina of Moscow,
one of the many op-
portunities he had to
dialog on peace with
his Soviet hosts.
Below: David (back
row, left, with button)
takes part in a round-
table discussion on
US-USSR relations.
arose at 6 a.m. to explore the city on my
own, without informing our delegation
leader or group. I wanted just to wander
about and to talk to Soviets about their
lifestyles and families.
At this hour the sun was not yet up and
there was a light mist in the cool air com-
ing in from the Neva River. Despite the
time of day, many people were already up
and going about their business.
I took along my camera and stuck some
small gifts in my pocket. I first noticed
four or five older women sweeping and
cleaning the sidewalks and streets in the
city square. I began talking with them and
told them 1 was an American visiting their
country. They were friendly and talked
December 1983 messenger 25
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A pen pal letter from 11-year-old Helen Seminichina of Moscow to David's daughter Carin
captures the spirit of international good will and understanding so needed in today's world.
with me in broken English. I asked them
if I could take photographs of them and
they agreed. After taking the photo-
graphs, I gave each woman a small gift,
which they gratefully received. 1 was not
so fortunate with people 1 met walking in
the parks, since they did not speak
English. But we used sign language and
were able to communicate some since it
seemed that "America" was a magic word.
Soon 1 met mothers and fathers walking
their children to school. The children were
willing to talk and share about their lives,
and were excellent translators for their
parents. A small button or souvenir
brought big smiles to their faces and they
thanked me many times over.
At some of the major monuments, such
as the one memoralizing Peter the Great,
and the fortress of Peter and Paul, I
observed fresh-cut flowers lying at the
base. People were coming and going
during this time to demonstrate their
patriotism and their love and respect for
their heroes.
Visiting Helen's school.
When the Soviets visited Toledo in
October 1981, my daughter Carin was
asked to become a pen pal with Helen
Seminichina, the daughter of the Soviet
delegation's secretary. Both girls were II,
one month apart in age, and in the fifth
grade. Carin sent gifts to Helen, typical
fifth-grade age toys and games. Helen sent
Carin some Soviet gifts and toys in return.
Both have corresponded, and exchanged
photos and gifts for the past two years.
Before I left for the USSR, I had ar-
ranged to visit Helen's school. I found it
similar to our US public schools, but
there was one striking difference. Helen's
school was a special one where boys and
girls are taught half of each school day in
English and the other half in Russian.
Most children in this school work in the
Soviet diplomatic corps when they com-
plete their college education.
A he boys and girls were shy at first, and
reluctant to use their English with me. I
shared some photographs of my family,
and this relaxed the students. I spent an
hour conversing with them in English. We
got so caught up in this activity that the
teacher had to remind us it was time for
morning snack. 1 joined the children in
their cafeteria for mashed potatoes, gravy,
meat, and grape juice.
The boys and girls were eager to know
what subjects American children of their
grade level studied. The major difference
that I observed was the heavy emphasis in
the USSR placed on science and
languages.
Later, Helen was allowed to spend an
entire morning with our delegation as our
tour guide to Red Square and St. Basil's
Cathedral.
Preaching in Tallinn.
There are an estimated 50 million practic-
ing Russian Orthodox believers in the
USSR — nearly a fourth of the popula-
tion—with the number of baptized Soviets
even greater, an estimated 100 million.
There are also more than 3 million Roman
Catholics and 1 million Protestants, plus
about 24 million Muslims.
I visited several active congregations in
Moscow, but my most thrilling worship
experience occurred in the Olivet Baptist
church in Tallinn, in the Republic of
Estonia. There 1 was asked to preach and
share in the morning worship service.
Morning worship began at 9:30 a.m. with
individuals praying until 10 a.m. Often, in
churches I visited, services were not over
before 2 p.m.
Worship at the Olivet Baptist church
was somewhat like our Brethren worship,
(Continued on page 29)
26 MESSENGER December 1983
(g(o)lly[nji]^
by Clyde E. Weaver
Russia revisited
As the plane rose above the evening haze
of New York City and headed for the
Soviet Union, I tried to put together the
bits and pieces of news about a civilian
airliner that was believed to have been
shot down by the country I was to visit.
How would this incident affect our Prot-
estant presence at the fourth Moscow In-
ternational Book Fair?
During our stopovers in Finland and
Denmark, it became increasingly clear that
in fact it was an act of the Soviet Air
Force. Although those of us traveling
together talked a lot about how it would
affect our visit, there was no serious
thought of altering the trip in any way. In
fact, I was strengthened in my conviction
that this is where God wanted me to be.
This was a time of bridge-building and
communication with those thousands of
Christians who would visit our booth at
the fair. Those of us with the Protestant
Church Owned Publishers' Association are
the only Western Christians many of them
will ever meet.
Since this was to be my second visit to
the fair, I found my ability to adjust
greatly enhanced by two-year-old
memories. Friends I had corresponded
with greeted me with gifts. The borscht
soup was hot, delicious, and always
available. The strange Russian alphabet
was now somewhat understandable. Plus,
1 had a letter to Mr. Andropov and a
scroll of 2,000 Brethren signatures (see
November, page 5) that, somehow, gave
me a sense of being surrounded by my
many friends back home.
It was clear that our booth was among
the most popular of the exhibits. It also
attracted the largest number of Soviet
government security personnel who kept a
vigilant eye and helped control the ever-
present crowds in our area.
My seat behind the "Bible table" again
gave me a picture of a Russia we scarcely
know. No words of fear or hate — only
happy faces seeking to visit for a while
with a book that represented a part of
their history that symbolized both faith
and hope. Here, to actually touch and
hold, was a copy of a 1908 Bible first
printed in the city of Moscow. Soldiers
paused to observe it with puzzled glances;
young people watched as their elders
reverently read its pages; others snapped
pictures of it or carefully copied its verses
and chapter heading.
One visitor was an official of the fair,
who noticed our book. The Idea of Disar-
mament. The next day he brought one of
their government's leading authorities on
the subject. He was so anxious to have
the book that, on the last day of the fair,
I arranged to give it to him. He will
review it in one of their foreign policy
journals and promised to send me a copy
of the review.
T.
-hen, there were the skeptics who very
pointedly asked why we were there. Didn't
we know this was an atheist country? I
tried to tell them about being in touch
with the believers in their country who are
a part of Christ's church around the
world.
This visit had an added blessing because
of a Brethren connection in Moscow. The
agricultural attache and an assistant at-
tache at the US Embassy are both
Brethren: Weyland Beeghly, Kingsley
(Iowa) church, and Dale Posthumus,
University Park (Md.) church.
Not only did Dale take me to a famous
Georgian restaurant, but he invited two of
us to his apartment for a home-cooked
meal with four of his colleagues.
What happened to the scroll and the
letter to Yuri Andropov that was signed
by 2,000 persons at Annual Conference?
Upon arrival at the fair 1 located one of
the officials I had known from my
previous visit. He immediately assured me
he knew what government channels to use
and would happily care for the letter, the
scroll, and our general concern.
That same day, we were the guests of
Archbishop Pitirim, who is in charge of
all publishing for the Russian Orthodox
Church. While presenting him with a
Brethren Press book idea and looking
through his new three-million-dollar
publishing house, I told him of our letter
and had the scroll with me to show him.
The archbishop responded that he knew
the right persons in the government
through which to channel our letter and
scroll. Even though I told him that 1 had
already made arrangements with an of-
ficial of the fair for this task, he quickly
reassured me that his approach would be
the most effective. "We take better care of
church matters like this."
The next morning, I hesitantly ap-
proached the official with the news that
the Archbishop had upstaged him.
"Why didn't you tell him that you
promised the scroll to me?" he said. "I
already have all the proper government
officials alerted for its presentation." To
which I simply replied, "Doctor, did you
ever say 'No' to an archbishop?"
I left one day earlier than planned
because of airline boycotts, but as I
headed back home I thanked God for the
privilege of once again helping represent
the Good News in a country of 1(X)
million believers. My faith pilgrimage is
enriched by my Russian friends, and
through them I have experienced anew
being a part of God's world family. D
Clyde E. Weaver is director of markeling for The
Brethren Press.
December 1983 messenger 27
mmmmi
All resources marked with an asterisk *
are available from The Brethren Press,
1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120, Tel.
(800) 323-8039, for the prices listed plus
postage and handling of 95<t for the first
book and 10 percent of the total for two
or more.
For children
Among the resources for peace education
in the family are books to be read by
children or to them.
Peace Be With You ($9.95*). Cornelia
Lehn of the Mennonite Church, in
Newton, Kan., has collected 59 stories of
women and men of peace from many
countries and cultures who lived in the 1st
through the 20th centuries. The stories are
short. Coming to know the people in the
stories can provide models for action for
our children and youth.
Handling Your Disagreements and Sur-
viving Fights With Your Brothers and
Sisters ($4.95* each) are made for reading
both by and to children. Each has several
episodes, so they need not be read at one
sitting. Reading or hearing either of these
before fights and disagreements emerge
can give children ways of coping with the
situations when they arise.
How To Teach Peace to Children ($1 *)
was written by Mennonite Lome Peachey.
