THE COMPLETE LOG OF ACTIVITY FOR THE
Church Of The Brethren Network
www.COB-NET.org
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08 Apr More church bulletin bloopers have been added to LAUGHTER. Such as: "The
2008 peacemaking meeting scheduled for Friday has been canceled due to a conflict."
15 Mar MISSION STATEMENTS has received a submission from Mt. Pleasant COB in
2008 North Canton, Ohio.
15 Feb ATLANTIC SOUTHEAST DISTRICT has entered into a partnership with COB-NET.
2008 Their web site at Earthlink has not had adequate updating for several years.
COB-NET administrator Ron Gordon redesigned the pages and will continue to
keep it updated, even though it is not under the COB-NET domain
16 Dec More graphic Signatures have been added to CYBER TALK.
2007
26 Sep The LITERAL Test Verse section of COMPARING TRANSLATIONS has been updated to
2007 include additional information that explains its purpose more clearly.
21 Sep BRETHREN COOKBOOK has been updated. Send in your favorite recipe.
2007
23 Aug 300TH ANNIVERSARY LINKS added to the middle of our homepage.
2007
05 Jul VENICE COMMUNITY COB is the latest congregation to take advantage of our
2007 homepage offer.
23 Jun Our main homepage at COB-NET gets a fresh new look with a larger clickable
2007 activity photo. We also added a unique spiritual background (sunset in this
case) which will be periodically rotated. Complimenting this new background are
special theme linking icons with a reduced opacity to permit you to enjoy that
portion of the background which would normally be covered. Thank you again for
making Church of the Brethren Network the success that it has become.
07 May MID-ATLANTIC DISTRICT takes advantage of our free homepage offer and
2007 establishes their official Disaster Relief Auction with COB-NET.
Stop in and acquaint your self with their program.
23 Apr SHENANDOAH DISTRICT takes up our free homepage offer and establishes their
2007 official Disaster Relief Auction with COB-NET. This years auction is only
a month away, May 18-19. Plan to go if you can.
17 Mar SEBRING COB has been with us since 1997. We gave them an entirely new look.
2007 There are still a couple of pages under construction.
23 Jan SANDY CREEK COB in West Marva District is the latest congregation to take
2007 advantage of our free homepage offer.
16 Jan Our entire ANNUAL CONFERENCE section has been completely redesigned. Photo
2007 headers accompany each page, the AC navigation menu has been moved to the left,
new documents have been added, and some out dated material has been revised.
26 Jul Remembering Annual Conference at OCEAN GROVE, New Jersey, is an
2006 opportunity to go back in time and experience our annual meeting
where it had been held seven different years. It will be nostalgic
for some but interesting for all.
17 Jul Annual Conference ON THE WEB now includes an overview of Des Moines 2006. We
2006 gave our LOCATIONS an entirely new graphic intensive look with historical
notes and provided a TEXT-ONLY version for slower connections. We also
installed a new drop-down menu system.
05 May BETHANY THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY is given an entirely new look.
2006
21 Apr OUTDOOR MINISTRIES ASSOCIATION is given an entirely new look.
2006
24 Mar Countdown form added to ANNUAL CONFERENCE just for the novelty. It
2006 automatically displays the days, hours, minutes, and seconds until
the next scheduled annual gathering.
23 Jan Bookstore recives a new submission: ONE WHO SERVED, Elder
2006 Charles Nesselrodt of Shenandoah County, Virginia” by Terry W. Barkley
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20 Dec Two sections of Antietam have been given new material. EMANCIPATION
2005 takes another look at the the reasons which caused the Civil War and
the ramifications of its aftermath; BATTLE attempts to further explain
why there were more casualties than any other one-day conflict.
22 Nov Our new drop-down menu system has proved to work so well that we have
2005 begun placing it at the top of every page, so that you can reach the
most important areas of COB-NET from one convenient spot.
05 Sep We decided to remove our introductory flash movie on its own separate
2005 page and instead place it on our main homepage.
24 Aug Navigation from our main HOME PAGE is enhanced with a new "drop-down"
2005 menu system that offers greater flexibility.
31 Jul We gave ATLANTIC NORTHEAST DISTRICT a new look and different structure
2005 to offer quicker navigation and better presentation of district resources.
21 Jul ANNUAL CONFERENCE receives an entirely new look, and Peoria 2005 has
2005 been added to the ON THE WEB section.
25 Jun Annual Conference LOCATIONS receives an animated header that recounts
2005 all the recent "online" Conferences which began in 1996 at Cincinnati.
19 Jun Movie animation is being increasingly used by web developers to take
2005 visitors to the next level of web browsing. We have used such
innovations sparingly but finally decided to use an interpretative
Flash movie to introduce COB-NET. Our regular Index page has been
renamed to Main.
7 May David Fahrenholz has just shared a CAMP EXPERIENCE. We offer this
2005 opportunity to campers of all ages to share their personal Brethren
church camp experiences that will hopefully inspire others to also
explore the possibility of growing in Christ at a nearby Brethren camp.
10 Mar INDIANA SOUTH-CENTRAL DISTRICT has been given an entirely new look.
2005 This present design stresses denominational harmony and peace through
communication with a dove as the centerpiece.
17 Jan GERMANTOWN COB is now online. This was the first Brethren congregation.
2005 in America. It is often regarded as the Mother Church
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03 Dec MEMBERSHIP 101 is our latest project in response to many voices
2004 calling for online membership class resources. Several pastors and
district executives have been giving their comments along the way.
This tool will act as an educational primer for membership classes.
We also took THE POCKET GOSPEL out of the PLAN OF REDEMPTION to
stand all by itself.
06 Nov Stop and take a look at our SPIRITUAL SIGNS. We've had this humorous
2004 exercise on our Site Map for years but decided to give it a home of
it's own. Partially because people from around the world have been
sending comments about it to our Mail Bag.
16 Oct There's a new group in town. GERMAN BAPTIST BRETHREN is the latest
2004 Yahoo Group to come online. Here is a place to discuss topics that
generally pertain with GBB interests. You'll also find a link to them
in our DISCUSSION area.
21 Sep Photographic headers have been added to our DISTRICT HOMEPAGES.
2004
25 Aug Each of the Brethren Disaster Relief Auction homepages have received
2004 a major design change: ATLANTIC NORTHEAST - PENNSYLVANIA SOUTHERN,
MID-ATLANTIC, and SHENANDOAH District.
12 Aug PENNSYLVANIA SOUTHERN DISTRICT receives a major design change which
2004 offers easy navigation and permits visitors to more quickly notice
web site updates.
07 Aug BOOTS tells the story of two people who died horrible deaths. One story
2004 appears often in the newspapers of this country. The other does not.
30 Jul BUNKERTOWN COB receives a major design change that incorporates new
2004 material as well as making the older stuff more interesting.
12 Jul ANNUAL CONFERENCE has been updated with information about business
2004 and worship at Charleston, West Virginia.
31 Mar FAIRVIEW COB of the Mid-Atlantic District is the latest congregation
2004 to take advantage of our free homepage offer and did their own work.
13 Feb Have you noticed the HEADER PHOTOS that we are rotating on our main
2004 page. If you have a photograph of a Brethren event that generally
fits the theme of "Brethren Serving the Kingdom of Christ," send it
to us and we will gladly display it for a couple of weeks.
29 Jan ANNUAL CONFERENCE has been subdivided into smaller documents for
2004 easier loading and navigation.
17 Jan Bible Games has received something new. It's an old fashion game
2004 of CHECKERS. Caleb is your opponent and he's pretty good. Don't let
him get ahead because he doesn't give you much of an opportunity
to catch up.
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30 Dec BRETHREN CARD has been given a new method of displaying scripture
2003 references. Just move your mouse arrow over each scripture link
without clicking.
19 Dec BRETHREN ENCYCLOPEDIA has a new Feature which examines a typical
2003 article of BE, including a modest examination of presentation, text
format, explanation of symbols, additional references, other BE
articles, photographs, and external bibliography.
02 Sep A new article on BIBLICAL AUTHORITY by Pastor David L. Miller is
2003 contributed to our growing collection of member submitted articles
in the Document Bin.
16 Aug Other Links: PERSONAL MATURITY receives a section for online
2003 Christian book stores.
12 Aug VERSE OF SCRIPTURE changed to larger more easily read print.
2003
23 Jul Most web pages are receiving a new margin-to-margin header with
2003 roll-over text that gives a brief discription of that resource.
21 Jun CAMP ITHIEL receives a major update to its Wedding / Banquet section.
2003 Director Mike Neff says that many brides-to-be are finding the camp
wedding chapel through the web site instead of the Yellow Pages. New
photographs will give interested parties the opportunity to explore
the facilities while planning their wedding or banquet.
22 Apr MISSION STATEMENTS has received an entirely new look, to especially
2003 highlight each statement from our districts, congregations, agencies,
and camps.
11 Apr BRETHREN ENCYCLOPEDIA now has a home. This unofficial web site was
2003 given official blessing from the BE Board of Directors until they
finally get their own official site online. Curious genealogists,
pastors, administrators, educators, and lay persons who do not own
a set, will now have the opportunity to discover and appreciate the
contents of this three volume excursion into a wealth of Brethren
information.
14 MAR OHIO NORTHERN DISTRICT gets a new look on every page, including photos
2003 of staff, especially newly arrived District Executive John Ballinger.
10 JAN PEACE & WAR is given a major section about Christ, the Prince of Peace.
2003
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30 Nov DISTRICT HOMEPAGES received a major graphical retouching along with an
2002 update of congregational information.
12 Nov We've been very busy on large projects even though nothing has been
2002 posted on this list for awhile. One such project has been a major
revision of COMPARING TRANSLATIONS. It was originally placed online
several years ago as a biblical tool for students who might also then
discover the Church of the Brethren. Students routinely check out the
Domain (sponsoring body) of such literature and that would then bring
them to COB-NET. A large number of visits from educational
institutions has made this educational offering virtually take on a
life of its own. Thousands of students from around the world have
stopped in and hopefully some of them have learned about the Brethren.
23 Aug Computer Monitors are getting bigger and offering higher resolutions,
2002 which means that you can see a lot more information than ever before.
We took advantage of this opportunity and created WEB TREE, a framed
hierarchial linkable index navigational tool that permits you to view
most of our web site while still being able to view the linkable
index. Now you can enjoy COB-NET without leaving the Site Map.
26 Jul FREE SPRING COB is the latest congregation to take advantage of
2002 our homepage offer to all Brethren districts, congregations, camps,
and agencies. They are located in Pennsylvania Southern District.
05 Jul Just returning from ANNUAL CONFERENCE in Louisville, we uploaded
2002 a few photographs with some preliminary reflections.
27 May If you ask most people what happened this past weekend, they would
2002 probably say that they enjoyed a nice holiday with friends.
Something else also occurred during the past two days, COB-NET moved
to eMountain Communications which is a part of Brethren Benefit Trust
(BBT). Nothing has changed as far as this denominational ministry is
concerned. Ron Gordon is still "doing his thing" and retains full
control over everything that happens.
COB-NET has been at several web hosting firms around the country over
the years, and the people at eMountain have been after Ron for some
time to make this jump. Perhaps this will be the final move? You will
also notice a new footer at the bottom of every web page to quietly
announce this new partnership.
18 May Since the implimentation of the Tri-Commission plan in the 1960's,
2002 many smaller congregations have sought to design a leadership plan
more appropriate to their unique ministry needs.
BUFFALO VALLEY CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN has restructured their
leadership as shared by Jake Myers, member of Pennsylvania Southern
District Board 2001-2002 and Eli Mast, presenter of Restructuring
Insight Session, Pennsylvania Southern District Conference 2001.
