WE BEGIN our 60th year as the first English-language Mennonite Brethren publication in North America by focusing our attention beyond those borders. For the record, we endorse MB Missions/Services's proclamation that 1997 should be a "Year of Global Mission." The MBM/S Witness insert as well as our own Bodylife section (page 18) focus on this proclamation and some of the activities that will accompany it.
But with this issue we also want to say that we believe part of the "Year of Global Mission" is not only to evangelize and start new churches but also to be the church in this troubled world of ours. While we in North America live in relative peace and prosperity, the global churchincluding many, many of our Mennonite Brethren brothers and sisters-face a different and difficult reality. We hope the content of our feature articles will bolster the emphasis of this year's "Peace Sunday" observance Jan. 19.
We begin with an overview of some of the hot spots where we have direct involvement through our sister conferences or through the work of MBM/S and Mennonite Central Committee (page 4).
Following that, Krista Rigalo of the Zaire MB Conference puts faces and souls to the statistics by sharing several sobering stories about believers caught in the recent outbreak of violence in eastern Zaire (page 7).
Then, lest we forget, our North American missionaries are on the front lines of ministry far from home. Trever Godard, an MBM/S worker in Colombia, recounts a frightening close call that should keep all of us praying diligently for the Lord's protection and wisdom on behalf of these courageous folks (page 11).
A personal word. By the time this issue is printed, your editor will be in India (Lord willing) to cover Assembly 13 of Mennonite World Conference. Please pray for this gathering of our broader global family. May it bring us closer as nations and denominations who share a vision of Christ's call on our lives.-DR
COMING
-JANUARY 7-12, 1997-India 97, Assembly 13 of Mennonite World Conference, Calcutta, India.
-JANUARY 19, 1997-U.S. Conference "Peace Sunday."
_FEBRUARY 5-7, 1997-General Conference board meetings, Fraser Valley, B.c.
FEBRUARY 27-MARCH 2, 1997-U.S. Conference board meetings, Fresno, Calif.
MARCH 2-4, 1997-New pastors orientation, Fresno, Calif.
The world is witnessing more wars right now than ever before in history. In the midst of them, the church of Jesus Christ witnesses to the way of peace
7 Friends under fire
When eastern Zaire erupted with civil war violence, members and friends of the Mennonite church were in the thick of it. Here are their stories BY KRISTA RIGALO
11 Targeted by trust
Marvin had been befriended and helped by MB Missions/Services workers Trever and Joan Godard. Now he held them at gunpoint. BY TREVER GODARD
DEPARTMENTS
Paul's
• MBM/S's Harold Ens on the "Year of Global Mission" 18
• Esengo Zaire prepares for world tour 18
• The editors' Top 10 stories for '96 20
• Pierre Gilbert named MBBS dean 22
• U-SERVaids Raisin City congregation 22
• Cooking classes help build a new church 22
•
ART CREDITS: Cover and pages 7 and 9, MCC photos by Dave Klassen; pages 4 and 6, MCC photos by Howard Zehr; page 5, MCC photo by Sonja Gyori-Helmuth; page 11, photo illustration by Ed Wallowitch ; page 19, MBM/S photo
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The world is right ever before in history. A sisters in Christ are witnessing in the midst of many of them.
FROM BOSNIA TO BURUNDI, ASSERTIONS OF "PEACE ON EARTH"
during the recent holiday season sometimes seemed rooted more in habit than in hope. Certainly not in headlines. Though the Cold War has been "won" and the nuclear arsenals of superpowers seem less volatile than before, the world is still at war.
Former President Jimmy Carter reported some time ago that the Carter Center in Atlanta is monitoring 112 conflicts around the globeincluding 32 small "major" wars. "We have more wars now ongoing, at this moment, than ever before in history," Carter confirmed during Billy Graham's recent holiday television special, "A Season of Peace."
Half a generation ago, superpowers and their puppets clashed with each other. Today ' s wars,
though, are of a different sort. "Now, every war in the world is a war within a country," Carter says. "There are not any more wars between nations "
In the midst of most of these violent and bloody conflicts, the church of Jesus Christ lives, worships,witnesses-and often suffers Tragically, those who claim to follow the Prince of Peace occasionally are participants in the violence. More often, though, they are pawns caught
between factions and forces seemingly beyond their control. But these believers are not powerless Instead, they seek to emulate their Prince in the midst of conflict. Sometimes at the price of hardship and persecution . Mennonite Central Committee, the hands and feet of Mennonite-related conferences, has come alongside embattled brothers and sisters in numerous settings.
• Central Africa. The region is engulfed in a complicated morass of conflict. Some of it is centered on an ethnic clash between Tutsi and Hutu peoples. Burundian Christians cope with the fear of random killings by preparing for death "I can face the day if I feel ready to face God," said one woman
In eastern Zaire, a rebel takeover killed numerous people, including Muta, who was to be the first baptized member of the new Bukavu Mennonite church Muta's sister, a Zairian Mennonite Brethren missionary, reports that despite her grief, this experience has strengthened her desire to share her faith
• liberia and Sudan. In these African nations , ongoing civil war has left many people destitute . Uberian Christians decided to address physical as well as spiritual needs : they organized a rice distribution to needy people in their country's capital Sudanese Christians say their suffering has made them more aware of the importance of church Churches are growing rapidly. Sudanese are fmding special comfort in musicsome 5,000 new hymns have been composed in recent years.
• Burma. Here, the Karen, a primarily Christian ethnic group, are establishing schools with curricula designed to teach children peacemaking skills . Children may hold the key to a more peaceful future for Burma, a country that has endured 45 years of civil war
• Middle East. Three days of violence, the worst in decades, erupted in late September following the controversial decision by Israeli officials to open an archaeological tunnel located in the Old City of Jerusalem, under the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa Mosque complex. According to MCC workers, the closure of the West Bank and Gaza by the Israeli military has created economic hardships much worse than under official Israeli military occupation
In Jerusalem, a group of Palestinian Christians meets regularly to pray for peace, to explore theological roots for justice , and to promote peaceful solutions toward the lifting of Israel's occupation . Other Palestinian Christians
work at mediation amid the ongoing violence.
