WE USUALLY APPROACH CHRISTMAS with a spirit of celebration-after all, it is the time of the year we set aside to acknowledge the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Yet in all of our "celebrating"-the events and activities we set up to recognize Christ's birth-we too often miss the wisdom and blessings of deeper reflections that can come with the season.
In our first article, Gaylord Goertzen challenges us to stop and take the time to contemplate the wonder of Christ's birth. His birth was the beginning of a life which never ceased to leave those around him in awe. Goertzen suggests there is one way to recover that-look through the eyes of our children.
In another article, Ted Grimsrud reminds us that the cries of celebration surrounding Jesus' birth were accompanied by great cries of anguish from mothers of murdered sons. Why did Herod respond to Jesus' birth with such brutality? Grimsrud explores how Jesus brings hope that overcomes Herod's violence.
It has been a season of celebration and challenge in the Mennonite Brethren community. Mission USA, the U.S. MB church planting and renewal ministry, announced its plan to plant 20 new churches in 5 years. Over the last few months, four different districts met together to celebrate their achievements and discuss how to meet the challenges of the future. Take time to read through BodyLife and find out what your brothers and sisters are doing here in the United States as well as abroad.
I hope for you the blessings of Jesus Christ. Merry Christmas. -CA
COMING
FEBRUARY 20,2000 - Peace Sunday for U.S. Mennonite Brethren churches
MARCH 3-4 - U.S. Conference joint board meetings, Central California.
-JULY 27-29 - Biennial U.S. Conference convention, Denver, Colo.
4 Through the eyes of a child
In the midst of Christmas planning and celebrations, we need to take the time to contemplate the wonder of the birth of Christ. BY
GAYLORD GOERTZEN
7 Jesus, the perfect one
He put on humanity that we might put on divinity. He became the Son of Man that we might become sons of God.
8 Jesus and Herod: two kinds of kings
Alongside the story of Jesus' birth came the wailing of mothers for their murdered children. Jesus' birth signals a new hope that Herod's violence can be overcome. BY TED GRIMSRUD
DEPARTMENTS
What readers say Forum
Ph'lip Side .
• Reason for the season?
Inquiring Minds by Marvin Hein 15
• God's sovereignty and Brethren in Christ
• Try giving yourself away
• MUSA develops new church plant plan 18
• Joint gathering challenges delegates to personal, corporate renewal 19
• SOC concentrates on renewal and planting 20
• CDC celebrates church planting efforts 22
• Uniting vision dominates West Coast district convention 23
• Holm leads delegates to vision of God 24
• Planters challenge home mission banquet goers 25
• North Carolina churches meet together in Lenoir 26
• Hispanic MBs gather for fellowship, inspiration 27
• It's official-MBBS joins ACTS 28
• MCC donates food, funds to help storm victims in India 30
• MCC rebuilds healthy communities in Central America 31
• He
CREDITS: Page 9, The Massacre of the Innocents by Gustave Dare; Page 10, Flight into Egypt by Gustave Dare.
BOARD OF COMMUNICATIONS: Kathy
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Heinrichs Wiest, chair; Peggy Goertzen, Phil Neufeld, Dalton Reimer, Herb Schroeder.
Our world is a busy one. We take little time to pause, contemplate and wonder. Children see things differently. Through their eyes, the world is full of wonder.
by gaylord CHRISTMAS goertzen
HE PASTOR ARRIVED EARLY on Christmas morning to give the church a thorough inspection. The aisles had been swept and the pews dusted after the Christmas Eve service. Any lost purses, Bibles and gloves had been collected and sent to the office where the lost and found box was kept. Every forgotten Christmas program or bulletin insert had been rounded up and discarded.
The church bells chimed 8:00 a.m.-in two hours the Christmas service would begin. The pastor paused beside the life-sized nativity scene to say a Christmas prayer of thanksgiving for Jesus, the one whose birthday they celebrated. The figures, each lovingly crafted with wonderful realism, sat on the stage. A night sky and the star could be seen through the open door of the stable. The shepherds were just entering, their eyes wide in awe and wonder. Various animals stood in stalls or lay at the edges of the scene. In the center stood Mary and Joseph looking intently into the manger holding the Christ child.
A puzzled frown crept across the pastor's brow. Then he gasped-the manger was empty! The small figure representing Jesus the Savior was gone. It was there last night at the end of the service, but where was it now?
Hurriedly and with growing agitation the pastor began to search for the Christ child. He searched the floor behind the nativity scene, then the pulpit and the stage. He searched every pew and chair, then crouched down on his hands and knees to search under every pew. But there was nothing. He searched the Sunday school rooms, the church office and even the rest rooms, but the figure was nowhere at all. It was gone.
He called the custodian thinking she might have seen the figure of baby Jesus. He called the assistant pastor, then the deacons and the elders. All were as shocked as he. No one had any explanation.
The pastor slowly shook his head as he accepted the truth. Someone had entered the unlocked
church on Christmas morning and stolen the very symbol of Christmas.
The church bells chimed 9:00 a.m. Discouraged and heavyhearted, the pastor put on his overcoat, wrapped his scarf around his neck and put on his gloves. He had to get out and walk. What would he tell the people when they came? How could he explain that someone had stolen the very symbol of their celebration?
As he walked through the wintry streets of the neighborhood, he thought and prayed. Up the street ahead of him the pastor saw one of the younger members of the church family-a six-year-old boy named Tommy. Bundled shabbily against the cold, Tommy was trudging up the sidewalk, proudly pulling a little red wagon. It was shiny and brightobviously Christmas new.
The pastor knew that Tommy's family was continually struggling to make ends meet. Purchasing the red wagon for Tommy was a great sacrifice. The pastor hurried to catch up with Tommy to wish him a Merry Christmas and admire his new wagon. But as he drew near he saw that the wagon was not empty-wrapped in a blanket and almost hidden from sight lay baby Jesus.
The pastor crouched down beside Tommy. His face was grim and disappointed. Tommy might be just a little boy, but he had to understand that stealing was wrong. As the pastor talked to the boy, little Tommy's eyes filled with tears-tears the pastor hoped were tears of remorse.
"But Pastor," little Tommy quavered when the pastor finished talking, "I didn't steal Jesus. It wasn't like that at all."
He paused to wipe away his tears. "It's just that I've been asking God for a red wagon for Christmas for a long time, and I promised him that if I got it I'd take him out for the very first ride."
Through the eyes of children
Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven."
Jesus Christ came as our Wonderful Counselor, but to understand him and accept him we have to humble ourselves and become like little childrenlike Tommy.
Why? Because children have the ability to wonder. Like Tommy, they see things in a different way than we do.
One Monday morning, the power had gone off during the night and we overslept. The honking of the school bus coming to get our six year-old daugh-
ter, Erica, woke us up instead of the alarm clock. I quickly put on my robe, stuck my head out the front door and waved the bus on. I'd take Erica to school.
My wife got Erica up as I took a quick shower. After a quick breakfast, Erica and I got in the car and started for school. The morning was crisp and clear. The sun was shining off the frost that covered the ground. I was so busy grumbling to myself about not waking up that I didn't see it.
But Erica did. With all the wonder of a child she said, "Oh Daddy, look. It's beautiful. It looks like God covered everything with glitter."
Erica wondered. I grumbled. Erica saw the beauty of God's creation, but I missed it.
Our world is such a busy one. We have little time to pause, contemplate and wonder. But while we focus on all the things we have to do and accomplish, children focus on all the things that God has done. They live in a world filled with wonder. They see God at work in their world. We don't. We miss the wonder.
When we stop and take the time to see God at work in our world, we will also wonder. At Christmas, we have the chance to see the greatest wonder of all-God sent his son into our world.
The greatest wonder of all comes when Jesus enters into our lives to walk with us. for he transforms us. When we choose to make Jesus our counselor and guide. he gives us lives of wonder.
The wonder of his birth-and life
Everything about Jesus fills us with awe.
His birth is wonderful. He came as ImmanuelGod with us. He came as God in human form, but he came as a baby. When the shepherds heard the good news they wondered and came to see the baby. When they shared the good news of the birth of Jesus, "All those who heard it marveled-they wondered-at those things which were told them by the shepherds" (Luke 2:18).
They all marveled. Why? Because his birth was a wonder.
But so was his life.
It was just another wedding until Jesus arrived, but he transformed it into a wonderful occasion. Ordinary servants poured ordinary water into ordinary pots and then the extraordinary happenedJesus transformed water into wine.
Peter and the other disciples had seen storms before. This storm was just an ordinary one. But then Jesus stood and said, "Peace! Be still!" Everything changed. The storm stopped, and the disciples were filled with wonder. In awe they asked, "Who is this that even the winds and the waves obey him?" (Luke 8:25).
Sabbath in the synagogue was an ordinary occasion until Jesus arrived. People were used to the teaching of the scribes, who quoted the authorities. But Jesus taught with authority. His teaching was not second-hand tradition. His message was first-hand truth-truth from God. And the people were amazed.
Jesus longed for people to open their eyes and see the world around them-the splendor of the lilies, the freedom of the sparrows, the miracle of children and the message of the wind. He took the ordinary and made it wonderful. A little seed became a sermon. Water became a picture of the Holy Spirit. A lost sheep became a lost soul. A fishing boat became a pulpit. A lunch became a lesson in multiplication.
He wrote in the dust and confounded the angry religious leaders. He went to a funeral and it became a party. He took ordinary bread and wine and gave them a depth of meaning that transformed them into symbols of God's grace. The greatest wonder of all came when he transformed a shameful cross into the symbol of salvation and a graveyard into a celebration of new life.
That's the wonder of his life: whatever Jesus touched was transformed and given new meaning. Everything about Jesus is wonderful-his birth, his life, his death, his resurrection and his Word.
Stop and wonder
Christmas is a busy time for all of us. There are programs to plan, gifts to buy and presents to wrap. There are trees to decorate, meals to prepare and celebrations to plan. But in the midst of all this, we need to stop and wonder at Jesus who is Immanuel, God with us.
But our awe won't stop there. The greatest wonder of all comes when Jesus enters into our lives to walk with us, for he transforms us. When we choose to make Jesus our counselor and guide, he gives us lives of wonder. Jesus said: "I have come that you might have life-abundant life-wonderful life."
In some ways, we are just like little red wagons. Red wagons have no power of their own. Red wagons need someone to lead and guide them. Red wagons are nothing unless someone pulls them and steers them. But many of us don't want to be little red wagons. We want to be big red racers. We want power and control. But Jesus calls us to become like children-like little red wagons that need to be guided and led.
Jesus-our Wonderful Counselor-came as "God with us" to lead us and guide us all through life. When life is ordinary, he makes it special. When life is filled with sorrow and pain, he makes it bearable. When life is filled with happiness and joy, he makes it a little bit of heaven.
When Jesus comes into our lives, we experience the wonder of his presence. Our eyes begin to see the way he sees and our ears hear what he hearsand we wonder.
And-wonder of wonders-our hearts begin to love as he loves, and the world wonders.
When we let Jesus be our counselor and guide, when we walk with him and obey him, our lives are transfonned. We begin to experience what God's word promises: "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has entered into the heart of man the things that God has prepared for those who love him" (2 Cor. 2:9)
Jesus wants to live in us and give us the wonder of his love and grace. But we have to ask him to be our Wonderful Counselor. We have to become as little children and admit we need him. We have to invite him into our lives to live in us-the greatest wonder of all .•
Gaylord Goertzen is pastor at Ebenfeld MB Church in Hillsboro, Kan. This article was adapted from a Christmas sermon.
Jesus, the perfect one
He came tram thebcl$Qm .f the Father to the boso:m of a woman.
He put O:A that we might put on divinity.
He ·becameSon of IVren that we might become sons of God..
He came 'from 'heaven, where the rivers never freeze, wmds never blow, trosts r"ever chillI j:lowers never fade. Til." QJ!v,r phane f9r a doctor, for no one is ever sick. -rllere .'re ;nQ undertake'r. and no g:raveyarclst for no one ever dies.
He was bo;rn &£onllrt<ary to the laws of nature, Ilvecl in poverty ap. yVas Itea'reclin obscurity., Me ;bad no wealth or influence and neither training nor education refatiVl!s wereinconspicuou:s and' unlntluentJal
1:&rnlan(J, he startled, Kinllin boytlooll Ile the -c!Lc:JQOFS, and in manhood be ruled :the '.>wlse of He ,flea:letl the multiitude. wilho:ttt medici:Re aDd mad:. n. tus
He 'fleV8:r ,wrote ·a bool.t ,el: a1;' tile Ifibrari91Qf wo:rld (Guld A:ot hold the I>ooks. tna't could be wriUe:r1 a:bout
He never founded a college, yet an the soh:oo:!s togetiler cannot boast otas many students a:s he has;o
He never practiced medicine, yet he bas healed mo:'. broken bodies and broken hearts than, the d:oct()r5.
He is the star of astronomy, the rock of geo:logy, the lion and the lamb of zoologYt the barmonizer of an d:iscQrd:s and the healer of aU diseases.
Great men have come and go'ne, yet he lives on.
Herod could not kill him, Sa!ta:t1 'cou:ld not seduce him, death could not destroy him and the grave could not holel him.
He laid aside his purple robe for a peasa'At's gown.
He was rich, yet for our s:alte he became poo:r
How poor? H:e slept in another's manger.
He cruised the lake in another's boat
He rode on another's He was buriedi:n another man's to:mb..