07 May YOUR AGE is a fun opportunity to know exactly how old you are in years,
2002 months, weeks, days, hours, minutes, seconds, and milliseconds. It will
also tell you how long you need to wait until your next Birthday.
26 Apr COLORADO BRETHREN was submitted by Tom Crago for the benefit of our
2002 genealogical community. This work consists of image reproductions
of a twenty page booklet detailing the history of Brethren congregations
in the state of Colorado.
31 Mar LITTLE DUNKER CHURCH on the Antietam battlefield has been added to
2002 our collection of history articles. Three long years to finish,
requiring several trips to the battlefield, reading tons of material,
interviewing several people, enhancing many photographs, rechecking
facts, and proofreading. Learn about the unique story behind this
Dunker Congregation, the Pulpit Bible that was taken from it and
then returned, the battle itself, the issue of slavery, and the
Emancipation Proclamation.
22 Mar MECHANICSBURG COB located in Pennsylvania Southern District is the
2002 latest congregation to partner with COB-NET. Youth Director Traci
Rabenstein did all the work herself. Please stop in and visit.
15 Mar ALPHA & OMEGA FAMILY LIFE CENTER is a ministry to the Hispanic
2002 Community in the Greater Lancaster County Area of south-central
Pennsylvania, sponsored jointly by the Atlantic Northeast District
and Alpha and Omega Church of the Brethren. This special ministry
reaches out to those caught in poverty, those suffering from
crippling social diseases, dysfunctional families, illiteracy and
substance abuse. Please consider helping us fulfill the mission
of Christ.
13 Mar Since the implimentation of the Tri-Commission plan in the 1960's,
2002 many smaller congregations have sought to design a leadership plan
more appropriate to their unique ministry needs.
BRANDTS CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN has restructured their leadership as
shared by Rick Hostetter, pastor of located in Pennsylvania Southern
District, and Thelma Stahl, member of Brandts and member of the
District Board.
19 Feb Because of the need to post secure information on the Internet, we
2002 developed an opportunity for you to post confidential information.
You can find our sample at PRIVATE INFORMATION. If you break through
our security, we'd like to know. If you need the right password, it's
nice#guy and it must be in lower case characters.
11 Jan VIRTUAL GREETING CARDS has been separated into six different web
2002 pages, instead of loading all those graphics on one page. This is
becoming one of our most popular offerings, and we want to make
it easier to use.
02 Jan "A Committed People: The Story of the West Green Tree Church of the
2002 Brethren" by Robert A. Hess is now available in the BOOKSTORE. This
is a place where Brethren authors and artists may advertise their
works - free of charge.
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28 Dec BUNKERTOWN CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN has been given a new header,
2001 removing picture of current building because construction of new
facilities will soon be completed. Entirely new navigation pad
has been added to the mainpage. Pictures of our members have also
been added to several pages.
12 Dec BRETHREN DISASTER RELIEF AUCTION, Lebanon, Pennsylvania, sponsored
2001 by Atlantic Northeast and Pennsylvania Southern Districts has been
completely redone, which also includes a complete schedule for next
years events.
27 Nov Please welcome Friendship COB to the world of online ministry. They are
2001 located in the Mid-Atlantic District.
04 Nov THE TOWER OF SILOAM by Frank Ramirez is a challenging treatment
2001 of the role of peacemaking in the aftermath of September 11. The
role of the Brethren peace witness is vital but Ramirez asks Brethren
to re-examine their understandings of peace, cast against the logic
for justice.
29 Oct BUNKERTOWN COB, home congregation of Web Administrator Ron Gordon,
2001 is building an entirely new facility and they are keeping an archive
of construction photos at www.freewebz.com/bunkertown/.
09 Oct Two more congregations, both from Michigan, have come on board
2001 with COB-NET. Please visit and extend greetings to HOPE COB
pastored by Doug Reichenbach and MARILLA COB pastored by Don and
Marie Willoughby.
30 Sep After years of doing free homepages for Brethren churches,
2001 districts, church camps, and agencies, it was time for this
Web Administrator to do a homepage for himself, and let you have
a brief glimpse into the life of RON & ANNIE GORDON.
21 Sep BRETHREN PEACE gets a new header with several textual revisions,
2001 plus a more distinctive graphical link to On Earth Peace Assembly.
13 Sep TRACING the SOURCE of "Q" by Frank Ramirez. This essay, to appear
2001 in Brethren Life and Thought, embarks on a rational examination of
the source information behind the mysterious biblical Q Document
which some would raise to Canonical status. Q is thought to be a
collection of the sayings of Jesus that writers Matthew and Luke
(but not Mark) may have used in their historical narratives.
30 Aug NEWS SECTION has been given a new look. Newsletters and calendar
2001 links are grouped under topical headings, in order to make them
easier to find.
05 Aug Our huge BRETHREN GLOSSARY has grown to the point where we decided
2001 it was time to break it down into 26 smaller pages, one for each
letter of the alphabet. This move was inevitable because we intend
to keep adding more entries to this popular online resource.
02 Aug New homepage at COB-NET. Please welcome PALMS ESTATES of Highlands
2001 County to the web. This retirement community is located in Florida
near the lake country south of Sebring.
30 Jul Download this 2001 ANNUAL CONFERENCE REPORT created in Power Point
2001 by Michael D. Martin of Phoenix First COB in the Pacific-Southwest
District. One hundred and twenty different slides explain Annual
Conference business, elections, and committee reports. Great for
presenting information to your local congregation.
17 Jul CAMP PEACEFUL PINES has just been completely revised by Pacific
2001 Southwest District>. Stop in and check out their information and
the possibility of your camper or group taking advantage of their
camping facilities.
12 Jul CONSULTATION 2000: STANDING COMMITTEE REPORT submitted by
2001 Pacific Southwest District. Six questions were given to Standing
Committee Representatives to gather input from congregations in
preparation for Consultation 2000 (July 12, 2000) which was held
in Standing Committee meetings with representatives of the five
Annual Conference agencies plus the Council of District Executives.
29 Jun L.O.V.E.3 by Linda K. Williams - Let's Overcome Violence Through
2001 Education, Empathy, and Empowerment. A Non-Exhaustive Annotated List
of Resources and Organizations, Compiled: Spring 2001 / Updated: 6-28-01.
Ms. Williams is a concerned mother, teacher, curriculum and song writer
activist, youth leader (San Diego First COB), and peace activist.
27 Jun We added several color-coded blocks of links to each COB-NET
2001 DISTRICT HOMEPAGE, so that you can link to other Districts,
other COB-NET resources, and many Denominational web sites. One
example is ATLANTIC SOUTHEAST.
25 Jun Bunkertown COB, McAlisterville, Pennsylvania has just broken
2001 ground for new facilities. Stop in the FAMILY CORNER and watch
the development of their new church buildings.
22 Jun A few new photographs have been added to OUTDOOR MINISTRIES
2001 ASSOCIATION showing scenes from Annual Conference and from the
1999 and 2000 Directors Retreats.
16 Jun New photographs have been added to MID-ATLANTIC RELIEF DISASTER
2001 AUCTION that offers a visual tour of the activities.
14 Jun Father's Day graphics have been added to SPIRITUAL CARDS.
2001
22 May A special welcome to ANE (Atlantic Northeast District) who has
2001 taken advantage of our free homepage offer. They designed and
created each web page themselves with only a little tweaking
from us.
13 May We welcome GLADE VALLEY COB and ROCK RUN COB to the growing list
2001 of congregations, districts, agencies, and ministries that have
chosen COB-NET to host their online presence.
13 May HELP was overdue for a major textual revision, so we changed the
2001 wording to better reflect our present capabilities, and included
a lot more information to help you better understand this ministry.
12 May HISTORY OF STONE BRIDGE COB for the benefit of other genealogists
2001 who may find an ancestral connection.
12 Apr Disaster Relief Auction of the Atlantic Northeast and Pennsylvania
2001 Southern Districts have just developed their Bulletin Insert to be
sent to all congregations, to naturally be inserted in a Sunday
Bulletin. They're getting ready for the Auction which is held the
4th Saturday of September.
11 Apr We welcome the GENESIS COB to the growing list of districts and
2001 congregations who have taken advantage of our free homepage offer
to distinctive Brethren agencies. All material was produced in house
and sent to us "web ready".
08 Apr Camp Emmanuel has completely redone their homepage to now include
2001 a complete 2001 schedule, ministry brochure, map and directions,
plus a registration form. Photos are also expected in the near future.
04 Apr In order to dispel any presumption that COB-NET has no sense of
2001 humor, creativity, or imagination, we have included the LAST PAGE
on the Internet so that you can stop surfing and spend some quality
time with the family.
29 Mar New articles have been added to the Inspirational section, and
2001 the general structure has been reconfigured for better navigation.
12 Feb A little cursor fun has been added to Other Links: Kids & Parents.
2001
24 Jan BRETHREN RETIREMENT COMMUNITIES has been updated to reflect the
2001 latest web and mailing addresses, phone and fax numbers, with
the addition of e-mail icons for direct messaging.
16 Jan ANNUAL CONFERENCE preliminarily updated for Baltimore 2001. We also
2001 resorted past web conferences so that the last one appears first
instead of last.
10 Jan Our SPIRITUAL GREETING CARD program has become so popular that we
2001 decided to create another virtual card opportunity with just Brethren
Symbols. Now you can send eCards with a distinctive Brethren touch.
01 Jan BIBLE QUIZ Update: Expert100 and Animal quizzes still remain
2001 unconquered. Many have tried, but no one has correctly answered
every question. The other quizzes have had all questions
successfully answered. Good effort!
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07 Nov BIBLE PUZZLES, GAMES, QUIZZES has been on our development board
2000 for quite a long time. We've put a lot of work into this project
because we wanted to offer something that would uniquely be fun,
spiritual, encouraging, biblically based, challenging, with a strong
emphasis on Christian education. Each section is comprised of four
parts: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, Expert. This permits both
enjoyment for the novice without the feeling of being overwhelmed,
plus a strong challenge to the expert without the feeling of boredom.
Test your abilities!
21 Oct DARTS is the latest addition to DEVOTIONAL ILLUSTRATIONS in our
2000 Inspirational section. Mary is a college student with a favorite
class, but totally unprepared for what she will learn this day.
02 Oct Following a recent Sunday morning journey to worship with the
2000 Germantown congregation, we decided to add some more photographs
and rewrite some of the text of BRETHREN IN AMERICA, particularly
an expansion of the section on Christopher Sauer and Son.
29 Sep We received a nice little surprise in the mail today. Church of the
2000 Brethren Network has been awarded a top site award by ChristSites, a
service that maintains a rich database of online Christian information
and web resources for pastors, congregations, and families. For these
many years, we have deferred submitting our web site to rating firms
because of the obvious presumption of self-promotion. This was a nice
surprise.
22 Sep INDIANA SOUTH-CENTRAL DISTRICT has furnished a photograph of their
2000 new office. They have also updated a lot of their congregational
information (pastors, e-mail, interims, mergers).
21 Sep OUTDOOR MINISTRIES ASSOCIATION receives a map of the United States
2000 showing the location of each Brethren camp, plus the functionality
of linking to a graphic map showing directions to most camps. These
maps were supplied by OMA Coordinator Mike Neff of Camp Ithiel.
02 Sep MYSTERY PHOTO section has been added to our are Genealogy section
2000 for people who have a photo and hope that one of our visitors may
be able to identify all or some parts of their photograph.
