February 1998

C H R 1ST I AN

FIRST WORDS .•• from the editor

IT'S EASY to compartmentalize our "Sunday life" from our "Monday life " Issues of doctrine and faith we discuss at church sometimes seem so far removed from the gritty realities of our employment. The role of the Holy Spirit seems like a more appropriate topiC for church than the role of our business's tax accountant - even though the latter may be absorbing far more of our immediate attention

In our lead article, Wally Kroeker tries to strengthen the connection between church and marketplace by encouraging pastors to be bridge builders between the two. How would the church's approach to the work-world change if pastors saw it as their members' most significant opportunity for ministry? Wally, a former editor of this magazine, offers a few provocatIve suggestions.

Following that, Alan Kauffman reminds us of the freeing power of grace. We readily acknowledge the role God's grace plays in our salvation, but we aren't always aware of the role grace plays in our daily walk with God. Here's a teaser from his article : "With the Spirit of God alive and working in us, we are now free to do whatever we want!"

In BodyLife, we have several stories you'll fmd encouraging. In the second installment of a series of congregational proftles we're calling "Churches on the growing edge," Connie Faber tells the remarkable story of the newly named Memorial Road MB Church in Oklahoma City (page 16). Sometimes building a new facility can rip a church apart . Here's a-case where it instilled new vision and vigor.

You'll also want to read about our new Mission USA church plant in Phoenix (page 21), an Oklahoma congregation's experience with death and transition (page 22), and a worship ministry that's uniting youth and adults in a rural Kansas community (page 24).

We think you'll be encouraged by these stories. We know we were. -DR

COMING

• FEBRUARY 22, 1998-"Peace Sunday " for U S. Conference churches .

• MARCH 13-15, 1998-Annual meeting of U S Conference boards, Phoenix, Ariz.

• MARCH 15, 1998-First public worship service of Copper Hills Community Church, the new Mission USA church plant in Phoenix, Ariz

• JULY 17-20, 1998-U.S Conference biennial convention, LaMirada, Calif.

The ministry of a church can be revolutionized when pastors and membeers realize that ministry for most people begins "out there" in the workaday world. BY WALLY

Despite knowing that faith in Christ sets us free, many of us are tempted to use it to control others. We need to hear Paul's message again: We are free indeed! BY ALAN KAUFFMAN

How well do we address "service"?

• PROFILE: Memorial Road MB Church 16

• Copper Hills is taking root in Phoenix 21

• Tulsa church faces tough transitions 22

• Worship ministry grows in Hillsboro, Kan. 24

• Confession of Faith: Article 4 on 'Evil and Sin' 26

• Floods ravage Peru again 28

• Church notes 29

• Deaths 30

ART CREDITS: Cover and pages 4-7, Skjold Photographs; pages 9 and 10, CLEO Photography; pages 16- 19, Jeanie & Perry Klaassen and Nancy Laverty; pages 22 and 23, Parkside MB Church; pages 24 and 25, leader photos by Sarah Donahue.

BOARD OF COMMUNICATIONS : Noe lle Dickinson, chair; Phi l Neufeld, Dal t on Reimer, Herb Schroeder, Kathy He inrichs Wiest

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W H EN THE AR TPLACE BECOMES INISTRY

The church can boost its impact by helping members recognize a ministry ((out there" BY

WALLY KROEKER

N HIS BOOK, THANK GOD, IT'S MONDAY, WILLIAM DIEHL DESCRIBES an unusual church. Above every door leading out is a sign saying "Servant's Entrance." The signs are on the inside, precisely where most buildings would have a sign saying "Exit." The signs bear an important message: the real ministry of the church is not "in here" but "out there."

Diehl goes on to lament that in his 30-year professional career as sales manager for Bethlehem Steel his church never suggested to him that there should be any type of accounting of his onthe-job ministry to others.

"My church has never once offered to improve those skills which could make me a better minister, nor was I ever asked if I needed any kind of support in what I was doing. There has never been an inquiry into the types of ethical decisions I must face, or whether I seek to communicate my faith to my coworkers. I have never been in a congregation where there was any type of public affirmation of a ministry in my career. In short, I must conclude that my church really doesn't have the least interest in whether or how I minister in my daily work. "

Religious language and structures often suggest the work of the church is what goes on within the walls of the meetinghouse. When Christians talk of "lay ministry" they often mean lay involvement in liturgy . Paul Stevens, in Liberating the Laity, says there are two types of lay

ministers, one in the world and one in the church. He calls these Type A and Type B, or outward and inward laypersons. The outward types are those who see their career as the "church in dispersion." Inward types are essentially voluntary clergy who are more concerned about the "church gathered." Church members get plenty of help with what Stevens calls "come structures" -lay ministry training that teaches members to encourage others to "come and hear" or "come and see." What is also needed, he suggests, is "go structures" which dispatch Christians into the world to be the presence of the kingdom.

This, of course, means more than having a Bible in the lunch kit or witnessing verbally to coworkers. Christians who want to bear Christ's image to a needy world, an image of compassion, justice and redemption, will need more "go structures " to send them confidently into their places of work where they spend the bulk of their waking hours That's where most Christians actually "confront the powers" (competition, conflict, injustice, to name a few).

This kind of emphasis would, in Stevens's words, help thaw out "the frozen assets of the church," for if we are always focusing inward on a congregational or even denominational program, a large resource is left paralyzed, hanging suspended in a block of ice.

John H. Redekop, writing in Faith Today, says the average worker spends 40 percent of his or her time on the job, and the average Christian spends less than 2 percent of his or her time at church during the working years. Yet the church pours most of its energies and finances into the 2 percent, directing almost nothing at the 40 percent.

Agrowing "ministry of daily life" movement is calling Christian workers to understand their work as part of mission . How can Christian educational institutions, including seminaries, encourage this movement? Seminaries, for instance, strive to equip ministers for local church ministry.

Less clear is the extent to which they also encourage emerging pastors to understand the ministry of the church as something "out there ," and not only as the liturgical activity of the congregation within the confines of the church building. By training pastors to equip working folk for "ministry in dispersion, " they can further thaw the assets of the church so that all workers - blue-collar, professional and businesspeople -

By training pastors to equip working folk for "ministry in dispersion, " they can further thaw the assets of the church so that all workers - blue-collar, professional and businesspeople - see themselves as vital parts of the kingdom thrust.

see themselves as vital parts of the kingdom thrust.

While business and the church are not as polarized as they once were, they are not as close as they could be in the common pursuit of kingdom goals . Many clerics still regard the contribution of the business community primarily as a cash cow to fund church programs. Fewer are able to encourage business folk to infuse their world of work with the mind of Christ.

A survey a few years ago showed that businesspeople in general ranked clergy ninth, behind even "no one," when asked whom they consult in making decisions about business (including , presumably, those decisions having to do with ethics) . While serving as business department chair at Eastern Mennonite University, John W. Eby conducted a similar survey and found that only 9.4 percent of the businesspeople in his community would consult their pastors in dealing with financial difficulties "That says something ah0ut our relationship to the church, " Eby wrote . It

also says something about the church's relationship to business."

Pastors are often accused of not understanding the role of capital, return on risk, and the pressure of meeting a payroll in a competitive economy. Businesspersons are accused of being individualistic and unsympathetic to persons who cannot make money

The reasons for these differences are myriad. One is that pastors and businesspeople often have basic differences in worldview. Their varying goals are not always equally measurable by the same yardstick (i.e., profit/ loss statements, kingdom values) . Pastors may be more comfortable with "process" while businesspersons may be more interested in measurable results.

Pastors with a keen concern for biblical justice may speak the language of "wealth redistribution," while a businessperson with a concern for justice may speak of "wealth creation " A businessperson may disdain the dependency generated by "charity," preferring instead to alleviate

poverty through the use of "productive capital."

How can pastors be encouraged to feel more comfortable in the world of the workplace, which is often their parishioners' most significant social reality? How can prospective pastors be encouraged to get to know their parishioners in the context of their work? Ministers are often taught how to make hospital visits, but how about workplace visits? Ministers learn liturgies for weddings and funerals; could they also learn liturgies to commission Christian teachers, plumbers, lawyers and business folk?

Affluent business folk are naturally expected to contribute generously to church coffers and to serve on boards of trustees and building committees. But must their contribution stop there? Many businesspeople do not in fact make their best contribution in the "money areas" of congregationallife. Indeed, many pastors complain that business folk who are reputed to be innovative "risk-takers" in business can be stubbornly conservative when they sit on a church board.

Businesspeople may have other things to offer, such as the ability to evaluate and motivate

Ten ways to support ministry in the workplace

WHERE IS the church on Tuesday? Do our church members view themselves as agents of the kingdom of God where they work? How can a congregation better affirm and mobilize its pewsitters in ministry within their jobs? Here are 10 ideas for a church to serve its members :

1. Dedicate or commission members from various industries on a given Sunday. One option is to design worship on Labor Day around the responsibilities and positions your members have Monday through Friday

2. Include intercession and/or thanksgiving for key

industries. Pray for particular difficulties such as a downturn in business, a strike, disaster or a major challenge it might be facing .

3. Clergy should visit members at work. just as they visit the sick. bereaved or homebound. This will enlighten and enrich their counseling and preaching, while affirming members.

4. Study workplace issues in Sunday school. study groups. seminars or evening institutes. Some could be formed around specific industry groups (educators, managers, government work, health care, law and justice,

manufacturing, retailing, etc.) while others could be around workplace responsibilities (supervision, finance, administration, sales, ethics, philanthropy, management, leadership, etc.).

5. Develop small groups around workplace affinities in industries or responsibilities. These could meet for breakfast, happy hour, weekends or even within the Sunday school time for prayer, accountability, encouragement, study, case studies and problem solving. Pastors could attend as advisors and learners

6. Sponsor employment helps - such as a career guidance event, a job hunting and availability bulletin board, a care group for the unemployed or transitioning members, or internships for young people at members' places of work .

7. Feature news about members' work in the church

Pastors are often accused of not understanding the role of capital, return on risk, and the pressure of meeting a payroll in a competitive economy. Businesspersons are accused of being individualistic and unsympathetic to persons who cannot make money.

staff, coordinate resources and set goals.

On the other hand, some pastors may become so enamored of business that they fall into the "let's be businesslike" syndrome. TItis is often most visible when a congregation's outreach plans become market driven . "Let's give the people what they want" may produce temporary numerical growth but carries the danger of diluting the gospel and turning the church into a religious supermarket. There is often a fine line between

newsletter or bulletin.

S. Sponsor special events about the workplace and faith development - such as seminars, mini retreats or workshops on various themes about work

9. Equip the church library or resource center with helps on work and faith connections. Good books on the subject include The Monday Connection by William Diehl (Harper Collins, 1993); Liberating the Laity by R Paul Stevens (InterVarsity Press, 1985) and Faith Dilemmas for Marketplace Christians, by Ben Sprunger, Carol Suter and Wally Kroeker (Herald Press, 1997).

10. Do a sermon series on workplace themes from the Bible. It could be profiles of various people (Lydia in the clothing trade, Daniel, Deborah or Joseph in government, Nehemiah and Ezra in construction) or feature various themes and issues such as

money, power, ethics, witness, management, service, conflict, etc.

We need to help the church function seven days a week. Our members are the delivery system for the kingdom's salt and light. The recognition and support of the workplace ministry of our people is a challenging and rewarding venture that deserves all the affirmation, understanding and guidance we can muster. •

Excerpted from "The Salt and Light Delivery Company, " by Pete Hammond (Nov/Dec. 1995, The Marketplace, Mennonite Economic Development Associates) Hammond directs the Marketplace Division for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship; he is the keynote speaker at Equip '98, a seminar on faith and work sponsored by MB Biblical Seminary, Fresno, Calif., March 5-7.

good church management and selling out to consumer forces , and prospective ministers need enough business savvy to know the difference. Is seminary the place to cultivate this savvy?

Curricula are already crowded at most seminaries, and there are endless add-ons that special interest groups could request. Nonetheless, perhaps room could be found for a seminary course on economics and finance , covering macroeconomic issues as well as congregational and even personal finances

Equipping the laity is theme of MBBS conference

WHEN HE LEFT his first church after seven years of pastoral ministry, Ray BYstrom scored himself "a 'D' or T" in terms of his contribution to that congregation.

"People repeatedly asked for help in connecting faith to their daily lives," says Bystrom, who left a teaching position at Vancouver's 'Regent College to take his first pastorate in a Canadian Mennonite Brethren church "I thought I was doing that, but on reflection I realized Bystrom that I hadn't done a very good job."

He vowed to reverse that at his next church. "In everything I did I tried to find a way to focus on the everyday life of the person in the pew," he says . "In teaching and preaching I tried to find biblical perspectives that would help people at work, school and in the home. I wanted to help people see that they had an important mini stry outside the church from Monday t o Saturday "

Interest in helping people minister in their everyday lives has led Bystrom, now associate professor of pastoral

Pastors can't be expected to become familiar with all the trades and professions in their churches. But they can realize that for most of their members, ministry doesn't end with the Sunday morning benediction. That's really where it begins. •

Wally Kroeker, former editor of the Christian Leader, is now editor of The Marketplace, published by Mennonite Economic Development Associates.

ministry at MB Biblical Seminary According to Pete Hammond, find(MBBS), to organize a March 5-7 con- ing ways to build bridges between ference for pastors called "Equip '98 what happens on Sunday and what Doing Church Differently : With and happens the rest of the week is high on Through the Laity Where They Live, the agenda for many North American Work and Play " Christians today Unfortunately, he The conference features keynote says, the church isn't doing a good job speaker Pete.l=lammor:ld-Qf- Inter.:var-si- Qf GooneGtir:19-tf:le two. "Ninety-nine ty's Marketplace Division. Other speak- percent of the church spends 60 perers include Randy White of InterVarsity, cent of its energy at their places of author of the book Journey to the Cen- work and with family. How well does ter of the City; Wally Kroeker, editor of the kingdom of God connect with work The Marketplace, published by and family today? Quite poorly, it is sad Mennonite Economic Develop- to say." ment Associates; and Bystrom Hammond thinks that an old way of

One of the things that thinking about how to do church is Bystrom did differently in his keeping Christians from being effective second church was visit his in ministry to their friends, neighbors members at work "For most and colleagues. "We've compartmentalpeople, this was a totally new ized ministry into things that professionexperience; they had never had al clergy do and things that the rest of a pastor visit them in their us do," he says. "But we're all called to workplace before " For be ministers not just paid clergy or misBystrom, the visits offered a window sionaries." into the worlds of his members . "It Failure to break out of these boxes helped me learn more about their daily will be very harmful for the church, he lives, how they were struggling to find believes If people don't find that the ways to connect their faith and work," message of the church is connecting he says with their everyday lives, "they will vote

Bystrom also created a display in the church foyer which contained a city map which showed where members worked and lived "The display raised awareness about where we spent most of our ti me representing Christ out of chur ch, at work and in our homes ."

with their feet," he says.