This little book was reviewed in the fall
1982 issue of The Journal of Ecumenical
Studies. Peace, for Peachey, is "a lifestyle
of encouraging and experiencing recon-
ciliation where conflict exists." Three
themes are noted:
1) Family life — "Parents are the primary
models for their children. Primary
responsibility for peace education must
rest with them."
2) The need for congregational support
for Christian life and peacemaking.
3) Global concern — acquaintance with
other cultures is a primary way of pro-
moting peace and understanding.
In the introduction to Peachey's book,
Charles Boyer says that it gives practical
handles for building peacemaking life-
styles in both the home and the congrega-
tion.
Try This: Family Adventures Toward
Shalom ($3.50*) has ideas for peace-
making activities in both the home and
the church.
At school
Much of the education that children and
youth receive in the public schools reflects
values of the culture — individualism, na-
tionalism, and militarism. Values of peace
and justice consistent with our Brethren
heritage can be taught within the
framework of the separation of church
and state.
Militarization, Security and Peace
Education: A Guide For Concerned
Citizens is a six-session guide to help peo-
ple in a community study about and
work on ways in which peace and justice
concerns can be included in the ongoing
activity in classrooms — kindergarten
through grade 12. The guide is $4.50, and
the packet is $8.50 — or both together cost
$12. Order from United Ministries in
Education, c/o Educational Ministries,
Valley Forge, PA 19481.
Each July, an International Institute for
Peace Education is held at Teachers Col-
lege, Columbia University, in New York
City for teachers who are looking for
ways to teach peace in the classroom.
Write Peacemaking in Education, 1451
Dundee Ave., Elgin IL 60120.
Parenting
"The decision to rear children has pro-
found consequences. It is not a part-time
job, nor is it something you do for a few
years before moving on to other respon-
sibilites. It demands enormous time and
energy and sacrifice, and so parents find
themselves having to say No to many of
life's "extras." Social action or social
justice often appears to be one of those
"extras" that we just have to say No to.
"This book has tried to show that our
commitment to parenting can be precisely
one of the basic ways in which we can live
out the Gospel call to justice and peace.
Rather than experiencing frustration at
how little time is 'left over' for social con-
cerns, we discover that parenting abounds
in ways to integrate social concerns into
family life."
These words written by Kathleen and
James McGinnis in the conclusion to
Parenting for Peace and Justice ($4.95*)
express the basic convictions that are
reflected not only in the book but also in
other resources around that same theme.
The chapters of the book are steward-
ship/simplicity, nonviolence in the family,
helping children deal with violence in our
world, multiculturalizing our family life,
sex-role stereotyping, family involvement
in social action, and prayer and parenting
for peace and justice.
The McGinnis family is Catholic, and
some of the material has that flavor to it.
Reference is made to documents and prac-
tices of the Catholic Church. However,
those in the Church of the Brethren can
translate the material into usable form.
For instance. Brethren can read the short
section on "The Eucharist and social ac-
tion" and consider how our love feast and
feetwashing relates to social action in a
similar way.
Christian Parenting for Peace and
Justice ($7.50*) is a program guide with
seven two-hour sessions for adults that
provides training for parents and others in
the congregation who are concerned about
passing on our peace heritage to our
young. It uses and is based on the McGin-
nis book described above.
People across the country have been
trained to help groups of families study
about and plan action in parenting for
peace and justice. Anita Smith Buck-
waiter, co-pastor of Lansing (Mich.)
Church of the Brethren and a member of
the General Board, is trained as a
resource person in the National Parenting
for Peace and Justice Network. For infor-
mation about who might be able to help
your congregation work with this issue or
for how you could become part of that
network, write to the Institute for Peace
and Justice, 4144 Lindell Blvd., #400, St.
Louis, MO 63108. Tel. (314) 533-4445.
-Shirley Heckm.an
Shirley Heckman is Parish ,\tinisiries slajyj'or con-
gregational education, public and higher education,
and mission education.
28 MESSENGER December 1983
(Continued from page 26)
except that there were four ministers
scheduled to preach. I gave a message
from the New Testament about the life
and teachings of Jesus. I felt no restric-
tion on my preaching or what I had to
say. The pastor was my interpreter. A
feeling of love and compassion seemed to
flow toward me from the congregation of
over 350, as I preached.
The most touching moment came when
I went out in the midst of the people.
They wanted to shake hands, give Chris-
tian greetings, touch my hands, and ex-
tend the right hand of brotherhood and
fellowship. I was overwhelmed with their
spontaneity and friendship. As I bade
them farewell, tears welled up in my eyes.
The spirit of Christ's love was revealed to
me through the dedication and caring
demonstrated by these Christian friends.
After the day's worship, several Soviet
friends who had journeyed with us said
that this was the first time for them to be
in a worship service and they were moved
by the words I had spoken. They wanted
to know if all US ministers were like me. I
told them we were all as different as day
and night. They were surprised because
they had the impression that preachers
and ministers were of a specific type since
they are religious people. 1 explained that
we are all human and that God uses us as
his instruments to interpret his word.
Making friends with Vadim.
I was getting acquainted with a large
number of Soviet persons who were
attending the second Soviet-American
Citizens' meeting "For Peace and
Security" on April 26 at the Conference
Hall of the Friendship House in Moscow.
At this meeting we were being introduced
to various persons who would be going
with us to our various republics. Vadim
H. Zhdanuvich, secretary of the USSR-
USA Society, was to accompany our
group to Tallinn for four and a half days.
There we would experience a vastly dif-
ferent geographic area — meeting people,
speaking to groups and experiencing a
May Day.
At first Vadim Zhdanuvich came across
to me as stiff, formal, and stoic. I
wondered whether there was any life in
him besides the duties and obligations he
fulfilled in his job as a guide for our trip
from Moscow to Tallinn.
After we spent time together, however,
we began to break the ice. I discovered
that Vadim was a real person, and my
whole perception of him changed. The 14
hours on the train to Tallinn gave us time
to talk about some of our common con-
cerns and interests. Vadim had some of
the same longings, joys, and anxieties I
had. Each day we were together the bond
of friendship grew. We liked each other.
Later when we said goodbye at Moscow
Airport, it was difficult for me to get the
words out. 1 knew we might never meet
again. When Vadim gave me a big warm
hug and a kiss on the cheek, I felt that 1
had a new brother who cared and shared
many of my concerns and views of life.
It is thrilling to know that 1 have
friends in the Soviet Union.
Hopes for the future.
I returned to Toledo with a new
understanding of the Soviets as real
people, with many of the same dreams,
expectations, and visions of the future
that Americans have. The Soviet people
genuinely want to live in peace with us.
They indicated to me that they want
peace, that they love us, and that they
share many of our concerns.
1 accomplished many of my own per-
sonal goals, particularly in discovering the
religious life of the Soviet people and how
the church plays a major role in their
lives. There were some disappointments,
however, in not getting to better under-
stand issues of criminal justice, social
justice, and human rights. I also failed to
learn how mental hospitals are operated in
the USSR. There was a reluctance on the
part of our hosts to explain some issues
and concerns that we raised.
One of my dreams is to help communi-
cate and spread the word of this experi-
ence. Since returning to Toledo last May I
have shared with groups and churches
about the dialog for peace with over 1 ,400
persons. A local half-hour ecumenical
religious broadcast, in which I appeared,
has been shown twice. 1 have had four
newspaper articles published in Ohio and
Virginia.
During the coming months and years, I
hope we can tell more people that the
Soviet citizens are real people just like us,
that they desire to see Mother Earth exist
for their children, grandchildren, and
great grandchildren, just like we do. I
wish we of the USA and the USSR could
proclaim our similarities rather than our
differences. We are all God's children. D
David J. Morris is pastor of the Deshler (Ohio}
Church of the Brethren, and director of Friendly
Center, Inc., in Toledo.
2
WHO HONOR
THE HUMAN
RACE
PEACE THINKING
INA
WARRING WORLD
by Edward LeRoy Long, Jr.
"This is the most
convincing com-
bination of the
theory- and prac-
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we know. Fresh,
comprehensive,
hopeful." — Don-
ald L. Shriver
( UTS-New York )
Shriver (National
. a
EDVWRD BROriflNG Ji;
PECE
TMNKING
and Peggy L
Council of Churches)
provoking, balanced, readable,
and well-crafted study." — Max L
Stackhouse. (Andover Newton
Theological School), Paper S6.95
By:
Eleanor Roosevelt
— commemorating the 100th
annii'ersar)' of her birth —
YOU LEARN
BY LIVING
In this vibrant,
heartwarming,
and classic work
(now in paper-
back), Eleanor
Roosevelt offers
a wealth of sage
advice and
thought-provoking insights into
living a rich, vital, and meaningful
life. She discusses many of life's
major questions, including how to
conquer fears, how to use time
well, how to be useful, how to get
the best out of yourself and other
people, and how to be an active
citizen. Paper S9.95
Photo by Dr A David Gurcwitsch
At your bookstore or from the
publisher
HTHE WESTMINSTER PRESS
! 925 Chestnut Street
, Philadelphia, PA 1910^
December 1983 messenger 2S
CJ*oss
Keys
Village
a developing retirement
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• 10 models from $24,900
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only from a waiting list)
• only 2 hours from
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• 15 minutes from Get-
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• 12 Church of the
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• activities program
• free transportation
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• meals, housecleaning
and nursing service
available at modest costs
• truly independent
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• with the assurance of
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needed
• freedom from household
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*'move in now while
you can still enjoy it''
Harvey S. Kline,
Administrator
For more information
contact:
Milton E. Raup,
The Brethren Home
Box 128
New Oxford, PA 17350
(717)624-2161
On identifying with gays
30 MESSENGER December 1983
Name withheld
Choosing to wear
a pink triangle
It looks rather pretty, that brilliant button
with the vivid pink triangle on a black
background. So does the Jewish star when
seen in isolation, outside of the historical
and social context: beautiful, six-pointed,
bright gold. Yet both are symbols point-
ing to a group of people who have been
despised and persecuted for centuries and
still are today.