25 Aug VIRTUAL GREETING CARDS are now available from COB-NET. We have been
2000 working for several months to put together a very Spiritual and
distinctively Brethren opportunity for you, to e-mail your thoughts
and emotions with appropriately corresponding graphics.
12 Aug COUNCIL OF DISTRICT EXECUTIVES - CODE is the latest Brethren
2000 agency to establish their web presence at COB-NET. Here you will
find ample information about Districts, their staff, phone numbers,
and e-mail addresses. These web pages were developed and will be
maintained by District Executive \ Minister Herman Kauffman of
Indiana Northern District.
11 Aug PINEY CREEK COB has just established their homepage with COB-NET.
2000 Two sisters worked on this web site project and did a splendid job
of interpreting the ministry program of their congregation.
10 Aug Communion Bread has been submitted to the BRETHREN COOKBOOK by
2000 Dianne Gleim Bowders of Madison Aveune COB in PA Southern District.
Thanks! A historical and traditional food such as this really should
be a part of our growing online cookbook.
08 Aug THE PALMS retirement community of Sebring, Florida has
2000 established their web presence here at COB-NET. Stop in and
visit their programs and facilities. Also take the time to
review our growing list of online Retirement Communities.
30 Jul More questions have been added to the VOTING BOOTH (2nd section).
2000 Please stop in and register your opinion.
29 Jul ANNUAL CONFERENCE has been updated with several photos and
2000 information about the Kansas City experience.
14 Jul MAIN DOCUMENT has been given a significant redesign to enable faster
2000 loading of a smaller page and offer greater accessibility to more
areas of our web site. This has been the culmination of a lot of
planning, mostly due to your comments. Thank you for telling us what
you want to see.
14 Jun We have been surprised how popular our BRETHREN WEB DIRECTORY has
2000 become in the relatively short time that it has been online. More
and more congregations, ministries, and homepages are linking to it,
so we decided to give it some quick "functional" polish. We divided
the entire list into alphabetical sections with a link bar to all
other sections. Now, a "last update" key appears just after the
legend. Thank you for this enthusiastic response!
12 Jun BRETHREN COMMUNITY MINISTRIES is a part of the family of Brethren
2000 ministries in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, which also include Brethren
Housing Association and First Church of the Brethren. They have been
serving the Allison Hill neighborhood of Harrisburg since 1896.
05 Jun OTHER: EDUCATION has been updated with a topical page index, to
2000 speed your locating particular sections. This resource has been
steadily growing in popularity and we decided to hopefully make
it a little easier.
30 May Please extend good wishes to Central COB in Roanoke, Virgina.
2000 Judy Wilson designed their homepage and Tom Bryant is the pastor.
27 May LINDA WILLIAMS has been an active member of the San Diego 1st
2000 Church of the Brethren since childhood and has been writing
songs since 1981. Linda has written more than 100 songs, which
inspire and uplift, encourage and empower, comfort and challenge.
19 May WEB DIRECTORY is a listing of frequenty used Brethren web addresses
2000 that includes congregations, districts, church camps, agencies,
ministries, colleges, discussion possibilities, retirement homes,
and personal homepages. Think of it as a Site Map for the Church of
the Brethren.
15 May RISKS OF PLANTING NEW CHURCHES by Rev. David McKellip presents a
2000 heads-up look at the risks and joys of expanding the body of Christ
through new church planting. In this frank examination of church
building McKellip bares his heart, expressing his vision to reach
the unchurched, and carefully itemizes the possible reasons why many
new church starts fail. McKellip calls for dedication and particular
awareness of these pitfalls.
18 Apr Our Document Bin continues to grow. WHAT'S IN A NAME? by Donald
2000 Monroe details the advantages of changing the Church of the Brethren
denominational label. This straight forward treatment carefully
examines the many ramifications that will inevitably follow any name
change. Monroe also takes a look at the term Anabaptist in light of
the modern era.
15 Apr Another district has taken advantage of our free homepage offer
2000 to districts, congregations, camps, and distinctive Brethren agencies.
OHIO NORTHERN has done all of their own web pages and graphics. A few
areas are still under construction but they will soon be finished.
04 Apr Several more photographs have been added to our SHOWCASE of
2000 congregational facitlites. Take the opportunity to view
Eaton COB, Huntsdale COB, Everett COB, and Syracuse COB.
01 Apr Our SERMON DATABASE keeps growing. Rev. Pete Haynes, pastor of
2000 the Long Green Valley COB in Glen Arm, Maryland, has just provided
us with a link to his archive of sermons. If you are looking for
inspirational material, stop in and read sermons from numerous
congregations, sermons from Annual Conference, plus additional
devotionals.
06 Mar Angela Holsinger has just submitted a favorite story about
2000 attending a Brethren CHURCH CAMP. Take the opportunity to read all
about her experience and the friends that she became acquainted
with at Camp Blue Diamond in Pennsylvania Middle District.
24 Feb Links to COB-NET are increasing everywhere we look and many
2000 people are using various kinds of graphic art as their link icon.
We decided to create a collection of specially designed COB-NET
logos so that homepage coordinators can spruce up their web pages
with some nice domain oriented graphical based links.
15 Feb BULLETIN BOARD and PRAYER LIST have been completely redesigned.
2000 We are gradually implimenting a policy of greater interactivity,
to hopefully give our membership greater utilization of our
resources without a constant need for information to first pass
by the site administrator. Members can now post announcements,
URLs, and prayer requests at their own convenience.
12 Feb IT'S MY PRIVILEGE by Beth Miller is the latest article that has
2000 been submitted to our growing online collection of Brethren
literature exclusively written for COB-NET. Beth is a member of
the Waynesboro Church of the Brethren, in Waynesboro, Pennsylvania,
where she serves as Sunday School teacher, Study and Special
Interest Chair, and Church Renewal Team Member. She serves the
Southern PA District as a Young Adult Coordinator.
27 Jan CREEDS AND THE CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN is a recent addition by
2000 Frank Ramirez to our growing collection of denominationally
oriented writings. Ramirez deftly explains the basic reasons
why Brethren have historically resisted the confinement of a
creed, the inherent problems of creedalism, and effectually
challenges the reader to define their own belief system.
26 Jan SECURING of your text document is being offered through COB-NET,
2000 so that you can share private information with other parties
without the fear of that information being seen by the general
public. Information such as personal names, tele/cell-phone
numbers, e-mail addresses, or U.S. postal mailing addresses.
This free opportunity is available to any distinctively Brethren
organization (district, church, camp, agency). Please review the
instructions, expectations, and limitations that will be found
through the above link.
21 Jan Counters have just taken on a new look. Although web page counters
2000 have been offered to our homepage coordinators for several years,
we have recently gave them new functionality. There are now many
different types, sizes, colors, and styles from which to choose.
12 Jan Redirection services are available to give you a Domain, thus
2000 shortening a long web address, and still allow you to take
advantage of COB-NET's free homepage offer to congregations,
districts, church camps, and distinctively Brethren agencies.
Take a look at our Homepage Template.
02 Jan Send an e-mail to help@COB-NET.org to get an Auto-Response that
2000 will show you the many different ways to find something among
the hundreds of documents on our web site. Tell your friends
about this unattended service that works 24/7/365. It doesn't
require anything in the subject line or the message body. Just
hit the send button. This can also be handy if you're testing
a new e-mail program and need a quick message from someone.
________________________________________________
07 Dec Voting Booth is an opportunity to voice your opinions through a
1999 series of online polls that are geared especially toward the
Church of the Brethren experience. Look over the following list
and register your opinions. You can even view the statistics of
any poll without voting, by just clicking on the View buttons.
03 Dec We extend a welcome to Outdoor Ministries Association for
1999 establishing their homepage with COB-NET. Learn more about their
educational ministry to Brethren camps.
02 Dec Shiloh COB is the latest congregation to "go online" with a free
1999 homepage offer through COB-NET. All work was done in-house by
Daniel Clayton. Stop in and visit.
24 Nov SHOWCASE has received new photos from these congregations:
1999 Franklin Grove, Goshen City, Greenville, Middlebury,
Montezuma, Peters Creek, and Potsdam.
07 Nov Bunkertown COB has approved plans for a new church building.
1999 Follow their progress at either Bunkertown News or the Family
Corner.
06 Nov Introductory remarks, commentary, revisions, and links to major
1999 sections of the document have been added to 19TH CENTURY.
New sections have also been inserted.
02 Nov Our committment to quality information and a professional
1999 apprearance continues as we have added a photographic display of
facilities to BRETHREN HOME. A few of the URLs have changed
recently, so please stop in and look over the new format.
29 Oct COB-NET main page gets a new face lift. Internal tags have been
1999 streamlined and a few graphics deleted in order to make things
load more quickly.
22 Oct Introductory remarks, commentary, revisions, and links to major
1999 sections of the document have been added to BRETHREN IN AMERICA.
16 Oct Introductory remarks, commentary, revisions, and links to major
1999 sections of the document have been added to EUROPEAN ORIGINS.
12 Oct Peace Pole entry to the BRETHREN GLOSSARY.
1999
11 Sep NAPERVILLE COB has just "gone online" by utilizing COB-NET's
1999 free homepage offer to all Brethren agencies, churches, districts,
and camps. All work was done in-house and sent to us completely
"web ready." Stop in and say hello. They are located in the
ILLINOIS WISCONSIN DISTRICT.
03 Sep The online BRETHREN COOKBOOK has been given a cosmetic alteration,
1999 plus there are a few more recipes that we have just received from
Dick & Linda Ott of Mountville COB. Please stop in and check out:
"Oven Fried Chicken" and "German Potato Salad."
22 Aug BETHANY THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY receives a few new photographs of
1999 the Richmond campus plus a new graphic header.
16 Aug ANNUAL CONFERENCE updated to reflect approved business for 1999.
1999 Includes sermons for each conference.
10 Aug HONORS TO ALEXANDER MACK is a newly written article about the
1999 founder of the Brethren, written especially for COB-NET by
noted author William G. Willoughby. He is also the author of
"Counting The Cost" and "Beliefs of the Early Brethren." Unlike
these two excellent works that have become treasures to fellow
Brethren readers, "Honors" tells the story of Mack to the
non-Brethren web visitor from the global community. It is written
with a gentle sensitivity to the modern audience that wants a
hero, and explains why the beliefs of Alexander Mack fills that
need. We especially want to thank Mr. Willoughby for donating
his time and literary talents, to help COB-NET tell the Brethren
story through this evolving online technology of web communication.
08 Aug Homepage coordinators - want to add a little functional spice
1999 to otherwise generic homepages? Take a look at the new Java
section of our HOMEPAGE TEMPLATE and discover the latest applets
and scripts that we can add to your homepage.
20 Jun The congregation at BUNKERTOWN COB has begun to energize their
1999 building program which had been stalled for numerous reasons.
Land has been acquired, including permits for sewage treatment.
In the not so distant future, ground will be broken and
construction initialized. Share their excitement as they begin
their journey, and photographically watch their progress in the
Family Corner.
15 Jun After last year's shootings in his hometown of Jonesboro, Ark.,
1999 retired Lt. Col. David Grossman didn't know when or where the
next shooting incident of school violence would occur, but he
says he predicted it would involve more than just guns. This
submission from PRINCE OF PEACE COB can also be accessed from
Brethren Resources.
12 Jun An online Greeting Card section has been added to OTHER LINKS:
1999 PERSONAL. Some vendors allow you to attach the card to your own
e-mail, and others maintain the card but give you a URL.
