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Date: July 22, 2005
Contact: Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford
V: 847/742-5100 F:  847/742-6103
E-MAIL: _CoBNews@AOL.Com_ (mailto:CoBNews@AOL.Com) 
 

CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN NEWSLINE
July 22, 2005
 
WELCOME HOME PROJECT HELPS RETURNING MILITARY PERSONNEL IN THE CHURCH
 
July 22, 2005 (Elgin, IL) -- Church of the Brethren congregations are being  
invited to take part in the Welcome Home Project: A Living Peace Church 
Response  for Returning Military Personnel and Others. The project is a joint
effort 
 between the Association of Brethren Caregivers (ABC) and On Earth Peace. 
Both  are agencies of the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference.
 
The project's mission is to help congregations become places of healing and  
reconciliation for military personnel and others as they deal with the 
physical,  mental, psychological, and spiritual wounds from war zones, and to

strengthen  the circles of care surrounding them. The project's mission
statement 
provides a  context for the work: "Congregations around the country are
experiencing the  return of soldiers who have been in active military 
conflict. While some return  with physical injuries, there are others who are

affected emotionally or  spiritually. Many individuals and congregations
desire to 
address with wisdom  and compassion the needs of returning military personnel

and the communities to	which they return."
 
Committee members for the Welcome Home Project see the group's purpose as  
ideal for a living peace church that seeks to accompany those who have	
experienced the violence and trauma of war. Organizers state, "We believe
that  the 
peace church's message of love, justice, service, and humility includes  
responding to soldiers, who may be hurting, afraid, silent, and 
marginalized."
 
Although US casualties from the war in Iraq are less than the number of  
casualties from previous wars, the war in Iraq has produced significant
numbers  
of injured and disabled military personnel, said a release about the project 

from ABC. According to CNN.com's news statistics report, an estimated 12,000 

soldiers have been wounded, the release said. In February, the "Christian  
Science Monitor" reported concern from veterans organizations about the
number	of 
returning soldiers showing up in the nation's homeless shelters due to the  
loss of jobs or difficulties in reintegrating into civilian life. "Although
the 
 military branches are providing more services to deal with post-traumatic 
stress	and reintegration for returning military personnel and their
families, 
churches  can assist these individuals and families by providing a community
of 
support  and care," ABC said. "This role becomes more important for rural 
congregations  as services for returning military personnel may be more
limited 
in rural  areas."
 
At the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference in early July, the Welcome  
Home Project held an insight session "Helping Soldiers Heal from
Post-Traumatic 
 Stress Disorder" with panelists Doris Abdullah of On Earth Peace; Joel 
Bonnette,  a counselor and veteran; and Peter Leddy, a veteran and retired
district 
 minister. More than 75 people attended. 
 
Another workshop will be held at ABC's Caring Ministries Assembly in  
Bridgewater, Va., on Friday, Aug. 12. "Faith's Imprint During Times of Stress
 and 
Violence" will explore how people living in conflict zones experience common 

situations, whether they are there in the role of Christian peacemaker or
armed  
military. A panel of speakers will describe their experiences and reflect on 
how  their faith impacted the experiences.
 
The Welcome Home Project organizers hope to create a network of  
congregations working toward creating safe places for returning military 
personnel and 
others. Networking may take the form of conference calls on  related topics, 
regular e-mails, and consultations with committee members.  
 
To join the network, e-mail Mary Dulabaum, ABC staff member, at 
_mdulabaum_abc@brethren.org_ (mailto:mdulabaum_abc@brethren.org) , or Matt 
Guynn, On Earth 
Peace staff member, at _mattguynn@earthlink.net_ 
(mailto:mattguynn@earthlink.net) . Resources for  congregations wanting to
participate in the project are 
available at _www.brethren.org/oepa/WelcomeHomeProject.html_ 
(http://www.brethren.org/oepa/WelcomeHomeProject.html) .  Links to other
sites offering 
resources also are available. 
 
The Church of the Brethren is a Christian denomination committed to  
continuing the work of Jesus peacefully and simply, and to living out its
faith  in 
community. The denomination is based in the Anabaptist and Pietist faith  
traditions and is one of the three Historic Peace Churches. It celebrates its
 300th 
anniversary in 2008. It counts about 130,000 members across the United	
States and Puerto Rico, and has missions and sister churches in Brazil, the  
Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Nigeria.
 
# # #
 
For more information contact:
 
Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford
Director of News Services
Church of the  Brethren General Board
1451 Dundee Ave.
Elgin, IL 60120
847-742-5100  ext. 260
_cbrumbaugh-cayford_gb@brethren.org_ 
(mailto:cbrumbaugh-cayford_gb@brethren.org) 
 
*****************************************************************
The  Church of the Brethren Newsline is produced by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford,

 director of news services for the Church of the Brethren General Board. 
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