Christians in Egypt witness through suffering , literally risking their lives for following Christ. In Iraq, Christians share their resources to help people in desperate economic situations .
• Other hot spots. While perhaps not currently experiencing outright war, Christians in the following countries-or parts of countries-live in unstable, conflictive Situations, not knowing when tenuous relationships will fly apart: Northern Ireland, the former Soviet Union, the former Yugoslavia, Colombia, Guatemala, Haiti and Mexico
Mennonite Brethren have churches and workers in many of these places . Most urgently, we stand beside our brothers and sisters in striferiddled Zaire, home to our largest national conference with some 70,000 members (see page 7) . "Zaire is certainly right at the top of our list now, in terms of the MB world, " says Harold Ens, general director of MB Missions/ Services. "At this point our churches have not experienced great persecution from this recent event. But their new church-planting thrust was right in the middle of where civil war has broken out " Ens says the return of Zaire's President Mobutu to Zaire in recent weeks has only increased uncertainty. "People are very fearful of the future of Zaire as a country even ," he says
Workers in peril
In addition to Zaire , our churches in the former Soviet Union , Colombia, Mexico, Panama and Peru know ftrsthand the violence of this world Our North American workers in those countries are not immune either (see page 11) "We have been very fortunate," Ens says. "In Peru , through all the Shining Path (violence), we had workers who were threatened, but everything came out OK Colombia continues to be a concern for our churches and for our missionaries there. It continues to be such a violent society. life seems so cheap. "
Modem media may make us more aware of trouble around the globe, but Ens also believes the times have changed. "The world seems to be a more dangerous place ," he says. "There 's always been violence, but there's so much more uncontrolled, unexpected violence-like terror-
This elderly Guatemalan woman, and many other indigenous Guatemalans, are caught in a nowin situation-violence and extreme poverty in their own country or "nonperson" status in other countries where they seek refuge.
PAGE 4 PHOTO: "Local people are fed up with war," says Peter Gai Lual. Here, Lual (center, with hat) leads a peace delegation from Akobo, Sudan, to a neighboring community to discuss cattle theft and resulting retaliatory killings Sudan has been at war for the past 40 years. Now people, encouraged by churches, are finding ways to work for peace.
PEACE
What in the world can we do?
FIGHTING FLARES and thousands of refugees scramble for homes in Bosnia and Serbia still reel in the wake of bitter fratricide. Virtual warfare bursts from the muzzles of our own city streets. What can we as followers of Christ do about the warfare that so furiously wages?
Are we not called to weep?
With the eyes of the One who blew breath into us all, we can look into the mirror of war and see, disturbingly, our own faces. Even as Christian Tutsi slays Christian Hutu in Eastern Zaire, we remember that in our own country a mere 130 years ago, 500,000 persons who named the name of Christ lay dead after our own Civil War. There, but for the grace of God
Looking through the eyes of God, we know it's not Us and Them. It's all Us.
Are we not called to offer a hand?
For the displaced families wandering homeless on the hills of Zaire or the returned refugees in Rwanda, Mennonite Central Committee has appealed for blankets, which are needed for warmth in the hills. More than that, exchanging such gifts carries the eucharistic power of the broken body of Christ moving between us. We know we are not alone.
Are we not called to "cry justice "?
Wars and conflicts are human creations . Patterns of human greed or fear or injustice lie at the roots of warfare When ordinary persons, infused by the gospel values, inform themselves by deep listening and reading, we have potential to speak truth to persons in power To offer encouragement to the powerless. To write a letter . .. to someone in power, to a newspaper, to church workers in the situation a letter which can transform.
Are we not called to pray?
In the end, we know that many situations of conflict defy easy human solution. Without the One who is within and yet beyond us all, we shall never find peace. As we enter the deep prayer of listening to the heart of God, we come to know most profoundly that the wandering Hutu mother is my mother. That the malnourished Iraqi child is my child. When we so meet in the heart of God, we ourselves take steps toward peace in our hearts .
ism . There's more of that today than in any time that I've been involved (with MBM/S)."
Into this violent world all Christians are called, even those who live in relative stability. "Anyone who has a faith in Christ should have as part of our elementary human commitment the promotion of peace, the protection of peace, the end of strife and hatred, of alienation among peopie," says former President Carter. "So I think, inherently, Christianity can be equated in its broadest deftnition with the word 'peace.'"
Prayer is the front line of battle for Christians. But involvement doesn't end there. "I think we need to be globally aware," Harold Ens adds. "As Christians, we need to recognize that the decisions of our governments, even our corporations, affect other places. Some of that relates to the safety and ability of our fellow believers to share the gospel. "
Coinciding with MBM/S proclaiming 1997 the "Year of Global Mission" (see page 18), the Peace Commission ofthe U.S. Conference has made the international church in conflict the focus of its annual]anuary "Peace Sunday" emphasis Let the world know that for Mennonite Brethren, the goals of "mission" and "peace" are intertwined.
Then, let Mennonite Brethren step into this world with the courage and confidence of their confession: "We believe that God in Christ reconciles people to himself and to one another, making peace through the cross Our bond with other followers of Jesus transcends all racial, social and national barriers. We seek to be agents of reconciliation in all relationships, to practice love of enemies as taught by Christ, to be peacemakers in all situations" (Article 13).
Though we will not see the full fruition of that angelic promise of "Peace on earth" until Christ returns, Mennonite Brethren, with the help and empowerment of the Spirit, can still make a world of difference in this world of violence. •
-Submitted by Earl Martin, a staff member at Mennonite Central Committee headquarters in Akron, Pa An inmate helps unload MCC canned beef at a distribution center in Russia. mission and Mennonite Central Committee.