Wearing the pink triangle expresses
solidarity with the gay community. It is a
way of saying that we, as heterosexuals or
gays, deplore the injustice our brothers
and sisters have to suffer because of their
sexual orientation. It implies a pledge to
expose prejudice and work for a more ful-
ly human community where all can be in-
cluded.
For gay people, wearing the badge
means they no longer fear the social
stigma they have carried for years. For the
rest of us, it is an opportunity to trans-
cend barriers, because under the same sign
the two groups become indistinguishable.
I am reminded of the Danish king's
wearing the Star of David during the Nazi
era. Many of his subjects imitated him,
thereby effectively undermining the
persecution of Jews in Denmark. What, I
wonder, would have happened if large
groups of Germans had chosen the same
way to resist?
At Annual Conference last summer,
upset about the way homosexuals were
treated, I decided to wear the pink but-
ton. As soon as I had put it on, I noticed
disturbing effects. People stared at me
with a mixture of disbelief and condemna-
tion. When I took a seat next to a woman
in a meeting, she scooted her chair away
four or five inches and did not return my
To hold in respect and fellowship those in
the church with whom we agree or disagree
is a characteristic of the Church of the
Brethren. It is to the continuation of this
value, and to an open and probing forum,
that "Opinions" are invited from readers.
We do not acknowledge receipt of ob-
vious "Opinions" pieces, and can only print
a sampling of what we receive. All "Opi-
nions" are edited for publication.
smile. Someone asked a friend of mine
when I had sued for divorce, because she
deduced that I must be gay and had ac-
cordingly left my spouse.
In these moments, for the first time I
gained a small sense of what it must be
like to be branded — to have to wear the
scarlet letter, the Star of David, the pink
triangle. I felt no support vis-a-vis the
onslaught of societal disapproval — only
the repeated message, "You are scum.
You ought to be ashamed of yourself. We
want nothing to do with you."
I told myself that some of this hostility
existed only in my imagination. Perhaps
all those eyes were not really focused on
my badge, and perhaps I was misinter-
preting the cool, detached attitude of
some I came in contact with. But this ra-
tionalizing did not help. In terms of my
growing paranoia, the effect was the
same, no matter whether people were in-
tentionally judging or whether I merely
thought so. The stigma remained, sum-
marized in the very symbol that identified
the bearer as unworthy.
It is difficult for me to admit how little
of this pressure I was able to withstand. I
was eager to make explanations or to
cover up the button with a jacket. The
thought fleetingly crossed my mind to
wear a picture of my family around my
neck in order to affirm that 1 was still
okay. After four hours, which to me
seemed much longer, I cowardly removed
the button and put it in my pocket.
T.
-he learning continued. As I reflected, I
realized that for me the experience had
been a matter of choice; I was able to
remove the stigma as quickly as 1 had
taken it on. But people cannot change
their identity like that when it strikes their
fancy or they feel pressured to do so. If I
were a gay who chose to be open about
my sexual orientation, I would have to
bear the consequences for a lifetime.
Here my courage had failed me (as it
did later, when I asked that my name be
withheld from this opinion piece). I had
feared the repercussions on my profes-
sional career and personal relationships,
and I had very little to lose compared to
someone who would be permanently
branded.
No wonder so many opt to hide their
true selves! I began to see with what
cruelty we force people to live a lie
continuing our camps
because we refuse to accept and love them
as they are.
Perhaps as I grow in my Christian faith
I will again summon courage and openly
side with those who are so clearly op-
pressed and persecuted. I know that
Christ would have identified with the out-
cast and boldly told us, "What you have
done to the least of these my brothers and
sisters, that you have done unto me." D
L. Wayne Fralin
A new vision
for our camps
All is not well in our camping and out-
door ministry programs. The concern that
I hear most often, and one which is in-
creasingly disturbing to me, stems from
the enormous resources, both human and
financial, that it takes to operate both
facilities and program.
Several districts attempt to operate
more than one camp, as the total of 31
camps in 24 districts clearly points out.
For me, there is hardly any way that this
duplicative effort can be justified. 1 am
also disturbed that, while camping and
outdoor ministries may be healthy in some
districts, they are on the decline in others.
I do not sense a strong sense of com-
mon purpose or even a common defini-
tion of outdoor ministries among our
camps. Instead, it seems to me, there are
a number of loose threads that no one
seems to know how to pull together into a
coherent national program that provides a
new sense of direction and purpose, as
well as some new models, for outdoor
ministries.
I am especially troubled by the over-
riding priority that "place" takes over pro-
gram. As in my own district, I am sure
this is not always by choice, but by
necessity. There is much more sentiment
than commitment attached to camps. We
have made the "place" sacred, with pro-
gram taking a very poor second.
To own, operate, and maintain relative-
ly large tracts of land and numerous
buildings takes enormous resources, and
this requires priority if they are to be
maintained in proper condition. To do
this we employ camp managers, which re-
quires additional resources. Then, in order
to justify the investment in both fixed
assets and management, we feel we must
have a full-time, year-round facility. We
are then caught in a vicious circle, placing
more and more strain on district resources
and often resulting in financial deficits.
We justify all of this in the name of
outreach and good stewardship by saying
we are realizing the potential of the facili-
ty and using it to its ma.ximum. The truth
is that in many instances it has little to do
with outreach and is extremely poor
stewardship. We must come to grips with
the question of ownership of facilities.
CLASSIFIED ADS
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INVITATION-Attend Sunday worship 10 a.m.
in active church, visit Brethren families, spend
winter in mild climate, explore Southern attrac-
tions. Roanoke, LA is 1 mi. SW of exit 59 on
1-10, 30 mi. E. of Lake Charles, LA. Mobile home
accom. available. Contact: Pastor Lowell
Ritchie, Rt. 1, Box 233, Roanoke, LA 70581. Tel.
(318) 753-2545; or Glenn Harris, 1810 N. Cutting,
Jennings, LA 70546. Tel. 1318) 824-2671.
INVITATION— to your place in the sun. Sun
Valley, Birmingham, Alabama. Developing com-
munity combines So. Appalachians and nearby
metropolitan center with sunbelt climate: 42.5
aver. Dec-Feb, 76.6 June-Aug. Within day's
drive from Ohio, Indiana, or Illinois. Whether you
want a new place to work, retire, or know of
Brethren in Birmingham area, contact Sun Valley
Church of the Brethren, POB 9423, Birmingham,
AL 35220. Tel. (205) 854-7079. Pastor James
McKinnell, 309 St. John Rd., Birmingham, AL
35215. Tel. (205) 681-4327.
SCHOOL- Scattergood School, West Branch
lA 52358. Openings for students grades 9-12
Approved co-educational Quaker college pre
paratory boarding school; simple lifestyle. Em
phasis given to peace issues and social concerns
Students, faculty together clean buildings, do
laundry, care for pigs and chickens, work in or
chard and garden, bake bread, and cook meals
Small personal caring community that promotes
individual growth. Write or call. Tel. (319)
643-5636.
TRAVEL— Grand Tour/Israel, Oberammergau/
Passion Play. 15days, Aug. 1-15, 1984. Tour price
including tips and taxes reduced $1889. Write to
Wendell & Joan Bohrer, POB 67, Middlebury, IN
46540. Tel. (219) 825-7381 or (219) 825-2955.
Some placesto be visited: Amman/Galilee/Jeru-
salem/Bethlehem/Dead Sea/ Masada/ Beth-
any/Garden Tomb/ Vienna /Salzburg / Oberam-
mergau/Passion Play/Liechtenstein/ Lu-
cerne/Innsbruck.
TRAVEL — Southwest/National Park Tour. June
15-July 10, 1984 via motorcoach. Nashville,
Carlsbad Caverns, Mexico, Mesa Verde, Grand
Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Los Angeles, Yosemite,
San Francisco, Redwoods, Crater Lake, Salt
Lake City, Rocky Mountains, Colorado Springs
and much more. Write or phone: Ralph 8- Betty
Ebersole, 1213 Hamilton Ave., Tyrone, PA
16686. (814) 684-1771
TRAVEL — Germany, including Schwarzenau,
The Passion Play, and other historic locations.
