Annual Conference 2005 - Sunday Features Page

Chrissy Sollenberger shares her prize-winning essay on what being Brethren means to her.
Photo by Hannah Edwards

Stewart Hoover, a member of the Church of the Brethren and noted authority on media and religion, shared a few insights.
Photo by Hannah Edwards

A REPORT FROM THE MESSENGER DINNER
It might seem that a 1957 history of the Church of the Brethren in Colorado, complete with hand-lettered captions and smudgy reproductions of a text produced on an old manual typewriter, would have little in common with websites and smart advertising on television. But to Stewart Hoover it’s all the same. People will only know who Brethren are through the media that are available to them, and Brethren will only know that larger world through the media as well.

Hoover is recognized as one of the world’s leading experts on religion and media. He returned to his Brethren roots to speak to those gathered for the Messenger Dinner, even as he prepared to embark on an Australian tour, to be followed by upcoming European engagements.

The purpose of the old Colorado history, Hoover pointed out, was to show what it looked like to be Brethren. Photographs of men and women in plain garb out for a young adult fishing outing, and a section lamenting the failure of church and family to inculcate the values of peace. Modern media, whether it’s the new informational pieces from the United Church of Christ or biblical film epics, are what define religion for the public, he said. Studies have shown that there is no difference in the approach to media, regardless of whether one is conservative or liberal.

“To ‘exist’ in the public is to ‘exist’ in the media,” Hoover informed the Brethren, encouraging them to learn from modern trends how to make the outside world aware of Brethren distinctiveness and identity.

Earlier, Chrissy Sollenberger of Annville, Pa., read from her prize-winning youth essay. Describing what being Brethren meant to her, she referred to the church as “this blanket of love,” which has helped her define her moral, political, and religious beliefs. “No matter how far I fall the Church of the Brethren has this refreshing tendency to pick me up.” Sollenberger concluded by expressing her intent to help others come to know “this blanket of love.”

RECEPTION WELCOMES TEN NEW CHURCH PLANTS
The General Board’s Congregational Life Ministry hosted a reception celebrating seven new fellowships and three new congregations. Jay Steele, from Open Circle Church of the Brethren in Burnsville, Minn., invited members to share stories of faith and lives transformed as their new churches have struggled and grown. Support from districts and congregational life staff have played an important role in the development of these new church plants.

The following fellowships were welcomed: La Casa del Amigo, Arecibo, P.R.; Lirio de los Valles (Lily of the Valley), Lebanon, Pa.; New Beginnings, Manheim, Pa.; Maranatha Multi-Cultural, Lancaster, Pa.; Trinity, Shippensburg, Pa.; Jesu Cristo El Camino (His Way), Henderson, N.C.; New Creation, Mohrsville, Pa.

Fellowships moving to congregational status are Mountain View, McGaheysville, Va.; Knight’s Chapel, Barboursville, Va.; and Living Faith, Concord, N.C.

EVANGELISM IN A MUSLIM CONTEXT–THE NIGERIAN EXPERIENCE
An overflow crowd greeted Toma Ragnjiya, past president and general secretary of Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN–the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria), to hear him speak on “Evangelism in a Muslim Context.”

Toma Ragnjiya spoke about evangelism in a Muslim context, focusing on a Nigerian perspective.
Photo by Hannah Edwards

The room couldn't hold all those interested, thus they sat outside the door.
Photo by Hannah Edwards

Ragnjiya reminded listeners that the Great Commission instructs believers to go to all people and nations, and that evangelism is simply to share the Good News of salvation through Jesus Christ. He shared the following lessons from EYN:

—Remember that Muslims consider Jesus a prophet of God, so converse with them about him at that level “until the Spirit does its work,” and they are ready to hear about him being the Son of God sent to fulfill God’s desire to save all from sin.

—In order to be effective at evangelism we need power–the power of the Holy Spirit–at work within us. All our efforts must be steeped in prayer.