This article was written by Leader staff with help from ME Missions/Services, the U.S. Peace Com-
FRIENDS under fire
BY KRISTA RIGALO
Editors' note: Krista Rigalo and her husband, Fidele Lumeya, members of a Mennonite Brethren congregation in Kinshasa, Zaire, were working in forestry and peace projects with Mennonite Central Committee around Bukavu, Zaire, when civil war broke out in late October. Bukavu is located some distance from the many Mennonite Brethren congregations in Zaire, but the Zaire Conference had targeted the area for church planting. Rigalo and Lumeya evacuated Bukavu for Kenya on Oct. 27. On Nov. 20, Krista and MCCs Terry Sawatsky were in the first group of outsiders allowed into Bukavu since its capture by Zairian rebels. Krista shares the following vignettes as a plea for continued prayer.
FIDELE AND I HAVE LEARNED much from knowing, loving and working alongside people in Bukavu. We've seen God in each of them: in the Zairian pastor committed to providing for the sick, the hungry, the strangers; in the Rwandan pastor working for peace despite untold sacrifices; in the Zairian doctor who accepted the call to be a missionary only to find himself in the midst of a war; in the Rwandan refugee student who built herself a family of incredible diversity; and in the Zairian Tutsi persecuted because of her ethnicity. Let me introduce these friends to you. Please pray for them and for the many others who face starvation, disease and loss.
PEACE
PAGE 7 PHOTO:
This 1994 photo shows a mother and child at one of the four Rwandan refugee camps near Bukavu that MCC helped support. All four camps were empty following renewed fighting in the region. Some 250,000 people were displaced.
Pastor Simon Kabambi
Pastor Simon Kabambi and his wife have four children of their own, ages 2 to 7, as well as two teenage nephews who study in Bukavu and live with them . Because he is a pastor and a member of the Protestant church's refugee committee, Pastor Kabambi's house is always full of family, friends and visitors in need.
We relied on Pastor Kabambi, a Zairian born and raised in the South Kivu region, for accurate
Pastor Kabambi
knew food was short in Bukavu. The possible famine victims would not only be refugees, but also Zairians. Were the children-Halika, Rachel, Divine and Menno Clement-hungry, cold, scared?
We have since discovered that Pastor Kabambi and his immediate family are fme, although an older sister died from a heart attack brought on by the stress of war. Pastor Kabambi and his family endured two days of intense fighting in Bukavu. They then moved to Bideka, their home village. Pastor Kabambi wants and in-depth information about developments in the area. As the situation deteriorated, Madame Kabambi wants to retum to to return to Bukavu as soon as possible, perhaps temporarily leaving his family in Bideka. discussed walking 37 miles to Bideka, a presumably safer place, with her children. She would likely end up carrying their 2-year-old.
It was difficult for us to leave this family in late
Bukavu as soon as possible, perhaps temporarily leaving his family in Bideka.
Pastor Jean Damascene
Pastor Jean Damascene is a Rwandan pastor living in Bideka refugee camp with his wife, sister and three children. He and his family originally come from Gisenyi, October Fidele and I could leave because we have access to resources they don't have. We're not better people than they are, nor more worthy of living. Simply put, we are blessed to be working with a constituency more able to provide for our personal support than Pastor Kabambi's local parishioners.
After we left, we thOUght of the family often and wondered how and where they were . We
Rwanda. Pastor Jean Damascene's parishioners in Gisenyi-Hutu and Tutsi alike-would like him to return He is awaited and welcome; he has never been implicated in the genocide But despite uncomfortable living conditions ifl the refugee camp, Pastor Jean Damascene has chosen to remain with his people , working in an MCC-supported peace program, hoping to effect a change that might enable the refugees to return home.
Return visit reveals a ravaged and volatile Bukavu
ALTHOUGH many Rwandan refugees around Goma, Zaire, have returned home, the situation around Bukavu, Zaire, is quite different.
Here's what Krista Rigalo and Terry Sawatsky found Nov. 20 when they were among the first group of outsiders allowed into Bukavu since the town was captured by Zairian rebels at the end of October
• The four Rwandan refugee camps MCC had helped support near Bukavu are now empty. Church contacts in Bukavu say the Interahamwe have taken the refugees hostage and have
forced them further into Zaire's interior. Roads are not passable by vehicle and people are traveling on foot. The sick and some children have been left to die by the road. Some reports indicate as many as 250,000 people may be in this group. Zairian homes and farms along the refugees' route have been looted
• A second group of some 175,000 refugees had also been under Interahamwe con · trol. The Interahamwe leaders of this group appear to have been defeated, and the refugees are beginning to return to Rwanda
• Although Bukavu appeared calm during the
MCC workers' visit, an estimated 35 percent of Bukavu's 300,000 Zairian residents were outside the town, hiding in the forests or in surrounding villages During the rebel takeover, an unknown number of people were killed. The whereabouts and fate of many MCC partners and friends are unknown
• Countless Zairians around Bukavu have been uprooted and have lost their possessions. Zairian soldiers, many who serve unpaid, "took what they could and ran," Sawatsky says He fears aid agencies will focus on assisting only Rwandans and will overlook the suffering of Zairians
who are "hungry and have lost clothing, blankets and many other items."
• The MCC office in Bukavu had been looted. Two MCC vehicles, a computer and other items were stolen; the loss is estimated to be around $30,000 (U.s ). Neighbors reported finding two bodies in the yard of the MCC house
''The situation will continue to be fluid and difficult to predict," Sawatsky says "MCC will have to respond to changing dynamics "
He notes, however, that "the need for blankets, warm clothing, seeds and possibly food for Zairians already appears evident." (MCC)
This 1994 photo was taken minutes after a Rwandan woman was reunited with her son in an orphanage in Bukavu. The woman lost her son during their desperate flight from Rwanda's civil war and for about four months she had no idea whether he was alive or dead. Renewed fighting in the region has once again forced people from their homes.