11 Jun DISTRICT MAPS have been created or updated. For example, in the
1999 district of Atlantic-Northeast a small map of the district has
been created which links to the larger newly refurbished district
map. Additionally, we have embellished each blue COB logo with the
words Church of the Brethren.
08 Jun A brief history of the expansion project at Snow Hill has been
1999 added to EPHRATA CLOISTER.
01 Jun We have a new SEARCH ENGINE that promises to deliver more
1999 information from more documents. It is a full text search of
complete documents for keywords that you enter. To give it a
good test, we embedded the word padunklesheim in the normal
text of a document and this new engine found just that word
in the correct document. See if you too can find this goofy word.
30 May BASIC AGREEMENT by Carl Harter attempts to unravel the often
1999 complicated relationship between early Brethren leaders and the
enigmatic personage of Conrad Beissel, who severed all ties with
them and founded his own faith experiment at Ephrata Cloister.
Harter explores their common understandings and tries to establish
probable responses for several anticipated questions.
27 May STATISTICS have been posted for the month of April 1999. Sorry
1999 for being a little late. We have been so busy trying to acquaint
ourselves with all the new whistles and bells that came with the
move to our new Internet Service Provider (ISP) that we have
fallen slightly behind in performing our many regular duties.
Speaking of log files, our new ISP will give us access logs on
a weekly basis.
26 May REAL AUDIO has come to COB-NET. It's an advanced streaming
1999 technology that permits audio and video to be transferred in
real-time over the Internet in a constant 'stream' of
uninterrupted transmission, instead of the prior necessity
of a browser downloading a complete file before the message or
music begins. Now you can hear rich stereo quality music or live
digital broadcasts through the Church of the Brethren Network.
15 May WILL THERE BE BRETHREN IN THE NEXT CENTURY? by Galen Miller, offers
1999 an interesting challenge for members of our denomination, if they
want to survive into the next century with a message that remains
cogent for the times.
12 May CHAT has arrived at COB-NET. If you are one of those individuals
1999 who like the opportunity of immediate response in conversation
with other Brethren, then here is your chance to meet, talk and
make friends.
Java must be enabled in your browser, and there is currently a
twenty person limit to guarantee plenty of bandwidth. Enter your
name, plus a quick 1-3 word profile about yourself, and then click
on the "Chat" button. This chatroom will not be heavily publicized
in order to permit more internal denominational conversation.
30 Apr CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN NETWORK has moved to a much larger and more
1999 professional Internet Service Provider, that is offering us greater
flexibility and more technology to play with. The change was
inevitable as more and more people want to become involved in this
ministry. As soon as the dust settles and Internic has our new IP
address distributed to all local providers (couple of days), we
shall be unveiling some new and very exciting opportunities for
the COB.
For the time being, our IP address will appear in the URL location
window for some people. Don't panic and change all your bookmarks
and web pages. Shortly you will see www.COB-NET.org replace all of
those numbers. Thank you for your patience and continued trust in
us to provide your online ministry needs.
19 Apr Church of the Brethren responds to the NATO military bombing action
1999 concerning Kosovo, and the wanton killing of innocent students at
the Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado.
27 Mar OHIO SOUTHERN DISTRICT has just established their homepage with
1999 us. It was designed and submitted by Bruce Rosenberger. Stop in and
visit. Take a look at the staff.
- & -
CAMP EDER has also leaped onto the web. It is still under
construction, but they have posted the entire 1999 schedule. Eder
is located in PA Southern District.
14 Mar Links to news from Brethren agencies, congregations, and districts
1999 has been added to our News Section. From this one document, you
may look at Brethren online newsletters, calendars, and special
announcements.
01 Mar It's not finished, but we decided to let you have the benefit of
1999 using our BRETHREN GLOSSARY, even though we still have a lot of
articles and graphics to include. Since culture and terminology
is constantly changing, we may never be finished.
26 Feb We have just started a BRETHREN COOKBOOK of favorite recipes from
1999 our members. If you have a special Brethren dish that you would
like to share with us, please send it in.
20 Feb YORK FIRST COB has completely revampted their web presence, by
1999 breaking their very large homepage down into smaller more easily
accessible documents. Web coordinator Larry Gibble presented
their expectations and rough drafts, while Keith Hollenberg,
Pastor of Special Ministries did all his own pages. All graphics
were done by COB-NET. Stop in and take a look.
19 Feb BROWSER TEST has been reconfigured to be more version friendly,
1998 plus a heavy dose of cosmetic alteration.
10 Feb WHICH MINISTRY has received a graphical reconfiguration along with
1999 some brief textual changes.
09 Feb We just ran the numbers on our WEB STATS for the month of
1999 January. Once again, we are both humbled and surprised at the
steady increase of traffic that is occurring, almost day by day.
We are unable to fully express our thanks to each one of you who
have encouraged us to continue with this ministry. Your many
suggestions have been wonderful. Thank you again.
02 Feb CAMP ITHIEL is the latest church camp to go online with COB-NET.
1999 They are located just twelve miles west of Orlando, Florida, in
our Atlantic Southeast District. Camp directors, the only thing
that is between you and a free homepage is an e-mail.
02 Feb BRETHREN LIFE series has just received a fresh new set of articles
1999 on the various roads and pathways that Brethren used when moving
west. This should be of particular interest to Brethren historians
and genealogists.
01 Feb BETHANY THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY receives a new header, better maps,
1999 some graphical enhancements, plus a substantial history of Bethany
and ministry in the Church of the Brethren.
28 Jan BRETHREN CARD receives a few graphical enhancements, along with
1999 some brief commentary.
24 Jan PLEASANT VIEW COB is the latest congregation to be hosted by
1999 COB-NET. They are located near Fayetteville, West Virginia, in
the VIRLINA District.
22 Jan I LOVE COB has just received another inspiring testimony of how
1999 the Church of the Brethren has impacted some one's life. Please
read and sense the enthusiasm of Randall Westfall.
19 Jan Three more church photos have been added to our growing SHOWCASE
1999 of congregational facilities: East Chippewa, Mount Airy, and Peak
Creek. Take the opportunity to also look at all the other church
photos in our collection.
15 Jan EARLY BRETHREN LIFE receives new material from Church of the
1999 Brethren historian Merle Rummell. Frontier life has been updated
with new stories and there is a new addition of a Brethren Journal.
07 Jan OSCEOLA COB is the latest congregation to take advantage of our
1999 free homepage offer. Everything was done by local member Robert
McCaslin, who then forward his material to COB-NET. Visit all
homepages at CHURCH/DISTRICT.
02 Jan We have started a gradual process of changing our .TXT documents
1999 into the .HTM format, in order to include more resources such as
additional links and graphics. Although .txt's load faster, they
are informational dead end's. We hope this tradeoff of slightly
longer loading times will be joyfully offset by the opportunity of
linking to more in depth web sites and the inclusion of graphics.
Please bear with us throughout this process.
________________________________________________
23 Dec More "spiritual signs" added to our SITE MAP. This is our playful
1998 section of road signs matched with corresponding Bible verses.
Road signs we'd like to see just once!
19 Dec Another list server has been added to DISCUSSION GROUPS, plus a
1998 reconfigured format with more instructions to allow much easier
subscribing to any of the lists.
18 Dec CAMP COLORADO has just posted their 1999 Work Camp that will
1998 take place in May 28-31.
08 Dec INSPIRATION receives some new articles and several updates to
1998 previous ones.
06 Dec WEB STATISTICS will be run on a monthly basis, starting with the
1998 complete picture of November, 1998. Thank you once again for making
our numbers climb. Requests for information from and through the
Church of the Brethren Network continues to rise, and we thank God
for allowing this ministry the opportunity to serve your online
interests. This past month witnessed the setting of another record:
5,750 distinct host requests over this thirty day period. That's 191
new hosts per day. We glorify and praise the Lord, for His goodness
is everlasting.
26 Nov The FAMILY CORNER gets a new header with some additional cosmetic
1998 modifications. Also just added are pictures from the Live Nativity
which Fraternity COB puts on each year at Christmas
21 Nov A few cosmetic additions have been added, such as a photo of
1998 Joseph Detrick, the new District Executive of PA SOUTHERN DISTRICT
plus drop-cap "puzzle" letters have been added to each
denominational entry in BRETHREN GROUPS.
17 Nov I LOVE COB has received another submission from Rhonda Phillips
1998 of the Brummetts Creek COB in Southeastern District.
07 Nov BRETHREN IN AMERICA receives a few editing improvements, plus
1998 a new section on the Amwell COB and it's association with early
Brethren leader John Naas.
04 Nov We have just received another pictorial update on the McBride
1998 Triplets, and you may view them in the FAMILY CORNER. Do you have
some interesting pictures that you would like to share with this
online community, just follow the instructions at the top of the
Family web page, and send them in.
03 Nov BUNKERTOWN COB has just changed their homepage into a multi-page
1998 format. They have also just begun a new facilities program to
build a new structure at another location. Stop in and keep tabs
on their development. Check out the progress of all congregations
at DISTRICTS / CHURCHES.
20 Oct Camp trustee Lynn Clannin has just updated the homepages for COLORADO
1998 and MT. HERMON. Stop in and take a look at what he's done. Each of
our Brethren camp directors are invited to submit information for
their homepages as per our offer on the Homepage Template.
09 Oct A "Listening" section has been added to OTHER LINKS: Music so that
1998 you can enjoy your favorite hymns as you work near your computer.
All files are in the .midi format, and more will be added to this
collection in the future.
30 Sep We have changed our web statistical reporting package to Analog.
1998 This allows us much greater opportunity to customize the reports
- and it's free. Take a look at our Report for the past two weeks.
Although it is currently missing last Saturday, it should still
give you a good idea of what people are looking at on COB-NET, and
where they are coming from. Qatar??? Someone in the nation of Qatar
has visited the Church of the Brethren Network?
17 Sep It has been suggested that the "prayer concern" section of our
1998 BULLETIN BOARD may not be the most appropriate setting for members
to pray for someone's need. So, we have restructured PRAYER to be
more spiritually and visually conducive to the praying visitor.
Interactivity has also been included for members who would like to
submit their prayerful thoughts.
04 Sep HELP is finally here! We have created this document to assist your
1998 understanding of the how's and why's of COB-NET. It offers detailed
explanation and interpretation of what's going on behind the scenes.
We hope that it will lead to your greater utilization of the growing
number of resources that Church of the Brethren members offer through
us. Just one more example of our committment to be flexible and open
to our many visitors.
21 Aug INDIANA NORTHERN DISTRICT has a new look! - Check-out the new
1998 pages at Indiana Northern. We have separate pages for listing our
district calendar, resources, conference, and board information.
There is also an up-to-date list of our congregations and mailing
addresses. Links are provided for congregations that have web sites
or e-mail availability. All information and page formatting done by
District Executive Herman Kauffman.
17 Aug You suggested that we should also rotate the MISSION Statements,
1998 just as we do the SHOWCASE photographs of each congregation or
district. They are now displayed right above the district map in
the Church directory.
11 Aug SITE MAP has been given a complete face lift. We gave it a road
1998 map theme, and will continue to add things in the future that
play on this motif. There is even a section to tell you about
things that are under construction here at COB-NET.
05 Aug EARLY BRETHREN LIFE receives another excerpt from books written
1998 by Church of the Brethren historian Merle C. Rummel. In this new
addition entitled "Brethren Frontiers," Merle describes frontier
life for the Brethren.
29 Jul Organizational flow chart of the five main denominational groups
1998 tracing their origin to the Schwarzenau Baptists has been added
to BRETHREN GROUPS.
21 Jul Clarence Jordan's Cotton Patch Version has been added to COMPARING
1998 TRANSLATIONS, along with a new section on Theme versions under
Equivalence & Paraphrase.