He is the ever perfect One-he is tbe chief among ten thousand.
-adapted from a Grace Tidings printed in the December 15t 1949 Issue otE the Chrlsiiam leader.
KIN G 5 OF KIN D5 TWO
Alongside the story of Jesus' birth came the wailing of Rachel for her children. Jesus' birth signals a new hope that Herod's violence can be overcome.
STORY OF JESUS we see conflict: in :. responded to the news of Jesus , birth , the innocents); in how the people in ught to throw him over a cliff; in his ' igious leaders throughout his ministry; whenJesu ,j executed by the Roman empire as a politica1' 'ininallabeled "King of the Jews."
raid Jesus' way of life-one from all accounts peaceable and loving-lead to such conflict?
At the time of Jesus , birth, wise men from the East visited King Herod (Matt. 2). They asked, "Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews?"
When Herod heard this, he was frightened. He summoned the religious leaders to ask where the "anointed one" was to be born. Herod knew he was not the divinely anointed king of the Jews, even though he publicly claimed that role.
Herod knew his status as ruler was tenuous. He gained and maintained his power through brute force and political manipulation. He had little support from the common people around Jerusalem.
Discontent with his rule was so high that a small spark could create a firestorm of revolution. Herod lived in constant fear-no matter how many enemies he tortured and executed, he knew their number continued to grow .
Herod asked the wise men to stop on their way back and let him know where this special child was so he could "also go and pay him homage." The wise men found Jesus and gave him gifts. Then they were warned in a dream not to return to Herod. Jesus' father Joseph also was warned, so he took Jesus and Mary away. They fled to Egypt and stayed there several years, until Herod died.
When Herod realized the wise men had tricked him, he was furious. "He sent for and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under" (Matt 2:16). This was only the latest of his extraordinary acts of brutality. Earlier he had his two oldest sons murdered because he feared they were plotting against him.
This tragic story is an introduction to the entire story of Jesus.
Jesus exposed the violence of power politics. He exposed the violence that lies all too close to the hearts of all of us. But he goes on to show us that God's merciful kingdom is available right now to break this spiral of violence.
The story of Jesus is about the presence of God's healing mercy in human history. This mercy enters a world of conflict. It is because we have so much conflict that we so desperately need God's mercy.
Jesus, even at his birth, exposes the violence of King Herod. Alongside Jesus' birth story, the joyful song of God-with-us, comes another terrible song: "A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more" (Matt. 2: 18). Such lamentations have too often been
a part of human history before and since Jesus' birth. His birth, though, signals a new hope that Herod's violence may be overcome.
Scarcity and abundance
Do we think of the basic stuff of life-from food and shelter to a sense of competence and of being loved-as scarce, something we have to fight for, grasp for, hoard and protect at all costs?
Or is the basic stuff of life abundant? Can we trust in God's provision for our needs? Can we be generous and peaceable, holding onto things loosely and with an attitude of sharing?
In his life and teaching, Jesus showed that scarcity is an illusion. He showed that abundance is real; that we may, like the birds of the air and the lilies of the
When Herod realized that he had been outwined ... he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all bovs in Bethlehem and its vicinitv who were two vears old and under....
Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: "A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comfoned, because thev are no more."
-Man. 2:16-18
"Get up," the angel said.
"Take the child and his mother and escape to EgvptStav there untill tell VOU, lor Herod is going to search lor the child to kill him."
-Man. 2:13
field, trust God for our needs in life. Jesus rejects the scarcity assumption and assumes abundance.
The tidings of Jesus' birth are tidings of a new expression of God's abundant mercy and healing. Herod's response is fear (Matt. 2:3). Out of fear, people with brute power do brutish things.
Most conflicts accept the assumptions of scarcity. We fight to protect our scarce resources. We justify all sorts of violence in the name of protecting something we are afraid to lose-prestige, wealth, purity, God's acceptance. But when we rely on force, on winners and losers, we end up with a series of battles, an eye taken for an eye until every eye is blind.
For Jesus, conflict is different. It arises when those assuming scarcity cannot accept abundance. Jesus' way of abundance threatened those who thought in terms of scarcity. When we assume scarcity, we simply won't know the generosity of God for what it is.
Jesus proclaimed that love is abundant in the very nature of things. That is how God has made
We need only accept God's love and trust in God's abundant mercy. This simple trust, though, requires aradical change in our consciousness, a conversion-trom the learlul, clenched-hand world 01 scarcity to the courageous, open-handed world 01 abundance.
and sustains the universe. We need only accept God's love and trust in God's abundant mercy. This simple trust, though, requires a radical change in our consciousness, a conversion-from the fearful, clenched-hand world of scarcity to the courageous, open-handed world of abundance.
Several years ago, I was eating lunch with a friend whose office was located in a rough part of town, not too far from the railroad tracks. A hobo had come by to see my friend a few days earlier with a tape deck he had found and wanted to sell for $20. My friend said maybe, but first he'd check to make sure it wasn't stolen. When I was there, the hobo stopped by to see if my friend could buy the deck. My friend said the deck was OK, and he gave the fellow the money. The guy's face lit up and he left, heading for a nearby grocery store. He came back a few minutes later with a gift for each of us, a bottle of soda and a pastry he had bought ,vith his new store of wealth. He could not think of hoarding, only sharing.
Two kinds of kings
King Jesus taught that abundance means rejecting dividing people into insiders and outsiders or limiting God's mercy and love. God's kingdom is for all people. Jesus ate with tax collectors and other "sinners," forgave the woman caught in adultery and promised paradise to the criminal on the cross next to him. Jesus received all who wanted to come.
Jesus was a genuine threat to King Herod, to the religious leaders and to the Roman empire. He approached life with an entirely different script from that of scarcity and grasping and fearfulness. Jesus wrote a revolutionary script of trust, acceptance, openness and mercy. Anyone who genuinely hears Jesus' word will no longer find it possible to accept Herod's definition of reality but will give homage to an altogether different kind of king: the peaceable king, Jesus .•
Ted G,,!-msrud teaches theology at Eastern Mennonite University, a Mennonite university in Harrisonburg, Va. This article was/irst printed in The Mennonite and is based on sermons preached while Grimsrud pastored at Eugene (Ore.) Mennonite Church and Salem Mennonite Church, Freeman, S.D.
How can I show others the same kind of caring?
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How? Your participation helps provide financial assistance programs, physical and mental disability resources and healthy living programs to congregations across the country - including yours. The assistance you help provide doesn't increase your premium cost. It's a benefit MMA provides.
You can extend a hand in celebration of God's gifts, so everyone's needs can' be met. To learn more about the benefits of participation with MMA, call your local MMA representative or 1-800-348-7468. You can also visit our web site at wwwJnma-online.org. Together, we'll work toward better stewardship.
Celebrating Parkview
It was good to be part of the 125th anniversary of the Parkview MB Church (formerly Gnadenau), July 31-Aug.1 ("Hillsboro congregation celebrates 125 years," September 1999). Since my late husband, Arthur Jost, and I already had made plans to attend, our sons and family went with me to the celebration.
I have fond memories of the church where Arthur and I grew up, learned to know Christ as our Savior, were baptized and members until we moved away. The teachings we received helped to shape us as we were guided to walk in ways including love, peace, justice and service. How we appreciated Pastor Frank v. Wiebe, whose countenance radiated with love as he ministered to us from Sunday to Sunday.
I'm thankful for Jacob A. Wiebe, my great uncle, who helped bring the church from Russia to Kansas in order to have freedom of worship. It is good to celebrate and reflect. It has been well said that a people who do not know their past, do not understand the present and lack direction for the future. Thank you, Parkview, for the celebration and the Leader for the article.
Estherlost Hilliard, Ohio
Thank you for issue on politics
Thank you for the excellent articles on politics in the October 1999 issue. As Christians, we must take our responsibilities seriously, and one of these is in the political process.
If we all had voted, and voted for conservative, pro-family candidates, in California, at least, events in the state legislature would have had a much different outcome. A number of pro-homosexual
WHAT READERS SAY
The Christian Leader welcomes brief letters on topics relevant to the Mennonite Brethren Church. All letters must be signed and will be edited for clarity and length. Send letters to Christian Leader, 7531 Delta Wind Dr., Sacramento, CA 95831 (e-mail: chleader@jps. net).
bills passed and were signed into law by the governor. A few did not pass because some people cared enough to write and telephone their representatives to protest. A bill allowing school-based clinics, which would have provided medical car- including abortions to our young people without the consent or even knowledge of parents-passed, but because of vigorous opposition was not signed into law.
A little known fact is that our representatives have a say in the appointment of judges. One of our senators from California has appointed judges so liberal that even the president vetoed those
appointments! Having pro-family, conservative representatives and leaders in our country makes a big difference in our lives and those of our children and grandchildren.
Praying for our leaders is essential and scriptural; getting out to vote and doing it in an informed manner is equally important.
WANTED
cThe Christian Leader is looking for people who are interested in writing assigned news stories and/or willing to serve as correspondents for their region, reporting on the news and events occurring in Mennonite Brethren churches throughout the United States. Writers will be compensated.
If you are interested, please contact: Associate Editor Connie Faber 315 S. Lincoln, Box V, Hillsboro, Kan. 67063 chleader@southwind.net (316) 947-5543
Patricia Willems Dinuba, Calif.
Suffering: a loving gift
BY PAUL D. DURKSEN
The past few years have seen a massive increase in suffering around the world. Former Soviet bloc countries are torn apart by ethnic violence; terrible storms ravage people around the globe; wars claim thousands of innocent victims each day; people die of AIDS, cancer and other painful diseases; young people murder their peers in indescribable acts of violence. Not quite as overt, but no less painful, is the suffering that we experience in poverty, underemployment, physical and emotional abuse, racism and much more. Suffering is part of our lives.
Suffering is often hard to accept and difficult to explain. One of the great questions asked by human beings is why God allows suffering? That question is sometimes used as an excuse for avoiding a personal relationship with God, for if God allows innocent people to suffer, some people rationalize, then he can't be a lOVing God. While we might never be able to adequately explain suffering, if we can look at it from a different perspective, we may find the ability to bear our suffering with courage and grace. The only way that can happen occurs when we recognize that in his infinite love, God sometimes sends suffering to us as a loving gift.
The work of a potter at the wheel is very intriguing. The smell of clay, the spinning wheel, the potter carefully shaping a lump of wet clay into a marvellous work of art. These images evoke warmth and comfort. The potter's hands and clay move together in a unique dance of creative passion and rhythm. The resulting piece of pottery bears the mark of its creator, a beautiful thing to behold.
Watching a potter craft a work of art reminds me of the creative ways that God molds and shapes our lives. Some
Forum is a column of opinion and comment on contemporary issues facing the Mennonite Brethren Church. Manuscripts expressing an opinion for Forum should aim for a length of 800 words. Authors must sign articles, identify their church home and vocation, and include a clear photo of themselves.
Just as the potter shapes and refines the clay, so God refines his people. At times the process may be painful. God loves us so much that he carefully designs times of suffering for his children. That suffering is not meant to harm, but to make us fit for service in God's family.
of them we accept easily: answers to prayers, encounters with inSightful friends, teaching from a Sunday morn ing sermon-each can help us grow in our faith.
Suffering is another unique and creative way through which God shapes us. While suffering might be a loving gift from God to his children, we do everything we can to escape it, for we do not enjoy suffering. If we look at suffering as a loving gift from God meant to correct and nourish, many positive benefits can result.
The life of Jeremiah contains some insight into God's intention for suffering. In the first chapter of Jeremiah , God tells the prophet that he has been lovingly shaped in the womb for a particular purpose in the life of Israel. Jeremiah's prophetic vocation meant preaching a message of punishment, repentance and change. His reward for being faithful was a life of suffering at the hands of his own people.
A while later, God asks Jeremiah to enter the potter's house and to observe the potter lovingly shaping a piece of clay. As Jeremiah observes the potter, God tells him that He is shaping a period of intense suffering that will overwhelm Israel in order to bring them back to God. The same Hebrew verb, to shape, is used in both incidents. Suffering is not to be avoided at all costs. God designed suffering to uncover the best in his people. Suffering can have a profoundly creative effect in our lives if we accept it as a gift from God.
The prophet Isaiah adds a further word on suffering. In Isaiah 47-48, God declares that he sent Israel into captivity in Babylon. God had prepared a time of
suffering so that his people would recognize their sinfulness, repent and learn to depend completely upon God. In Isaiah 48: 10, God says "I have refined you, bu t not like silver; I have purified you in the furnace of affliction." God had a very specific goal in mind as he led Israel through faltering kingdoms and exile. That goal would find its ultimate conclusion in Jesus, the suffering mediator who brought salvation into the world. In the meantime, Israel would experience God's careful, creative plan of suffering. Just as the potter shapes and refines the clay, so God refines his people. At times the process may be painful. God loves us so much that he carefully designs times of suffering for his children. That suffering is not meant to harm, but to make us fit for service in God's family. When we recognize this fact, suffering can drive us closer to God in faith and trust rather than away from God in bitterness and distrust. The choice is ours. We can allow the weight of suffering to crush the joy from our lives. Or, we can persevere through grace as suffering drives us deeper into the loving hands of the Potter, and we emerge from his wheel a beautiful and unique child of God .•
Paul Durksen is a freelance writer/ editor and preacher and is currently attending the Crestwood MB Church in Medicine Hat, Alta. (Canada).
BY PHILIP WIEBE
Reason for the season?
This year, render to Santa the things that are Santa's, and to God the things that are God's.
