MENNONITES have long been accused of inhibiting the emotional aspect of faith. But is the pendulum now swinging the other way, at least among Mennonite Brethren? Are favorable feelings becoming the key barometer of "vibrant faith"?
In our lead article (page 4), Walter Unger cautions against letting emotions dictate the parameters of our Christian experience. Feelings are part of who we are and how we relate to God, but Unger suggests the Bible indicates the Christian walk focuses on other priorities.
Ever feel insignificant next to the Bible heroes? Philip Wiebe takes a close look at God's "Hall of Faith" in Hebrews 11 and suggests a few things we can learn about faith-and our place in God's company. You know Philip by his column, Ph'lip Side, which appears on page 14. Consider "A Place in the Hall of Faith" as a second helping of his insight and wit.
The holy kiss, in the literal sense, hasn't been a part of Mennonite Brethren practice for quite some time. But Mennonite pastor Alan Kauffman helps us understand the Significance of the practice-and why we would do well to maintain the spirit of it today, if not the form (page 10). You'll fmd his story moving and his insight valuable.
In our BodyLife section, you can read about the events of Waterloo '97, the biennial convention of the General Conference (page 17). In a word, the binational structure will live on for another day, but the future of all conference structures is under review.
Our coverage of the convention is a team effort with our sister publication in Canada, the Mennonite Brethren Herald. Jim Coggins and Susan Brandt, editor and managing editor, respectively, helped us write the articles and take the photos. Speaking personally, one of the joys of this gathering for me is the opportunity to work alongside our colleagues. We hope you fmd our report informative and helpful.
In addition to these features, our other faithful contributors are in their place-Marvin Hein with Inquiring Minds, Rose Buschman with On the Journey and Burton Buller with Media Matters.
Here's to enjoyable summertime reading .... -DR
• NOVEMBER 7-9-Southern District Conference convention, Ramada Plaza Hotel, Edmond, Okla.
• NOVEMBER 7-S-Pacific District Conference convention, hosted by Bethany Church, Fresno, Calif.
• NOVEMBER 14-16-Central District Conference convention, Minneapolis, Minn.
Emotions are part of who we are and how we relate to God, but the Bible indicates that the more important element of faith is obedience. BY WALTER
UNGER
A place in the Hall of Faith
Is the faith of the Bible heroes acclaimed in Hebrews 11 beyond our own? You might be surprised what we can learn from them . BY PHILIP WIEBE
What Carol Smith taught me about the holy kiss
A Protestant girl taught a Mennonite boy the value of relationships and the uncertainty of tomorrow. It's a lesson we should value in the church. BY
ALAN KAUFFMAN
• SPECIAL REPORT: Waterloo '97 17
• U.S , General conference end year with deficit 28
• Income decline affects MCC overseas program 28
• Church notes 30
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The Scriptures teach that believers should be far more concerned about obedience than warm feelings, about the ethical than the ecstatic, and about holiness than happiness.
IBLE laughter at Christian renewal meetings. What do these things have in common? All are contemporary forms of "spirituality" -a fuzzy but popular term these days. In the confusion of today's spiritual marketplace, Christians more than ever need to exercise keen biblical discernment lest they be swept along by false forms of spirituality.
Spirituality in general refers to humankind 's search for contact with the transcendent, the nonmaterial. Within each human heart is a spiritual yearning, though it is often blunted by preoccupation with earthly existence or distorted by the Evil One God longs to fill the yearning for ultimate reality with himself. This is where authentic Christian spirituality begins . In its simplest definition, Christian spirituality is love of God and love of fellow humans, who are created in God' s image . It involves every part of a person's being-physical, mental, volitional and emotional (Lk. 10:27)
Among believers today is a growing hunger to experience God, no doubt a reflection of increased interest in various forms of spirituality in society at large. The renewed emphasis on worship through song and sacred dance, even in traditional churches, testifies to the desire for the subjective Some noncharismatic churches are experiencing an emergence of spiritual gifts such as tongues, prophecy and healing. In our work, we notice that college students long for the experiential. They don't simply want to learn about God; they yearn to feel God's presence. And they are right. We are to love the Lord our God with all our heart and soul and mind and
strength. Christianity renews the mind, moves the emotions and activates the will to obey divine precepts.
Experience is vital to a growing Christian, and there is no common formula for this. Believers will experience Christian truth in different ways, depending on their temperament and their knowledge of Scripture, but, most importantly, on their level of obedience. Our Lord promised "Whoever has my commands and obeys them , he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him " On. 14 :21)
The Scriptures teach that believers should be far more concerned about obediencethan warm feelings, about the ethical than the ecstatic, and about holiness than happiness . When the
emphasis is primarily on me, my feelings and my well-being, I will have made Christianity into another form of self-indulgence. This is very popular, but it is not biblical.
We must beware of measuring the power and presence of God in a believer'S life by the occurrence of the dramatic. The most evidence of God's presence in a Christian obedience and a holy life.
It is possible to have a fascination, tion, even an addiction to signs, WC)nC1el:S ecstatic experiences without th(:se pr'Oc:1uc:ing greater depth of spirituality or Imll!:-l:eClm dience. The history of Israel ment amply shows that
intervention on behalf of the people did not produce greater faith and 10ng-teCJm obedience. Yet, whenever a crisis arose, the people looked to God for more miraculous signs.
Philip Yancey observes that signs may only addict us to signs, not to God. And Assemblies of God leader Donald Gee warns against an unhealthy fascination with the ecstatic to the point that we want the extraordinary and the
ANexceptional to be made the frequent and the habitual. The Scriptures, not experience, are "a lamp unto our feet and a light unto
our path "
New ",e1,talrnent, the description of the '-'ULlJO,..411life is dramatic. Images such as being serving and walking many times. uses the teCJm "walk" 30 times in describing the Christian life.
Jesus characterized true believer in nondramatic, service-oriented . Giving a cup of cold water, caring for the visiting prisoners are the marks of the inherit the kingdom (Mt. 25:34-36) r",.,t.-..d. judgment day scenario Jesus Matthew 7. On that day, many who Lord and experienced the dramatic 4...U "''-'-I1>111/5ly miraculous will be rejected. Why? Be'OJ.llse their words ("Lord, Lord ") and their
(prophesying, driving out demons, perfoCJming miracles) were not accompanied by a walk of obedience (they did not do the will of the Father, vv.21-23).
Without being definitive or exhaustive, I share the following reflections on moving toward a balanced Christian spirituality.
1. Seek a balance between c'Ontemplati'On and activism. The mystic whose feet rarely touch the ground and whose hands rarely get dirty through involvement in the messiness of human need represents a spirituality which is socially irrelevant. On the other hand, the activist , who is busy "spreading the Word" and doing deeds of kindness, needs to slow down and reflect on the One whose love is the motivation for such activism Activism without deep devotion is like an electric blanket which is not plugged in to the source of power.
2. Combine the 'Objective and the subjective in Christian experience. Head, heart and hand
GROWTH
Much of contemporary spirituality is privatistic, to the point of self-indulgence.
must all be involved in authentic spirituality. Heat must be combined with light , zeal with knowledge, and experience with depth of bibli· cal insight. The goal of biblical teaching must go beyond merely passing on theological information to nurturing spiritual formation. Philippians 3: 10 describes the desire for Christian spirituality this way : "I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death .. .." This verse has been compared to a jam sandwich We all want the power of Christ's resurrection (the jam in the middle), and often try to scoop it out. But we must first give ourselves to the discipline of getting to know Christ through spiritual exercises such as Bible study, prayer and meditation. And then we must be willing to share in Christ's suffering, dying to self and being conformed to him. As we bite through the whole sandwich, we will discover the power God intends each believer to experience. There are no short cuts to authentic spirituality.
3. Seek a balance between celebration of God's goodness and sobriety at humankind's fallenness. True Christian spirituality blends inner peace with a sense of brokenness as one sees the effects of sin. But much of contemporary spirituality is privatistic ("feel good and make me happier" oriented), to the point of spiritual self-indulgence. Those pursuing this type of spirituality hardly notice the deprivation and injustice around them. Does our spirituality reach out to the cry of the inner-city slum dweller or to the tragedy of the former Yugoslavia, where the current conflict has taken 250,000 lives, displaced 4 million people and traumatized countless others? God knows and cares about the grief of the suffering multitude. But do we Christians in the West really care? Or has our comfortable brand of spirituality become a cocoon, blinding us to the things that break the heart of God?
4. Ground a wholistic spirituality in Scripture, not in experience or emotion. Experience is wonderful, but for the Christian it is never self-validating. Virtually all of the physical manifestations associated with some current forms of Christian spirituality-laughing, ecstatic utterances, speaking in tongues and being "slain"-are common in non-Christian religions, so the experiences themselves are no validation that they are driven by the Holy Spirit. They may
be, but validation must be found in Scripture. Citing the occurrence of similar phenomena from Christian history is also not an adequate validation. History is wonderfully instructive, but it is not the final authority for Christians.
The real danger is that experience may shape theology rather than the other way around. A British Vineyard leader writes: "The biblical order is to build the fteeplace around the ftee, and not vice versa. Function always precedes form." In my opinion, it is precisely this kind of emphasis that leads to "wildftee" spirituality. Rather than seeking a clear understanding of the Word, appreciating what they already have in Christ (2 Peter 1:3), and deepening their experience of Christ by going deeper into the Word, many Christians today open themselves up to experiences not clearly taught in the Word; then, after the experience, they seek to build a theology around it.
Must our fteeplace remain empty-a monument of theological erudition but empty of power? Certainly not. Every believer may experi,ence and rightly expect the following from within the fireplace of God's Word:
• a growing sense of Christ's love for us personally and a warming of our hearts with love for him;
• currents of joy that run deeper than the surface swirls of emotional highs;
• comfort in trials, fortitude to endure bodily weakness and disability, and perseverance to continue on in difficult tasks;
• patience in sharing Christ's love.
5. As Anabaptist Christians, who believe the body, never fully trust individualized experience. The corporate fellowship feeds spirituality but also evaluates it collectively by the Word. Authentic spirituality is always dependent upon the body of Christ for wholeness. We are to comprehend "together with all the saints" the width and breadth of Christ's love (Eph. 3: 18).
We are all on a pilgrimage to a spirituality which hopefully conforms us more and more to the image of Christ. May we pursue that goal in a balanced way. May our spirituality be based on the whole of biblical truth, be applied to the whole person and be demonstrated in the whole sphere of human relationships. • Walter Unger is president of Columbia Bible College in Abbotsford, B.G. His article is based on columns that first appeared in the Mennonite Brethren Herald
A P LAC E I N THE HALL OF FAITH?
IS THE FAITH OF GOD'S SUPERSTARS REALLY ATTAINABLE?
FTER
WATCHING TIGER WOODS WIN THE MASTER'S GOLF
by Philip Wiebe
tournament by a record 12 strokes this spring, I couldn't ..'"'.'" whether to be inspired or depressed. Certainly it was rousing to see the lanky young Woods outplay stronger, more experienced golfers. His sure strokes and confident manner enthused me to get out on the links myself.
Yet I knew that once I got there, the ugly truth would soon be revealed: I'm no Tiger Woods. Compared to his booming drives and delicate putts, my assorted clinks and divots hardly deserve to be called "golf." As old-time player Bobby Jones once said about another Hall of Fame golfer, Jack Nicklaus, "He plays a game with which I am not familiar. " In a sense, I've always viewed Hebrews 11, sometimes called the "Hall of Faith," in a similar light. After a concise definition of faith- "being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see" (v. 1 )-the writer of Hebrews launches into extended accolades for the "ancients," the spiritual Hall of Famers who practiced and were celebrated for such faith. It's a little intimidating. At times I've skimmed through the Hebrews 11 passage thinking, "They lived a faith with which I am not familiar."
During a recent opportunity to linger a bit longer in the Hall of Faith, however, my perspective changed. Though the pioneers who blazed spiritual trails before us deserve all the attention they've received, maybe their faith isn't so unfamiliar after all. Looking back to the stories framed in Hebrews 11, I'm seeing that the Giants of Faith weren't always faithful. Nor did they invariably exhibit great wisdom, skill and savvy in their life situations and callings. They struggled with relationships, spoke before they thought, got themselves into royal messes, dragged their feet at God's leading, made abysmal choices even when they knew better, and so on.
That kind offaith, I can relate to.
Someone once said baseball's Hall of Fame is filled with .300 hitters who made outs during seven out of 10 trips to the plate The point was that even the greatest players of all time went down swinging more often than AUGUST 1997
Looking back to the stories framed in Hebrews 11, I'm seeing that the Giants of Faith weren't always faithful. Nor did they invariably exhibit great wisdom, skill and savvy in their life situations and callings.
they got on base It didn't stop them from swinging. In a similar way, the spiri· tual Hall of Famers from Hebrews 11 kept stepping to the plate even though they didn't always con· nect. They hung in there through the curveballs and rain delays and extra innings of life. More than anything, it was their per· severance that delivered the ancients safely into the Hall of Faith.
In our age of instant service, instant informa· tion, instant success, many of us aren't that eager to hear about the persever· ance part of faith We tend to dwell on what faith can get us rather than where it can take-us Just a little more faith, we believe, will get us jobs, money, houses, health, love, com· fort, closure, material goods and various other trappings of the good life.
Not that we shouldn't pray for provisions like these-the Bible encourages and models such prayer-but Hall of Fame faith takes us so much further.
Yet it's a faith attainable by all, just as it was to the very human faith champions listed in Hebrews 11. As I've pondered their age·old sto· ries, new realizations have come to me about the nature and practice of faith Here are six lessons I'm learning from the Hall of Faith that inspire and challenge me in my own walk of faith:
1. Great faith isn't perfect faith.
It is intriguing that the person most promi· nently praised in Hebrews 11 is Abraham (vv.8· 19), whose faith at times was less laudable than laughable . Literally. When God promised to give Abraham and Sarah a son in their old age and make them parents of an entire nation, "Abraham fell facedown; he laughed " (Gen. 17:17). This is the one the writer of Hebrews claimed "was enabled to become a father because he consid· ered [God] faithful " (v . 11 )?
Though heralded as a follower of God's call· ing and a believer in God's promises, Abraham
often fell short on both counts Moses, remembered as a flrm, fearless leader of God's people (vv. 23·28), had his own share of struggles with God's guidance . In the famous burning bush incident, when God called, instructed, and equipped Moses for leading the people out of Egyptian slavery, Moses gathered all his resolve and responded, "0 Lord, please send someone else to do it" (Ex. 4:13) This is faith?
Apparently it is-or at least it's an inextricable thread in the fabric of faith . Abraham, Moses and other Hall of Faith champions show me that sometimes lack of faith-even monumental lack of faith-need not doom my faith pilgrimage God is not thrown by my questions, doubts, hesitations and failures Where I see barriers to faith, God sees materials to make within me an even greater faith .
2. Ordinary faith can be amazing faith.
Several months ago while I read about Francis of Assisi and other revered Christians from the past, a surprising thOUght came to me: "Yeah, sure, they had great faith, but what's really amazing is when ordinary people with jobs and kids and mortgages live faithful, spiritually minded lives."
