WE DON'T NEED the affirmation of the scientific community on every biblical detail in order to trust the Word of God as our infallible guide to righteous living. But every time research confirms the plausibility of the biblical record, our confidence is bolstered. In this issue, we offer a scientist's theories about that wondrous star that Matthew says guided the wise men to the Christ child (page 4).
The writer, Roger C. Wiens, is wholly committed to the validity of science and the Bible. He encourages us to include a planetarium visit in our family's Christmas activities. "In December, many planetariums show how the night skies looked in the Middle East in the year surrounding Christ's birth and talk about how God might have made the Christmas Star," he says. "This is one of the few instances in which the Bible is discussed in the context of science in front of a public audience in a positive way. Take every advantage of it. "
Consider yourself exhorted.
Following Wiens's article, your editor muses about the fate of the Christmas story if God had entrusted the event to the mass communicators of our enlightened age (page 8). Hey, it ain't great literature, but we hope you appreciate a lighter approach to an intimately familiar story.
In our Bodylife section, Connie Faber writes about a hugely successful way to reach your community during the holiday season. You'll find "The Bethlehem Experience" a compelling idea.
You'll also find compelling reports about the annual conventions of our Central and Pacific district conferences. If they don't sound like compelling events, blame the reporters.
Connie and I take these last few lines as our opportunity to wish you and yours a most blessed holiday season. The privilege of being your editors for another year has been a great gift to us. Thanks.-DR
COMING
-JANUARY 7-12, 1997-lndia 97, Assembly 13 of Mennonite World Conference, Calcutta, India.
-JANUARY 19, 1997-U.S. Conference "Peace Sunday."
_FEBRUARY 5-7, 1997-General Conference board meetings, Fraser Valley, B.C.
FEBRUARY 27-MARCH 2, 1997-U.S. Conference board meetings, Fresno, Calif.
• MARCH 2-4, 1997-New pastors orientation, Fresno, Calif.
What did the wise men see in the sky that was so compelling some 2,000 years ago? A scientist offers some theories about God's cosmic birth announcement. BY
ROGER C. WIENS
VOLUME 59, NUMBER 12
8 Such a backward time
If God had wanted to spread the word about the birth of his only Son, he should have waited for the advantages of our media age. Then again, maybe not. BY DON RATZLAFF
DEPARTMENTS
• Church choirs singing secular songs • Political issues beyond abortion
by Philip Wiebe 12
• Congregations share "The Bethlehem Experience" 16
• Central District focuses on prayer 18
• Pacific District confronts changes 20
• Zaire faces yet another crisis 22
•
ART CREDITS: Cover and page 8, DG Graphics; page 70, Religious News Service photo; pages 76 and 77, courtesy of Kathy Heinrichs Wiest; pages 78 through 27, Leader staff photos; page 22, MCC photo by Dave Klassen.
BOARD OF COMMUNICATIONS: Noelle Dickinson, Phil Neufeld, Dalton Reimer, Herb Schroeder,Kathy Heinrichs Wiest
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EDITOR
Don Ratzlaff
ASSISTANT EDITOR
Connie Faber
THE THEY
WHAT COSMIC PHENOMENON DID GOD USE TO ANNOUNCE THE BIRTH OF JESUS? A SCIENTIST PONDERS THE POSSIBILITIES.
by ROGER C. WIENS
ANY OF US KNOW THE PASSAGE by heart: "After Jesus w--as born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the tillle of King Herod, Magi froln the east callle to J erusalemand asked, 'Where is the one ",ho has been born king ofthe]ew-s?
We sa", his star in the east and have cotne to W"orship hilll ... '''(Mt. 2:1-2).
How fitting that the heavens displayed a special sign for the coming of God's Son. But how did God cause a star to lead these men across the miles to Jerusalem, and eventually to the Christ child?
In ancient times, certain rare celestial events would have been of interest to astronomers and astrologers alike. These would include eclipses, comets, fireballs (bright shooting stars), and the appearances of new stars.
Records from the Middle Ages, and from even further back in China, made note of these events, often attaching a special mean· ing to their appearance. For example, the appearance of a comet was usually interpreted as indicating disaster. In fact the word "disaster" itself has the root meaning "evil star."
Did the Jews, who were forbidden to worship the stars (Deut. 4:19), still have people who observed the stars and report· ed stellar events, like many of the other nations? We know, for instance, that even God's prophets knew the names of some of the constellations (see sidebar). Other references in the Bible to the morning star-the planet Venus-indicate they were aware of the planets. But the Bible records primarily one unusual celestial event: the star which announced the birth of God's Son, Jesus Christ.
While I generally do not believe in trying to understand God's miracles, it is tempting to speculate what the Christmas Star might have been. Many miracles of the Bible, as well as those of today, are ones of extraordinary timing of otherwise ordinary events, so that God shows his power not so much by the event itself as by its perfect timing. This event might have been such a miracle.
Did a comet compel them to come?
For example, the star might have been a comet which God caused to appear at just the right time and place. Perhaps you caught a glimpse of Comet Hyakutake this past spring. Astronomers are predicting the possibility of another relatively bright comet in April 1997. These are beautiful examples of how God might have announced Jesus's birth 2,000 years ago.
A comet appears as a fuzzy star, often with a long tail. A comet can be seen for up to several months, and because of its
unusual orbit around the sun, will usually reappear several weeks after it disappears. This would fit the description of how the Magi saw the star again after leaving Jerusalem for Bethlehem. A comet's tail can make it appear to point to a place on the horizon, possibly leading the Magi first to Jerusalem, and then to the place where Jesus was in Bethlehem.
But, for a couple of reasons, the Christmas Star might not have been a comet. As mentioned earlier, comets were generally considered to be signs of disaster-hardly a fitting sign for a new king. Second, records were kept at this time in China and also to some extent in Europe, noting the years in which comets appeared. No record exists of a comet's appearance around the time of]esus's birth.
Support for a supernova?
As another possibility, God could have used a supernova. A new star suddenly appears in the sky every few hundred years. It shines very brightly for several months, then slowly fades. In 1006 A.D. one such star became bright enough to be seen during the day and cast shadows at
night. These events occur when a star that is normally too dim to see from Earth has a tremendous explosion. In one second it releases as much energy as a million suns. This is called a supernova. The explosion is so powerful that if one happened even a hundred trillion miles away from us, it would kill us. Thank God that supernovas are much farther away than that! In fact, they are so far away that it takes the light many years just to reach us.
If God used a supernova to signal the birth of Jesus on Earth, the star would have had to explode a long time before Christ's birth so that the light would arrive at Earth at the right time for the Magi to see it. How exciting to think that God could have used the most brilliant display of physical power in the universe to celebrate Jesus's birth.
This theory, unfortunately,has one complication. If it was a particularly bright supernova, everyone would have known about it. Yet King Herod was unaware of it. In fact, no record besides Matthew-not even the Chinese-mentions any bright new star. It is possible that a relatively dim supernova could have been noticed by the
Called to worship the Creator, not creation
THEOLD Testament continually warned the Israelites not to worship the stars as some of the nations around them did. In Deuteronomy 4: 19, Moses told the people, "And when you look up to the sky and see the sun, the moon and the stars-all the heavenly array-do not be enticed into bowing down to them "
Apparently the nations around Israel practiced some forms of star worship, and their influence spread to Israel.
Throughout the period of the divided kingdoms after David and Solomon, the Bible records numerous instances where altars were built, even in both courts of God's temple in Jerusalem (2 Kings 21 : 15), to bow down to and worship the starry hosts.
Today more than a fifth of
the world incorporates into their religion the worship of a stone that fell from heaven. Every year millions of followers of Islam make their required pilgrimage to the Arabian city of Mecca to visit the Grand Mosque. At the center of the mosque pilgrims touch the Kaabah, a box containing a large meteorite. This rock fell from the sky in ancient times and has been revered ever since. Primitive cultures have also been found to treasure and worship meteorites.
In the modern era, we make a big distinction between the scientific study of the stars, which we call astronomy, and the worship of-and fortune-telling bythe stars and planets, which is called astrology. Because the planets move around the sun, they appear as bright stars that change
position from month to month. Their position relative to the other stars was thought to signal or affect events on Earth. Astrology is mostly associated with reading a horoscope or other fortunetelling by the stars, though many people also celebrate the winter and summer solstices-the shortest and longest days of the year. You may also recall the astrological prediction of dire catastrophes a few years ago when all the planets in the solar system lined up together.
Fortune-telling and other activities associated with astrology do not honor God as the one who created the stars, and who holds our future in his hand. Astronomy, on the other hand, can be honoring to God, as we seek to explore his vast creation.-RCW
Billions and billions ...
Modern telescopes reveal a universe rich in detail and completely overwhelming in size.
The sun, our nearest star, is part of a group of local stars on the edge of a spiral arm of the Milky Way galaxy. The only stars we see with our eyes are within our own galaxy, estimated to contain about a billion stars. Only about 9,000 can be counted with the naked eye. Through telescopes astronomers have cataloged more than 20 million stars within our galaxy; the Hubble Space Telescope can see millions more. Our galaxy, in turn, is part of a local cluster of galaxies, which is also part of a large supercluster of galaxies within our corner of the universe. Overall, scientists estimate the universe contains 50 billion galaxies.-RCW
CHRISTMAS
Magi, but not by other astronomers or the public. It is interesting, though, that only the Magi noted the star and knew its meaning. The Magi, or Wise Men, were probably from the court of an eastern kingdom such as Babylon. They were responsible for advising the king by interpreting dreams and other signs, much as Daniel had done while Israel was in captivity several centuries earlier. These Wise Men were most likely educated in astrological lore, though presumably they did not worship the stars, as forbidden by God. The Christmas Star might have led the Wise Men to Jerusalem because of the meanings associated with various stars, planets and constellations.
Modern astronomy can determine how the planets appeared against the background of stars in the years around Christ's birth. But the problem is that we do not know exactly what year
Constellations in the Bible
People in the Bible times were familiar with the stars and the comings and goings of the moon and planets. The Jewish calendar is governed by the phases of the moon, which is why even today, the Passover, Good Friday and Easter do not fallon the same day each year.
The writers of Job and Amos were familiar with the night sky from tending their flocks. Amos was a minor prophet during a time of material prosperity shortly before Israel was taken into captivity. God gave Amos, formerly a shepherd, the task of calling Israel and Judah to righteous living. In chapter 5 he refers to the Lord as "he who made the Pleiades and Orion, who turns blackness into dawn and darkens day into night."
If you look into the clear night sky shortly after dark, you may see a beautiful cluster of stars which appears in the east in autumn, and is near the middle of the sky by midwinter. This is the Pleiades. It is sometimes called the Seven Sisters because the naked eye can see seven close stars, though with binoculars or a small telescope many more stars are visible in the cluster.
Orion is the brightest constellation in the winter sky, and if you look carefully-and imaginatively-you can see the outline of a hunter girded by a belt and sword, holding a shield in front of him. This constellation and star cluster were most likely familiar to nearly everyone of the ancient world, not only because of their brightness, but also because they were visible after the early darkness of wintertime.
Both the Pleiades and Orion are also mentioned in Job. When God answered Job out of a whirlwind in chapter 38, God displays his sovereignty and majesty with a series of rhetorical questions. God asks, "Can you bind the beautiful Pleiades? Can you loose the cords of Orion? Can you bring forth the constellations in their seasons or lead out the Bear with its cubs?"
Here, the Bear refers to another constellation, probably the Big Dipper, while the Little Dipper, with the North Star, is known as the cub.-RCW
Jesus was born. Our system of numbering the years since Christ's birth was not started until several hundred years later. We now think that 1 A.D. was not the year of Jesus's birth. The Bible records that Jesus was born shortly before King Herod's death, which occurred while Joseph, Mary and Jesus were in Egypt. We also know from historical records that Herod died shortly after an eclipse of the moon. Modern astronomers have calculated that lunar eclipses took place in the years 5 and 1 B.C., so we can start to put this historical puzzle back together.
A divinely timed alignment?
Within this time frame, an interesting sequence of events occurred in the skies over a period of just under a year. Only people trained in astrological symbolism, such as the Magi, would have understood its significance. On Aug. 12,3 B.C., the planets Jupiter and Venus appeared very close to each other. A meeting of these two planets was thought to signal that an important birth was about to take place. But whose birth? Jupiter then passed into the constellation of Leo, the lion. The Bible refers to Judah as the lion. This sign in the skies may have indicated to the Wise Men that the special birth was to be in Judah.
But that is not all. On Sept. 14, Jupiter passed by a star named Regulus. If you are thinking that "Regulus" sounds like "regal," you are on the right track. This was the "king star," and had special significance. Jupiter then stopped its nightly procession and headed back toward Regulus a second time, passing it on Feb. 17, 2 B.C. And yet again Jupiter stopped, reversing its apparent course, and passed by Regulus a third time on May 8. This special three-time visit between Jupiter and Regulus following the conjunction of Venus and Jupiter may have been enough to convince the Wise Men that this was no ordinary birth, nor even any ordinary king. Perhaps it was at this point that they set off on their journey, taking their treasures for the new king with them.
During this whole time, Jupiter was still in the constellation of Leo, the lion. Within a month, perhaps as the wise men arrived at Jerusalem, the planet Venus began to reappear in the evening sky, making its way toward the lion, andJupiter. The Bible records that when the wise men saw the star again upon leaving Jerusalem, they "rejoiced with exceeding great joy." What they saw in the sky must have been truly amazing. On the evening of June 17, the two planets came so close that they looked like one large, bright star
setting in the west. The Bible also records that the location of the star led the wise men right to the place where the young child was. If any seeds of doubt were sown when the wise men did not find the new king in Herod's palace, those doubts were surely erased by God's miraculous leading on the road to Bethlehem.
We won't know for sure, this side of heaven, how God led the wise men to Bethlehem. But we do know this: He who stooped to be born in a humble stable is indeed the master of the whole universe, and he proved it in the way he announced his birth.
•
Roger C. Wiens is a staff scientist in the Geological and Planetary Science Division at California Institute of Technology. His articles about science and Christianity have appeared previously in the Leader. A product of the Mountain Lake (Minn.) MB Church, he now lives in Altadena, Calif.
Starry, starry thoughts
WHAT DID the Israelites of old think of when watching the stars night after night? Although they knew nothing of what we know today of the vastness of God's universe, the stars were even then recognized as the outer reaches of God's creation. The sheer number of stars in the sky on a dark night was awe-inspiring. God promised Abraham that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky.
Isaiah reveled in the fact that God called each star by name. "To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal? says the Holy One. Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing" (Is. 40:2526).
For David, the shepherd turned king, God's creative power in the heavens caused him to bow in humility: "When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?" CPs. 8:3-4).-RCW
Lists
They started earlier this year Tllanksgiving is no longer tIle startillg point It's not eve1l pagan Halloween that sets their nlinds ill ffi()tion. TIle reqllests come fast and furiolls (ancl I get furiolls fast).
Tile itellls d()n't ever get deleted fr()m tIle list, but tile additi()ns are freqllellt and, for me, a constallt reminder of llot only what we don't Ilave but all tllat we d().
So tIle lectures start:
"Tl1ink of those WI1() have n()tlling." "Think of tilose WI10 get ll0thillg." "Think ()f all you Ilave." of your 11l0tller, who is ready to scream!").
and tIle warnings COlltilll1e: "D()n't y()ll kll0W y()ll can't have everything." "D()ll'tkeelJ addillg to y()llr list!"
"Don't say 'I \vant' Olle lTIOre time!"
(Don't you know \vhen ffi()ffilllY Ilas lleard enougll?)
And )!et ·. I treat lny Fatller tIle sanle way Always wantitlg lTIOre Always aclding to my already extensive list Not jllst antici!)ating, bllt expecting gratificatioll.