"The witness of the church is absolutely dependent on the laity," he says "Setting them free to be ministers in their everyday life is the work of the church."

For more information about Equip '98, contact MBBS at 1-800-251 -MBBS

CHRISTIAN FREEDOM

With the Spirit of God alive and working in us, we a re free to do whatever we want!

BY ALAN KAUFFMAN

F ALL THE PASSIONATE, ongoing struggles the Christian church has had throughout the centuries, the debate over how to properly respond to the gift of God's grace is like a bare wire-sparks fly, emotions flare up, and religious fervor flames. Like a close-knit family that suddenly becomes warring factions over the free gift of an extravagant inheritance, the family of God continues to battle over how to properly respond to God's free gift of extravagant grace.

Many of the problems addressed in the New Testament epistles were rooted in perverted responses to God's grace. One such response was legalism, which Paul angrily attacks in his letter to the Galatian churches. A brief survey of Paul's New Testament letters reveals a Galatian letter that is unenviably unique . Galatians is Paul's only letter without an expression of thanksgiving . The church had responded to grace legalistically, leaving Paul thankless . By contrast, Paul thanked even the Corinthians, whom I've often imagined were the most problematic of all of Paul's converts. Paul's thanks came "because of his [God's] grace given [them] in Christ]esus " (1 Cor. 1:4, NlV) Despite all their problems, Paul could still thank the Corinthiansperhaps because many of their problems grew out of trying to take God's grace to heart and to

short of the glory of God by sinning. If keeping the laws and rules was the way to establish and maintain a rela-

"When men tionship with God, it would always be a superficial relationship. It could never be an intimate relationship; sin would always create an impassable barrier between us and God. and women get their hands on religion, one of the first things they often do is

turn it into an instrument for controlling others, either putting them or keeping them 'in their place. "'

express it in new and fresh ways. In some cases these expressions of grace proved to be culturally unacceptable, requiring Pauline reproof.

But the Galatian response to grace was different; it left Paul thankless but not speechless. Paul had to respond, for he knew where this legalistic response to grace would lead them. He had been there himself. Paul knew what it was to be bound tight, suffocated, and mummified by religion. Paul had grown up a Jew. He had been drilled in the Old Testament law and the traditions of Judaism by one of the most brilliant and honored scholars of his day, Gamaliel. Paul likely knew every "thou shalt" and "thou shalt not" there was to know. He had zealously attempted to live his life so as to dot every "i" and cross every "t." It was a demanding and rigid life with no room for flexing-a straitjacket religion.

And then one day, on his way to silence more of those wayward religiOUS folks in Damascus, Paul (who was then Saul) met and experienced Jesus. His life was radically converted from suffocating to breathing in new life; from mummified to totally free; from blindness to scale-free eyes that could really see.

In the days and weeks that followed, Paul became convinced that we can do nothing to save ourselves; one is saved by God's grace alone. With his new eyes, Paul realized that all the laws in Judaism would save no one. They were lifeboats full of holes , because humanity would always fall

But when he discovered God's grace and the freedom that comes in not needing to perform, Paul discovered that we are acceptable to God only because God has first freely accepted us and not because we have finally cleaned up our act enough to make ourselves presentable to the Holy One. After having experienced the rigid restrictions of Judaism and then discovering God's grace, Paul's response to his new life in Christ must have closely resembled the nowfamous line of Martin Luther King Jr., "Free at last, free at last, thank God I'm

free at last!"

And what Paul experienced, he proclaimed. He took his freedom message to places like Corinth, Ephesus, Philippi, Rome, and Galatia, preaching and teaching the wonderful message of grace that had embraced him: "Throw off the shackles of the 'thou shalts' and the 'thou shalt nots;' escape from the confines of culture; be free of the fear of failure."

In Galatians 5:1, Paul writes, "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand fum, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." In other words, Christ has set us free from the crushing weight of the law. Freedom in Christ through God's grace was at the heart of the gospel message that Paul preached.

Ad most of Paul's churches embodied this freeing grace of God. But the Galatian hurches were different. Sometime after Paul left Galatia, some religiOUS leaders (likely Jews who had become Christians) moved in and questioned Paul's views and his authority. They introduced a Jewish·Christian theology-a gracelaw mix. And they quickly herded all these freedom-loving Christians back into the corral of religious rules and regulations

Maybe they said things like this: "You gullible Galatians! How could you ever fall for Paul and his magical sounding message of 'all-grace-and-nolaw'? Don't you see what he's doing? He's a people-pleaser, just trying to get a following so he can

raise some funds for the churches in Jerusalem. Who wouldn't like a guy who comes waltzing into town with a cheap watered-down version of God's demands?"

It must have made a pretty convincing argument, especially since Paul was not around to refute it. Slowly but surely the wave of legalistic preaching and teaching eroded away the gracefilled living; the Galatian churches began succumbing to a shackled, tightly bound, straitjacket religious mix of legalistiC grace. The Galatian church became a Christian embryo encased in a thick shell of Jewish legalism. And, to borrow an idea from C. S. Lewis, "You cannot go on indefinitely being an ordinary egg-you must either hatch or go bad."

With the shell of Jewish legalism enveloping this YOll1lg Christian embryo, Paul did not have much time to act. The Galatians were either going to break out of the legalistic shell that bound them, or they would go bad and die and no longer be an authentic Christian congregation.

So Paul sent a letter meant to penetrate the thick suffocating shell. It was a scorching letter to awaken the Galatians from their lethargic, sober piety. It confronted the very heartbeat of the gospel: "DidJesus come to bind us to countless laws of dos and don'ts, or did Jesus come to set us free from the law?"

The answer was obvious to Paul, and he offered arguments in his letter to the Galatians to reinforce the point. Jesus came to offer us a new and different way-the way of grace given to us as a free gift. And when we accept that gift of grace from God through Jesus Christ, we are freed from the law and are no longer bound to the old system.

To experience the radicalness of this message, consider this: With the Spirit of God alive and working in us, we are now free to do whatever we want! That statement most likely scares us as much as it frightened the first-century Jewish Christian leaders

It scares me to make such a liberating statement because total freedom is such a delicate, fragile gift that must be handled with care. It is easily perverted, fumbled and dropped, leaving little more than shattered fragments of what was meant to be.

But Paul's message was this total, radical freedom. He could state it with such unwavering confidence because when we have been touched by the pure, unconditional love of God and experi-

enced the euphoria of forgiveness from an unmanageable, out-of-control debt, we as grace-filled people want to do what is radically different from what we would want to do if we were still trying to beat the rule-keeping system or if we were still trying to gratify the desires of the sinful nature. With the Spirit of God in us, producing the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control, we are free from the law and can do whatever we want!

Eugene Peterson, in his introduction to the book of Galatians in The Message, writes, "When men and women get their hands on religion, one of the first things they often do is turn it into an instrument for controlling others, either putting them or keeping them 'in their place.' The history of such religious manipulation and coercion is long and tedious. It is little wonder that people who have only known religion on such terms experience release or escape from it as freedom. The problem is that the freedom turns out to be short-lived. "

As I read our church periodicals, I notice a reminiscent longing to return to the good old days of the Mennonite church, when sin was a sin and we called it so. Embedded in these desires is an accusation that the church is redefining sin these days, that what was a sin in 1958 is no longer a sin in 1998.

While I think I understand how the modern church could be interpreted by some as redefming sin, I find part of what the church is about these days is not redefining sin but redefining grace.

We are not narrowing the list of sins; in fact, in some ways we are enlarging the list to now include everybody as sinners, not just a select few, as in the past. We are broadening the potential boundaries of God's grace to everyone who has received and who is attempting to live the freeing and liberating message of grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. I rejoice as I see grace being redefmed.

Paul was begging the Galatian churches to let freedom ring. We are to continue sounding that message to a world-and sometimes to Christians in bondage. Christianity is not a religion of rules by which to live; it is the experience of a love that liberates us to freely respond to God's gift of grace •

Alan Kauffman is a Mennonite pastor living in Accident, Md He and his Wife, Nancy, have two teenage sons, Nate and Matt. His article first appeared in the Gospel Herald.

No to the death penalty

I commend you for your open and firm editorial position against capital punishment (January editorial).

The day after I received the January issue of the Christian Leader, the Wichita Eagle also carried several articles on the same subject in the religion section, giving both pro and con positions.

I found interesting the statements by major religious bodies on the subject. Of the nine statements, only two condoned capital punishment: The Baha'is and the National Association of Evangelicals.

Briefly, the statements were as follows:

Baha'i Faith: The communities must punish the oppressor, the murderer, the malefactor, so as to warn and restrain others.

Buddhism : No killing is one of the five precepts of Buddhism.

Hinduism: Killing is not the answer.

Islam: Even the taking of one life in retribution is too many.

Judaism (four branches): There is no crime which justifies the taking of a human life by society.

Mennonite Central Committee : We oppose the death penalty because it violates the teaching and spirit of Jesus Christ. It does not deter crime.

National Association of Evangelicals: From the biblical perspective, if capital punishment is eliminated, the value of human life is reduced and the respect for life is correspondingly eroded

National Council of Churches: The penalty of death should not be imposed, in any case, on any person, as punishment for wrongdoing.

U.S. Catholic Bishops: Our society should reject the death penalty and seek methods of dealing with violent crime that are more consistent with gospel visions of respect for life and Christ's message of healing love.

WHAT READERS SAY

Some 20 years ago when I was teaching at Tabor College, one of our convocation speakers, Warden Duffy of San Quentin prison, proved to me that the death penalty is no deterrent

to crime. Furthermore, it is a form of racism.

So thank you for your open statement in your editorial that shows where New Testament believers should take their stand.

Katie Funk Wiebe Wichita, Kan

Sitting on the fence

I wish to commend you and your staff on the fair and even-handling of the conflict-charged subject of capital punishment. I have a me on this subject which includes most of the references used in your presentations . They are well prepared documents that say what most of us say. Some Christians fmd in favor of capital punishment and some fmd against and "between us and them a great chasm has been fixed .... "

I have determined for myself that I could not sit on a jury that might sentence a person to death, yet I would not actively protest that sentencing. I guess part of the problem for me lies in the fact that "they" keep letting the murderers out!

If we could sentence someone to prison for life with the assurance that the person would never be back on the streets, I would be more inclined to support the abolition of the death penalty A study of current events shows that is not the case. What could add more to the grief, anger and frustration of a family that has lost a loved one to the act of murder than to find out that the murderer was released from prison where he was serving a sentence for murder!

The strongest argument for abolition is redemption and the strongest argument for inclusion is justice and I am perched here on this fence. I suspect I am not alone.

Robert F Lewis Reedley, Calif.

Selective prosperity

The December issue and several previous issues repeat an attitude which indicates ignorance.

In Ph'lip Side, the writer suggests "we" citizens of the United States, or

church members, are well off fmancially compared to those in other countries. "We have material provisions far beyond our need," he writes.

This is certainly not true for me, unless you think that I need no transportation, food or medicine . I am a disabled (unable to work) single mom on Aid to Families with Dependent Children. I am facing cuts to my grant next month of about $100, and am applying for Social Security Insurance, a process that takes well over a year.

The editorial on the back page states that "security, freedom and prosperity are our birthright." I would like legal references for the security and prosperity if you can give them to me. I appreciate very much the freedom of religious choice.

Please make an effort to be more inclusive if you wish to grow as a church or denomination, rather than being blind to who we are. Financially, your reports show less giving. Perhaps "we" Christians are not as well off as the major media would like us to believe.

Maybe we are in denial and tend to live in clumps of better neighborhoods, putting the less fortunate like me in subsidized housing in clumps that are out of sight and out of mindseparate but not equal to your implied single-family homes with pets, yards and vacations.

I understand a significant percentage of U.S. citizens are living below the poverty level, and those numbers are increasing. Let's face the facts , admit our denial and tum things around before there is no "middle class ."

Nancy Keating Aptos, Calif.

The Christian Leader welcomes brief letters of relevance to the Mennon ite Brethren Church All letters must be signed and will be ed ited for clarity and length Send letters to Christian Leader, Box V, Hillsboro, KS 67063 ; fax : 316-9473266; e-mail : chleader@southwind net

BY PHILIP WIEBE

Getting the Word

Our devotional methods aren't nearly as important as our soil conditions. Are our hearts hard or soft?

WHILE PREPARING to give a talk on "Growing in God's Word," I was alarmed to discover how many

guides, devotional books, desk calendars , software programs and other items of every possible descrip· tion and slant. devotional aids I had on the premises. There

were several study Bibles of various translations, a number of daily devotional collections aimed at different audiences (women, men, families, kids), and a few of those "Through the Bible in a Year" types of guides . And these weren't even counting the two Bible software programs on my computer or the stack of books on deep ening one's spiritual life .

Have all these devotional aids been helpful? To some degree Oswald Chambers's classic My Utmost for His Highest definitely had an impact in my early 20s, as did The One Year Bible in my early 30s . Various other guides and collections have proven useful at other times. And I defmitely got a lot of mileage out of my NIV Study Bible before retiring it to my shelf in favor of a smaller, lighter Bible with (gasp!) no study notes or cross references .

Such a Bible isn't easy to fmd these days . Study Bibles are the thing. I could joke that they've even come out with new "Seinfeld" and "ER" study Bibles, but for all I know this could be true. What seems ridiculous today often becomes reality tomorrow . As for my own collection of devotional aids, I was surprised at how many I'd accumulated. And of course my little selection doesn ' t even scratch the surface of what's available out there. You can find shelves and shelves of Bibles, study

So I became intrigued, as I considered what to share about "Growing in God's Word," with the inspired simplicity of Jesus's Parable of the Sower. "A farmer went out to sow his seed, " Jesus said, the seed being the Word (Mk. 4:3,14). In describing what happens

to the seed as it falls on the soil of human hearts, the parable shows how the Word can take root and grow in our own lives And it has little to do with devotional aids, quiet times, or the "canned spirituality" we often try to apply here and there. It has everything to do with the way we live and believe . Some seed fell on the path, the parable says-the hard place where it couldn't penetrate This tells us that if we want the Word to take hold in our lives , we must be pliant Not hard, like so many in our cold, cynical age . Even the church has acquired a stony heart and flinty facade, evident in it s politics of division and culture of condemnation. Can God's Word live in such an environment? Not according to Jesus.