17 Jul ANNUAL CONFERENCE gets a new header, plus a slightly different
1998 format now that the General Board will be doing conference web
pages each year. This resource will concentrate on cataloging a
brief history of the yearly experience, as well as explain the
process of how denominational business arrives at the conference
from the districts and congregations.
16 Jul More photographs, descriptions, web resources, and commentary for
1998 the EPHRATA CLOISTER.
09 Jul 1998 Annual Conference sermons have been added to the INSPIRATION
1998 section.
08 Jul 19TH CENTURY receives a new section explaining the need for higher
1998 education among the Brethren, and the subsequent development of
Brethren affiliated colleges.
26 Jun I LOVE COB has just received another submission. The contributor
1998 grew up in the Church of the Brethren, and is now pastoring with
the Ashland Brethren. This is an appropriate moment to clarify that
this section is open for everyone who wants to express their love
for the COB, whether they are presently a member or not.
19 Jun TIMELINE is one of our more ambitious projects in recent months.
1998 This chronological list is intended to give the visitor a quick
overview of the more significant events that have influenced the
Church of the Brethren. Historical markers are included to help
frame the development of the Brethren, in relation to other world
happenings. Timeline can be accessed from most of our six web
directories.
17 Jun EARLY BRETHREN LIFE is a series of excerpts from books written by
1998 Church of the Brethren historian Merle C. Rummel. We appreciate
his willingness to globally share his rich insights into the way
that early Brethren lived. You will regularly find this series in
the Folders directory.
16 Jun I LOVE COB has just received a submission. It is refreshing to
1998 hear someone affirm the goodness of their denomination, their
experience in partnership with others, and explain how their
ministry team offers leadership, guidance, and comfort.
15 Jun NIGERIA 1999 workcamp homepage has been updated for the 14th
1998 Annual Workcamp in Nigeria, January 16 to February 15, 1999.
Jeff Mummau coordinates these excursions: "To provide an
opportunity to live and work together in Nigeria with Christians
from the Church of the Brethren, Ekklesiyar Yan'uwa a Nigeria,
and the Basel Mission in Europe."
11 Jun PACIFIC SOUTHWEST DISTRICT is getting ready for their district
1998 conference this fall with registration forms, hotel information,
conference logos, and volunteer information -- all online. Most
of the credit goes to Administrative Assistant Joe Vecchio, who
did all the HTML work and then forwarded each document to COB-NET
by e-mail. Technology will generate enthusiasm for the conference
and save a little money with less forms needing to be printed.
COB-NET welcomes all districts to establish and develop their
online presence with us.
10 Jun A file description table has been added to the SITE MAP to
1998 give an overview of the number of files, and the type of
files at COB-NET.
29 Mat The latest WEB SITE STATISTICAL REPORT from our service
1998 provider indicates that COB-NET has achieved still another
record number of visitors. Our access logs show over 160,000
site hits, 23,000+ page views, and 7000+ users sessions for
the month of April. Thank you and God bless each of you for
your continued support of our ministry. Your love and prayers
are the reason for our success, and we deeply appreciate the
many notes of support and thanks.
25 May EPHRATA CLOISTER gets a new header, some new photographs,
1998 travel directions, and updated text from a recent pleasure
trip to the area.
23 May Thomas Liby, president of the Fellowship of Brethren
1998 Genealogists and their homepage coordinator, has just added a
congregation list by denomination to the CEMETERY document.
Working in cooperation the Brethren Encyclopedia committee,
this new addition will assist genealogists who are looking for
Brethren congregations with cemeteries.
20 May Graphic enhancements have been given to: DISCUSSION GROUPS,
1998 COB-L / COB-YYA, Brethren Genealogy, Church Camps, and Brethren
Retirement Communities. We are committed to making our web site
look attractive for visitors, and providing a wide range of
information about the Church of the Brethren.
17 May Ever been curious about the e-mail that we receive. Some
1998 of the more general, open context messages we have put in
a new collection that we call the "MAIL BAG." Open it up and
discover a small sample of what we have been reading for
the past two years.
14 May More online encyclopedia collections and multiple topic
1998 dictionaries added to our COLLEGE REFERENCE. If you need
access to quick information without spending a fortune on
books and CD's, this is your free online reference area.
07 May TUCSON COB is the latest congregation to go online with a
1998 free homepage through COB-NET. Web coordinator Andy Branagh
supervised the transfer of information and post-upload
modifications. Following a desert theme for the state of
Arizona, we gave them a 'wild west' font masthead with a
matching COB logo in matching wood design. Stop in and visit
all of the online congregations in our Church/District list.
+ + +
Brethren web information from OTHER LINKS: Brethren, has also
been incorporated in the Brethren Bibliography under the
sub-heading of World Wide Web.
02 May The opening document of COB-NET gets a major graphic revision,
1998 with the elimination of several icons that linked to other pages
that can just as easily be reached from the "Quick Link Menu" or
the Site Map.
01 May The McBride triplets are growing and they have an updated photo
1998 in the FAMILY CORNER.
01 May Access logs are provided by Internet Service Providers for their
1998 clients to better understand visitor traffic on their web site.
We are pleased to be able to offer you the opportunity of view a
recent statistical report.
28 Apr Welcome two more church camps that have established homepages at
1998 COB-NET with coordination through Joe Vecchio of Pacific Southwest
district: CAMP LAVERNE and CAMP ARIZONA. Visit all the online
camping ministries at Church Camp.
22 Apr The section on PIETISM has been extracted from our document
1998 "European Origin of the Church of the Brethren," to allow
both researchers and the curious the opportunity to more
quickly gain an understanding of this 17th century German
religious movement.
16 Apr Constructing your own COB homepage and need a COB oriented
1998 background? Look at our newest creations in the LOGO section.
We have several different versions, and they are free for the
taking. We'll keep rotating the colors. Tell your friends
where you got them.
11 Apr PRAYER and meditation strengthens us internally to become more
1998 externally effective Christians. For many people, a waterfall or
rippling brook seems to hold our attention. Some water displays
are so peaceful and soothing that we could gaze on them for hours.
These two qualities, the need for prayer and the movement of water
have been set to music in our Lord's Prayer. Come away from the
rush of the world and enter the inner world of prayer and quietude.
08 Apr We are dedicated to maintaining an efficient web site that offers
1998 the most graphically pleasing amount of Brethren oriented material,
harmoniously displayed through the latest web technological
innovations. In order to better understand your online needs, and
your present evaluation of the current site, we have produced a
SURVEY FORM which allows you to both address our key questions
and to further explain your own considerations. Thank you for
taking the time to help us.
02 Apr We welcome the FELLOWSHIP OF BRETHREN GENEALOGISTS to COB-NET.
1998 Established in 1966, this organization attempts to foster
communication among persons tracing the same Brethren ancestral
lines, encourage research in Brethren genealogy, and work towards
the preservation of materials relating to the history and
genealogy of Brethren families.
25 Mar We have added district camp homepages to our CAMP MINISTRY
1998 section, to allow each camp administrator the opportunity to
display information that would enhance the communication of
their program to the larger denominational body. Three camps
have already taken our free offer: Colorado, Mt.Hermon, and
Shepherd's Spring. Additionally, there is a new photo section
for displaying camp activities. Look at the pictures that Camp
Colorado has sent in.
24 Mar PLAN OF REDEMPTION receives a new water-color header which
1998 highlights His trial, and hopefully delivers an impact of the
mercy and grace of His death for us.
23 Mar Web developers--need a distinctive COB LOGO for your homepage
1998 to quickly identify your site with the Church of the Brethren?
Look at our new creations of our denominational logo. You are
free to 'borrow' them from us to enhance your own work. Happy
to serve your online graphic needs through COB-NET.
17 Mar SHEPHERD'S SPRING is the latest Brethren church camp to go online
1998 with COB-NET. Please look at our Church Camp directory to become
familiar with locations, facilities, programs, and rates of those
camps which offer such homepage information.
15 Mar FRATERNITY COB in Virlina District is the latest congregation to
1998 go online with COB-NET. We have also created a lot of COB logos
in our Template section. If you already have a church homepage
with another provider but need a denominational logo to make that
immediate correlation with the Church of the Brethren, go ahead
and 'borrow' our creations.
14 Mar CHURCH CAMP receives a new header with several vignettes of campers
1998 enjoying life in the wild. A very special thanks to Joe Vecchio,
administrative assistant of Pacific Southwest District for loaning
the photographs. Visit each of our online camps, and explore the
possibility of attending one in your part of the country.
07 Mar COB-NET LOGO now appears on the main directory pages, to help you
1998 get to our search engine more intuitively. It will be appearing on
other documents in the near future, to remind you that most of the
information on COB-NET is just one click away.
02 Mar PINE GLEN COB in PA Middle District is the latest congregation to
1998 go online with COB-NET. Especially challenging was the exterior
church photo which had three very black electrical lines cris-
crossing the picture. We digitally removed each line, pixel by
pixel. Now that our friends at Elgin have a General Board page up
and running, we are scaling down our GB document, and duplicated
the Redesign & Steering Committee findings to the Information
Center to also permit easier access.
23 Feb Pacific Southwest District Administrative Assistant, Joe Vecchio
1998 has created an especially informative, color-coded District
CALENDAR which lists, through the year 2001, the numerous
activities of: the various agencies of the District, local
congregations, and the General Board.
21 Feb Irene Bittinger is 93 years old, living at Hillcrest Brethren
1998 Homes in the assisted living section. She received her first
computer about 6 months ago, and has been working on these
stories from her many years abroad in Brethren work. Her sons
and grandson have posted them on the web, and you may read them
in our INSPIRATION section.
17 Feb Rotational SHOWCASE of our congregational facilities has become
1998 very popular, with a desire to look at each church building
without the necessity of downloading the entire homepage. We
have given you what you have asked for, with the option of surfing
to church homepages, if you desire.
29 Jan More devotionals added to INSPIRATION, and a new section
1998 detailing the history of the Hutterite Brethren & The Bruderhof
added to BRETHREN GROUPS.
26 Jan BRETHREN CARD has been restructured to facilitate scriptural
1998 access while reading. A very neat suggestion from one of our
members who noted how much easier it would be if each scriptural
reference could also be a link to display that verse.
18 Jan We introduce a new resource of INSPIRATION through sermons,
1998 illustrations, and lectures. These include sermons archived
from Annual Conference for the past two years, and the beginning
of an opportunity to enjoy sermons from the pastors of our local
congregations.
13 Jan Our BIBLIOGRAPHY has been updated to include more Brethren literature,
1998 videos, and other Anabaptist works. This resource was unfortunately
neglected due to many other projects, and most entries had been
submitted by e-mail. We have given it a new look and hopefully new
life. If you know of a Brethren related work that should be included,
please forward the necessary information to create a suitable entry.
10 Jan The CHURCH-DISTRICT homepage list has been restructured to increase
1998 direct access to each district. More churches are going online, and
the list keeps growing, which has created an unfair waiting period
for districts who are alphabetically near the end of the list.
Districts have now been given their own homepage, which they may
further customize as they wish. The district map has been moved from
its separate page to the main list, next to the 'quick e-mail' table.
06 Jan The BROWSER Test has been updated to give each visitor an
1998 opportunity to compare their browser's functionality with every
HTML operative to be found on COB-NET. The first section also
gives JavaScript reading browsers a detailed breakdown of their
operating system, browser capabilities, and each installed plugin.
MS IExplorer has difficulty reading JavaScript, and the newly
released version 4 will only sense the first four detection lines.