Iwouldn1t consider myself a holiday scrooge, but it does seem like we spend an inordinate amount of time and energy on Christmas, compared to the space the events are given in Scripture.
Matthew and Luke do give attention to the birth accounts at the beginning of their gospels, but Mark and John mention nothing about them. Mark's record puts "the beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God" (1: 1) at the point where John the Baptist comes to "prepare the way for the Lord preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins" (1:3,4). John's reference to "the Word made flesh," which is often evoked at Christmastime, is really about Jesus' earthly ministry.
So are most of the prophecies that mention aspects of Jesus , birth. For example, the famous words in Isaiah, "For unto us a child is born," are not an invitation to contemplate the infant Jesus, but the "Prince of Peace" and the new kingdom he will establish "with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever" (9:6-7).
Similarly, when the epistle writers refer to Jesus' birth it is always in the context of the ministry he came to accomplish. "But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law" (Gal. 4:4-5). "Being made in human likeness [and] being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death--even death on a cross" (Phil 2:7-8).
It's also true that many prominent Christmas themes and symbols are not from biblical origins, but pagan. Christmas trees, holly, Yule logs, and even the date of Christmas itself all
come from the ancient pagan celebration of the winter solstice. Because of this some early reformers such as Calvin and Knox, and some early Protestant groups such as the Puritans and many Presbyterians, refused to celebrate Christmas (as do a few Christian groups still today).
It is only in relatively recent times, in fact, that Christmas has become the big business, er, celebration that it is. It was fairly unimportant in the early history of the church. There are undoubtedly many reasons for the Christmas boom, but lately I've been thinking about some modern factors that seem to feed the holiday.
First, Christmas meshes quite nicely with our culture of consumerism. One might say in all seriousness that shopping has become the new American religion. And what is the most lucrative time of year for retailers? The Christmas season, by far. One would expect Christians to reject or at least question such a spending frenzy, given Jesus' clear teaching against materialism and consumerism. But we seem to like shopping just as much as anyone. We say we give gifts because the Magi gave gifts, yet conveniently forget that those original gifts were offerings of worship to the Messiah.
Second, Christmas fits very well with our age of entertainment. The upbeat, nonthreatening stories of the season make us feel good (at least in the way we've come to portray them-never mind the scandal of unwed pregnancy, the crude stable birth, the cruel murder by Herod of innocent children, and so on). Not that this upbeat emphasis is inappropriate. Truly it was "good news of great joy" that Jesus came to minister "peace on earth and good will
toward humanity." But sometimes I think the yearly profuSion of Christmas plays and pageants and concerts and movies and TV specials entertains the meaning right out of it.
Third, Christmas tends to center on "comfort and joy" to the exclusion of Christian commitment and service. Again, there is a time to comfort, a time for joy, a time to simply celebrate the gift of the incarnation. But it has been suggested that we Christians particularly like Christmas (and in fact don't mind a bit that it's creeping into November, October, September ... ) because it's easy on the eyes and ears. Nothing too demanding about it from a spiritualperspective.
By contrast, the accounts of Jesus' life, ministry, death, and resurrection are all about commitment and service-not only the Lord's but our own. Maybe that's why the gospels of Mark and John "cut to the chase," getting right to the heart of these matters. Maybe that's why we like to linger in the warmth and light of the Christmas season for awhile, before Jesus grows up and says things like, "deny yourself, pick up your cross and follow me."
Let me stress that I like Christmas. At our house we will decorate a tree, string some lights, send out some cards, exchange a few gifts, attend or host a few gatherings, dust off the Christmas CDs, and so on. Still, I've been wondering about this yearly rhetoric about finding "the reason for the season." Would Jesus really want to be associated with this over-emphasized, over-commercialized, over-consumerized time of year? I'm not so sure. I can easily imagine him gazing skeptically at all the Christmas hype and frenzy and admonishing, "Render to Santa the things that are Santa's, and to God the things that are God's."
INQUIRING MINDS
BY MARVIN HEIN
QTo what extent can/does God accomplish his purposes in spite of monkey wrenches thrown in by the human species? (Kansas)
AFortunately, for all of us, God has a way of bringing good even when we human beings get in his way. I've often said that many times God gets his work done in spite of us rather than because of us. If we believe in the sovereignty of God, we must confess that God's work cannot ultimately be smashed by our foolish endeavors. Let's begin close to home. A congregation is in trouble. Some want to dismiss the pastor. Others are just as eager to retain his services to the church.
Harsh words are spoken. God doesn't like that. Or suppose the church leadership rides roughshod over the congregation and takes an action that has not been duly processed nor even shared with the congregation at large. I doubt that God likes that. The church splits. And God doesn't like that. But ultimately both churches reorganize and eventually prosper. Does God like that?
Those are made-up stories with no one in mind. However, I think those stories may not be too distant from several scenarios within the Mennonite Brethren Church in the last one hundred years. Does the eventual good outworking of such scenarios cause God to say, "Those harsh words and stupid decisions among my children in the Main Street MB Church weren't all that serious because I managed to bring order out of chaos?" No, I think not. Harsh words and stupid decisions are the "monkey wrenches" we humans toss into the mixture of God's kingdom, but even the fact that God brings good out of evil doesn't justify the wrong actions.
If a redeeming result were to justify wrong actions (monkey wrenches), we would probably all simply stumble and bumble our way through life, never concerned about whether or not our
deeds and words were wholesome or sinful. God does not view our wrong actions that way. He expects the best from us. He always wants to lead us to his will. He holds high the standards by which he expects us to live. But he also knows how unstable we can be at times. He knows our shortcomings. He forgives those shortcomings and often redeems a situation in which we have created chaos by our wrong actions, but his demands of discipleship are never lowered and we are held responsible regardless of the outcome.
David was a man after the heart of God. He was also a man in whom dwelt a host of evil and lustful thoughts and actions. Did God bring good to pass from David's evil actions? Certainly. Even the birth of Jesus in David's lineage is a testimony to the truth that God brings redemption even when we've thrown monkey wrenches into his works. How great is God's mercy. Our monkey-wrenching never meets with God's approval, and we may well suffer consequences (as David did), but God is not thwarted by our foolish actions. Because he made us free persons, he allows us to err. Because he is omnipotent and sovereign, he can and often does work his ways in spite of our foolish actions.
QI continue to hear that representatives from the Mennonite Brethren church and the Brethren in Christ meet periodically. Is there anything afoot that would cause our two groups to combine? (California)
AYes, there are periodic meetings of people from these two groups. No, a merger is not in the wings. For almost a decade, officers and district ministers and Brethren in Christ bishops of our two denominations have met annually. More recently mission and education personnel have been added to this annual mix. The next meeting of
Have a question about a Bible passage, doctrine, conference policy, or other spiritual issue? E-mail Marvin at mhein1 @fresno. edu or send your question to "Inquiring Minds, " c/o Marvin Hein, 4812 E. Butler, Fresno, CA 93727.
this nature will be held in Abbotsford, British Columbia, in May 2000.
While some may have wished that "integration" of the two bodies might be a result, this has never been a stated goal. The "in process" integration of the Mennonite and General Conference Mennonite conferences has sometimes fueled this hope and/or suspicion. It has been the hope and dream of many of those who have met through the years that we could find ways to cooperate in our ministries. Brethren in Christ have no seminary. Could they be persuaded to call our seminary their school? Probably not, since so many of their churches are on the opposite side of the country from our MB centers. But this kind of talk has resulted in having a member of the Brethren in Christ Church as a member of our seminary board.
Could we jointly sponsor efforts such as Youth Mission International, since Brethren in Christ have a similar program? Are there places in the world where our Board of Missions and that of the BIC Church could cooperatively plant churches? Would an exchange of college professors between our schools and Messiah College enrich the work of both denominations?
We will continue to seek ways in which to cooperate. The Brethren in Christ recently proposed a joint theological study conference. The divestiture of General Conference (the North American conference of Mennonite Brethren) ministries has stymied that project for the moment. We share much in common. Most of us, however, live remotely from Brethren in Christ and we do not know them. We need to continue to take steps that would at least enhance partnering possibilities.
ON THE]OURNEY
BY ROSE BUSCHMAN
Try giving yourself away
When we let people know we care about them, offer words of encouragement or give something of ourselves, we are giving gifts money can't buy.
Soon it will be Christmas again and with it comes the season for buying and giving. Children have their lists ready and parents use their credit cards. When I hear the estimates
of how much the "average" family will spend on gifts this year I shake my head in disbelief. Do we really spend that much money on ourselves? Are we getting our money's worth? Is this what Christmas is all about?
Recently as I sat down to reflect on the coming frenzy of Christmas shopping, I tried to list some of the gifts I have received over the years that have been most precious to me. As I made my list I realized that most of the gifts I remembered were not high dollar items, but the kind of gifts money can't buy.
High on this list is the gift I received as a college freshman. Classes and exams were over for the semester and I was getting ready for the long drive home for Christmas-two thousand miles, stopping only for food and gas, driving through possible snow storms and over icy roads with a car that might or might not make it. I had never done this before and I was scared. As I walked home to finish packing, I met an upperclassman who stopped to talk to me.
"Are you going home for Christmas?" he asked. I nodded. He wanted to know who I was going with and how long the trip would take. He ended the conversation with, "Have a safe trip home, Rose."
"Thank you very much," I replied gratefully. How did he know who I, a lowly freshman, was, or that I was worried about the trip home? As I walked back to my dorm the thought occurred to me: if this student, who hardly knows me, cares enough to wish me a safe trip home, doesn't my Heavenly
Father care much more? My inner turbulence gave way to the assurance that I was in God's hands.
I have a friend who gives me the gift of encouragement. I've lost track of how many notes I have received in the mail which begin, "I read this article, (or news report or whatever) and I thought of you." Often a clipping is included. Or it may be a short note commenting on something I have written. I really appreciate her continuing gifts of thoughtfulness.
And then there is the unique gift of friendship Jane offers me. She is a substitute teacher in our school system and also works part-time as a cashier at a local department store. Recently when I walked into that store on a Saturday morning I was greeted by a shout, "Hi there." I looked up, not knowing what was going on. There was Jane about six cash registers down, waving and smiling at me. When I was ready to check out she insisted on giving me a hug before she scanned my purchases and totaled my bill. (When's the last time you got a hug from a cashier?)
Gifts don't have to cost a lot of money to be special. Last Christmas I was at a family reunion where one father was bragging about the gift his daughter had given him. He made sure that those around him knew that he was getting a homemade pie of his choice every month for the coming year.
I have a sister-in-law who gives gifts of homemade jams and jellies. She is a busy doctor for whom canning is a form of relaxation. Since they are superior to the store-bought variety, her gifts are much appr:eciated.
When Jake died many mourned his passing. The residents in a local nursing
home had an additional concern. For years Jake had given them the gift of a beautiful rose garden which he faithfully tended. Now who was going to contin ue this gift?
One woman shared with me that every two to three weeks she wrote a letter to family members who were overseas on a two-year mission assignment. She didn't always know what to write, but the couple receiving her letters eagerlyawaited the gift of mail with its news from home. I thought this was such a good idea that I have decided to do this for friends of ours who recently left on a short-term mission trip to India.
I heard of one grandpa who appointed himself the Sunday morning greeter in the preschool department of his church. When the children arrive for Sunday school he is in the hall to shake their hands, give them a big smile and make them feel welcome. The children love him and he loves them. What a great gift to the children and to the church!
Leaving something cleaner than we find it is another gift we may not think of giving. Driving through town one day, I observed a retired college professor walking along an elementary school sidewalk picking up the litter that had accumulated. With her plastic bag she was making a small difference in her world. I remember reading a newspaper story about a woman who regularly weeded a roadside flower bed near her home to keep it looking attractive.
These are the kinds of gifts David Dunn talks about in his book, Try Giving Yourself Away. When we let people know we care about them, when we offer words of encouragement, or when we give something of ourselves, we are giving gifts money can't buy. These are the gifts that will be remembered and appreciated long after the toy is broken or the appliance is burned out.
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MUSA unveils new church plant plan
• Mission USA announces goal of 20 new churches in five years
Twenty new churches in five years. That's the goal of MetroNet 2005-pronounced twenty-ofive-a new program unveiled by Mission USA, the church planting and renewal ministry of the U.S. Conference.
That's a lot of churches for a conference of 160 churches and a membership of just over 21,000.
"I'm sure many of you are thinking this is a big bite," MUSA executive director Ed Boschmantold delegates at the joint Central and Southern district convention Oct. 29. "But we have a big God."
Boschman announced the new program at three recent MB district conventions. The joint Central and Southern districts conventions were held in Hillsboro, Kan., Oct. 28-30, and the Pacific District Conference convention in Bakersfield, Calif., Nov. 5-6.
MetroNet 2005
MUSA plans to meet the goal of MetroNet 2005 by planting a network or cluster of churches in "metroplexes"major metropolitan areas where a series of cities merge together.
"We foresee these networks will become agents of multiplication. Rather than planting a church here and there, we want to multiply by reproducing ourselves," Boschman says.
Multiplication is essential to the plan. The majority of the first new church plants will need to birth new churches within the five-year period.
"Part of the DNA of the new churches is that they begin thinking immediately of birthing a new church within themselves," says Boschman. "How fast that happens is related to how God blesses their growth."
Boschman adds that the first years of a congregation's life are a ripe time for
Phoenix, Ariz., has been chosen as the location for the first of the 20 new U.S. MB churches planned in the next five years.