Of course the sacriflcial commitment of our spiritual forebears remains inspiring and instructive But in a time when everyone wants to be a star and "ordinary" is a term of disdain, I've gained new respect for the faithful who never seek the spotlight, who serve others quietly and joyfully, who aren't susceptible to the spiritual fads and gimmicks that seem to work everyone else into a lather; the faithful who simply live thoughtful, devoted, God-connected lives
Enoch must have been that kind of person (v . 5). Genesis's account of Enoch is crisp and stunning : "Enoch walked with God; then he was no more , because God took him away" (Gen. 5:24) . So far as we know, Enoch 's life wasn ' t as eventful or adventurous as others in the Hall of Faith Undoubtedly he worked to make a living, raised a family, attended to everyday details. Yet he maintained one ofthe closest, deepest, most committed relationships with God ever recorded . Moving mountains , walking through flre, conquering kingdoms, these aren't requirements of faith God simply asks m e to walk with him
3.
Faith starts "now."
I tend to think that faith is like writing a check. I can't step out in faith until I've stored
up enough funds-proved myself mature and worthy enough to follow through. Certainly there is a sense in which I'm called to build up my faith and increase my trust in God. But Jesus dispelled the notion that I somehow have to "save up" faith before I can use it: "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move" (Mt. 17:20).
Rahab learned about that (v. 31). Though as a prostitute she had lived far from God's will and ways, it all changed at the approach of God's people and plan. "I know that the LORD has given this land to you," she told the spies who had entered her home. "The LORD your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below" Gosh. 2:9,11). In little more than a moment, Rahab moved from no faith to great faith. In a similar way, it doesn't matter if I've failed, doubted, gone the wrong way. Faith starts now. God promises to meet me where I am and lead me on.
4. Casual faith is no faith.
The story of Cain and Abel has always troubled me (v. 4). In the Genesis 4 account, both brothers gave offerings to God out of their livelihoods. Why would God accept one and reject the other? Looking at the story again, though, I sense the problem has to do with attitude. The Genesis passage infers that Abel gave from his best with heartfelt thanks, while Cain's offering seemed casual and flippant. Cain's ruinous response when God urged him to do better revealed his true heart.
Frankly, this story scares me. It has often been said that casual commitment is a defming characteristic of the modem American church. And how often have I given casually of my own goods, my own life? Thankfully, we are redeemed by the blood of Christ, not by how much we give. But that's no excuse to give casually or to live a flippant kind of faith. The tremendous gift God gave us is reason enough to give ourselves fully and wholly to God.
5. Faith thinks big.
The "health and wealth gospel" espoused by some today has never sat well with me. In a sense I've felt it "thinks too big," that true faith centers on more "mundane " things like daily devotion and service. Hebrews 11 tells me, however, that the problem with a "health and wealth" outlook is not that it thinks too big, but that it thinks too small. God has far greater things
in store for us than mere riches. The Bible tells us over and over that material wealth is hardly worth the bother, that it mostly brings trouble and hinders the pursuit of true joy and meaning in life.
The Hall of Faith greats had more on their minds than money. Abraham "lived in tents .looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God" (vv. 9,10). Moses "refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter" (v. 24), forsaking the many privileges thereof, to follow a higher calling. Others "faced jeers and flogging," were imprisoned, tortured, stoned and worse (vv. 36-38). All this, and yet "they did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance" (v. 13).
Astonishing! Their faith vision took in something much bigger than their own
Abraham, Moses and other Hall of Faith champions show me that sometimes lack of faitheven monumental lack of faith-need
not doom my faith pilgrimage.
lives and circumstances, even bigger than time itself-the redeeming work of Christ .
In a time when we struggle to see beyond the need ofthe moment orthe want of the hour, may God grant us this kind of vision. "Let us ftx our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God" (Heb. 12:2).
6. Faith isn't about me.
For years I've had the wrong idea about those often-quoted words from Hebrews 11 :6, that God "rewards those who earnestly seek him." My concept of "rewards" hardly went beyond the kind given to an obedient child or faithful pet. Faith could get me stuff, work me out of jams, make my life easier. But that's not Hebrews 11 faith. Lining the Hall of Faith are witnesses for the real reward, the greatest goal, the ultimate aim of faith : knowing God.
Toward that end, every one of us stands at the threshold of the Hall of Faith All we need to do is step inside.
•
In addition to writing a regular column in the Leader, Philip Wiebe is editor oj Rejoice! , the Inter-Mennonite devotional booklet. He and his jamily attend Kingwood Bible Church, Salem, Ore.
BY ALAN KAUFFMAN
We must begin to live in ways that do not take our relationships/or granted.
What Carol Smith taught me about the holy kiss
HIS IS A STORY OF A PROTESTANT GIRL
Carol had a gentle way of pursuing the significant things of my life: my interests, dreams, fears and struggles as a seventh-grader. On more
teaching a Mennonite boy a lesson about the holy kiss that he would never forget. It's the story of a lesson about the fragile sacredness of life than one occasion, Carol and about not taking our relationships for granted. would smile and reassure me, "In the blink of an eye, you will be out
The friendship between Carol Smith and me began on the bus in September 1969. Carol was an attractive, intelligent 11 th-grade girl with a magnetic charisma. I, on the other hand, was a scrawny, shy and unattractive seventh-grade boy, overwhelmed by the new and difficult world of junior high.
That morning, in the third week of my seventh-grade career, I walked down the aisle of the crowded bus and slipped into the first available seat I saw. I didn't even look to see who I sat beside, but just plopped down and looked straight ahead, fearing that I might make eye contact with some angry 12th-grader whose seat I had taken and then find myself ejected.
Shortly after the bus began to move, the person beside me broke the silence in the little space of our seat. She said, "Hi, my name is Carol Smith. What's your name?" I was momentarily stunned; I was being spoken to! I dared a quick glance at her as I spoke and I saw a smile-a smile that felt a lot like a mother'S hug to a scared seventh-grader.
Over the next few weeks I sat beside Carol one or two more times, and each time we found ourselves talking the entire trip. Eventually, as the weeks stretched into months, I found myself hoping that the seat next to her would be empty Our conversations quickly moved from cliche, surface-chatting to things that really mattered to us. I remember discussing the terror, violence and carnage of the Vietnam War and talking with awesome disbelief about men walking on the moon
of school, and most of the things you believe might never come will be here and gone before you know it. But in the meantime," she would say, "enjoy your life now. Don't wish it away! I know some days are tough. But enjoy them; each one is a gift, and they will soon be gone."
What she told me seemed inconceivable at the time But she was right Five months passed. One Friday, as I was getting off the bus, I heard Carol's familiar benediction, "See you on Monday, Alan!" I looked back. She was smiling. I waved, smiled, and got off the bus.
But Monday never came for Carol. She was killed in a car accident on a snowy country road. The next morning as I climbed onto the bus, the words, "See you on Monday, Alan!" rang in my ears.
Carol's life nurtured me toward maturity. Her death, the first of its kind for me, was a wake-up call to reality. That is, I simply cannot assume that tomorrow will come. That reality affects the way I live my life and the way I relate to others.
That lesson is, in essence, part of the motivation behind the practice of the holy kiss that we read about in Scripture. The holy kiss was a customary greeting of the Jewish people long before the time of Christ It was a ritualistic gesture that communicated respect, honor and love. It was, of course, a "holy" kiss that Judas used in the garden to betray Jesus to a mob that was poised and anxious to arrest him It was a morbid irony and a prostitution of the symbol.
A few years later, when the Christian church
began to grow beyond the boundaries of Judaism, the ritual of the holy kiss was adopted as a common greeting. Five times in the New Testament epistles, church members were instructed to greet one another with the "kiss of love."
Close to a fourth of the New Testament letters conclude with a reminder to continue this symbolic act of the holy kiss, suggesting that it was a regular and vital part of the early church.
The meaning could have only intensified as the Christian church encountered escalating persecution in the first century. While the kiss certainly maintained the meaning of respect, honor and love, the rise in persecution also enlarged its meaning to include an appreciation of the relationships they enjoyed. As people left worship selVices each week, they had no guarantee that everyone would return. As the congregation assembled each week, the meaning of the holy kiss now included the sentiment, "It's so good to see you again. We really didn't know if you would still be here or not. But I'm so glad you are!"
When Anabaptism was born in the 1500s, persecution for one's faith was a constant and harsh reality. Almost weekly, women and men fled for their lives, were dragged off to jail, suffered agonizing torture, and gave their lives as faithful martyrs. One never knew as Sunday's worship concluded if the congregation would ever be exactly the same again. It is no surprise, then, that the holy kiss became an important part of Mennonite tradition.
In fact, as late as 1963, the Confession of Faith of the Mennonite Church included the holy kiss as one of eight ordinances to be practiced regularly-along with such obselVances as baptism and communion-by the gathered body of Christ. Yet very few of the Mennonite churches I have attended take this ordinance as seriously as baptism and communion.
Times have changed, we say. Symbols lose their meaning and have to be replaced by fresh, life-giving ones, we argue. It is a risky symbol, open to abuse by Christians and misunderstanding by non-Christians, we suppose. The holy kiss is a rural, "house-church" symbol-of friend greeting friend. We can't be expected to practice it in urban, "megachurch" settings with strangers and casual acquaintances, we reason.
But perhaps the most significant reason the holy kiss is no longer practiced is that we are no longer physically persecuted for our faith. If
every so often one of our church families had to flee for their lives, or some we loved were dragged off to jail for their faith, we would not worry much about the possibility of the symbol being abused. And I do not think we would care if we were misunderstood.
What would matter is that other people matter-and we would be eager to express that to them .
I am not calling for a complete reinstatement of the ageold practice of the holy kiss. But I am urging us to continue holding on dearly to its meaning and to put that meaning into practice regularly. We must begin to live in ways that do not take our relationships for granted. We must begin to live in ways that do not assume that we will ever see each other again and that visibly, concretely, and habitually express just how much we value and appreciate each other.
Her
instruction prOVided one of the most valuable lessons I have learned-that none of the relationships that we cherish is
For some, that expression might be with the longstand- guarc:nteed for ing tradition of the holy kiss. another tomorrow. But we can use any number of other culturally acceptable expressions to show and tell people just how good it is to see them again .
Carol Smith, a Protestant girl, taught me, a Mennonite boy, about the holy kiss Her instruction provided one of the most valuable lessons I have learned-that none of the relationships that we cherish is guaranteed for another tomorrow. Our "See you on Monday" partings that flow so easily and nonchalantly from our lips mayor may not ever come to pass. I
I did not know that a seventh-grader But through Carol's life, and especially through her death, she taught me about the fragile sacredness of my own life and the life of others.
It is a lesson worth living •
Alan Kauffman is a Mennonite pastor from Accident, Md. His article first appeared in the Gospel Herald
HAT EADERS AY
Nix the national conferences
Thank you for printing the article by Paul Toews in the June issue ("Do We Really Want to Dissolve the General Conference?"). I hope it will help many to think clearly on the role and need for our three-tiered conference system
When one has an overweight patient, it makes no sense to cut off its head. Rather, we should look at trimming some fat off the middle. If a tier needs eliminating, it is the national conferences.
The General Conference has been criticized for being out of touch with the grass roots. This is not its job . The General Conference is needed to coordinate denomination-wide needs like the seminary, MB Missions/Services, etc. Grass-roots work, like supporting congregations and church planting is in the able hands of the district conferences. This leaves the national conferences without an apparent mission and I would support their dissolution.
Dean Witt Denver, Colo.
Pride and prejudice
How fitting that your article "Home Away from Home" (May issue) would be followed by the title "Studies in Futility." While the principles laid out in the first article are good, it's been my experience that they are rarely applied in Mennonite churches
Growing up in a General Conference (GC) Mennonite church in the Bible belt, and now attending a Mennonite Brethren church also in the Bible belt, I have always taken some pride in my full-blooded German Men-
nonite heritage.
The Christian Leader welcomes brief
So when my wife first began telling letters of relevance to the Mennonite me about some of the prejudice in our church I didn't want to believe her. Brethren Church All letters must be But after several heated discussions between her and me, where I made the mistake of doubting her instead of being her champion, and some eyeopening experiences of my own, I'm beginning to see what she is talking about.
The history of the Mennonite church does not define it as open and outreaching. In fact we have been
We don't even exactly the opposite . Mennonites have historically isolated themselves know we're
signed and will be edited for clarity and length Send letters to Christian Leader, Box V, Hillsboro, KS 67063; fax: 316-9473266; e-mail: chleader@southwind.net.
church. We have discussed a few times the possibility of confronting some of these people about our concerns, but feel it would be pointless because most of them would not believe they are prejudiced-and it would just create bad feelings from the world. That's why we left prejudiced because
Germany for Russia and Russia for the United States. I feel that is still the mind-set of a considerable segment
we've had very little exposure to other cultures. of our membership today, at least in the congregations with which I have experience.
I believe you stated it well in your editorial, "Reaching today's USA," when you said you "sense some ambivalence " We know what the ideal is, but it's hard to change when we don't even know we're prejudiced. We don't know we're prejudiced because we've had very little exposure to other cultures .
Being in a cross-cultural marriage I feel gives me some qualification to express this. My wife tells me she has experienced some prejudicial attitudes from several members of our
But this is why I have to chuckle a little, and at the same time I'm saddened, while reading articles like this one. While the suggestions you make for ways to ftIl the
cultural gap are excellent, I just don't see them being applied by most of the people in my church , myself included . I realize this is not a letter very many people want to read. But the more I become aware that this is how we are, the more I've been wishing for a way I could voice my concerns with anonymity. I thank you for this article and I thank you for allowing me to use you as a sounding board. I pray that we will force ourselves to get out of our comfort zones and reach out to the people around us of all cultures . "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."
Name withheld
Advertising rules
Regarding Burton Buller's column, "A World Out of Focus " (Media Matters, May issue), I would like to take two of his ideas a little further. Talking about global media control, he writes, "These businesses see information primarily as a commodity to be packaged and sold . Their primary audience is those of us who live in North America and Western Europe because we have the money to pay
Pontius' Puddle
for this information."
To a great extent, the commodity these businesses are packaging and selling to advertisers is their audience Thus, the primary audience is those who "have the money" to be a worthwhile target for advertising. Perhaps the advertisers exercise more control over what stories get told, and how, than we do.
Later, Buller refers to comments made by Lowery and Defleur on the industrial revolution. The enclosure laws ended the open-field system and the medieval idea that people were inseparable from the land that grew their food. This enabled the nobles to establish wool production for profit.
The destruction of this common understanding created a large group of homeless, destitute people who were forced into urban slums. These people became the pool of labor that made the industrial revolution possible. They would not have willingly left the land or taken employment at wages that made businesses profitable except for the legislation that produced their desperation.
The use of such strategies has increased ever since, impoverishing both the human community and the land.
Joe Covach Sheridan, OR
Thanks from Esengo
We are at the end of the mandate given to us by the church of Jesus. Now it is our responsibility to express a deep gratitude to those who have contributed in spiritually, financially and materially to the success of this program.
Duritlg the course of our journey, we have exprienced God's grace and protection because of your prayers. We sensed the impact of your prayers during the political crisis in our country.
Thus, our thankfulness goes to:
• MB Missions/Services and Youth Mission International for sponsoring our tour;
• To all our drivers for their sacrifice and voluntary work : Emile Kegi, Congo; David Kenanaia, India; Leonard and Leona Vogt, U.S. and Canada; Roy Dyck, California; John Esau, U.S. and Canada; Kogi Manage, Japan .