Wllile IllY Fatller smiles anti says "Tllink alJOllt tIle gift yOll alreacly receivecl. DOll't yOll kn()w w]lat He means to you?" and thellHe sentls an()ther gift: anti I cr()ss ()llt Oile 111()re itelll in In)! c()nstantly growing checklist.
-j:Jatricia E111 ers() 11· Mite/lell
time
BY DON RATZLAFF
Why didn't God wait until CNN could proclaim the birth of the Savior?
ORE THAN TWO DECADES HAVE PASSED SINCE THE rock opera "Jesus Christ Superstar" took Broadw-ay by stor111. S0111e of the w-ords and 111usic of that controversial production still linger in 111Y consciousness. None has intrigued 111e 1110re than the la111entJudas sang to Jesus in the title song. Do you re111e111ber his probing w-ords:
When I look at you I just can't understand, Why you choose such a backward time and such a strange land.
If you came today you could have reached a whole nation; Israel in 4 B. C. had no mass communication ....
A backward time, indeed. In 4 B.C., the vast majority of people couldn't even read; news spread only as fast and as far as a messenger could run in a day. If God wanted the world to know about Jesus, why didn't God send him into
a more sophisticated time-like ours, with satellite transmission, CNN and the Internet?
Now, there's a thought. Imagine that the birth of Christ had occurred in our enlightened age. Consider what might have happened if this historic event had had the advantage of mass communication.
No doubt, the birth of a new king in the Middle East would have been broadcast on the evening news:
• Dan Rather, reporting live (of course) from Jerusalem, would assure us that rumors of a
baby king are being pooh-poohed by "knowledgeable sources within the Sanhedrin." ("And that's part of our world tonight." )
• Tom Brokaw would announce that the latest NBC poll indicates that only 19 percent of respondents believe an infant could successfully dethrone Herod if a palace coup were held today.
• ABC's Barbara Walters would likely win the ratings war with her exclusive one-on-one interview with Herod himself. Her first question: "If you were a tree, what kind of tree would you be?" (His response: "Royal-tree.")
• Of course, CNN would provide nonstop coverage of the breaking news. From inside Herod's palace, ace correspondent Wolfe Blitzer would report the latest development: According to Herod's press secretary-and contrary to rumors-the King actually encourages leadership development in his kingdom. In fact, says the source, the King will soon be launching a Head Start program for every first-born male.
Sheesh. Does the mainstream news media ever get the real story? Fortunately, we'd also have the "alternative media."
• Carl Sagan would host a PBS special, telling us there are "billions and billions" of reasons why a star could not settle over a specific Middle Eastern town. His alternative explanation: swamp gas .
• Rush Limbaugh would spend his energy carping about the tax-and-spend policies of Caesar Augustus-or in his words, "Caesar DisgustUs." And who's to blame for that stupid decree to tax the whole world? Rush knows: The liberals in Rome.
• Let's not forget the always well-reasoned, understated reporting of the National Inquirer. I can see their eight-inch headline now: "VIRGIN IMPREGNATED BY SPIRIT; GIVES BIRTH TO ALIEN ROYALTY."
Wait. This time they got it right. But who would believe it?
The impact of all this media attention is pretty predictable in our enlightened world.
.Geraldo or Ricki Lake would try to recruit Joseph for a talkshow segment on the theme, "Men who stick with their pregnant fiancee even though the baby isn't his."
Frankly, I don't think Joseph
CHRISTMAS
would go for it.
But not everybody would be so discreet.
• Those wild and crazy shepherds would sign a deal to star in a new adventure movie for kids called, "Mighty Morphin Manger Rangers." The flick would feature a fearless force of flock fenders who fight evil with the help of a Heavenly Host-a part played, perhaps, by the divine Tom Cruise .
• By the way, someone would capture the real heavenly host on tape that fateful night and parlay their song "Glory to God in the Highest" into a hit music video on M-TV. A host of agents would try frantically to organize a concert tour, but might have trouble tracking down that rockin' choir.
• The wise men, meanwhile, would be a ratings hit as guest panelists on "Jeopardy." Melchior would win after betting the bank on the "FinaIJeopardy" question. Angered by the success of such an illogical strategy, the other two sages would probably take separate routes back to Persia.
• No doubt one of them, maybe Balthasar, would become a pop icon by starring in a TV commercial. Says the Wise King B: "Because you never know when you'll need to buy an expensive gift American Express: Don't leave home without it."
Of course, the glare of media exposure creates its share of losers too. Pity the poor innkeeper from Bethlehem-the unnamed bad guy in Luke's Gospel. You can bet an innkeeper in our enlightened day would quickly realize the error of turning away Mary and Joseph
Can you feel his pain?
"Now, honey," says Bertha, his wife, "you've been moping around for three months now. When are you going to get over this?"
Consider what might have happened if this historic event had had the advantage of mass communication.
"I can't help it," he sobs. "I had my chance. This was the opportunity of a lifetime. Jesus, the Son of God, could have been born in my lowly inn. But I blew it!"
His wife hands him another Prozac. "Come now, dear. The inn was full that night, remember? There was nothing you could have done."
"Sure there was," he wails. "I. I I could have thrown out
that obnoxious family in Room 2-C, or maybe cleared out the hardware convention on the third floor. But no-o-o0-01 I turned away Mary and Joseph!"
"Now listen to me," his wife says softly but firmly. "You couldn't have known who Mary and Joseph were. Who knew she was going to give birth to the Son of God? God won't blame you for missing the spiritual significance of that night."
The innkeeper looks confused. "Spiritual significance? What on earth are you talking about, Bertha?"
((You don't think anyone would actually try to make a buck off something so spiritually precious as Christ's birth, do you?"
"Why, isn't that why you've been depressed for so long? Isn't it because you missed out on God's glorious gift of sending his Son into the world?"
"Vh no. I was thinking of the realopportunity we missed."
"What do you mean?"
Harbor
Infant Jesus, your small breathing laps against our creaking boats. The sand heaves beneath us all. Helpless, we float on you, our golden domes tipping, our driven posts leaning into the constant surge of your birth.
-Jean Janzen
"Think about it, dear. Our inn would have been the birthplace of the Son of God! What a gold mine! I can see it now a giant marquee outside the inn neon lights flashing:JESUS BORN HERE or, MARY AND JOSEPH SLEPT HERE. Why, we'd pack the place every night! Not to mention the souvenir shop in the lobby."
"Dear, I don't think-"
"You don't think big, Bertha. Why, we could declare his birthday a holiday. Maybe decorate some trees, string some lights, throw parties, exchange gifts .... The Bethlehem Chamber of Commerce would love it! They're always looking for some fresh gimmick to promote hometown shopping. Why, stores would have to stock up months in advance and keep their stores open extra hours to accommodate all the shoppers. What an economic boom for the city! Who knows, it might catch on in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth!"
His wife shakes her head. "Now, dear, your imagination is running away with you. You don't think anyone would actually try to make a buck off of something so spiritually precious as Christ's birth, do you?"
Such a backward time and such a strange land .... Do you suppose God knew what he was doing when he sent his son to Israel in 4 B.C.? Maybe our time is a little backward and our land a little strange.
I think 4 B.C. Israel fit the divine timetable because God wanted to send his Son into an environment where people yearned for the intervention of the Holy in their lives, where they anticipated the miraculous without being jaded by hype or hardened by cynicism. I think God wanted to come to a people whose hearts ached for change, who needed good news. I think God came to a people who would ponder these things in their hearts rather than peddle them for a profit. I think God came to a people who knew they desperately needed a Savior.
I think God still does. •
You don't have to wear sandals
to serve with Men non ite Central Committee. MCC needs people with varied skills-nurses, teachers, child-care workers, truck drivers, receptionists, doctors, construction workers. Contact the MCC office nearest you to find a service assignment that fits your skills, your feet and your fancy. ( Mennonite Central J Committee
PH'LIP SIDE
BY PHILIP WIEBE
A gizmo Christmas
I've decided that the reason Christmas brings out so many strange Perfect-Gift gizmos is because most of us already own all the regular stuff
lAM ALWAYS FASCINATED WHEN STORES
spring out the Christmas gizmos. You know, things like the Super Combo Croissant Maker/Espresso Machine, Perfect for Holiday Giving! The kind of gadgets that wind up languishing in storage with neglected exercise apparatus such as the Super Combo A Cruncher/Wallet Trimmer, Perfectfor Ignoring on Your Way to the Croissant Maker/Espresso Machine!
Though it's only mid-November as I write this, I've already noticed a variety of Christmas gizmos clogging store aisles. Here are a few that grabbed my attention:
• Motorized Seat Cushion. This appeared to be some sort of backmassaging pad you drape over your recliner or sofa to relax all those aching muscles worked out during an intense evening of channel surfing. The cushion even came with a remote-control unit of its own. What doesn't these days? I've been collecting so many random remotes, what I really need is a remote to help me locate my remotes.
• Electric Sandwich Maker. I thought it strange that something resembling a modified waffle iron would advertise itself as an Electric Sandwich Maker. "SQ," I almost asked a salesperson, "if I toss in bread, deli meat, lettuce, tomato and mustard, this thing will make my sandwich for me?" I refrained, though, when I noticed the box said it was merely for heating grilled cheese sandwiches. Probably woulcln't even slice the cheese for me.
• .Computerized Day Planner. This calculator on steroids would sup-
posedly replace the old-fashioned manual Day Timer. I could see the attraction. After only a few hours studying the instruction manual and a few days typing in names, phone numbers and appointments on keys the size of miniaturized Tic Tacs, one would be able to save all the time once wasted on that hopelessly outdated appointment-keeping method of opening one's Day Timer and (gasp!) writing things down.
• Chip Wave (As Seen on TV). For tasty, fat-free potato chips, the box claimed, all I'd have to do is slice up a fresh potato, arrange the slices in this high-quality genuine plastic kitchen marvel, and zap them in the microwave oven. It would make an astonishing 36 chips! Enough to last all the way through the opening kickoff.
• Bubble Kit. My kids would love it, the package told me. Not only did the kit come with a bubble blower and bubble fluid, it included a video on how to blow bubbles! This got me worried, frankly, that because my kids never saw the video, they may have learned to blow bubbles wrong. Imagine the embarrassment of growing up bubble impaired.
• Backseat Survival Pack. This entertainment set designed for extended car trips seemed to consist primarily of expensively packaged crayons and paper. I could, however, see how the fancy packaging could increase interest-on all those profits salted away by the Survival Pack's manufacturer, that is.
I've decided that the reason Christ· mas brings out so many strange Per-
fect-Gift gizmos is because most of us already own all the regular stuff. It's hard to find useful and meaningful gifts for people who seem to have several varieties of everything. When my wife asks me what I want for Christmas, for instance, it usually leaves me stumped.What do I really need? Not more stuff. My life already seems stuffed to the gills with stuff. Not that there aren't a few things I'd truly like to get for Christmas. Such as
• Time. One thing I do enjoy receiving at Christmas is a gift certificate to use, say, at my favorite book store or espresso shop. Even better would be to receive Time Certificates to cash in when I'm behind schedule or need a little extra sleep.
• Memory. Not long ago I installed a couple of memory upgrade chips in my computer to help increase the speed and efficiency of the software. I often think my brain could use a similar upgrade. Warning, my brain tendsto balk when I try to work on several things at once, Insufficient Memory for Current Applications!
• Measuring tools. One of the best gifts I ever got was an industrialgrade 25-foot tape measure. I love it. It helps me take measurements I could never quite manage with my flabby little eight-foot tape measure. How nice it would be to receive a few industrialgrade measuring tools for my life. Too often my initial measurements for projects and responsibilities turn out to be hasty and inadequate, causing more work for everybody.
• Priorities. Sometimes I wish someone would just give me· a nice set of priorities, which would save me the trouble of always having to figure them out for myself. Then again, with all the individuals and organizations out there that would love everyone to adopt their priorities, maybe it's a good thing they can't be given as gifts. We'd all pe unwrapping priorities well through next Christmas.
INQUIRING MINDS
BY MARVIN HEIN
QWhy do church choirs feel they need to sing (Deck the Halls,77 ((Santa Claus Is Coming to Town, 77 ((Frosty the Snowman, 77 etc., at Christmas choir programs? (CALIFORNIA)
AChurch choirs include secular carols in Christmas programs because our mindsets, even as Christians, are secular and molded by the world. How's that for a quick answer? That's the response many readers would expect. If I were arranging the program, I wouldn't include such "ditties." But I'm not a choir director. So I decided to ask several people who are.
Directors do have a rationale for performing secular songs. Usually it has to do with outreach. One choir director said that the practice can be defended only if its purpose is "preevangelism." According to the theory, nonreligious Christmas music helps make unbelievers more comfortable. Such persons more readily come to a non-sanctuary venue, where this music is most often heard. They enter, relax and enjoy the fun and fellowship without being intimidated by a formal "churchy" setting.
The strategy, of course, is to let the pre-evangelism stage usher in the more focused evangelistic thrust. One of my friends admitted that entertainment might be part of the motivation too. Like many other things we Christians do, that may be hard to justify. A Crystal Cathedral Christmas extravaganza contains huge doses of entertainment, but it also cannot be denied that the programs also include a serious attempt to present the good news of Christ.
The question, to my mind, revolves around a broader issue we Mennonite Brethren have not resolved: What does it mean to be in the world but not of the world? At one point in our history, we majored
on the notion of "do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world" (Rom. 12:2). In fact, we probably went overboard and separated ourselves so far from the world that we had no way to reach them.
Today, the pendulum has swung to the opposite extreme. Now we are so intent on relating to our unsaved neighbors that we will become all things to all men so that we might save some (1 Cor. 9:22). The problem is that we have gone to such lengths to do this that we may have conformed more to the world than we realize.
You can find historical (Anabaptist and Mennonite Brethren) and biblical precedents both for engagement and withdrawal. Daniel and Joseph are Old Testament illustrations of intense engagement in the culture. Jesus, meanwhile, seems to have shied away from such engagement. Nor do we have many examples of other New Testament characters engaging the culture.
So, what about singing "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer"? Personally, I'd leave those songs for secular occasions. But I also have to admit I'm not good evangelistically. So I suppose I would say we need to examine our motives carefully when we accommodate to culture, and we probably need to be as charitable as possible when others find more freedom than we do in relating to the unsaved. If we find such freedom, we need to make certain that the rest of the process-salvation and discipleship-actually takes place.
QWhat issues would you place above our duty to protect innocent life? (CALIFORNIA)
AThis question came in response to a statement I made in the October Leader that I would vote for a pro-abortion candidate if that person shared more of my theo-
Rave a question about a Bible passage, doctrine, conference policy, or other spiritual issue? Send it to (1nquiring Minds," c/o Marvin Rein, 4812 E. Butler, Fresno, CA 93727.
logical persuasions than the antiabortion candidate.
The question illustrates one of the things I was trying to say. I refuse to be a one:'issue voter. Killing, which I consider a grievous sin and includes abortion, is a critical issue. But I know too many people who are strictly anti-abortion, but have no qualms about shooting an abortion doctor or demonstrating with some form of violence at places where abortions are performed.
That kind of inconsistency does not reflect what Jesus taught about Christian discipleship. I might well refuse to vote for a candidate if the pro-abortion opponent promoted justice, had a greater concern for the poor, believed in limited government, demonstrated greater truthfulness and honesty and marital fidelity in his or her personal life, or espoused a host of other issues which, in my opinion, might not be as critical as killing, but when added together make for a more responSible public servant.
The painful truth we have to face is that in most elections no candidate meets all our expectations. In our recent California election, we voted on a host of initiatives, ranging from affirmative action to funds for water. In a small-group Bible study, after studying a serious biblical subject, we spent about an hour asking a political science professor about the respective initiatives. Almost invariably we discovered the proposed laws had both good and bad elements. We were frustrated. We liked one outcome of a particular vote, but not another. But we were forced to vote "all or nothing."