Pictured are Ed Boschman, Mission USA executive director, and Brad Klassen, pastor of Copper Hills Community Church in Phoenix.
rebirth. "There is a window of opportunity where there is a sense that we are fresh and new and our primary purpose is to build the Kingdom."
MetroNet 2005 is a more deliberate, focused and cost effective way to approach church planting for the conference, says Boschman. "The earliest years of our church planting efforts were let's do whatever emerges. Now we are saying let's be intentional about creating families of churches where they have the best possibility of building churches."
Clustering churches also "makes a lot of sense in terms of Anabaptist theology-the ideas of connectedness, family and teamwork," says Boschman. "We value that."
Mission Phoenix
Mission Phoenix is the first church planting thrust of MetroNet 2005. MUSA will work with the Pacific District Conference to plant five new churches in the metropolitan area in the next five years.
It is not an accident that Phoenix was chosen as the site to launch MetroNet 2005. That history goes back to the earliest years of MUSA, according to Boschman.
"Before my appointment as executive director," Boschman says, "the Mission USA board had deliberately selected Phoenix as a viable church planting metroplex. The vision back then was that it would become a cluster of churches
which could become a prototype for other cities."
MUSA's "first choice scenario" in planting the church clusters is to work with an existing healthy church family to plant a new church while MUSA works to plant additional churches in the same metropolitan area, says Boschman.
"This is not 20 new churches from scratch," he adds.
In Phoenix, for example, Copper Hills Community Church-the current church plant-could plant a new church while MUSA and the Pacific District plant three others that could birth at least two more.
Resources
It will require a lot of work and resources for MetroNet 2005 to succeed. According to Boschman, research of metroplexes is needed to determine areas lacking churches and best able to support a cluster of plants. Church planters and task forces-a type of interim elder boards-are needed for each plant. Each church plant will run approximately $150,000 for a three-year period, by which time they are typically expected to be self-supporting.
MUSA hopes to almost double its annual budget of $320,000 with the addition of a director of development to raise funds, who will be required to raise a
minimum of $300,00 a year, says Boschman. The development director will work collaboratively with fund-raisers from other MB agencies and the new national executive director, he adds.
MUSA will also work with district church planting boards, seek out local churches to be partners in a church plant, and tap sources outside the U.S. Conference as well as continue to raise money themselves. Boschman and the board now raise about $190,000 of the $320,000 with the U.S. Conference supplying the balance.
With the addition of the development director, Boschman says he will have more time to gather leadership resources for the plants. "On my desk right now, I have four active files of people who potentially could be church planters for the first handful of churches in the next year or so." The rest, says Boschman, will come as MUSA works with the MB colleges and seminaries "to see who it is that is in training."
In the end, however, Boschman says he goes back to the passages in Scripture like Matt. 9:38: "Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."
"This is a God-thing," says Boschman. "We are praying that God will provide the workers for us as we partner with [our] institutions to find these leaders."
Boschman admits MetroNet seems like an aggressive plan.
"We believe it takes us beyond what we can envision and what we can afford," he told delegates at the Pacific District Conference convention, "but God can do it."
MUSA will continue to review and its strategies on a regular basis. "We are committed to avoiding deficit spending, and we will move our projects in line with that commitment," says Boschman.
The bottom line, however, is that MetroNet 2005 "is all about finding those lost people in our neighborhoods," says Boschman. "The reality that I feel now is that we have been given a vision. We've developed some plans and strategies, and we will be able to accomplish those as God provides strength and God's people provide resources. And we will work diligently to be faithful to the vision God has given us." -CA
Joint gathering challenges delegates to personal, corporate renewal
• Southern and Central districts gather at Tabor College for a joint convention
For most of the 300-plus people attending the Southern and Central district conventions hosted by Tabor College Oct. 29-31, the winds of change that blew through their second joint gathering were more like a refreshing breeze than the crisp autumn gusts that characterized the weekend weather.
The two districts first met together for a joint gathering in 1995, brought together by their common interest in Christian higher education. If the first joint gathering focused on acquainting delegates with "their school," this gathering centered on inspiring church leaders to consider issues of church health and growth.
In their separate business sessions (see accompanying articles) the neighboring districts each celebrated the birth
of new and emerging congregations. Registration figures show that 91 delegates and 12 guests came from the Central District, which includes churches in N ebraska, South and North Dakota, Minnesota, Montana and Illinois. The Southern District, which includes Colorado, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri, drew 160 delegates and 12 guests.
MUSAgoais
News that Mission USA had just the week before set the goal of establishing a network of 20 new MB churches in U.S. urban centers by 2005 contributed to an overall tone of optimism regarding church growth. Ed Boschman, MUSA executive director, explained that the MUSA board envisions several networks of urban churches with the Phoenix area targeted as the first metro center.
"We foresee these networks will become agents of multiplication. Rather than planting a church here and there, we want to multiply by reproducing our-
Delegates from Colorado, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, South and North Dakota, Minnesota, Montana and Illinois gather outside the Tabor College administration building.
SOC concentrates on renewal and planting
• Inner city church pla:nt accepted into membership
Just as God bl:essed Abraham and Sarah with a child in their old age, the Southern District Conference ca:n al:so give birth to new congregations in spite of its age, district :mi:nister Roland Relfner reminded delegates to the SOC convention Oct. 29-31.
Rei:mer tofd deleg:8tes that of the 37 congregations in the district, 10 are over 100 years old and another 1() are betwe·en 50 and 9:9 yea:rs. Only si:x congtegations are l:es5 than 24 yes:rs old and 1· 1 are between 25 and 49 years.
"We have- endured but we have plateaued, IJ sa iclReimer;, Jttn our old age we need to give birth to churches."
And that weekend the district end just that, celebrating the birth of a new congregation.
$oOC delegates accepted intoconf:ererlce membership United at th:e Cross Community Churth, a Wi<:oita., Kan., <:ongregationplanted in co:o:perati=on with World Irnpa:ct an agency dedicated to m:inistry l:n America's inner ci:ties. 1:0 his remarks to the de:'eg:ates Fred Stoesz, church planter and lnteri:A1 pastor, sai-ci that UCCC's vision is to plant another congregation, this one in the OakJawn neighborhood
IIWe may think the mission field is an
selves," said Boschman. "We want to band together to impact metro centers."
"This will require a vamped-up commitment of our membership across the nation to the lost people in our own communities," said Boschman. "It will take a collaboration of our districts and our institutions."
Renewal is key
Keynote speaker Terry Walling laid out a game plan for building a strong denomination led by well-equipped leaders with a commitment to discipleship and evangelism.
"We need the Mennonite Brethren Church to rise up and be strong," said Walling in his opening remarks.
Roland Reimer, SOC district minister, wel,comes United at the Cross interim pastor Fred Stoesz and members of the congregation as the A:ewest church to affiliate with the district"
ocean away," Stoesz said. uWeU, it's just 45 minutes down the road 1' UCCC trs:ces its beginning:s to 1994 when SOC teao:ers met with representatives of World Impact to consider a Joint church planting venture in It seemed natural that the twog:roups work to g:ether Stoesz hag the vision for a multicultural, inner city congregat:i=on and the 50:( owned an unused church building in the targ:et neighborhood.
WI staff members and Iota:! believers· worked to gfOW the congregation and were aid:ed in special outreach projects by volunteers from W1i:chita neighbor First
Walling's messages focused on three ways God brings renewal to the church: through his messengers Ger. 29:10-14); their mission (Mark 2: 1-5); and the gospel message (Mark 10:17-29).
In his first message, Walling used the illustration of a rower in a boat to describe the importance of anchoring the future in the past and of understanding the lessons of the past. "Every good vision is anchored in the past," he said, "but every good vision is not bound by the past."
"You (Mennonite Brethren) have something we all need," said Walling. "Clarify the lessons of the past. People cling to the methods if they don't understand the lessons."
Mil Church as well as other Central Kansas congregations:. Tabo:r College students helped with weekend chHdren's ,activities.
Five years later, convention delegates witnessed the iJ1ruit of that Ishar Ii said Roland Rehner, SOC district minister. As StoesE ancl othe=r UCCC leaders stood before the. group, the delegates rose to their Teet, affirming UCCC as a $:DC rnem=ber congregation.
In add:ition to the new venture in inner city church pls:Ating SDC leaders highlighted three other areas of growth since the last bienni:at convention
• Church Health. According to the
Today's church is unable to influence the culture, in spite of its vast array of resources, because the church no longer shares Christ's passion to save the lost, said Walling in his second address.
"Lost people matter to Jesus but found people matter to the world," said Walling.
"The problem is not the (lack ot) resources. It is that the passionate heart of Jesus needs to come back to the people," said Walling.
Walling used the Mark 2 account of four men bringing their friend to Jesus for healing as his text. "What would it look like if there were stretcher bearers running through the streets of your city bringing lost people to Jesus?" asked
Faith and Life CommissIon report, Church Resource ,Ministries resources are being used extensively by SOC congregations. (RiM is a church growth and renewal agency endorsed by Mission USA as the means by which congregations address issues of evang:etism and renewal.. SD:C chair DaryleBaltzer thanked Mission USA, the ,church growth and renewal mi:nistry of the U.$.. Conference, Tor "the "v.ision and direction they provide to us as a clistrict."
Pastor and lay leade.rs from 30 congre .. gations were enroUed in the CRiM I:eader... ship renews:1 phase. This involved pas 'toral networking groups and included an intensive eaucat:i:onalcomponent a:t the annual Pastor's Advance.
Twenty SOC congregations comr:>leted the Natural Church Deveto:pment Survey to help determine church health and seven cong:regations have moved on to the "Refocusing Your Church lJ phase.
The cUstrict's Ta:rget Church Program he:s also enabled speci!ficcongregations to exp:erience growth. It was reported that s,ince the lastcanvention in 1'997, the Target Church Program he:s helped both Pine Acres Church of Weatherford, Okla., a:n:d Memorial Road MB of Edmond, Okla., acid a staff rnemoer.
• Facility Improvements. Three con g:tegations involved in facility expansion projects received financial help from the SOC in t:be f.orm of a matching grant, said Ted Goertzen, Stewardship Commission chair. According to Goertzen, the $:O('s portion of the matching grants came from the Church Builders Fund, a fund currently at $20B,000 originally intended for use by church plants rather than existing congregations.
Walling. "It would look an awful lot like Jesus' heart."
With the story of the young ruler from Mark 10 as his text, Walling emphasized in his final sermon the importance of discipleship-of surrendering one's "kingdoms" to God. "The church has put a lot of emphasis on the door of the Gospel but not enough on the cost of the Gospel."
Even Christians have "kingdoms" that can keep them from fully following Jesus, Walling said. "The irrational fear of losing what we have often keeps us from surrendering to Jesus," he said. Walling closed with a call for surrender. "The men and women who lead the church forward are those who have sur-
Each congregation chose a different way of coming up with its J):ortion of the matching grant said Goertzen. The P:ine Acres congregation uSeQ their grant to help fund a new education and youth ministry addition. Th.ey ra:ised their portion the tract'itional way by collecting funds and pledges from within the congregation.
The Martin Box Church, ·M:arshaU, Ark., met their sha:re of the matching grant by barvesting trees fro:m church mem:bers and then using that lumber to cO:fnplete a muttipurpose facility.
Rather than add on to an existing facilityt members of Faith Bible Church in Lawton, plan to reloc.ate their church to a·more suita::ble site" To fund their matching grantJ the congregatioA:; along with volunteers from Corn (Okla.) MBChurch and Pest Oak Chu:rcn of Lawton, Okla., carefu:Uy Ii deconstrucred tJ a I:arge, almost new metal buileUng in two c1:ays. When church lea:ders learn-ea that zo:ning laws 'at their new location prohib ited the use of used materials in the construction of a new building, the materials were s:otd with those f.unds to be used i:n constructing the new church building.
Re:i:rner also introduced delegates to representatives 'from Post Oak who tola of the:ir plans to :replace their exist:ing multipurpose facility.
WhHe delegates entl'1usiasticaUy responded to the reports of facility gro·wth, disappointment was expressed by at least one delegate that the Church BuUders Fund was no l:o:nger being used exclusively to finance church plant f:acHity needs" • Youth Minister" The need to adm-ln". i:ster the district's growing summer camp program1 mission trips and youth conven-
tion p:ronl'pted a recommendation that a district youth minister be hired quarter time beginning January 1.
liln two weeks the youth wlU hold their convention in Buhler (Kan.)," said Baltzer. "They will be more tha:n doubte our size. We need to rejoice that we have that kind of enthusiasm and leacJership."
In· floor discussion, delegates strongly supported tne re<:ommendation but raised a number of concerns. Why not add staff in church planting or some other area?
GIven the amount of wo:rk to b:e done, why not create a half.-.tirne position? Who would take on this kind of job?
It soon became clear that the answers to these questi:ons were interconnected. Reimer s:a:ia the future of district min istries may welt involve hiring individua:ls on a part..;tlme basis to carry out COA1:mission work. In this case, Reimer said an individ:ua:1 had been identified who was able to give a quarter of his time to this Job. With this delegates unanlmousty voted in favor of the recommendation.
To fund these conference m inist des, a budget of $2:65,300-ao increase of just over 1 percent--w8:S reco·mmended for 2()OO and $276,100 for 2001 With tittle dis... cuss ion, deteg:ates passed these budgets.