• Mennonite Central Committee, Akron, Pa., for hosting us while we were preparing to go back home;
• To all churches in India, Japan, U.S. and Canada for their hospitality and true love in Christ, specifically for the provision of food, lodging, transportation, leisure and many other things;
for allowing us to use their bus for four months;
• To those we could not mention by name in this letter, but they have been a bleSSing to us.
Please fmd in this letter our deep expression of gratitude in Jesus To him be the glory for eternity.
• To the church of Fairview, Okla., Malu Malu, director Democratic Republic of Congo
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BY PHILIP WIEBE
Less than it seems
You'd have a hard time convincing many churchgoers these days, but bigger isn't always better.
ONE DAY a couple of weeks ago the mail was a bit richer than usual. It came with two checks totaling $125,000 and an offer for free computer soft-
many of us in our vocations and avocations. But surveys show that plenty of others have found them considerably less lifechanging than imagined. ware promising to revolutionize my home office.
But wait a minute . Turns out the checks and software weren't quite what they seemed. What a shock. The checks merely represented the kind of cash I could get (sure) via mail-order loans, and the software was for adding cartoon animation sequences to my business documents.
Just what I needed, another computer application to help me get less done in more time.
Needless to say, the mail that day didn't exactly change my life, though it did provide a few extra items to toss in the recycle bin. It occurred to me, though, that so many of today's "big deals" tum out to be less than they seem. For years our local cable 1V company has been pestering us to sign up, for instance, because it offers 50 whopping channels of the kind of information and entertainment we can't live without. Well, maybe we can. I've seen enough cable 1V to know that 50 channels of news and entertainment isn't nearly as great as it sounds.
For many, personal computers and the other electronic gizmos of modem life have not exactly lived up to their promise. Just the other day I heard from a friend struggling with the new computer her family had acquired: "I thought this was supposed to simplify my life!" Eventually it mayor may not . Certainly computers are indispensable for
Exercise machines, kitchen appliances and other gadgets can fall in a similar category. Many an item that performs spectacularly in the infomercial ends up gathering dust in the home. I once read the confessions of a gadget junkie who had bought a fancy food processor to save time in the kitchen.
Then one evening, when pressed to put together a last-minute salad for a dinner gathering, he bypassed his food processor for an even faster method of cutting up vegetables: a kitchen knife. And so it goes-newer, faster, better often turns out to be trickier, slower, messier.
Careers,
bank accounts, houses, cars and other status symbols of our day can seem so important to pursue, but invariably they tum out to be less than satisfying as goals in themselves . Part of the problem is that work, money and things have lost their honorable place as means to provide and serve and have become idols of personal fulfillment and worth. No wonder so many who acquire wealth and power at the expense of relationships and character finally come to wonder, "This is it?"
In the church we can also get caught up in "big things" that can tum out to be less than they seem Not long ago I experienced a startling juxtaposition that brought this home While out of town I had
opportunity to attend a popular church featuring a trendy service, a professional praise band and a congregation of thousands. As a proponent and practitioner of contemporary worship styles, I enjoyed the service and took note of the church's people-attracting strategies.
The next day, as it happened, I was involved in a much smaller gathering. In preparation for the work we had come to accomplish, about a dozen of us met for more intimate worship, reflection and prayer.
A month later, the image of the trendy service stays with me, but I remember none of the content . I vividly recall everything about the smaller gathering, however, and continue to apply its content and focus in both personal and corporate worship settings.
That tells me something. You'd have a hard time convincing many churchgoers today, but bigger isn't always better. The Big Event may seem monumental at the moment, but many times it doesn't last much beyond the moment. Small, everyday encounters and insights, by contrast, can tum out to be much bigger than they seem. Even life-changing.
For me, this happens all the time with my kids. The innocent things they say, the spontaneous moments we share, the free time we spend together-these invariably grow far beyond the moment to take up permanent residence in my mind and heart.
After receiving the fake checks and bogus software offer in the mail, I was struck that I don't want to waste my time and effort on things that tum out to be less than they seem So many attractions and temptations in this life that offer big returns and lasting rewards tum out to be empty shells-and tum us into empty shells when we spend ourselves chasing them .
I want to invest in the things that are bigger than they seem. They are all around me every day, if I'd only open my eyes wide enough to see .
How should we parents respond when our teenage children want to listen to music with lyrics that strike us as bitter in spirit and not uplifting to spiritual life? (CALIFORNIA)
AIn most cases it seems to me that parents have a legitimate concern. I'm aware that someone beyond three score and ten might well not understand even the words, let alone the spirit of the kind of music to which the young listen . So what would I say to these inquiring parents as well as to their children?
Less than a year ago, a magazine geared both to parents and children discussed a musical group called The Smashing Pumpkins. Three of their albums have sold almost 10 million copies. In "Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness," the music centers around 29-year-old Billy Corgan. He is depicted as a walking, talking version of the bitter and broken spirit of many of our modem children, and perhaps adults, too.
These are songs of sadness and lament and have been described as something akin to the psalms of lament in the Bible. With Billy Corgan, however, he finds no hope in God and is deeply mired in defeat and despair.
Some of the lyrics popular among teenagers today contain lewd and pornographic language. That is bad enough, but sometimes I wonder if the kind of hopelessness, emptiness and despair coming from The Smashing Pumpkins is not even more threatening. Christian parents would do well to probe kindly with their children when they listen to such lyrics. Why is such lament so enthralling?
Perhaps the least we older believers can do is to recognize that Billy Corgan's words are cries for help. He feels, and probably rightfully so,
INQUIRING MINDS
BY MARVIN HEIN
that he lives in the midst of chaos. We could admit this to our children but gently explain that the answer is not in the words of Billy Corganwho really has no answer-but in the security of being in God's wonderful and loving care.
As parents and churches we can hardly remain silent. We must explain and demonstrate as living models that gospel brings hope. In relationship with Christ, we may not always fmd a quick and easy solution, but we do find a Shepherd who genuinely and everlastingly cares.
It is easy for us to simply avoid that which, to us, is offensive and mindless. We would probably do more good by occasionally listening with our children to what offends us and then seek to discuss with them how they and we feel about what is being said. I'm aware that isn't always easy or even possible. Such discussions may not even resolve the present conflict, but at least seeds are sown that often bear fruit in years to come.
QWhat do you tell friends with whom you are sharing the good news ofJesus's salvation when they ask about the "gory" stories of intrigue, murder and violence in the Old Testament'? (CALIFORNIA)
ARecently my wife and I watched a three-hour rerun of a documentary made for television on the life of Moses Some of you will have seen it also, along with presentations on Joseph and others. Maybe you have watched and then asked, "Does the Bible really put it that way?" And then you've discovered that the ftlm is not all that unfaithful to the biblical narrative. Some scenes in these documentaries are shocking You wonder if your children should see them And
Have a question about a Bible passage, doctrine, conference policy, or other spiritual issue? Send it to "Inquiring Minds, " c/o Marvin Hein, 4812 E. Butler, Fresno, CA 93727
yet to a seeking, adult person this may seem as incongruous as it would to a child who has the notion that everything in the Bible is like pure gold. Why all the adultery and chicaneries in the Scriptures by the very people who are its heroes?
Such accounts are in the Bible to help us learn moral values. Biblical heroes did not live in a sterile, sinless environment any more than we do. If they were not depicted as human beings with the same temptations and failures we experience, we would not see them as role models to follow in their better moments. We would say they were too perfect.
The Old Testament places deliberate tension between the sometimes cruddy, immoral, degrading details ofthe story and the higher, more ethical principles that God wants to teach us The seeds of those higher principles are always present in the Old Testament, but they do not reach full flower until Jesus comes in the New
For instance, Moses murdered once and was about to kill again when he was stopped in his tracks. The details are there for our leaming, but God also was already there suggesting to Moses and to us that violence does not solve problems. Moses, with far less experience with Jehovah than we have, could not be expected to behave as someone who had experienced the saving grace of Jesus. But God was bringing him along in a curriculum I'd call "Nonviolence 101."
A Harvard professor has suggested that we learn more advanced forms of morality as we are exposed to increasingly more difficult ethical questions. God began with Moses where he was. He began with Abraham and Rahab the harlot where they were. In Christ he brought us ultimate truth We have far more insight into that truth because we have the Scripture, the Holy Spirit and a couple of thousand years of experience. But God also begins with us where we are
BY ROSE BUSCHMAN
On planting and patience
Sometimes I wonder if we are trying too hard to grow instant churches, instead of letting God work at his pace.
I'M THE BEST weed puller in my part of the country. At least you'd be hard pressed to find anyone who has more
I've learned some things about planting lawns, too. If you want a fast lawn out here, you plant fescue grass experience at pulling weeds than I have.
Five years ago we bought 1.67 acres of land on which to build our new home. The land had been part of a wheat field at one time but became a weed field after it was subdivided. We inherited lots of weeds that were already growing and many more seeds lying dormant in the soil just waiting for someone to stir them up, water them a little and watch them grow.
After the building phase of our project was completed, we began landscaping. I had visions of trees, shrubs and flowers growing all over the place. And I wanted everything right away. No small trees or shrubs for us. We would get the big ones so the place would look good-fast. That was, until we found out how much big trees cost. So we settled for just a few medium-sized ones and all the rest were small.
Every morning I was out watering our new plantings-with a hose, for at least an hour or more-but it wasn't good enough. In our part of the country summer gets hot and dry and usually stays that way for several months. We had to replant most of that first year's plantings The second time around we put in more than 3,000 feet of drip irrigation hose (we have 1.67 acres, remember?) and this time most of the plantings survived. Now we only have to replant winter kill and an occasional tree or shrub that doesn't make it for other reasons. I've learned it takes hard work, patience and perseverance to grow trees.
seed which is relatively cheap, water it and in six weeks have something that looks like a lawn. Works great, but to keep it that way, you have to continue watering-a lot-and regularly mow it.
Now, to plant a native buffalo grass lawn is a different story. The seed is much more expensive and it takes several years to get a good stand of grass, not to mention all the weeds that need to be pulled-in spite of commerci,als to the contraryuntil the grass is established. For the past five summers I have gone out in the cool of the morning and pulled weeds, either by the sackful or by the hour. Slowly, but surely, I have made progress. The payoff is that now this lawn fmally looks great, requires very little water (native grass, remember?) and only an occasional mowing.
Because of all the work involved, we have had to do portions of the yard at a time. I know now that it will take us at least another five years to produce a fully landscaped yard the way we originally envisioned it and many more years after that to see the trees and shrubs grown to maturity.
Thisleads me to the idea of church planting-which seems to be so popular these days. There 's been a lot of discussion about our successes and failures as a conference. Sometimes I wonder if we are trying too hard to grow instant churches, instead of letting God work at his pace
I know of one church plant where the work had steadily grown until
more than 50 women and children were coming regularly for Sunday morning services. Needs were being met and people were cOming to the Lord. However, some leaders expressed concern that there weren't enough men attending, so a "fleece" was put out If by a certain date, an agreed-upon number of men didn't also attend Sunday morning services, the church plant would be shut down. The desired number did not materialize, so the church was closed. The people who attended were told to go to other churches.
It has been pointed out to us in the past year that the number of Mennonite Brethren members in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire) is higher than our membership is in North America. My husband, who grew up there as the son of missionary parents, commented, "We've had several generations of missionaries. there. Early on the work was primarily among children, who are now grown and bringing not only themselves but their families to the church." It took several generations, but look at the results.
In the last decade, evangelical churches in South America have grown by leaps and bounds-the end result of a number of generations of dedicated mission work which in the earlier years often showed very little evidence of growth.
Keith Phillips, in his latest book, Out of Ashes, describes how for the last 25 years World Impact missionaries have lived and worked in some of our big cities, evangelizing and discipiing, reaching out to children and their families. In the last few years they have begun to plant churches, the result of having "grown their own" leaders and members.
We live in an age of instant mashed potatoes, fast food hamburgers and quick-grow lawns. Instant church plants? Are we in such a hurry to get new churches that we forget it doesn't always work that way? Sometimes it takes time, patience and perseverance
WATERLOO '97
Not yet the end
• Attendance was down but the spirit was up as delegates from Canada and the United States gathered to consider the future of their binational structure. The consensus: "We're not ready to give it up just yet."
NAPOLEON should have fared so well at his Waterloo. Unlike the famous French conqueror, the General Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches, meeting in convention July 10-13 at the Waterloo · (Ont.) MB Church, nimbly avoided its demise.
At least for the time being. In anticipation of this convention, conference leaders had all but assumed the dissolution of the binational structure. But facing the forces of radical change eyeball to eyeball, delegates sounded a retreat to rethink strategy.
Actually, the leaders themselves blinked ftrst. Even before floor discussion ensued, the Executive Council amended the preamble of their recommendation to insert the word "possible" into the critical phrase, "in anticipation of the dissolution of the General Conference "
Though the ensuing discussion was lively and thorough, the outcome was all but determined when the amendment was accepted. The only real question was how to rethink the strategy. Some wanted to take alternative action at Waterloo, fearful that a
review process could drag out indefinitely or be hijacked by vested interests. Most felt too much was at stake in regard to the ongoing ministries of the denomination to risk impulsive action.
In the end, delegates approved a plan to establish a task force of five people with the mandate to make a "no-holds-barred" look at all layers of existing conference structures-district/provincial, national and binational. Within two years, having gathered and evaluated input from the grass roots-and the myriad stems and branches that grow from them-the task force will make their recommendation to the Executive Council of the conference . When the General Conference convenes again in 1999, this time in Kansas, delegates will have another opportunity to determine a ftnal outcome.
Interplaying with the dissolution issue at this convention were two prominent subthemes: the health and
COVERAGE of Waterloo '97 was a cooperative project of the Mennonite Brethren Herald of Canada and the Christian Leader. Participating from the Herald were Jim Coggins, editor, and Susan Brandt, managing editor Don Ratzlaff and Connie Faber represented the Christian Leader.
effectiveness of General Conference ministries, and the growing internationalization of the Mennonite Brethren Church
During the weekend , delegates listened to effective presentations from MB Biblical Seminary, MB Missions/Services, the Board of Faith and Life and the Board of Resource Ministries. In response, several delegates emphasized that restructuring must not undermine the work of these entities as they engage, respectively, in leadership training, global evangelization, theological unity and the production of discipleship materials.
"We should not tear down our existing house until we know that the new house will take care of our needs," said one delegate .
Many delegates voiced the conviction that a new structure must also make room for the 15 other national Mennonite Brethren conferences. A
Steve Klassen of British Columbia led the "concert of prayer" at the start of the convention . The event set the tone for unity. Worship leader Ramsey Unruh is in the background.
with striped shirt) prays with other members of his "triplet."
call for increasing international coop· eration and partnership came through loud and clear at this convention.
But how that would affect restruc· turing wasn't so apparent. Some argued that a binational North American conference, with its abundant material and educational resources, too easily dominates the worldwide family. Others argued that while internationalization was important and paternalism should be avoided, a binational structure was still the best arrangement for meeting the shared needs of the churches within Canada and the United States.