It is not so different in electing people. We can't take all the "wants" we see in the candidates, eliminate all the "don't wants" and then vote for the perfect candidate. That's part of the danger in voting a straight ticket. That's part of the conundrum all of us face in the voting booth. We're dealing with less-than-perfect people in a less-than-perfect world.
ON THE]OURNEY
BY ROSE BUSCHMAN
My unforgettable gift
I learned that day that relationships and people are much more important than things, even bone china.
ONA PAGE IN THE BACK OF MY BIBLE is a column of names which begins this way: "6th grade boy, age 14Jorge." Two more boys and four girls with their pertinent information complete the list. Every time I open my Bible and see those names, they remind me of a special Christmas gift I don't think I will ever forget.
Each year our family chooses a project to help us focus on the true meaning of Christmas.' This one particular Christmas we decided to share a traditional American Christmas dinner with a Cuban refugee family which had recently come to Kansas and was sponsored by another family in our church.
The information in my Bible had been given to guide us in selecting appropriate gifts for the seven children, their parents and several nephews who were part of the extended family. My sixth-grade son and I had a lot of fun shopping for each gift, wrapping it and preparing the meal for the celebration. We decorated our home and set a festive table. I decided to use my best china, which is a dinner set of Royal Albert English bone china in the Silver Birch pattern. If you aren't into china, this won't mean much to you. But if you are, it should.
My china and I go back a long way. I was 16 years old, living in Canada, and doing what other girls in my circle of friends did. We all chose "our" china pattern so that for Christmas, birthdays or whenever, we could give each other a gift we knew would be appreciated. I was one of the last to decide on a pat-
tern. One rainy Friday night, as I waited in town for a ride home, I ducked into a nearby hardware store which had a good selection of china. Walking through the aisles, I spottedthe Silver Birch china for the first time and immediately decided, "That's my pattern."
When our Cuban friends arrived the night of our meal, we had a good time together enjoying a traditional turkey dinner with all the trimmings. The father spoke a little English, the mother and children only Spanish. Since my Spanish was quite limited, we smiled a lot. After the meal, we opened gifts and listened to Christmas music. I felt good. The meal had gone well and the gifts seemed to match each recIpient. Our celebration was everything I had hoped it would be.
Suddenly, the mother got up, walked into the kitchen and with a smile and some sign language indicated to me that she wanted to wash the dishes. That wasn't part of my plan. You see, usually when I used these dishes I very carefully washed them by hand, by myself, after my guests were gone. Now, I had a problem on my hands. I couldn't say no, but I didn't want to say yes either.
So not to be rude, I got out the dishpans and set everything up so she could start to wash. Even so, I was not prepared for what happened. This woman obviously had no idea of the value of those dinner plates as she banged them around. After a few minutes I couldn't take it any more. I quickly excused myself to the bathroom, the sound of clang-
ing dishes ringing in my ears. As I closed the door I burst into tears.
Almost at once, the chorus of a German song I had sung as a child flashed into my mind:
aVon der Erde reiss mich los, mache meinen Glauben gross; Gib mir einen treuen Sinn, nimm ganz, mein]esus, hin."
Translated, it is a prayer asking Jesus to "tear me from this world, in order to give me a greater faith."
I remembered how a song leader once stopped the congregation right after singing that chorus and asked us, "Do you really believe that? Do you want God to take away something very special to you? We are going to sing the last verse but don't sing it unless you really mean it." In my memory, I saw myself as a young girl singing the chorus with conviction. Now as an adult woman, I hurt as I realized God was answering my prayer. I hurt a lot.
I don't know how long I stayed there, but it was long enough for me to wrestle with the possibility of broken or chipped dishes and come to terms with my negative feelings. This woman was showing me a gesture of friendship in the only way she knew how. Who was I to get so upset? After all, china is only dishes. I didn't go back into the kitchen until I could say, "It's OK. I can live with whatever happens."
The spell those dishes had over me broke that day. While I still enjoy them and use them regularly, they are no longer the treasure they once were. I learned that day that rela.:. tionships and people are much more important than things, even bone china. Treasures in heaven are more important than treasures on earth. I thought I was the one giving gifts that evening, but the gift I got in return was one I still remember and thank God for.
By the way, in case you're wondering, not one dish broke that night, nor could I find the slightest chip.
A place for dis-ease
In his September editorial, the editor courageously admits there is "skepticism" about Mission USA "out there" somewhere-but apparently the structure of Colorado Springs '96 allowed neither for dialogue nor feedback about the mission as such.
Skepticism, or dis-ease, is often healthy and can be harnessed as an extremely beneficial resource-in this case, by all who have a burden to live and share Christ in our increasingly secularized western world. What is not healthy is the refusal to listen to this dis-ease.
I admit having similar dis-ease. It disturbed me to read that during a three-year period in which the percentage of born again Christians declined by 5 percent in the United States, 5,000 new churches at a cost of $1 billion had been planted ("Hinder Them Not," Laurel B. Schunk). This statistic should become an important backdrop against which we evaluate the wisdom of planning a church renewal/planting project with a price tag of more than $500,000. Is this (still) the best way to carry out Christ's mandate? Perhaps the "new wineskins" which]esus would have us use will bear little resemblance to the old.
My dis-ease intensified as I noticed the theme of power and empowering which seems to have dominated the conference.
At a recent conference for Mennonite Brethren church workers in Germany and Austria, the speaker, Reinhard Frische, said in essence, "Why do we pray for the Spirit to empower our projects? Most of the time we should be thankful that he does not empower, because our efforts are so far from what he really wants to do. We need far more to listen to him humbly, patiently asking him what he has in mind."
WHAT READERS SAY
Instead of inviting the Spirit of God to become our personal and corporate manager, are we willing to place the destiny of our churches, denomination and agencies into the hands of the Spirit? Do we give him the free-
dom even to work outside of or to dismantle them if he wishes?
It is not surprising that power was a recurring theme at a conference made up mostly of persons in leadership and their spouses. Those in leadership are particularly vulnerable to the dangers of power. Perhaps there is a need for people with and in power to experience personal brokenness, helplessness and a sense of failure. This may be a more difficult assignment than any of us have ever been given before. I pray for God's mercy.
Julia
Penner Zook Munich, Germany
Mistaken reporting
I was quite surprised to read in the November Leader that I had resigned from MB Missions/Services. The Leader not only got it wrong, but got it ' wrong in spite of having the correct facts in hand. In an Oct. 10 news release, I wrote "Hardaway begins a six-month leave of absence from the MBM/S Fresno office on Dec. 15." I also stated this to the Leader in a phone conversation.
Lynn and I are teaching in Lithuania this coming semester. We hope we can return in the fall, in which case a resignation from MBM/S would occur on or before May 15. But the MBM/S board and general director have graciously allowed me to take a leave of absence in order to discern whether this venture will develop into a longterm ministry.
Gary Hardaway MBM/S secretary for communications Fresno, Calif.
Editors' note: We regret the error.
Thanks for prayers
Because of the AIDS crisis facing Botswana, we called on you to pray especially during September because it had been declared a month of prayer. While we continue to hear of people diagnosed with HIV/ AIDS and the funerals of young people are a constant reminder of the crisis we're in, we rejoice for what God has start-
ed to do in people's lives.
First, God has brought together people in Selebi Phikwe who have a burden to reach the lost and dying. As a committee, we've been able to work well together and arrange various events. The first was a conference on HIV/ AIDS for pastors and church leaders. We believe it was because people like you were praying that the management of our local copper-nickel mine released 25 of their employees (self-supporting pastors) to attend this conference. The 40 pastors who attended heard solid biblical teaching and learned the basic facts of HIV/AIDS.
Second, the Lord used a group of evangelical Christians from Uganda to minister in open-air meetings. The choir, along with two women with AIDS, clearly and boldly shared the message of salvation and promoted the biblical values of abstinence before marriage and faithfulness in , marriage. Wherever they shared, large crowds of people came to listen.
Third, on Sept. 15, more than 2,000 Christians from more than 40 congregations showed up in our town park to pray and seek the Lord's forgiveness and healing for this land. It was a powerful time of worship, repentance and exhortation. This display of Christian unity was unprecedented.
Fourth, we give thanks for the health and energy to be involved in this special prayer emphasis. Although it's been hectic, the Lord is at work and it's exciting.
Finally, we give thanks for all of you and your prayers on our behalf. Please don't stop praying.
Bryan and Teresa Born
Selebi Phikwe, Botswana
The Christian Leader welcomes brief letters to the editor in response to our articles or of relevance to the Mennonite Brethren Church. All letters must be signed and will be edited for clarity and length. Send letters to Christian Leader, Box V, Hillsboro, KS 67063
Season of outreach in 'Bethlehem'
II Several congregations are discovering the effectiveness of 'The Bethlehem Experience'
LATER THIS month the Kingsburg (Calif.) MB Church facilities will look and feel like biblical Bethlehem as the congregation presents "The Bethlehem Experience," a walk-through tour of the village on the night of Jesus's birth.
"Everybody loves a live nativity," says Kathy Wiest, steering committee member. "People who would never darken the doors of a church for a cantata or other Christmas program will take an hour to walk through and see baby Jesus."
Kingsburg, Community Bible Church in Olathe, Kan., and Ulysses (Kan.) MB Church are presenting this unique Christmas program during December.
"The 'Bethlehem Experience" format allows each congregation to adjust the script to suit their needs. The physical setup is flexible, helping to make each group's presentation distinctive. Kingsburg makes use of their outside courtyard. Olathe rents a large tent to house their stable scene. Ulysses uses their large fellowship hall for the village.
The presentation begins with the tourists meeting various Roman officials before they enter Bethlehem. After registering with the census taker, guests encounter the money changer who gives them something with which to pay their taxes and the tax collector who relieves them of these same funds. Roman soldiers mill about talking with the visitors.
A mood of excited expectancy ntJegins to build as guests enter Bethlehem and tour the village booths. At each stop, vendors chat 'with the village guide while the guests listen in. The spice seller, carpenter, baker and clothier each add to the rumor heard around town about a baby to be born who might be the Messiah.
Each group of about a dozen visitors stops by the village synagogue and overhears a discussion of Scriptures prophesying the coming Messiah. The innkeeper's story of a baby just born in the stable is interrupted when a shepherd excitedly comes running up; an angel has told him the baby in the stable is the promised one. The tour group moves on to the stable to see the baby and talk with Mary and Joseph. The guests are then invited to enjoy refreshments.
Organizers agree that building a feeling of anticipation is key to a successful presentation. The stable scene, complete with a live infant, is the climax. "The children got so excited when we talked about swaddling clothes," says Joyce Brandt of Kingsburg, who worked in the clothier's booth. Another Kingsburg host recalls, "When we were at the inn and the shepherd came up all excited, a little girl turned to her mother and squealed, 'Baby Jesus is here, baby
Jesus is here!'"
Kingsburg's first Bethlehem production was last year and the steering committee determined to make the venture as relaxed as possible. "We didn't even have a rehearsal," Wiest says. "People learned their lines, or came that evening prepared with discrete note cards."
In spite of a rainy night, Kingsburg's presentation drew 500 people and an enthusiastic response. Church volunteers recall guests coming to the refreshment area in tears and others going to the phone to call friends and relatives excitedly inviting them to "get the children out of bed" and come.
This year the Kingsburg congregation is presenting "The Bethlehem Experience" Dec. 22 and 23 and expects to turn people away, if the weather is good. In hopes of drawing non-Christians, organizers have chosen to advertise the presentation in
Kingsburg's "spice sellers"-Arial, Julie and Stan Wiest and Pete and Dora Mae Kliewer-prepare to meet visitors.The realism of costumes adds to the ambience and impact of the event.
the general community rather than through churches.
A multi-media presentation featuring the poem "One Solitary Life" will be shown in the refreshment area to help people "understand that Jesus's birth, life, death and resurrection are not simply historical fact," Wiest says. "We want them to leave knowing that Jesus is the ultimate expression of a God who loves them and wants to be in a relationship with them."
Wiest is excited about the benefits this presentation has for church families. "So often our Christmas activities divide families," she says. "With this, families can work together building sets, preparing costumes, collecting props and having roles in the presentation." Wiest says seeing families working together adds to the realism of the presentation.
"'The Bethlehem Experience' uses gifts not usually exercised in the church," she says, listing historical research, carpentry and costume sewing as examples. A total of almost 100 people, including 70 cast members, will participate in this year's production.
Wiest was introduced to the presentation by Loretta and Dean Jost,
((So often our Christmas activities divide families, )J she says. ((With this, families can work together bUilding sets, preparing costttmes, collecting props and having roles in the presentation. )J
members of the Henderson (Neb.) MB congregation. The Nebraska congregation presented "The Bethlehem Experience" in 1993 and 1994 and helped the Ulysses (Kan.) MB Church prepare for their first presentation last year.
In fall 1993, while visiting Community Bible Church in Olathe, Loretta first heard of "The Bethlehem Experience." That was CBC's first production. After spending five months preparing for one night, the congregation decided that given the investment, a repeat performance was warranted. So they committed to presenting the production four more years. Each year CBC has added an additional night to their schedule. This year the group of about 50 volunteers will present the production Dec. 11, 12, 14 and 15.
"It's grown every year," says Carrie Kliewer, coordinator. "It's a monster-but a good one." This year while guests wait for their tour, they can view a multimedia presentation in the sanctuary and children will be kept busy with holiday crafts. After their tour, guests can also browse through a self-help store which benefits Mennonite Central Committee.
Kliewer says the project has helped her congregation develop cohesion. She estimates that two-thirds of the 150 people who regularly attended Sunday
morning worship are involved in
some aspect of the presentation.
"People appreciate being involved in church outreach," Kliewer says. Avenues of promotion this year include CBC's AWANA program, area coffee houses and a local organization for disabled persons.
Following dress rehearsal, the cast will visit neighborhood homes distributing miniature loaves of bread with invitations attached.
The presentation also requires a financial commitment by the congregation. Annual costs are about $1,200, a portion of which is covered by donations taken at the door.
Because of their positive experiences with an interactive Christmas presentation, CBC has also developed an Easter sunrise service along a similar vein.
At Ulysses MB Church, Val Heinrichs, Christian education director, is hoping this year's presentations-Dec. 7 and 8-will help to establish "The Bethlehem Experience" as a Christmas tradition in their western Kansas community. Last year the congregation prepared for their first Bethlehem presentation in less than a month at minimal cost, thanks to costumes rented from a Nebraska playhouse. Participants were eager to offer the presentation again, Heinrichs says. This year they made their own costumes and Heinrichs is hoping for an increase in attendance. They have made plans to accommodate 120 visitors nightly.
"Last year the community responded wonderfully," she says. "Everything I had hoped for was accomplished. It was well worth the time it takes." Heinrichs says the presentation affected some visitors emotionally, which was something she didn't anticipate.
Organizers say "The Bethlehem Experience" allows their congregation to serve the community. Loretta Jost still remembers a letter of thanks written by a Henderson woman whose non-Christian father, who would not attend a church service, had attended the walk-through presentation. She thanked the Henderson congregation for the opportunity he had to learn of the true meaning of Christmas.
Information about "The Bethlehem Experience" is available from Contemporary Drama Service in Colorado Springs, ColO.-Connie Faber
-KATHY HEINRICHS WIEST
Mike Grunding prepares to lead visitors through a
tour of Kingsburg's Bethlehem.