In other business, Edna Decker was ree ognized for her 15 years of se·rvl:ce as the district treasurer. The Christian Education Commission announced that senior adult and children's ministries would be new focus areas. Delegates approved accep.. tance of a new Policies and Procedures manual on an interim bas:is. New officers and commission members were also e:lect ed.-CF
SIGNS OF HOPE INA WOR:LD OF CHAOS
"We need the Mennonite Brethren Church to rise up and be strong," Walling told delegates during his opening remarks. Walling's messages focused on three ways God brings renewal to the church: through his messengers, their mission and the gospel mission.
CDC celebrates church planting efforts
• New budget reflects church plan:t commitment
B.....
uSine.::ss at the Central Distrkt COOference meetings was dominated by the therne of the joint convention: church planting and growth. The district's four church plants-s latge taking for a district of 27 churches-were cele:brated during the meetings.
JlWe a·re rej:oicing as we are seeing our churches move into .maturity," said CO'C church conlmittee cnair Gary Janzen.
The church plants are at various stages of growth. Iglesia Agua Viva and Millard EUoie Church, both in Omaha, Neb., are sup:portlng themselves financiaUy. Walter Preza, r1):astor of Ag:ua VivaJ re:ported in a letter that the congregation is actively involved in outrea·ch ministries to the hispanic community. The Millard cong:regation, which gave some of i_members to help form the Rolling Hills Church has been rebuUaring finan ciallyand num:ericallYJ said pastor Leonard Reimer in his report.
Rolling Hilts Church just purchased 3.5 acres of land in Papillion., Neb.
J/land is not the ena:r and buHding on this lana is not the ena,'J pastor Rod Anderson reported to the delegates. 'iThe ultimate goat of this church is to use the most effective means to win people for Christ. tI
BridgePoint Church in Minnesota's
rendered to Jesus. Surrender yourself ... surrender these two regions back to him," said Walling.
Practical helps
Practical suggestions for promoting renewal in individual congregations were the focus of two afternoon workshop sessions. Larry Nikkel's presentation on church leadership received high marks from participants. Nikkel is currently president of Tabor College and has served as chair of the Southern District and moderator of a local congregation.
Modeling a Christian view of money was the theme of a church stewardship
Twin Cities 1:5 just beginning to Q:9ther a core group of people to launch their congregation.
liThe heart of our ministry is peop.J:e, I' said p,astor Tom Cartney, add:ing that he and his wife are involved in everything fron1 door-to-door surveys to participat ing in school and athletic d:ubs. I#We try to do anything we can .to involve ourselves in the lives of the people. 11
The delegates unanimously approved a recommendation to accept BridgePoint as an emerging church with the CD'C.
In adclitlon to church planting, the dis trict dealt with four other major issues.
• Aggress:ive budget approved for next year. A budget of $208,600 was approved for 1999-2QOO-ahTlost $2'3,000 more than last year.
"This is the most aggressive budget we have says trustees chair Gavin Banik, adding that the budgets had been pretty stable for the last several years. J1We have a lot of things going on. It costs money to do church ministry."
Supporting Rolling H:iUs and BridgePoint, the two church plants on subsidy,. facilitated the need tor the increase, says distrkt treasurer Richard Walter.
In order to meet the increased budget, delegates· a.pproved an increa:se in church norms, the arnount each church is designated to give per member to the district in support of its ministries.
Like other districts and the national conference., church giving has been down in the Central District. In spite of
seminar led by Jon Wiebe, president of MB Foundation. District ministers Roland Reimer (Southern) and Clint Grenz (Central) joined forces with Boschman and Walling to address the issue of church health. Helping church leaders better understand the Natural Church Development survey used by many SDC and CDC congregations was the focus of the seminar.
A fourth seminar on spiritual warfare attracted about 100 participants one of two times it was offered. Workshop leaders and Tabor faculty members Lynn J ost, associate professor of biblical and religious studies, and Wendell Loewen,
being in the black $12,,000, Centra! District churches gave $141 000 less than the district expected last year, says Walter.
However, the district is on top of things, according to Walter. Bridg:ePoint pastor Cartney will be vis:iting all of the CDC cnurches, and the district wHI be keeping churches informed through the Sentinel (a district and personal contact with eacn church treasurer Qr moderator by a district trustee.
• Church renewal committee sponsors con'erence. The two-year-old COffinlittee remincJed deleiates about the Heatth'y Central Dlstrict Churches conter ence tor pastors in mid-November.
Church planting board m'e:mber Peter TnO:fn8S reported that same churches are going tnrou"h the process of revitalization. Jilt is workingJ he says
The district is rea·ching out its hand to the rest of the churches with the healthy church conference, says Thomas. ItA church cannot experience renewaluntess it is wilting to experience renewal. II
• Faith a:nd life board offers conf:l:iet resolution covenant.
11'1 would rather work at fire prevention than fire extinction, It Board of Faith and Life chair Herb Schroecler told delegates as he presented the confUct resolution covenant.
The document outlines scriptural principles churches can follow to prevent and resolve conTlict. healthy tioR of conflict honors Christ and results in mutual growth and fruitful witness, it the covenant states.
Delegates adopted the covenant as a model Tor churches in the district.
• District m:iniste,r position being reevaluated. District rnin:ister Clint Grenz ofiiciaUy announced his intent to retire
assistant professor of religious studies, said they wanted to apply biblical truth and academic studies to the topic.
In addition to worship sessions and workshops, delegates from the two districts met together for a short business session Saturday morning during which they heard reports from various MB and inter-Mennonite agencies.
Cooperative conventions on the Tabor campus will most likely carry on into the new century as TC President Nikkel invited both districts to again meet jointly on the TC campus in 2003.
As co-owners of Tabor Collegetogether with the more distant North
Gary Janzen (CDC church planting tee chai:r), praJs for church pla:nters (from left) Rod and Donna Anderson <Rolling Hills Church, Papillion, Neb.) and Amy and Tom CartneytBddgePoint Church, Apple ValleYI Minn.)
in December 2080.
1'lt s Deen -0 great year in many waYSt 11 Grenz told the delegates, thanking them for their prayers and support.
District chair Ron Seibel told dele gates that the exe'Cutive DoardwoulcJ survey churches to see "what the ne:eds are for this office If and then work at filling it
• Other bU$:iness. Delegates also heara from the youth committee and WOfnen's ministries and elected new board members to -CA
Carolina and Latin America conferences, meeting together is somewhat natural for the SDC and CDC. It's also a natural opportunity to do college business.
This year, each district dealt with a recommendation regarding the college's line of credit with MB Foundation and elected representatives to the Tabor board of directors. The Saturday night program focused on Tabor and included testimonies by students and faculty. The college also provided music for worship-centered -plenary sessions Friday morning and evening and Saturday morning. -CF
Uniting vision dominates West Coast district convention
• Delegates accept churches and voice concern over recommendation
The stage filled with a college choir singing spirituals and choral arrangements. Then Ethiopian men and women were singing contagious, foot-tapping songs in Ahamaric. When you looked again, a church worship team lifted heavenward traditional hymns and modern choruses.
These wide-ranging styles of worship were a reminder to Pacific District convention delegates of the diverse cultures that make up the churches of the West Coast district.
"What is it that will keep a conference of churches united in vision, focused on mission and motivated for service?" asked PDC chair Roger Poppen in his keynote address.
The answer has something to do with a vision of the Lord, Poppen answered. "A vision to last a lifetime" was the theme of the convention held November 5-6 at Heritage Bible Church in Bakersfield, Calif., attended by 192 delegates and 205 guests.
Delegates exhibited unity of vision as
they acted on three recommendations that dominated business and discussion on the floor.
Eleven churches accepted
Delegates literally embraced the wide range of languages and cultures in its family when they voted to accept into fellowship Korean, hispanic, slavic, Ethiopian and English-speaking congregations. Pastors and church leaders overflowed from the front of the church through the aisles as delegates laid their hands on the leaders and lifted them in prayer.
The new congregations are a result of church plant efforts by the PDC Board of Home Missions, the efforts of the u.S. Conference's Integrated Ministries, and extension efforts by local congregations.
The district's home missions board, trustees and executive committee will process seven more congregations this year for membership in 2000.
Budget shortfall
This past year, vision pushed beyond the income of the PDC. The district experienced close to a $19,800 shortfall in funds. The difference was covered by funds from earnings of a church plant
The
The congregation was one of 11 churches accepted into membership at the Pacific District Conference convention.
choir from the Ethiopian Christian Fellowship sang melodic, foot-tapping songs in Ahamaric.
fund, a small general fund reserve and gifts to the district, reported district treasurer Jim Enns.
"Nothing was overspent," says Enns, "but income did not come in as we
Almost 90 women gathered for the Women's Missionary Service conference on Saturday at the Pacific District conference November 6. The group raises funds for home and foreign missions as well as MB Biblical Seminary and Fresno Pacific University, an MB West Coast university. The Central District WMS also met during the joint Southern and Central district convention in Hillsboro, Kan., held one week earlier.
expected."
In partial response to the lower than projected income from church giving, the trustees recommended an eight percent increase in church norms, the
amount of money individual churches are expected to give each year based on church membership size. It is the first increase in four years.
Delegates expressed concern, asking how the executive board and trustees were planning to avoid such a shortfall in the future.
Better communication is key, said Enns.
"We need to do a better job of not only talking to churches who aren't here," agreed trustee Bud Klassen, "but those of us here as delegates need to go back and better represent what the conference is doing to generate interest in our individual congregations."
In a show of support for the vision of PDC leaders, delegates unanimously approved next years' budget, noting church giving income was projected at a higher level than 1998-1999.
Recommendation scrutinized
Delegates lined up behind the floor microphone to voice concern regarding an executive board recommendation to change bylaws pertaining to participation of churches in the conference, urging the
Holm leads delegates to vision of God
• Plans must be preface:d with a vision of God, says Holm
.
e have plan.s II convention speaker Jim Holm to.ld tiBut take us back before that, where we seek your face. Give us a fresh vi:sion of you."
That prayer oomina:ted Holm's three messages that fed delegates iram a vision of God through a vision for disciple ship and leadership.
Begoinning with Isaiah's encounter with God. in the temple, Holm reminded delegates why it is important to start with a vision of God before nlak ing plans.. f# God said to Isaiah, # iO, ( and he went. Why? B:ecause he had a vision of Good, JI HoJrn said. "For tsaiah, it was a vision that lasted a lifetime, and it will be Tor us as wen if we' seek the Lord."
Then Hahn eneour aged delegates to II ao as Jesus ctid't- and take seriously Jesus' comrnission to make disciples and teach people to obey aU he comman:ded.
"What we ought to do in the cnun:h is to teach people to practice what Jesus diet" Holm seidl explaining his vision of discipleship. Spiritual disciplines or exercises such as solitude, sHence, fasting., worship, celebration, and prayer produce Hkingdom people, 11 he said.
Holm also turned to a vision of Jesus as a:R example for calling out and training
n Jesus haa an eye Tor potential leaders," said Holm, recounti.ng how Jesus called fishermen and tax collectors to
Jim Holml' dean of students and di:rector of constituency relations at MB Biblical Seminary, chaUenged Pacific: District Con· ference delegates to seek a fresh vision of the Lord.
be his d'isci:ples.. ,/You and I look at people like that and say fisherman or tax collector. But Jesus looked always with an eye ror what God could d:o with this person. Jesus asked, IWhere's the leadership potential?'"
Holm also po:inte<.f out that when Jesus sent people out into ministry, he enco:uraged and affirrned their ministry.
"We are to be sendersJ Holm concluded. II As we keep our eyes ope:n for people, as we train and as w:e encourage them, we also need to ask, where do we send them ?" --CA
committee to rethink its proposal.
The executive committee presented an amendment for consideration that would give convention voting rights based on financial contributions to the PDC.
Currently, each church is invited to send one voting delegate per each 25 members as well as two additional voting delegates. The recommendation suggested amending bylaws by dividing churches into categories which reflected their giving. Those giving 50 percent of suggested conference norms or three percent of their local church annual budget income would be represented according to the current system. The bylaws would be amended to state that churches not meeting these requirements would be represented by only two voting delegates, regardless of size.
"What does it mean to have ownership without participation?" asked Eugene Enns, a member of the task force appointed to study the procedures of receiving churches into conference membership that authored the recommendation. As the task force struggled with that question, Enns said it was not their goal to suppress the ministry of the PDC or place a "guilt trip" on churches, but to address the need to encourage churches to participate in conference giving.
Delegates, however, noted that the recommendation could have other ramifications.
"There are extenuating circumstances which this recommendation does not take into account," said Loyal Funk, U.S. conference minister and director of Integrated Ministries. "This recommendation moves in the direction that places a premium on those 'economic haves' against those who are struggling to become 'economic haves.' I think we need to recognize that we have something systematically wrong when churches are not giving, but that should not be answered by a stratification that would de motivate full attendance at convention."
Several delegates stressed the Mennonite Brethren value on community and family and expressed concern that those churches that are struggling financially might be made to feel unequal or like outsiders.
"If how much I give dictates how much I belong," reflected Mary Elizondo, member of the Christian Education board and Hispanic Assembly and Coun-
Planters challenge home mission banquet goers
•. Banquet raises o'ver $201 000 for church planting efforts
' ,h.UfCh....
plant.:e.rs., c:n. Bneng e.d.' .397 flJ:eJe9.a.tes and guests to support church plant ef1iorts at the Pacific District Corrfetenceis annua:l home missions banquet.