The global dimension came through in a variety of ways, not the least of which was the effective multimedia presentation of MBMjS. The report began with a parade of flags representing the 39 countries in which Mennonite Brethren work or have national churches. Another highlight was a videotaped song from Esengo, the Congolese choir which recently completed a popular North American tour. Jeanine Janzen, who served Esengo as their cultural interpreter, was on hand to lead the audience in the singing and accompanying motions. Later, an offering, collected in lively Congo style, netted $5,400 (Canadian) and $1,200 (U. S.) for MBM j S.
Several international guests were on hand as well, including Harry Janzen, the current moderator of the 18. THE C H R 1ST I A N L
Brazil MB Conference, and Miguel Forero, a Colombian leader who will become MBMjS regional secretary for Latin America.
Nicolai Dueckman, an elder over 53 Mennonite Brethren congregations in the Omsk, Siberia, area of Russia, received the warmest reception of all. Twice the delegation rose to its feet with applause as Dueckman, speaking through an interpreter, described the perseverance of Mennonite churches in the former Soviet Union. The elderly Dueckman had himself served several years in prison,
including forced labor in the coal mines of Siberia, for his religious beliefs.
Dueckman's presence energized the unanimous approval of a resolution calling on Canadian and U.S. political leaders to persuade Russian President Boris Yeltsin from signing new legislation that would restrict religious freedom in that country. The resolution was to be forwarded to government leaders in the U.S. and Canada as well as local media.
But Waterloo '97 was more than a forum for issues and guests, as significant as they were. In response to criticism two years ago that conventions were dominated by business, planners designated more time for spiritual nurture. Before any deliberations were begun, the delegation participated in an unprecedented "prayer concert"-an opening session of worship, singing and prayer along the ACTS (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) model.
Prayer opportunities emerged throughout the convention. Significant decisions were preceded with prayer, usually in "huddles" or "triplets." One spontaneously organized afternoon workshop option was devoted to prayer as well
Unlike some conventions in the recent past, the times of worship and singing moved the delegation toward unity. Led by Ramsey Unruh of the Willow Park Church in British Columbia, the convention worship
Prayer was incorporated into convention business. Here, moderator Ed Boschman (kneeling
Waterloo '97 wasn't promoted as a family event, but alternative activities were made available for children and youth. Here, the youngest attenders take a water break while their elders opt for coffee and other refreshments. Older children toured various sites around the city while youth participated in "Random Acts of Kindness" with Youth Mission International.
hAD E R
team seamlessly incorporated new and traditional music in an upbeat style .
After two strong keynote messages, by Elmer Martens and Ed Boschman, delegates were given opportunities to to express repentance and a desire for renewal. In each case, people were m qyed to respond.
Mixed with the seriousness were many moments of humor, a tone established and maintained by the smooth, talk-show style of moderator Ed Boschman . With the addition of several "Top Ten" lists, Dan Unrau's "Tante Nuht" reading, and a convention-closing drama and music program , most delegates left Waterloo encouraged and feeling good about the General Conference.
"This was the best convention we've had for some time ," said one long-time attender.
A round the edges , though , were .r1.several reminders that some serious business still remains:
• Convention attendance continued its decline-only 341 delegates registered for Waterloo ' 97, though guests, children and youth raised the total count to 456 Two years ago , 404 delegates and 94 adult guests attended
• Some persons expressed disappointment that the event had not attracted more younger participants, especially when attempts had been made to accommodate their interests "Where are all those people who wanted change?" asked one delegate .
• Though alerted from the podium, delegates chose not to address the financial needs of the conference. The General Conference ended its biennium with a cash deficit of $49,483 even though the boards underspent their budgets. The Canadi· an and U S. conferences also reported deficits this fiscal year, in part because of funding commitments to General Conference ministries
These will be among the factors thrown into the mix as members of the newly founded task force, as yet unnamed, begin their mammoth assignment of considering the future of Mennonite Brethren conference structures in North America. And all Napoleon wanted to do was conquer the world.-Don Ratzlaff
WATERLOO
'97 • Executive Counci l
Dissolution issue takes center stage
• Given time to process the issue, delegates come to near consensus
FOR ONCE, expectation became reality. It was widely anticipated that the main item of business at this convention would be the Executive Council's proposal to "restructure" (abolish?) the General Conference.
This, in fact, turned out to be the main item of business. It was given ample time for processing , the pro· cess was guided expertly by moderator Ed Boschman, and the convention ended by achieving something approaching consensus on the issue.
The proposal came out of dissatisfaction expressed in various places, particularly the young leaders' forum at the last convention two years ago, and a strategic evaluation meeting held in September 1996. The proposal, made last fall, seemed to arouse little interest until a small flurry of concerns and counter-proposals surfaced in the weeks just before this convention
Family Talk 1
The first business session of the convention , Friday morning, was
entirely devoted to the issue. Before the discussion began , the Executive Council responded to recent concerns by changing the preamble of the recommendation to say that it anticipated only the "possible" dissolution of the General Conference. Then, the chairs of the conference boards , the moderators of the national boards and two selected individuals responded to the proposal .
Next, delegates were asked to discuss around tables the key recommendation (IB) "that the Executive Council initiate the process of realigning and restructuring the ministries of our binational conference." After about 15 minutes of discussion, all 46 tables briefly reported the results of their discussions
These reports reflected a remarkable degree of similarity, later accurately summarized by the executive as concern about dissolution; a desire to protect the current ministries of the conference ; a desire for more intentional development of an international organization and fellowship (the Inter-
Marlene Wall of Wichita. Kan • makes a point during the "Family Talk" discussion about dissolution Listening. from left. are Lyndon Vix. also of Wichita. and Lynn Jost of Hillsboro Kan.
While other spokespersons wait their turn to
offers the insights
national Committee of Mennonite Brethren or ICOMB); and support for significant structural changes.
Family Talk 2
Another hour or more was made available at the end of the Board of Faith and life report late Friday afternoon. The executive outlined what they had heard in the morning, and then proposed that a task force be
The co nse ns us:
FOLLOWING is the text of the key recommendation p assed by th e delegation regarding the future o f the conference:
We recommend the striking of a task force of five people (one ea ch appointed by national leadersh ip boards and three in cl uding the chair, by the Executive Council) :
• to facilitate a no-holds-barred review in consultation w ith existing ministries. all levels of conference and local churches;
• to prepare an appropriate realignment/restructuring of the management of our ministries ;
• to provide opportunity for strengthening our relationships w ith the other national Mennonite Brethren conferences ; and
• to com plete th eir assignment within this biennium by (1) preparing an interim report to Council of Boards for Sept.jOct. 1998; and (2) bringing a recomm endation for Executive Coun cil for March 1999
appointed to do a "no-holds-barred" review of all conference structures and present proposals at the next convention in 1999-a suggestion that had also been made in the morning.
A broad-ranging floor discussion followed, which included much affirmation and calls for grass-roots consultation, a stronger push toward "internationalization," that the need for change was urgent and that the task force should not delay the process or simply bring the conference back to the same place in two years. Several delegates also asked that prayer and fasting be a major component of the process.
A key argument was that North Americans must be willing to give up power and the current structure in order to create a truly international partnership of all 17 national Mennonite Brethren conferences in the world Another key argument was that the change was needed in order to make the work of the conference more relevant to a younger generation (those 40 and under), who largely were not present
A proposal
On Saturday morning, the executive presented a formal proposal (see sidebar) that was similar to the informal proposal it had outlined the afternoon before.
The discussion that followed called for several things:
• a truly international partnership ;
• tying restructuring to the renewal theme that was repeatedly present at the convention;
• delegates to repent of the ir arrogance and love of organization;
• for younger delegates for whom the changes are being made to "pick up the baton" of the conference.
An amendment to enlarge the proposed task force from three to five members passed overwhelmingly as did the proposal itself. Ballots had been made ready since the motion required a two-thirds majority, but were deemed unnecessary in view of the consensus which had developed.
Clearing up the details
In the final business session of the convention, on Saturday afternoon, the executive brought in the expertise of the Board of Trustees, as well as parliamentarian Ed Boldt, to guide the delegates through the passing of several recommendations. These were largely intended to clear away any procedural obstacles to restructuring.
One recommendation revised the formula for amending the conference constitution and the Confession of Faith. The old formula required that notice of motion be given at the previous convention and the actual proposal be presented two months ahead . The revision removed the requirement of notice of motion . Some delegates argued that two months was too short a time to respond to a proposal if there was no prior notice . The recommendation passed after the two months was amended to four months. It was noted that notice of motion for the Confession of Faith revision and the restructuring were already given at this convention, but that the change will mean the actual proposals for both will have to be ready by early March 1999.
Another recommendation created a provision whereby the conference bylaws (the rules for operating the conference) can be overridden by a two-thirds majority at any convention. This passed easily.
Jim Enos of the Trustees moved that the newly passed recommendation be immediately used, suspending the bylaws so the terms of current board members could be extended for two years. It was thought best to provide continuity for the last two years of the current structure, anticipating that a new structure will be put in place in 1999 ) This was passed despite some opposition.-jim Coggins
report. Karen Heidebrecht Thiessen of Winnipeg. Man .•
made by her table mates during the discussion period.
WATERLOO '97 • Board of Faith & Life
Progress on a revised Confession
• Expanded and revised Confession of Faith could be ready by '99
WHILE FIVE issues dominated the agenda of the Board of Faith and Life during the past biennium, it was the Confession of Faith that prevailed during the board presentation chaired by Herb Kopp and the discussion that followed.
• Confession of Faith. BFL delivered to the Waterloo delegates a completed, color-coded draft of the revised Confession of Faith, cutting short a process originally scheduled for completion in 2005. The new document includes five new articles, five articles approved at Fresno '95 and eight reworked articles.
Lynn Jost, vice chair, outlined a process for studying, revising and approving the document. A Confession of Faith workbook will be sent to churches during the next several months with instructions to process the material and return the workbook no later than Feb. 15,1998.
Workbooks have been colorcoded to indicate which respons-
es come from delegates and which from congregations. All responses will then be considered
by the Board of Faith and Life. A leadership convocation will give final shape to the Confession and a final draft will be presented to the convention delegation in 1999.
The five new articles are titled "Creation and Humanity," "Evil and Sin" (to replace the old article titled "Man and Sin"), "Sanctity of Life," "Stewardship" and "Other Faiths."
BFL received initial feedback on several of these new articles during two seminar sessions.
Jost announced that BFL has plans to develop a companion booklet to the Confession which will include a biblical commentary and pastoral applications for each article. A popular edition, or "sidewalk version," will also be completed in time to be presented at the next convention Attempts by delegates to discuss specific Confession of Faith articles
were discouraged . Delegates were encouraged to complete the workbook included in their convention packets, attend the seminar offered during the convention and to participate in their congregation's discussion
Delegates raised concerns about the involvement of other national conferences in the process of revising the Confession. The question was asked
whether other countries will develop their own confessions or whether the General Conference needed to consult with them in developing this current revision.
According to Harold Ens, general director of MB Missions/Services, many countries have adopted some version of the Confession of Faith and translated it for their context. A request was also made for a compilation of small documents which would speak to Conference stands on various issues, for example, cremation.
• Is Jesus the only way? In response to a request by the MBM/S Board, BFL produced a paper discussing the biblical teaching of salva· tion only through Jesus. This paper was written in response to the recent influx of non-Christian religions and
religious pluralism facing Christians in Canada and the United States as well as countries outside the North American continent
• Ordination. BFL reported that the ordination document presented two years ago has been edited as requested and will be included in the Leadership Manual. Although ordination to ministry is a district/provincial conference matter, BFL will ask the regions to be more consistent in practice.
Government practices in recognizing affirmation for ministry vary from country to country, as well as from district to district and province to province. However, in order to be eligible for legitimate government allowances, some formal recognition of ministry is necessary.
Churches and conferences are encouraged to formulate ceremonies for ordination, commissioning and licensing, as well as for workers who do not fall into this categories.
In addition to affirming leaders for ministry, there is also a need to address pastors who exit or withdraw from the denomination as well as those individuals susiii pended from ministry.
• Leadership Manual. The current Church Leadership Manual was prepared by the former Board of Christian Literature in 1985. A new one is being prepared by BFL, to be ready by the end of 1997. It will have twin functions, dealing with both confessional and polity issues, reported BFL member Roland Reimer.
• Women in Ministry. Although BFL has issued no further statement on the subject of women in pastoral ministry, BFL said it is still an issue in the minds of many people.
In response, BFL commissioned research on the number of women involved in conference/church ministry during 1980-1995. The study, recently completed by John Redekop, is available upon request.
BFL member John Warkentin encouraged the delegates to continue addressing this issue with the same openness used in discussing other issues that create conflict -Susan Brandt and Connie Faber
Lynn Jost outlines the Confession of Faith process.
Taking on the challenges
• Tight funding and new trends inspire new approaches
THE MB Missions/Services report was a fast-paced, multifaceted, two-hour report frequently punctuated by applause and several spontaneous standing ovations.
It was an opportunity to celebrate what North American Mennonite Brethren have done right. The only reason that this convention could even talk about "internationalization" is that MBM/S missionaries started the process that allowed the Mennonite Brethren Church to grow to 229,000 members in 17 national conferences.
The news was not all good. For instance, giving is flat, and the number of full-time missionaries has dropped from 129 in 1990 to 52
today. However, by including other categories of workers (short-term missionaries, mission associates and global volunteers) and by funding national workers, MBM/S actually supports a record missionary force of 1,167.
Similarly, when churches began bypassing the MBM/S program to do their own mission projects, MBM/S decided to switch gears and help churches with the projects they want to do.
During their report, Harold Ens, general director, outlined how MBM/S is shifting priorities in its overall mission strategy:
• a shift of some resources from Latin America to Asia;
NICOLAI DUECKMAN stood before the Waterloo '97 delegation as a living symbol of the faithfulness of God in the past and the scandal of human systems in the present.
The white-haired visitor from Siberia charmed his North American brothers and sisters with his enthusiasm and humor, and moved them with his testimony of perseverance and hope.
In interviews, Dueckman talked about his experience as a Christian in Russia during and after communism. Seven months after becoming a Christian in 1951, Dueckman said he was imprisoned for faith-related activities and forced into hard labor in the coal mines of Siberia.
"Down there I recalled Scripture verses and hymns, which I copied down each day when we returned to the bunk houses," he said.
He was released four years and two months later, after the death of dictator Josef Stalin.
He was arrested again in 1981, beaten severely and given a four -year sentence. But he was released after only four months.
When peristroika began in 1986, the
Mennonite Brethren churches in his area had around 3,500 members. But with increasing freedoms, more than half of the membership migrated to Germany. Today, Dueckman is an elder over 53 Mennonite Brethren churches in the greater Omsk, Siberia, area of Russia. He
• a focus on unreached people groups, particularly in the "10-40 window;"
• an increased focus on reaching urban peoples;
• new efforts in the former Soviet Union in partnership with national churches;
• an ongoing shift from planting churches to training national workers. This strategy was quickly endorsed by the delegation when it was presented as a recommendation.
Board chair Neil Fast described how MBM/S is shifting its approach in order to respond to the desire of North American churches to have more direct input into missions MBM/S ' s regular program, planned and directed by MBM/S, is now called "Core ;" 15 percent of this program is currently funded by individual congregations supporting particular parts of the MBM/S program under the "Adoption Options" provision.
says the believers who stayed behind in Russia have seen the past few years as "a wonderful opportunity to evangelize." He said most services, especially in the cities, are in the Russian language and 60 percent of the members are recent converts.
