FORMER BVS DIRECTOR IS SPEAKER The Rev. Joyce Ann Stoltzfus, tonight’s worship speaker, is pastor of Glade Valley Church of the Brethren, Walkersville, Md., and a former member of theGeneral Board staff. For more than six years, April 1981- August 1987, she administered the Brethren Volunteer Service program, working with some 200 projects and overseeing more than 550 volunteers. Prior to her position at Elgin, she was associate pastor at Sebring, Fla. Stoltzfus grew up on a dairy farm in Pennsylvania, where her home congregation was Conestoga at Leola. She received her undergraduate degree in sociology at Eastern College, St. Davids, Pa., and her masters of divinity from Union Theological Seminary. She has served as a dean of the Center for Biblical Studies in Mid-Atlantic District and on the district’s envisioning committee. Stoltzfus is married to Ralph L. Detrick, and the Detricks are parents of Sara Beth Detrick Stoltzfus, 9. WEAVER, SPEICHER HONORED E. Paul Weaver, Everett, Pa., and Richard D. Speicher, North Lima, Ohio, were presented Ecumenical Awards this week by the Committee on Interchurch Relations (CIR). Weaver is a former Brethren missionary in Nigeria and he has attended three Assemblies of the World Council of Churches (WCC). At the WCC meeting in Canberra, Australia, he urged US delegates to sign petitions calling upon the US government to end the Persian Gulf War. Weaver also served on the Board of Directors and as Legislative Counsel for the Indiana Council of Churches for 30 years. He continues to be active in the local ministerium and community. Speicher, who began his career as a pastor of Kokomo, Ind., and Woodworth, Ohio, Churches of the Brethren, became executive director of Mahoning Valley Association of Churches in the Youngstown, Ohio area, a position he held for 19 years. When he retired in 1989, he was praised by leaders of several religious communities for his friendship and his expertise in effecting cooperation and compassion. He is a past chair of the Committee on Interchurch Relations and is one of Annual Conference’s representatives to the National Council of Churches. At the Conference luncheon of the CIR, speaker Lamar Gibble and General Secretary Donald Miller, both of whom will retire before next Conference, were recognized for their ecumenical service on behalf of the denomination. INTERNET USERS INVITED TO CONNECT Members of the COB-L “Cyber Congregation” and other interested people are invited to meet each other at the Computer Operations Booth, tomorrow, 4:00 p.m. to “put faces with the names of whose who write on the Internet.” ROSS CHOSEN MODERATOR-ELECT Jimmy R. Ross, pastor of the Lititz (Pa.) Church of the Brethren and a perennial leader of Annual Conference committees and activities, was elected moderator-elect yesterday, as delegates voted their choices for denominational officers. Ross will assist Moderator David Wine in the coming year and then lead the 1998 Conference in Orlando, Florida, June 30-July 5. Also elected yesterday were: J. Wayne Judd and Marie Hoover Willoughby — General Board, At Large Representatives; J. Paul Wampler, Mary Jo Flory Steury, and David R. Miller — General Board, District Representatives; David Eastis — Annual Conference Program and Arrangements Committee; J. Colleen Michael — Pastoral Compensation and Benefits Advisory Committee, Laity; Allen Deeter - Committee on Interchurch Relations; Gail Morgan Habecker — Brethren Benefit Trust; Phillip C. Stone — Bethany Theological Seminary Electors, Colleges; Jim Weaver — Bethany Theological Seminary, Laity. MINISTERS GROUP ELECTS LANDES The Ministers’ Association, meeting Monday and Tuesday of this week, elected Wallace B. Landes, Jr., senior pastor of the Palmyra (Pa.) Church of the Brethren to the association’s executive committee. He joins Esther Norris, Garden City, Ks., and David Bibbee, Elkhart, Ind., as the association’s officers for the coming year. Also elected to a three-year term as treasurer of the association was Dan Barnum-Steggerda, pastor of the Daleville (Va.) Church of the Brethren. Two hundred and fifty attended the Ministers’ Association workshop conducted by Dr. Hugh F. Halverstadt, professor of ministry at McCormick Theological Seminary, Chicago. TAKE TIME TO SEE...THE RESOURCES! There are many resources displayed at the Andrew Center, CoBACE, and Association of Brethren Caregivers exhibits. All church leaders attending Conference should take time to survey the materials available to enhance the congregational program. Staff members and volunteers at all the exhibits are eager to visit and answer questions. REGISTRATIONS STILL CLIMBING Registrations totaled 4,378 at day’s end yesterday. The count included 906 congregational delegates, 44 Standing Committee members, and 3,428 non-delegates. Last night’s worship attendance was 3,765 and the offering $7,598.06. THREE QUILTS AUCTIONED TOMORROW Three full-size quilts, 92 x 112, and three wall hangings will be auctioned tomorrow at 4:45 p.m. (or approximately fifteen minutes after the business session). The sale will take