Other seed fell in rocky places. Unlike the path, there was a bit of workable soil here But not enough for roots to dig down A little heat wilted the plants away . This tells us that if we want the Word to stick, not just linger momentarily o n the surface ,

we must be deep . And I don't mean "deep" in the sense we tend to think about it, as in brilliant or philosophical like Einstein or Aristotle Being deep depends less on brains than on taking time to make connections, to reflect beyond the moment, to see the bigger picture. That's why we live in a shallow age. Who takes time for anything? We run breathlessly from one thing to the next, without breathing in meaning. Can God's Word grow in such a situation? Not according to Jesus. More seed fell among thorns Plenty of soil here , but it was too crowded with competing plants. The seed began to grow, but was soon choked out by "the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things" (v 19). This tells us that if we want the Word to change us, we must simplify . How quickly our lives get crammed with a hundred options and entertainments competing for our attention. Can God 's Word last in such an atmosphere? Not according to Jesus

Finally, some seed fell on good soil . Not hard, shallow, or choked with weeds, but rich and ready And the seed produced a crop, "thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown" (v. 20). As we seek to be pliant , deep and centered, God's Word will grow in us and produce fruit -character fruit in our own lives and kingdom fruit in the lives of others drawn to God by the "Word made flesh" in us.

Devotional aids have their place, and there's nothing wrong with quiet times and other traditional ways to "do devotions." But our devotional methods aren ' t nearly as important as our soil conditions Are our hearts hard or soft? Our minds superficial or thoughtful? Our eyes distracted or focused? As God sows his Word along the road of life, where it lands makes all the difference in the world.

Years ago the General Conference had a Board of Welfare and Public Relations which concerned itself with the relief and social justice aspects of our mission. That work was subsumed under the Board of Missions and Services, which is now MB Missions/Services International (MBM/SI). Does the present arrangement adequately address the "service" portion of that assignment? (CALIFORNIA)

AOur present arrangement sometimes makes it difficult to determine which segments of our work abroad are "evangelistic" and which are "social." That may be fortunate if we believe that the gospel of Christ means you can't separate feeding the poor from giving them the good news. Jesus did not appoint two committees-one to hand out the loaves and fish, and another to give the evangelistic appeal. So we should probably be very careful in evaluating how well we are carrying out the two phases ofthis ministry.

Harold Ens, MBM/SI general secretary says: "In addition to our major focus on planting multiplying church movements among unreached peoples and on training leadership for those churches , our global mission guidelines say the following : 'MBM/S considers social ministries to be integral in the building of churches that glorify God and witness effectively to the Kingdom of God. We therefore want to attend to the needs of the whole person wherever we present the gospel, particularly in situations of poverty, and appropriately address issues of injustice, seeking peace. '"

Ens says our initial witness in northern Peru came in response to a request for flood disaster relief following the El Nino events of 198283. "Today there is a growing con-

INQUIRING MINDS

BY MARVIN HEIN

ference of Mennonite Brethren churches in that region," he says. "Our efforts in both India and the Congo have included major commitments to both medical and educational ministries. We continue to support those efforts today through partnerships with the national churches. Our work in Peru and Panama has included a major effort to help indigenous people groups obtain education for their children and rights to their lands . We are committed to assist partner conferences in the conceptualization and development of social ministries so as to demonstrate a Christlike concern for the whole person."

One of my privileges as executive secretary of the General Conference is receiving minutes of

present arrangement, though. I sense we are robbing ourselves of much fruit by not having some kind of active voluntary service program where young people have opportunities to plug into the work of the church and develop both interest and skills in kingdom work.

In the days when we had one board (General Welfare) assigned this responsibility, I think we reaped more benefits than we will ever know. Scores of young men and women entered service for one or two years, either domestically or abroad, and became involved, sometimes for life, in some form of kingdomwork.

I know we had problems with such programs They were someall MBM/SI meetings. In Jesus did not the latest accounts of the administrative com- appoint two mittee meeting of MBM/SI, I noticed a couple of items. International news has recently described the burning of a Mennonite church building in Indonesia (Lampung) MBM/SI agreed to send a sizable sum to help finance the rebuilding of that sanc·

committeesone to hand out

times expensive. I understand that administering such programs was often a headache. But no pain, no gain!

Young people have hundreds of options with myriad organizations today to give weeks or months or even years of free time to the loaves and fish, and another to give the evangelistic appeal.

tuary. That is relief (general welfare) as we knew it several decades ago.

In the same set of minutes, a decision was made to send several thousand dollars from the Urgent Relief Ministries fund to be used in Peru where people have suffered losses as a result of heavy rains caused by EI Nino.

So, yes, our present arrangement for combining the two aspects of the gospel is working. Whether we give as much attention to one or the other as we ought is another question which I have no way of answering.

I do have one concern with our

Have a question about a Bible passage, doctrine, conference policy, or other SPiritual issue? Send it to "Inquiring Minds," c/ o Marvin Hein, 4812 E. Butler, Fresno, CA 93727.

the work of Christ. Mennonite Central Committee continues to be an avenue of service for some of our young people. But more and more we encourage our children to get into the business world and make a living. No one from within our churches is urging them to consider using their gifts for a time for the sake of the church and the gospel.

I'm not suggesting this is necessarily within the scope of MBM/Sl's work. Nor am I oblivious to the fact that it would be a difficult assignment. But we are losing an important avenue of training for service in the church.

We emphasize our adult voluntary service program (V-SERV), which I heartily endorse . But I sense an absence of a passion to teach the young the thrill and satisfaction of working in the kingdom.

ON THE JOURNEY

BY ROSE BUSCHMAN

Books that influenced me

For two hours I dug through my bookshelves looking for the books that have had a lasting impact on me.

" W HAT IN THE world is going on?" my husband asked in a rather perplexed voice. I when my husband found me.

Here is an abbreviated list of 10 books that have had a major impact on my life : was sitting on the floor beside our bed pulling books out of my bedside bookcase and stacking them into various piles.

"I'm sorting my books," I replied, "and looking for those that have been most influential in my life."

"Whatever for?" he wanted to know.

"Because Eugene Peterson said I should." My husband shook his head and walked out of the room with that knowing look which said, She's at it again.

It started out as a quiet Sunday morning. I woke up much earlier than usual and couldn't go back to sleep. So I got up, made myself a cup of coffee and sat down to read. Looking through a stack of books I came upon Spiritual Reading: An Annotated List by Eugene H Peterson In this book he made a list of 144 books that have shaped his life, spirituality and thinking. In the introduction to the book, Peterson challenges his readers to make a list of their own

As I scanned the list I realized I had read only seven of the books on it. Obviously, his list was not my list. He has been a pastor for many years and I have been a math teacher. He is Presbyterian and I am Mennonite. He is male and I am female. We have different needs and perspectives on life so we have read different books.

For the next two hours I dug through my bookshelves looking for the books that have had a lasting impact on me. Before long I had piles everywhere. That's what I was doing

Spiritual

• The Bible. Although my first introduction to the Bible came when my parents read to me from Luther's translation in the German language, my own early reading and memorizing of Scripture came from the King James Version. Over the years I have read a variety of translations. Presently, I am especially enjoying Peterson's paraphrase of the New Testament , The Message . He has a refreshing way of applying the Bible to current everyday life The Bible is the cornerstone of my life.

• The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. His distinctions between "cheap grace" and "costly grace" have stayed with me over the years since I flfSt read the book.

• The Mustard Seed Conspiracy by Tom Sine. After reading this book I realized that in spite of how overwhelming the world situation is, as an individual I can make a difference , one person at a time .

• Celebration of Discipline by Richard]. Foster. Taking care of my spirituality is something I need to take seriously and not leave for the church to do . Spiritual growth requires that I practice the spiritual disciplines.

• Reaching Out: The Three Movements of the Spiritual Life by Henri]. M Nouwen This book was especially helpful to me in my pilgrimage from loneliness to solitude. I learned that my need to be alone was essential for my spiritual and personal growth.

Professional

• Frames of Mind by Howard Gardner. For a number of years I had been using a variety of manipulatives, games and puzzles to teach math to reluctant learners who were way behind their peers in their learning I had a lot of success with this method, even though some of the so-called experts said it couldn't work. When Gardner's book was published in 1983, I was vindicated Here was the research and much more to validate my approach to teaching mathematics

.

• The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. My professional life needs to be guided by principles of honesty, integrity, fairness and human dignity if I am to do my best as a teacher. These principles give me the ability to adapt to change and to make the necessary paradigm shifts in a changing world.

Personal

• Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl Frankl, a Jewish psychiatrist who survived three years in Nazi concentration camps, wrote of his experience: ".. .everything c:an be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances. " I may not be able to change my circumstances, but I am in control of my attitude.

• Try Giving Yourself Away by David Dunn. By giving myself away instead of demanding that others give to me, I have found that my life is much happier and, I hope, I have been able to make the world around me a better place to live.

• Border Crossing: A Spiritual Journey by Katie Funk Wiebe. As a result of reading this book I have changed my attitude about the prospect of growing older. I will do so with dignity and grace . Retirement will be a new chapter in my life, something to look forward to. Well, here's my list. Now it's your tum . What books have had a major impact in your life?

Miracles on the way to Memorial Road

BY CONNIE FABER

second in a series of profiles

• The process of relocating has led a struggling congregation to new vision and spirit

THE INTERSECTION of Coltrane and Memorial Road in Edmond, Okla ., is busy yet unassuming. But when Chuck Haftman, moderator of Memorial Road MB Church, looks at it, he sees the Promised Land.

The congregation, until recently known as the Edmond MB Church, will dedicate their new facility on Memorial Road Feb. 22 like the children of Israel, the congregation has waited a long time - three years - to take possession of their new home. And like the Israelites, they've grown a lot along the way.

"We're on a journey," Haftman says. "Compared to where we were, we are in the Promised Land. And there 's a lot more milk and honey on

this property than there was on the other one, I can tell you that. And now we're on the verge of stepping over."

The congregation began the journey Feb . 25 , 1993, when a long-range planning committee of five people met for the first time. For the first several months, the committee primarily prayed Then they began the task of defining the mission of the church.

Their report, presented to the congre-

gation in early June, included 20 recommendations focused on helping the congregation become a growing church The recommendations included reorganizing the administrative stmcture, encouraging outreach, training worship leaders and increasing participation in small groups.

Even though relocating was justified, the report recommended that

the congregation continue worshiping at their facility on 33rd Street. Although the lot across the street was an open field, the church's closest neighbor was a large Wal-Mart store and continued commercial development seemed likely. The sanctuary felt crowded, classroom space was limited and the roof leaked when it rained.

But their property had been assessed in 1992 at $125,000 - significantly less than the congregation felt it needed to relocate So , at the task force's recommendation, the congregation began planning to remodel.

By 1994, Edmond had reached a population of 60,000 and new development surged, Haftman says. In one year alone, 25 restaurants opened in the city The area around 33rd Street was becoming a growing commercial center.

That spring, plans to remodel came to an abrupt halt when pastor Paul Klassen received an unsolicited phone call from a real estate broker. A restaurant owner was interested in purchasing the property .

Two weeks later, the congregation voted to sell their property for no less than $350,000 But then God stepped in, says Haftman, and Haftman negoti ·

Pastor Paul Klassen (right) leads in a prayer of thanksgiving as the congregation celebrates the acquisition of its new property.

ated the sale for $385 ,000. "God ' s hand is so obvious in this whole plan, " he says.

With their facility sold, the congregation began praying for affordable property on which to build a temporary meeting place Nancy Laverty, chair of the building committee, says the answera to those prayers were miraculous. (See sidebar.)

After purchasing five acres of land on Memorial Road, the congregation decided to construct the building

themselves . Laverty says that was the biggest miracle of all. "It was God's way that we build this facility," she says.

The congregation has been involved with the process from the beginning , Haftman says. The architect met with the membership, leadership teams and other groups to understand what the congregation wanted .

The facility emphasizes three areas of church ministry: worship, fellow-

Challenged from the start

• Memorial Road 's legacy both hindered and helped its development through the years

MEMOR IA L ROAD MB

Chur ch be gan in 1965 as a typical Mennonite Bret hren co ngregati on , but its development has been unique among urb an congrega t io ns in the Southern Di strict Conf erence .

Memori al Road, formerly k nown as t he Edm ond MB Ch urch, is a daughter congregation o f We stern Oaks MB Church in Bethany, Okla The first members wer e primarily people with roots in other Oklahoma Mennonite Brethren congregations who lived north of Oklahoma City

Pastor Paul Klassen believes the personality of the congregation was profoundly affected by the events of the cong regation ' s "ado le scen t" years in the late 1960s and early 1970s The young adults who joined during those years brought with them the same anti -institutional attitude found in Americ an culture at the t ime . " Those were stormy times," Klassen sa ys, " and not the happie st of times The church was really stru ggling to find its identify In the course of that struggl e, people left ."

In th e mid st of the difficulties, Kla ssen believe s Go d was at work for good Th e willing -

nes s of the congregation even today to acce pt people stru gg ling with faith, traditionalism and the relevance o f the ch urch can be tr ace d to tho se year s

Jeanie and Perry Klaassen hav e been members of the church si nce the 1970s . They have seen the congrega t i on struggle in a variety of ways, including leadership and finance s.

Until the arrival of Paul and Gladys Klassen in 1983, the congregation had had what Jeanie calls a string of pastors . " The conference didn't think we were much of a church," Klaassen says "It's unfortunate but true that we'd get young and inexperienced pastors "

In addition to a lack of mature pastoral leadership, the congregation felt a dearth of older people in church leadership Younger people who might not have been given leadership positions in other congregations assumed leadership of the Edmond congregation , Jean ie says . " Sometimes it felt like we were an island," she recalls , "and no one cared what happened to us "

A significant step was

ship and equipping or education, Klassen says. At the center is a formal sanctuary. Extending from it are two wings, the fellowship hall to one side and the education wing to the other.