A week prior to our evacuation, Fidele and the peace program team were organizing conflict resolution seminars. Pastor Jean was preparing the camps for these seminars. The rainy season had just started. Pastor Jean was attempting to arrange for a seminar at Mushweshwe camp when he got caught in the fierce rains, a storm
tor and an elder of the Zairian Mennonite Brethren Church. He and his family felt called to help make Zairian Mennonites' vision for mission a reality by planting a church in Bukavu. Dieu Donne quickly found work at Bukavu's general hospital. After more than three months living with relatives, the family was able to move into their own home a month before fighting broke out. We rejoiced with them over a meal of beans and rice on their fll'St night in their new house.
Dieu Donne was on duty when the first of the wounded Zairian soldiers began arriving from the front lines. Frustrated at having been forced to flee the battlefield due to lack of arms and ammunition, the soldiers abused the doctors and nurses working to help them. Dieu Donne said he was threatened at gunpoint by wounded soldiers demanding food and money. Through it all, Dieu Donne continued to present a strong Christian witness.
When we returned to Zaire in late November, we found Yvette in the family home; Dieu Donne was on guard at the Bukavu hospital. Yvette related how, during the height of the fighting in Bukavu at the end of October, the family tried to leave. She told of stepping over dead bodies in the street.
Muta, Yvette's younger brother, fled north through a Rwandan refugee camp. He was "arrested" by the Interahamwe because he appeared to be Tutsi. Despite interventions from that caused flash floods killing six people. In my mind's eye I can see him hunched over in the driving rain, walking down an abandoned mountain road, going from camp to camp, still believing that peace is possible and worth any sacrifice.
We remain especially concerned about Pastor Jean Damascene and his family. We have since heard that the
Yvette, while grieving, rejoices that Muta had recently become a Christian and was to be baptized.
his friends and others, he was tortured and killed. Yvette, while grieving, rejoices that Muta had recently become a Christian and was to be baptized.
service. Yvette does not believe her brother would have become a Christian if she, her husband and children had not returned to Bukavu.
Violette
Violette thinks she is an orphan, but is not sure. For more than two years she has been trying to fmd her mother. She knows her brother was killed outside their house in Kigali, Rwanda. She met up with his killer one day in Bukavu.
In the midst of her suffering, Yvette continues to sense the call to missionary Bideka refugee camp where they had been living no longer exists. The Interahamwe (Rwandan Hutus involved in the 1994 genocide in Rwanda) pillaged the mission station there and forced the refugees to flee with them, killing those who refused. Pastor Jean Damascene and his family are conceivably in the group of refugees, estimated to be around 250,000, "lost" in Zaire's interior, still under control of the Interahamwe, which is using the refugees as a human shield.
Dieu Donne and Yvette Kalamuna
Dieu Donne, Yvette Kalamuna and their children had returned to Bukavu after living in Zaire's capital for five years. Dieu Donne is a doc-
Violette is a funny, bright 22-year-old Rwandan refugee of mixed Hutu(futsi background. She was in her second year of university studying business management. We learned of Violette through a friend who proposed her as a possible
part-time employee at our home. We hired her to help wash clothes a few days a week. When exactly she became a member of our family, I can't remember. She adopted Fidele and me as her surrogate family.
Due to Violette's mixed background, she has physical traits that tie her to each ethnicity (the long nose of the Tutsi, the shorter height of the
Knowing someone's personal story and caring about them keeps you from getting lost in the immensity of the overall situation.
Hutu) This makes her unacceptable to both. She could not live in the Hutu camps because she is "suspect. " She eventually met up with another mixed family she knew from Kigali and lives with them . Violette was always ready to help out, even on her days off. She helped us stay grounded-knowing someone's personal story and caring about them keeps you from getting lost in the immenSity of the overall situation.
Even now, after our return to Zaire, we have no idea where Violette is or how she is doing No Rwandan refugees remain in Bukavu. Did Violette return to Rwanda? Is she in that mass of refugees fleeing further west into Zaire? How will we ever know? I can't imagine her breezing in and out of our lives like that; I need to know what happened to her.
Zaina
Zaina's family is Zairian of Tutsi origin. They could be called Banyamulenge because they descend from the same group of immigrants as the rebels, those whose parents and grandparents came from Rwanda years ago. Zaina speaks Swahili like her Zairian neighbors. She knows nothing of Rwanda.
Six years ago the Zairian National Assembly voted to strip people like Zaina of their citizenship. Zaina's compatriots to the south, the Banyamulenge, decided after several years of legal battles, to take up arms and fight. Their aggression has put Zaina and her family, and others like her, in peril. Tensions ran high and Zaina was no longer welcome in the country of her birth.
Zaina and her children went to Kenya. Her husband, Ndiba, attempted to stay in Zaire, loathe to leave the only place they'd ever known. Via radio, Zaina was fmally able to convince him to leave and arranged a seat for him on the last evacuation flight out of Bukavu.
Today, Zaina is pleased to be spending these days with her husband. He arrived in Nairobi, Kenya, after a long journey that included walking more than 310 miles with the fleeing Zairian military.
He spoke of seeing the weak fall by the wayside and the frustrations of being unable to help. Zaina and Ndiba have six children, ages 2 to 15. The family has no plans to return to Zaire •
A PRAYER FOR THE PEOPLE OF CENTRAL AFRICA ... AND FOR US
God of all humanity, we lift up to you and to ourse lves the suffering and burdens of the world. Thank you for those who inform us and disturb us. Let the cries of the children pierce our hearts.