Central District convention focuses on prayer, celebrates growing new churches
Church planter needed for new church in the Omaha area
PRAYER WAS the primary business agenda at the Central District Conference convention held Oct. 2426 in Harvey, N.D. Principles of biblical prayer were both preached and practiced. '
Using the Lord's Prayer as a guide, speaker. Eldon Busenitz, pastor of the Bethesda MB Church in Huron, S.D., and CDC vice chair, encouraged his audience to pray more and to pray more biblically. "Genuine prayer does not come naturally-it has to be learned," he said. "God has to teach it to us and it requires a teachable spirit. "
Busenitz's first two messages explored right thinking about God and priorities. "Today many people prefer feeling right (about God, themselves and people.) We need to think, right and then we'll start feeling right," said Busenitz in his opening remarks.
He spoke of the need to balance the privilege and intimacy God's children enjoy in prayer with the need to show God respect, reverence and awe. "Right thinking about God sets the stage for right priorities," he said. "True prayer is not petition-centered but God-centered."
Jesus gives believers "permission to
be practical' in our praying," Busenitz said. "Once you have given God his rightful place, you are ready to pray for yourself." His Saturday and Sunday sermons focused on possessions and forgiveness.
Messages were followed by times of small-group prayer guided by Busenitz and CDC chair Leonard Reimer. Prayer was an integral part of the Friday afternoon MB Missions/Services workshop led by Dale Warkentin, secretary for constituency ministries, and MBM/S missionaries Tim and Jill Schellenberg. Prayer was also the common thread running through many of the "faith nuggets" (testimonials) shared by individuals throug!?-out the weekend.
The Church Planting Committee (CPC) carried most of the business agenda during this convention. It included good news and bad. The good news:
• Urban and multicultural ministries in the CDC are, for the most part, flourishing. Two recent anglo church plants, Lincoln Hills Bible Church in Sioux Falls, S.D., and Millard Bible Church, Omaha, Neb., con- . tinue to grow. Conference subsidy for Lincoln Hills is being reduced for
1996-97 while Millard graduated from subsidy in 1995-96.
The CDC assists both congregations with part-time staff salaries and Lincoln Hills is in the middle of a building project. Fund-raising for Millard's future building project got a jump-start Friday night. Charles Harder, representing New Life Fellowship in Grant, Neb., challenged 10 congregations to contribute $1, 000 towards the project which would be matched with $10,000 from the Grant congregation.
• Peter Thomas, pastor of the Faith Bible Church in Omaha, Neb., reported positive results from a 1995-96 CPC grant to assist the congregation in developing new strategies for urban ministry. Faith Bible also provides the meeting place for Iglesia Agua Viva, a hispanic congregation. Phil Glanzer, CPC chair, reported that hispanic ministries in Omaha continue to be funded by the district, which in turn receives a small subsidy from MB Missions/Services. In 1996-97, the CPC will provide resourcing funds for the Russian Evangelical Church in Minneapolis, Minn., and Native American ministries in South Dakota .
• Under the banner, "Celebrating the Harvest," the Friday night banquet highlighted 14 congregations begun with conference assistance during the past 50 years. In addition to reviewing the early history of these churches, banquet guests were given a taste of their current ministries. Mike Wall, a
Prayer was both preached and practiced. LEFT: Eldon Busenitz makes a point. RIGHT: Delegates pray in small groups for the conference.
member of the Millard Bible Church in Omaha, told how congregational recovery and support groups have ministered to him.
Lincoln Hills staff member Robert Freye described the impact of their children's program on one particular family. The ministries of Rapid City's Bible Fellowship church were highlighted by pastor Richard Nickel and June Wiebe, who, with her husband Waldo, provided pastoral leadership for the congregation in its early years.
Mixed with the good news were several items of concern:
• The long struggle of the Washington Heights Community Church of Bismarck, N.D., may have reached the point of no return. In 1993, Sam Freshwater, WHCC pastor, had talked optimistically of the congregation's growth in Sunday worship attendance, from 30 to a high of 55. This year, Phil Glanzer reported that the CPC and District Ministries Council had determined in January to discontinue financial support for the Bismarck congregation as of Aug. 31, 1996. The congregation of 20 people has been looking for creative solutions to the current financial situation. "It's a puzzle as to why (Washington Heights) hasn't become self-sufficient," said Rudy Lauer, a WHCC representative. He said that gifted, young couples have worshiped with the congregation and that the congregation has attempted various outreach strategies.
• The district's newest churchplant project, in Papillion, Neb., still needs a church planter. In spite of their unsuccessful search, Glanzer reported that the CPC continues to believe that "God is directing us into the Papillion area," using the impact church model.
"To this point, the committee continues to be searching for the Lord's provision of appropriate church planting staff to working initially with Millard Bible Church," states the CPC written report. "The goal will then be to develop a core group at Millard who will be available to facilitate the new church at Papillion." Millard Bible Church is located in Omaha, Neb.; Papillion is a nearby suburban community.
The financial report was another
case of good news/bad news.
With little fanfare, delegates voted to accept a 1996-97 budget of $182,550, an increase of $6,000 from the previous year. That was good news for the CPC since church-planting projects account for $110,550 of the budget.
But Richard Walter, CDC treasurer, bluntly described the district's 6 percent drop in church contributions as a "significant decrease." Church contributions for 1995-96 were budgeted at $142,600; only $118,340 was received compared to $126,921 the previous year. "We are meeting our budget thanks to interest money," Walter said.
In other business, delegates:
• voted to appoint a conference secretary annually rather than every two years. The change was recommended by the District Ministry Council "in view of the limited pool of capable and committed individuals with secretarial and computer skills."
• heard from statistician Kenton Vix that while CDC membership has increased by 147, growth came with the addition of the Russian Evangelical Church. Fifteen congregations reported a net gain and four stayed the same. Three of the four congregations reporting a net decrease lost an average of 22 members.
• accepted an invitation from Tabor College to host the 1999 convention in Hillsboro, Kan. The 1997 convention will be held in Minneapolis.
In addition to the MBMjS workshop on Friday, workshops were also presented by Jim Westgate, associate professor of practical studies at MB Biblical Seminary, Fresno, Calif., regarding rural church vitality, and district minister Clint Grenz spoke on ministering to needy people. Complications in air travel detained Ed Boschman, Mission USA executive director, and his workshop was canceled.
The Saturday night program highlighted Tabor College. President David Brandt delivered the college's formal report earlier in the day so the evening program was one of worship. Participants in the program included Brandt; Clint Seibel, director of the annual fund; alumnus J Epp; and a women's trio.-Connie Faber
IN BRIEF '
MEETING: Mission USA fall board meetings held Oct. 28-30 marked the first time the full board met with their newly appointed executive director, Ed Boschman. Agenda items included a report on the new church-planting effort in Phoenix, Ariz. The meeting was held in Omaha, Neb., to introduce board members to Central District Conference church planting and renewal efforts. (MUSA)
APPOINTED: MB Missions/Services has appointed Hiromi Takeda as a new missionary to Thailand. Takeda is the second missionary from the Japan MB Conference to be appointed as an MBM/S missionary and is fully supported by that conference. Takeda, a recent graduate of the Evangelical Biblical Seminary, will arrive in Thailand in March 1997 to begin language study in preparation for ministry with the MBM/S team in the Nan Province. (MBMjS)
MISSION: Youth Mission International is launching a three-week Latin America outreach Jan. 5-26 called Winter ACTION. Following a four-day orientation in Hillsboro, Kan., teams will go to Brazil, Colombia and Mexico. Interested, young people who are high school graduates are invited to contact YMI at 100 Lodge Street, Waterloo, ON N2J 2V6. (YMI)
REAPPOINTED: Harold Ens, general director of MB Missions/Services, was affirmed for his work and received a full recommendation to continue in his role following the first thorough evaluation of his performance by the MBM/S board of directors. The results oft hee val u at ion, Ens which included input from missionaries, former directors, staff, board members and other denominational leaders, were presented to the board at its September meetings in Fresno, Calif. The report cited Ens's strengths in administration, his leadership as a missiologist and his thoroughness in dealing with the myriad tasks included in his role. (MBMjS)
Pacific District delegates encouraged to embrace change with confidence in God
Fresno Pacific formally moves from ICollege I to IUniversity I
ENCOURAGEMENT to face the future with confidence in God amid a rapidly changing world proved to be a more relevant theme than Pacific District Conference convention planners might have figured when they first chose it. , Beyond their intended focus on ongoing changes in conference demographics and dynamics, delegates who gathered Nov. 8-9 in Bakersfield, Calif., had relatively fresh "change agenda" to confront: the resignation of Richard Kriegbaum as president of conference-owned Fresno Pacific College. The impending change had been announced only a few weeks earlier.
One significant change at FPC had been anticipated by convention planners, however: a new name, to Fresno Pacific University. That change was officially ratified during the FPC corporation meeting on Saturday (see sidebar).
But, for the departing Kriegbaum, this convention became the first opportunity for supporters to thank him for his 11 years of transformational service at FPC. During his tenure, the number of students, programs and facilities grew significantly.
At the opening banquet on Friday night, Kriegbaum responded to a prolonged standing ovation with characteristic understatement, "My resignation signals change for the
institution." He added, "I can leave because I am confident God has already selected the person who is equipped to take this institution to the next stage."
Other change signals flashed throughout the convention-including the meeting format itself. While traditional conventions have lasted two days or more, this one was over in less than 24 hours. It began with Friday night's banquet for delegates and other interested constituents. By 3 p.m. the following day, the last business session was winding down. The format change was an attempt to make the gathering more inviting for potential delegates, especially younger ones.
Other changes were more profound, if less tangible. Roger Poppen, district chair and pastor of the host Laurelglen Bible Church, compared the district to a cruise ship at sea. He asked in which direction his listeners had turned their deck chairs-to where the district had been (the past), where it is today (the present) or where it's going (the future).
Those who look to the past, Poppen said, see a district comprised mostly of "good 01' boy anglo brothers and sisters with recognizable last names." But the present landscape has changed dramatically. Among other things, denominationalism "as we have
Name change will enhance school's mission, board says
NOT ONLY HAVE the programs and landscape of Fresno Pacific College changed dramatically during the presidency of Richard Kriegbaum, so now has the school's name.
Delegates unanimously ratified a recommendation of the Fresno Pacific Board of Directors to change the name of the school to "Fresno Pacific University."
In response to a question about the change, Kriegbaum admitted that the difference between "College" and "University" is not always significant, but he said institutional leaders felt the name was advisable for several reasons:
• To acknowledge the existing reality that the school
known it" is in decline, ethnic peoples are joining the conference and assimilating them is a challenge.
"This viewpoint isn't nearly as comfortable," he said. But he challenged listeners to look toward the future. More changes are inevitable, he said, "but we can be confident the Lord will direct our paths." Referring to Proverbs 3:5-6, he identified three keys to a confident future:
• Trust in the Lord with all your heart. "Do we trust the Lord to build his church, and that his ways are not always our ways?"
• Lean not on your own understanding. "Never rely on what you think you know We desperately need the Lord's wisdom."
• In all your ways acknowledge him. "Take notice" of God's involvement in personal and corporate endeavors.
Rod Seuss, pastor of the Butler Avenue MB Church in Fresno, Calif., picked up the theme of change in his address on Saturday. Seuss described Butler's painful process of moving from a traditional congregation comprised mostly of Low German Mennonite Brethren, to a multicultural, multicongregational church that better reflects its diverse environment. Butler now includes Khmu and hispanic congregations (lnd traditional and contemporary anglo congregations.
"God can melt the hearts of people so they can love each other across barriers of race, language, ethnicity and personal preferences," Seuss said. But doing so requires placing confi-
is being categorized as a university by others, including U.S. News & World Report.
• To preserve the Christian character of the school. '''University' does not necessarily mean 'secular,'" Kriegbaum said. In fact, the new structure better enables the school to focus the Christian character of the school appropriately for the undergraduate college, the graduate school and the school of professional studies.
• To "squeeze the money out of every stone we can find," Kriegbaum said. He expects the new organizational structure to be more financially efficient than the present one.
• To better communicate the school's mission in the international arena. Kriegbaum said "university" connotes a four-year accredited program in other settings, while "college" suggests a lower-level program.-DR
District minister Henry H. Dick (with microphone) offers a handshake of welcome to Fred Leonard, lead pastor of Mountain View Community Church. The young congregation was formally received as a full member of the district during the Friday night banquet. Looking on are PDC chair Roger Poppen (far left) and a delegation from the church.
dence in the Lord's love and his promises for the future, not personal skills and strategies.
Seuss prefaced his message with an emotional salute to the "Builders" generation of persons over the age of 50. Re noted the enormous changes that generation has endured in recent years. "Thank you," he said after asking them to stand. "You have built a foundation for us. We appreciate you and love you for setting the direction."
Delegates addressed the issue of change and diversity the following day by unanimously ratifying a Board of Faith and Life resolution that delegates would "give their blessing to those men and women doing God's work-even when they differ from our own preferences due to personal backgrounds or temperaments." The resolution acknowledged Scripture and the Confession of Faith as "our common ground," but called for tolerance in the areas of worship and leadership styles.
In other business, delegates:
• heard testimonies and stories about PDC hispanic churches addressing the needs of newcomers from Mexico.
• affirmed the 1996 U.S. Conference resolution decrying racism and violence against houses of worship.
• welcomed four new congregations into the district: Korean Mission-
ary Church and Korean Agape Church in Los Angeles, Russian Baptist Church of Alameda County in Castro Valley, Calif., and Mountain View Community Church in Clovis, Calif.
• formally commissioned Jim and Annette Aiken as the leadership couple for the new anglo church-planting venture in Bakersfield.
• revised the district's reversion clause. Previously, if a local church ceased to be a member of the district, its property reverted back to the PDC. The policy was reviewed primarily because congregations joining by adoption were hesitant to embrace it. The new policy states that if an adopted congregation ceases to be a member of the district, it can retain its property if it repays all financial assistance received from the PDC plus reasonable interest.
• approved a 1996-97 budget of $260,100, an increase of 5.8 percent from a year ago.
• approved the sale of the 15th Avenue Church in Seattle, Wash., to the Slavic Missionary Church for $500,000. The agreement includes a $42,000 payment assistance package from the district; the package is to be reimbursed over six years.
• approved a recommendation to grant Community Bible Fellowship in Bellingham, Wash., a mortgage payment assistance of $48,000 over five years for the purpose of acquiring a meeting facility.-Don Ratzlaff
IN BRIEF
ELECTED: Jerry Moran became the first U.S. Mennonite Brethren elected to national office Nov. 5 with an easy win in the race for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives from Kansas's First District. Moran, a member of the North Oak Community Church in Hays, Kan., ran as a Republican. Moran had served in the Kansas Senate since 1988 and was majority leader.