It has taken three years to build the facility - twice as long as anticipated. "We would have liked to do it in a year," Laverty says. "But with a small number of people, you only have so much energy ."

Haftman adds : "We don ' t have a building built by a select few people.

Friendliness and acceptance have always been hallmarks of the congregation Here George Miller. Cheryl Devoe. Jay Blough and Paul Klassen enjoy a meal celebrating a church event

taken in 1989 when th e congregation decided to no longer receive financial help from the district. "We knew w e needed to get off subsidy if we were going to be a church." Jeanie sa ys.

Perry Klaassen sites three factors that kept them going First, while other small and struggling congregations in the community closed , the Edmond congregation persevered and even welcomed families from these congregations into their church family

A commitment to prayer was another factor . As the congregation became m o re committed to prayer, a group of four people began praying for the church " The Lord honored those prayers," Jeanie says . The group recently disbanded after meeting regularly for six years .

Perry also sites Paul Kla ssen as the third reason the church has flourished His

stable pastoral leadership ha s benefited the congregatio n and the congregation ha s benefited Klassen, Jeanie says.

"Our church gave Paul the freedom to work through his own struggles, " she says , "and through it he has become a big man of God " The congregation has not only seen their pastor grow personally but has al so seen him grow as a prea cher and worship leader, she say s.

The congregation has been blessed by dramatic changes in the last five years , but the caring spirit that wa s imprinted on the congregation 40 years ago remains " I ' ve alway s liked our church ," Perry says. "I liked the way we were at 20 people and I like the way we are now People will come (to our church) no matter what we do Our warmth and friendliness will be there " - CF

Everyone has been involved."

Two individuals who gave extensive time to the project are Laverty and Bill Mast, a home contractor by trade who was hired as the only fulltime builder A total of five individuals were on the payroll at one time or another throughout the project , Klassen says. The majority of the work - clearing the lot, laying blocks , installing heating and air conditioning, landscaping and construction - was done by volunteers from the congregation.

God brought several families to the congregation just when they were needed, says lay leader Jeanie Klaassen, including Laverty and her husband, Russell. "Nancy and Russell had the vision that we could do more," she said "They brought courage and a feeling of success and growth - that yes, we could be more than a struggling church of 100 ."

Klaassen says that perspective is unique because a number of people have come to the church from small, struggling congregations that were forced to close. A small-church mentality has come naturally for the group.

In addition to a fresh perspective, Nancy Laverty brought her experience as a member of the building committee at the Fairview (Okla.) MB Church . "I can't believe I have had the opportunity to be part of this twice ,"

Laverty says. "I feel very blessed to see a building being constructed and to also see people grow and become friends."

Almost every family contributed to the building project by supplying food for the volunteers, Klaassen says. For about 12 months , meals were brought to the site each night Monday through Friday and on Saturday noon. A snack

was served daily for three years. "It was a way to show

that we were supportive and involved in the building of the church, " she says.

The tone for volunteerism was set the first summer when a group met regularly after work at the building site and labored until dark The regulars were diverse in age as well as in their affiliation with the congregation.

"(fhe building project) has brought people together and given a place for people to take hold who weren't comfortable in teaching or other areas," Klaassen says.

Paul Klassen adds : "In the midst of all the diversity that is part of this church, we've been able to work together for a common goal and work shoulder to shoulder even though we don't all agree with each other. It has brought strength to the church. "

The volunteers were trained by professionals from other Mennonite

Brethren congregations. They included Floyd Winter of the Hillsboro (Kan.) MB Church, Eli Pamel of First MB Church in Wichita, Kan., and Marvin Martens of the Fairview MB Church.

In most cases, the Edmond volunteers just needed enough help to gain confidence in their ability to do the work, Laverty says. Area building tradesmen have noted the high quality of their workmanship

Several Mennonite Brethren congregations sent work teams to Edmond, including Fairview, Corn, Hillsboro and Wichita. Mennonite Brethren pastors from Oklahoma came to work one day. In addition to volunteer labor, construction costs were reduced as church members donated goods, services and equipment, say Jeanie Klaassen and Haftman.

"When something was needed, it came along, " Laverty says . "People with the right skills or right materials - God's timing was just there "

Members of the congregation agree that God has provided for them in many ways over the past five years. "That a church with an annual budget of about $65,000 in 1993 and a $125,000 building would have a million-dollar property five years later says something about the Lord's provision," Haftman says. "He provided more than we had ever hoped or imagined. "

Paul Klassen says: "An awareness of God's workings and God's guidance and provision have been stamped deep into our psyche It affects the way we look at ourselves as a church and gives us a great deal of strength

The building effort involved members of all ages, including Rachel Detweiler on sweep-up duty.

Glen Detweiler, Jay Blough and Paul Klassen (left to right) enjoy a relaxed moment during a church outing. Working together strengthened relationships between men, they say

and courage as we look ahead." Haftman says the congregation has built more than a building. "We wanted to grow," he says, "but it's more than a building that has grown."

Jeanie Klaassen and her husband, Perry, have been members since 1973. "Jeanie and I have more joy in

the church now than we ever had," Perry says . "W e have grown ourselves."

One area of growth has been in financial stewardship. In addition to raiSing $225,000 for the building project, the congregation has also assisted families with special needs on

three or four occasions in the last three years and has increased its giving to conference ministries.

"I think a lot of families have reevaluated their financial resources and how they invest the money God has given them to use,» Haftman says. "There has been some real spiritual

God intervened to give them a new home, members say

• Acquiring land at a tenth of its appraised value and tlie generosity of a sister church point to God

THEPAST FIVE years have seen a string of miracles for Memoria l Road MB Church The first was unexpectedly seiling their property and another was building their new facility themselves, says Nancy Laverty, chair of the building COrYlmittee . Sandwiched in between is the remarkable story of purchasing land and find ing temporary housing

• New property When the co ngregation began ing for property to buy in 1994, fiv e acres i n Edmond was selling anywhere from $400,000 to $1 million When the group noticed a five -acre vacan't wooded lot at the corner of Coltrane and Memorial Road, church member Russell l.averty , who acted as the .group's negotiator, contacted the owners in July

Pushed to name a price, an e.rflbarrassed Laverty passed 1Qn an offer of $75,000. Two Weeks later, the company ' s r-epresentative informed him they would .sell the land to the for $65,000

"We knew at that point that either this was a toxic waste- site that they were looking for somebody to take, or that <Sod had on ce again inter¥ened in a very dramatic way, " Paul Klassen, pastor

The s ale hit a snag when the corporation went through a period of downsizing. During the next mOnths, the corpo -

rate representative , who was a Chri stian , stayed in touch with Laverty, encouraging the group to wait and be patient. Perry Klaassen, a longtime member of the congregation , believes the ability to tru st each other is a strength of the congregation " We 'd sold the land and Ru sse ll kept leading us on , saying it ' s going to work out. Rus se ll says no one ever mistrusted him or said we're going to end up w ith nothing We didn't know where we were going We trusted him . Russell says that was frightening "

The sale was officially tran sacted in December 1994 The next winter , the building permit was issued The congregation spent three years building their new meetinghouse with volunteer labor .

Because their new facility te chnically is now located in Oklahoma City, not Edmond , the congregation changed its name The group chose Memorial Road MB Church because it reflects their desire to reach out to a broader community, says Chuck Haftman , church moderator

The new meetinghouse will be dedicated Feb 22 - three years to the day when the building permit was issued

• Temporary housing

Once the sale of their property on 33rd Street was finalized , the congregation began look-

ing for temporary housing Locating somet hing suitable by Nov 1, 1994, wasn ' t easy They co nta cted a number of churches about sharing faciliti es, but with no success They thought they had located a storefront in a strip mall, but that fell through , too

With just weeks to go , Klas sen received an unsolicited phone call from the Leland Clegg Methodist Church They had heard about the situation and invited Edmond MB to look at their facility

" Once again there wa s a very dramatic sense of knowing the Lord had intervened and was once again providing when we had exhausted our resources, " Klassen says

The two congregations agreed to share facilities for the 18 months the Mennonite Brethren congregation anticipated it would take them to build As it turned out, the groups shared facilities for three years

" Thi s (Methodist) church ha s been a mod el to us of

Christian hospital ity," Klassen says . "They have welcomed us and be en patient for much longer than they or we anticiThey have given us a wonderful gift "

While the faciliti es were lesnhan i<;leal. Klassen says his congregation flourished in their temporary home . Three Sunday school cla sseS were adQed and average attendance grew from 70 to 100

Klassen anticipates the new facility will pass the required inspections in January SQ that the first service can take pla ce Feb 1 Plans can for the congregation to begin their worship that Sunday With the Methodist congregation at their facility . Then the MennO(liteBrethren congregation will travel to their new home, entering the sanctuary " as an act of worship "

The following Sunday, the Memorial Road MB Church will serve the Leland Clegg congregation an appreciation dinner in their new fellowship haU ,-CF

After the sale was finalized in December 1994, the congregation met at its newly acquired location on "Site Celebration Sunday "

growth and one of the fruits of that has been that people have become better stewards."

The increase in giving to conference ministries was a gradual one "As a church we felt we needed to support our conference," Haftman says. "We purposely increased our budgets over time to where this year we are giving 100 percent of the norms ." That accomplishment is all the more significant because until 1989, the congregation had always received fmancial assistance from the Southern District Conference.

The congregation has grown numerically and in their commitment to each other . Between 1993 and 1997, membership increased by 15 percent, worship attendance by 29 percent and Sunday school attendance by 60 percent. Commitment among men has increased noticeably as friendships were strengthened on the construction site.

An expanded core of adults has .1"\..bolstered the congregation, says Paul Klassen . He came to Edmond as pastor in 1983. For the first six or seven years, he kept track of people who left the congregation for primarily job-related reasons. He stopped counting at 120 names.

"The mobility of the population in this area was a part of the struggle for survival that this church went through," Klassen says. "While we still experience the mobility issue, it doesn't tear at us as hard as it did when we were a much smaller church. It's not quite as painful now that we have a stronger core."

Part of the long-range plan was a reorganized committee structure. A group of 15 individuals now serve the congregation and are divided into five leadership teams : care, evangelism, worship, equipping and administration. The church board, chaired by Haftman, is composed of all members of the administrative team plus the four other team leaders .

Klassen says until now the congregation had focused on basic ministries such as Sunday morning worship and Sunday school. But during the last five years, a women's ministry has developed and a college -and -career program and a men's ministry have made a tentative beginning.

An enhanced children'S ministry is a high priority. The congregation currently has more than 40 children. Adding a midweek Bible club program with an emphasis on outreach is likely Interest exists for serving a weekly meal to families.

"God has brought us here," Haftman referring to their new location. "But when I look at where God has placed us - in the middle of very affluent neighborhoods -I wonder why we are here "

It would be easy to be intimidated , given the size and price tag of some of the homes in the area, but "you don't need a cathedral to worship God," Haftman says .

Haftman is glad their new church home is located where people live rather than where they work. Members have already had opportunities to talk with folks in the neighborhood. They agree people are searching for things a relationship with Jesus Christ and the church can provide.

Memorial Road MB Church is a family and that's important in a city, Laverty says "When there is a need, people will be there for you That's unusual in a city and people hunger for that "

Memorial Road is known as a caring and welcoming congregation, say its members . "There was something stamp e d in the personality of this church early on that has continued to affect the way it views people and

welcomes people into the life of the church," Paul Klassen says.

The openness of the congregation is reflected in the way the new facility is constructed, Klassen says, noting that the building appears to have embracing arms The glass entryway and large spacious foyer is visually welcoming arid the number of the trees retained in the building process makes the lot attractive.

Perry Klaassen is confident the congregation will be blessed with continued numerical growth - not only because they have planned outreach activities, but because they have made the needs of their new neighbors a matter of prayer.

Paul Klassen sees in his members a new boldness to move beyond their comfort zones In mid-March the congregation will host a children'S party and open house for neighborhood families. A Youth Mission International team assisted the congregation with a similar event last fall. Before Easter, they will canvass the 400 homes surrounding the church and distribute copies of the "Jesus" video . "It's a way of introducing ourselves and our Lord," Klassen says.

As members look out the front windows of the church building, they can see the busy Coltrane and Memorial Road intersection . The view can remind them of their purpose, says Jeanie Klaassen "We face the world Our mission is to reach that traffic that goes by "

Member John Savoia enjoys a few moments with some young friends: Caleb Wichert, Tiffany Canfield and Kelsey Wichert (left to right) at a "Christmas Connection" event. Older people in the church bake peppernuts and entertain the children, freeing their parents for a night out_

Laying claim to a rich ministry in Phoenix's Copper Hills

• The new Mission USA and poe church plant seems to be finding early success as it heads for its formal launch in mid-March

THEY CALL IT Copper Hills, but the po t ent ial for a prosperous Mennonite Brethren church plant in the northwest valIey of Phoenix seems at fIrst blush to be solid gold At least that 's the preliminary report of the chief "prospector," church planter Brad Klassen

Copper Hills Community Church, a joint venture of Mission USA and the Pacific District Conference, is still more than a month away from its for· mal mid-March launch But already, some 40 people are involved in community home groups, 65 to 70 have declared their intent to be

part of the "launch team," a meeting place has been miraculously secured, and a second full-time person has joined the pastoral team.

"The harvest is out here and we have the privilege of being commissioned to be a part of that," Klassen says. "It's flat exciting."

Natives of Ontario, Brad and Elfie Klassen arrived in Phoenix last June after completing five months of

Within six months of his arrival, Klassen says he visited 390 homes, using a survey as a conversation starter. In about 180 cases, no one

liThe harvest is out here and we have the privilege of being commissioned to be a part of that. II

-BRAD

studies at MB Biblical Seminary in Fresno, Calif. In mid-July they moved into the new Arrowhead Ranch area of Phoenix and began making door-todoor contacts with their neighbors . He describes the community as being comprised of middle-class, professional, two-income families with adults between the ages of 30 and 40 .

Going door-to-door wasn't a comfortable assignment. "Everything inside me says this is nuts," Klassen says "You're going to be connected with every other group that does that, from people who sell air conditioner units and water softeners, to Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormon missionaries . So you knock on the door and you say, 'God, who's behind that doo r? You know them.' I'm initimidated, I'm scared like crazy But God blessed us. "

was home. But of the remaining contacts, about half asked to be included on a mailing list and about 30 expressed interest in joining a small group.