To Israel and Egypt departing July 9, 1984. This
exceptionally good tour hosted by David Ying-
ling. Pastor Central Church, Roanoke & Glenn
E. Kinsel, Pastor Antioch Church, Rocky
Mount, VA. For brochure write David A. Ying-
ling, 1827 Mt. Vernon Rd., SW, Roanoke, VA
24015.
TRAVEL— to Annual Conference by air-condi-
tioned bus from Elizabethtown to conference in
Carbondale, Illinois. Rooms included. For infor-
mation write J. Kenneth Kreider, 1300 Sheaffer
Rd., Elizabethtown, PA 17022.
TRAVEL — McPherson College Alumni Tour to
Europe June 4-22, 1984. Tour France, Luxem-
bourg, Germany (including Schwarzenau and
Oberammergau), Austria, and Italy. Hosted by
Eugene & Eloise Lichty. Land cost $1452. Write
McPherson Travel Center, Inc., P.O.B. 846,
McPherson, KS 67460. Tel. (316) 241-5830.
TRAVEL— to Schwarzenau, home of Brethren
beginnings. See Oberammergau Passion Play,
also Austria & Switzerland. For information write
or call Rev. Ross & Irene Noffsinger, 57404 Holi-
day Drive, Elkhart, IN 46514
TRAVEL— Juniata College Tours. Caribbean
Week-Feb/Mar, Orient & Japan Feb/Mar/Apr.
Cruise the Arctic June 14, 12 days from
Southhampton to Fjords, North Cape, Copen-
hagen. Option to Greenland & Iceland. Oberam-
mergau & Passion Play 15 days to Germany,
Austria, Switzerland: $1498 land with all meals.
Aug. 17, 8 days Bavaria & Salzburg with Passion
Play $798 land with all meals. Weimer-Oller
Travel, 405 Penn St., Huntingdon, PA 16652.
Tel. (814) 643-1468.
WANTED — Pre-1945 records of the Kingsley,
Iowa Church of the Brethren. Persons with infor-
mation concerning the location of minutes of
church councils or congregational business
meetings, church boards, commissions, or com-
mittees, membership records or records of other
church officers or organizations of these con-
gregations are asked to contact James R. Lynch,
Archivist, Brethren Historical Library and Ar-
chives, 1451 Dundee Avenue, Elgin, IL 60120.
December 1983 messenger 31
And if ownership is desirable, what type
of camp operation do we want — volunteer
or professional?
Walt Bowman alludes to this in a
Messenger article ("Worshiping Without
Walls," June 1983( when he says that
there is rapidly coming a day when there
will be no middle ground. Either we must
invest heavily to build and maintain pro-
fessional retreat and camping centers that
appeal to the reality of today's world, or
we must operate small, seasonal camps
basically for our own people on a
volunteer basis.
Many of our districts are caught in this
transition of changing times and do not
know which direction to choose. But
where is the cutting edge in new thinking?
Are there other options apart from owner-
ship that are viable? These are questions
with which we must grapple. In more than
one district, what to do with camp
facilities has become and is becoming a
divisive issue.
What disturbs me most, however, is that
I do not see us as a denomination address-
ing these issues that so dramatically affect
the life of each district. I do not hear any
voice on the cutting edge of new visions
about what outdoor ministries should be
and how we can address the urgent issues
before us. I have a deep concern about
our collective stewardship values where it
concerns our camps, because sentiment
often rules over sound judgment.
I hope that someday we can place
priority on program, but I fear that is a
long way off. I hope a denomination-wide
discussion can be started that will lead us
to address the whole issue seriously. We
need new thinking and new enlightenment
that will help us redefine outdoor
ministries for a new day.
After 62 years, we need to capture a
new vision. D
L. Wayne Fralin, a former General Board member
from Orlando, Fla., is a renewal and growth consul-
tant for the Parish Ministries Commission,
o o Co
Licensing/
Ordination
Blevins, Monte L., licensed July
17, 1983, Belhel, Virlina
Broylcs, W. Gregory, re-li-
censed July 15, 1983, Roa-
noke, Oak Grove. Virlina
Deyerle, G. Ernest II, licensed
Sept. 11, 1983, Peters Creek,
Virlina
Hall, Richard J., ordained Aug.
28, 1983, York, Madison
Ave., Southern Pa.
Howard, W. Stephen, licensed
June 19, 1983. Christians-
burg, Virlina
Messenheimer, Fred, ordained,
Sept. 18, 1983, Astoria, III.
/Wis.
Smellzer, Kenneth Kline, or-
dained Sept. 18, 1983, Elgin,
111. /Wis.
Stevens, C. Berkley, licensed
July 10, 1983, Virlina
Zook-Jones, Jill Marie, or-
dained Aug, 28, 1983, Ger-
mantown. Brick, Virlina
Pastoral
Placements
Baker, John, from secular, to
Selma, Virlina
Baker, Maynard, from secular,
to Cedar Grove, Brandywine,
Shenandoah
Bartholomew, John H., from
Zion Hill, No. Ohio, to Peru,
So. /Central Ind.
Dcntler, Larry M., continuing
Bethany student, to No. Lib-
erty, No. Ind,
Frazier, Glenn Jay, from Ante-
lope Park, W. Plains, to No.
San Diego County Project,
Pacific S,W,
Harpold, John A., from Rich-
land, All. N.E., to Midway,
Atl, N.E.
Hess, John F,, from secular, to
Salem, So. Ohio, asst. pastor
Hosier, Wilbur, from Bethel,
No. Ohio, to Zion Hill, No.
Ohio
Jones, Timothy K., from Ger-
mantown, Brick, Virlina, to
Woodlands, new church de-
velopment. So. Plains
Keegan, Gerald P., from Dan-
ville, Emmanuel, Virlina, to
Springfield, Good Shepherd,
So. Missouri, Ark.
Life, Robert Lee, from Canton,
First, No. Ohio, to Big Swa-
tara, Paxton, Atl. N.E., in-
terim
McDonald, Richard A., from
secular, to Trout Run, Shen-
andoah
Meisenheimer, Fred, from other
denomination, to Astoria,
111. /Wis.
Rhoades, Gerald W., from Chi-
cago, Douglas Park, HI. /Wis.,
to Harrisburg, First, Atl.
N.E.
Ritlle, John D., from Spring
Creek, Atl. N.E.. to Boulder
Hill, 111. /Wis.
Rogers, David L., from Man-
chester, So. /Central Ind., to
Huntington, So. /Central
Ind., interim
Simmons, Randall V., from
Grottoes, Shenandoah, to
Barren Ridge, Shenandoah,
interim part-time
Thompson, Wendell, from sec-
ular, to Richland, No. Ohio,
co-pastor
Weaver, Bruce H., from Mount
Zion, Atl. N.E,, to LaPlace,
111. /Wis,
Wenger. Richard C, from
Huntington, So. /Central
Ind., to Lower Deer Creek,
So. /Central Ind.
Williford, Kathryn Pfaltzgraff,
from Beaver Creek, South-
eastern, to Arcadia, Fla./P.R.,
part-time
Ziegler, Edward K., from retire-
ment, to Beaver Dam, Mid-
Atl.
Zook-Jones, Jill Marie, to
Woodlands, new church
development. So. Plains
Anniversaries
Baughman, Herbert and
Wilma, Thornville, Ohio, 60
BlaxsCen, William and Ruth,
Elkton, Md., 58
Bollenger, George and Madge,
Yaphank, N.Y., 64
Bowman, Noah and Hattie,
Rocky Mount, Va.. 64
Brooks, Harlan and Ruth, Lor-
ida, Fla., 60
Burket, Sam and Velma, Ever-
ett, Pa., 50
Fahnestock, Quillas and Esther.
Akron, Pa., 50
Hess, Mr. and Mrs. Abram M.,
Lancaster, Pa., 60
Hollenberg, Fred and Nora,
Lorida, Fla., 64
Krelchman, Mr, and Mrs. Al-
vin, Windber, Pa., 64
Landis, Oliver L. and Flemmie,
Yuba City, Calif., 65
Larsen, Mr. and Mrs. William
G., Cando, N.D., 50
McDaniel, Sam and Evolyn,
Lorida, Fla., 59
Pulerbaugh, Mr. and Mrs, John
C, Rossburg, Ohio, 52
Rhoades, Boyd and Ida, Cecil-
ton, Md., 52
Shrawder, John and Margaret.
San Diego, Calif., 50
Snyder, Carl and Ellie, York,
Pa., 50
Tracy, Mr. and Mrs. Don, Con-
tinental, Ohio, 54
Whilmer, Inman and Dora,
North Liberty, Ind., 55
Woy, Hershall and Lucy, Ever-
ett, Pa., 65
Wright, Mr. and Mrs. Rayford
E., North East, Md., 54
Deaths
Bishop, Addie, 92. Chris-
tiansburg, Va., July 3, 1983
Blakeley, H. Dale, 62, Altoona.