"Although we are unregistered churches, we have a registered mission called Good News for All People," Dueckman said."We have tent evangelistic meetings in the villages in the area. We have 23 churches who have mission committees. They together form nine teams that go out in summer and have tent meetings."
Dueckman said 22 churches have since begun and 62 people have been recently baptized.
Itis precisely this kind of activity that would have been endangered if Russian President Boris Yeltsin had not rejected legislation late in July that would have denied legal status to all religious organizations with less than 15 years of registered status. Delegates unanimously passed a resolution imploring U.S. and Canadian political leaders to use their influence to sway Yeltsin.
According to Law and Liberty Trust, a North American agency that monitors religious liberty in Russia, the new law, backed by the Russian-Orthodox Church, would have severely disadvantaged members of virtually every faith, including
Dueckman (left) tells his story with the help of a translator.
"Coreplus" is a new umbrella for overseas mission projects started and funded entirely by individual congregations in North America These congregations can ask for MBM/S's assistance and expertise.
Fast noted that while contributions to the Core program are slowly declining, Coreplus is growing dramatically.
By cutting Core program and administrative costs, MBM/S fInished the previous biennium with a small surplus It still hopes to increase Core giving, so it can restore its two-month operating reserve, improve service to its constituency and field staff, and increase the full-time missionary force to 75 or 80.
Fast also announced that, in response to repeated requests from churches, MBM/S is increasing from 13 percent to 20 percent the amount of its budget spent on "constituency ministries." The increase, in part,
Orthodox congregations not affiliated with the Moscow Patriarchate, Catholics, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Methodists, Baptists, Adventists, Evangelicals, Pentecostals, Charismatics, Mormons and all other groups not registered in 1982.
If the law had gone into effect, Dueckman noted, the congregations in Siberia that he serves would have been denied
INSPIRED
means that missionaries will spend twice as long on "Ministry in North America," with most of the focus on speaking in churches rather than rest. MBM/S has also created "regional mission advocates"-volunteers who will have significant contact with every
legal status All rights would be removed to their existence as a church.
"The content of this law includes a clause that membership must have a minimum of 10,000 and, secondly, that even if they did qualify they would have a twoyear probation period during which laws could be acted against them," he said.
Why was the Russian Orthodox Church
PARTIALLY by Nicolai Dueckman's presence, the following resolution was unanimously ratified by the Waterloo delegation. It was forwarded to political leaders in Canada and the United States, including Prime Minister Jean Chretien and President Bill Clinton. Coincidently or not, within two weeks of the convention, Russian President Boris Yeltsin vetoed the controversial law.
Resolution Concerning Religious Freedom in Russia
Be it resolved that the 416 delegates assembled in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada for the 61 st convention of the General Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches in Canada and the United States solemnly request on this 12th day of July 1997, that political leaders in Canada and the United States utilize their personal and diplomatic influence to prevent a dramatic loss of religious freedom in Russia
In particular, we strongly urge our political leaders to convey to President Yeltsin and other Russian authorities, representatives and ambassadors the view that the proposal which would deny legal status to all religious organizations with less than 15 years of registered status, should not be enacted into legislation.
We strongly urge our political leaders to commend President Yeltsin and the Russian government for the great progress which has been made in providing religious freedom and other basic democratic rights but also to urge President Yeltsin and the Russian government not to adopt fundamentally antidemocratic measures which violate Russia's constitutional guarantees, which contradict Russia's international treaty obligations, and which reverse Russia's impressive progress in establishing democracy, a climate of freedom, and respect for human dignity.
church in their area at least four times a year.
In the discussion that followed, delegates praised many aspects of MBM/S's new approaches
The report also included rapid-fIre interviews of mission workers, disinterested in passing this law?
"Because the Orthodox Church has a strong mandate to control all religious and political activities of the country," Dueckman says. "Alexander II, the chief priest of the Orthodox Church, says they don't desire to control all of religious life, but this isn't true."
Dueckman says Orthodox people and Mennonites get along well now, but the new law could have changed their good relationship. "During days of atheism (the relationship) was antagonistic," he said. "The Orthodox people spread stories that Mennonites sacrificed their chi ldren to appease God."
Dueckman says that in the past, atheists wanted to accuse Mennonites and other evangelical groups as much as possible and got local people to do this.
Asked if this law could have "closed the window" for Mennonite churches in Siberia, Dueckman responded, "Much depends on local authorities in the area where we live." In Russia, he noted, legislation may be in place for years before it is acted on locally.
Dueckman said that what the church needs most from Mennonite Brethren in North American is prayer. "Mainly we need prayer intercession that we might remain faithful during this window of opportunity, and that our relationship with other Mennonites be maintained "
The parade of flags representing the countries of Mennonite Brethren involvement illustrated the global nature of today's Mennonite Brethren Church.
Fran Wedel gets a hug of appreciation from Harold during the of to retiring missionaries. She and her husband, Ben (Iookmg on), were missionaries m MexICo.
playing the many faces of the new MBM/S:
• Trevor Godard, missionary to Colombia;
• Gerald and Jean Petkau, mission· aries to lithuania;
• Laurence and Leona Hiebert, missionaries to Japan;
• Randy Friesen, director of Youth Mission International;
• Doug Hiebert, a YMI volunteer;
• Werner and Elsie Ann Kroeker, MBM/S representatives in India;
• Nick Dyck, who has gone on evangelistic trips with Church Part· nership Evangelism, an initiative started in a local church that has now come under the wing of MBM/S;
• David Dyck, a pastor whose congregation increased its support for missions after it was linked with the Khmu outreach in Thailand through "Adoption Options;"
• Harry Strauss, a pastor who ministered to missionaries in three areas through the Pastor Overseas Program;
• Ed Boldt, a regional missions advocate;
• Nicolai Dueckman, who leads a 53-church conference in Omsk, Siberia, which is a partner of MBM/S . Dueckman received a standing ovation after describing his years in prison for preaching the gospel, as well as his conference's current evangelistic efforts. The Executive Council used this occasion to pass a recommendation protesting proposed restrictions on religious freedom in
Russia;
• Harry Janzen, executive secretary of the newly combined GermanPortuguese MB conference in Brazil;
• Miguel Forero, president of the Colombia MB Conference, who will become MBM/S Secretary for Latin America in January 1999 This is another step in MBM/S's "internationalization;" a majority of MBM/S's
regional secretaries will be from the regions rather than North America
• Janine Janzen, the only North American member of the Esengo choir from the Congo, which delighted audiences totaling 35,000 on its tour of North America and raised $125,000 in offerings. Janzen introduced an offering, Esengo-style, with Esengo singing via video while some delegates danced to the front of the sanctuary to give themselves and their offerings.
Seven missionary couples who retired during the past biennium were honored with long rounds of applause and a fInal standing ovation. Together, the couples contributed a combined 412 years of service.
Four of the couples were not present because they have returned to mission assignments as retiree volunteers. Eighteen new full-time missionaries were introduced via video
Everyone who had worked for MBM/S in some capacity (about a quarter of those present) was called to the front while those remaining stood as a musical video expressed "Thank you for giving to the Lord" on behalf of those who had been reached with the gospel. -Jim Coggins
WATERLOO '97 • Board of Trustees
Delegates deaf to deficit news
• With reduced workload, size of board is reduced to five
IT MAY BE true that when money talks, people listen. But the people attending Waterloo '97 didn't have much to say in response to the fInancial news delivered by the Board of Trustees.
The Trustees used their podium time primarily to point out that the General Conference boards had ended the last biennium with an operating defIcit of $49,483 (U.S.).
These figures do not include the operations of MB Missions/Services and MB Biblical Seminary, which manage separate budgets
Churches in Canada contributed 78.4 percent of their budgeted income, while U .S. churches contributed 81.3 percent . The delegates accepted the
Trustees' report without discussion.
For the coming year, the boards of the General Conference proposed a two-year budget of $462,805, a reduction of just over 10 percent from the previous biennium.
MB Missions/Services is projecting a two-year budget of $9,831,576, identical to the past biennium. MB Biblical Seminary's budget for the coming biennium will increase by 11.7 percent to $3,936,121.
In related matters, delegates approved a recommendation to reduce the size of the Board of Trustees from nine members to fIve. Since more of the financial work is done at the national level, the workload of the General Conference board has been reduced.-Don Ratzlaff
Adjusting to a changing world
• New faculty and programs symbolize an institution in transition
CHANGE HAS been the operative w ord at MB Biblical Seminary during the last several years, President Henry Schmidt said as he began the school's presentation. To illustrate, he noted that five of the school's 10 facUlty members have joined in the last four years.
But not all things at MBBS are in transition, he added. One thing that has not changed is that the school has always taught from a biblical perspective. Schmidt likened their situation to a rubics cube, saying that while the outside cubes change color, the center one never does. At the same time,
one change inherently changes something else.
"You have to lose what you have to get what you want," he said.
Schmidt said an institution cannot be static, or it dies. "We need bifocal vision," he said. "Immediate needs should be met locally and globally , but there is also a need for seeing the greater picture." The seminary is providing skills training, he said, but always seeks to integrate that with the needs in the church .
Schmidt quoted students to underline his point . "My relationship with my church, my family, and with God
Preaching the rock-hard truth
• Elmer Martens's keynote message pushes for repentance
THE OPENING message of Waterloo '97 challenged delegates to repent of corporate and individual sins. Elmer Martens, professor emeritus at MB Biblical Seminary in Fresno, Calif , called on his listeners to remove "boulders blocking the access ramp to the superhighway of God's grace "
Martens delivered his message creatively with readings, songs and props Members of the MB Missions/Services board read from Isaiah 40, which Martens used to paint a picture of how God's reign will appear. Jake Willms of Kitchener, ant., and a choir from the host church sang selections from Handel's "Messiah."
Martens echoed the words of the prophet, calling on God's people to prepare the way for the Lord. "Smooth out the road," he said. "Pull out the boulders. Tell the people our Savior is coming."
Martens then drew attention to several large "boulders" cluttering the stage and identified them as arrogance, power and materialism.
"I want to talk about denominational arrogance," said Martens, standing by the first boulder "Mennonite Brethren are viewed by other Mennonites as thinking of themselves as superior in piety We have a holier-than -thou attitude
"The line is always fine between
thanksgiving (for church growth) and triumphalism," Martens added He wondered aloud about the "turf conscious" nature within the church and the generational clashes over worship and music styles "If it's not my way, it's no way," he said, echoing what he hears in the midst of the conflict. "It's not about music, but
has never been better;" said a firstyear student . A graduating student said, "My commitment to God and the mission of the church have never been stronger. Students come out of seminary training with a passion for God, knowledge of the Scriptures, a love for the church and a commitment to missions."
Academic Dean Pierre Gilbert emphasized in the insitutional report that today's changing world is marked by globalization, secularism and institutional crises. He said the seminary needs to take a prophetic stance in dealing with these issues by listening to God , the community and societyand then discerning what kind of leadership training the churches need. Theological education for the 21st century needs to teach leaders to think in philosophical categories to discern what is happening in society
about arrogance and pride."
Martens also pointed to the difficulty North American Mennonite Brethren have had forming genuine partnerships with other national conferences. "Pride comes into our boards," he said
Martens called the second boulder "the boulder of power-the penchant for control." He said boards and ministries too often are more concerned about power than about mission. " At this conference we will be talking about the constitution and the balance of power. We're tinkering with machinery .... It is wrong if the farmer's objective is the machinery (so that) he forgets what the machinery is all about."
Martens designated the third boulder as possessions, greed and materialism "It is a problem," he said, referring to "fingers that clutch things rather than open to give."
Martens said the Mennonite Brethren landscape "is strewn with boulders" and called for true repentance. "God is ready to come, but here are all these boulders blocking the access ramp to the superhighway of God's grace.
"What would happen if we were to humble ourselves before the Lord?" he asked "The glory of the Lord would be revealed, " Martens concluded as the Waterloo choir sang the same words from Handel's "And the Glory of the Lord "
The service ended with a litany of repentance and communion .- Connie Faber
Martens identifies the boulder of arrogance.
and to speak to it, he said .
But leaders also need to learn to relate to society. Since society is becoming more urban, future leaders need to understand the dynamics of the city so that they can impact the city.
Jim Westgate, associate professor of practical studies and director for training in mission/evangelism, said MBBS is well-suited to accomplish this Fresno is a world class lab for urban ministries, he said It has a large Southeast Asian community, a large hispanic community as weU as being close to the multicultural populations of San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Delores Friesen, associate professor of pastoral counseling, responded to
Gilbert's statement that counselors are the priests and pastors of the secular society She said students at MBBS are immersed in biblical classes, learning to integrate psychology and theology. Students are "thrown off the deep end" by doing their practical work with real clients so that they become competent counselors.
Tim Geddert, associate professor of New Testament, said the church needs to keep the mission of the church in focus It needs to learn to be a discerning community Learning needs to be done in community rather than trying to rationalize everything into a system, he said
Jim Holm, newly appointed director of recruitment and constituency
Calling for a more passionate heart
• Boschman points to God as the way in this 'crazy world'
GENERAL Conference moderator Ed Boschman called delegates to a passionate love for God and pre-Christian people Friday evening when he spoke about being "crazy for God and my neighbor in a crazy world "
Boschman characterized "this crazy world" as glutted with information, changing constantly, fragmented, relative and having a corrupted normalcy .
"No wonder there aren't any straight paths for us anymore," Boschman said "No wonder we're stressed out."
According to Boschman, the Ed
church in North America won't be of much help He described North American churches as plateaued and declining because of an unwillingness to change
"We don't change, we level out," Boschman said. He characterized the North American church as mindless, asleep to an active worldwide church and comprised of individuals who are often inward and distrustful in attitude
"Are we in need of repentance? I think so," he said
To find straight paths, Boschman referred his listeners to Jesus's words in Mark : "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and your neighbor as yourself."
"Straight path values have to do with
being crazy for God first," Boschman said. " To be crazy for God is to have God as highest value."
Citing Revelation 3, Boschman said that earnest repentance is a way to recapture a lost love for God "I have learned that for me it is easier to confess than to repent," Boschman said. "To do the aboutface-that's what God is calling for ."
Obeying God follows from our love for God, Boschman added "We need to be crazy for our neighbor," Boschman said He spoke of two kinds of neighbors : denominational neighbors and pre -Christian neighbors.
"Our denominational neighbors - do you love them? Do we love each other ?" Boschman asked "By what behaviors
relations, said the seminary was committed to preparing leaders for Mennonite Brethren churches. «All the training in the world will not be effective without supernatural power," he said The seminary is also committed to encouraging excellence and passion in preaching.
Feedback to the seminary was positive. Delegates expressed appreciation for the willingness of faculty to visit the churches. The seminary was also urged to involve the international community in planning for the future of the school. Current and former students appreciated the faculty for their openness to the students, and the school for its emphasis on leadership training.-Susan Brandt
would that value be verified? I am honestly aghast by what I hear among us about those that would be called our neighbors in our church family."
Boschman listed a variety of negative ways in which Mennonite Brethren talk about each other. "We do it without flinching because we have somehow come to believe it is our birthright to talk about our family in these ways."
