Wednesday, June 30, 2004

Youth Peace Travel Team 2005

The first Youth Peace Travel Team was formed in the summer of 1991 as a cooperative effort of a number of General Board programs. Since that year a team has been fielded every summer. This year's team will be sponsored by Brethren Witness/Washington Office, Brethren Volunteer Service, Outdoor Ministries Association and On Earth Peace.

Four youth/young adults between the ages of 16-22 will be selected for the 2005 team. A stipend is paid to team members.

If you'd like more information or an application form (PDF) contact the office at 202-546-3202 or email washington_office_gb@brethren.org.

Completed applications for the 2005 team are due by February 4, 2005.

Tuesday, June 22, 2004

Youth Peace Travel Team - Summer 2004

Team members are:

Tiffany Carty, a recent high school graduate from the Brook Park Church of the Brethren in the Northern Ohio district. She plans to attend Baldwin Wallace College in Ohio in the fall.

Carrie Fry-Miller, who will be starting her sophomore year at Manchester in the fall, from the Beacon Heights Church of the Brethren in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. Carrie is also a licensed minister in the Church of the Brethren.

Jeff McAvoy who just finished his second year at Manchester College and will be attending the Chicago Art Institute next year to study graphic design, from the Live Oak Church of the Brethren in the Pacific Southwest District.

Matt Witkovsky, who just finished his first year at Elizabethtown College and is from the Stone Church of the Brethren in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania.

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Youth Peace Travel Team's Summer 2004 Schedule
  • Shepherd’s Spring – June 20-26 and July 25-30
  • Brethren Woods – June 27 – July 2
  • Annual Conference – July 3 - 7
  • Camp Blue Diamond – July 11-17
  • Camp Bethel – July 18 – 23
  • Camp Harmony – August 1 - 7 Mission Camp (inner city kids from Johnstown coming to camp, ages 7-12)
  • Camp Swatara – August 8 – 14 – Intermediate Camp
  • Waynesboro Church of the Brethren – August 15
  • New Windsor, MD – August 15 – 17
Source: Brethren Witness/Peace & Justice

Friday, June 18, 2004

Record number train for Ministry Summer Service.

A record number of interns met in Richmond, Ind., June 5-11 for this year's Ministry Summer Service (MSS) orientation. Some late additions raised the total number of young adults participating to 17, the highest total in the program's nine years. The program sponsored by the General Board's Youth/Young Adult Ministries office gives young adults ages 18-24 an opportunity to explore ministry options under the guidance of a mentor. Interns serve for nine weeks in congregational or other church-related settings.

Ministry Office director Mary Jo Flory-Steury and Youth/Young Adult Ministries director Chris Douglas led many of this year's sessions. Faculty from Bethany Theological Seminary, Southern Ohio District executive Mark Flory Steury, and other denominational staff provided additional leadership. Topics addressed included Brethren heritage, personality styles, ministerial ethics, and church polity. The group also worshiped at Richmond Church of the Brethren, visited the Bethany campus, and took turns leading devotions. Mentors arrived for the final three days of the orientation, getting to know their interns and building plans for the summer. The week concluded with a commissioning service.

Ten female and seven male interns are participating this year. Ten are serving in congregations, others are working with camps, on the Youth Peace Travel Team, with youth workcamps, in the Brethren Witness/Washington Office, and with Companeros en Ministerio of Tijuana, Mexico.

More than 100 young adults have been part of MSS since it began in 1996. The challenge now is to secure support so the program can continue. Underwritten by an individual donor for its first eight years, the program now requires other funding. General Board staff are seeking donors and funding resources.

Source: 6/18/2004 Newsline

Friday, June 04, 2004

Workcamps Under Way

The 2004 series of Church of the Brethren workcamps for junior and senior highs and young adults began with a May 28-June 10 trip to the Taize community in France and the World Council of Churches in Geneva, Switzerland. Leaders are Beth Rhodes and Cindy Laprade, co-coordinators of this year's workcamp program. Crystal Waggy, of Rock Run Church of the Brethren, Goshen, Ind., and a student at Manchester College, is assistant coordinator.

Source: 6/04/2004 Newsline
Fourteen Attend "Raise Your Voice"

Fourteen young adults from across the country spent Memorial Day weekend at Camp Emmaus in Mount Morris, Ill., at a "Raise Your Voice" retreat offered by the New Community Project, a Brethren-related nonprofit organization. The event was a leadership development experience to equip young adults for advocacy within and beyond the church on issues of justice and care for the earth. Leadership was provided by Don Vermilyea, Brethren Volunteer Service worker who is doing a Walk Across America; David Radcliff, New Community Project director; and Brethren musician Joseph Helfrich. The Ecumenical Eco-Justice Network was a co-sponsor, and funds for participants' travel were provided by Lancaster (Pa.) Church of the Brethren and Modesto (Calif.) Church of the Brethren. For more information call 888-800-2985 or e-mail dradcliff@newcommunityproject.org.


Source: 6/04/2004 Newsline
NCC Young Adult Stewards Program

Applications for a Young Adult Stewards Program at the National Council of Churches (NCC) General Assembly 2004, to be held Nov. 9-11 in St. Louis, Mo., are available from the General Board's Youth and Young Adult Office. Call 800-323-8039 ext. 297 or e-mail cdouglas_gb@brethren.org. The assembly will gather delegates from 36 Christian denominations for business, worship, and fellowship. Stewards ages 18-30 will help provide hospitality and help staff the assembly. Stewards also will have opportunities to network with other young adults, join in worship, and interact with national Christian leaders. Expenses, except for personal expenses, will be covered by the NCC. Completed applications are due Aug. 2.

Source: 6/04/2004 Newsline

Thursday, June 03, 2004

Youth Peace Travel Team Ready For the Summer of 2004

Well, the weather is changing. The temperature is rising and the sun is shining. Here at the Brethren Witness/Washington Office, we’re excited about summer. “Why so excited” you ask? Well, that’s because we have a special announcement to make: the Youth Peace Travel Team for the summer of 2004 is assembled and ready to go!!!

What’s that? You don’t know about the Youth Peace Travel Team? Well, let us fill you in, friend! The Youth Peace Travel Team is a cooperative effort among a number of Brethren programs and agencies. Initiated in 1991 and active every year since, this program assembles a group of four youth/young adults with the goal of visiting Brethren camps throughout the summer. Members are between the ages of 16 and 22, and must apply for a coveted spot on the team. Their goal is to interact with the young campers who are just starting to explore and understand their faith in these glorious wilderness settings. Team members (or “YPTTer’s,” as we like to call ‘em) act as a sort of dynamic, traveling band of Brethren go-getters. They sing, they dance, they play instruments, they talk about faith and the teachings of Christ – hey, they do it all! And this year, we’ve got a great team set up. The Brethren Witness/Washington Office, On Earth Peace, the Youth/Young Adult Office, and the Office of Outdoor Ministries has worked hard to put a great group of young adults together. And without further ado, allow us to introduce the Summer of 2004 Youth Peace Travel Team:

• Jeff McAvoy
• Tiffany Carty
• Matt Witkovsky
• Carrie Fry-Miller

Interested in learning more about the Youth Peace Travel Team? Just give us a call at the Brethren Witness/Washington Office and we’ll keep you up-dated. And hey, all you interested individuals – don’t forget about next year. The summer of 2005 could be when YOU are called to spread the WORD as a part of the Brethren Youth Peace Travel Team!

-Bryan Hissong
source: Witness to Washington March/April/May 2004