02 Jan There is now a new section in OTHER LINKS: especially for
1997 KIDS AND FAMILIES. Here you will find links to other web sites
that endeavor to strengthen the family through interaction.
Please look over these opportunities and see how you can build a
stronger family.
PACIFIC SOUTHWEST DISTRICT has also updated their congregational
list, with complete street addresses, phone, fax, and e-mail
information.
________________________________________________
30 Dec Sheri Jackson of LIVING STONE COB has a personal homepage, and
1997 you can view it and other COB members at OTHER LINKS: 'Brethren
Affiliated' in the Personal Homepage section.
29 Dec The buff colored 'Quick Link' pad on the main opening document
1997 has been replaced with a pull-down, automatic link menu window.
It has scrollable bars to locate the document of your choice,
and only a single click will launch you to the area of your
interest. It took a little bit of programming, but we hope that
it will be quicker for you and streamline the appearance of our
opening document.
26 Dec COMPARING TRANSLATIONS given a framed structure to allow near
1997 instant, and simultaneous reference to footnotes and the
extensive online bibliography; without distrubing the main body
of the document. The original Non-Frames still exists for those
who still have browsers lacking the capability of sensing and
navigating frames.
21 Dec Brethren Genealogy & History continues to grow with submissions
1997 and general information from the membership. To speed up loading
time, this huge file has now been separated into five smaller
documents.
13 Dec Several new Internet Search Engine links have been added to
1997 OTHER LINKS: Information.
12 Dec Appearance of the opening document of COB-NET receives a
1997 significant facelift, to more closely reflect the needs of our
frequent members. E-mail reveals that you want to get at the
"Updates & Bulletin Board" first, handy Directory link pads,
fewer icons, condensing of material, and a search engine. We
hope each of these concerns have been satisfied in our new look.
Thanks to everyone for their kind suggestions.
06 Dec Pennsylvania Southern District goes online, first of the
1997 twenty-three COB Districts to have a web site. Affectionately
known as SOPA, the District homepage was designed by Larry
Gibble of York First COB, who also compiled the information
and presented it to COB-NET for graphic enhancement. The material
was placed online in August 1997, and limited for District wide
inspection. Rev. Donald Myers, Interim District Executive greets
each visitor with a welcome message, inviting everyone to meet
the District personnel, staff, and Commission members, and learn
of their many District activities.
05 Dec Search capabilities finally come to the COB Network. Visitors
1997 will now have the ability to use non-wildcard, case insensitive
keywords to look for their particular area or item of interest.
With over 300 documents in 6 main directories, it has been
somewhat difficult to locate certain items, in spite of our best
efforts to logically structure the design for intuitiveness.
Thanks to our many visitors who have been so patient!
25 Nov Peoria First COB in Peoria, IL, is the latest church to go
1997 online through COB-NET, with Edie Anderson the homepage
coordinator for the project. Visit interim pastor Rober Smith
and the Peoria First congregation, and other churches through
our list of online Churches & Districts.
24 Nov Modem Review added to Computer section of Other Links. 33kps,
1997 56kps, performance reviews, information, setup, and protocols.
22 Nov Blue Ridge COB in Blue Ridge, Virginia, is the latest church
1997 to go online with COB-NET. Visit pastor Marty Doss and the
Blue Ridge congregation, and other churches through our list
of online Churches & Districts.
20 Nov Inspiration takes on a new format with a scriptural verse and
1997 corresponding meditation, plus graphical enhancements to inspire
our many visitors, and encourage them with hope in the midst of
a world that too often diminishes our faith.
19 Nov Cosmetic addition of international flags to Mission & Service
1997 header to give it a more culturally diverse atmosphere.
11 Nov Windows 95 section added to Computer section of Other Links.
1997 This is a collection of the good and bad, tip's & hints, advanced
customization, plus driver updates. Some might find the one story
about Bill Gates & St. Peter to be slightly irreverent. However,
a second appreciation may conclude that not only is the story
funny, but that it delivers the gospel point very well!
06 Nov Special Graphic Headers are now available to all churches,
1997 districts, and camps who have homepages under this web site.
Visit our congregations through our list of online Churches
& Districts which includes many other denominational resources.
01 Nov Washington D.C. COB Office now has Annual Conference Statements
1997 & General Board Resolutions online, which may also be linked from
the Annual Conference Homepage. Technological free Internet access
has finally allowed COB members the opportunity to view, research,
and hopefully, better understand the activity of our denomination.
28 Oct NYC 98 opening page gets new link pads to each of the eighteen
1997 different sections, instead of the plain white background table.
Although this cosmetic enhancement really sets off the page,
loading time is slightly increased.
21 Oct Brake COB in Petersburg, West Virginia, and Long Green COB of
1997 Glen Arm, Maryland are the latest churches to go online. Visit
them and other churches through our list of online Churches &
Districts which includes many other congregational resources.
19 Oct Congregational Life Team regional map, showing our twenty-three
1997 Districts organized into the five new Congregational Life Team
areas. This continues our redesign process of making the General
Board more accessible to each District and their congregations.
18 Oct Ryan & Rosalie McBride have another update on the growth of
1997 their triplets. See the whole bunch in The Family Corner,
a place for Brethren to meet new people, share information,
and view congregational events.
16 Oct The Brethren Home of Southern Ohio has gone online. Visit them
1997 and other online retirement facilities in BRETHREN HOMES.
15 Oct Lynn Clannin, editor of the Western Plains Newsletter, sent
1997 in a new logo and updated text for Camp Colorado. The format
of Brethren Groups also receives some alterations, plus more
denominational information.
12 Oct Anderson COB in Anderson, Indiana is the latest church to go
1997 online. Visit them and other churches through our list of online
Churches & Districts which includes many other resources.
08 Oct Sebring COB in Sebring, Florida, is the latest church to go
1997 online with a homepage in cooperation with the COB-NETwork,
which maintains an extensive list of online Churches & Districts
and many other congregational resources. Also read their Mission
Statement which has been included in our growing catalog.
04 Oct Emoticons and Abbs' in CyberTalk, have been updated to include
1997 a few new submissions; plus, one member suggested the nicety of
having a .TXT version that may be used to "save as" a copy for
quick reference.
02 Oct Brethren Which Group? If this sounds familiar, then look to this
1997 new document which briefly outlines the history, names, and web
sites of each main and sub-group having the name "Brethren" in
their denominational label; such as Moravian Brethren, United
Brethren, Evangelical United Brethren, Church of the Brethren,
German Baptist Brethren, Progressive Brethren, Brethren Church,
Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches, Old Order German Baptist
Brethren, Dunkard Brethren, Brethren in Christ, River Brethren,
Yorker Brethren, Mennonite Brethren, Plymouth Brethren, Open
Brethren, Closed Brethren, and Lutheran Brethren.
30 Sep The history documents, especially Brethren in America, are
1997 experiencing a process of incorporating additional information
concerning early migration and expansion of our denomination.
E-mail indicates that Brethren deeply appreciate the online
accessability of these documents (see also European Origin,
Ephrata Cloister, and Nineteenth Century).
29 Sep Main page has been formatted to permit quicker access to areas
1997 of interest, with a modest reduction in overall size for faster
loading. A buff colored table located near the mid-section holds
more links to various documents, including links to other sites.
27 Sep Educational Resources of the College Homepage updated with a new
1997 format and many new links to a wide range informational sources,
orgainized by catagories and sub-catagories.
24 Sep Cyber Talk updated with a few more expressions and face icons,
1997 plus the addition of the Web Site Menu to enable visitors to
link to each directory. The Internet Glossary was also reformated
and some of the definitions have been updated.
12 Sep Prince of Peace COB in Littleton, Colorado is the latest church
1997 to go online with a homepage in cooperation with the COB-NETwork,
which maintains an extensive list of online Churches, Districts
and congregational resources.
09 Sep Camp Harmony has established their own web site and there is now
1997 a link to them from the Church Camp homepage.
07 Sep More photos added to Ephrata Cloister with additional information
1997 regarding hours of operation, educational material, location, and
guided tour facilities.
02 Sep New header for National Youth Conference showing different scenes
1997 from conference experiences.
27 Aug New entries for Mission Statements under the Church/District
1997 Homepage section. We list all the congregational statements
that we can find. If we have missed your church, please inform
the Site Administrator.
27 Aug New page header for Church & District Homepages. Camp Woodland
1997 Altars places a note for employment on the Bulletin Board.
25 Aug Software links added to Genealogy & History along with more
1997 resources to documents and land grant information, plus the
expansion of the college library section to allow genealogists
to perform lookups from online catalogs.
21 Aug Just in time for school, the Brethren College page has been
1997 given a complete alteration, including maps to each institution,
an Internet Library section, plus the addition of Financial,
Admission, and Entrance Test sections.
Dunker Springhaus Ministries section added to the Bookstore.
DSM is a non-profit organization whose purpose is to share the
gospel of Jesus Christ as understood by the Anabaptist / Pietist
tradition through teaching, preaching, and publication.
12 Aug Photo of a Nigerian girl has been added as the header of
1997 Mission & Service. Thanks to Jeff Mummau of Lancaster COB for
taking and submitting this photo during a Nigerian Workcamp.
08 Aug Church/District has been remodeled for faster loading because
1997 of the increasing number of links. Graphics have been reduced in
size, and the extensive bulleted list of resources at the bottom
has been replaced with a simple line of links to each of the six
main directories.
05 Aug 95 Arguments of Martin Luther added to European Origin. This
1997 document was Luthers method to provoke intellectual sympathy
from collegues and students of the University of Wittenberg.
Could he have known that the echos from that church door would
still be ringing?
05 Aug Ron & Diane Mason have added their family homepage to the growing
1997 list of personal homepages to be found at Other Links: BRETHREN.
28 Jul Photo Gallery added to Jeff Mummau's 1998 Nigeria Workcamp
1997 Homepage. See details on how you may also participate is this
foreign service adventure.
23 Jul 1997 Annual Conference page updates include photographs and brief
1997 itemization of new and returning business.
22 Jul E-mail 3rd party client software added to Other Links: COMPUTER.
1997 Most are SMTP, POP3, and IMAP4 compliant, drag & drop, address
book import/export, and some products have multiple accounts.
17 Jul MORE PHOTOS of Lancaster COB building activities submitted by
1997 Jay Weaver, added to FAMILY section (Special Activities).
11 Jul CHILDREN'S AID SOCIETY of PA Southern District added to Mission &
1997 Service. Working from three different centers of operation, this
agency has demonstrated outstanding qualities in stewardship and
fiscal responsiblity to provide family and child counseling.
8 Jul 1998 NATIONAL YOUTH CONFERENCE Homepage goes online at:
1997
http://www.tgx.com/cob/nyc98/ ( temporary )
http://www.cob-net.org/nyc98/ ( permanent )
Convenient links are provided from the main page of both web
sites by clicking on each picture or the center text.
5 Jul MISSION & SERVICE (Meet the Brethren) updated to include a brief
1997 history of Brethren service with links to current online projects,
most of which have information on how you may become involved in
supporting their efforts.
3 Jul More "Real Audio" Christian web sites added to OTHER LINKS: Music
1997 including radio stations with live streaming broadcasts.
2 Jul THE OPEN DOOR, Volume 2 No. 2 - a publication of the Office of
1997 Planned Giving of the Church of the Brethren General Board added
to GENERAL BOARD under Special Documents.
28 Jun COB-NET web site officially goes online. All current TGX documents
1997 will remain until August 31, when key pages will have "Moved To"
signs directing visitors to http://www.cob-net.org/ for another
month. This new Internet Service Provider has a faster connection
to the Internet backbone, and will allow greater priviliges for us
in future development.