CAMPAIGN: Republican presidential candidate Bob Dole may have lost his bid for the White House, but his lateOctober campaign rally on the Fresno Pacific College campus gave students and faculty a firsthand view of the democratic process. Three days of upheaval preceded Dole's visit as crews installed telephone and fax lines, set up a platform, risers for the media and worked on security. The Dole campaign paid for all expenses, including reseeding of the college green, says FPC President Richard Kriegbaum. Fifteen of FPC's security workers were hired by the Dole team. The Democratic Party was represented at the rally by a group of 10 students demonstrating their support for President Bill Clinton. "It gave us an opportunity to hear a presidential candidate unfiltered by the mass media," says Richard Unruh, professor of political science. "Whether one supports Dole or not, it is important to be willing to listen to both sides in an electoral contest. Bob Dole's visit gave the entire college community an opportunity to attend a unique 'classroom' in American democracy." (FPC)
AID: Mennonite Central Committee's third largest material resource shipment of 1996, in terms of dollars, has been sent to children's homes in Makeyevka, a city in southeast Ukraine. MCC partner, Light of Resurrection, will receive the food and supplies valued at $133,000. The shipment includes raw materials such as sewing supplies and woodworking tools to be used in vocational training. MCC's largest 1996 shipment went to Bangladesh and its second largest to Russia. (MCC)
IN BRIEF
MINISTRY: Between 30-40 Fresno Pacific College students joined volunteers from other organizations Nov. 9 to work on eight Habitat for Humanity , houses in a new rural development southwest of Fresno. The crews put up drywall, set fenceposts, and completed other projects. The event was planned by Outreach Ministries, the FPC office that coordinates off-campus service projects. (FPC)
GROUNDBREAKING: Palm Village Retirement Community in Reedley, Calif., recently held a groundbreaking for its new Health Care Center. The new facility will house 120 nursing home residents and includes an Alzheimer's wing. David Reimer, executive director, anticipates the new facility will be completed in a year. (PVRC)
GRANT: MB Missions/Services social programs in Zaire and Panama wilt benefit from a recent Canadian International Development Agency grant totaling $160,500 (U.S.). The grant will enable the Department of Health and Development of the Zaire MB Church to train key leaders and experts and to develop a proposed Women's Literacy/Social Center. In Panama, the grant will fund the educational efforts of the MB Church in Panama among the Wounaan and Embera peoples. About 80-100 people will receive direct educational benefits from the project that is operated in two centers. (MBMjS)
TRAVEL: The new deadline for submitting host registrations for inclusion in Mennonite Your Way Directory 8 is Jan. 8. More than 1,200 names have already been received, say editors leon and Nancy Stauffer, and more are welcome. Contact Mennonite Your Way at Box 1525, Salunga, PA, for more information. (MYW)
REVIEW: Mennonite Mutual Aid and mental health professions came together in mid-October for the first time to jointly review MMA's mental health underwriting guidelines. The result was an initial draft on improved, more detailed underwriting guidelines for mental health conditions. (MMA)
Zaire once again at the center of need
II
MBMjS issues call for prayer, and material assistance
NORTH American Mennonite Brethren are invited to demonstrate their care and concern for the spiritual and physical needs of persons in eastern Zaire, where more than 1 people-Rwandan and Burundian refugees as well as Zairian villagers-have fled camps and homes due to fighting between Zaire's military and Banyamulenge (Zairian Tutsi). Zairian officials say Rwandans and Burundians are also involved in the conflict.
An urgent call to prayer Dec. 1 and 8 was issued by Gary Hardaway, ,MB Missions/Services secretary for communications and public relations. Prayer is requested for the welfare of more than 1 million refugees, the witness of Christians, and a just and compassionate resolution to the multidimensional conflict. There are fears that the fighting racking eastern Zaire may spread to other parts of Zaire, a country that is home to some 170,000 Mennonites, including some 70,000 Mennonite Brethren.
MBM/S also requests prayer for the safety of church planters Dr. and Mrs. Kalumuna and their family, who sought refuge in a hospital in Bukavu. As of Nov. 12, nothing had been
heard from the family. The Kalumunas and Mennonite Central Committee wo'rkers Fidel Lumeya and Christa Rigalo Lumeya arrived in the region this summer.
The couples are supported by the three Mennonite conferences in Zaire in collaboration with their partners: MBM/S, Africa Inter-Mennonite Missions and MCC. The goal of the iproject is to plant a church in Bukavu, near the Great Lakes Region. MBM/S is assuming that many of the 50-75 people in the Bukavu international church have dispersed.
Lumeya and Rigalo left the area Oct. 27 and are currently in Kenya. They describe the situation in eastern Zaire as "catastrophic." In addition to coordinating the MCC program in the region, he worked with forestry projects and she in peace and reconciliation. Lumeya and Rigalo are members of a Mennonite Brethren congregation in Kinshasa, Zaire.
MCC is appealing for 50,000 blankets by Christmas for eastern Zaire. Persons wishing to contribute blankets can deliver them to any MCC office by Dec. 25, along with $3 per blanket to pay for shipping costs. The blankets will go to Bukavu where churches will distribute them to needy people early next year. Reports indicate soldiers, many of whom serve unpaid, have looted the town, stealing anything they can sell.
MCC continues to accept contributions to its "Central Africa Healing Fund." The money will be used to transport warm clothing, which MCC has in stock, and for future projects yet to be determined. When the situation stabilizes, MCC will gear its aid to people overlooked by bigger agencies. The money will also go to MCC's ongoing peace and other work in Rwanda, Burundi and Zaire.
MCC is also helping to send lentils and oil, valued at $3.3 million to the Rwandan and Burundian refugees. The three-part shipment is set to arrive in
this month
and in January and March "refugeed" again. 1997. (MBM/S, MCC)
This 1994 photo shows a mother and child at a Rwandan refugee camp near Bukavu, Zaire, that MCC helped sup- eastern Zaire
port. MCC workers fear the camp's participants have been
Bible translation process tedious but satisfying, prof says
II Elmer Martens contributes to the New Living Translation
THE NEW Living Translation (NLT) , an upgrade of the popular Living Bible, was released with much fanfare this past July. Among the 90 scholars and numerous stylists participating in this ambitious project was Elmer Martens, professor emeritus of Old Testament at MB Biblical Seminary, Fresno, Calif.
Martens worked with another Old Martens Testament scholar, G. Herbert Livingston of the Asbury Theological Seminary, on the books Jeremiah and Lamentations.
Two other Mennonite scholars, Dan Block and Gus Konkel, were also involved in the project. Block, the John R. Sampey professor of Old Testament at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., was coordinator for the Pentateuch section. Konkel, professor at Providence College and Seminary in Manitoba, worked on the translation of Job.
Martens taught Old Testament for 25 years at MBBS. He wrote a commentary on Jeremiah for the Believers Church Bible Commentary Series. His book, GodJs Design: Focus on Old Testament Theology, was released in a second edition in 1994.
Martens feels his previous study prepared him for the role of an NLT translator, but he says the publisher, Tyndale House, was more interested in the fact that those who worked with the project had what Martens calls a "true commitment to the Scriptures as the Word of God. "
At the beginning of the seven-year process, Martens reviewed the Living Bible and offered suggestions. He said he was surprised by the "liberties" the author, Kenneth Taylor, had taken in the original work.
Though the NLT was originally intended to be another paraphrase,
Martens and other scholars requested that the version become a translation instead.
"We've gone away from the paraphrase, and did not work from the English, but from the original languages," Martens says.
Martens and the other scholars then translated the Bible verse by verse into contemporary language. The manuscripts were then sent to stylists, who worked at improving the fluency of the English.
Martens says the process was tedious and time-consuming, but the experience was "Bible study at its best." The constant aim of translators was to communicate the "dynamic equivalent" of the original text, to "capture the thought and express it in today's language in a way similar to how the original readers might have heard it," according to Martens.
For example, he and other scholars had to decide on the most relevant translation of the Hebrew concept "Lord of Armies." "Lord of Hosts" had been chosen in the KingJames Bible, but scholars weren't convinced the phrase would communicate a true equivalent. After much discussion, they settled on "Lord Almighty" over "Commander in Chief," "Supreme Commander," or "Almighty Lord."
Martens admits he wondered occasionally whether all the time, money and promotion spent on this publication was worth it-or even necessarygiven the glut of Bible versions Americans already have available to them.
"It is something of a luxury, that we in the English-speaking world indulge ourselves with these when some others don't even have the Scriptures, period," Martens says.
But he also acknowledges the value of making traditional versions more clear for a "less and less literal public," and for those who cannot spend the time necessary to understand texts that have been vaguely translated.
As an Anabaptist working with Scriptures, Martens did not feel it was necessary to place a theological bias onto the texts he translated. "A genuine scholar," he says, "will work with what's there."
This is not the first Bible translation process Martens has participated in. He was also involved in the New
American Version, the New King James Version, and a children's version.
Overall, Martens considers this work as a high reward for the years and money spent on his study of the Old Testament. He says it is exciting that even after all these years he can find fresh ways of stating the truths of Scripture, and discover new personal insights as well.-Jessica Penner
• CHURCH NOTES
FRAZIER, Mont. (Lustre)-Lisa Toews, Shelley Pankratz, Arica Nichols, Bill Reddig, Randy Reddig, Brent Dnrau, and Cody Toews were baptized and received into membership July 14.
OKEENE, Okla.-Carissa Patzkowsky and Brada Schultz were baptized and received into membership Sept. 22.
NEW Hope, Minn.-Jake Aleshire, Angie Lacey and Colleen and Rick Anderson were baptized and accepted into membership Oct. 13.
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (Laurelglen)-The congregation accepted 24 people into membership Oct. 20: Val and Linda Aldred, Tom Asplund, Holly Atkinson, Bill and Cheryl Baugher, Tim and Janet Cater, Keith and Sonja Garber, Philip and Robin Gray, Eric and Brenda Greenwood, Carole Harden, Stephanie Hargett, Donna Nelson, Alan and Sheri Penman, Carol Peterson, Dianna Schedhelm, David and Melody Spalinger and Evelyn Tabangcora.
REEDLEY, Calif.-The congregation welcomed eight people into membership through baptism in October: Nicole Bennett, Mike Fast, Beth Gray, Mary Ann Klassen, Katie Mendel, Zach Penner, Julie Peters and Jessica Weems. Additional new members are Mick and Loleen Albright, Sheryl Doerksen, Anna Flaming, Duane and Anna Marie Friesen, Alan and Linda Memley, Dennis and Debbie Noorigian, and Arnold and Mary Riffel.
•
Ministry
BUHLER, Kan.-The congregation participated in a city-wide cooperative effort to distribute the "Jesus" video to every home in the city during October.
SAN JOSE, Calif. (Lincoln Glen)-A hispanic Sunday school class began meeting in October under the leadership of Francisco and Mila Alvarenga to minister to those in the community who do not readily speak English.
FERNDALE, Wash. (Good News)-During October the congregation participated in the Mennonite Central Committee "30-Day Giving Calendar." The money saved during the month was collected Nov. 3 .... The congregation hosted their ninth MCC Crafts of the World sale Nov. 1-2.
DOWNEY, Calif. (Liying Hope)-The congregation held its annual Thanksgiving dinner for attenders and the homeless Nov. 21. "We cook-they eat!" says pastor Glenn Koons. The meal is followed with a holiday bazaar for missions .... The congregation also hosted a music festival Oct. 27 to benefit the city's homeless with 10 area churches participating.
WICHITA, Kan. (First)- The congregation participated with United at the Cross Community Church, Wichita, in a Thanksgiving outreach effort aimed at 25 families new to the community. The congregations collected canned goods and financial contributions toward the purchase of turkeys and worked together to pack and deliver the boxes Nov. 24. UCC is a joint churchplanting venture between the Southern District Conference and World Impact, an inner-city ministry.
HILLSBORO, Kan.-Pastor Dennis Fast traveled to Brazil and Paraguay Nov. 25Dec. 5 with MB Missions/Services worker Dave Dyck. He spoke to conference leaders in the two countries.
• Teaching/nurture
LITTLETON, Colo. (Belleview Acres)Naomi Penner Thiessen described in October her recent travels to the Molotchna colony in the Ukraine and to Portugal to
$20.00 paperback $3()oo
visit MB Missions/Services workers Otto and Marjorie Ekk.
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (Laurelglen)-Pastor Paul Robie led a seminar aimed at single people ages 25-45. The sessions ran weekly, Nov. 3 through Dec. 8.
• Workers
INDIAHOMA, Okla. (Post Oak)-Steve and Marge Cutter of White Clay, Neb., accepted the call as pastoral couple and began their ministry in late November.
OLATHE, Kan. (Community Bible)-Rob and Myrna Reimer were installed as pas,toral couple Oct. 27. District minister Roland Reimer and interim pastor Clarence Hiebert participated in the program.
FERNDALE, Wash. (Good News)-Nathan Cornelsen has been affirmed as the youth intern.
KINGSBURG, Calif.-The congregation has approved the addition of a church staff member in the area of Christian education with an emphasis in youth, discipleship and evangelism.
.DEATHS
BULLER, KATHERINA REMPEL, Enid, Okla., a member of the Enid MB Church, was born Dec. 18, 1907, to Jacob and Sarah Toews Rempel near Henderson, Neb., and died Oct. 5, 1996, at the age of 88. On March 11, 1928, she was married to John P. Buller, who predeceased her in 1973. She is survived by three sons, John
MENNONITE HISTORICAL
A collection of 128 maps showing past and present locations of Mennonites in Europe, Russia, North America, and Latin America. Includes 4 maps of Aussiedler locations and 6 maps of Hutterite sites. 42 pages of texts add meaning to the maps. Includes a bibliography and a detailed index.
Better
than ever!
and wife Dorothy of Collinsville, Okla., Harold and wife Leona of Hillsdale, Okla., and Alfred and wife Malvina of Kremlin, Okla.; five daughters, Rosella and husband Paul Funk of Inman, Kan., Hanna and husband Alvin Thiesen of Clovis, Calif., Sara and Gerald Kroeker of Fresno, Calif., Marie Buller of Omaha, Neb.,and Elfrieda Buller of Nash, Okla.; one sister, Elisabeth Buller of 'Dinuba, Calif.; twenty-five grandchildren, twenty-five great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild.
FRIESEN, HERBERT, Hillsboro, Kan., a member of the Hillsboro MB Church, was born April 21, 1910, to Peter D. and Elizabeth Toews Friesen at Inman, Kan., and died Sept. 20, 1996, at the age of 86. On Oct. 2, 1932, he was married to Mildred Heinze, who survives. He is also survived by two daughters, Donna and husband Francis Richert of Lane, Kan., and Carol Stevenson of Alcalde, N.M.; two brothers, Sam and wife Juanita of Colby, Kan., and Abe of Colby; one sister, Marie and husband Eric of Kingman, Kan.; nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
FRIESEN, SARAH SEIBEL, Buhler, Kan., a member of the Buhler MB Church, ·was born Oct. 23, 1906, to Christian H. and Carolina Delk Seibel near Hillsboro, Kan., and died Oct. 20, 1996, at the age of 89. On. Nov. 28, 1935, she was married to Herbert F. Friesen, who predeceased her. She is survived by one son, H. Landon and his wife Joseline; a daughter, Ada J. and husband Herman Von Braun; three sisters, Rachel Seibel of Reedley, Calif., Erna Loewen of Lawrence, Kan., and Evelyn Regier of Peabody, Kan.; six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
GOLBEK, NOAH WILLIAM, Dinuba, Calif. a member of the Dinuba MB Church, was born Sept. 19, 1909, to Peter and Anna Baehler Golbek at Alva, Okla., and died Oct. 17, 1996, at the age of 87. In 1933 he was married to Martha Rempel, who predeceased him in 1967. In November 1967 he was married to Tina Reimer, who survives. He is also survived by two daughters, Priscilla and husband Ken EIrich, and Janice and husband Bob Erickson; one son, William and wife Nancy; two step-daughters, Martha and husband Don Enns, and Virginia and husband Pete Rogalsky; one stepson, George and wife Katherine Reimer; three brothers, Ezra and wife Marie, Jacob and wife Esther, and Clarence and wife Leora; three sisters, Lydia Krause, Viola Will, and Phoebe Byrd; six grandchildren, 10 step-grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren, and 11 stepgreat-grandchildren.
Kindred Productions
GROENING, HOWARD, Hillsboro, Kan., a member of the Hillsboro MB Church, was born Aug. 11, 1922, to Sam and Tena Regier Groening at McPherson, Kan., and died Sept. 17, 1996, at the age of 74. On March
8, 1946, he was married to Irma Duerksen, who survives. He is also survived by two sons, Jerry and wife Sherylene of Marion, Kan., Gordon and wife Shirley of Marion; two aunts, Bernice Thies and Selma Jost of Marion; and five grandchildren.
ISAAC, ANNA S., was born June 26, 1908, to Mr. and Mrs. Peter Wiebe in Gotebo, Okla., and died Oct. 5, 1996, at the age of 88. She was married to John Isaac, who predeceased her in 1990. She is survived by three children.
