PERSONNEL NOTES

Wendy McFadden (Highland Avenue) will retire July 31 as publisher of Brethren Press and executive director of Communications, after almost 45 years of service to the Church of the Brethren. She started with the denomination in October 1981 as managing editor of Messenger magazine and director of News Services, having been hired after a brief time in Brethren Volunteer Service at the General Offices in Elgin. In March 1992, she began as director of Brethren Press. Subsequently, she became publisher of both Brethren Press and Messenger and also oversaw News Services and the website Brethren.org. She has skillfully guided Brethren Press through the struggles that have faced all small faith-based publishers. She has helped website staff meet the constant challenge of new digital technology while serving a church with varied digital interests and levels of expertise. She has supported Messenger and its several editors, culminating in 2016 in her creation of an editorial team on which she also serves as an active member. For a number of years, the task of creating the Church of the Brethren annual report also has fallen to her, in its various forms including written, pictorial, video, and displays for Annual Conference and district conferences. She was on the committees that developed the Church of the Brethren logo and the denominational taglines “Continuing the work of Jesus. Peacefully. Simply. Together” and “Another way of living.” Representing the Church of the Brethren at ecumenical bodies and events, both nationally and internationally, has been a highlight of her work. Notably, she represented the Church of the Brethren at Christian Churches Together (CCT) for some 15 years, for a time as a member of the CCT steering committee and president of the Historic Protestant group of churches. In peace church circles, she has led many collaborations with the Mennonite publishing house. Significant joint publishing projects have included children’s Sunday school curriculum—Jubilee, Gather ’Round, and Shine—as well as this year’s new joint curriculum for adults Salt & Light: A Guide for Biblical Studies.

Nancy Sollenberger Heishman will retire as director of the Church of the Brethren Ministry Office effective July 17. Prior denominational employment with Church of the Brethren included serving as co-mission coordinator in the Dominican Republic from May 2003 through June 2011 and as director of the Theological Education Program of Iglesia de los Hermanos en la República Dominicana (the Church of the Brethren in the Dominican Republic) from 2008 to 2010. Nancy began her current role on November 6, 2017. During her tenure, Nancy has facilitated the search processes for the majority of our districts’ Executive Ministers. She helped acquire and oversee the Lilly Foundation funded Part-Time Pastor; Full-Time Church program that supports and resources multi-vocational pastors. She has worked closely with the Council of District Executives in reviewing policy and polity documents.

Arndt Peter Schulz has been hired by the Church of the Brethren as part-time Buildings and Grounds assistant, working from the General Offices in Elgin, Ill. Peter is currently retired and previously worked in building maintenance for Romanek Properties in Chicago. Peter began his work on March 9.