"Every one of those people we connected with, whether they wanted to know anything about our church or not, had a personal story and journey in

KLASSEN their life," Klassen says. "Some of them have an

interest in God and some of them think they don't, but they really do."

Klassen said 85 percent of those who responded to the survey said

they believed in God, but less than 50 percent said God interacted or directed their lives on a daily basis. "They're God-fearers, but they don't have a God relationship," he said.

The biggest surprise for Klassen was the number of people who had never considered church as an option in their lives . "That happened many times, and I'd walk away saying, man, we really are in a postChristian generation. And yet in their souls they are crying out for something deeper, something more. "

Klassen says he is up-front about his connection to the Mennonite Brethren Church . "Who you are is on a lot of people's minds," he says. "But that works to our advantage because we can say we're not a flyby-night organization. We have a history. We have a solid team of people behind us."

Inevitably, they ask who Mennonites are. "We cast it in terms of there's a whole spectrum of people who come under the term 'Mennonite' -anywhere from the horse-andbuggy folks who are really conservative, all the way through to Mennonites who are theologically very liberal. And we're kind of in the middle. Theologically, we're conservative, but when it comes to methodology, we'll do whatever it takes. We're a contemporary group of people who love Jesus and want to connect with our community. (Being Mennonite Brethren) has not hurt us at all. It has helped us."

In September , the Klassens launched a community home group

CHCe's logo: Creating an identity.

Mission USA board members Tim Sullivan, Fred Leonard (far left), Steve Reimer (back to cam· era) and Mike Schuil participate in a commissioning service held last fall for Brad and Elfie Klassen and Debbie and Wayne Loewen.

on Thursday nights with five other couples, some of whom had expressed faith in Christ and some who had not. Ed Boschman, executive director of Mission USA, and his wife, Carol, led a second group with three couples on Wednesday nights.

"Those Thursday nights became really significant in the lives of these people because they, to a person, had not experienced that kind of community before," Klassen says. "There was tolerance, there was acceptance, there was genuine love for them. "

The groups began to grow as members began inviting friends to join them. This month, the Klassens plan to spin off three new groups with the 27 adults who have been coming to their Thursday night gathering.

Also in February, Klassen plans to begin meeting on Sunday evenings with community home group members as well as several other people who have expressed an interest in being part of the new church when it formally begins in March. This group of 70 or so is Klassen's "launch team."

Klassen says he has been praying for a core group of 120 people when the church is launched next month. He says he picked 120 because the early church began with that number in the Book of Acts. "It seemed like a cool number," he says. "It worked in the Bible."

Copper Hills will be able to accommodate many more people than that when they hold their first service in the comfort of a neighborhood theater. Klassen says the facility is an answer to prayer after initial efforts to rent space in schools didn't pan out. Initially, the theater owner was reluctant to give up Sunday morning space because of potential conflicts with early matinee showings during Christmas break and summer.

Eventually, the owner changed his mind-and then some. Copper Hills now has a one-year lease for full use of the I O-theater complex on Sunday mornings, and the owner even offered them storage space during the week.

"I fell off my chair because that was such a change in his heart and attitude," Klassen says. "Initially it was such a business approach . I think God softened his heart and prepared him for that."

Joining the Klassens in January as a full-time staff member were Wayne Loewen and his wife, Debbie. He was on the pastoral staff of a successful and growing Mennonite Brethren congregation in British Columbia when Brad, acting almost on a whim, asked Loewen to come south to begin a new church . Loewen initially turned him down, but changed his mind in response to God's prompting.

Klassen says the Loewens' arrival has been an affirmation of God's involvement in the Copper Hills project. "I was thinking I wanted an asso-

Member's

ciate or an assistant," Klassen says. "But what my heart was really crying for was a partner-someone who would just come in, roll up his sleeves and say, 'We're just going to do this for the kingdom. ",

The Klassens and the Loewens are supported finanCially by funds that come through Mission USA, the Pacific District, and from friends and associates of the two couples. "I have sensed such support from Mission USA and the conference as a whole," Klassen says. "This truly is a team effort." -Don Ratzlaff

passing unites a congregation

facing a challenging transition of its own

• Tulsa, Okla., church says farewell to a friend and a facility

lV!HEN SOMEONE in a congrega- W tion dies, fellow members usually offer the grieving family words of comfort and, in many cases, meals. When Don Cline, a member of the Parkside MB Church, Tulsa, Okla., died late last fall, the congregation responded with a more unusual loving act: they built his coffin.

Cline died suddenly Nov. 22. He had left instructions regarding his burial and memorial service, including a request that a friend, Wayman Penner, oversee the construction of a sim-

pIe pine coffin for his burial.

Penner, a vocational technical administrator whose teaching expertise is in cabinetmaking, had been the key person in building caskets twice before. "It isn't an easy thing to do," Penner says. Constructing a small coffin for the burial of a young boy was the most difficult of the three.

Penner and seven volunteers began working Sunday afternoon and continued into Monday morning, completing their task by 3 a.m.

"In the hustle and bustle of the

BOD) LIII

A creation of love: Several members of the work crew constructing the coffin. Pictured are (left to right) Art Dalke, Kurt Bryant, Robert Davenport, Gary Esau and Joel Winter.

city, it's unusual for men to gather for that amount of time to do that work," says Mark Isaac, Parks ide pastor "It wasn't done out of duty, but out of Christian love. It was a bonding time for the men who had lost a friend."

"It was a labor of love," Penner says. Their families had been friends for more than 35 years, their children had grown up together Cline and his wife, Ardette , are the parents of four daughters while Penner and his wife have three daughters.

Aside from the warm personal affection, Cline had had a significant impact on the congregation, Isaac says "Don's personality was truly magnetic, Wayman Penner at

in a Christian sense. He had gravity-you couldn't walk by him without getting a hug. "

Cline's death came at a time when the Parkside congregation had reached a crossroads. The congregation was in the midst of fmding temporary meeting quarters and discerning its future focus. Two days before his death, Cline had volunteered to serve as chair of the Parkside relocation task force

"Don was in charge of finding our church a new home," Isaac says . "But heaven was not quite what we had in mind yet. His vibrant life helped spawn new life for the church. It's hard to pull the two apart-his untimely death and the

rebirth of a church "

IIDonls

attention away from people moving here from other Mennonite communities to people living in Tulsa." Current membership stands at 60.

Isaac came to Parkside four and one-half years ago and has encouraged the congregation to address its identity and purpose . In 1994, the congregation initiated a stewardship campaign to retire their debt, then restructured their committees to allow

funeral took us off the details of

selling the building and moved us to what was really important about our church and in our Christian livespeople. II -MARK ISAAC

Parkside was begun in 1957 to serve Mennonites moving to the city for employment, Isaac says. That strategy worked for 10 to 15 years. The meetinghouse was located just one block off Route 66, a major east-west highway In the late 1970s the congregation had a membership of about 145.

"But as the new generation was being raised here in Tulsa , the purpose was never adequately adjusted to meet the changing dynamic of the group," Isaac says . "We never really turned our

themselves to focus on expanding their ministries.

"Paying off the debt and downscaling was not done to make it easier for us to survive," Isaac says, "but to free

ourselves to face the future."

In May 1997 , the congregation's leadership board began discussing a shift from what Isaac calls buildingbased ministry to life-based ministry. At one board meet-

ing during this process, Cline, who was a deacon in the church and a builder by trade, recalled with emotion that even though he had helped build the facility, and it had been the wedding site for all four of his daughters and the funeral site of one daughter, Christianity wasn't about buildings.

"He said how dear the b4ilding had been to him and his family , " Isaac says. "But in the end Don said he would gladly say good-bye to the building to continue to grow personally and in ministry as a church."

Even though selling Parkside's facility had been discussed twice in the 1980s, Isaac says selling their property on East 10th Street was not a top priority in 1997. "We were more interested in a change in the style of ministering and what we valued-our relationship with others-than selling the building."

Then, in early September, a local realtor told Isaac that another congregation was interested in purchasing the facility. The location fit the group's desire to minister to prostitutes and drug addicts, the people living along what was once Route 66.

The Parks ide congregation made it clear the building was not for sale, but they did allow representatives from the group to walk through it. The next day, Parkside received a letter of intent to purchase the facility from the second group. Six weeks later, Parkside voted to sell.

"The mpnth of November for the church was really difficult," Isaac says. "The questions weren't really answered. Was this the end of Parkside? Where would we go? Who would be part of us?

"Don Cline was the key person in leading to the answers. He lead in gentleness and with energy," Isaac says. By voluntarily calling around to locate a temporary meeting place, Cline communicated his belief in the future ministry of the congregation.

What Cline didn't know was that his funeral would be the last conducted in the facility. According to Penner, the number of former members who attended Cline's funeral helped bring closure to the congregation's presence in the neighborhood.

Isaac agrees. "Don's funeral took us off the details of selling the building and moved us to what was really important about our church and in our Christian lives-people," he says.

Parkside held their last service Dec. 28 on 10th Street and began meeting in a warehouse Jan 4. In late January, Parkside leaders met with members of the Southern District Conference Church Extension and Evangelism Committee to talk about becoming partners with the district to start in a new location and with a new purpose .-Connie Faber

work at the band saw.

Contemporary worship ministry unites

youth and adults in a historic setting

• Area Wide Worship crosses denominations, ages in Hillsboro

ON THE OUTSIDE, the small, Parkview MB Church . The pair sensed white clapboard church building, that interested youth might benefit sitting on the edge of a silent ceme· from experiencing worship in a peer· tery, reflects the simple and subdued based setting that reflected the musi· worship experiences of the pioneer cal styles they enjoyed during the rest forbearers who built it. of the week.

Inside, though, the wooden struc· "We had some worship happening ture throbs with the contemporary on Wednesday nights (the traditional pulse of guitars, keyboards and drums . night for church youth groups in Young people, enthused and intense, Hillsboro), but often only a portion of raise their hands and move to the call each group was really

ing, (youth) didn't always know what Sunday it was going to be on or where it was going to be held," Trapp says. After a few months of changing locations and varying attendance, Jost and Trapp decided to try something different. "We knew we needed to do (Area Wide) and we didn't want to give up," Trapp says. "We had a vision and God really opened a lot of doors for us."

One door that opened was the one to the Historic Church. "It seems a lit· tle odd to meet in this setting, since it's a historical landmark that was intended to be kind of a museum, " Trapp says. But Trapp and Jost of lively choruses interested in singing,"

The clash between past and pre· Jost says. "We thought sent is jarring. But in the midst of it, a this would be a good profound continuity: A house of wor· way to bring together ship remains a house of worship. those in each group who

The Historic Mennonite Brethren were interested. ' Church, built in 1893 and believed to The idea also was sup· be the oldest existing Mennonite ported by youth workers Brethren meetinghouse in North in other churches in this America, was moved onto the Tabor rural community of College campus in Hillsboro, Kan , a about 3,000 people few years ago as a monument to the From the beginning,

lIAs

much as we thought Area Wide was a good ideal we couldnlt foresee all the

-VANN TRAPP

say they've gotten positive feedback from older people who appreciate the purpose of Area Wide Worship.

A turning point in the min· istry came three years ago, when Hillsboro hosted a gath· ering of about 100 interna· tional participants in a Men· nonite Central Committee trainee program. The group accepted an invitation to join benefits. II

faith of generations past. But the organizers decided Area Wide Wor· building is now home one night a ship would be open to the entire week to an innovative, cross·denomi· community, regardless of church afm· national worship ministry as contem· iation-or age, for that matter porary as today's youth culture.

an ,Area Wide gathering. The service that night didn't adjourn until around midnight.

They began gathering in various

Area Wide Worship, a weekly Sun· churches on one Sunday night a day night event, was begun four years month. Attendance was sporadic at ago by two local Mennonite Brethren first, drawing anywhere from eight to youth pastors, Rod Jost of the Hills· 25 participants "Because we didn't boro MB Church and Vann Trapp of have a lot of continuity in the schedul·

"The trainees, who represented all kinds of backgrounds and nationali· ties, told us they had never experi· enced worship like that before," Trapp says. "And our local kids were just totally enthused. They told us, 'We need to keep this going.'"

So organizers decided to hold Area Wide Worship every Sunday night instead of only once a month. Atten· dance began to rise. Services now draw a consistent crowd of 75·100 Tabor, high school and junior high students.

Increasingly, Area Wide has been attracting young people from sur· rounding communities-some even from Wichita, located almost an hour away. On many nights, a sprinkling of adults participate too, including mem· bers of Good News Fellowship, a Mennonite Brethren congregation in nearby Marion.

A typical Area Wide service starts at 7 p.m After an hour or more of singing, youth gather in small groups to pray together about school or other

Area Wide Worship focuses on cognitive worship that allows the Spirit to work, say organizers.

around 9 p.m , ending with more singing.

From the beginning, Trapp and Jost have tried to communicate the goals of Area Wide Worship to leaders in their congregations and others. "We've explained to leadership that we weren't taking kids away from existing services, but trying to include people who weren't attending Sunday night church programs," Trapp says They say Area Wide actually strengthens the ministry of congregations by providing a "transition" step for some youth who would otherwise feel uncomfortable in a traditional church setting.

Another goal of Area Wide has been to involve youth in planning and leading services . Jost and Trapp believe this kind of involvement will translate into greater participation in the local church, too.

"We hope to see people start rising to positions of worship leaders and worship team members in their churches," Trapp says. "We hope we can be a resource for developing them "

Jost and Trapp believe Area Wide Worship has helped to deepen participants' understanding of worship. They say they try to avoid stereotypical notions of "contemporary worship " that characterize choruses as shallow, repetitive and manipulative . "It ' s not a matter of entrancing them, where you work up emotions,"

Trapp says. "We work really hard not to do that. We try to communicate a pretty cognitive understanding of worship, but also to allow the Spirit to move. "

Jost says having an outlet like Area Wide has enabled churched young people to "hang in" with their own congregations even when Sunday morning worship doesn't always reflect their stylistic preferences . "Kids are more patient with what's happening at home," he says. "And now, when they're asked to help to lead worship on Sunday mornings, they're eager to step in."

"I love Area Wide because you can feel free to express

your love for God however you want and not have to worry about what others think," says Jessica Clark, a Hillsboro High School senior.

Her classmate, Naila Kunantaeva agrees. "It's really fun and a great to worship God and pray with other youth."