JANTZEN, MARY ANNE, Fresno, Calif., of the Bethany MB Church, was born Oct. 21, 1902, to Peter and Anna Koslowsky at Marion, Kan., and died Sept. 28, 1996, at the age of 93. On Aug. 25, 1927 she was married to George Jantzen, who predeceased her. She is survived by a daughter, Betty and husband Louie EIrich of Bakersfield, Calif.; a son Bill and wife Jean of Fresno; one sister, Ruby Dalke of Hillsboro, Kan.; five grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
KLIEWER, BERNARD G., Henderson, Neb., a member of the Henderson MB Church, was born April 22, 1919, to Jacob K. and Susanna Goertzen Kliewer in Hamilton County, Neb., and died Oct. 8, 1996, at the age of77. On March 24, 1940, he was married to Bertha Goossen, who predeceased him in 1983. On Oct. 3, 1987, he was married to Bertha Neufeld, who survives. He is also survived by a daughter, Beverly and husband Lonn Richards of Hillsboro, Kan.; two sons, Larry and wife Karen of Hampton, Neb., and Eugene and wife Wynette of the Rep. of Panama; two sisters, Susie and husband Lloyd Buller of Reedley, Calif., and Hulda and husband Charles Davis of York, Neb.; and seven grandchildren.
KLIEWER, EDWIN WALDO, Fairview, Okla., a member of the Fairview MB Church, was born May 19, 1913, to Abraham and Lizzie Karber Kliewer in Major County, Okla., and died Sept. 27, 1996, at the age of 83. On Aug. 11, 1935, he was married to Mary Weis, who survives. He is also survived by two daughters, Twyla and husband LeRoy Pederson, and Rita and husband Don Dick; two brothers, Herb and Ruben; one sister Elda Neufeld; four grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
KROEKER, ADELIA ROSE, San Jose, Calif., a member of the Lincoln Glen Church in San Jose, was born Oct. 4, 1915, to John S. and Katie Loewen Penner near Hillsboro, Kan., and died Oct. 26, 1996, at the age of 81. In November 1943 she was married to Henry Kroeker, who predeceased her in 1995. She is survived by a son, Loren and wife Patty of San Jose; a daughter, Janet and husband Allen Ingram of Boulder Creek, Calif.; two
brothers, Menno Penner and wife Lillian and Walt Penner and wife Leona, all of Reedley, Calif.; four grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
KROEKER, MARTHA TOEWS, Inman, Kan., a member of the Zoar MB Church of Inman, was born Jan. 19, 1909, to Gerhard
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W. and Helena Friesen Toews near Inman, and died Nov. 4, 1996, at the age of 87. On Aug. 9, 1936, she was married to Peter W. Kroeker, who predeceased her in 1986. She is survived by two sisters, Edna Warkentin of McPherson, Kan., and Malinda Toews of Inman; a nephew, Marvin and wife Ina Mae of Inman; four nieces, Janet Reg.#1567624
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GROUNDBREAKING
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David Reimer, Executive Director of Palm Village looks on as Pastors from three local M.B. churches turn a shovel. From left: Jim Holm of ,Reedley, Bob Vogt of Dinuba, Byron Neufeld of Kingsburg
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and husband Bill Hein of Hillsboro, Kan., Janice and husband Vernon Winter, Jean and husband Don Hein, and Joan and husband Bill Burkey, all of McPherson.
MACK, WILMA, Dinuba, Calif., a member of the Dinuba MB Church, was born Sept. 12, 1923, at San Francisco, Calif., was adopted by Ike and Marie Friesen, and died Sept. 10, 1996, at the age of 72. On Dec. 17, 1942, she was married to Harry Mack, who survives. She is also survived by a son, Ron and wife Arlene; two daughters, Fritz and husband Cal Ediger of Madera, Calif., and Jean Friesen of Fresno, Calif.; and four grandchildren.
PAYNE, CLIFFORD D., Santa Clara, Calif., a member of the Lincoln Glen Church in San Jose, Calif., was born 'Nov. 8, 1919, at Ogden, Utah, and died Oct. 27, 1996, at the age of 77. During World War 2, he was married to Emma, who survives. He is also survived by a son, Rodney and wife Barbara; two daughters, Susan and husband Ed Johnson and Ardel Payne; three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
PETERS, ANNA HIEBERT, Henderson,
Neb., of the Henderson MB Church, was born Feb. 21, 1905, to Peter P. and Helena Unruh Hiebert at Henderson, Neb., and died Aug. 9, 1996, at the age of 91. On Feb. 2, 1929, she was married to George Peters, who predeceased her. She is survived by three sons, Marvin and wife Elda of Henderson, Richard and wife Loretta of Delano, Calif., and Larry and wife Lu of Livonia, Mich.; one half brother, Jack Hiebert; four sisters-in-law, Alma Wiens and Hulda Hiebert of Neb., Alma Peters and Helen Peters of Canada, one brotherin-law Louie Peters of Canada; stepbrothers and stepsisters; eight grandchildren six great-grandchildren.
RATZLAFF, ESTHER, Reedley, Calif., a ,member of the Reedley MB Church, was born May 23, 1926, to Martin R. and Helen Warkentin Jost at Hillsboro, Kan., and died Sept. 23, 1996, at the age of 70. On Oct. 6, 1944, she was married to Ed Ratzlaff, who survives. She is also survived by one son, Larry and wife Judy of Reedley; a daughter, Janice and husband Florin Landseadal, Jr. of Fresno, Calif.; two brothers, Wes and wife Elvera Jost of Re'edley, and Howard Jost of Glendale, Calif.; one sister, Elfrieda
Bridges Connecting Knowledge and Action
Authentic Living:
Bringing Belief and Lifestyle Together
Studies in James by Herb Kopp
How do faith, peace, truthfulness, wisdom and endurance impact our lives and our actions?
This study of James will challenge you to think through these issues and encourage you to put the instructions of James into practice. Great for sonal or group study. Paper, 132 pages, 58.00 (SHIPPING ADDED)
All Are Witnesses
A collection of sermons by Mennonite Brethren women Delores Friesen, editor
VILLAGE PALM
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Sermons of connection and celebration that witness to what we have seen and heard of God's redeeming love, Christ's empowering grace and the Spirit's reconciling power. Inspiring, challenging. Paper, 190 pages ':7 (SHIPPING ADDED)
Kindred Productions, the publisher for Resource Ministries of the General Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches 1-800-545-7322
and husband Harold Kleinsasser of Dinuba, Calif.; one sister-in-law, Kathryn Ediger of Reedley; and five grandchildren.
REGIER, DAVID LEROY, Enid, Okla., a member of the Enid MB Church, was born Sept. 14, 1903, to Rev. P.P. and Maria Schellenberg Regier at Enid, and died Sept. 26, 1996, at the age of 93. On June 9, 1929, he was married to Mabel Frantz, who predeceased him in 1994. He is survived by three sons, Edward and wife Frances of Fresno, Calif., Don and wife Betty of Denver, Colo., and Kenneth and wife Carolyn of Tulsa, Okla.; one brother, Menno of Bakersfield, Calif.; 11 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren.
REIMER, RAYMOND R., Kingsburg, Calif., a member of the Kingsburg MB Church, was born Dec. 17, 1926, to John and Dena Reimer at French Camp, Calif., and died Sept. 30, 1996, at the age of 69. On Aug. 21, 1948, he was married to Tillie, who survives. He is also survived by two sons, Bruce and Mike and wife Yanda; one sister , Jeanne Dyck; two brothers, Lowell and Clarence; and three grandsons.
RIFFEL, ALEX, Dinuba, Calif., a member of the Dinuba MB Church, was born Nov. 22, 1909, in Russia, and died Sept. 25, 1996, at the age of 86. On Jan. 1, 1931, he was married to Marie, who survives. He is also survived by a son, Richard; and two daughters, Marian and Darlene.
SEIBEL, HERBERT D., Hillsboro, Kan., a member of Belleview Acres Church, Littleton, Colo., was born July 8, 1908, to Conrad John and Sophia Wegner Seibel at McClusky, N.D., and died July 29,1996, at the age of 88. On Oct. 16, 1932, he was married to Bertha Zweigle, who predeceased him in 1994. He is survived by two sons, Harlan and wife Marlene of Lakewood, Colo., Ronald and wife Kathy of Freeman, S.D.; two daughters, Rowena and husband Jerry Plett of Lincolnville, Kan., Rosann and husband Warren of Englewood, Colo.; three brothers and three sisters; 14 grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren.
STELTING, ARTHUR 0., Corn, Okla., a member of the Corn MB Church, was born July 1, 1917, to Andrew and Louise Rogalsky Stelting near Corn, and died Oct. 2, 1996, at the age of 79. On Sept. 1, 1940, he was married to Marie Kroeker, who survives. He is also survived by son Jerald and wife Mary Beth of Weatherford, Okla.; daughter Mary and husband Jerry Blakley of Cordell, Okla.; six grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
THIESSEN, HENRY F., Buhler, Kan., a member of the Buhler MB Church, was born March 22, 1911, to Isaac B. and Gertrude Friesen Thiessen at Jansen, Neb., and died Aug. 10, 1996 at the age of 85.
On May 16, 1937, he was married to Anna M. Willems, who predeceased him in 1984. OnJune 13, 1987, he was married to Hulda Banman, who survives. He is also
survived by two sons, LeRoy and wife Lorene of Buhler, Robert and wife Frances of Buhler; five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
4ffi{tuun --'1Iommemorative %aktur
Give a gift and contribute to the appreciation of church history.
Celebrate the season of peace by remembering the Anabaptist dedication to peace. Commissioned by the Historical Committee of the Mennonite Church, this beautiful four-color fraktur commemorates the birth of Menno Simons 500 years ago. Artist Roma]. Ruth created this memento of Menno's life and ministry from a text chosen by John L. Ruth.
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Name Address
Make checks payable to: Historical Committee of the Mennonite Church, 1700 South Main Street, Goshen, IN 46526; Center for MB Studies, 4824 East Butler, Fresno, CA 93727; or Center for MB Studies, Tabor College, Hillsboro, KS 67063.
THIESSEN, WALTER, Fairview, Okla., a member of the Collinsville MB Church, was born July 4, 1911, to Dietrich J ona and Anna Janzen Thiessen at Homestead, Okla., and died July 23, 1996, at the age of 85. On Sept. 20, 1935 he was married to Edith Koons, who survives. He is also survived by two daughters, Margaret and husband Kenneth Flaming of Vinita, Okla., Arlene and husband Arnold Klaassen of Wichita, Kan.; one son, Robert and wife Sharon of Hutchinson, Kan.; three brothers, Alvin of Tulsa, Okla., Louis of Wills Point, Texas, and Carl of Claremore, Texas; two sisters, Susan Leppke of Collinsville and Lou Gossen of Independence, Kan.; six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
WARKENTIN, SUSIE DYCK, Buhler, Kan., a member of the Buhler MB Church, was born Dec. 6, 1901, to John and Maria Adrian Dyck at Corn, Okla., and died Oct. 23, 1996, at the age of 94. In April 1936 she was married to Alvin Heidebrecht, who predeceased her in 1960. In June 1962 she was married to Jacob S. Warkentin, who predeceased her in 1979. She is survived by one stepson, Joel Warkentin of Dallas, Texas; three stepdaughters, Marjorie Langridge and Millie Allen, both of Portland, Ore., and Myra Garett of Harrisburg, Pa.; two sisters, Selma Atkinson of Texas and Margaret
Dyck of Buhler; and eight step-grandchildren.
WIENS, BLONDINA "BLANCHE," Delft, Minn., a member of the Carson MB Church, Delft, was born Nov. 18, 1918, to John]. and Sarah Balzer Wiens at Delft, and died Nov. 5, 1996, at the age of 77. On Sept. 5, 1939, she was married to John V. Friesen, who predeceased her in 1971. She is survived by two sons, LeRoy and wife Sharryl of Washington, D.C., and Berry and wife Sharon of Lancaster, Pa.; one daughter-in-Iaw, Mary of Minneapolis, Minn.; two sisters, Charlotte and husband Clarence Prokop of St. Paul, Minn., and Marcella and husband Norm Siegwarth of Dubuque, Iowa; two brothers, Arnold Wiens and wife Barbara of Mankato, Minn., and Ed Wiens and wife Becky of Las Vegas, Nev.; seven grandchildren, two granddaughtersin-law, and one great-grandson.
WIENS, ALVIN "DUKE," Millard, Neb., of the Millard Bible Church, was born Oct. 3, 1923, to Peter W. and Lena Ediger Wiens, and died Sept. 14, 1996, at the age of 72. On June 19, 1953, he was married to Burdine Heppner, who survives. He is also survived by three daughters, Lynette of Lincoln, Neb., Charie and husband Mike Wall, and Gwen of Omaha, Neb.; one son Chuck of Omaha; four grandchildren and four step-grandchildren.
CHURCH PARTNERSHIP EVANGELISM (CPE)
Invitation: TO: Born-again Christians
King Road MB Church in Abbotsford, B.C., is seeking volunteers for its Church Partnership Evangelism outreach to.... Costlperson*
1. PHILIPPINES - Manilla. Jan. 12-27, '97
2. NICARAGUA - Managua - Rama Feb. 9-24, '97
3. PERU - Sullana April 5-21, '97
4. ZAIRE - Kikwit May 1-28, '97
5. UKRAINE - Tchernivtsi-Odessa May 3-26, '97
6. NICARAGUA - Managua July 5-21, '97
7. PARAGUAY - Asuncion. July 5-21, '97
8. PERU - Chiclayo-Talara Aug. 2-26, '97
9. RUSSIA - Orenburg Sept. 6-24, '97
10. ARGENTINA - Cordoba Oct. 4-21, '97
11. INDIA - Shamshabad Nov. 8-25, '97
Note: Dates may be subject to change.
• Team up with national Christians and witness for Christ door to door.
• Some knowledge of the language of the country is helpful.
$1,100
$1,100
$1,200
$2,000
$1,600
$1,100
$1,500
$1,200
$1,600
$1,600
$1,600
*Canadian dollars
• 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, 604-853-3171 or FAX 604-853-6482
Church Partnership Evangelism is sponsored jointly by MBM/S and the King Road MB Church in British Columbia. It is a "church-to-church" effort that involves lay members in personal evangelism worldwide. Your application to participate in CPE will be forwarded to the King Road Church for processing.
Peter Loewen
CPE Promoter
Harold W. Ens MBM/S General Director
Have a position to fill? Looking for a new employment or ministry opportunity? Have a gathering or celebration to promote? Need to sell or acquire property? Reach U. S. Mennonite Brethren through a Clearinghouse classified ad. The charge is 40 cents per word, with a $15 minimum. Withhold payment until an invoice is received. The editors reserve the right to turn down inappropriate material. For display (boxed) ad rates, please call us.
POSITIONS AVAILABLE
MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT-Seeking faculty to teach/facilitate in the areas of business and organizational behavior. Master's degree and professional experience required. Applications will be evaluated beginning Jan. 15, 1997, and appointment will be made as soon thereafter as a suitable candidate is secured. Fresno
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•
Pacific University is a dynamic Christian liberal arts college of the Mennonite Brethren Church. All candidates for faculty positions must share the college's Christian commitment. For complete description and faculty application form, write or phone Dr. Howard Loewen, Academic Vice President, Fresno Pacific University, 1717 S. Chestnut, Fresno, CA 93702. Phone 209-453-2032. Fax 209-453-5502. Position begins when a suitable candidate has been secured. Women and members of minority groups are encouraged to apply.
FOR SALE
STAINED GLASS-Beautiful stained glass/etched church windows; one 6' x 9'; seven 30" x 72"; circa 1913; excellent condition; have photos; located central North Dakota; 34" cast iron bell. Call evenings: 520-753-8925 (AZ).