Today we lift up to your compassionate and heal ing grace the refugees on the roads and in the camps in Zaire, Burundi and Rwanda as they search for their fam il ies, for sustenance, for home and for peace. We weep for the homeless, the hungry, the thirsty, the tired, the lonely, the sick, the grieving, the fearful, and the despairing. Move us beyond our tears to compassionate action !
God, continue to call your followers to minister to the suffering. Work in the hearts of church and political leaders so that genuine peace and healing may come .
Let hate be transformed into love.
Disturb our consciences and the consciences of the church and wor ld so that food and medicine may flow freely into this tragedy.
Forgive our indifference and slow response Awaken our compassion. Open our eyes, our hearts and our money bags so that others may live. Let our sharing be generous and cheerfu l.
Strengthen the burned-out workers.
Give us vision and commitment for the long-term hope and peace-bui lding task. Amen.
-Arlee Beechy
BY TREVER GODARD
TARGETED BY TRUST
Robbed by one they had befriended, the recent experience of the Trever Godard family demonstrates the vulnerability of those who work on the front lines of mission.
SEPTEMBER 11 WAS A BLACK Wednesday. I felt defeated. Two days prior I had taught a class on prayer and the importance of regarding life as a war. Some battles you win-others you lose. I can accept the losses only because I know we will win the war! I announced at the end of class that the topic of our next session would be the supremacy of God in missions through suffering. I evidently had some lessons to learn on that topic .
That Wednesday, Marvin and a couple of friends were waiting for me as I picked up my sons, Aaron and Silas, from school. They stopped me at gunpoint and forced me to return to our house . They tied us all up and proceeded to load our jeep with the stereo, computer, printer, camera, microwave, two mountain bikes, compact disks, small kitchen appliances, three watches, clothes and other items-including a motorcycle belonging to Einer, one of the other young men who lives with us
We tried reasoning with 18-year-old Marvin. He was a professional thief looking for help when Joan and I met him a year and a half ago via his friend Fabio. Marvin noticed how Fabio was changing. We shared God's Word with Marvin. He received Jesus and occasionally joined our discipleship group for Bible studies.
A year of sporadic contact followed, off-and-
on involvement in our church and a six-month stint at a rehab center. When we visited him there we saw a changed young man: happy, excited about the Lord, and rattling off memory verses .
But an argument with the director during a soccer game led to a severe punishment which Marvin thought was unjust. He took off and came to us . We counseled him and got him back into the center He lasted a weekend and then took off again. Soon, he returned to his old ways: robberies and anned assaults.
Many of his enemies began looking for vengeance. One day he came to us with a fresh bullet wound through his right ann. A week later he returned with almost the same injury- but this time in his left ann. Both were attempts on his life. He asked if he could stay for a week to try and get his life back in order. A week turned
into two months of counseling , praying, crying and Bible study.
At times he seemed to want to change. But something was missing. He was too easily influenced by friends from the barrio. In June we asked him to leave Shortly afterward , he was lying in the hospital with major knife wounds. He blamed us . He was convinced that if we had not asked him to leave our home, this violent attack would not have happened. Once more, we helped him with his medical
This
event has really thrown a monkey wrench into our lives, ministry and family.
n
was a hard blow for us because we
feft we had done so much for Marvin.
In eight years of ministry in Colombia, we have never been happier with a ministry or house as we are now. God has blessed us with dear Colombian people who have comforted and blessed us.
But this event has really thrown a monkey wrench into our lives, ministry and family. It was a hard blow for us because we felt we had done so much fo Marvin. Many feel we should move to a safer location, so we have decided to look into it. expenses.
After we moved to our new house inJune , Marvin visited us once in a while. But our trust in him declined. In fact, the last couple of times he came by, we hadn ' t invited him in. Now he held us at gunpoint. He was offended that we no longer helped and trusted him.
We told him we continue to love and pray for him but that we couldn't condone his actions. Marvin began to cry, but the tears did not stop him from robbing us.
L:ter that night the police informed us that the missing jeep and motorcycle had been ound in a dangerous neighborhood. They instructed us to pick it up at 9 p.m.
Four of us went to retrieve the car In route, the transmission of our vehicle fell apart, forcing us to catch a taxi. Then the address we had been given turned out to be wrong. We called the
Finding a suitable home would be something ofa miracle. We have a year contract on our current home and will have to work out a just settlement should we find a suitable house.
We have to admit we feel disappointed with God at times, as if he has let us down . But we are not giving in to depression and are moving forward with a stronger commitment to the cause of mission
Our ministry with people like Marvin, Fabio and many others will continue. We appreciate the prayers of so many who have lifted us up to the Lord in this season of adversity. May God be honored and his kingdom be advanced. •
About the GolIards•••
emergency hot line twice, but nobody answered. Trever andJoan Godard, along with their chilNor could we fmd a police officer anywhere. dren Aaron, Silas and Kenia, serve with MB Giving up, we went to the local police sta- Missions/Services in Cali, Colombia. They have tion. There we found our jeep, somewhat begun a youth discipleship and mission minwrecked After ftling our reports, we had to leave istry. Teams ofyoung adults are formed for the jeep there and went to catch a taxi home It periods of three months for formal Bible studies was after midnight and we got stopped at a and practical ministries such as street police checkpoint. They detained me because I drama/preaching, drug centers, youth groups didn't have proper identification. Somebody and short term missions in rural Colombia. mentioned the possibility of jail! r- :::;;;;;:=- --, "The purpose is to The scene was designed to get spark a mission vision me to payoff the guard at the among our Colombian gate. youth, and to help in I feigned ignorance and sat the leadership developdown under a tree and waited ment offuture pastors After a while they let us go, still and missionaries, " says threatening us. By this time it Trever. A new team was too late to catch a taxi so began meeting three we were forced to walk the four days before Marvin kilometers home. attacked the Godards.