Beyond relationships within the church, he encouraged his listeners to open their eye to their pre-Christian neighbors. "We find ourselves in the midst of folks who live without direction, used and abused, guilty and shameful," Boschman said. "In Matthew 9, Jesus looks at the crowd and sees lost people Jesus saw more than masses He saw individuals ."
"It is a crazy world," Boschman said in closing. "I can't keep up with the facts. There is no normal. So few absolutes Meanwhile, our unchanging God desires our love and points us to our neighbor. Loving our neighbors is not rocket science but it'll take everything we've got. Rocket science may be easier."
Boschman concluded the evening by inviting delegates to register a new commitment during a prayer time. Delegates were invited to stand, kneel or come forward
"Give God a signal that you mean business," invited Boschman, and many in the audience did - Connie Faber
Boschman: Be crazy for God and neighbor.
WATERLOO '97 • Board of Resource Ministries
Multimedia persuasion
• New curriculum and worship CD highlight BRM accomplishments
THE BOARD of Resource Ministries used t-shirts, storytelling and candy to promote its work during their convention reporting time.
Members of the board wore identical "A Heart for the World" t-shirts to draw attention to their new smallgroup curriculum on Mennonite Brethren core values called Faith Family Focus. During the next biennium two new units will be added to the three existing units, one on the nature of the church and the other on spiritual formation, announced Michael Dick, executive secretary. The first three units focus on missions, history and peacemaking.
LorHe Barkman, BRM chair, described the series as "uniquely made by Mennonite Brethren for Mennonite Brethren." Faith Family Focus units are each comprised of four lessons and are available on two age tracks-youth and adult .
A new book and a music recording were released during the conference . Storyteller and pastor Dan Unrau of Richmond, B.C. , read from his new book, Saints, Sinners & Angels. His story of "Tante Nuht" both enter-
tained and challenged delegates to think about the nature of God. Later in the morning Unrau signed copies of his new book.
Songs from More Than Worship, a collection of worship songs by Mennonite Brethren songwriters and composers, were incorporated into convention worship times and highlighted during a seminar. The recording is available in compact disc and CDROM, cassette and song book format.
Jubilee: God 's Good News, the Anabaptist cooperative publishing venture in children's curriculum , was highlighted during the report and question-and-answer time that followed. Marilyn Hudson, Kindred Productions manager, said that Jubilee is currently being "recycled" following an initial three-year track. Hudson also introduced the "Salvation Story" teacher 's aid developed and marketed by Kindred to aU Jubilee users. Teacher training videos have also been
Loretta Jost. BRM member from Aurora. Neb.• hands out M&Ms as a sweet thanks. developed to aid churches.
BRM concluded its formal report by requesting feedback in writing from delegates regarding future publications. To reward delegates for their input, and to help them remember the board's "M&M " staff (Michael and Marilyn), the board members distributed M&M candy while delegates filled out their forms.-Connie Faber
Offering 'marks of eternity'
• Commission promotes several books on mission efforts
THE TASK of the Historical Commission, according to its chair, Abraham Friesen, is to call the "marks of eternity" to the attention of the churches.
In its report to the convention, the commission highlighted several books they will be producing in 1997 with the help of Kindred Productions. Books like these, said Friesen, commemorate and preserve God's activity through a particular people.
Among the books were:
• Only the Sword of the SPirit, by Jacob A. Loewen and Wesley J. Prieb, which traces the development of Anabaptist-Mennonite Brethren peace theology from the 16th century to the present ;
• Comanches and Mennonites on the Oklahoma Plains, by Marvin
Kroeker, which recounts the fIrst "foreign " missions effort undertaken by Mennonite Brethren in North America;
• Russians, North Americans and Telegus, by Peter Penner, which reviews the events and practices of the first overseas mission work of Mennonite Brethren in India Penner was on hand during the convention to autograph his book.
Friesen also made a plea for delegates to consider the historical perspective when deciding the future of the General Conference, and not focus only on the concerns of the present day
The Historical Commission hosted a discussion of the dissolution issue during the workshop period on Friday -Don Ratzlaff
Unrau reading his story on "Tante Nuht."
IN BRIEF
APPOI NTED: M i g u el Forero of Bog ot a, Co lomb ia , ha s be en appointed as MB M issio ns/ Ser vi ces ' s next regiona l se creta ry f or Latin Am erica , effec t ive in January 1999 For e ro , a pasto r an d churc h plant er, is currently pre sid ent of the Colombi a MB Conf ere nce Forer o will be t he third intern at ional member of th e MBM/ S admin is tr at ive t eam The others are Franz Rathmalr of Au stria , wh o i s reg i on a l sec r e t a ry f o r Europ e and th e Common w ea l th o f Ind e pendent St ate s, and Pa k isa Tshim l ka of Congo , re gion al secretary for Con go and Angol a Fore ro w ill succe ed Harold Si eber t , l ong -t i m e MBM/S mi ssionary from M o rden , Ma n
BALAN CED BUD GET: Despite a shortfall in annu al-fund g iving , Tab o r College end ed it s ninth co nsecutive year with a bal ance d budget , coll eg e offici als announced July 15 Jack Braun , vice president for advanc ement , rep o rted the coll ege enjoyed re cord gi ving . More th an $2 .6 million in re str ic ted and unre st r ict ed gifts were re ceived dur i ng th e 1996-9 7 fis cal year Th is was important in both ach ie ving a balanced budget for ope ration s an d co mpl eting the fund ing fo r the Solom on L. Loewen Natural Science Center Kirby Fadenrecht, vi ce presid ent for business and finance, said a change in th e college 's investment policy for 1996-97 yielded significant returns which were not projected when the original budget was adopted "Revenue sources exceeded project ions in many areas and conservat ive budget adjustment s made during the year helped offset the shortfall in the annual -fund giving and allowed for a balan ced budget outcome," Fadenrecht sa id (TC)
NOTED : " New, cool and notable " is how USA Today described Mennonite Central Committ ee ' s web sit e . Th e newspaper ' s w eb page li st s new " hot sites " daily and included M CC' s und er the head i ng " Helping the W o rld " i n March " (M CC ) ha s been providing relief and development aid around th e world sin ce 192 0, " the des cripti o n says " (Their) web site now let s th e world see the kinds of good thing s they're doing " The addres s is http:// www .mennonitecc .ca/ mcc/ . (MCC)
Giving decline leaves conferences in red ink
• u.s., General conferences finish with deficit; MCC experiences giving increase
THE 1996-97 fiscal year was tough for national and binational Mennonite Brethren causes. The U.S. Conference and General Conference both finished with lower contributions from the churches and deficit bottom lines, according to Dale Regier, U.S. Conference treasurer.
The U.S. Conference overspent its income by $20,683-despite underspending its $569,140 budget by almost $105,000
Receipts from the churches totaled $235,298, down 7 percent from a year ago That figure represents 90.5 percent of the budgeted amount.
The remainder of U.S Conference income-$208,365-was generated through special fund -raising efforts by boards, designated gifts from individuals, a grant, interest and endowment earnings.
The budget was underspent primarily for two Regier said. First, the fund-raiser supported jointly by the conference and MB Biblical Seminary was funded only for part of the year , reducing expenses by $7,000 Second, various ministries planned by Mission USA are only in the beginning stages.
MUSA, which has the single largest budget at $277,000, underspent by $84,000. No U.S. board overspent its budget.
Meanwhile, the guaranteed subsidy of MB Biblical Seminary-which is a U.S. Conference responsibility though not part of its operating budget-fell short of the required $ 277,500 amount by $28,301. The conference has borrowed money to cover the obligation, Regier reports. Church contributions to the subsidy were down by 4 percent from a year ago
U.S. church support for General Conference causes declined by 8 per· cent from the previous year-finishing $20,469 less than the one-year goal of $107 ,720.
The General Conference operates on a two -year (biennium) budget. This year was the second year of the
biennium. Expenses exceeded income by $22,080-about 2 percent over budget. Overspending was largely the result of unexpected conference restructuring meetings, Regier noted.
Meanwhile, U.S. church receipts for MB Missions/Services, which is a General Conference ministry but is budgeted separately, fell by 1 percent from the previous year. Congregations designated $1,808,588 for MBM/S in 1996-97.
The only ministry for which U S. churches actually increased their giving was Mennonite Central Committee. MCC received $138,327, a 39 percent increase from the previous year.
The financial challenge for the coming year will be significant, Regier notes. To meet budget expectations for 1997·98, churches will need to increase their giving to the U.S. Conference by almost 49 percent, by 25 percent for the MBBS subsidy, and by 48 percent for the General Conference.
Last year, U.S. churches gave about 51 percent of the contributions that could have been received if all churches had met the per-member giving norms suggested by the U S. Conference, according to Regier. Only about 16 percent of congregations met even 75 percent of norm.
The suggested per-member norms for 1997-98 are prorated according to church size for the U.S. Conference ranging from $10 to $30. Norms fo; other ministries are as follows : MBBS subsidy, $22; General Conference $10; MCC, $10; MB Missions/Services: $100.
MCC overseas programs having to live with less
• Despite giving increase, total cash income is down
A LTHOUGH GIVING to Mennon..rlite Central Committee (MCC) has increased over the years, approximately keeping pace with inflation, the cash income available to MCC overseas programs has not
According to analysis done by MCC's finance office, the cash resources available to overseas programs has decreased about 25 percent
since 1989, in inflation-adjusted dollars.
This decline has occurred because of declines in grant income from CIDA (Canadian International Development Agency) and other sources, other income for overseas programs, and the value of the Canadian dollar versus the U.S. dollar. At the same time, fund-raising costs have increased.
Meanwhile, the number of countries (excluding Europe and the former Soviet Union) where MCC spends money has averaged 57 since 1989, compared to an average of 47 during the previous 10 years. While the number of countries in which MCC works has grown, the average amount spent in each country has decreased significantly.
Of equal concern to many in MCC is the continuing decline in the number of workers in overseas assignments In 1986 MCC had 510 people working overseas; 10 years later, the number had dropped to 379.
"Applications so far this year are down 9 percent," Dwight McFadden, director of personnel reported at a meeting of the MCC executive committee in June. But placements are at about the level they were a year ago, he added.
MCC personnel are trying to determine the cause ofthe decline. "We've done some analysis but we need to do more," McFadden says. "Other Mennonite agencies are also affected (by the decline) so we know something is happening-with both Mennonite and non-Mennonite groups."
Although MCC has not done an overall study of what's causing the decline in applications, it has worked at some aspects of the problem, like reCruitment, according to McFadden.
Some board members wondered if MCC shouldn't be examining the kinds of programs it is involved in "Maybe it's (MCC programs) right for us but it doesn't fit our constituency," said Dave Cressman , executive committee member from Kitchener, Onto He suggested that MCC staff should work at coming up with programs to challenge the constituency
"The reality is that in the past we were a placement agency," McFadden said. "When people applied to serve with MCC, we found them a place to
serve." Now, MCC's overseas partners ask for specific kinds of people, generally those with a higher level of education and more experience, he says This changes the nature of recruitment. "We now look for people to fill specific assignments; in the past we looked for assignments for those who applied."
The strain on fmancial and human resources has resulted in a "more spread-out stance" for MCC overseas, according to Ray Brubacher, director of programs abroad. MCC workers are spread more thinly than before; MCC is also focusing more on helping local groups help themselves.
"We're not reducing our commit· ment. The mission and goal remain the same," he said. The work is just being done differently.
Over the years MCC has developed extensive connections with people overseas. This network of relationships enables MCC to connect people and help North American churches do mission and service with churches in other countries.
Should MCC pursue this networking model or should it consolidate in order to have more impact in fewer countries? Brubacher asked the executive committee.
"It's been a struggle to recruit peo· pIe for even existing programs," said Vidya Narimalla, executive committee member from Scarborough, Onto "I would like to see MCC doing fewer things and going to the constituency and telling them what we can or can't do. The temptation is to get involved in too many things. This will happen in the networking model too. It's easy to get drawn in "
One problem with having larger programs in fewer countries is getting administrators who are willing to run the programs, said Brubacher. Times have changed and demands on staff have increased
It took MCC four years, for exam· pie, to find a replacement for the last country representative position in Bolivia. This large, complex program has 25 international staff and 25 Bolivian staff.
A suggestion from the MCC overseas department calls for a reduction in the number of country representa· tive offices from 39 to 35 over the next five years.-MCC
IN BRIEF
DECISIONS : The General Conference M ennonite Chu rc h (Ge). me eting July 6-8 in Wi nnipeg , Man ., for what may be its la st sep arate de legate se ssions , agreed to a new name On ce it integrates with the Mennonite Church (Me). the new denominat ion will likely be called " Mennonite Church ." Delegate s voted on three proposal s regarding integration The first proposal , which passed with 76 percent of the vote, dealt with the name The other two propo sal s wer e (1) that del egates meeting in 1999 in St Lo uis re ceive a plan for th e two general bo ard s and the two delegate bodie s to join sometime thereafter and (2) that Th e Mennonite and Gosp el Herald become one publication in early 1998 The se ea ch passed with around 96 per cent of the vote J. Lorne Peachey, current editor of the Gospel Herald, ha s been named editor of the new periodi cal , to be called The Mennonite Plans call for two editorial offices- one in Newton , Kan , where the current The Mennonite is published, and the other in Scottdale , Pa ., site of Gospel Herald offi ces For the first year , the new publication will be printed at Scottdale, Pa ., by Mennonite Publi shing House . In addition to adu lt ses sions, more than 600 GC youth and sponsors held their own gathering and joined the adults one evening for worsh i p Th e youth worked on numerous servi ce projects , many helping with cleanup from the devastating May floods (G CM C)
VIOLENCE: All Mennonite Central Committee worker s in Cambodia are safe following a w eek of violence in early July between troops loyal to feuding prime ministers Hun Sen and Prince Norodon Ranariddh At this point , MCC workers are not planning to evacuate the country, feeling it is important to stay with Cambodian s during this difficult time MCC reque st s prayer for their workers ' safety and for the Cambodian p eopl e , who have known so much war The current fighting likely ends the coal i tion government formed in 1993 following U N.supervised elections The U N effort sought to bring pea ce to tha t country, which had been torn by 20 year s of war (MCC)
BOD) LIII
IN BRIEF
SCHOLARSHIP: Brian Hess, a junior at Tabor College from Abilene , Kan , is one of 18 students attending eight church -related colleges and seminaries who will receive Mennonite Mutual Aid annuity scholarships for the 1997-98 academic year. Students of families who own an MMA annuity are eligible for the $500 scholarships Students must attend a college or seminary related to ch urch groups served by MMA, be a member or regular attender of a church denomination that particiaptes in MMA. and demonstrate at least $500 of finan cia l need Preference is given to st udents who have completed their first year of college or seminary and those who have been involved in a term of service for the church (MMA)
DECEASED: Larry Eckland, 75, professor emeritus in math education at Fresno Pacific University's School of Professional Studies, died June 16 Eckland was named professor emeritus in January 1988 At the time of his death , he was scheduled to tea c h several math education courses this fall. Eckland came to FPU in 1975 to work in math education at the newly established graduate school. He was one of three directors of Creative Teaching Associates which he helped found in 1971 He was known for his contributions in curriculum development and as a pioneer for independent study (FPU)
NETWORKING : Colombian Ricardo Esquivia, dire ctor of his country's Mennonite peace organization , hopes to develop a worldwide network of Anabaptist congregations exchanging Christian love , knowledge and faith across cultural and linguistic boundaries Esquivia ' s idea was endorsed at Assembly 13 of Mennonite World Conference in Calcutta , India As a first step, he and Maarten van der Werf of the European Mennonite Peace Committee, want to get the idea out and circulating To register your congregation as part of the Anabaptist Peace and Justice Network, contact Judy Zimmerman Herr, codirector of the MCC Peace Offi ce by pho ne at 717 -859 -11 51 or by writing 21 South Street, Akron , Pa , 17501 (MCC)
.CHURCH NOTES
• Baptism/Membership
FRESNO, Calif. (Butler)-Doug Hoogsteen and Ray Winter were baptized during a combined worship service and picnic held June 1.