place near the Association for the Arts exhibit in Exhibit Hall C. Each of the pieces have blocks brought to Conference from individual congregations. The center appliqué for the quilts is designed and sewn by Becky Glick, First Church of the Brethren, Harrisonburg, Va. She has created the center pieces for the past six years. The sale benefits hunger relief projects. CROUSE, WYRICK OMA WINNERS Jerry Crouse and Kim Wyrick were the winners of the Outdoor Ministries Association’s Annual Conference Run/Walk held yesterday in Cincinnati. They completed the run course first in the men’s and women’s divisions, respectively. Second and third places went to Dustin Brown and David Brunk in the men’s race, and to Reba Coffman and Vicky Chapman in the women’s. Results of the walk portion of the event saw Jean Hendricks, Debbie Okeson, and Claire Montoya capturing first, second, and third places, while the men’s pedestrian finishers were Art Hunn, Ed Okeson, and Benton Wray. Jean Hendricks raised the most money for the event, securing more than $600 in pledges. Total contributions will exceed $1,200 to benefit the OMA Environmental Grant Fund. WOMEN IN MINISTRY SHARE TOMORROW Two members of Bethany Seminary’s staff will share research on the topic of women in ministry tomorrow, 4:00-5:30 p.m., at the Bethany exhibit. Rebecca Slough, of the Bethany faculty, and Debbie Eisenbise, alumni/ae relations staff, will be the leaders. New publications about women at Bethany and 1996-97 educational opportunities will be available. The conversation is open to anyone. BVSERS ASKED TO UPDATE ADDRESSES Hazel Peters is compiling a list of all of the participants in Brethren Volunteer Service (BVS) units since the inception of the program in 1948, in preparation for the 50th anniversary. All previous BVSers in attendance at Conference are asked to stop by the BVS exhibit and make sure their names and addresses are current. CHOICE OF FREE BOOK AT BOOKSTORE A purchase of any kind at the Brethren Press Bookstore exhibit tomorrow gets the buyer a free book with three titles from which to choose, while quantities last: Springs of Love by the late Anna Mow. The Buggies Still Run by Warren Kissinger, or The Old Brethren by Jim Lehman. Also, the offer still holds at the Bookstore: buy any three volumes in the Jubilee Celebrations series and receive 20 percent off. Tomorrow two authors will autograph their books at 1 p.m. — Susan Vogt, Just Family Nights; and Fred Bernhard, Widening the Welcome of Your Church. CAMP MYRTLEWOOD TAKES AWARD Camp Myrtlewood of the Oregon/Washington District received the Camp Staff Award given annually during Conference week by the Outdoor Ministries Association (OMA). John and Margaret Jones are the co-managers of Camp Myrtlewood. OMA also honored three camp volunteers: Donn Kesler, Camp Mack, No & S/C Indiana; Hazel Hoover, Camp Peaceful Pines, Pac. SW; and Virginia DuBois, also Camp Peaceful Pines. BBT HOLDS SEVENTH GOLF OUTING The Brethren Benefit Trust (BBT) held its seventh Annual Conference Golf Outing on Monday of this week. Thirty golfers enjoyed a beautiful day and superb fellowship at the Pioneer Golf Course of Kenton County, Kentucky. First place winners of the scramble team format, with a score of six under par, were Jim Chinworth, Jean Fike, John Huffaker, and Hubert Newcomer. Two teams tied for second place with five under par: Wil Nolen, Ann Quay,and Todd Reish; and Don Flora, David Frantz, Mark Pitman, and Tony Schneiders. Winners of individual contests were Jim Bryant (accurate drive), Roger Hansen (long drive), Matt Meyer and Fred Swartz (closest to pin), Earle Fike (longest putt), and Nathan Downhour and Troy Reimer (putting contest). FOUR NAMED TO NOMINATING COMMITTEE Standing Committee elected four new members to the Nominating Committee to replace the members whose terms expire with this Conference. The new members are Mark Flory Steury (So Ohio), Ed Garrison (Ill/Wisc), Alice Martin-Adkins (Atl NE), and Paul Schrock (So/Cen Ind). The four remaining members of the Nominating Committee, whose terms expire next year, are Gene Hagenberger (Mid Pa); J. Earl Hostetter (No Ind); Gene Knicely (Shen); and Cindy Peel (No Ohio). CHOIR ANTHEM BY BRETHREN PASTOR The Conference Choir, under the direction of Michelle Grimm, sang an anthem for Wednesday night’s worship that was composed by a Brethren pastor. Come On In was composed by Jonathan Shively, pastor of the Pomona (Calif.) Fellowship Church of the Brethren. Shively, an accomplished musician, was commissioned to write the piece to express the theme of this week’s Conference. Copies of the anthem are available at the Brethren Press Bookstore exhibit. LIVE OAK CHURCH ON INTERNET The Live Oak (Calif.) Church of the Brethren, one of the congregations featured in the General Board’s Live Report yesterday morning, also has its own page on the Internet. In response to many who have asked for more information about Live Oak’s program, their delegate invites WEB users to “drop by” at its address — http://www.subzero.syix.com/brethren or use the Search Pages to visit.