BY PHILIP WIEBE
Mega worship
An inquiry into the nature of worship... has everything to do with whether we gather to worship the Creator God or the God we have created.
WHEN I CAME across yet another magazine article about the Megachurch Trend, my first reac-
court. I actually came away less skeptical than I went in. Maybe food courts and spirituality aren't always mutually exclusive. tion was, and I quote, "Yawn." I did, after all, This new article's critique of what the author called the Next Church got me so worked up I almost dozed off. Been there, read that. But I did stay awake long enough to catch some attend one of the early megachurches more than 20 years ago : Calvary Chapel in Costa Mesa, Calif. That church drew thousands of seekers to weekly services before the term "seeker service" existed
Before Calvary Chapel existed, of course, there were many other churches that would have been called "mega" because they packed in unusual numbers of spiritual (and curiosity) seekers. And over the last decade megachurches have, both literally and figuratively, been everywhere.
They seem like old news to me. What more can be said? Yes I know, as this latest article stated, that they are the fastest growing churches in the country and are attended by nearly half of the nations' churchgoers. What else is new? Of course people are going to flock to growing, going congregations engaged in dynamic, progressive ministry. These churches energetically connect with people and emphatically refuse to assume-as many American churches of the past have assumed and some continue to assume-that people will show up merely because they take up space on the comer.
Yes I realize, as the article went on , that these are "full-serve" or "shopping-mall" churches offering full "product lines" of ministry to meet consumer, er, congregational needs. I once visited Willow Creek, the ultimate shopping-mall church, with its ministry booths and food
intriguing lines from the article's conclusion: "As an old-fashioned Episcopalian who has seen and admired examples of the Next Church across the country, I'm not a natural mark for megachurch attendance .... I attend a beautiful traditional old stone church with the frnest organ, choir and music director in the city. .. . I look forward to few things as warmly as singing great lung-fulls of old hymns on Sunday moming and kneeling for that transcendent moment of grace at the communion rail. "
If I'd have known that an old-fashioned Episcopalian would be analyzing famous megachurch flagships as Willow Creek, Saddleback Valley and Calvary Chapel, I might have felt a twinge of conservative evangelical defensiveness. As it was, the author's remarks got me thinking.
While visiting our majestic Oregon coastline several weekends ago, I spent some time walking the beaches. One afternoon between rainstorms I strolled a stretch that was deserted, save for the gulls and sandpipers I paused at a jumble of mussel-encrusted rocks to survey the scene. Another big rainstorm threatened offshore
Frothy blue-gray waves crashed and sprayed against the rocks.
My hands, heart, and voice rose in spontaneous praise for the Artist who had fashioned such a passionate masterpiece. I couldn't help myself In view of such fierce and timeless beauty, what could I do but worship?
Strangely, the scene brought to mind the Episcopalian writer in his old stone church. I remember times of hushed worship I've experienced in old stone churches myself-and in new churches that capture the sweeping cathedral spirit. I recall the crimson burst of stained glass and the rumble of organ pipes at First United Methodist Church in Wichita, Kan., where I spent many Sunday mornings between tours in my troubadour days As someone from a plain , practical church background, I experienced something mysterious, "other," in these settings For me they opened the way to transcendent moments of worship similar to my recent experience at the Oregon coast
It strikes me how profoundly this sense of the mysterious, awesome, Other One is missing from much of our contemporary worship In our age of demographics and marketing, we look for what sells-what engages and appeals to the "target audience." Certainly this is desirable and important , but it can also sell God short. As we seek to make God cozy, have we forgotten the essential discomfort and unease of approaching One whose "greatness no one can fathom" (ps. 145:3)?
Such an inquiry into the nature of worship has nothing to do with the shallow hymns-versus-choruses debate, which I've come to believe is utterly beside the point It has everything to do with whether we gather to worship the Creator God or the God we have created.
. Maybe that 's what the old-fashioned Episcopalian in his old stone church was trying to get at . Maybe we have a lot more to learn about worship than we thought.
INQUIRING MINDS
BY MARVIN HEIN
QWhy is it that today's senior generation is experiencing such discomfort during the changes from traditional forms of congregational gatherings to more contemporary expressions that are relevant to the emerging generations? (ARIZONA)
AI have no way of diagnosing why seniors generally tend to accept change slowly. One reason is simply that it is more difficult to make major changes when you are 70 than when you are 40. Beyond that, I can't speak for others of my generation. But let me share what I have discovered about myself as I respond and sometimes react to contemporary church life.
First, I don't think I'm adverse to change. I have made many during my day. Some were difficult. For instance, I recall the struggle when I decided I needed to learn to pray publicly by addressing God as "you" instead of "thee" or "thou." After 50 years of referring to God in King James English, I found it hard to change But I did it.
One factor that hinders me accepting change in worship style is my sense that the "new" elements aren't new at all. In my early youth the steady church diet was choruses and gospel songs, bluegrass and Western music, with guitars, trumpets, drums, trombones and mandolins. Even harmonicas. Contemporary church music-which shares some of these elements-is in a way "old hat" for me
So why do I resist the new modes? Because in my early 20s I discovered a new world of music. From the moment I fIrSt sang "Not So in Haste, My Soul" in a college chapel hour, I was captivated. I chucked the music orientation of my childhood and the instruments that went with it . I changed dramatically . For
almost 50 years, the worship that moves me deepest is not the praise chorus but probably a hymn, chorale or classical music.
Second, I may, with some difficulty, make changes intellectually. I know we need to adapt-so long as we don't compromise. I know we must listen to our young people. I even know that Martin Luther took songs of the street and used those tunes in church. Intellectually, I understand that. But the emotional attachments and my learned appreciation for the good things in my past do not make changing easy. So when I sing in church and I see younger persons enjoying music I don't prefer, I may rejoice that it's moving the younger. But that doesn't change the emotional reservoir that I have accumulated through the past five decades.