Pa., Aug. 13, 1983
Blough, Dorsey S., 92, Water-
loo, Iowa, Aug. 4, 1983
Boolhe, James O., 71, Chris-
tiansburg, Va., Sept. 7, 1983
Cannaday, Lelia, 97, Chris-
tiansburg, Va., Jan. 26, 1983
Cartwrighl, Alvin, 84, Cando,
N.D., July 14, 1983
Connell, Earl, 86, Brooklyn,
Iowa, June 17, 1983
Conrad, Annie Martin, 91
Christiansburg, Va., Sept
10, 1983
Corle, Dirvin. 72, Hollidays
burg. Pa.. Aug. 15, 1983
Deeter, Iva L., 84, Greenville,
Ohio, Feb. 19, 1983
Deharl, Lissie Reed, 90, Chris
tiansburg, Va., June 16, 1983
Dennis, George, 73, Hoytville,
Ohio, Aug. 25, 1983
Dieperink, Martin, 68, New
Carlisle, Ohio, Sept. 7. 1983
Frey, Esther M., 89, Elizabeth
town. Pa., Aug. 3, 1983
Garns, Larry, 49, Elizabeth-
town. Pa., July 31, 1983
Click, Mary Metzger, 56,
Bridgewater, Va., Aug. 13,
1983
Green, George J. Sr., 78, Le-
moyne. Pa.. Aug. 24, 1983
Groff, Ella, 85, Manheim. Pa.,
Sept. 16, 1983
Grove, Garnet Miller, 61, South
English, Iowa, Aug. 18, 1983
Haines, Marie M., 90, Elkton,
Md., Sept. 18, 1983
Hoskins, Delores LaVada, 75.
Waterloo, Iowa. Sept. 11.
1983
Huff, Marvin. 74. Christians-
burg, Va., Jan. 30, 1983
Johnson, Fannie, 91, Flora,
Ind., Sept. 3, 1983
Kniss, John, 83, Bird-in-hand,
Pa., Sept. 1, 1983
Leavell, Siache H., 73. Weyers
Cave, Va., Aug. 15, 1983
Martin, WiUiam Moses, Chris-
tiansburg, Va., April 21, 1983
Mohler, Rudolph B., 73. New
Carlisle, Ohio, Sept. 2. 1983
Myers, Ernest Everett. 59,
Adel, Iowa, June 13, 1983
iNusbaum, Ida. 97. Goshen,
Ind., Sept. 24. 1983
Old. Arthur, 86, San Diego,
Calif., May 16. 1983
Pfautz, Paul, 74. Ephraia, Pa..
June 9. 1983
Poffenberger, Verdie .M., 86.
Adel. Iowa, July 20, 1983
Pole, Orville D.. 85. Gushing,
Okla., Sept. 18, 1983
Reiste, Edgar, 91. .-Xdel, Iowa,
May 30, 1983
Rhinehan, John. 76. Brooklyn,
Iowa. Aug. 29. 1983
Ridgley, George H. 90, Par-
kersburg. III., Aug. 25. 1983
Rife, Emma Oda. 91, Green-
ville, Ohio, Feb. 23, 1983
Sechrisi, Goldie. 88. Goshen.
Ind.. Sept. 2, 1983
Skillings. Glenn H.. 84, New
Carlisle. Ohio. Sept. 5. 1983
Slokes, Mary Ann. 79, Lorida,
Fla.. Aug. 14, 1983
Siremmel, Paul H., S3. Hano-
ver, Pa., Aug. 8. 1983
Toy, Merle Sr.. SO, Worth-
ington. Pa., Sept. 10,
1983
Vaneiken, Mildred. 70, Wind-
ber. Pa.. Sept. 8. 1983
Vinson, Norman B., 76,
Waynesboro. Pa., Sept. 17,
1983
Wickersham, Elva Hummel. 75,
Wilmington. Del., Aug. 17,
1983
Winh, John G.. 91. Modesto.
Calif.. Sept. 4. 1983
Zimmerman, .Arlene 66,
Ephrata, Pa., Sept. 26, 1983
32 MESSENGER December 1983
Messenger's
just not what
it used
to be!
Xou can bet your beards and buggies it's not what it used to
be! Today's MESSENGER has far more to offer than the
magazine we once knew. With photographs, art, and
stories, MESSENGER tells you about members of the church
family who are doing things out on the cutting edge of
Brethren program. News stories tell you about the latest
meetings, new program thrusts, Brethren response to
human need and disaster, people making headlines. Good
Brethren writers offer spiritually uplifting articles that
clarify Brethren beliefs and practices. Bible study articles
appear regularly. General Board staff tell you about
resources at your fingertips that can enhance the program of
your own congregation. We share with you stories from
local churches that can further stimulate your thinking and
planning.
Messenger does all this and does it well — well enough
that every year recently the magazine has won national
awards for the quality of its work.
No, Messenger's not what it used to be ... we
wouldn't want it to be I
Subscribe now.
Talk to your congregation's Messenger representative if you
are in a local Church of the Brethren congregation.
If you are not in a local congregation, subscribe as an in-
dividual ... or send MESSENGER as a gift to a friend. Mail this
coupon and your check to Messenger, 1451 Dundee Ave.,
Elgin, IL 60120.
Rates (Check one) 1 yr. $10 2 yrs $18.50.
1 yr. Gift Subscription $8.
City/State/ZIP
December 1983 messenger 33
INDEX 1983
Listed on these pages are articles, poems, editorials and
names ol contributors whicti appeared in MESSENGER during
1983 Classifications have been made according to author
and subiect matter Numtiers indicate issue and page
AUTHORS
Abbott, Alice B 9-34
Alexander, John F 1M8
Attaway, John 8-22
Baile, Becky 12 12
Barber, Theo Waits 9-35
Beery, Robert 6-27
Bhagat, Shantilal 1-24
Blouch, Dorothy 6-25
Blouch,Judd 116,2-15,3-2,4-3.
4-8 5-8, 6-2, 7-9, 8-3, 8-9, 8-10, 9 2,
9-20, 921. 9-28, 9-29, 9 30. 11-2. 11-14, 12 2, 12-13
Bowman, Frances C 4-16
Bowman, Walter D 5-25, 6-12
Boyer, Chuck 4-19, 6-22
Bradley, Phillip K. 4-2
Brandenburg, Mary 7-34
Brandt, Lucile 7-26
Brightbill, Sandra 6-2
Brown, Dale W 1-30
Brubaker, Beverly A 11 30
Brubaker, Paul W 9-2
Brubaker, Wesley 9-34
Brumbaugh, Elmer 1 7-39
Cameron, Penny Lou 6-14
Carter, Karen 6-17
Carter, Phillip D , 7-36
Chamberlain, Wendy S. 4-32. 5-1. 5-32, 8-8.