PECANS-Pecans for holiday goodies. Large or
small pieces; halves $4.25 per pound. Plus postage of $1 .50 per pound for orders less than 5 pounds. For orders of 5 pounds or more add $1.00 per pound. Call or write L.A. Flaming, 1008 S. 1128, Midland, TX 79706; phone 915-686-7959.
RESOURCES
DEVOTIONAL RESOURCE-Looking for a dynamic daily devotional resource written from an evangelical Anabaptist perspective? Try Rejoice!, the inter-Mennonite devotional booklet. Rejoice! mines the riches of God's wisdom throughout the Old and New testaments. Each day features a 300-word devotional message, complete with Bible reading, key verse and meditational prayer. Writers for Rejoice! are from the Mennonite Brethren Church, General Conference Mennonite Church and Mennonite Church. For more information or to order Rejoice!, contact your local church office, or call toll-free Kindred Productions, 1800-545-7322.
PRESIDENT
The Board of Trustees of Fresno Pacific University invites nominations and applications for the position of president of Fresno Pacific University.
Fresno Pacific University is an evangelical liberal arts university with 1,600 students, sponsored by the Mennonite Brethren Church. All employees of the university must be able to support the theological orientation of the university and express a personal Christian commitment. Founded in 1944, the university communicates a distinctively biblical, Christ-centered vision of community and social order, through liberal-arts based undergraduate, graduate and professional higher education. The university offers the associate of arts, bachelor of arts, and master of arts degrees. The university is accredited as a senior university by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.
Responsibilities:
• Lead the institution to its future as a Christian university with a strong commitment to the liberal arts, providing transcendent leadership to encourage a shared vision among faculty, staff, students, alumni, Fresno community, church and board.
• Articulate the vision and needs of the university, and solicit funding in the "Pacific Leadership Campaign," a building and endowment campaign currently in progress, and in other future fund-raising and development campaigns.
• Represent, guide and promote the university to and among the Mennonite Brethren churches and conferences, other churches and parachurch agencies, locally, nationally and internationally, and among the regional educational community, larger Fresno community and Central California.
• Through delegation to the administration of the university, develop and execute plans and policies for effective operations, academic and student-life programs, internal and external communication, careful fiscal management, and internal development of the institution in an atmosphere characterized by persuasive leadership and consensual decision-making.
Qualifications:
• significant knowledge and commitment to excellence in Christian higher education.
• Commitment to Jesus Christ and his church. Membership in a Mennonite Brethren congregation preferred.
• Commitment to the ideals of the university as stated in "The Fresno Pacific University Idea," and agreement with the "Theological Orientation of the University."
• Ability to lead in articulating the shared vision and mission of the university, and to persuasively and consensually guide the shaping of the Christian character and the academic programs of the university.
• Ability to work with a strong Board of Trustees through recruitment, training and guidance in policy development and donor cultivation.
• Successful experience in promotion and fund-raising in the broader public.
• Successful experience and ability in market analysis, planning, delegation, policy-making and administrative oversight.
• Terminal degree in academic discipline preferred.
Nominations and applications should be sent to Dr. Ted Nickel, Administrative Officer, Presidential SearchCommittee, 7801 N. Marks, Box 206, Fresno, CA 93711, phone or fax (209) 453-0330. The committee will begin the selection process on Jan. 15, 1997, and will continue until a suitable person is found.
Interested candidates should submit a letter outlining their interest and qualifications for the position and a curriculum vitae. References will be requested at a later date.
Fresno Pacific University provides equal opportunity for employment with regard for race, color, national origin, sex, age or handicap.
DIRECTOR OF ANNUAL GIVING
The director of annual giving reports to the advancement vice president and is responsible for designing and implementing the annual fund components of the university's development program. The university's annual fund includes the phonathon, direct mail, and personal solicitation programs. Additional responsibilities include coordinating the fund-raising strategy and carrying out events and activities for the university's most prominent support group, the President's Circle.
Successful candidates will hold a bachelor's degree and possess excellent verbal and written communication skills. The individual should understand and be committed to Christian education. The candidate should have strong interpersonal skills and ability to listen to, relate to and motivate donors. The individual should be able to work independently and as part of a team with the ability to manage several projects, as well as people, simultaneously. Experience in marketing sales or fund raising is required. Some travel, evening and weekend work will be necessary. Contact Sue Kliewer, HR Director, 1717 S. Chestnut, Fresno, CA 93702; 209-453-2245; e-mail: skliewer@fresno.edu.
DIRECTOR OF MAJOR GIFTS
The director of major gifts reports to the advancement vice president. The director is responsible for designing and implementing the major-gift components of the university's development program and the Pacific Leadership Campaign. The candidate will identify, cultivate and solicit major-gift prospects and facilitate relationships between prospects and current donors with the university's administrators, faculty and others. Responsibilities will include raising current, capital and endowed major gifts; developing written materials as marketing pieces for major gifts within campaigns; providing key leadership and oversight for volunteers working with major donors; and nurture prospects' interest in and understanding of the university's mission, match those interests with university programs, and seek major gift commitments.
Successful candidate will hold a bachelor's degree and possess excellent verbal and written communication skills. The individual should understand and be committed to Christian education. The candidate should have strong interpersonal skills and ability to listen to, relate to and motivate donors. The individual should be able to work independently and as part of a team. The individual should haveextensive knowledge and a minimum of three years' successful experience in the solicitation of major gifts. The candidate should have the ability to develop strategy, formulate and close individual gifts. Some travel, evening and weekend work will be necessary. Contact Sue Kliewer, HR Director, 1717 S. Chestnut, Fresno, CA 93702; 209453-2245; e-mail: skliewer@fresno.edu.
SHARING
Turnabout is ... humbling
When wealthy parishioners of St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Medina, Wash., sent money to help a Bedouin tribe in Israel's Negev Desert, they enclosed a copy of the parish newsletter, The Collect.
To their surprise, they received in return a check for $42 from the Negev Educational Association of Laqiya, one of Israel's poorest villages. The gift was in response to a newsletter article about a fund-raising drive to help pay for a new church roof.
The people of Laqiya are sheepherders who live without modern amenities,
while the residents of Medina include such wealthy people as Microsoft founder Bill Gates.
Fletcher Davis, rector of the church, said, "We are all children of God, and those of us on this side of the ocean are truly humbled and heartened by such a donation." (EP)
STEWARDSHIP
Don't bet on tithing
Americans spend more on lotteries than they give to their churches, according to a report by the Associated Baptist Press.
U.S. Census Bureau figures show that $26.6 billion was spent by Americans on lotteries in 1994. The Year-
book of American and Canadian Churches reports that in the same period, total contributions by American congregations were $19.6 billion. (EP)
VALUES
But will they value life?
The Marines are looking for a few good values.
In response to a perceived decline in the moral values of society at large, the Marine Corps is making plans to expand valuesbased training in boot camp. A Marine spokesman said that time pressures on modern families have led to parents spending less time with children, and as a result recruits entering the
Lorlie Barkman
Arnold tries to draw the line between Christian and non-Christian culture.
armed forces often lack "those basic values that we taught in school and church."
Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Charles Krolak has made morality a major emphasis, and has written that developing values in recruits could "literally transform the youth of America." (EP)
COSMOS
Billy's universal gospel
Though evangelist Billy Graham has no doubt life exists on other planets, he doesn't expect to carry the gospel message there. "I don't think I can make it there," he explained. "I'd love to, but I don't think NASA has called me to be an astronaut. And if I got there, I don't think I could speak their language, whoever they are."
Asked about the recent discovery that suggests life once existed on Mars, Graham said, "I can't imagine that we're the only one that has life. That would be a terribly egotistical thing
VOICES
• "I taught people that God wanted above all for you to be rich a nd have money. That's a lie. That's not the truth. This is why I came back from the grave. God brought me back to teach some of these things." -Televangelist Jim Bakker, who served five yea rs in prison for fra ud before being paroled in 1994, to attendees at the Azusa '96 conference in Tulsa, Okla, earlier this year.
MB Circles ... by
for us to say as a planet. Because I think there is life on other planets. And I believe that God is the God over all of it. That is why he is so awesome and so tremendous." (EP)
POLITICS
The wages of influence
The Christian Coalition was one of the top spenders on lobbying in the first half of 1996, according to government reports.
The organization spent $5.9 million on lobbying during that period. That's more than General Electric
($5.3 million), AT&T ($4.3 million), and the National Association of Retired Persons ($3 million).
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce ($6.9 million), the American Medical Association ($8.5 million) and Philip Morris ($11.3 million) outspent the Christian Coalition during this same period. (EP)
PUBLISHING Believers in books
More than 88 percent of people who shop at bookstores are Christians, according to a new survey by Zon-
dervan Publishing and Publishers Weekly magazine.
The study found that 49 percent are Protestant and 33 percent are Catholic, 74 percent are members of a church, 54 percent attended church in the past week, and 92 percent attend at least monthly. Almost half of general bookstore shoppers have purchased Christian reading material in the last year. (EP)
FAMILY
Dropping the ball?
Many American parents are finding it hard to juggle
home and work, according to a new poll by the National Parenting Association.
More than one third of parents say they don't have any time during the week for their children's extracurricular activities, while only about a fifth give 15 hours or more to such activities. The poll also found that over half of parents favor the use of tax dollars to aid parents who send their children to parochial schools, and believe child-custody decisions should punish parents who have committed adultery. (EP)
In your writings, you refer to your "Mennonites" would bear your name and propagate · understanding of Christianity as your doctrine. How do you see your place in history?
l\ t 1 "true evangelical faith." The term "evangelical" in our day has come to mean be-
From my inmost heart I am convinced that this doctrine is lievers who focus primary attention on an not our doctrine, but the doctrine of him who sent us, inward, personal faith in Jesus. For many modern evan- that is, Christ Jesus. All those who are desirous to do his will, gelicals, the primary outward manifestation of faith is will acknowledge that this doctrine is of God and that we do saving souls and growing churches. You taught that not declare our own invention, dreams or visions. "true evangelical faith" should not be so narrowly defined, didn't you?
Surely you feel some measure of personal satisfaction about what you were able to accomplish dur-
As (Jesus) himself says, he that hath my commandments, ing your ministry, don't you? After all, not everyone has and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me. In this way a denomination named after him. true faith or true knowledge begets love, and love begets obedience to the commandments of God.
If I should by my teaching gain disciples for myself and
For true evangelical faith is of such a nature that it cannot not for Christ Jesus, seeking my own gain, praise and lie dormant, but manifests itself in all righteousness and works honor, then indeed woe unto my soul. I am a poor, miserable of love; it dies unto the fleshand blood; it destroys all forbidden sinner who must daily fight with this flesh, the world, and the lusts and desires; it seeks and serves and fears God; it clothes devil, and daily seek the mercy of the Lord, and who with the naked; it feeds the hungry; it comforts the sorrowful; it Saint Paul boasts of nothing but Christ Jesus alone and that he shelters the destitute; it aids and consoles the sad; it returns was crucified for us. good for evil; it serves those who harm it; it prays for those that My reward according to the flesh must not be otherwise persecute it; (it) teaches, admonishes and reproves with the than that of him who from the beginning has sought the salvaWord of the Lord; it seeks that which is lost; it binds up that tion of the world. I say with the holy John the Baptist, Christ which is wounded; it heals that which is diseased and it saves Jesus must increase but I must decrease. He lives forever and that which is sound; it has become all things to all men. ever, but I shall return to the dust from whence I came, as will all the children of men.
I doubt you ever envisioned that the fledgling There is but one cornerstone laid of God the Almighty movement of Anabaptists you led almost 500 years Father in the foundation of Zion, which is Christ Jesus. Upon ago would develop by the year 2000 into a worldwide him alone we should build according to his Word, and upon church of almost a half million people-and that these none other.
SOURCE: The Complete Writings of Menno Simons
Mennonites are named after him, but what do we really know about Menno Simons, the 16th century reformer? To mark the SOOth anniversary year of his birth, we decided to interview him. Posthumously. These are his actual words. Really. We've carried excerpts of our interview in each issue during 1996. This is our last installment.
THE FOLLOWING is an alphabetical index of the major articles and events recorded in the Christian Leader in 1996. The notations following each entry indicate the volume number, issue number and page number. For example, the volume number for 1996 is 59, the next numbers in the first entry below indicate the eighth issue of the year and that the article begins on page 20 of that issue. Following the article index is an index of authors who have written feature articles during the past 12 months.