One last observation In the past we have sometimes criticized churches for singing the same hymns repeatedly. I have been among such critics. And after I had been pastor of one congregation for 11 years and kept track of every song we sang, I was pleased to discover that we had sung more than 400 different songs. Some of us were in a rut when we wanted to sing only a half dozen different hymns, but I have an uncomfortable feeling we are fast falling into an even deeper rut. I visit many churches across Canada and the United States. The songs we sing, the way we sing them, and the forms by which we are led (worship teams , for instance) are remarkably similar wherever I go. That is precisely the way it was when I was 20. There is nothing wrong with the songs or the techniques, but I long for a richer, more varied and enriched diet.
Perhaps I'm just too stubborn to change, but please understand that I have experienced and accepted tremendous changes in my lifetime Have a question about a Bible passage, doctrine, conference policy,
QWas the Apostle Paul a man ofpeace? His teachings are so often interpreted differently from Christ's. Enlighten us, please. (SOURCE WAS LOST)
AI believe Paul breathed deeply of Christ's spirit when it came to his views on peace. He says in Philippians 2:5: "Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus." Then he describes that Jesus· attitude by speaking of not grasping what belongs to others. That sounds like a peaceful life.
Paul also suggested in Ephesians 2:14 that "(Christ) himself is our peace." Then he launches an eloquent plea for making Jew and Gentile one, destroying walls and barriers of hostility. Then he insists that Jesus came to bring peace ("he came and preached peace"). In four verses he mentions "peace" four times.
Paul sounds quite peaceloving when he writes: "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up .... Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another" (Eph. 4:29-32).
No, whether in personal relationships or in master-slave relationships, it sounds to me like Paul would have accepted our Confession of Faith that says we are to practice love as taught and modeled by Jesus and to be agents of reconciliation and peacemakers in all situations.
I admit that in a few instances, Paul exerted himself in ways that might be interpreted as unpeaceful. Once, he used his own citizenship to make a rather forceful point with a ruler. But Paul was also always peaceful.
It was Paul who urged all of us to "live at peace with everyone so far as it depends on you" (Rom 12:18). He also spoke boldly against taking revenge and suggested rather that we feed our enemy.
Yes, Paul was a man of peace!
ON THE JOURNEY
BY ROSE BUSCHMAN
Sampson and the sparrow
If God takes care of sparrows, I am to believe that he will, all the more, take care of me, because I am also of value in his sight.
" H ONEY'
COME QIDCK," I
YELLED.
"Sampson has just killed a little bird " My husband and I were
outside doing some yard work and I had let our dog, Sampson, into the backyard from his own pen. Sampson loves to run around the yard and explore
This time, as soon as he came through the gate, he spotted a little bird and, in a flash, streaked across the yard and grabbed the hapless fledgling in his mouth He ran to the cement slab by the back door and deposited his prize in the same place where he usually drops the ball when we play run-and-fetch-it.
We like to have Sampson, part German Shepherd and part Chow, around because he is a good watch dog. He barks hard and long every time a rabbit comes out of a nearby row of trees At first, the rabbits would run for cover when he started to bark, then after a while they took to their "freeze " position. Now they happily munch on the grass just as long as they don't get too close to his fence.
We got Sampson without asking for him. It was in November of the year of our big winter, with its frequent blizzards and months of continual snow cover. Of course, that was also the year we were building our house. I've always known that a harsh winter and building our house would go together. In fact, I predicted it.
We were a one-car family at that time. So when my husband picked me up after school one November day, I suggested to him that we stop at the grocery store for some extra
food to tide us through the upcoming blizzard .
"Well, you better pick up some puppy food as well, then," he said That morning, when my husband stopped at our construction site before going to work, he spotted a
small , barely weaned puppy running around the yard. At noon, when he stopped at the house again, the puppy was still there, sitting near our front door. No tag. No collar.
"He's really cute, " my husband informed me , "and if he is still there when we get back, I think we better take him in out of the coming storm." He was and we did.
Sampson is still with us Efforts to find a previous owner were unsuccessful That little puppy was probably dropped off by some irresponsible person who had nothing better to do than to abandon him at a construction site the day before a blizzard.
Sampson didn't kill this bird because he is mean He isn 't He was just playing and doing what comes naturally to a dog. Now, when my husband came to inspect the damage Sampson had done, he picked up the little bird and said, "No big deal. It's only a baby sparrow."
I was aghast. "No big deal?" I gasped . "What do you mean by ' only a sparrow?' God made sparrows, too, you know. The Bible even talks about them."
My husband shrugged his shoulders, carried the dead body out of the backyard and threw it into the stand oftrees nearby. I sighed,
stared at Sampson-who was standing there rather forlornly , trying to figure out what the problem wasand slowly went back to my work. Was it really no big deal?
Since then, I've done a lot of thinking about that incident . I've tried to think of a time when anyone has said anything nice about sparrows. So far I haven't had any luck. It's easier to think of some not-sonice comments. The message is loud and clear: a sparrow is nothing special. A sparrow is expendable. It's no big deal!
When I checked one of my Bible resource books , I looked under the "Birds of the Bible" category and found that sparrows weren't even listed. I did find doves (as in Noah releasing one from the ark, or one descending on Jesus at his baptism) and ravens (as in Noah again or Elija being fed by some). Obviously, sparrows were not important enough to be listed in this book.
The Bible talks about sparrows in several references, although not all translations use the word "sparrow" every time; some use a more generic word, "bird " Matthew 10:29 (NlV) says, "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?" while Luke 12:6 says, "Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies?" Obviously, the more you buy, the bigger the bargain
However, both passages strongly suggest that God keeps track of sparrows: "Yet not one ofthem will fall to the ground apart from the will of your father" (Mt. 10:29) , and "Yet not one ofthem is forgotten by God" (Lk. 12 :6) Both passages suggest that even sparrows have value and, taking it a step further, as children of God , we have even more value . We are not forgotten by him.