8 14, 8-16. 9-18, 9-22. 10-9, 10-10, 12-16
Councilman. Emily Sargent 10-12
Detrick. Ralph L 1-23
Dilley, John Warren 11-28
Eller, Jan 7-2
Eller, Vernard 1-18
Emmert, David 12-23
Faw, Bill 429
Faw, Chalmer E 1-10. 3-9, 5-19. 7-16, 9-31, 11-11
Fogle, Thomas 11-28
Fralin, L Wayne 11-17, 12-31
Frantz, Evelyn M 7-3
Frye, Nancy Kettering 2-2, 112, 12 2
Fryman, Tern 9-22
Gall, Dorothy 9-2
Gardner, Rick 8-20
Gibble, June Miller 4-24
Gibble, Kenneth L 9-21. 12-10
Goodtiue, Thomas W 1-27
Groft, Warren F 12 18
Gross, Bob 10-23
Gross, Rachel 10 23
Harpold, John A, 5-27
Harris. Ethel Sherfy 4-2
Heckman, Shirley 12 28
Hillsman, Nancy Blankenship 7-2
Hodgden. Ralph M 8-2
Hoover. Wilbur R 8-19
Jamieson. Judy 7-25
Jenkins, Paul 7-30
Jones, Timothy K. 9-10, 11-13
Katonah, Janine 7-34
Kaylor Earl C Jr 7-17
Keating, Christopher 1-11,2-18.6-2
Keeler, Richard 1-3
Kieftaber, Alan 4-26
Kingery, Leah 2-22
Kirkwood, Shirley 2-9, 5-2
Klahre, Michael 9-17, 9-20. 9-22. 9-23,
11-8. 12-21
KJine, Harvey S 9-32
Learn, Margaret R 3-29
Lehman, James H 1-9,114
Leiter, Dave 4-27, 9-19
Long. Inez 4-18
Lowe, Pamela Brubaker 11-24
Martin, Harold S 11-26
McCray, Lila 10-3, 10-17. 10-22
McDermet William W. Ill 610
McKjnnell. James 11 23
Metzler. Edgar 8-4
Meyer, Lauree Hersch 10-24
Mitchell, Glenn 6 16
Mitchell, Mark 10-12
Moomaw, l,W 5-26
Moore, Ramona Smith 1-21
Morris, David J 12-25
Morse, Kenneth 1 1-22, 4-20, 6-18. 12-5
Mundey, Paul E R 3-21. 1112
Murray, Dorothy Garst 7-28
Myers, Carl E. 4-15
Newcomer, Stephen 3-18
Norquist, Marilyn 4-12
Nyhart. Sheila 3-28
Ogburn. Howard 11-20
Peters. J. Bentley 912
Peterson. Debi 1-28
Ramirez, Frank 2-10
Replogle, Jacob F 5-13
Rieman, T Wayne 3-15
Robinson, Pat Roop 5-2
Rothenbuecher. Bea 1-24
Royer, Howard E 8-4, 10-2. 10-13,
10-17, 112
Sanger, Verna Flory 3-2
SauFs, Albert L 11-32
Sewell, Laura 10-2
Shamberger, Chauncey 6-13
Simbro. William 8 16
Smith, Jeanne Jacoby 3-3, 8-2
Snyder, Don 11-34
Sollenberger, David 2-2. 3-22
Stoltzfus. Joyce 2-24
Swartz. Fred W 1-26. 4-22. 4-23, 6-24,
6-25, 9-20
Thomas. Wade 7-14
Thomasson, Kermon 1-1, 1-2, 1-32,
2-1, 2-12, 2-28. 3-1. 310, 3-32, 4-1,
5-2, 6-1, 6-8, 6-32, 71, 7-20, 7-22. 7-40,
8-1, 8-24, 9-1, 9 14, 9-16. 9-24, 9-26, 9-40,
10-1, 10-28, 11-1, 11-36, 12-1, 12-3, 12-36
Travers, Leo T 11-28
Tronvold, Grace 3-26
Wagner, Juanita Zeller 2-2
Wagner. 0. Walter 2-2
Wampler, Byron J 7-37
Weaver, Clyde 12-27
Weyant, E, MyrI 11-31
Whiteside, Shirley 2-26
Williams, Jack 6-26
Williford, A Michael 3-28
Wilson, Leiand 5-17
Wilson, Sara G 7-12
Wood, Bruce 10-25
Young, David S 4-10
Ziegler, Earl K. 1-3. 2-20, 3-24
Ziegler. Harriet 8-12
SUBJECT MATTER
AFRICA
EOF to benefit Sudan and Central America 10-4
Masons to begin term at Garkida, Nigeria 6-6
New Nigeria church brings total to 575 2-5
Nigerian women's choir touring to Conference 6-4
Norm and Carol Waggy New Nigeria workers 9-5
North Margi gets the gospel 11-20
Returning to the tamarind 6-8
Romberger to Nigeria as new music teacher 10-7
SACC distressed by Rees conviction 7-8
Two invited to teach in India and Nigeria 1-5
W Africa, Madagascar get emergency funds 5-5
ANNUAL CONFERENCE
AC nominations sought; theme will be renewal 11-6
Annual Conference A blockbuster of a Missionstesf 7-30
Annual Conference 1983 5-8
Annual Conference '83 'God's grace as a gift' 2-4
Annual Meeting 2-1
Associate membership query broadened to include
more aspects of the issue 9-18
Board reporting goes multimedia 9-28
Brethren in Baltimore, The 9-13
Brethren ministers hear Harrel Beck 9-21
Brethren musicians perform in plaza 9-21
Brethren protest Nicaragua stand 9-18
Brethren urged to aid disabled 9-22
Conference lifts up alternative service 9-20
Conference manager Dons Lasley New to the title, not
to the lob 9-29
Deacons paper clarifies functions of office: gives con-
gregations leeway in qualifications 9-17
Dinner hour music vies with noise 9-23
Elections and appointments bring new faces to
General Board and committees 9-24
For Brethren/Mennonite Council tor gay concerns,
Baltimore was the time to get into the dialog 9-16
Gay issue dominates sexuality debate; 'covenantal
relationships' ruled out 9-14
Genetic engineering slated for study 9-18
Health and Welfare Conference talks values, ethics,
priorities 9-22
How did we manage before we had an Annual Con-
ference manager' 9-30
Insight sessions 'all looked good' 9-23
Mediation workshop foresees network 9-18
NCCAVCC concerns answered in 1981 9-22
New leadership/ministry committee in broad study of
pastoral needs 9-17
News briefs Some other big items and a whole lot of
little ones 9-26
Nigerian choir hit of Conference 9-19
On Earth Peace now Board program; Assembly exec
member ol WMC staff 9-20
Right to housing urged for all 9-20
Sanctuary ottered political refugees 9-18
Showing Baltimore how to volunteer 9-28
War tax holdback recommended act 9-20
BIBLE STUDY
Acknowledge the Lord 7-16
Easter people 4-10
God before and beyond 9-10
Lord said, Goi'. The 9-31
Name above every name, The 1-10
No longer I but Christ 3-9
Patience under trial 11-26
Prayer of faith. The . 11-11
Reioice in the Lord always 5-19
Running through the pain 6-10
BOOK REVIEW
Books on friends, nuclear war, burnout, business.
anger 6-24
Reading on self-esteem, genetic engineering, simple
living 422
Reading on stewardship, mental illness, peacemaking 1-26
BRETHREN COLLEGES/SEMINARY
Do colleges care' 2-15
June graduation honors 36 Bethany graduates 8-6
Leadership development highlighted by Bethany 8-5
McPherson groups perform at Renaissance festival 12-9
ULV rejects proposed Nixon Institute 5-6
BRETHREN HISTORY
Brethren have ties to historic Kreteld too 12-5
Chicago is last stop tor German art tour 12-5
Durnbaugh is guest at Berleburg anniversary 12-5
Tricentennial used to lustify weaponry 12-4
BRETHREN HOMES g HOSPITALS
Bethany Hospital holds 'topping-out' ceremony 1-5
Decemt>er move planned for Bethany Hospital 12-9
Fiscal health achieved for Greenville Home 2-5
Health and Welfare Conference talks values, ethics.
priorities 9-22
Moral dilemmas to be topic of health event 6-6
BRETHREN LIFE
Brethren clergy divorce: Who's failing whom? 2-20
Brethren in Baltimore, The 5-13
Celebrating the 275th in a plain and simple way 9-4
Century ofMESSENGER. A 1-22
Christianity on the line 2-18
Count well the cost 6-18
Editors and window-looking 1-22
"Gospel Messenger" sampler. A 7-22
"Gospel Messenger, The" . 7-1
"Gospel Messenger, The": Literacy legacy of a 19th
century awakening 7-17
Helping hands m Hollsopple 7-14
Johnstown The times are bad, but God isgood' 7-12
Memories of a meetinghouse 12-23
MESSENGER'S twelve editors 720
Mock meetinghouse: Maintaining a monument to our
past 12-21
Remembering who we are 12-18
Surprise! Surprise! 3-15
Video project: visible ministries in Indiana 10-5
BVS
BVS/BRF: Cooperative volunteering 4-8
BVS Unit 161 renovates building in Manhattan 11-6
Churches to highlight BVS 35th anniversary 11-4
Steve and Sue Williams: Volunteering as a lifestyle 12-13
Thirty-five years of Brethren Volunteer Service 12-12
Two BVS units begin terms of volunteer work 5-6
Why BVS' 12-16
COLUMN
Brethren new age, A 11-17
Ecumenical optimism 9-12
Pressing priorities 8-19
Remembering Cuernavaca 4-15
Russia revisited 12-27
Sticking to a diet' 2-9
Utti' for what ails us 3-21
Vote for Vancouver, A 1-21
CONSCRIPTION
Alternative service: SSS grants requests
Caesar's incense
Conference lifts up alternative service
Draft registration law is invalid, says judge
Enten Eller assigned two years of service
Law tying draft to aid okayed by high court
Navy ruling overturned; CO granted discharge
US revises draft rule on college student aid
DISARMAMENT
At peace rally, 15,000 protest missile plans
Catholic bishops vote nuclear weapons 'halt'
Christian conference condemns nuclear arms
Kjrchentag becomes anti nuclear event
NATO missile plans protested m Europe
Profile compares views on religion and freeze
Tricentennial used to justify weaponry
DISASTER
Auction nets $90,000 for disaster relief
Disaster funds given to Africa, California
Disaster office and Red Cross sign agreement
Disaster volunteers rebuild Missouri home
Funds sent to N India and Love Canal area
More funds supplied for Midwest floods
Volunteers lend a hand in Hawaii and Midwest
ECUMENICAL ACTIVITIES
CIR urges BEM study, holds talk with NAE
Criticism and controversy surround AD demise
Dialog bears fruit for Reformed, Lutheran
Evangelicals announce major peace conference
Grace Brethren beliefs face new challenge
ICYE expands program for disabled people
Media group terminates its plans for TV special
One family's ecumenism
f^resbytenans reunite after 122 years apart
Reagan gets reminders of Mennomte pacifism
Religious groups appeal Moon's tax conviction
EDITORIAL
Bible wrapped m cellophane. The
Brethren by adoption
Case of "Reader s Digest" indigestion. A
Crawfishes at Conference
From what spring will justice roll'
Going forth with power endued
Gospel of the glib and glittery. The
Let's raise the cost of war
0 pioneers'
Silent majority. The
So who's afraid of 1984?