Theunity high school students feel at Area Wide has also emboldened them to be stronger witnesses in the local high school. One year, students followed a "See You at the Pole" rally at the beginning of the school year with a gathering they called "Increase the Peace," where students prayed for relational needs within the school.

"We didn't know all this would transpire when we started," Trapp says. "As much as we thought Area Wide was a good idea, we couldn't foresee all the benefits."

The vision behind Area Wide Worship has caught the attention of churches in other areas, including some Mennonite Brethren congregations in Oklahoma and Nebraska. Trapp and Jost have been invited to lead worship in various settings and to explain the ministry of Area Wide to other groups

"If this has helped others to develop a vision for worship in their congregations or communities, then we are grateful to God," Trapp says.

-By Sarah Donahue & Don Ratzlaff

IN BRIEF

RELIEF REQUESTS: M ennonite Di saster Se rv ice is requ esti ng contrib utio ns to help cover costs of aiding victim s of the ice sto rm that hammered New York and Quebec the first week of January In northern New York, f our counties su ffe red damage with exte nsive power outages from downed power line s MDS Region I director Paul Brubacher reports that while power companies focused on getting town s and indu stry up and running , many da iry farmers did not have generators and urgently needed power to feed , water an d milk cows and to keep milk cool. MDS volunteers provided some 70 generators for farmers ' use . Contribution s to cover stor m-related cost s sho uld be sent to MDS , P O Box 500 , Akron , PA 17501, designated for northeast ice storm (MD S)

CONCERT: The Tabo r College Concert Choir ha s been invi ted to participate in the prestigious 1998 New York Internation al Choral Festival next month wh ich brings together the most talented choi rs f rom around t he world Participation is limited to 15 chora l groups chosen by audition Tabor ' s choir will perform at the first concert M arch 13, shari ng the stage with two profe ssional choirs and a university choir The concert is being recorded for Natio nal Public Radio. Jonah Kliewer, who will retire at the end of this academic year, has directed the choir since 1975 (TC)

MEDICAL HELP: Thanks to the genero sity of a Jordanian pharmaceutical company owner who says he believes in God and in serving others, Mennonite Central Committee will be able to provide life -saving medicine s to 50 Iraqi children - twice the number originally planned MCC is supplying 10 different leukemia medicines to Iraq's main pediatric hospital. With the price reduction, a two-year treatment course w i ll now cost about $2,000 . Iraq 's pediatric leukemia rate is currently five times highe r than bef ore the Persian Gulf War Reasons for the increase are unclear. Childhood leukemia can usually be suc c essfully treated when med icines are administered regularly in proper dosage s. Without treatment, children with leukemia die . (MCC)

Worship leaders Carlin Regier, a high schoo1 senior, Rod Jost and Vann Trapp lead a session of singing.

VISION REVISION (4)

Article on sin highlights personal and corporate dimensions of evil

The General Conference Board of Faith and Life (BFL) is in the process of revising the Mennonite Brethren Confession of Faith. The board is now gathering feedback about its initial draft. BFL invites your participation. This is the third in a series of articles written by Lynn jost, BFL chair, on selected articles of the revised confession. Responses can be sent by regular mail to BFL, c/o Lynn jost, Tabor College, Hillsboro, KS 67063; the e-mail address is lynnj@tcnet.tabor.edu.-Theeditors

SIN IS A REAllTY. Article 4 of the revised Confession of Faith defmes sin as the rejection of God's purpose. Humans sin both in word and deed, in doing what is wrong and in leaving undone what is right. Sin breaks one's relationship with God.

Sin is more than an individual's sins. Sin acts as an evil force. It involves groups and organizations. Economic systems, government powers, even family systems are susceptible tp sin's destructive power. Sin is corporate.

Sin enslaves people. Even when they want to turn from evil, sin grasps

people within its power. Sin dominates human relationships and ultimately produces death

Even though sin is powerful, we confess that Jesus is more powerful. Jesus was tempted in every way but defeated sin by obeying God. Through his death, Christ Jesus demonstrates God's saving power, a hope explored in Article 5 on "Salvation."

Practically, the article makes several points about sin. First, humans are responsible. Even though we are slaves to sin, Christ's example demon-' strates that sin can be resisted. We can't dodge responsibility by claiming

MENNONITE BRETHREN CONFESSION OF FAITH

Artic le 4: Evil and sin

Sin violates God's purposa We believe that sin is the defiant opPOSition to God , the rejection of God's good purposes for humanity and the created order. Satan is the adversary , leading the rebellion against God and deceiving humankind Sin can be either active or passive. The Bible describes sin as alienation , idolatry, law-breaking , waywardness , unrighteousness , ungodliness, Injustice, and the like

Sin Is evil power Sin is the evil force that rules ali humanity and the c reated order In seeking to be like God , Adam and Eve unleashed sin 's power in the world Sin produced physical and spiritual death Subsequently, all humans submit to sin 's domination and are unable to overcome its power.

Sin is rebellion , Seeking freedom , individuals turn against God and find themselves enslaved by sin Bent on satisfying their own desires , people attempt to live as if they were God As a result, they have marred the image of God with whi ch they were c reated and live in alienation from God and creation

Sin Is corporate Although humans commit sins of word , deed , thought and attitude , sin goes beyond individual guilt Evil is individual, corporate and cosmic Princ ipalities and powers seek to establish a system independent of and in rebellion against God Huma ns sin corporately by participating in the evil systems of the world

Jesus overcame evil Though Jesus entered a world ruled by sin , he chose not to submit to its evil power, resisting sin 's appeal. By his obedience , Christ reversed Adam 's curse , demonstrated God's saving power, and overcame death with life

"the devil made me do it."

Second, the power of evil is demonstrated in two arenas. On one hand, every human sinful act is a sin. We sin by what we do, what we say, and what we think. We sin both by doing evil and by neglecting good.

On the other hand, the "principalities and powers" work within human institutions, often for evil. Even when individuals would prefer to do what is just, the systems often harm innocent victims. An example is the problem of world starvation. Even though food production is sufficient to feed the world, political and economic factors inhibit adequate food distribution. Sin

Even though sin is powerful, we confess that jesus is more powerful. Jesus was tempted in every way but defeated sin by obeying God.

is both individual and corporate Third, sin's enslaving power demands divine emancipation It is not enough for our sins to be forgiven. God must set us free from the strong tendency to continue in evil patterns. We need to be freed from sin's power.

Questions to consider:

1 Does the article adequately define the nature of sin? Is the relationship of sin and evil clear? Do we agree that the Bible teaches that sin functions as an evil force in society?

2 . Do we clearly express the corporate nature of sin? Do we agree that evil systems in the world enlist human participation?

3. Can we confess that Jesus was tempted by sin but reversed sin's power through his obedience to God?

4 . Do you suggest specific Scriptures that could be used to support this article?

The full draft of the revised Confession of Faith is available in your church office or at the following web site: http./ / www.mbconforg/mbc.

A place to conned with God and People

It is the cry of the human heart to believe, but also to belong. It is our desire that CHCC will be a community of people where both happen. We believe in and teach the great news of the message of the Bible. Our Community Home Groups are gatherings of people who are learning to understand and apply the Truth of the Bible and how to grow in faith. We are also discovering what it means to belong to a community of friends who accept each other, care for each other and have a lot of fun sharing life together.

Trivia ••. If everyone in Phoenix decided to go to church this Sunday, there would be room for only 3% of the people•.•

CHCC is live on the WEB! www.copperhills.org

MISSION USA BOARD:

Ed Boschman, Phoenix, AI ,

Chudc Buller, V"lSOlia, CA.

&nie Friesen, YrKhiIo, KS

Tim Geddert, Fresno, CA

Phil Glanzer, New Hope, MH

Joe Johns, Weatherford, OK

Loretta Jost, Aurora, HE

Fred Leonard, Oovis, CA

Bruce Porter, Fresno, CA

Stephen Reimer, Shafter, CA

Meet the Pastors of CHCC

Brad Klassen and Wayne Loewen are teaming up to introduce a vibrant new church in the northwest corner of Phoenix, Arizona. Brad left an M.B. church in Waterloo, Ontario where he had been for seven years before moving with his family to Glendale in June of 1997, following a semester at MBBSin Fresno, Calif. Brad and his wife Eifie have been married for 18 years and

The CHCC Mission is: liTo help the people we love become connected and committed to the God we love. II March 15 marks the date of our first Celebration Service. We believe it is a significant step in seeing this mission fulfilled. Pray that many would come to Christ through CHCC.

have three children. Wayne just recently resigned as Worship and Music Pastor in Abbotsford, B.C., where he had been in an M.B. Church for eight years. He and his wife Debbie have been married for 14 years and have two daughters Both families live in the community of Arrowhead Ranch in Glendale, which is "ground zero" in the target area. Brad and Wayne desire that CHCC will be a catalyst in the community for building authentic relationships with each other and with God.

Clarice Rempel, Buhler, KS

Mike Schuil, Reedley, CA

Oint Seibel, HiUsboro, CA

Rondy Steinert, Bakersfield, CA

Tim SuHivan, Hillsboro, KS

Ex Offldo Members:

Henry Dick, Fresno, CA (linton Grenz, Bismark, N.D. Roland Reimer, Wichita, KS

IN BRIEF

PREACHING : Lynn Jost , assis t an t prof esso r of bibl ical an d relig iou s stud ies at T ab or Colle ge , will g ive a keyn ot e ser mo n as part o f " Proc la im i ng th e Word : A Symp osium on Pr eac hi ng in t he Me n no nite Tr adi t i on " at Beth e l College in No rth Newt o n , Ka n , Feb 22 -2 4 Howard Keirn, assi st an t pr ofes sor of co mm unicat ions at Tab o r Co llege, w ill f ocus on t he mechan i cs of pr ea c h ing du ring his key note add res s a nd Roland Reimer , So uth ern Dist rict Co nfe ren ce minis ter , will lead a worksh o p on de al ing w it h diff ic ul t t o p ics a nd t ext s Pas t ors and laype rso ns are invited to campus to hear f ive ke yno t e spe a ker s and to attend work shops led by a do ze n pastors and semina ry profe ssors Even ing wors h ip serv ice s in Bethel Co llege Mennon ite Chur ch are open t o the pub lic. Pastors and la yp erson s i nte re st ed i n attend i ng sh o u ld conta ct Dale Sch rag at Beth el Co ll ege (3 16-284-53 56) , or se nd a n e-mai l messag e to drs@beth elk s.e du (BC)

AID TO UKRAIN E: A M ennonite Central Comm itt ee con ta iner of mat erials sh i pped to Make ev ka , U k r a in e , i n December w i ll a ll ow tw o age n c ie s there t o aid children and fam ilies The sh ip m ent of mea t , use d cl ot hin g an d shoes ; soap, det ergent and lic e shampoo ; spo rt s equ ipm ent ; sc hool , he alt h, newborn and sew ing k it s; and ha nd tool s w ill be di str ibuted by the Shelter of the Go od Sheph erd whi ch cares f or some 30 chil dren at a t ime , and Li gh t of the Re surre ction , an or ga ni zatio n that prov ides both mater i al aid and Ch rist ian literat ure (M CC)

CORPORATE TI T HING : M e nn o n i te Mutual Aid has changed it s cor por ate t ithe po licy so the organ izat io n ca n giv e up to 30 perce nt of it s net f i nan ci al g ai n to fr at erna l pr o g r am s Th e t ith e w i ll go t o bu ild up f und s f or MMA ' s Shar ing Fun d and other fr at ern al benef it s for members and churches MMA is currently tith ing 10 perce nt. Th e MMA Boa rd of Dire ct or s ap prov ed th e policy ch ange at its De cemb er mee t ing M M A off ers insuran ce, fi nanci al serv ices an d c h ari t a b le programs fo r Mennon ite s a nd o t her Anaba p t ists i n the United St at es. (MMA)

Floods lead to relief efforts by Peru MBs

• Homes have been lost and crops destroyed, says MBM/SI

Mennonite Brethren in Peru are responding to recent flooding in the country by attempting to help those in greatest need, whether in their own churches or in the larger community .

International.

Prather "Six years ago, at the time of the last major flooding in Peru, most of the qurent church leaders were new Christians," he says. "Now, they are working to share Christ's love by caring for their neighbors in a time of great need ."

In 1992 , MBM/ SI provided $30 ,000 for food aid after similar flood damage in Peru This resulted in many Peruvian people coming to Christ in the following years Mennonite Brethren in Peru now number over 450 Christians in 10 churches

Mennonite Brethren in Canada and the United States are encouraged to

Emergency food stations to be run by local Mennonite Brethren churches will be set up in the Lower Piura and Lower Chira river regions, reports MB Missions/Services MBMjSI continue supporting the people of Peru in both prayer and financial assistance, says Brad Thiessen , secretary for communications and media. Forecasts call for

contribute to relief efforts.

Recent heavy rains and swollen rivers in northern Peru encourages churches and have destroyed homes and individuals to flooded agricultural areas, leaving many people without food or adequate shelter , according to MBM / SI. Farmers have lost

continued rains in Peru for at least the next two up to 80 percent of their crops, cutting off both their main food source and future sources of income

The Peru churches have appealed to their partner churches in North America for financial aid to provide food until the rains and flooding stop

MBM/SI has responded with two rounds of funding to date. Funds amounting to $2,200 have already been used to provide over 25 families with tin roofing to cover at least a portion of their homes Another $10,000 from the agency's

THEmonths In time, major roads may be washed out, making the distribution of food and other supplies extremely difficult .

MBM/SI encourages Mennonite Brethren congregations and individuals to contribute financial aid to the relief efforts of the church in Peru. Checks designated to Peru relief efforts can be sent to MBMS International at 4867 E. Townsend Avenue, Fresno, CA 93727-5006.

- from a report by Brad Thiessen

emergency relief fund will be A request for p rayer used for food purchases An additional $20,000 or more may be needed over the next three months if rains continue .