Three church planters-Gabriel Espinoza of N:ew Harvest Center in Wasco; Ca:ljf., Kelly Cochrane of Ba:rkley HUls Conul1unity Church in Bellin:gharn, Wash., and Paul Robie of South Mountain Com:muo,ty Church in Draper, Utah,..shared thei:.r testirnonies of the struggles and rewards of planting churches.
Jim Ail<en1 pastor of Northwest Community Church in Bakerstleld, CaUf., reve:aled his own growth in evangelism asa church planter. "My wife and I J,earnecl the most effective way to share your faith, 11 Aiken told delegates. It Just do it. ti
The banquet pulled in $20,521 ,.84 in sup:port of thePO'C's 28 churches and flve progra:ms, most support:ed in fun or in part by the cUstrictts horne missions board:"s buaget. Eleven of these churches w:ere accepted into membersnip during the convention; 12 churches remain on subsidy with most of these ready to 'be proce'ssecl tor PD:C me:mbership in 2000. Fout churches acre belA:g ptanted in partnership withM:iss:ion USA, tne U.S. Conference church p:tanting and renewal m:in... istty.. -CA
cil, "then I don't feel like a member."
"The dual level of ownership is not the biblical model," said trustee Ken Neufeld. "I don't believe this would be the way to get the giving up."
Poppen thanked the delegates for their comments and noted the executive committee would review the proposal and decide whether or not to bring it to a vote at the next convention.
Other
business
Delegates also heard reports from the various ministries and conference leaders, including associate district minister Jose Elizondo and Fresno Pacific University. Elizondo reported that the Hispanic
Assembly and Council reached its 1987 goal of 30 new hispanic churches by 2000.
"All this was done by God through you," Elizondo told the delegates. "I believe it will be a vision to last a lifetime. It will not be forgotten. It will always be remembered."
FPU, an MB university, reported good attendance and enrollment will be capped for the first time next year. Two students also gave testimonies about the value of the university's education and student life.
Delegates also elected new board members and approved board reports. -CA
Cbu:rch planters (from the Gabriel Esp:inol8, Paul Robie and Kelly Cochrane shared tbeir experi,e,nces.
North Carolina churches meet together in Lenoir
• Conference focuses on church life and flood relief
Events at the 60th annual North Carolina District general conference covered the gamut-everything from reports on local church activities to a rousing sermon on new life in Christ to a decision to help in East Coast flood relief efforts. The NCDC conference was held Sept. 24-25, and was hosted by Laytown MB Church in Lenoir.
Church
life
Earl Yount, pastor of the West End MB Church in Lenoir, moderated the proceedings. In his opening remarks, Yount addressed the convention theme, "God's will, not ours." The theme was chosen to guide the district into the new millennium, said Yount. His text from 1 Samuel 15 emphasized the importance of obedience using a story of disobedience from the life of King Saul.
An ordination service was officiated by Yount and James Fox, NCDC district minister. Reggie Hunt was ordained as the NC youth pastor, Todd Williams as the new pastor of Darby MB Church in Ferguson and James Wilfons as the West End MB Church assistant pastor.
Delegates committed to equipping each leader with a copy of Following the Call, the leadership manual of the MB church produced by the General Conference Board of Faith and Life. Fox presented a seminar on the topic of church organizational structure with the manual as his resource and said the seminar would continue throughout the year.
Each of the six congregations, represented by two delegates and the pastors, reported membership information and told of their services for the year.
God's blessings
The Saturday evening message given by James L. Bunt, a pastor from WinstonSalem, N.C., brought the congregation to its feet, reported NCDC Terry Hunt. Using 2 Cor. 5:17 as his text, Hunt compared the Christian life to a dressing room.
"In every department store, there are dressing rooms that you have to take clothes into to try them on," said Hunt. "Also in each dressing room there are mirrors to see yourself.
"In God's dressing room you don't
Rev. Earl Yount, shown here preaching in West End Mennonite Brethren Church in Lenoir, N.C., moderated the gathering of North Carolina churches which met in Laytown MB Church in Lenoir.
have to bring any clothes in," said Hunt, "but you have to take some off-the old sin nature. In God's mirrors you do not see yourself. You see the reflection of Jesus."
Russell Schmidt, Asia program director for MBMS International, gave the Saturday morning message based on Matthew 24. Speaking from his own experience as a missionary to Thailand, Schmidt challenged the audience to consider how some Christians in other parts of the world suffer when they attend church services or even read their Bibles.
"This opened our eyes to how blessed we are by God to have the freedom to worship without suffering any threats of death or harm to our loved ones," said Terry Hunt.
Flood aid multiplied
Concern for their East Coast neighbors prompted a recommendation that the NCDC send $1,000 to aid those in need following hurricane flooding earlier this fall. The recommendation was approved and at that point a representative of Darby MB Church, the district's smallest congregation, indicated they could give an additional $500. Three other congregations-West End, Bushtown and Laytown-also committed to an additional $500, bringing the total to $3,000 for the flood victims. -From a report by Terry Hunt, pastor of Bushtown MB Church in Lenoir
Hispanic MBs gather for fellowship, inspiration
• Attenders celebrate reaching goal of 30 congregations by 2000
Times of praise, inspiration, and fellowship filled the agenda at Convention Annual Hispana 1999 when more than 130 individuals from hispanic Mennonite Brethren congregations met Oct. 29-31, at Oak Glen Christian Center near San Bernardino, Calif.
"Our purpose is to fellowship and get together," says Pacific District associate district minister Jose Elizondo. "It's an opportunity for churches to meet, to get to know each other."
A wide variety of activities incorporated the selected theme from Ephesians 5:16: "Aprovechando bien el tiempo porque los dias son malos" (Make the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil).
Fermin Garcia, Jr. served as the keynote speaker. Garcia and his father pastor a 4,000member church in Tijuana, Mexico.
, In his four messages, Garcia focused on the responsibilities of a Christian in the church. He also addressed the topic of evangelism.
"He asked us, 'Are we going about doing our own thing, or the will of God?'" says Elizondo. "The messages were real solid."
enjoyed roasting marshmallows
Another highlight came Sunday morning as attendees joined in the Lord's Supper. "It was a beautiful moment," says Elizondo. "We all came forward and formed a circle around the sanctuary. Then we shared in the Lord's Supper."
Elizondo says the weekend was very spiritually edifying. "There were times when you'd feel the presence of the Holy Spirit," he says.
Convention Annual Hispana meets annually in different regions of California to encourage participation from the hispanic churches of the Pacific District. Initially, the convention was held during the month of May. For the past two years, however, it has been held during October.
In 1987, the PDe included eight hispanic congregations and district leaders set the goal of growing to 30 hispanic congregations by 2000. "The Lord has fulfilled that goal, " says PDe associate district minister Jose Elizondo. "Today we have 30 hispanic churches in our district. "
Workshops were intended to offer encouragement and instruction. Topics included prayer, discernment of gifts and ministries in the church, formation of groups for growth, ministries for children and youth, and parenting, among others.
A presentation by several students from Fresno Pacific University, including a skit and personal testimonies, was a highlight of the weekend. The FPU students also accompanied approximately 25 young people from the convention to a bonfire, where they sang together and
"This year we did not have much response from the churches in the Central Valley [of California]," reports Elizondo. "It was too far, too inconvenient."
Changes for next year include meeting in closer proximity to the Central Valley and meeting in May.
"We want to mix it up," Elizondo says, "so others might come next year."
He also believes conflicts with the Pacific District Conference may limit participation. This year, the Convention Annual Hispana and Pacific District Conference convention were held on consecutive weekends.
"We need to emphasize just one at a time," he says.
Elizondo is encouraged by the growth of hispanic churches in the Pacific District. In 1987, the PDC included eight hispanic congregations and district leaders set the goal of growing to 30 hispanic congregations by 2000, says Elizondo. "The Lord has fulfilled that goal," says Elizondo. "Today we have 30 hispanic churches in our district." -Ellynne Wiebe
IN BRIEF
SOlD OUT: Record breaking sales wHI soon prompt a third printing of the recently revised Mennonite Brethren Confession of Faitn, says Michael Dick, Board of Resource Ministries eXE!<utive secretary. At the July General ConTerence Convention in Wichi Kan., delegates approved a 'fully revised coniession. In· conjunction with the publication of the new confession, Kindred Productions chaUe:Aged the churches to purchase a copy 'for each householcf-a cnarge apparently taken to he:art. In less· than a month 14,890 Confession of Faith booklets were sold. The first print run was 8#000 copies and within two weeks an agditional 8,00() copies were ord:ered. The cost per booklet as of Oct. 1T 1999, is $1 00. Copies can be ordered bycalHng 1-800..-545-7322. Kindred Productions is the MB pubUsh:i=ng rn:ini::stry in Canada and the u.s. and is overseen by SRM. (KP)
RELEASED: The Tabor College Center for MB Studies has recently publi:shed two books: the memoirs of former Tabor College president and denominati:onaJ mission executlve , A. E. Janzen and a Christian Leader A.E. Janzen's Memoirs: Each Step of the Way tndudes materia:1 relating to MB rnis sions, Tabor College and Mennonite Cen,.. tral Committee, in adaition to Janzen's personal hist9ry. The Christian Leafier Index 1937 1911 will prove helpful for researchJ says eMSS director Peggy Goertzen. It integrates subject and author headings into one tndex. Copies of both books can be purchased by corrtacbi:n=g eMSS at Tabor College, 400 S. Jefferson, Hillsboro; KS 67063 or by caUing 3:16-947-3 t21.
BOOKS: The Moscow Mennonite Center, a joint proj:ectof MBMS International, Mennonite Central Committee and the Cornrnis sion on Overseas Mission, recently expanded its Ubrary thanks to donati:ons 'from two Anaba:ptist publlshers, Faitn& life Press and Herald Press, and tbe help of a distributor of used Christian bOOKS. uQne of our m:ain tasks here in Moscow is to provide inrormation on Mennonite history, doctrinet and ethics for students, researchers and seeke:rs. Now we've rn ana ged to fiU quite a few gaps on our shelves," says Don". aJd Loewen, MB,MSI missionary and MMC dlreaor. Even though the books are printed 1n Engtish, Loewen reports younger people are fluent in English and that most Bible schools and sem+nades teach English so that their students can read theological books that have not yet been translated into Russian. (MBM8tj
It's official-MBBS joins ACTS
• Holm likens event to "a wedding celebration"
The official ceremonies Sept. 26-27 establishing MB Biblical Seminary-British Columbia as a member of the ACTS consortium of Trinity Western University were in many ways like a commencement-both the culmination of much hard work and the anticipation of future success.
MB theological education was first offered in British Columbia by MBBS in 1995 with the opening of the B.C. Centre. Courses primarily met at Columbia Bible College and in churches in the Fraser Valley and the Vancouver area. However, the church-based program never captured sufficient momentum to produce a sufficient number of pastors and church leaders, so negotiations began in earnest about two years ago about a change of direction.
Eventually, the BC Conference, MBBS and TWU leaders concluded that joining the Associated Canadian Theological Schools of TWU would be mutually beneficial, leading to the formal signing of documents at ACTS Sept. 27.
The ceremony, with the theme of "Partnership in Ministry," was planned by John Redekop, TWU professor and BC Conference leader. Participating in the ceremony was MBBS president
Dr David Ewert 'fa:r I:eft)., long,·time Mennon:ite Brethren educator, was awarded an honorary dodorate degree by MB Biblical Seminary Sept. 26 as part of the celebration of MBSS j:oining with the ACTS consortium of Trinity Western un:iversity in Iritish Iwertwas awarded thedegree by James Pankratz. academic dean of MBaSCalifo:rnia, John H. Redekop, 'Mil professor. a:nd H:enry J. Schmidt, president·o' MIlS. Ewert has taught at Coaldale Bi:bl:e School, Menn:.Rite Brethren Bible College f.or 25 years, including six as president; laste:rn Mennonite 5:eminaryr and M:BBS, where he taught a tota:lof nine years He has also been a visiting professor at 13 semi:naries and graduate schools on five continents
Many Mennonite Brethren, h:owever, know Ewert more as a preacher than professor. He has spoken to congreg:ations througbout the u.s. and canada, Brazil, Paraguay, Zambia, Kenya, So:malia, India, Switzerland,
Dr. Neil Snider (right), president of Trinity Western University, welcomes Dr. Henry J. Schmidt (left), president of MBBS, into the ACTS Seminaries consortium of TWU.
Henry Schmidt, Neil Snider, TWU president, Guy Saffold, ACTS coordinator and TWU executive vice president and Robert Friesen, moderator of the B.C. Conference.
A celebration of the event at Central Heights Church in Abbotsford, B.C., the previous day drew about 700 people. Jim Holm, MBBS dean of students and director of constituency relations, spoke at the Central Heights celebration, carrying the "partnership" theme even further:
"As I searched for a word to describe this ceremony, it seemed more like a wedding celebration than anything else," said Holm, "this linking of seminary part-
ners from Canada and the United States." The biblical story of Ruth provided Holm with the backdrop for his message.
In his remarks, Holm said the Seminary's decision to join ACTS crosses several borders.
"Our partnership together signals a new era-a new way for MBBS to help prepare men and women for leadership in this province and beyond," he said. "That we are meeting in a church today is no accident A seminary must be anchored in the church, and it is our intention to be so anchored."
Holm continued, "Christ is the center of his kingdom and how we work together-church and seminary, across national boundaries and denominational lines-will be extremely important. It will have kingdom implications."