25 Jun NIGERIA Workcamp Homepage online. 13th Annual Workcamp in Nigeria,
1997 January 17 to February 17, 1998, project information was submitted
by coordinator Jeff Mummau. If you have the desire to particpate
in this experience, give Jeff an e-mail directly from the page.
"Meet the Brethren \ Missions & Service Projects \ Nigeria" or,
"Special Activities."
24 Jun "Winds of Adversity" added to SPIRITUAL REFLECTIONS (Brethren
1997 Literature).
23 Jun CINDY SITES MINISTRIES Homepage, Other Links: Music - Free display
1997 is also being extended to COB music groups with booking schedules.
Click on the CD cover to hear a brief music track. Browsers will
need to be configured for .AU sound format.
COB BOOK STORE reformated for faster loading and more balanced
appearance. Mason Family Genealogy books submitted and listed.
21 Jun CHURCH/DISTRICT Homepages given some cosmetic alterations. New
1997 project includes a listing of all congregations under each
district. This is a slow project with lots of typing involved.
17 Jun COMPARING TRANSLATIONS updated with the addition of a new bible,
1997 the World English Bible. The bibliography was expanded to include
many links to online sources. Main text was also rewritten to
reflect a wider latitude of opinions concerning numerous textual
transmission theories. (Thanks to many courteous respondents)
7 Jun MID-ATLANTIC DISASTER AUCTION Homepage (Special Activities) goes
1997 online with a homepage. Information and logo was supplied by Roy
Johnson of Union Bridge COB.
5 Jun OTHERLINKS: EDUCATIONAL - given more links and restructured so
1997 that each section would be listed more chronologically. A few
were sorted in order to be more helpful in exhibiting the numerous
developmental stages of Christianity.
3 Jun COB LOGO added to the Main Index plus each of the six directories,
1997 explaining the significance of its three component images which
are the Cross-Circle-Wave.
2 Jun Free DISTRICT CAMP Homepages are now available. Camp Colorado and
1997 Camp Mt. Hermon of Western Plains are the first to take advantage
of this opportunity. The guidelines are the same as homepages for
Churches and Districts. (See Church Template)
30 May UNION COB, Mid-Atlantic Homepage goes online (Church/District).
1997
27 May SUNDAY SCHOOL section added to Other Links: Educational to give
1997 teachers (mostly children & teens) materials, ideas, resources,
and links to Christian web networks.
26 May SHENANDOAH DIASTER AUCTION updated. Thanks to Ellsworth Stickley
1997 of Round Hill COB for the pictures and early (unofficial) figures.
23 May Time display graphic removed from top of OTHER LINKS: Information
1997 page, and new World Time section added so that visitors may access
correct time by world zones. Also includes FAQS and history of
timekeeping methods and devices.
19 May Lots more links added to OTHER LINKS (Personal, Computer,
1997 Associations & General Information)
15 May INSPIRATIONAL SCRIPTURE added to the Main Index to give someone
1997 a brighter outlook, lift a sagging spirit, or provide guidance.
11 May COMPARING TRANSLATIONS (Information Center) Have you ever wanted
1997 to compare different versions of the Bible without going to a
bookstore and feeling a little silly while everyone watches you
open numerous books? Here is your opportunity. You will also have
the opportunity to learn an overview of textual criticism and the
different theories of transmission.
5 May TRIPLET UPDATE - The McBride Family had two boys and a girl just
1997 a few weeks ago, and you can see the whole bunch in the FAMILY
Section under the SPECIAL ACTIVITIES directory. Mom & Dad are
doing fine. Also included is a poem to the family by Peg Cramer.
27 Apr DIRECTORIES given a menu at the top so that you can directly
1997 link to each of the other directories, plus the Church Homepages
without returning to the Main Index each time. Good suggestion!
THE BRETHREN CARD has been added to the bottom of each directory.
25 Apr FREQUENT LINK TABLE on MAIN INDEX given different look with more
1997 links, especially highlighting Other Web Site resources.
21 Apr CHURCH/DISTRICT HOMEPAGES given a different header and background,
1997 plus a resource section of links at the bottom.
18 Apr SHENANDOAH DISASTER RELIEF AUCTION updated with logo, schedule of
1997 events, plus a directional map.
16 Apr GENERAL INFORMATION section added to OTHER LINKS for hard to find,
1997 typically non-religious information such as book publishers, maps
and images, world weather reports, online search engines, disaster
related information, atomic clock time, and internet encyclopedias.
04 Apr MODERATOR DAVID WINE Photo added to the Meet the Moderator section
1997 of the Annual Conference page.
EASTER / PASSOVER / LENT added to COMMUNION for additional resource
concerning this season of the year.
03 Apr COMMUNION & LOVE FEAST (Meet the Brethren) has been completely
1997 rewritten to include information about each part of the service
along with information about passover and atonement. There are
links to other web sites about Communion or the season of Easter.
25 Mar COMPUTERS / SOFTWARE / INTERNET section of OTHER LINKS given more
1997 resources, web editors, tutorials on learning HTML coding, helps,
evaluating an ISP, and information on copyrights, infringement,
public domain, and fair use requirements.
24 Mar MENNO SIMONS sub-history added to European Origin
1997
17 Mar COB BULLETIN BOARD removed from the NEWS section and given a page
1997 all of it's own, and can be linked from the top of the Main Index
page or in the Information Center. Fred Wilhelm just submitted a
1997 General Board Organizational Chart, and it may be downloaded
for use in your newsletters.
INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTIONS
Judith Cox Whipple has prepared a list of the Ephrata Cloister
membership, including many dates of birth and death. It can be
viewed in the Genealogy & History section.
Cindy Stroop prepared a list of congregations & fellowships of
the Atlantic Southeast District. It can be viewed in the Church /
District Homepage section.
12 Mar OTHER LINKS receives two new sections: Computer/Software, and
1997 U.S. Government. Now you can e-mail your senators and congressman,
or see how they voted on a bill. Look up and read Supreme Court
decisions. The Computer section has many resources for newsletters,
plus, church office management software that you can purchase to
keep tract of membership records and book keeping procedures.
BETHANY THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY given a new look with campus photos,
regional & local maps to locate the facilities, a more detailed
history of the seminary, and course listings by description.
03 Mar COB-L / COB-YYA section updated with new subscribing instructions
1997 to reflect the list move to Bridgewater College. Mike Willoughby
has revised the instructions and updated the explanations.
27 Feb BETHANY THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY Homepage restructured. Photos of
1997 previous campus locations, resource links, and mail-drops.
BIBLES / TRANSLATIONS / VERSIONS added to OTHER LINKS so that
you can read and study different translations of the Bible. This
section also includes foreign language versions.
15 Feb HISTORY FILES (Europe, America, 19th Cent) now contain several
1997 embedded, definition or sub-history files. Their purpose is to
offer immediate explanation of topics without further expanding
the main file itself. There will be more such sub-files in the
coming months.
08 Feb MAPLE GROVE COB Homepage is online in partnership with this
1997 web site. Randall Shelton wrote the html code and made a church
photo in .jpg format. The new homepage was placed online in a
few minutes after receiving it by e-mail. Visit Maple Grove
and others in the Church/District section.
07 Feb HISTORY & GENEALOGY section receiving more links, new heading
1997 photo, numerous library mailing addresses & web sites, plus
access to college library catalog index.
06 Feb ANNUAL CONFERENCE gets a new header, plus a few other cosmetic
1997 changes. The introductory paragraphs have been rewritten to give
a more logical understanding of AC and it's history. Additionally,
there is a brief introduction to the 1997 Moderator David Wine
who just issued his third MODCOB newsletter.
05 Feb BRETHREN IN AMERICA expanded with photos of the Germantown
1997 meeting house with additional history of the congregation.
02 Feb HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!! This web site is now one year old. Thank you
1997 all for making it a success. May the good Lord truly bless each
one of us as we seek to do His work.
27 Jan WISHING WELL given a new look with links to the various sections
1997 of this web site where member contributions are posted.
25 Jan FAQS (Frequently Asked QuestionS) given a new look with the
1997 inclusion of a resource section, plus links to other pages of
the web site that could offer additional understanding.
19 Jan BRETHREN VOLUNTEER SERVICE Homepage gets a new face lift with
1997 more detailed information taken from the 1997 Project Booklet.
Includes the 1997 Orientation Schedule and Placement Process.
15 Jan BRETHREN IN AMERICA and NINETEENTH CENTURY also expanded to
1997 include more detailed history with additional resource links
to other sections along the same pattern as EUROPEAN ORIGIN.
14 Jan TED STUDEBAKER Homepage requested by Rachel Johnson. This
1997 pioneer for world peace has impacted the lives of many young
Brethren. His story is told by the people who knew him best.
MEET THE BRETHREN > PEACE & WAR > PIONEER
12 Jan EUROPEAN ORIGIN expanded to include more information regarding
1997 Pietist activity, and specifically that of Ernest Hochmann and
his relationship with Alexander Mack in greater detail. Additional
material and links added. /// HISTORY & GENEALOGY page receiving
additional lists and resources such as online bookstores and links
to other sites. These lists have been supplied by Don Harlacher
and Judith Cox Whipple.
06 Jan HISTORY & GENEALOGY Homepage added to the Brethren Literature
1997 section. A focal point for genealogy lists and records. Direct
link to this page added to Main Index table.
04 Jan THE ANDREW CENTER Homepage is added to the General Board section.
1997 Most of the information is supplied from their own publication
"New Beginnings." Included is a schedule of upcoming seminars.
________________________________________________
24 Dec GENEALOGY Section added to OTHER LINKS. Entries listed under
1996 Associations/Family Homepages/State Organizations. More links
added in the SPIRITUAL GROWTH section with software.
22 Dec Is It A Really Wonderful Life? by Rocci Hildum submitted for
1996 Spiritual Reflections in Brethren Literature.
19 Dec NEW LOGO displayed! The 1997 Annual Conference theme logo designed
1996 by Rosanna McFadden is now integrated into the 1997 AC section.
18 Dec Church resources of the Ambler COB added to the Bibliography
1996 under the Local Church History section.
17 Dec Additional links to other web sites have been added to the
1996 PEACE & WAR section. More topics are incorporated such as
non-poliferation, action training, museum archives of Hiroshima,
resource lists, student involvment, and notable biographies.
16 Dec CHRISTMAS meditation on the main index page. Adding links from
1996 PEACE & WAR to other web sites dealing with pacifism.
05 Dec FTP download COB Web Site DEMO from the Church/District Online
1996 section. Requires about 20 minutes with a 14,400 bps modem.
02 Dec CAMP COLORADO NEWSLETTER added to Church Camp section in
1996 Special Activities directory.
30 Nov COUNSELOR BOB by Ron Gordon. A submission for church camp
1996 experiences. (Special Activities)
26 Nov BRETHREN LOGO page added. (Brethren Literature) Jim Miner of
1996 General Offices maintains the logos of each COB department and
requested a page where congregations and districts could easily
download these graphics for bulletins and newsletters.
25 Nov THANKSGIVING meditation at the top of the main index page.
1996
19 Nov MAIN INDEX page has a new, gray background. Change reflects a
1996 desire to be more neutral in personality, and increase the color
contrast to hopefully increase readability.
17 Nov ANNUAL CONFERENCE - Historical record of past conferences listed
1996 by "Year-Host Location-Moderator."
15 Nov CIRCLE OF LOVE FELLOWSHIP Web Site added to the West Marva
1996 section of Church/District Online.