MBM/ SI worker Jeff Prather estimates the funds will provide enough food for 500 people for one month Peru's church conference executive members Julio Mendoza, Miguel Reyes, Jorge Otero, and Marco Gutierrez have traveled to most parts of the affected regions to assess the need for relief. Prather will now work with them to determine how to use the funds to meet the greatest needs

The church in Peru has experienced great spiritual growth in the past several years, says

CHUR CHES in Peru ask for prayer in f o ur areas :

1 . That th ey would be a strong t es tim ony for Christ as they di str ibute food to the ir ne ighbors;

2 That the comp lex task of tran sporting and d istributing food to those in th e greatest need would be accompl ished effi cie ntly and fairly ;

3 That the church would be strengthen ed during d ifficult t imes Sev e ra l member s have eva cuated their home for fear of flood ing, others have seen th eir adobe home s dest royed by heavy rainfall

4 That God would prevent the rains f r om b eco mi ng ex cess iv e ly i nten se or frequent No rthern Peru i s a dry , mostly d ese rt r eg io n wit hout the necessary infrastru cture to handle heavy ra infalls

. CHURCH NOTES

• Baptism/membership

WEATHERFORD, Okla. (Pine Acres)Trent Ratterree was baptized Jan. 11.

LODI, Calif. (Vinewood)- Twenty-one members were recently added to the church. The were Joanne Boos, Scott and Jennifer Evans, Eve and Lloyd Holsinger, Marie Kelley, Sean and Lori Murphy, Roy and Peggy Reimche, Ginny Bradshaw, Mark Bradshaw, Jerry Grauman, Tom Hyzdu, Lindsay Lemburg, Ryan Lemburg, Jeff McAlexander, Andrew Robison, Jon Shinn, Jeremy Stafford and Trudy Smith.

FRESNO, Calif. (North)-Robert and lone Radtke were welcomed into membership Dec. 14 Art and Gena Martinez, Tong Yang and Steve and Jennifer Sadler were baptized and welcomed into membership Dec. 21. David and Kathy Fang, Jim and ' Jane Lindberg and Holly Mattos were also welcomed as new members .

DINUBA, Calif.-Bart, Suzi and Anna Grunau were welcomed as new members Nov. 30 Susan Thiesen was baptized and received into membership Dec 14.

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (Memorial Road)- The congregation will dedicate their new facility Feb. 22. Moving to their new facility at 4201 East Memorial Road has prompted the group to change their name to Memorial Road MB Church.

CORN, Okla.-The children of Rhiney and Annie Lee Graf hosted a 50th wedding anniversary reception for their parents Dec 28. Vernon and Marjorie Reimer celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary Dec . 7.

INMAN, Kan. (Zoar)-Flowers in the sanctuary Dec. 21 marked the 60th wedding anniversary of Harry and Viola Bettin.

REEDLEY, Calif.-Sanctuary flowers Dec . 21 honored the 60th wedding anniversary of Dave and Mary Braun.

• Fellowship

RAPID CITY, S.D. (Bible Fellowship)Marge Frantz spoke at the women's retreat

CORRECTION NOTED: The insert provided to the Christian Leader by the General Conference of MB Churches (January issue) contained an error in moderator Ed Boschman's back -page statement. The first subhead should read "Innocence and Wizendry ."

Jan. 16-17. Frantz and her husband, Mike, are the pastoral couple at Waterloo (Ont .) MBChurch.

BUHLER, Kan.-The guest speaker at the women's retreat Jan. 23-24 was Peggy Goertzen, who used dolls to illustrate h er life story. Goertzen is directo r of the Center for Mennonite Brethr e n Studies in Hillsboro, Kan.

A FAITH BUILDER

All Are Witnesses

A Collection of Sermons by Mennonite Brethren Women

Delores Friesen, editor

FRESNO, Calif. (Bethany)-The Children's Ministri es Department organized a father/ son night Jan. 23 for boys in the first through sixth grade.

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (Laurelglen)-John Fischer, popular Christian singer, author and humorist, was the guest speaker at a

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couples retreat Jan . 9·11 at Tenaya Lodge on the edge of Yosemite National Park Fis· cher also presented a c oncert Jan . 11 at the church . The outreach event included a coffeehouse fonnat

WEATHERFORD, Okla. (Pine Acres)Speakers for the women's retreat Jan 16 17 were Cole Dewey, a woman who was not expected to survive a car wreck while in high school, and Beth Kautz, a single parent. The retreat was he ;d near Lake Thunderbird in Nonnan , Okla Supper groups are being organized during January for the purpose of reaching visitors and .,.ewcomers and encouraging others to rejoin the congregation.

HENDERSON, Neb.- Nineteen individuals were affirmed as congregational care givers Jan. 4 The care givers, who work individually and as couples , are overseen by the deacons They will "watch over" six families, allowing deacons to focus on c ri· sis care, spiritual oversight and pastoral support, according to pastor Stuart Peder· son.

• Workers

BAKERSFffiLD, Calif. (Laurelglen)-Associate pastor Paul Robie has resigned in

order to serve as a church planter with the Pacific District Conference and Mission USA Robie, his wife, Jini, and their two sons will move to Draper, Utah, in March. They intend to "provide a gracious alterna· tive to the Latter Day Saints Church" as well as the unchurched. The Robies will be moving to a community that has 14 Monnon wards , one Catholic church and no Protestant churches

HIll.SBORO, Kan. (Ebenfeld)-Senior pas· tor Gaylord Goertzen was given a three· week leave Jan 5·26 for the purpose of personal renewal and Bible study.

REEDLEY, Calif -Michael Trostrud is serving as interim associate pastor.

HILLSBORO, Kan. (Parkview)-Vann Trapp resigned as associate pastor, effec· tive Feb. 1 Trapp, who was involved pri· marily in the areas of youth and worship, has not announced his plans

SHAFTER, CaUf.-Jason and Miriam Hofer are serving as youth pastor couple Hofer is a 1997 graduate of Tabor College

HIll.SBORO, K.an. - Bob Fenstennacher was commissioned for service in the area of senior adult ministries during the Jan

"China! Maybe now's the time," I

said. -Lois Unrau, who volunteered to teach in Shenyang, China, for MCC.

Interested in serving with MCC? Want to know what MCC workers do? Visit Lois and other MCC workers in China, Bolivia, South Africa and in several North American locations. For free loan of A day with six MGG workers, contact the ( "" Mennonite MCC office nearest you Central Committee

26 worship service . He will work parttime on an interim basis until August. The congregation is currently reviewing staff needs

DEATHS

.

DUERKSEN, WESLEY, Hillsboro, Kan ., a member of the Hillsboro MB Church, was born March 8, 1921, at Inola , Okla , and died Dec. 28, 1997 at the age of 76. On Oct 15, 1943 he was married to Martha Lovisa Wiens, who survives. He is also survived by a daughter, Janet and husband Herman Franz of Wichita, Kan ; three sons, Ronald and wife Fran of Lehigh, Kan., Randol Pete and wife Carol of Hillsboro, and Rodean and wife Michelle of Newton, Kan.; two sisters, Edna and husband Lloyd Regehr and Ethel Bartel, all of Hillsboro; a sister-in-law, Lydia Duerksen of Hillsboro; and 11 grandchildren.

ESAU, LINDA, Buhler , Kan , was born May 24, 1918, to Ted and Martha Goertz Heidebrecht at Inman , Kan., and died Jan . 6, 1998, at the age of 79 . On Dec. 19, 1937, she was married to Jacob T. Esau, who predeceased her in 1997. She is survived by three sons , Jarold and wife Judy of Kansas, City, Mo , Dwight and wife Laura of Parachute, Colo.; and Dwayne and wife Michaela of Kernersville, N.C.; a sister, Ruth and husband Ron Crowe of Turon, Kan.; nine grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.

FAST, EUZABEm EPP, Fairview, Okla., was born April 2, 1898, to August F. and Elizabeth Patzkowsky near Isabella, Okla ., and died Jan. 16, 1998, at the age of 99 . On May 4, 1919, she was married to Henry ). Fast, who predeceased her in 1975. She is survived by a son, Wilmer Dean and wife Naomi Fast of Hennessey, Okla. ; one granddaughter and one great-grandson.

GOLBEK, ESmER KATHERINE, of Reedley, Calif. , a member of the Reedley MB Church, was born Sept. 17 , 1918, to John and Martha Fast EIrich in Reedley and died Dec. 9, 1997, at the age of 79. On Sept 17, 1937, she was married to Jacob Golbek, who survives She is also survived by a son, Ron and wife Tina of Kingsburg, Calif.; a daughter, Joanne and husband Ron Schneider of Squaw Valley, Calif ; four sisters, Elsie Kliewer of Fresno, Calif., Leona Baker and Frances EIrich of Visalia, Calif. , and Lucille Wiebe of Clovis , Calif.; five brothers, Clifford of Petaluma, Calif., Harvey, Richard and Louis of Bakersfield, Calif., and Calvin of Dinuba, Calif.; five grandchildren , four great grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren

ISAAC, CLARENCE A., of Dinuba, Calif , a member of the Dinuba MB Church, was born April 12 , 1922, in Meade, Kan . , to

John F. and Anna A. Isaac and died Nov. 11, 1997, at the age of 75 On May 6, 1945, he was married to Edna Johnson, who sur· vives. He is also survived by a daughter, Judy and her husband Bill Regehr; a son, Stan and wife Ann; two brothers, George A Isaac and wife Agnes of Kingsburg, Calif., and Pete A Isaac and wife Erma of Dinuba; one sister, Anna and husband Johnny Siebert of Lincoln, Neb.; one sister-in-law, Helen Isaac of Dallas, Ore. ; four grandchil· dren; and two great·grandchildren.

KOHFELD, HENRY AUGUST, of Shafter, Calif., a member of the Shafter MB Church, was born April 6, 1899, to Henry and Elizabeth Unruh Kohfeld in Indiahoma, Okla., and died Dec. 5, 1997, at the age of 98. In 1924, he was married to Bertha "Bea" Bergen, who predeceased him in 1978 He is survived by a son, James and wife Vir· ginia of Santa Monica, Calif.; a daughter, Katherine and husband Gene Bunnell of Klamath Falls, Ore.; four grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

LANGE, PAUL EVERETT, Hillsboro, Kan., a member of the Hillsboro MB Church, was born Aug. 14, 1927, to Peter R and Susan Reimer Lange in Hutchinson, Kan , and died Dec. 29, 1997, at the age of 70. On May 28, 1955, he was married to Betty Harder, who survives He is also survived by a son, Byron and wife Darla of Shawnee, Kan .; a daughter, Wendy and

husband Byron McCarty of Hillsboro; a sister, Dorothy Schapansky of Reedley, Calif.; a brother, Jerome of Clovis, Calif.; and four grandchildren

PANKRATZ, ROSELLA, of HIllsboro, Kan., a member of the Hillsboro MB Church, was born June 1, 1911, to Andrew). and Anna Bushman Pankratz at

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Mennonite Brethren Foun dation

invites applications for the position of

Field Representative

Seeking a Field Representative to work primarily in the Pacific District area with a focus on encouraging and assisting Christians in faithful stewardship. Specific res ponsibilities include stewardship education, planned giving, charitable estate planning and Foundation -relate d activity. Qualifications include a n ability t o communicate effectively and a desire to as sist people in achieving their stewardship objectives .

Direct inquiries to :

Attn: J on Wiebe PO Box V Hillsboro;· KS 67063

CHURCH PARTNERSHIP EVANGELISM (CPE)

Invitation:

TO : Born -again Christians

King Road MB Church in Abbotsford, B C., is seeking volunteers for its Church Partnership Evangelism outreach to.... Cost/person"

1. PHILIPPINES - Manilla Jan. 16 - Feb. 2, ' 98

$1,200

2. INDIA - Mahabubnagar Jan. 16 - Feb. 9, '98 , $1 ,600

3. PHILIPPINES - Davao, Cebu, Roxas Feb. 8-25, '98 $1,200

4. NICARAGUA - Managua Feb. 28 - March 16, '98 $1,200

5. PERU - Sullana, Trujillo . . ............... April 4-27, '98 . .. . . .. . ... . $1,200

6. UKRAINE - Kiev, Tchernovtsky, Odessa May 2-25, '98

7. CONGO - Kinshasa, Kikwit May 1 - June 1, '98

8. CUBA. June 5 -22 , '98

9. FIJI ISLAND - Labasa June 5-22, '98

10. PARAGUAY - Asuncion, Chaco Ju ly 4-20 , '98

12. NICARAGUA - Managua

Ju ly 4-20, '98

13. UKRAINE - Novomoskovsk, Pavlograd Berdyansk, Alexandria, Kirowograd July 25 - Aug. 18, '98

14. PERU - Chiclayo, Talara Aug. 1-24, '98

15. NICARAGUA

Nov. 8-23, '98

16. INDIA Nov 7-30, '98

$1,200

$2,000

$1,000

$1,300

$1,500

$1,200

$1,600

$1,200

$1,200

$1,600

Note : Dates may be subject to change, pe ndin g further confirmation of some campaigns 'Canadian dollars

• Team up with national Christians and witness for Christ door to door.

• Some knowledge of the language of the country is helpful.

• Between 800-2,800 persons have prayed to accept Christ as their personal Savior and Lord during a two-week CPE campaign Come and be a part of an enriching spiritual experience-discover what God can do through you.

For more information, contact: CPE office: Tel.-Fax : 604 -864-3941, or Evelyn Unruh, 604852-5744; or Peter Loewen, 604-853 -3173 or FAX 604-853 -6482

Church Partnership Evangelism is a "church -to church " effort that involves lay members in personal evangelism worldwide Your application to participate wiff be forwarded to the C P E. Executive Committee fo r processing

Peter Loewen CPE Promoter

Harold W Ens MBMIS Int 'l General Director

Hillsboro , and died Dec. 16, 1997, at the age of 86 She is survived by 12 nieces and three nephews.

PAULS, FRANK, of Reedley, Calif., a member of the Reedley MB Church, died Dec . 4, 1997, at the age of 94. He is survived by his wife, Pauline; three sons, Melvin of Dinuba, Calif., DeVem of Yucaipa, Calif., and Larry of Fresno, Calif.; and seven grandchildren

REIMER, ESTI:lER ROSE HUWA, of Reedley, Calif., a member of the Reedley MB Church, was born May 16, 1923, to Edward and Molly Huwa in Keenesburg, Colo , and died Dec. 29, 1997, at the age of 74 On April 2, 1944, she was married to Paul Reimer, who survives She is also survived by three daughters, Jane and husband Johnie Tomsen of Kingsburg, Calif., Carol and husband Tim Leppke of Reedley, Calif., and Laurie and husband Tim Franz of Fresno, Calif.; three brothers, John Huwa, Daniel Huwa and Jerry Huwa, all of Colorado; a sister, Ruth and husband Bob Miller of Colorado ; and 11 grandchildren.