World I'd love to see, A
EUROPE
At peace rally, 15,000 protest missile plans
Russia Visited
Tricentennial used to )ustity weaponry
6-32
4-32
2-28
7-40
10-28
11 36
3-32
9-40
1-32
5-32
1236
8-24
12^
12-25
12-4
34 MESSENGER DeceiTiber 1983
EVANGELISM/CHURCH GROWTH
Amsterdam event is eye-opening: Kettering 10-6
Awakening a sleeping giant 11-13
Caring at>out Khmers 1-11
Church m the mind of God, A 1-14
Committee studies evangelism from Brethren view 1-6
Evangelism Committee produces statement 4-6
New oegmnings 1-16
North Margi gets the gospel 11-20
Prophetic evangelism 11-18
Prophetic— yet inviting— people. A 11-12
Understanding of evangelism for the Church of the
Brethren, An 4-6
Wherefore run? 7-26
FILM REVIEW
Gandhi: Lessons in nonviolence we need today 1-24
World's most Christ-like person, The 1-24
GENERAL BOARD PROGRAM
Board, district staff tender resignations 4-6
Brethren to consult at stewardship conference 2-5
Commitment emphasized at stewardship event 7-6
General Board endorses sanctuary tor refugees 5-4
Helman to coordinate spiritual life team , 11-5
Neff and Petry speak at NCC stewardship event 2-6
New song takes more than singing, A 4-20
■Outer mission' spurs assertiveness, caring 8-4
People of the Covenant starts in 3 districts 9-6
SAC team begins plans for youth conference 11-5
SERRV gift shop opens at Elgin headquarters 11-4
'Thing 01 Wonder' wins 2 international awards 1-4
Thirteen workers trained for mission interpretation 2-6
Twelve post-30 BVSers complete training 9-9
HISPANIC MINISTRIES
Conference gives boost to Hispanic ministries 7-4
Hispanic assembly hits Reagan foreign policy 12-6
INDIA
Church of North India .
CNI moves toward unity with 2 Indian churches
India gets the spotlight in October emphasis, .
India 0& A
Other ministries
Rural Service Center
Two invited to teach in India and Nigeria
INSPIRATIONAL
Hell
Honoring father and mother
Never say No to a glory
Sign of tmmanuel. The
Wherefore run?
10-13
5-5
9-5
10-22
10-20
10-17
1-5
LATIN AMERICA
Brethren protest Nicaragua stand
Brunks begin one year with camp in Ecuador
Church team reports terror in Guatemala
EDF to benefit Sudan and Central America
Global Women's Proiect funds Peru health work
Latin America churches constitute new council
Lititz 'Run for Peace' has El Salvador focus
Mexico trip meaningful for district executives
Nicaragua, Costa Rica toured by church group
Nicaragua gets support from evangelical team
On the footpath to peace
Public sanctuaries total 45 in nation
Remembering Cuernavaca
Sanctuary: Invoking an Old Testament custom
Sanctuary offered political refugees
US Christians witness for peace in Nicaragua
US churches observe Central America Week .
Western Airlines ceases El Salvador 'death' runs
Women to fund project in Costa Rica jungle
MISSION
Evangelicals discuss mission philosophy
Missionaries and the major. The
Page One
NCC
Brethren and the NCC. The: An important presence
Can a gay church join the NCC
"Digest" and "60 Minutes " hit NCC. WCC again
Do you know where your church offerings go?
Human rights dominates NCC board meeting
Inside the NCC
NCC changes needed, says "Century" editor
NCC launches study of violence in film. TV
NCC/WCC concerns answered in 1981
Non-sexist lectionary completed for council
UFMCC gets scrutiny at NCC board meeting
Who represents the Brethren at the NCC?
NATIONAL ISSUES-US
After 12 years IMPACT is still aptly named
Allegiance oath deemed to be unconstitutional
Anti-hunger resolution approved by Congress
At UN. US dissents on health protection vote
CCNV: Conscience for the nation's capital
Church denies IRS for tax-withholding pastor
Church leaders urge ban on genetic engineering .
EEO efforts supported by religious groups
Hatfield bill garners support right and left
Is nuclear a no-no'
Marching for a dream
Religious heads issue call for a just budget
Report says internment was a 'grave injustice'
Stockholders focus on haltingnuclear arms
Survey will examine religiousTV viewing
ONES VOICE
I change, not God
OPINIONS
Bradenton: Dunker doctrines upheld
2-10
5-17
4-16
12-10
7-26
3-4
10-4
3-5
2-6
9-5
3-5
2-8
3-4
3-18
10-6
4-15
5-4
9-18
10-6
3-4
1-8
9-7
10-5
3-10
3-1
1-4
8-8
6-5
12-6
9-22
12-6
7-5
8-10
6-4
1-7
10-6
3-6
7-9
4-5
8-5
11-7
7-6
3-22
11-8
5-5
5-5
4-4
1-9
7-39
Calling to urban ministry. A 8
Choosing to wear a pink triangle 12
Clergy divorce: What is fair? 5
Commenting on the NCC, WCC 5-
Don't make liberals the scapegoat
Godly life— or tolerance' A.
God's good gift— for some
Importance of coming on strong. The
In defense of genetic research
Insults and shame at Manzanar Camp 9-
Is Christianity a weighty matter? 11
Keeping peace in the center 4
Letter from a grieving mother, A 9
Let's resolve not to resolve 11
Love and support divorced clergy 4
Marriage with commitment 4
NCC: l^lot without faults. The 1
New vision for our camps. A 12
New weapon against crime 11
Open minds for shut hearts 11
Perhaps it is time to start 6
Put Christ in peacemaking 3
"Reader's Digest" 'myths refuted 4
Refugees worthy of 'sanctuary' 7
School prayer versus humanism
Technology and understanding 6
Transforming our unacceptability
Trying to be nonjudgmental 2
Unity IS only through Christ
Unwrapping the Bible 10
2 Chronicles 7:14 is the answer
OUTDOOR MINISTRIES
Camping family style
Growing up at camp 6-
On the ground floor 6-
Outdoor Ministries 5-
Pointing toward wholeness
Worshiping without walls 6-
12
PEACE
Brethren peace letter delivered to USSR 115
Evangelicals talk peace at Pasadena conference 8-4
Mediation workshop set for prior to Conference 4-5
On Earth Peace now Board program: Assembly exec
member of WMC staff 9-20
Peace church TV spot reissued in January 4-6
Peace tax fund efforts widened to grassroots- 10-4
Training for peace 4-19
World Peace Academy: 'Preparing for war' 4-18
PEOPLE
Balami. Nvwa 2-4
Beck. Harrel 2-4. 9-21
Beeghly. Weyland 11-5
Bhagat. Valabai 10-2
Blouch. Judd 4-1
Bomberger. Harold 4-7
Brunk. LaDonna 3-5
Brunk. Ronald 3-5
Burke. Homer L 6-1
Campbell. Betty 10-3
Campbell. Glen 1-5. 10-3
Campbell. Tommy 4-2
Carter. Phyllis 1-9. 2-4. 9-9
Chamberlain. Wendy 6-7
Colbert. Henry 6-2
Crumley. William 7-2
Curry. Mitchell 8-10
Detrick. Joe 12-9
Detrick. MaryCline 11-6
Detrick. Ralph 11-6
Dodd, Phyllis Y 4-2
Dubble. Katie 2-2
Durnbaugh. Donald 12-5
Earhart. Stanley 5-7
Eller. Doug 7-2
Eller. Enten 1-5
Eshbach. Warren 10-4
Faus. Nancy 8-10
Finney. Ronald D 11-7
Flora. Opel 11-2
Garber. James K. 11-4
Garber. Julie 11-2
Gibble. Kenneth L 1-1
Harsh. Norman 1-14
Heckman. Marlin 6-2
Helman. Patricia K. 8-10. 11-5
Hershey, Mark 2-2
Hershey. Marty 2-2
Herzog. Lynn 10-4
Hoffman. Paul W 2-4. 2 12
Holsopple. Kathren 2-2
Horn. Don 5-2
Huffman. Hazel Kreider 8-10
Hummer. Edgar 9-2
In. Chamnan 1-2
Ingold. Roger 9-9
Jones. Timothy K. 11-14
Kettering. Bob 10-6
Kim. Dan' 1-2
Kinsey. James 5-7
Klahre. Michael 12-1
Kline. Kathy 5-1
Kopp. Ronald 3-3
Krieder, Sadie 1-3
Lasley. Dons 6-7. 9-29
Lenker, Charles 4-3
Loshbaugh. Katherme 8-2
Loshbaugh. Ralph 8-2
Mason. Carol 6-6
Mason. Ralph 6-6
McCray. Lila 7-7
Mellinger. Ellen 8-2
Metzler. Anita - 4-7
Meyer. Matthew 4-7
Miller, Donald 1-5
Miller. Randy 5-2
Mitchell, Gregory 3-2
Mow, Anna 7-28
Mundey, Paul E, R 1-6. 9-8
Myer, James F 5-11
Neff, Robert W 2-6, 8-9
Newcomer. Hubert R 5-11
Nolen, Wilfred 5-7
Peterson, Jerry 6-2
Petry, Anne 12-3
Petry. Gene 12-3
Petry. Ronald D 2-6
Raltzgraff. Roy P 3-8
Pierce. Dons 5-2
Ragnjiya. Toma 11-20
Rajwadi . Amersingh 10-2
Rhoades. Ruby 8-10
Rittenhouse. David 2-4
Romberser. Sandy 10-7
Royer. Jon 8-3
Schaeffer. Mary 3-2
Schrock. J, Roger U-6
Seitz. Glen 12-2
Seitz. Vi 12-2
Showalter. Dora 4-7
Showalter. Marion 4-7
Smith. Harold 9-8
Soy. Bopha 1-2
Speicher. Timothy D 8-10
Swartz. Fred 4-7, 6-7
Thomasson. Kermon 6-7
Ukena. Rick 4-5
Waggy. Carl 9-5
Waggy. Norm 9-5
Wampler. Guy E Jr 5-11
Wampler. Mary Virginia 9-2
Weaver, Beverly 7-7
Weaver, Clyde 11-5
Williams, Steve 12-13
Williams, Sue 1213
Wilson. Leiand 5-7
Wright. Wilbur TJr 9-8
Ziegler, Carl W Sr 12-2
Ziegler, David 7-3
Ziegler, Earl K 5-11,9-8
Ziegler, Grace 11-2
Zimmerman, Kathryn 9-2
Zimmerman, Roy .9-2
Zook-Jones. Jill 11-14
Zuck. Leah 2-4
PEOPLE & PARISH
Agri-Urban: More than a fundraiser 2-22
Each March in Modesto 3-26
Feeding the hungry 7-25
Heritage Fair: A family affair 1-28
POETRY
Letting go 10-12
Eastern boundary 1012
RESOURCES
Aging 9-32
Bible Commentaries 8-20
Bible school 4-24
Conflict resolution 6-22
Death penalty 10-23
Easter 3-24
Family ministry 1-23
Global women's project 7-34
Outdoor ministries 5-25
Peace education 12-28
Renewal and growth 11-23
Volunteering , 2-24
SERRV
SERRV gift shop opens at Elgin headquarters 11-4
SEXUALTIY
Can a gay church join the NCC 8-14
Churches take actions on gay rights issues 1-6
For Brethren/Mennonite Council for gay concerns.