EUGENE, Ore. (North Park)-Randy, Stacey and Joshua Reiswig were formally accepted as new members July 6. Randy has begun his ministry as pastor of the congregation. An installation service was held for him July 20. Henry Dick, Pacific District minister, was the guest speaker.
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (Heritage Bible)Fifteen children, eight youth and six adults were baptized June 15. The children were Tim Adams, Katherine Ball, Nathan Beeghly, Paul Beeghly, Courtney Crossman, Andrew Crossman, Eddie Cummings, Laurel Delamater, Leah Diffenbaugh, Whitney Lyons, Allison Newfield, Lacey Penrose, Elise Penrose, Stephanie Spingola and Amanda Wade. The youth were Eric Bracamonte, Phil Dolton, Jeff Larma, Joanne Hudson, Jayme Gooding, Cyrus Mojibi, Tony Schwartz and Sally Yates. The adults were Maxine Bradrick, Wendy Pace, Amy Wagner, Cynthia Patton, Wayne Epperson and Miranda Epperson Several people were welcomed as new members: Brian and Wendy Pace, Dennis and Paula Devitt, Jason Armistead, Willa Crosby, Jayme Gooding, Joanne Hudson, Julianne Jones, Kariss Koop, Sarah Mulholland, Shane Mulholland, Natalie Newfield, Karissa Weinmann, Markku Weinmann, Mark Welch, Maxine Bradrick and Amy Wagner.
DINUBA, Calif.-Four people were welcomed as new members May 18. They were David and Marla Martin and Elden and Gloria Friesen.
FRESNO, Calif. (Bethany)-Jeff Reimer and Daniel Buschman were baptized June 29.
HILLSBORO, Kan. (Parkview)-The following people were received in June as members of the congregation : David and Alice Krause, Jon and Ellyne Wiebe, Bruce andJanell Heyen.
ENID, Okla.-Opal Roper was welcomed as a new member of the church June 1. She transferred her membership from the Balko (Okla.) MB Church.
SAN JOSE, Calif. (Lincoln Glen)-The following people were baptized and received as new members June 29: Drew Froese, Kirsten Korpela, Lynette Ollenburger and Jocelyn Rempe\.
NEW HOPE, Minn.-Dennie and Marlene Masser were welcomed into membership June 22
MADERA, Calif. (Madera Avenue Bible)Baldwin Moy was baptized and received into membership June 22. Rachel Moy was also welcomed as a new member.
ORLAND, Calif. (Country Bible)-Charles and Carolyn Whitsett were welcomed as new members April 6.
• Celebrations
BELLINGHAM, Wash. (Community Bible)-The congregation celebrated moving into their newly acquired meeting facility July 13 with a dedication service and dessert fellowship.
FRESNO, Calif. (North)-A display of flowers in the sanctuary marked the 50th wedding anniversary of Joel and Lucille Wiebe July 6.
BRIDGEWATER, S.D. (Salem)-Ralph and Agnes Olsen celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with an open house reception at the church, June 22.
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Lincoln Hills Bible)The congregation dedicated its new building addition June 8 The project cost just over $300,000. The offering taken during the service raised $14,000 toward the building loan. Bob Radtke, currently on staff with the Billy Graham organization in Fresno, Calif., was the guest speaker.
HD.LSBORO, Kan. (parkview)-Albert and Vada Reimer celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary July 13 with an afternoon reception at the church .
HARVEY, N.D.-Clifford and Marjorie Reimche celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with an open house June 29 Charles and Dolly Reimche celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary July 6 with a: program in the church and a reception.
FAIRVIEW, Okla.-Lyndon and Frances Wahl celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary July 6 with a come-and-go reception at the church.
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (Heritage Bible)Flowers were placed in the sanctuary June 15 in honor of Arnold and Jeanne Liesch's 50th wedding anniversary.
FREEMAN, S.D. (Salem)-Ralph and Agnes Olsen celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary June 22 with an open house reception.
DENVER, Colo. (Garden Park)-Ruben and Leah Walter and Harold and Lydia Guengerich celebrated their 55th wedding anniversaries in June .
BALKO, Okla.-Leon and Vi Neufeld were honored for 50 years of marriage at a reception held June 29 at the church.
FRESNO, Calif. (Butler)-Flowers in the sanctuary July 20 marked the 50th wedding anniversary of Franklin and Frieda Wiebe_ The flowers were placed there by Franklin's brothers and sisters.
• Fellowship
HESSTON, Kan.-About 70 people attended the June 22 worship service held at a rural park. The service was part of a weekend church camp out, which included recreation on Saturday afternoon.
SHAFTER, Calif.-The North Fresno MB Church choir presented a musical program June 22. A potluck supper with the choir members as special guests preceded the evening's program.
FRESNO, Calif. (North)-The year-end church choir concert June 29 was followed by Bach's Supper, an old-fashioned box supper auction with proceeds going toward the choir retreat fund.
Hll.LSBORO, Kan. (Ebenfeld)-The congregation met for an all-church picnic Aug. 3 at the city park. An early worship service was followed by organized recreation, a picnic lunch and swimming at the municipal pool.
• Ministry
WEATHERFORD, Okla. (pine Acres)-Al Cockrell, a consultant with Injoy Stewardship Services, led an orientation meeting with the congregation July 20 during the Sunday school hour. The congregation is working through an extensive stewardship campaign with Injoy's help. The main part of the program will start in mid-August • ' l ' lIRNING P()INTS
UNTIL MAY 1992, it had been a long time since I last attended church. When I had lived at home as a 10-year old, my mom sent my younger brother and me to a church which had a bus that came by to pick us up
It was in that Baptist church that I first became a Christian I had also wanted to be baptized, but when I came home and told my parents, they asked, "Why?" The only thing I had to say was, "Because my friends are being baptized " So my parents wouldn't let me.
My mom had never been involved in church before but my (step) dad had attended the Church of Christ. I think it was more my dad who discouraged me from being baptized . I don't know if it
DINUBA, Calif.- The church council unanimously affirmed the continuation of two Sunday morning services June 3, while agreeing to address concerns that have been expressed at various times . Several concerns were noted: the need for more instrumentation during worship time; the possibility of meeting together more often; the need to provide opportunity for more fellowship between those attending first and second services; the possible loss of singing songs in four-part harmony; and the degree of similarity of the two services "Circle of Friends Ranch" was the theme for this year's vacation Bible school program, held June 1620. Attendance averaged 165 children. Several children and an adult accepted Christ during the week
YALE, S.D. (Bethel)-Fifty-four children attended the vacation Bible school held in June.
OLATHE, Kan. (Community Bible)About 95 children attended the congregation's vacation Bible school held in June.
GARDEN CITY, Kan. (Garden Valley)Between 42 and 39 children attended the church's day camp held on four consecutive Wednesdays in June. A total of 17 children from outside the church participated.
UTILETON, Colo. (Belleview Acres)-Of the 147 who attended the church's recent vacation Bible school program, 30 had no church home and seven made decisions for Christ. The children contributed money and materials to assemble 104 school and health kits for Mennonite Central Committee. Two MCC videos showing kids preparing the kits and kids in foreign
STORIES OF NEW LIFE
was because of my motivation or because he was Church of Christ. But looking back, I'm glad I didn't get baptized then. Eventually, I quit going to church. When I was about 14 years old, my whole family started going to a local Church of Christ, where I attended until I was about 19 . At this time, I began to fall away from church. Then, when I moved out on my own, I quit going altogether.
My life started going downhill; I started hanging out with the wrong crowd; and I lost the job at which I was working because of my lifestyle.
This continued until 1992 , when I met Stacy, my wife-to -be Stacy and her family were involved with the Mennonite Brethren Church and I began attending
countries receiving the kits generated enthusiasm for the project. Gloria and Dean Witt, missionaries to Nepal, incorporated the importance of these kits in their daily missionary corner. The VBS staff included 73 adults; 214 people attended the closing Sunday assembly.
ULYSSES, Kan.-The church's Mission/ Evangelism Committee is sponsoring a "Plaster the Poster" fund drive through August to raise $500 for the church-planting work of Gary and Maxeline Wiebe in Lee ' s Summit, Mo.
EDMOND, Okla.-As a Men's Ministry service project, members of the congregation traveled to Sulphur, Okla., to assist with a reconstruction project at the School for the Deaf A flre last November destroyed the seminary and school for training hearing impaired ministers .
INMAN, Kan. (Zoar)-The congregation cooperated with churches in the community to offer a citywide vacation Bible school ministry in June. A staff of 65 people hosted 168 children for the five-day event. Offerings went toward paying medical expenses of a local man and also to help purchase playground equipment in the city park. The closing program, hosted by Zion, drew around 430 people.
SAN JOSE, Calif. (Lincoln Glen)-As part of the outreach of the church, the New Beginnings Choir presented the Broadway musical "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat" June 28 and 29. Since many members of the cast were young people from local schools who had little or no previous church affiliation, many members of the community attended the
SEAN GILES
with them It was he re that my life once again had a turnaround.
After two years, I attended the membership class and in December 1994, I was baptized. This time, I understood what I was doing and wanted to dedicate my life to the Lord.
It's amazing now to look back and see the change in my life. In the last three years, God has answered prayers and been there in times of need. I know I would not be where I am today if it were not for my getting to know the Lord •
Sean and Stacy Giles are active members of the Shafter (Calif.) MB Church. God has blessed their marriage with a son, Luke.
performances. "Our ministry with these kids and families is more the process of building relationships than the actual performances," according to the LGC newsletter.
• Workers
NEWTON, Kan. (Koerner Heights)-Greg Schmidt resigned as associate pastor July 1. He has not announced his plans, but is leading a group of Koerner Heights members who are meeting independently of the congregation.
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Lincoln Hills)-Bob Freye has resigned as youth pastor, effective Sept. 1. He has not announced his plans.
EUGENE, Ore. (North Park)-A farewell fellowship was held for Amo Wiebe and his wife, Linda, following the June 29 morning service. Amo served the congregation as interim pastor for the past several months. Randy Reiswig is the new pastor.
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (Laurelglen Bible)David Buck will be the congregation's new associate pastor for youth ministries as the result of a congregational vote in late June.
LITTLETON, Colo. (Belleview Acres)Steve Johnson, a student at Denver Seminary, has accepted a call to be pastor of children's ministries. He began serving July 27
BETHANY, Okla. (Western Oaks)-Larry Ediger resigned as pastor of the congregation, effective Aug 1 He and his wife, Nancy, have not announced their plans.
FRESNO, Calif. (Bethany)-Sam Freshwa· ter was installed as pastor July 6.
• Youth
HILLSBORO, Kan. (Ebenfeld)-Eleven youth and sponsors participated in an inner-city missions experience with DOOR (Denver Opportunities for Outreach and Reflection) in Colorado July 611. Participating were Matt Esau, Will Goertzen, Jeremy Jordan, Jonathan Jordan, Brad Just, Audrey Loewen, Esther Richert, Chris Stucky, Ryan Suderman, Tiffany Williams and Vaughn and TarynJost.
GARDEN CITY, Kan. (Garden Valley)Seventeen persons from the church participated in "Mission Mexico," a youth missions trip to Juarez, Mexico, July 19-26. Those participating were Aaron Zeller, Jim Terry, Jeremy Wissink , Matthew Lighten · er , Nathan Piper, Megan Alexander, Heather Siebert, HilIarey Dechant, Billee Paxson, Katherine Simpson, Danelle Teet· zen, Micala Teetzen, Twilla Siebert, Janet
Bartel, Randy Bartel, Bill Paxson and Steve Ensz.
SAN JOSE, Calif. (Lincoln Glen)-Ten people from the church participated in the annual Baja Missions Outreach held June 13-21 in Mexico Participants were Josiah Froese, Candice Graves, Paul Kroeker, Monica Lee, Jennifer Munroe, Melissa Pannabecker, Karen Rafferty. Josiah Rempel, Mike Spinelli and Paul Slayton.
OLATHE, Kan. (Community Bible)-Five people were commissioned July 6 for a SOAR missions trip to Tijuana, Mexico. They were Stephanie Frase , Karl Franz, Brian Mowry and Kim and Justin Kenas.
Others from the congregation in summer service assignments are Matt Ortman, who went to Costa Rica with Athletes in Action, and Juli Franz, a member of CrossWise, a traveling music and drama group from Tabor College
DEATHS
FAUL,jAKEJR., Harvey, N.D., a member of the Harvey MB Church, was born May 24, 1914, to Jacob and Caroline Faul near Sawyer, N D , and died June 18, 1997, at the age of 83 On Sept. 8, 1937, he was married to Martha Freuh, who predeceased him in 1975 On Sept. 5, 1976, he
Be Part of a Vision for Healing and Change ·
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salaried and Voluntary Service positions, full-time or part-time are currently available Qualifications include a commitment to Christian faith, active church membership and nonviolent peacemaking
For more information contact Marsha Jones or Marilyn Funk at:
was married to LaVella Seibel Hirschkorn, who survives He is also survived by two sons, Marvin of Horace, N.D., and Ronald of Hurdsfield, N.D.; three daughters, Carol Reimche of Harvey, Doretta Wiebe of Morden, Man , and Penny Sauter of Hazen, N.D.; a stepdaughter, Gloriann Shocklee of Denver, Colo.; a stepson, Larry Hirschkorn of Denver; two brothers, Nick of Harvey and Archie of Mandan, N.D.; 18 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren.
FROESE, KATHRYN, Reedley, Calif., a member of the Reedley MB Church, was born April 20, 1901, to Jacob and Anna Hildebrandt Bergen in Inman, Kan., and died June 27, 1997, at the age of 96. In April 1918, she was married to Herman A Klassen, who predeceased her in 1920 On Dec. 23, 1922, she was married to Arthur C. Froese, who predeceased her in 1967. She is survived by a son, Herman B. "Herk " Klassen and wife Lu; a daughter, Frances and husband Willie Thiessen; five grandchildren , 10 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandson.