14 Nov MAIN INDEX page has each of the five main directories identified
1996 with a linkable icon, representative of each directory. Netscape
colors removed from the Frequent Link table in deference to other
browsers that lack this feature of Netscape.
13 Nov JETERS CHAPEL COB Homepage finished/added (Church/District).
1996 Pastor Glen Sage wrote the text and provided the photo.
12 Nov Link to SHALOM FELLOWSHIP. This is a new church in the Virlina
1996 District. Justin Hoal is the coordinator of the web site located
at http://www.geocities.com/Athens/9914
11 Nov LATEST RELEASES (Brethren Literature) This is a new page for
1996 authors & artists to advertise their Brethren related books, tapes,
CD's. The display space is free of charge with global exposure.
08 Nov YORK FIRST COB Homepage finished/added (Church/District). The web
1996 page coordinator is Larry Gibble. Their committee did the layout,
design, and text composition. Materials, photos, and expectations
were then forwarded to this Administrator for processing. A monthly
newsletter is also being featured.
02 Nov DISASTER AUCTION - Lebanon, Treasurer Jim Nelson has submitted a
1996 Treasurers Report. This is a more detailed and itemized review of
income to the auction. The house in East Berlin is yet to be sold.
30 Oct EUROPEAN ORIGIN expanded to include sections on Anabaptism and
1996 Pietism, since these two movements were the principle influences
to the early Brethren. More scriptures added to PLAN OF REDEMPTION
focusing on the ministry of Jesus.
26 Oct FTP space leased for file downloads in upcoming projects. Also,
1996 ELM STREET COB originally included a background music file to play
when viewing their Homepage; but it could not be used for lack of
FTP loading capabilities. With the addition of FTP space to the
COB Web Site, the music can now be heard as you view their
Homepage.
16 Oct BRETHREN DISASTER RELIEF AUCTION - LEBANON, PA (Special Activities)
1996 General information, descriptions, totals, history, and photos.
10 Oct BUNKERTOWN COB Homepage finished/added (Church/District). This
1996 is the home church of Web Site Administrator Ron Gordon.
08 Oct RSC PAPERS added to GENERAL BOARD. Redesign Steering Committee
1996 chairperson, Chris Bowman asked that these papers be available
to the global community as well as COB Online Discussion Groups.
07 Oct MODERATOR PAGE added to Annual Conference. 1997 AC Moderator David
1996 Wine is producing a newsletter to be sent to General Board,
District Officials, and other church leaders.
05 Oct ROUND HILL COB Homepage finished/added (Church/District).
1996
04 Oct ELMSTREET COB Homepage created "themselves," church photo & files
1996 packed in a ZIP file, and e-mailed to COB Web Site Adminstrator.
This church did such a marvelous job in packaging their Homepage
that within only 15 minutes the file was unzipped, a few items
renamed, browser tested, and uplinked to the ISP. Rick Botkin is
the author & designer of Elmstreet's Homepage.
02 Oct HARRISBURG FIRST COB Homepage added (Church/District).
1996
02 Oct BRETHREN HOUSING ASSOCIATION Homepage (Harrisburg, PA) created and
1996 added to Other Links (top section, "Brethren Affiliated").
02 Oct MUTUAL AID ASSOCIATION - COB moved from the Church/District section
1996 to Other Links (top section, "Brethren Affiliated").
02 Oct COBLIST.HTM renamed LISTCOB.HTM / BHGLIST.HTM renamed LISTBHG.HTM
1996 in anticipation of future listserv's. This would keep all files in
the same "directory location."
30 Sep DISASTER RELIEF AUCTIONS given updated pages. (Logo, backgrounds)
1996 Final results of Lebanon coming soon. Shenandoah Auction will be
held next Spring.
23 Sep JOHN KLINE BICENTENNIAL CELEBRATION (What's New?) The Linville
1996 Creek COB & Shenandoah District plan events to celebrate the
200th Birthday of Elder John Kline in June, 1997.
17 Sep GENERAL BOARD (Brethren Literature) added to give board members,
1996 departments, and program staff the opportunity to publish special
literature directly on the web site.
16 Sep Main COB Header changed to reflect denominational literature, and
1996 clickable hot-spots added for direct linking to those areas. Some
minor cosmetic changes added to main directory pages (font size
increased, a few icons repositioned, links reworded).
16 Sep CHURCH HOLIDAY MEDITATION added to main page. The next event is
1996 World Wide Communion Sunday, October 6. Other meditations will
follow on Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, Easter, Pentecost,
and World Day of Prayer.
12 Sep OTHERLINKS (Information Center) restructured to display more links
1996 to educational resources with less space occupied by anchor icons.
More links have been added to the now five different sections.
12 Sep BROWSER TESTER added to Main page. Since this web site is designed
1996 around Netscape, this functionality will enable visitors to compare
their browser with Netscape when colors, backgrounds, textures,
graphics, and icon positioning on various pages appears confusing.
11 Sep Genealogy HOMEPAGES added to OTHERLINKS (Information Center)
1996 Royer Families & Mason Families
05 Sep Newsletter: "Between the Flood and the Rainbow," A newsletter on
1996 environmental teaching and action produced by Shantilal Bhagat,
director of Eco-Justice Concerns, COB General Board, Elgin.
(Information Center > Whats New?)
02 Sep McPherson College Web Site http://www.mcpherson.edu now online
1996 with a link from the COLLEGE section.
26 Aug TOPICAL INDEX for NEWSLINE items added to Whats New (Information
1996 Center) This functionality will allow NEWSLINE searches from one
annual list of all news headings for all months of that year.
23 Aug Anticipating a proliferation of Listservers (Discussion Groups),
1996 the links to COB-L/YYA and History/Genealogy from the Information
Center were moved to a new sub-page just for Listservers. The new
page is found in the Information Center, and from the table cell
(Discussion Groups) found on the Main page.
16 Aug FAQS (Information Center) added to give non-COB visitors quick
1996 answers to the most frequently asked questions about the Church
of the Brethren. Wayne Sutton (1st COB, Miami, FL) has graciously
accepted the offer to coordinate this project.
16 Aug MACK Emblem (Meet the Brethren > European Origin) This heart on
1996 cross symbol was an enduring emblem of the Brethren from its early
formation until recent times. The letters A M are the initials of
Alexander Mack, Sr. who founded the Brethren movement.
14 Aug WHERE IS SCHWARZENAU? (Meet the Brethren) Maps and photograph
1996 give a quick idea of the area of Germany where the Church of the
Brethren had its origin. In 1708, eight people were baptized in
the Eder River near the village of Schwarzenau, Germany.
11 Aug WISSAHICKON Photos (Meet the Brethren > Brethren in America)
1996 supplied by the Bunkertown COB Youth from a recent trip to the
Germantown COB, and surrounding points of interest. It was the
baptisms in this north Philadelphia stream in 1723 that started
the first Brethren congregation in America. (Sorry that only a
few youth could be pictured.)
10 Aug WOODWORTH COB, Youngstown, Ohio, Homepage Online. This is the
1996 first congregation to avail themselves of the opportunity to
have a free church Homepage reside on the COB Web Site account
at TGX. They join other churches, districts, and associations who
have established their own web sites at other Internet Service
Providers (ISP). COB church/district Homepages can be visited
from the COB Online link from the main page table (red cell) or
the Information Center.
08 Aug GLOSSARY (Information Center) It is offered with the hope of
1996 demystifying the complex, often esoteric world of computer
networks, online terminology, communications protocols, and the
multiple faces of the Internet.
08 Aug Notable Biographies (Meet the Brethren) Still under construction.
1996
07 Aug Quick Finder added to the very top of the Main Page. It is an
1996 indexed guide to the pages & links on this site. Hopefully, this
will save time wasted looking for your item of interest.
06 Aug LISTSERV - Brethren History & Genealogy (Information Center) is
1996 an e-mail discussion group. Similar in concept to COB-L & COB-YYA,
but with a more narrow focus to topics associated with History or
Genealogy. The list administrator is Joseph H. Bosserman of
Covington, Ohio, and the backup administrator is Homer G. Benton,
of Victorville, California
31 Jul TELA - The Electronically Linked Academy (Scholars Press) added
1996 to OTHERLINKS (Information Center). TELA offers the ability to
resource scholarly level subjects, teaching aids, online courses,
journals/reviews, linguistic helps, transliteration codes, and
new developments, including university funded projects.
LOGOS Biblical Library Search Engine added. This is a small but
nicely constructed working model from LOGOS Software to aid your
searching various topics in the Bible.
26 Jul BRETHREN INTERNET DIRECTORY (Brethren Literature) now located on
1996 ftp server. Jim Miner (Data Processing) has moved the Directory
to his personal account. Once linked to the address, scroll
down till you locate the folder called "internet.dir" and
single-click to view the list. ("Save As" through your browser.)
21 Jul CYBER TALK (Information Center) reorganized without frames. Simple
1996 header with lists of various online symbols that attempt to convey
emotions or tonal inflections of the sender.
17 Jul New header for the main page with tables for linking instead of
1996 the huge client-side map. Too many browsers yet without mapping
capabilities. Also, further highlight the "unofficial" nature
of this web site.
12 Jul ANNUAL CONFERENCE (Meet the Brethren) reorganized to archive
1996 each conference on a separate page. New links established to
directly link to various Long Beach CA (1997) web sites, including
the Metro Rail System. Moderator David Wine will be posting his
traveling schedule in the near future.
Moderator Wine, president of MAA (Mutual Aid Association of COB)
also requested the inclusion of a link from the CHURCH page to the
Homepage of MAA.
10 Jul Self running DEMO (Information Center > COB Online) of the site
1996 available. You do not need a modem or an Internet connection.
09 Jul OTHERLINKS (Information Center) expanded to include links to more
1996 sites concerned with spiritual maturity, biblical research, and
personal growth.
04 Jul CHURCH/DISTRICT (Information Center) now available for Homepages.
1996 You may write the HTML code for your church/district, or your
information can be placed in the sample template.
20 Jun Manchester Web Site added (College). Emblem icons added as
1996 anchor links to each school.
05 Jun "The Silent Cross" by Clyde Carter. A submission for church camp
1996 experiences. (Special Activities)
24 May Large main index page subdivided into five separtate directories
1996 of "Meet the Brethren, Colleges/Seminary, Brethren Literature,
Special Activities, and Information Center. Loading time should be
increased considerably.
21 May "Tolerating the Turbulence" by Rocci Hildum. A submission for
1996 Spiritual Reflections. (Brethren Literature)
09 May Darker COB background image added to main index page. E-mail
1996 reveals that the lighter "sand" background was hard to read.
19 Apr COB-L/COB-YYA Homepage added at the request of Mike Willoughby
1996 to explain procedures & protocols. Anchor icon submitted of a
"little person" typing at a typewriter.
17 Apr SERRV page created to generate awareness of program, and offer
1996 sneak preview of gift items from SERRV's own web site.
16 Apr Text Only Version added for visitors who are interested only in
1996 reading without graphics being downloaded.
09 Apr Wishing Well added. Messenger news section goes online.
1996
08 Mar Direct link to Brethren colleges/university added.
1996
02 Feb CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN NETWORK or COB-NET, the first national
1996 Brethren web site goes online.
27 Jan ISP account established with The Global Exchange (TGX) whose
1996 server is at the University of Alberta, Canada.
January 20, 1996
First of three District lectures for persons who have been recommended
by their local congregations, and personally visited by district officers
to consider the set-apart ministry. Inspiration from one of these speakers
became the impetus for the creation of this web site. The complete story
may be found in WHICH MINISTRY?
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