Baltimore was the time to get into the dialog 9-16
Gay issue dominates sexuality debate: 'covenantal
relationships' ruled out 9-14
Sexuality God's good gift 5-20
War taxes and sexuality on Mennonite agenda 10-4
STEWARDSHIP
Brethren to consult at stewardship conference 2-5
TAX RESISTANCE
Church staff request tax non-withholding 12-4
Church votes to comply with IRS in tax case 2-7
Mennonite tax struggle is temporarily stalled 1-5
Phone tax endorseoby Michigan District 11-5
War taxes and sexuality on Mennonite agenda 10-4
WOMEN'S MOVEMENT
Non-sexist lectionary completed by council 12-6
Ordaining the sisters 11-24
Womaen s Caucus event to study non-violence 12-9
Women to fund project in Costa Rica jungle 9-7
WORLD COUNCIL OF CHURCHES
Briefly (WCC meeting in Vancouver. B C ) 10-10
CIR urges BEM study, holds talk with NAE 12-8
"Digest " and "60 Minutes" hit NCC. WCC again 4-5
From Russia: 'How warm are your hearts' 8-16
In many tongues 10-9
NCCWCC concerns answered in 1981 9-22
Three weeks in Vancouver 8-16
US church leader named to high WCC position 6-6
YOUTH/YOUNG ADULTS
SAC team begins plans for youth conference 11-5
't'oung adults simulate early Christian living 2-6
December 1983 messenger 35
So be it. Come, Lord Jesus!
"The people who walked in darkness have seen a
great light; upon those who dwell in the land of
gloom a light has shone. ... for the yoke that
burdened them . . . you have smashed. . . . For
every boot that tramped in battle, every cloak rolled
in blood, will be burned. . . . For a child is born to
us, a son is given us. . . . They name him Wonder-
Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of
Peace. His dominion is vast and forever peaceful
. . . which He confirms by judgment and justice,
both now and forever" (Isaiah 9:2-7).
Lord, we walk in darkness, and our land is in
gloom. As we struggle to welcome You, I am
reminded of Thomas Merton's prayer: "I have no
idea where I am going. 1 do not see the road ahead
of me. . . . Nor do 1 really know myself. . . .
Lord, when David prayed, he questioned You.
Let me do the same, for Merton's words fit me as
they do thousands of American Christians,
anguished as myself.
Lord, what is the yoke that burdens us, that
keeps us fearful and irascible? Is it jingoism?
whiteness? property? Or is it simply unfaith?
Smash our yoke.
Lord, when will we burn the boots that
tramped in battle, and the cloaks that rolled in
blood? When will we stop arms sales to the poor,
stop engineering doomsday weapons? War is death
to others; spiritual death to us. Be life to us.
Lord, Isaiah called You Wonder-Counselor,
peerless in Your wisdom and prudence. Why does
our wisdom trade peace for comfort, why does
our prudence oppress the weak? Convert us to
true wisdom and prudence.
Lord, You are God-Hero — in You God and
humanity met. Why do we fear You in ourselves;
why do we shrink from Your summons to others?
Help us to see You in the suffering.
Lord, You are Father-Forever, devoted irre-
vocably to people. Why do we abandon people to
specialists and bureaucrats, or to the sluggish im-
personality of the State? Teach us compassion and
service.
Lord, You are the Prince of Peace, the embod-
iment of reconciliation. Why is inner peace so elu-
sive to us, community so strange, nonviolence so
foreign? Why do we enthrone ourselves; why do
we idolize the State? Give us Yourself; give us
peace.
Lord, Your judgment is upon us because we do
not accept Your injustice. You judge us through
the Vietnamese, through poor and black people,
through our control of half of the world's wealth,
through our sterile, unhappy lives. Be justice to us.
Lord, You stood up in the synagogue of Naza-
reth to apply the words of Isaiah to Yourself (and
to us). "The Spirit of the Lord has been given me,
for he has anointed me. He has sent me to bring
the good news to the poor, to proclaim liberty to
captives and to the blind new sight, to set the
downtrodden free, to proclaim the Lord's year of
favor" (Luke 4:18, 19; Isaiah 61:1,2).
Lord, why do we resist Your Spirit; why do we
defile Your anointing? How can we announce
Your good news to the poor when we don't believe
it ourselves? How can we free captives when we
are captive to delusion and indulgence? How can
we free the downtrodden when our lives keep them
downtrodden? How can we proclaim Your year of
favor when we systematize war, bomb insanely,
indict patriots, reward war criminals, jail resisters,
reject amnesty, idolize power, and resist resistance
as "self-righteous," "impractical" and "violent"?
J^ord, will You help us to find room for You to
banish the gloom and darkness in our hearts and
in our land? "There shall be no harm or ruin on all
my holy mountain; for the earth shall be filled
with the knowledge of the Lord, as water covers
the sea" (Isaiah 11:9).
"Lord, we have no idea where we are going.
We do not see the road ahead of us. We cannot
know for certain where it will end. Nor do we real-
ly know ourselves."
"So be it. Come, Lord Jesus!" (Revelation
22:20). — Philip Berrigan
Reprinted from the December 1973 MESSENGER.
36 MESSENGER December 1983
(Advertisement)
'Glory to God in the highest
and ON EARTH PEACE"
Luke 2:14
The ON EARTH PEACE ASSEMBLY supports:
• Brethren World Peace Academy Conferences for youth .
• Updating of lists of volunteers, BVS, CPS, work campers, exchangees, etc,
• Mailing the book "One Man's Peace" to all Brethren youth on their 17th
birthday.
• Planned Peace Assemblies for Professional Groups.
• Brethren World Peace Bookstore.
Will the laity of the Church of the Brethren be challenged to support its youth
in a world crisis? Will the youth be prepared to face registration and a possible
draft? These are concerns of On Earth Peace Assembly.
Name
Address
Please add my name to mailing list
Please send me a current book list
Please send Brethren World Peace
Academy information
Send requests for information to:
On Earth Peace Assembly
Brethren Service Center
Box 188
New Windsor, MD 21776
Telephone (301) 635-6464
For 35 years Brethren
Volunteer Service has
been an imaginative and
distinctive ministry of the
Church of the Brethren.
During this span more than
4,300 volunteers have
borne witness to God's love
through acts of service.
This Christmas season,
each congregation is urged
to highlight BVS in creative
ways. Moreover, churches
and individuals are
encouraged to share in the
Achievement Offering of
the Brotherhood Fund,
which underwrites the work
of BVS.
In commemorating God's
coming in human form, it is
appropriate to lift up the
servant role of Christ.
Those who follow Christ
are to be about the work of
Christ's kingdom, sharing
the grace and peace and joy
and justice of God.
Celebrate BVS. And as
part of your celebration.
give a Christmas/
Achievement Offering
through your local church.
Or mail your gift to the
Church of the Brethren
General Board, 1431
Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL
60120.
CHRISTMAS/ACHIEVEMENT OFFERING
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