HOFER, CLARENCE, Reedley, Calif., a member of the Reedley MB Church, was born April 4, 1916, to John P.D. and Mary Kleinsasser Hofer in Dinuba and died June 16, 1997, at the age of 81. On Aug. 26, 1947, he was married to Doris Unruh, who survives. He served as a pastor at Mennonite Brethren churches in Dinuba (Zion), Kingsburg and Reedley. In addition to his wife, he is survived by four daughters, Barbara and husband Ken Fels of Morgan Hill, Calif., Norma and husband Randy Hamm of Bakersfield, Calif., Sandy and husband Scott Harper of Pebble Beach, Calif., and Patti and husband David Roeske of Tustin, Calif. ; one son, Doug and wife Kim of Visalia, Calif.; two brothers, Ferdy and Wesley, both of Dinuba; two sisters, Lydia Hofer of Dinuba and Clara Landseadal of Fresno , Calif. ; and eight grandchildren
HUEBERT, ULUE, Corn , Okla. , a member of Corn MB Church, was born Dec. 12, 1906, to John H. and Sarah Isaak Flaming at Corn and died June 21, 1997, at the age of 90. On May 9, 1926, she was married to Henry K. Huebert, who predeceased her in 1977. She is survived by one son, Lonnie of Locust Grove, Okla.; two daughters, Loree and husband Marvin Schlichting of Corn and Evelyn and husband Doyle Shephard of Arapaho, Okla ; one brother, Manual and wife Mary of Cordell, Okla .; one sister, Ruby and husband Milton Hinz of North Newton, Kan ; eight grandchildren and 16 great-grand-
SEUFELD, BERTHA, Shafter, Calif , a member of the Shafter MB Church, was Jorn Nov 19, 1907, near Weatherford , ::>kla , and died recently at the age of 89. ::>n Aug 4 , 1929, she was married to Oliv-
er Neufeld, who predeceased her in 1987 She is survived by three sons, Chester, Clarence and Lorin.
PAULS, LEONA LAURA, Hooker, Okla., a member of Adams (Okla.) MB Church, was born Sept. 12, 1911, to Redrick and Anna Regier Reiswig in Texas County , Okla., and died June 16, 1997, at the age of 85. On Oct. 15, 1930, she was married to Pete Pauls, who survives. She is also survived by her two sons, Harold and wife Joyce of Belleville, Kan., and Jerry and wife Karen of Beaver, Okla.; two sisters, Orlene Peck of Longview, Wash , and Vera Edwards of Chowchilla, Calif.; 10 grandchildren, 29 great-grandchildren and four great-greatgrandchildren
REIMER, WILUS, Shafter, Calif., a member of the Shafter MB Church, was born Nov. 9, 1923, to Cornelius and Anna Reimer at Merced, Calif , and died June 26, 1997, at the age of 73 On Aug. 1, 1947,
he was married to Gwendolynne Ummel, who survives. He is also survived by three sons, Douglas and wife Leni of Brush Prairie, Wash , Virgil and wife Karen and Stephen and wife Darleen , both of Shafter; two daughters, Carolyn and husband Richard Penner of Shafter and Elaine and husband Mark Rider of Visalia, Calif.; two brothers, Wallace and wife Elfrieda and Harold and wife Delpha , both of Shafter; a sister, Rhoda Suderman of San Diego; and 12 grandchildren
VOTH, ALBERT, Garden City, Kan , a member.of Garden Valley Church, Garden City, was born June 11, 1908, to Peter D. and Helena Dirks Voth at Meno, Okla , and died May 6, 1997, at the age of 88. OnJan. 27, 1932 , he was married to Emma Unruh, who survives. He is also survived by a son, AI Jr. and wife Shirley of Sublette, Kan.; a sister, Grace Woodrow of Garden City; eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
CHURCH PARTNERSHIP EVANGELISM
Invitation : TO:
Born -again Christians King Road MB Church in Abbotsford, B.C., is seeking volunteers for its Church Partnership Evangelism outreach to Cost/person·
1. NICARAGUA - Managua. July 5-21, '97
2. PARAGUAY - Asuncion. July 13-29, '97
3. PERU - Chiclayo, Talara Aug. 3-26, '97
4. FIJI ISLAND Aug. 2-19, '97
5. RUSSIA - Orenburg. Sept. 4-27, '97
6. RUSSIA - Tjumenj, Tobolsk Oct. 16-31, '97
7. INDIA - Shamshabad Oct. 31 - Nov. 26, '97
NOTE: CONGO (Zaire) Kikwit, postponed until a later date
UKRAINE - Tchemovtsky, Odessa May 16 - June 8, '98 $1,600
14. CONGO - Kinshasha May 1-25, '98 $2,000
15. FIJI ISLAND - Labasa June 5-22, '98 $1,300
16. PARAGUAY - Asuncion, Chaco July 4-20, '98
17. UKRAINE - Dnipropetrovsk, Novomoskovsk, Berdyans, Alexandria July 24 - Aug. 18, '98
Note: Dates may be subject to change pending further confirmation of some campaigns 'Canadian dollars
• Team up with national Christians and witness for Christ door to door
• Some knowledge of the language of the country is helpful.
• Between 800-2,800 persons have prayed to accept Christ as their personal Savior and Lord during a two -week CPE campaign. Come and be a part of an enriching spiritual experience-discover what God can do through you.
For more information, contact: CPE office: Tel.-Fax: 604-864-3941, or Evelyn Unruh, 604852-5744; or Peter Loewen, 604-853-3173 or FAX 604-853 -6482
Church Partnership Evangelism is a "church-to-church" effort that involves lay members in personal evangelism worldwide Your application to participate will be forwarded to the C.PE Executive Committee for processing
Harold W. Ens
Peter Loewen CPE Promoter MBMIS General Director
MEDIA MATTERS
BY BURTON BULLER
TV: Wasteland or toaster?
In a culture defined by the media, media literacy may be the most important tool we have in moderating the effects of media on our children.
vision." His statement was mat-
appointed FCC chair, addressed the National Association of Broadcast-
" T HERE'S NOTHING good on teleter-of-fact. The response came to ers. What he saw was vasta question I had asked about how much televi- ly different from what " , Minow observed. Fowler sion he watched. Therefore, I don t watch k f th t' h
Another participant in the Sunday morning conversation in a small, rural congregation listened with an amused look on his face Later, I discovered he was a teacher in a local school. His response was almost the opposite.
"I almost never miss 'The Simpsons , '" he quipped. "There is so much in that show alone that causes me to think critically. Television is an important part of my life."
Two people. Same church. Same community. Discussing what is arguably the most important influence on the world politic during the second half of the 20th century. And its influence continues to grow.
These polar Christian voices are typical of how people think about television. These views start at the grass roots and extend right up the media ladder into the top echelons of power and influence.
In 1961, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, Newton Minow, addressed the National Association of Broadcasters with what was to become a speech that symbolized television for a generation . "When television is good, " he told the gathering, "nothing .. .is better. But when television is bad, nothing is worse. I invite you to sit down in front of your television set when your station goes on air and stay there .! can assure you that you will observe a vast wasteland."
In 1981, Mark Fowler, newly
spo e 0 e vas nc nessa rich array of programming and opportunity-and did not see a vast wasteland
In an interview in the Washington Post, he suggested that we don't regulate washing machines, we don't regulate dishwashers, television is just another home appliance, it's just a "toaster with pictures."
So, how about in your home? Is television a vast wasteland for which you feel inclined to apologize? Or is television simply another appliance, useful to do the job for which it was designed, providing a rich array of programming and opportunity? How we answer these questions will defme how we as parents approach television-viewing with our children.
In the first instance, we may feel forever guilty about seeing our children glued to the television screen. In the second instance, we may forget that the "vast array of programming" includes material inappropriate for youngsters the age of our own children and may exemplify world views that are at odds with those we hope to instill.
Likely, both FCC chairs had it right. And both had it wrong. It is not impossible that a television geography composed of a vast array of programming and opportunity has ravines given to unproductive wasteland. Neither is it impossible that some of the geography is composed of fertile soil that yields programs
given to cultural richness, intellectual stimulation and critical thinking.
What one finds may even be predetermined by what one looks for. For example, many church members see "The Simpsons" television program as a barren wasteland, devoid of possible redemption. Others, as the man I described earlier, see it as an intellectually stimulating exercise, functioning as television's sharpest critic.
No wonder the subject of television and its programming gets so complicated so quickly! Regulators and producers, sincerely searching for ways to improve television, soon get caught up in the same issues we as consumers do. When two church members from the same church, same background, often from the same family see such entirely different things in the same program, can we expect producers and regulators to be different?
So, where do we look for a road map to guide us through the television landscape? That road map exists only within each of us and our families. And that road map will be much easier to decipher when we understand how popular culture affects us, what the underlying metaphors and symbols mean-how to "read" television and the movies.
In a culture defined by the media, media literacy may be the most important tool we have in moderating the effects of media on our children. It may even get us talking understandably to each other about programs and their meanings
When we can do this, our critique of the media will carry a lot more weight than those based on "wasteland" or "toaster with pictures" underpinnings. And we will be able to make better decisions about how to manage the influence of media on our children .
After all, isn't that the ultimate goal?
LET'S TALK ABOUT IT
A GUIDE FOR GROUP INTERACTION
SESSION 1 Faith and feelings
Based on "Balanced Spirituality: More Than Feel-Good Faith, " page 4.
GET READY - Getting started
• When and where are you most likely to "feel good" about your spirituality?
GET SET - Examining the issues
1 Review Unger's definition of spirituality. Would you add or subtract anything?
2. What is good about wanting to feel God's presence? Are there negatives? If so, what are they?
3 What factors determine a believer's experience of Christian truth? Why does the level of one's obedience have the greatest effect?
4 What are some examples of Christianity that could be labeled "self-indulgent"?
GO - Applying ideas to the way we live
1. As you review the five suggestions for finding balance, identify the characteristic/side/direction to which you lean
2. Which emphasis does your congregation need more of in order to find greater balance in spirituality?
3. Share a practical example of how you have experienced the fireplace of God's Word as described by Unger
SESSION 2 Spiritual pilgrimage
Based on "A Place in the Hall of Faith" page 7.
GET READY - Getting started
• In what Hall of Fame would you like your name listed?
GET SET - Examining the issues
1. Review Hebrews 11 Who is your favorite Bible character from that chapter and why?
2 With whom do you identify?
3 . Who is a present-day model of faith for you?
4. Reflect on experiences from your life in which the "lessons of faith" have proven true.
GO - Applying ideas to the way we live
1 Of the six lessons of faith, which is your greatest challenge? Why?
2. Identify two or three things from the article that encourage your faith walk.
3. What would it mean for you to act on your faith now?
SESSION 3. Expressing relationships
Based on "What Carol Smith Taught Me About the Holy Kiss, "page 7O.
GET READY - Getting started
• What is your worst memory of the seventh grade?
GET SET - Examining the issues
1. Review the practice and purpose of the holy kiss in Scripture and among early Anabaptists.
2 . How can the present-day church heighten its awareness of the fact that life as we know it will not last forever?
3. Should holy kissing be taken as seriously as baptism and communion? Why or why not?
GO - Applying ideas to the way we live
1. What does your congregation do to reassure people that they matter?
2 . What are ways, other than the holy kiss, that can express the intended meaning of the kiss?
3 . What is one specific way you can affirm the significance of a relationship you don't want to take for granted?
SESSION 4 God's timing
Based on On the Journey, page 76
GET READY - Getting started
• What has been your greatest gardening challenge of the summer?
GET SET - Examining the issues
1. What are some quick or easy "cheap fixes" we use to try to promote fast spiritual growth?
2. What does Scripture teach about patience and perseverance? (See Rom. 12:12; 1 Cor. 13:4; Eph. 4:2; Col. 1:1012; James 1:3-4; 2 Peter 1:6)
3. What parallels do you see between planting native grasses and new churches?
GO - Applying ideas to the way we live
1. How can we help ourselves and each other to grow and allow God to "work at his pace"?
2. Are there projects or people in your life or congregation that you feel have been "shut down" before their time?
3. Spend time in reflection and praise about God's patience and perseverance with you.
LII's
Leader
Southern District Christian Education Commission Questions by Nadine Friesen
Waterloo wondering ....
OUR COVERAGE of last month's General Conference convention in Waterloo, Ont , is pretty extensive (see page 17), but the notebook contains a few lingering thoughts:
• The General Conference was granted a reprieve from dissolution. That outcome was not a surprise to most observers Though it took a while for the dissolution issue to generate response, the feedback that eventually emerged was predominantly of the "wait a minute" variety.
• Creating a task force to study the issue smacks of the often-heard criticism that the church takes far too long to make decisions. But in this case, additional review is warranted. Last fall 's ECCO summit, which fueled the momentum toward dissolution, was a good idea. But it was too
ship live outside of North America, it must become reality At the same time, establishing a meaningful international linkage won't be easy. That perspective was largely missing at Waterloo-except for corridor talk from a handful of leaders who have already labored in that arena. Not all cultures share our penchant for organization and efficiencyas we defme it. Nurturing a global partnership will take creativity, patience and understanding. But I believe it can happen-and must happen-in the coming decade
• Our "arrogance" was another frequent topic in floor discussion, thanks to a powerful message by Elmer Martens. Unfortunately, the relationship of Mennonite Brethren with other Mennonite groups, the primary context for Martens 's comments, didn't get much attention. limitedl of an information source to warrant radical change.
• It remains to be seen how seriously the yet-to-be-named task force takes its "no holds barred" mandate. In theory, all levels of "doing conference" will be considered. But, based on the argument that the grass roots are most involved in what affects them most directly, I'd be shocked if the district/provincial conferences would be eliminated. And would we
11Iough it took a while for
the dissolution issue to generate response, the feedback that eventually emerged was predominantly
Instead, much of the talk focused on our "North American" attitude toward our international sisters and brothers That's a worthy focus, too. What is difficult, though, is to realize how insidious arrogance can be. At the end of one discussion period, where internationalization was roundly promoted , a well-meaning delegate proposed that we make our next General Conference conven-
of the .'wait a minute' variety. tion an international event and have representation from around the world . Not a bad really dissolve our national conferences, given the 15 other national conferences in our global fellowship? That leaves us once again with the General Conference, and two alternatives: (1) eliminate it; or (2) stick with the status quo and leave the structures more or less alone . So, given the popular call for significant change and not merely "structural tinkering," what options do we realistically have?
• Adding momentum to the argument at Waterloo to spare the General Conference was the positive experience most folks had there. Many participants raved about the increased emphasis on worship and prayer. Kudos to convention planners for effectively tapping this felt need But, for better or worse, good feelings made it tougher to think objectively about the future of the binational conference. As one wag noted toward convention's end, "We all say we want change, but we also don't want anything to be different ."
• Internationalization of the church was a popular theme-and an important one In some ways, touting a global perspective is "trendy" in today's world But for Mennonite Brethren, for whom 80 percent of the member-
suggestion in itself, but isn't it just a tad arrogant to assume our international friends would be interested in participating?
• One topic that seems relevant to conference restructuring but received little attention at Waterloo was the financial situation of the General Conference, which fmished with an operating deficit of nearly $50,000 for the biennium. (The accounting does not include the operating budgets of MB Missions/ Services andMB Biblical Seminary.) The bottom line would have even been worse except for subsidy "guarantees" which are met with the help of foundation grants and loans at the national levels. By the way, the U.S. and Canadian conferences also finished with operating deficits this fiscal year
• Attendance was down at Waterloo, which some took as evidence of the General Conference's lack of appeal at the grass roots . Hey, conferences at all levels are battling attendance declines. Maybe it's time to ask: Do conventions that have ministry-related agenda (business) need to be appealing to the grass roots? Are leader-oriented business conventions the wave of the future?