—The priesthood of all believers must be taken literally. Every baptized person should see him- or herself as an evangelist. Each group in the church should be involved in evangelism no matter any other focus.

—Working alongside Muslim people gives Christians the opportunity to witness through praying out loud, singing spiritual songs, carrying their Bibles reverently (the Muslims, too, are a people of the Book), and exhibiting the joy and freedom they have in Christ.

—Be respectful of local leaders and Imams. Work alongside them in ministering to the community, and invite them to participate in planning committees for community projects.

—Recognize that the women and youth of the church and any Muslim converts can be the most effective evangelists in the societal context.

—Know about the Pillars of Islam. Approach Muslims with love and respect but without fear. The important thing is not where we start, but that we start. That is the mandate of Jesus.

THE WELCOME HOME PROJECT
The Association of Brethren Caregivers (ABC) and On Earth Peace are collaborating on a project called “The Welcome Home Project: A Living Peace Church Response for Returning Military Personnel and Others.” The two organizations held an insight session about the project and what congregations and individuals can do to support current or returning soldiers, war veterans, and their families.

"Helping Soldiers Heal from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder" provided the focus for an Insight session Sunday night.
Photo by Jesse Reid

The insight session included three panelists, all Church of the Brethren members with unique relationships to the topic: Doris Abullah, who is active as both a peace activist and a mother of a marine; Peter Leddy, a Vietnam veteran; and Joel Bonette, a counselor and member of the International Guard who works with trauma-related disorders in Peoria, Ill. All shared their varying insights and perspectives. All spoke in support of the Welcome Home project and of the need to be inclusive to all.

Bob Gross of On Earth Peace spoke of the need to choose compassion over purity in the call to be a living peace church. He shared that although the Church of the Brethren has a peace stance, its 1970 statement on that stance also calls church members to be supportive of others’ choices to serve in the military.

“Post-traumatic stress disorder in returning soldiers is estimated at a rate of one in six from the Iraqi war, down from one in three from the Vietnam War,” said Bonette. He shared that this change is in part due to education about the condition.

Congregations can make a difference by joining the Welcome Home Project and making their congregations a safe and supportive place for active and returning soldiers and their loved ones. By providing safe places for these people, Church of the Brethren members can help minimize the negative effects of post-traumatic stress disorder. For more information contact Mary Dulabaum at ABC or Matt Guynn at On Earth Peace.

Jill Kline, Highland Ave. Church of the Brethren, and Carla Kilgore, Beacon Heights Church of the Brethren, help serve communion as part of the action "A place at the table... a table at the place."
Photo by Dale Seese

BRETHREN MENNONITE COUNCIL BUILDS ITS OWN BOOTH
Members and friends of the Brethren and Mennonite Council for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Concerns (BMC) constructed a small table and carried it into the Annual Conference Exhibit Hall following the afternoon business session on Sunday, July 3. The event was called, “A Place at the Table... A Table at the Place.”

The action was intended to “bear public witness to the harshness of the church's exclusion of LGBT people,” BMC said in its invitation to the event. “Believing that dissent is a profound statement of hope and faith, together we will construct a table of welcome and take our place within the conference.”

The action was supported by Voices for an Open Spirit (VOS) and the Womaen’s Caucus, which both were allotted booths in the Exhibit Hall. BMC announced the event ahead of time to the Annual Conference Program and Arrangements Committee and to its members and friends.

A service of communion offered from the table gathered a group of a couple of hundred people, both participants and observers. Annual Conference leaders allowed the table to remain in place in the Exhibit Hall through the evening.

Members of the 2005 Annual Conference news team, a ministry of the General Board, contributed to this report: Regina Roberts, Jesse Reid, Hannah Edwards, Sarah Kovacs, and Dale Seese, photographers; Kathleen Campanella, Karen Garrett, Jill Kline, Frank Ramirez, Frances Townsend, Sarah Leatherman Young, and Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, writers; Amy Heckert, technical support; Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford and Becky Ullom, editors.