WAHL, OLGA, of Harvey, N.D., a member of the Harvey MB Church, was born June 21, 1908, to Ferdinand and Maria Rosenau near Goodrich, N D., and died Jan. 3, 1998, at the age of 89. On Sept. 21, 1929, she was married to Jacob Wahl, who predeceased her in 1988 She is survived by a daughter, Joyce Synder of Leesburg, Fla.; two sons, Bruce of Harvey and David of Arlington, Va.; a sister, Emma Leppke of California; five grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

CLEARINGHOUSE

Have a pOSition to fiff? Looking for a new employment or ministry opportunity? Have a gathering or celebration to promote? Need to self or acquire property?

Reach U S Mennonite Brethren through a Clearinghouse classified ad The charge is 40 cents per word. with a $15 minimum Withhold payment untif an invoice is received. The editors reserve the right to turn down inappropriate material For display (boxed) ad rates, please calf us.

POSITION AVAILABLE

STAFF NEEDED: Neighborhood Church is occupying new facilities on 20 acres of land in March 1998. We are looking for staff members to help us best fulfill our mission in these facilities : (1) a full -time custodian, beginning March 1998; (2) a full -time children's pastor, beginning July 1 , 1998 ; (3) a volunteer young families pastor, beginning as soon as possible If you are interested , please contact Neighborhood Church at 209 -732-9107. We would be pleased to supply you with a job description.

PROGRAM ADMINISTRATOR : MB Biblical Seminary in Fresno , Cali f. , seeks a program adm i nistrator, start ing by fall 1998 for its On · Site Counseling Program Qua l ifications : administrative experience, licensed psychologist or MFCC counselor , five years ' experience as therapist or supervisor. Contact: Pierre Gilbert , MBBS , 4824 E Bu tl er, Fresno , CA 93727 ; 209 -452 - 1768 Equal Opportun ity Emp loye r.

WIENS, ALICE KARBER, of Fairview , Okla., a member of the Balko (Okla ) MB Church, was born Sept. 19, 1906 , to Henry H. and Frena Penner Karber near Fairview and died Jan 7, 1998, at the age of 91. On Aug 31, 1931, she was married to Arthur E. Wiens, who predeceased her She is survived by a son, Cliff and wife Laura of San Jose, Calif.; two daughters, DeeAnn and husband Herb Hofer of Huron, S.D., and Carolyn and husband Ken Regier of Broken Arrow, Okla ; a sister, Cecille and husband Arthur Almquist of Turlock, Calif. ; two brothers , Reuben Karber and wife Agnes of Enid, Okla , and Vernon Karber and wife Edythe of Bellingham, Wash .; seven grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.

WILLEMS, HELEN LENA, of Reedley, Calif. , a member of the Reedley MB Church, was born Feb 1, 1918 , to G.D. and Anna Block Willems near Inman, Kan., and died Dec . 7, 1997, at the age of 79. She is survived by a brother, john of Reedley; four sisters, Ann and husband jake Isaac of Reedley, Eva and husband Andrew Classen of Fresno, Calif., Martha and husband John Klema of Kansas City, Mo., and Esther Willems of Reedley; two sisters-inlaw, Anna Willems of Reedley and Fern Willems of Carthage, Mo.; and many nieces and nephews •

FORES T GROVE COMMUN IT Y C HU RC H

(A member of the Canadian Conference of MB Churches) is inviting applications for the position of

SEN IO R PASTOR

• Saskatoon is a growing city with a population of about 200,000 It has a vibrant e c o nomy based on agriculture, mining, resources and biotechnology.

• Our congregation has an average attendance of 1,000. Our building is located about one mile from the University of Saskatchewan, adjacent to a major traffic artery, and situated in the fastest-growing sector of our city.

• The congregation is a mix of young families, a 'Iarge number of youth and college/career people and a significant group of adults 50 and over. Our present ministry staff includes three associate pastors, four ministry directors and an interim senior pastor.

• The major areas of ministry for the Senior Pastor will include preaching and providing vision, leadership and mentoring for the pastoral and administrative team

• Qualified candidates will include those with experience leading a church with a multiple staff environment.

• Starting date negotiable.

Interested candidates may send their resume and requests for more information to: Pastoral Search Committee

c/o Erwen Siemens

Forest Grove Community Church 502 Webster Street Saskatoon, SK S7N 3P9

E-mail: fgcc@sk.sympatico.ca

MEDIA MATTERS

BY BURTON BULLER

'The Apostle' looks at faith

For those of us in leadership, Duvall's film wields a two-edged sword. The sharper edge challenges us to shut up and let God do more of the talking.

ROBERT DUVALL ranks as one of America's great actors. His performances are gut-wrenching with humorous over-

Duvall chose ordinary churchgoers rather than professional actors to fill the pews in his cinematic church. Watching these scenes is like actually being there. Worship style tones. America tuned in and turned on to his portrayal of Gus McCrae in the 1989 television series "Lonesome Dove."

In 1984, Duvall wrote a script based on a personal experience he had with a pastor Now, more than 10 years later, that script reaches the screen as "The Apostle."

"The Apostle" tackles religion head-on, asking complex and uncomfortable questions along the way. Unfortunately, for an actor with Duvall's stature, one expects a film of much higher quality than "The Apostle" turns out to be.

Written by, directed by, largely funded by and starring Duvall, he may be too close to the material to be objective in its presentation. The film suffers from a host of serious dramatic flaws that will limit its mass appeal. Likely, you won't see this film in a theater near you. You'll have to wait until it hits the shelf in your local video store.

So why bring it up at all? Because this film is notable in its portrayal of faith in a compelling and respectful manner.

If one puts aside expectation created by Hollywood filmmaking and rather chooses to view "The Apostle" as a docudrama, it becomes a powerful statement on the state of evangelical Christianity near the end of this century. In this film, the church as a local institution exists as a powerful and meaningful presence in the community. You will see church services portrayed with a warm and respectful realism. To capture this realism,

is fast-paced and participatory. One senses the presence of God in these recreations.

Squeaky clean, with no offensive language and almost no violence, this film unfortunately moves too slowly to be a successful theatrical release. Characterization is too weak to carry the plot alone.

The story centers on a preacher who feels profoundly called by God to the ministry. He is gregarious and working hard enough that he is neglecting his family. Fed up with the neglect, his wife (played by Farrah Fawcett) has an affair with a parishioner After discussing the situation with God, the preacher decides not to shoot the lover. But a chance encounter so enrages him that he takes a baseball bat to the man, placing him in a coma.

This, of course, sets up the end of his ministry in the local church. Forced from the pulpit and not sure about how the law will deal with his violent outburst, he leaves town. As he flees, he constantly talks to God, discussing his situation, searching for guidance.

Unable to shake his past, the preacher feels God calling him to change his identity. Rebaptizing himself, he takes the name E F Apostle . In a small southern town, E F discovers a retired pastor whose heart condition no longer allows him to lead the congregation in the

high-energy, pumped up style of preaching that the community demands. E F. convinces the pastor to allow him to reopen the shuttered church.

In no time, the church is a thriving, spirit-filled congregation. Relationships are healed, the community is being won to Christ, and E.F. Apostle becomes a respected member of the community in which he ministers. He begins a radio ministry

E.F. discovers that the man he clubbed has died and that the police are looking for him. His radio program leads the authorities to his church where he is preaching his most powerful sermon ever. On this particular day, a young man he has befriended comes under conviction and accepts Jesus as his savior. As the service ends, the police arrest the preacher for murder.

There is a lot in this film with which evangelical Christians of all stripes will identify. But the way in which the preacher is portrayed is troublesome . He is not someone we can love, or root for. This preacher has allowed his calling to be overtaken by his own ego. He is accountable only to himself. God doesn't get a chance to get a word in edgewise. Therefore, his ministry is really a well orchestrated sham.

Tough issues keep popping uplike abuse of power and excessive manipulation. He seems to mistake his ability to manipulate people for the leading of the spirit. By juxtaposing a preacher running a sham operation with a sincere, respectful portrayal of God's presence during the church service, Duvall seems to be asking how broken a vessel must be before it can no longer be effectively used by God

For those of us in leadership, Duvall's film wields a two-edged sword. It is comforting to be reminded that God can indeed use us in spite of our brokenness and shortcomings. But the sharper edge challenges us to sit back, shut up and let God do more of the talking.

LET'S TALK ABOUT IT

A GUIDE FOR GROUP INTERACTION

SESSION 1 Training work-friendly pastors

Based on "When the marketplace becomes ministry," page 4 .

GET READY - Getting started

• How many hours did you spend in the "marketplace" this week?

GET SET - Examining the issues

1. What is Diehl's complaint about the relationship between the church and his job at Bethlehem Steel?

2 Review the differences between type A and B laypersons.

3. What are the results when the assets of the church are frozen?

4 What are the reasons that pastors are thought to not understand business?

GO - Applying ideas to the way we live

1. Have you ever experienced a time when a church's business approach to ministry became detrimental? In what ways?

2 Which of the 10 ways to support ministry in the workplace is most needed in your congregation?

3 . In what ways can your church be affirmed for encouraging ministry in the workplace?

SESSION 2 LI ving In grace

Based on "Amazing Grace," page 9 .

GET READY - Getting started

• If you were free to do anyone thing you wanted towithout fear of consequences- what would it be?

GET SET - Examining the issues

1. Why is the fami ly of God prone to battling over how to properly respond to God's grace?

2 . What were and are the resu lts of a legalistic response to grace?

3. As you look through the letter to the Galatians, highlight the verses that define and describe grace

GO - Applying ideas to the way we live

1 . How can we free ourselves and others to serve because of grace, but not feel a need to perform in order to gain God's favor?

2 Do you agree with and rejoice in Kauffman ' s suggestion that grace is being redefined?

3 . What has had the greatest impact on your understanding of grace?

SESSION 3 Evangelism and social action

Based on Inquiring Minds, page 14

GET READY - Getting started

• As you reflect on the past week, which events or activities would you label as evangelistic and which as social action?

GET SET - Examining the issues

1 Why is it so difficult to distinguish between the two aspects of ministry?

2. Can you add to the examples given in which Mennonite Brethren combined both social action and teaching the gospel?

3 . What concern does Hein have with our present arrangement?

GO - Applying ideas to the way we live

1. Would you agree or disagree that "we are not training our young people for leadership in the church"?

2. How are both interest and skill for kingdom work encouraged in your congregation?

3 Identify several people you know who have needs. Would their overall need be met best by offering your service, shar i ng Scripture with them, or both?

SESS ION 4 " Th e Apostle"

Based on Media Matters, page 34

GET READY - Getting started

• Which, if any, Robert Duvall movies have you seen?

GET SET - Examining the issues

1. As you review the story of "The Apostle," how are Christians and the church positively portrayed?

2. What issues are raised by the movie that the church shou ld consider?

3. Would Scripture support E.F. Apostle's decision to start another church?

4 How is it possible that one can go from being "profoundly called by God" to being a murderer?

GO - Applying ideas to the way we live

1. How does one guard against this possibility?

2 Do you think the issues of integrity and sincerity are greater for preachers and church leaders than for others within the church?

3 Are there ways in which you run and hide from God? What would give you freedom?

Investing for the kingdom

JESUS SEEMS to have been a "work-friendly" pastor. He often used images from the workaday world to communicate spiritual truth. I wonder, though, how adept we have been at catching the intended truth.

Jesus's Parable of the Talents is a case in point. In Matthew's version, a rich master entrusts three servants with varying amounts of "talents," then holds them accountable for how they use them. This parable has an important message for us in the world of work, but perhaps it's not the ones we often ascribe to it.

One school of interpretation takes this parable quite literally: The parable teaches that God gives to people varying abilities to make money and expects us to

• "Whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. '

• "Love you enemies and pray for those who persecute you."

• "Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourself that will not wear out, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. "

• "Whatever you do for the least of these brothers of mine, you do for me."

Kingdom secrets tend to tum

conventional success strategies

• "Blessed are the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, those who are persecuted for righteousness sake " multiply our wealth. Of course, nothing could be further from the truth. By defmition, parables are not literal teachings; rather, they employ common images to communicate a deeper meaning. The Parable of the Talents is no more about becoming successful entrepreneurs than the Parable of the Sower means all Christians should be grain farmers.

A second, more common, interpretation takes off on the word "talents." In the New upside down.

Testament setting, a talent was a common unit of money. But we often apply that word as our culture defines it: as a special gift or ability we've received from God. So the application becomes clear: Christians should "invest" their special ability-whether it's managing, counseling, craftsmanship, teaching-for God's glory. If we develop our talent, God will "bless" our efforts (preferably with fmancial and professional success).

That interpretation may carry an element of truth, but it still misses the point Jesus was trying to make, writes Donald Kraybill in The Upside-Down Kingdom. He says the commodity in this parable is neither money nor natural abilities. It is our knowledge of God Jesus was asking his Jewish audience a simple question: "How well have you invested the truths God had entrusted to you?"

The question is relevant for us, too. How are we investing the truths of kingdom living we have received through the years? Those secrets won't mUltiply our stock portfolio or help us win friends and influence people as we climb the career ladder. No, kingdom "secrets " tend to tum conventional success strategies upside down:

• "Whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave."

These talents, these secrets, are part of every Christian'S job description, no matter the job or role we assume from 9 to 5 each working day. Paul made it clear: "Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for

us ... " (Eph. 5:1-2). To be imitators of God means that we may teach, sell, manufac-

ture, build or farm for a living, but our fulltime job is to love as God loves.

Tragically, we tend to think that only those people who pursue church-related professions-like pastors and missionaries-are called by God to their work. These are wonderful roles in God's kingdom. But each of us who claims allegiance with Christ is called to our job if we see it as an expression of our primary vocation. The kingdom needs pastors and missionaries, but the kingdom also needs:

• businesspersons who see the well-being of people as having greater value than a bulging profit margin;

• schoolteachers who see students as vulnerable souls loved by God, not just faces behind a desk;

• lawyers who work for justice rather than status;

• farmers who strive to feed the hungry and not simply to build bigger barns;

• employers who see themselves as servants of their employees-and employees who do their jobs as unto the Lord.

If God gives us the grace to do so, each of us can be full -time ministers in the kingdom of God, whatever our job happens to be. And then we will hear God's commendation: "Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness." -DR