BODYLIFE
A church-planting drought in the SDC, 59:8:20
AIDS crisis generates prayer for Botswana, 59:10:26
AIMM, MBM/S reach into Senegal, 59:2:26
Answering your questions about India 1997, 59:2:24
Bible translation process is tedious but satisfying, prof says, 59: 12:23
Brazilian youth organize for outreach, training, 59:5:22
Central District convention focuses on prayer, celebrates growing new churches, 59:12:18
Angels and God's intervention, by Connie Faber, 59:12:36
Beyond the hoopla, by Don Ratzlaff, 59:9:36 By any other name by Don Ratzlaff, 59:11:36
Challenged and tested, by Don Ratzlaff, 59:6:36
Guilt, grace and growth, by Don Ratzlaff, 59:4:32
Listening to the Spirit, by Don Ratzlaff, 59:7:32
Racism: The shoe fits, by Don Ratzlaff, 59:1:44
Shack-up Christians?, by Don Ratzlaff, 59:10:36
The faith game, by Don Ratzlaff, 59:8:36
Would Jesus be an All-Star?, by Don Ratzlaff,59:2:36
Who is my village?, by Connie Faber, 59:5:32
FEATURES
A question of faithfulness, by Theron F. Schlabach with responses, 59:4:4
Adventures in hospitality, by Connie Faber, 59:9:8
At play in the Word of the Lord, by Wally Kroeker, 59:8:8
Categorical denial, by Jody Miller Shearer, 59:1:4
Confessions of the noble fishaholic, by Wilfred Martens, 59:8: 11
Crossing the line, by Katie Funk Wiebe, 59:2:11
Cursed by a heresy, by Nzash Lumeya, 59:1:16
Demonization: A biblical view, by Tim Geddert, 59:2:4
Discipleship is for kids, too, by Kim Suderman, 59:5:9
Faith in the puddle (Joel Kauffmann), 59:8:14
Family by design, by Derrick Mueller, 59:5:4
Forgive us our debt, by Ray Bowman, 59:10:7
Giving our promises integrity, by Katie Funk Wiebe, 59:10:4
Help for the humor impaired, by Philip Wiebe, 59:8:4
Hinder them not, by Laurel B. Schunk, 59:9:12
Holy hoaxes, by E.P. News Service, 59:7:11 Hosts for Christ, 59:9:4 "I believe it's what God wants to do" (interview with Ed Boschman), 59:4: 10 In God's employment, by Ray Bystrom, 59:3:8
Join the party, by Karen Franklin, 59:9:7
Journey of curiosity, by Janet E. Boldt, 59:1:12
Living with open eyes, by Robert E. Logan and Larry Short, 59:6:4 'Mennonite' phobia, by Calvin W. Redekop, 59:11:8
Ordinary people, extraordinary lives, by Chuck Goertz, 59: 11: 15
Primed to lead: A vision moves forward (U.S. convention preview), by Don Ratzlaff, 59:6:7
Raising kids to be reconcilers, by Spencer Perkins, 59:1 :18
Repetition in worship singing: bane or blessing, by Steven R. Toews, 59:7:7 Small churches can be beautiful, too, by Ron Klassen and John Koessler, 59:7:4
Such a backward time, by Don Ratzlaff, 59:12:8
The family that eats together , by Richard J. Schroeder, 59:10:11
The myth of secular work, by Eddy Hall and Gary Morsch, 59:3:4
The star they saw, by Roger C. Wiens, 59:12:4
What's ethnic? What's biblical, by John H. Redekop, 59: 11: 10
What's in a name? by John Longhurst, 59:11:4
Who? Us, racist? by Katie Funk Wiebe, 59:1:9
FORUM
Time for career counseling in the church? by Julia Penner Zook, 59:3: 12
INQUIRING MINDS by Marvin Hein (topics)
Appropriate political involvement, 59: 10: 15
Are Anabaptists inferior citizens? 59: 10: 15
Attending movies, 59:2:20
Bride-centered weddings, 59:9:16
Capital punishment, 59:5:14
Church choirs singing secular songs, 59:12:13
Cremation, 59:3:18
Disunity in dual services, 59:8: 18
Existence after death, 59:11 :19
Flags in the church, 59:4: 17
Jesus's messianic "secret," 59:7:17
Jesus's order to carry a sword, 59:1 :24
Local vs. global ministry, 59:7:17
Political issues beyond abortion, 59:12:13
Prayer and healing, 59:3:18
Premessianic grace, 59:6:22
Proclaimers with mixed motives, 59:9:16
Should we debate? 59:6:22
The Apostles Creed's "holy catholic church," 59:11:19
The shrinking sermon, 59:8:18
The state between death and afterlife, 59:1:24
Violent speech, 59:4:17
PEOPLE
Dorothy and Maynard Seaman, by Gary Hardaway and Connie Faber, 59:5:16
PILGRIMAGE
By divine appointment, by Randy Friesen with YMI testimonies, 59:10:17
MEDIA MATTERS by Burton Buller
Are we media vaccinated? 59:10:34
Conversation starters, 59: 11 :34
Mutant television viruses, 59:9:34
Those TV remote blues, 59: 12:34
MUSINGS by Jim Holm
The great gospel mystery, 59:1 :21
ON THE JOURNEY by Rose Buschman
An unforgettable gift, 59:12:14
Convictions to die for, 59: 11 :20
Decisions of consequence, 59:7:18
Feeling the presence, 59: 10: 16
From Ramadan to Lent, 59:3: 16
Help the children celebrate, 59:4:16
Learning French wasn't easy, 59:2:18
Plant a mustard seed, 59:9:17
Prepare now for retirement? 59:5:15
Surprised by love, 59:1 :22
Thanks, Aunt Margaret, 59:6:23 'Why do you teach?' 59:8:19
PH'L1P SIDE by Philip Wiebe
A flood of ideas, 59:3: 15
A gizmo Christmas, 59:12:12
A moderate proposal, 59:9:15
Antidote for an anti-world, 59:4:14
Back to the silence, 59:5:13
Days of future past, 59:10:14
Ducking surefire romance, 59:2:14
Having a nice trip, 59:8: 17
Matters of time, 59:1 :20
Reading is in, 59:6:21
Smile-if you want to, 59:11 :18
Undoing non-Christian, 59:7: 16
INDEX OF AUTHORS
Boldt, Janet
Journey of curiosity, 59:1 :12
Bowman, Ray
Forgive us our debt, 59:10:7
Bystrom, Ray
In God's employment, 59:3:8
Faber, Connie
A church planting drought in the SOC, 59:8:20
Adventures in hospitality, 59:9:8
Camps, retreats meet needs of youth, 59:6:24
Changing times challenge MBBS, 59:7:19
People: Dorothy and Maynard Seaman, 59:5:16
Franklin,Karen
Join the party!, 59:9:7
Geddert, Tim
Demonization: A biblical view, 59:2:4
Goertz, Chuck
Ordinary people, extraordinary lives, 59:11:15
Hall, Eddy
Forgive us our debt, 59: 10:7
The myth of secular work, 59:3:4
Hardaway, Gary
Money trapped?, 59:2:7
People: Dorothy and Maynard Seaman, 59:5:16
Klassen, Ron
Small churches can be beautiful, too, 59:7:4
Koessler, John
Small churches can be beautiful, too, 59:7:4
Kroeker, Wally
At play in the Word of the Lord, 59:8:8
Kroeker, Werner
India's 'whole story' has a positive side, 59:4:18
Logan, Robert E.
Living with open eyes, 59:6:4
Longhurst, John
What's in a name?, 59:11:4
Lumeya, Nzash
Cursed by a heresy, 59:1 :16 Marten, Wilfred
Confessions of the noble fishaholic, 59:8:11
Morsch, Gary
The myth of secular work, 59:3:4
Mueller, Derrick
Family by design, 59:5:4
Perkins, Spencer
Raising kids to be reconcilers, 59:1 :18
Ratzlaff, Don
Primed to lead: A vision moves forward (U.S. convention), 59:6:7
Such a backward time, 59:12:8
Redekop, Calvin W. "Mennonite" phobia, 59: 11 :8
Redekop, John H.
What's ethnic? What's biblical?, 59: 11: 10
Schlabach, Theron F.
A question of faithfulness, 59:4:4
Schroeder, Richard
The family that eats together , 59: 10: 11
Schunk, LaurelB.
Hinder them not, 59:9:12
Shearer, Jody Miller
Categorical denial, 59:1:4
Short, Larry
Living with open eyes, 59:6:4
Suderman, Kim
Discipleship is for kids, too, 59:5:9
Toews, Steven R.
Repetition in worship singing: bane or blessing? 59:7:7
Wiebe, Katie Funk
Crossing the line, 59:2:11
Giving our promises integrity, 59: 10:4
Who? Us, racist? 59: 1:9
Wiebe, Philip
Help for the humor impaired, 59:8:4
Wiens, Roger C.
This fourth and final volume of the Mennonite Experience in America series by Paul Toews provides a rich interpretive story of how Mennonites have preserved their identity through the 20th century.
An in-depth look at how Mennonites and Amish were able to become a more visible and respected people than ever before during their more than 300 years in America. Paper, 448 pages.
The Mennonite Experience in America Series traces the development and the interaction of the Mennonite Church with the surrounding culture.
Land, Piety, Peoplehood, Volume 1, by Richard K. MacMaster. Peace, Faith, Nation, Volume 2, by Theron F. Schlabach. Vision, Doctrine, War, Volume 3, by James C. Juhnke. Each, $19.95; in Canada $28.50. Set, $79.80; in Canada $113.95.
To order call:
MEDIA MATTERS
BY BURTON BULLER
Those TV remote blues
unconscious attempt to maintain controltn the famtly.
IF YOU WERE TO COLOR CODE THE technological items in your house that men use as blue, and those that women use as pink, what color would the washing machine be? Your household computer? What about the remote on your television set?
This exercise provides a graphic representation of who uses specific technologies in the contemporary family.
Washing machines often appear pink, while the motor that runs the machine is blue. In most households, the computer appears blue. However, depending on the occupation of the female, it can appear purple, a blend of pink and blue.
I recently asked participants in a seminar on media values to think about who controlled the television remote in their house. The question sparked a lively discussion. Every woman expressed frustration and even consternation at the number of times the men in their lives changed channels with that infernal remote! (Research seems to show about 250 changes an hour is average for male channel-surfers. )
Just as the keeper of the keys of the family car determines who drives where, and when, possession of the remote defines what television programs the family watches, and when.
In North American families that assemble to watch television between four and seven hours a day, the keeper of the remote exercises considerable influence.
If you color coded the remote
blue, you fit with the vast majority of North American families. Often, masculine power seems to be naturally identified with certain technologies. Feminine traits commonly attach themselves to other technologies.
In our home, we have shared living space with a computer for many years. Mary, the only female in our family, recently began using it. Our family fits the norm. The computer is used by my sons, first for games, then for information services.
For me, computer technology represents work. As a manager of a non-profit agency, I depend on the computer for word processing, record keeping and financial services.
In contrast, when Mary manages to get time on the keyboard, she often is communicating with me while I am traveling. In this, she mirrors the North American woman's preference. In one study, men and women were asked what piece of technology they would prefer when stranded alone on an island. Women indicated telephones.
For men, stereos and VCRs received the highest ratings. Women seem to prefer technology that enhances oral communication. Men select technologies that feed fantasies, or allow control of events.
Harold Innis, a Canadian communications philosopher, noted that technological development usually happens on the edges of society. Those in power have the choice of
either grasping the technology with the goal of using it to maintain their power, or being overtaken by the new technology.
Maybe the penchant for men to control the remote is an unconscious attempt to maintain control in the family. The male's ability to control the remote also seems tied to his ability to provide economically for the family. For instance, in families where the woman becomes the breadwinner, and the man is unemployed, the woman is more likely to take ownership of the remote.
Taking stock of how we relate to technology in our own families may be a kind of yardstick whereby we can measure our relationships.
Men, if we are willing to share the remote, chances are good that we are willing to share other forms of power and responsibility with the members of our families.
If we are generating discussions about the remote, we may need to do a reality check of other family relationships.
Next time you visit your friends, check who is controlling the remote. It may tell you much about the family's internal workings. It may even be a jumping-off point for a lively discussion!
LET'S TALK ABOUT IT
A GUIDE FOR GROUP INTERACTION
SESSION 1: Science and the Bible
Based on First Words, page 1, and "The Star They Saw," page 4
GET READY - Getting started
• Individually or as a group, name as many songs as you can that include the word "star."
GET SET - Examining the issues
1. Do you agree or disagree with the editor's statement, "We don't need the affirmation of the scientific community on every biblical detail in order to trust the Word of God as our infallible guide to righteous living"? Why or why not?
2. Review Wiens's theories regarding the "star in the east."
3. What other biblical examples of God's use of nature can you identify that brought about extraordinary results?
GO - Applying ideas to the way we live
1. How does each of the theories presented by Wiens expand your view of God?
2. How important is it for you to understand the miracles of God? In what ways can that desire be beneficial and when does it become a detriment to faith?
3. In what ways does a focus on God's power through nature encourage your own dependence and joy in trusting God with your life and experience?
SESSION 2: The impact of Christmas
Based on "Such a backward time, " page 8, and "Angels and God's intervention," page 36.
GET READY - Getting started
• What do you like least about Christmas? What do you like most?
GET SET - Examining the issues
1. How would you summarize the point of these two articles in one sentence?
2. What are five key ingredients to a Christ-like observance of Jesus's birth?
3. In what ways was the issue of God's control vs. human control confronted in Jesus's incarnation?
4. How important is it for us to know or understand why Jesus came when he did?
GO - Applying ideas to the way we live
1. How do you think Jesus could make the greatest impact if he came as Messiah to your town or community? Is that the way you and your church are "coming to peoI "7 P e.
2. In what areas of your life do you most need vertical and horizontal peace?
3. How can we help each other be content?
4. How can we grow in our "yearning for the intervention of the Holy in our lives"?
5. Share ways in which the Savior comes to you.
SESSION 3: Materialistic Christmas
Based on Ph'lip Side, page 12
GET READY - Getting started
• What is the most unique gizmo you have ever received?
GET SET - Examining the issues
1. Add to Wiebe's list of gizmos by identifying other things our society has decided are "essential" to our wellbeing.
2. Identify Scripture principles or passages that relate to each of the four gifts Wiebe says he would like to receive. Are they things God wants us to have?
3. Which of those four gifts would you want most? What would you do with more time and memory? What would you measure with the measuring tool? What or who is presently included in your set of priorities?
GO - Applying ideas to the way we live
1. Is it possible to give these gifts to each other? If so, how?
2. What specific actions can we take personally to enable us to receive these gifts?
SESSION 4: Technology and power
Based on Media Matters, page 34.
GET READY - Getting started
• For what "remoteless" appliance or function in your home would you like to have a remote?
GET SET - Examining the issues
1. How would you answer the questions in the first paragraph of Buller's column?
2. Does John 13: 1-17 relate to the issue of a "blue remote"? If so, how?
3. To what extent do you think the use of the remote is a gender issue? How do we accommodate differing gender traits?
GO - Applying ideas to the way we live
1. What implications for the church exist in Innis's assertion that "technological development usually happens on the edges of society. Those in power have the choice of either grasping the technology with the goal of using it to maintain their power, or being overtaken by the new technology"? How do we affirm or challenge them?
2. What does the use of technology in our home say about your relationships? If you were to make changes, what would they be?
Commission. Questions by Nadine Friesen.
Angels and God's intervention'
ANGELS REMIND ME that Christmas is about the things we can't control and the peace that comes from letting God take charge.
When our first child was 3 years old, David and I decided to decorate our home for the Christmas holidays using things that would best reflect our Christian understanding of Christmas. I chose angels as the centerpiece of our holiday decor; angels were the messengers of Christmas. Santa was out and angels were in.
But my efforts to decorate biblically sometimes fall short. My angels are inanimate trinkets with sweet and lovely faces. They don't look much like God's unearthly messengers. In our culture, the radical, supernatural character of what happened in Bethlehem is often overshadowed by materialism and busyness.
People spend time, money and energy trying to control nature. A recent documentary about the "unsinkable" Titanic noted that the ship's builders were certain that they had defeated the power of the sea with this ship. When the ship struck an iceberg on its maiden voyage and sunk with a loss of more than 1,500 lives, the builders realized their attempts had failed.
the Christmas holiday. Stories of miraculous reunions and reconciliations abound and are excellent reminders of God at work amid the horrors of violence. Last month our family packed a Mennonite Central Committee food box for Yugoslavian refugees. I was surprised at how important it was to our 7year-old that she participate in the selection of food for" our refugees." Considering all the pain suffered by the millions of people affected by current wars, our little box of groceries doesn't seem like much. But horizontal peace between individuals, communities and nations comes in small doses and in teaching our children to participate in peacemaking.
Peace, for me, is the absence of fear. But contact with God's supernatural abilities causes me distressnot peace.
Jesus's virgin birth graphically shows us that the forces of nature are under the control of God-not humanity. God intervened in the physical life of a young girl and made her themother of God incarnate. God's role in our Christmas pageants is often limited to that of a benevolent grandfather orchestrating the announcement of his son's earthly birth. Rather, God is the most powerful force in the universe. Nature bends to his will.
My December days are filled with to-do lists, shopping lists and a schedule of special events. It's not bad to be organized. It keeps me from getting too stressed out. But to view these lists as a way of controlling my life is a mistake. God is in control. I want to be touched by him this Christmas and that requires wisdom on my part-to know when to put the lists away and to obediently let God take over.
Letting God control my life can open the door to a deep feeling of peace. The Hebrew word for peace is shalom. Shalom implies a life lived as God intended-in harmony with God, people and myself. I don't have much trouble recognizing the power of God in my relationship with others and in my own personal growth.
Bringing peace to our world is a common emphasis during
I can see God's hand in developing my own inner peace. This year, personal shalom comes in being content with what I have. I don't shop in malls very often-Christmas is the exception. It's difficult for me to be content with my possessions after spending a day surrounded by stuff I don't really need. Baking cookies with my daughters, hosting my parents for a meal, or an evening with our small group from church help keep me focused on the spiritual dimensions of Christmas. Such activities bring contentment because they remind me that people are God's greatest gift to me. Life under the dominion of God the Almighty is not quite so comfortable for me. It's not that I don't want him in control of my life. It's that Christmas reminds me that God is awesome. In the Bible, the appearance of angels terrified people because angels reflect God's glory.
That's why the angel host attempts to calm the Bethlehem shepherds immediately by saying "Fear not." Peace, for me, is the absence of fear. But contact with God's supernatural abilities causes me distress-not peace.
The spirit world is not part of my daily life like it is for some Christians. My sister and her family live inWest Africa. In a letter this fall she describes her conversation with two Christian women. The women were discussing their encounters with the presence of Satan and the powerful impact the name "J esus" had on evil.
"These two simple women have never studied spiritual warfare They just know that Satan is real, but Jesus is more powerful," my sister wrote. "To say the least, something like this would have been a fairly emotional experience for me and somewhat traumatic. To them it was a natural part of life that shows God's power."
Shalom at Christmas means to be at peace with God's powerful intervention in the world and in my own life. Come, Creator God, and reign within me.-CF