A covenanting ceremony took place among the three current partners of ACTS, Trinity Western Seminary, Northwest Baptist Seminary, and Canadian Baptist Seminary, and the two new partners, MBBS-BC and Canadian Theological Seminary.
Schmidt, Friesen and Ike Bergen, B.C. Conference minister, also participated in France, Germany, Latvia, Russia and the Ukraine At the age of 76 he has no pla:As 10 a commissioning ceremony for the three slow down, with 60 lectures plus several initial staff members of MBBS-BC at p:reaching engagements scheduled before ACTS. Those professors are Bruce Guenthe end of 1999 in Europe. Ewert is also a "ther, assistant professor of history/theolprolific writer. Since 1967 he has written 17 f. ogy; Peter Enns, associate dean; and books, '0 scholarly articles, chapters in 12 Lynn Martens, office manager. -MBBS books by others, and about 200 articles for news release tb:e popular press. 'MBBS)
Momentous Decisions
Kinngdom Impact
DECISION #1
The board was unanimous. All said yes to MetroNet 2005 (twenty-o-five). The vision to plant 20 new churches in the next five years was affirmed. The cooperative -ministry of District church Planting Boards and MISSION SUA was now at a new level. It was a faith stretch, but there was absolute confidence that we were in sync with the agenda of the Lord of the church.
DECISION #2
When the MISSION USA Board (four years ago) selected Phoenix as a Target City, the wheels had been put in motion to envision the possibility of creating a new network of effective churches in this (TOP 10) fast growing city. As part of the strategic plan for MetroNet 2005, the MISSION USA Board affirmed MISSION Phoenix, a plan to plant five new churches in the Phoenix metroplex in the next five years.
DECISION #3
In order for the visions to have the support of adequate financial resources, a third decision was added. Having received the encouragement and blessing of the Board of Church Ministries (the U.S. Conference of MB Churches leadership board), the MISSION USA Board has begun the process of pursuing a Director of Development. We are anticipating that this person will join the MISSION USA Executive Director as part of the ministry team, and that he/she will focus specifically on the gathering of funds to support the vision.
Formal posting/advertising of the position will occur soon, but in the meantime, more information can be obtained from the MISSION USA office.
IMPACT
We have reason to believe that God is lining up the resources. Presently, we have, at our MISSION USA office, several active potential church planter files. It is conceivable that continuing process with these families could put them into church planting ministry within the next year or so.
MISSION USA is about finding lost people in the Jerusalems of our Nation and winning them into the family of God. We believe that the privilege of partnering in our districts to see 20 new healthy reproducing churches birthed in the next 5 years has the potential to give U.S. MBs a strong future.
We want to make it a priority agenda. Pray with us that God will direct our steps as we make plans.
MISSION USA BOARD:
Ed Boschman, Phoenix, AZ., Brad Klassen, Glendale, AZ
Chuck Buller, Visalia, CA. Nancy Laverty, Jones, OK
Phil Glanzer, New Hope, MN Fred Leonard, Clovis, CA
Joe Johns, Weatherford, OK Stephen Reimer, CA
loretto Jost, Aurora, NE
Randy Steinert, Bakersfield, CA
Tim Sullivan, Hillsboro, KS
Gory Wall, lodi, CA
Ex Officio Members: Henry Dick, Fresno, CA.
Clinton Grenz, Bismark, N.D. Bruce Porter, Fresno, CA
Roland Reimer, Wichita, KS. Clint Seibel, Hillsboro, KS
Jim Westgate, Fresno, CA
Conflict is inevitable, even among brothers andsisters in Christ. Using Scripture, church history and contemporary situations, this 40minute video providesohurches with ways to address oonflicts a:nd power struggles in their congtegations. Study gUide included.
For a free loan or to purchase this video for $38 Con./$25 U.S., contact your nearest MCe office. Pa. residents please include 6 % sales tax.
Mennonite Central Committee
Mennonite Central Oommittee 21 South 12th Street PO Box 500 Akron, PA 17501-0500 (717) 859-1151
food, funds to help storm victims in India
• MCC works with CASA
Mennonite Central Committee plans to send $322,000 in aid to help storm victims of the "super cyclone" that struck the eastern Indian state of Orissa Oct. 29.
The severity of the storm became apparent slowly and by mid-November the death toll was believed to be in the thousands-with fears that the deaths would perhaps be in the tens of thousands.
Many people are homeless after the storm, which generated winds of more than 160 miles per hour as it roared in from the Bay of Bengal. Three days of heavy rain followed. Many areas remained under water, said Ed Martin, MCC's Central and Southern Asia program director who visited India in November.
Partner agency CASA has requested MCC donate 1,000 metric tons of wheat for its "food-for-work" programs December to March. MCC will provide 500 metric tons of wheat through the Canadian Foodgrains Bank and will give $122,500 so CASA can purchase the remaining 500 metric tons in India. CASA stands for Churches' Auxiliary for Social Action; it is the relief arm of the Council of Churches in India based in Delhi.
CASA staff estimate the food-for-work program will employ 13,500 people for 15 days. Each person will earn about 11
pounds of food per day for their work cleaning up sand and debris that is silting up wells and fish ponds and littering fields. An additional four to five people-likely family members-would benefit from this food, so the program is expected to assist a total of 70,000 people. Total value of the 1,000 metric tons of MCC-donated wheat is $245,000.
Cyclone season, which lasts from about September to November, has been especially severe this year. The Oct. 29 cyclone was the second to hit Orissa in October. MCC workers in India are requesting an additional $77,000 so they can respond as they receive additional requests for help with water purification and other relief and rehabilitation efforts.
Earlier in October, areas in and around Calcutta were covered with two to four feet of water due to heavy rains and a government decision to release water from bursting dams. Drinking water became contaminated and waterborne diseases were feared. With local agencies, MCC is helping provide bleach and lime for water sources, water purification tablets, oral rehydration solutions, medications, tarps and food. MCC's contribution was $10,000.
MCC is a Christian world relief organization supported in part by Mennonite Brethren. For more information, visit www.mcc.org. -MCC news service
January 27th - February 6th, 2000
Leaders - Henry Jane Landes
days!
MCC rebuilds healthy communities in Central
America
• Central American countries rebuilding after last year's hurricane
Everywhere David Martin and Jim Hershberger go, they hear the same thing: "Thank you. You'll never know how much."
Martin hears it in places like Las Minas, Honduras, a small community of 70 homes, some of which were built with the help of Mennonite Central Committee work teams. And in Tuskru Tara, a small Nicaraguan community along the Coco River in northern Nicaragua, residents shake Hershberger's hand, thanking him.
Martin and Hershberger coordinate Hurricane Mitch reconstruction work for MCC in Central America: Martin in Honduras and Hershberger in Nicaragua. Hurricane Mitch, described as the worst natural catastrophe ever to hit Central America, struck a year ago leaving more than 20,000 dead and 2.8 million homeless across the region.
MCC and its partners in Central America underwent dramatic change and adaptation after Hurricane Mitch. Following the storm, MCC received contributions totaling nearly $ 5.1 million. MCC has helped finance the construction of nearly 1,000 homes in Central America in one year.
The MCC Honduras team grew from six members before the storm to 17. The
Nicaragua team, with nine workers before Mitch, today has 13. MCC and its partners are still working feverishly, as Martin put it, "to rebuild healthy communities."
At 89, Isabel Murillo is the oldest man in Las Minas. He speaks about the desperation he felt after the hurricane and the feelings of relief he and his neighbors now share.
"We're much better off here. We've moved our community away from the river. We have better homes: homes that will last and be safe," he says. "People are happier now, and I feel satisfied with what we have. I have a place to sit and think."
Unity, says Murillo, rebuilt this community. "The river took away our homes, members of our family. We feel close and unified because we worked together building homes with help from MAMA. That was the real help we received."
Mujeres Amigas Miles Apart (MAMA) coordinated the reconstruction in Las Minas, moving residents from the town's previous location along the river. A longtime partner of MCC, MAMA is an educational project operating schools and other educational programs in several communities outside San Pedro Sula in northern Honduras.
The Coco River wiped away Tuskru Tara, a village of some 150 homes on the
MCC worker Dionicio Acosta stands over a tributary of the Ulua River, which is well above flood stage. The river threatens nearby villages. A dike protecting the community of La Lima, which lines the river a couple of meters away from where this photo was taken, remains saturated from last years' floods following Hurricane Mitch. This year, water has seeped through the dike, flooding a portion of La Lima.
Nicaragua side of the river. The town and its people, trapped by the river, nearly faced extinction. And yet today, Tuskru Tara is again bustling with life.
Situated in a picturesque meadow surrounded by tall pines, 150 wood homes on pillars sprout upward among gently swaying field grass.
A new school is being built not far from the half-finished Catholic Church where Juan Gonzalez lays bricks for the altar. "Our community lives again. We were close to death but now we have churches and a school. Life is returning."
For two months, an MCC work-andlearn team assisted residents of Tuskru Tara with reconstruction. "They lived among us and helped a lot of people," says village midwife Isabel Poslee. "They really became a part of our community."
Working with Accion Medica Cristiana (Christian Medical Action), a Nicaraguan relief organization, MCC helped fund the construction of 138 homes, the installation of 200 latrines and several wells. AMC also provides supplies for the town clinic.
Poslee's husband, Ordonez, sits nearby eating lunch. His makeshift chair is a five-gallon bucket with a faded MCC sticker pasted to the side- a "hurricane bucket." The residents of Tuskru Tara received hundreds of buckets several weeks after the storm.
Poslee uses her family's bucket to haul water from one of the community wells.
"I apologize for not thanking you for that," she says. "I use it every day so I didn't think about it." -by]ohnM. Spidalieri, MCC Communications
Baptism/membership
REEDLEY, Calif.-Bob and Gerry Anderson, Nand Brandt, Jason Coombs, Tim and Melissa Fujioka, Louis and Pamela Tillis, Wendy Wakeman and Sarah Warkentin were welcomed into membership Oct. 31. Daniel Arzola, David Arzola, Jennifer Goossen, Kari Jost and Brianne Vogt were received as members Oct. 17.
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (Laurelglen)-Chris Addis, Jeff Christiansen, Stacey Christiansen, Jenna Haskins, David Hoffmann, Marie Hoffmann, Chuck Johnson, Beverly Johnson, Barbi Lapp, Brianna Lapp, Scott Rice, Mary Beth Scherr, Alan Schultz, and Kenneth Weldin were baptized Oct. 24.
GARDEN CITY, Kan. (Garden Valley)-Matthew Paxson, Tyler Prieb and Amanda Siebert were baptized Oct. 10.
DOWNEY. Calif. (Living Hope)-Kaila Aguero and Kevin George were baptized and welcomed into membership Sept. 19. Mike Halliday, Marion Kapalkoff, John Romero and Lupe Romero were also welcomed into membership Sept. 19.
RAPID CITY, S.D. (Bible Fellowship)-Ray and Gladys Lester, Mark Carda, Mike and Kristi Boock, Jean Pappas and Olivia Zantow shared their testi, mpnies and were baptized Sept. 19.
CLOVIS, Calif. (Mountain View Community)Frank Domingues, Ryan Hensen, Wil Martin, Amy Harris, Trista Streib, Amanda Lowen, Scott Copeland, Anthony and Corinna Stover, and Scott Tobiasen were baptized May 28.
NEWTON, Kan. (Koerner Heights)-Shawn Stobbe and Katie Funk were baptized April 4.
Fellowship
HILLSBORO, Kan. (Parkview)-The women's retreat Oct. 22-23 took place at Morning Star Ranch near Florence, Kan. Speaker Vickie Tabor of Wichita, Kan., talked about building relationships in a congregation, in the home and outside the family. The women also sang, made friendship angels and enjoyed nature trails.
VISALIA, Calif. (Neighborhood)-The chili and corn bread feed Oct. 10 was an all church event hosted by the Women of Worth organization from the congregation. The evening included a chili contest, dinner and entertainment.
Ministry
FAIRVIEW, Okla.-The youth group sponsored an evening rally Oct. 29 for community youth with Kim Fox who was a sophomore last year at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo. The next morning, Robin Fox, Kim's mother, shared her testimony at a women's brunch.
BLAINE, Wash. (Birch Bay Bible)-The congregation hosted the annual Northwest Pacific District Mini-Conference Oct. 24. The' program included
testimonies by several church planters.
DRAPER, Utah (South Mountain)-The congregation, an emerging church, is giving a 10 percent tithe of their offerings to help another church plant, BridgePoint Church of Apple Valley, Minn.
Teaching/Nurture
ENID, Okla.-Lynford Becker, MB Foundation vice president, gave a stewardship seminar Nov. 14. Topics included estate planning, wills and endowment funds.
SHAFTER, Calif.-The congregation hosted a family seminar Oct. 23 with guest speaker Theron Frieberg, pastor of family and discipleship ministries at Olive Knolls Church in Bakersfield. Topics such as sibling rivalry, family times, blended families and family outreach were discussed.
YALE, S.D. (Bethel)-In October the congregation began a small group ministry.
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (Russian Evangelical)-The congregation has recently begun a children's Bible school program. This required some remodeling and rebuilding of the lower level of their church building which had not been properly repaired following storm damage in 1998.
Workers
ONIDA, S.D. (Emmanuel)-Lavern Michael Patrick and his wife Marilyn recently began serving the congregation as pastoral couple. They have three children.
INDIAHOMA, Okla. (Post Oak)-Pastoral couple Steve and Marge Cutter have accepted a call to serve another Mennonite congregation in Oklahoma. They concluded their ministry Nov. 7.
MARSHALL, Ark. (Martin Box)-Robert and Sherry Martz resigned as pastoral couple for personal reasons and have returned to Indiana. Their plans are indefinite.
FAIRVIEW, Okla.-An installation service is planned Dec. 12 for senior pastoral couple Gary and Kathy Janzen. In October, Janzen visited the MB congregations in Uruguay with Miguel Forero, MBMS International program director for Latin America.
ENID, Okla.-Pastoral staff member Mike Miller was the guest speaker at the Tabor College Student Leadership Retreat held near the Hillsboro, Kan., campus the last weekend in October.
VISALIA, Calif. (Neighborhood)-Steve Harms has joined the pastoral staff as coordinator of young adult ministries. He and his wife Laura along with their three children moved from Atascadero, Calif., where they served with the Evangelical Free Church.
Deaths
BANIAS, BILL BURTON, Visalia, Calif., a member of the Neighborhood Church, Visalia, was born March 18, 1922, to Bill and Louise Banias at Anderson, Calif., and died Oct. 16, 1999, at the age of 77. On Nov. 12, 1946, he was married to Bernadine B. Bland, who survives. He is also survived by two sons, Bill III and wife Sangi of Quebec, and Bruce and wife Pattie of Beavercreek, Ohio; one brother, George Banias of Okinawa, Japan; and three grandchildren.
FOTH, DOROTHY BERTHA HAMM, Hillsboro, Kan., a member of the Hillsboro MB Church, was born January 11, 1925, to Edward and Bertha Hamm in Marion County, Kan., and died Oct. 10, 1999, at the age of 74. On January 26, 1942, she was married to Walter H. Foth, who predeceased her. She is survived by two sons, Keith of Enterprise, Kan., and Lowell and wife Corrine of Hillsboro; two daughters, Jane White of Encampment, Wyo., and Nancy Luther of Salina, Kan.; four brothers, Ted, Delbert, Duane, all of Hillsboro, and Marvin of Wells, Kan.; two sisters, Florence Hett and Elma Klein both of Hillsboro; ten grandchildren, and three great grandchildren.
FRANTZ, GARY W., Hillsboro, Kan., a member of the Parkview MB Church, Hillsboro, was born Dec. 23, 1939, to Abraham and Ida Frantz at Hillsboro, Kan., and died Oct. 21, 1999, at the age of 59. On Nov. 5, 1960, he was married to Marcella Wichert, who survives. He is also survived by two sons, Dennis of Hillsboro and Stan and wife Kim of Lawrence, Kan.; his mother, Ida; three brothers, Vernon and wife Barbara of Rose Hill, Kan., Lauren and wife Brenda of Andover, Kan., and Mike and wife Marge of Elgin, 111., five brothersin-law, Harold and wife Anita of Hooker, Okla., Cecil and wife Betty of Topeka, Kan., Wayne and wife Evelyn of Basehor, Kan., Chet and wife Carole of Lakewood, Colo., and Larry and wife Edie of Kremlin, Okla.; and three grandchildren.
FRANZ, RUTH SUDERMAN, Hillsboro, Kan., a member of the Hillsboro MB Church, was born Nov. 24, 1905, to John and Mary Nickel Suderman at Hillsboro, Kan., and died Oct. 21, 1999, at the age of 93. On Aug. 5, 1928, she was married to Jacob E. Franz, who predeceased her. She is survived by two sons, Ray and wife Aldina of Hillsboro and Richard and wife Edith of Brentwood, Tenn.; four daughters, Eloise and husband John Faul of Denver, Colo., Elaine Franz of York, Maine, Carrol and husband Ervin Ediger of Hillsboro, and Judy and husband Paul Classen of Newton, Kan.; one brother, Monroe Suderman and wife Ruth of Conroe, Tex.; one sister, Ruby Schlichting of Midland, Tex.; 14 grandchildren and 17 great grandchildren.
REGIER, ELDON, Newton, Kan., a member of the Koerner Heights Church, Newton, was born Feb. 3, 1940, to Willard H. and Olga Regier at Newton, and died Oct. 13, 1999, at the age of 59. He was married to Della G. Classen, who survives. He is also survived by three daughters, Janene
Freerksen of Topeka, Kan., Jeanette Regier of Belton, Mo., and Dristine Edgren of Newton; one sister, Lois Wiens of Newton; two brothers, Bob Schmidt of Newton and Duane Schmidt of Paoli, Ind.; and four grandchildren.
SCHIMKE, OTTO RUBEN, Lodi, Calif., a member of the Vinewood Community Church, Lodi, was born Sept. 15, 1913, at Harvey, N.D., and died July 20, 1999, at the age of 85. In 1938, he was married to Lenoa Graumann, who predeceased him in 1972. In 1973, he was married to Ruby Bender, who survives. He is survived by two sons, Glenn Schimke and Ken Schimke; one daughter, Eileen DeMaggio; 12 grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren.
SUDERMAN, LOIS MARGARET WIENS, Windom, Minn., a member of the Carson MB Church, was born March 24, 1930, to Isaac and Nettie Friesen Wiens, and died Nov. 5, 1999, at the age of 69. On Jan. 26, 1952, she was married to Jean Suderman, who survives. She is survived by two daughters, Elaine and husband Eric Goedde of Valley Center, Kan., and LaVonne and husband Joe
MEDA war
Blowers of Portland, Ore.; one son, Dwight and wife Danielle of Moundridge, Kan., and eight grandchildren.
THIESSEN, BERTHA KIM, Buhler, Kan., of the Buhler MB Church, was born Dec. 5, 1905, to Emil and Elise Booz Kim in Harvey County, Kan., and died Oct. 8, 1999, at the age of 93. In 1933, she was married to Nicholai Jennings Thiessen, who predeceased her in 1941. She is survived by one son, Dale and wife Janice; one sister-in-law and one grandchild.
WIENS, ALMA REMPEL, Fresno, Calif., a member of the Butler MB Church of Fresno, was born Feb. 14, 1917, to Jacob and Eva Sawatzky Rempel at Jansen, Neb., and died Sept. 24, 1999, at the age of 82. On May 8, 1943, she was married to Leo Wiens, who survives. She is also survived by three sons, Roger and wife Carmen, Gerald and wife Joan, and Eugene; one daughter, Bonnie and husband Grayson Piepgrass; three brothers, Henry, Albert, and Harry; four sisters, Frieda Ewert, Helen Toews, Sally Skinner and Viola Harper; seven grandchildren and one great grandchild .•
5
Somphone, aSoutheast Asian refugee, spent many years on welfare. Today he has athriving landscaping business in Fresno, CA. What happened to change his life? "I discovered the joy of work," he says.
Somphone got the business training he needed from DREAM, aMEDA-supported business development program in Fresno. Now he has asteady clientele and has hired ahelper.
Helping people "wake up" to the joy of work is a goal of MEDA. Since 1993 MEDA has helped hundreds of low income people in North America start or grow their own businesses. $1,700 provides business training for one person-an investment multiplied many times when businesses are started and people are hired.
Clearinghouse
Have a position to fill? Looking for a new employment or ministry opportunity? Have a gathering or celebration to promote? Rea(h 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. MB institutions advertising vacancies or position announcements may be eligible for a no-cost ad. Contact the editor for more information.
EMPLOYMENT-CHURCH
College & CareerNouth Minister
Responsrbilities include providing spiritual and pastoral leadership to the 250 regular attendees of the college/career ministry; teaching on a weekly basis to the college/career group; providing training for the college/career leadership team; overseeing the junior and senior youth ministries; mentoring, supervising and training salaried youth staff. Applicants require at least 5 years experience in college/career or youth ministry and a bachelor degree in a related field of study. Must be in agreement with the MB Confession of Faith and able to work within the context of the pastoral team and church as a whole. Forrest Grove Community
Director of Library Services
Columbia Bible College is an accredited evangelical Anabaptist Bible College in British Columbia, Canada, with a student body of about 350 and a library collection of about 40K. Our library facility was built in 1992. The Catalogue system is computerized and available via the Internet.
• Qualifications include Masters Degree in Library Science; theological education and knowledge of Anabaptist theology and history preferred; agreement with Columbia's Mission and Confessional statements; willingness to be a member of sponsoring conference church; several years experience in upper level library administration; and a service orientation.
• For a copy of job description or other documents, please contact Dr. Ron Penner at Columbia Bible College, 2940 Clearbrook Road, Abbotsford, BC V2T 2Z8; phone (604) 853-3567 #316; fax (604) 853-3060; rpenner@columbiabc. edu; Web site www.columbiabc.edu.
• Please forward resume to attention of Dr. Ron Penner by Dec. 15, 1999, although we will accept resumes until post is filled. Starting date of Spring 2000 preferred.
Church is a congregation of approximately 1000 and is a member of the Canadian Conference of MB Churches. Resumes may be sent by mail, fax or e-mail to: Pastoral Search Committee, Forest Grove Community Church, 502 Webster Street, Saskatoon, SK - Canada S7N 3P9; fax (306) 249-4464; e-mail fgcc@ sk.sympatico.ca; or call senior pastor Harry Strauss at (306) 933-2266.
Church planter
Waterloo MB Church seeks candidates for the position of Church Planter. We are committed to reaching our local community for Christ by planting a multicultural church with a heart for the poor. Send resumes to: Greg Reed, Discernment Team Chairperson, 140 Frobisher Drive, Unit B, Waterloo, ON, Canada N2V 1Z8; e-mail greed@youthmission.org; Web site http://www.waterloomb.org/plantlDefault.htm
EMPLOYMENT-RETIREMENT COMMUNITY
Administrator
Dallas Retirement Village, the premier retirement community in Dallas, Ore., has an exciting opportunity for an experienced Licensed Nursing Home Administrator. We are seeking an individual with proven leadership in directing the activities of a Medicare certified nursing facility. If you have excellent communication, supervisory and teambuilding skills to lead our motivated team of professions committed to service excellence, we would lik.e to talk to you. Send your resume, with salary history to: Dallas Retirement Village, Attention: Executive Director, 340 NW Brentwood Ave., Dallas, OR 97338 .•
HILLSBORO MENNONITE BRETHREN CHURCH IS SEARCHING FOR A
SENIOR PASTOR
with leadership, teaching and preaching gifts for a nurturing congregation having:
• average weekly attendance ofmore than 500
• multiple pastoral staff
•a desire for transforming worship, local outreach & worldwide ministry
• opportunities with Tabor College
If prompted, send your resume to: Pastoral Search Committee Daryle Baltzer, chm. 104 S. Washington Hillsboro, KS 67063 1999 Christian Leacler
Due to the amount of news coverage, tne annual index will not appear in this issue. Look for it next issue of tile Leader.
LET'S TALK ABouT IT
A GUIDE FOR GROUP INTERACTION
SESSION 1: Through the eyes of a child
Based on "Through the eyes of a child," page 4
GET READY-Getting started
• Share a favorite Christmas program memory.
GET SET-Examining the issues
1. Why is it important that we humble ourselves and become like little children?
2. What are some reasons we sometimes grumble instead of wonder?
3. What are some of the suggested wonders of Jesus' birth and life?
GO-Applying ideas to the way we live
1. What does it mean to live in wonder and awe of God?
2. What are some personal examples of the wonder of God's love and grace you have experienced recently?
3. How can we increase our sense of wonder as adults and how can we continue to encourage it in children?
SESSION 3: Reason for the season
Based on "Reason for the season?" page 14
GET READY-Getting started
• When do you first begin to make so called Christmas preparations?
GET SET-Examining the issues
1 What aspects of Jesus' life do the Scripture emphasize most?
2. Why have some people throughout history refused to celebrate Christmas?
3. How might Jesus view our Christmas frenzy?
GO-Applying ideas to the way we live
1. Would you agree that all the Christmas hype tends to "entertain the meaning right out of Christmas"?
2. In light of Wiebe's article, are there things about our Christmas celebrations you think should change?
3. Are there specific ways our congregations can address the three modern factors?
SESSION 2: Jesus and Herod
Based on "Jesus and Herod: two kinds of kings, " page 8
GET READY-Getting started
• Identify a situation to which you would like to apply "peace on earth."
GET SET-Examining the issues
1. How does Grimsrud answer his question "why did Jesus' way of life lead to such conflict"?
2. What contrasts do you see between Herod and Jesus?
3. How did Jesus show that "scarcity is an illusion"?
4. What does Grimsrud mean by the statement, "When we assume scarcity, we simply don't know the generosity of God for what it is."
GO-Applying ideas to the way we live
1. What are some conflicts in which you see the need for God's mercy?
2. How do we know if we are truly trusting in God's provision for our needs?
3. What is something you are most afraid to lose?
4. What is one way in which you can share out of your abundance this Christmas?
SESSION 4: Giving yourself away
Based on "Try giving yourself away, " page 16
GET READY-Getting started
• What's the best gift you have received that money couldn't buy?
GET SET-Examining the issues
1. What gifts does Buschman suggest have been most meaningful to her and why?
2. What makes gifts most valuable to the giver and the one who receives?
3. How do those reasons relate to the gifts we receive from God?
GO-Applying ideas to the way we live
1. In your opinion, what is the best and worst of gift giving?
2. How could you "give yourself away" this Christmas?
3. What is one gift, such as the gift the grandpa gave to the children in Sunday school, that you could give to your church?