If God takes care of sparrows, I am to believe that he will, all the more, take care of me, because I am also of value in his sight . When I doubt my own self worth , this message is of extreme importance to me. As I face another new year with its many unknowns, I need to believe this.
Ecumenical attention
As an avid reader, I fmd that once in a while an article will capture my undivided attention. "Such a backward time" (December) was exactly that type of article.
The creativity, originality and appropriateness of this article place it near the top of my all-time favorites. In fact, I was so touched by its timeliness that I shared it with several friends. One is the minister of the Presbyterian church we attend. His reaction was similar to mine; he shared it with each member of the Session. Another friend, a devout Roman Catholic, thOUght it so inspirational that she shared it with a number of friends in her church.
As you wrote the article, I doubt that you anticipated the ecumenical impact it would have. It will be difficult for you to write
Pontius' Puddle
"R>1)AV'S ClottXtClotHA& IRIttLEVANT, TO MEEOS 01=T,",E W'OR.l..o.
an article that surpasses the quality of this one Keep trying-I hope you
Mervin L. Stauffer Plano, Texas
short time earlier, the issue discussing the need for evangelistic outreach showed some promise of growth. Then came this issue with its defense of an indefensible position that faith and "ethnicity" are inextricably tied together. prove me wrong.
Christians only
I must admit that, after reading the November issue of the Christian Leader, I was pretty upset Just a
Instead of analyzing and complaining about the content, I'd like to present a challenge to a more consistent
An open letter to North American Mennonite Brethren from the MBMjS Board Executive Committee
The Mennonite Brethren constituency in Canada and the United States will have a unique opportunity during 1997 to emphasize global mission . We will be joined in this emphasis by other Mennonite Brethren in Europe,AJrica, South America and Asia. National moderators in both Canada and the United States, as well as other conference agencies , are endorsing this awareness-raising effort and have assisted in the planning.
Historically, we as Mennonite Brethren have been keen on foreign missions, now better described as global mission. Others before us, including mission executive secretaries N N Hiebert, H W. Lohrenz, A.E. Janzen, ].B Toews, H.R. Wiens, Vernon Wiebe and Victor
Adrian , have kept the challenge before us as a people. God has been glorified. We call upon the constituency to praise God for the dedicated missionaries and the devoted support of thousands here at home. Most of all, we acknowledge God's hand in conversions of many people. God 's kingdom is being built Together we have reason to rejoice in being "co-workers with God. "
On the threshold of the third millennium we as a family of congregations can assess our priorities. Should not the evangelization of the world, whether at home or abroad, be a first priority? Jesus asks us to invest ourselves in a radical way. "The truth is, a kernel of wheat must be planted in the soil . Unless it dies it will be alone-a single seed. But its death
will produce many new kernels-a plentiful harvest of new lives Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who despise their life in this world will keep it for eternallife " (In. 12:24-25 NL1)
You are invited to join others in holding high the concern for global evangelism Talk about it. Follow more carefuPy what God is doing in the world Especially-the point of this letter-give yourself to prayer and intercession
The periodicals, church bulletins , the MB Missions/ Services calendar you received, and the Witness insert can keep you updated. Pray for young persons but also for those with experience to volunteer for service in mission. Encourage your pastor and mission committee. Pray for us and others of the MBM/ S
team that in this era in world history we will have wisdom to know what to do and how to do it.
Consider other possibilities Attend the Esengo presentations when these Zairian singers come to your area Later in the year, participate in the Youth Mission International programs as these come to your church It is our hope that every church will arrange a mission conference in 1997
May Satan not divert us , especially by trapping us in our affluence . Join your sisters and brothers worldwide in asking God in behalf of the spiritually lost Let our passion be God's passion.
-Executive Committee: Neil Fast, chair Dennis Fast, vice chair Elmer A. Martens, sec. Harold Ens, gen. dir.
thought and theology : We are Christians and only Christians If we are anything else, those hearing our message are easily confused-because we are also confused. If we present a mixed message to unbelievers who ask of our faith, i.e. "I'm a Mennonite" and "I'm a Christian, " then the message is unclear. All the baggage that MennOnite, Baptist, or anything else carries with it gets in the way of the message.
If the message we present to the lost world is ftrSt peace with God followed by its result of peace with others, then the message is clear This approach makes our work much easier to accomplish . All other content distorts the message.
1 periodically ask those who are part of the "ethnic " heritage : Are you a Mennonite or a Christian? When there is a mixed answer or a frustration at how the question is framed, then 1 believe the problem goes deeper than an understanding of heritage. The problem might extend to one 's relationship with God .
1 commend those writers who are struggling to fmd how these matters fit together. Don Ratzlaff's November editorial displays a direction that will develop positive results as he seeks to see what God wants above the demands of heritage .
Collin Brendenmuehl Edmond, Okla
A significant name
During my annual checkup this morning 1 mentioned to the doctor, a native of India, that our children would be traveling to India this month to attend the Mennonite World Conference.
With a puzzled look on her face she asked, "Mennonite? What is a Mennonite?"
Her question afforded the opportune time for me to tell her about my faith and to give a brief report about Mennonites This has happened to my husband and me on many other occasions and has given us an opportunity to invite people to our church People were never turned off because of our testimony or the name "Mennonite "
A recent newspaper article quoted a clergyman from Ghana concerning his first Christmas in America "I got up on Christmas Day and went to a
church. 1 stood in front of it, but nobody came, " he said.The article said that children and grandchildren of Africans converted to Christianity by Western missions fmd it strange that some churches in America do not have services on Christmas
What if we from North America would go to the Mennonite World Conference and say, "Although we Mennonites sent missionaries to tell you the 'good news ' and you were converted to Christianity and became members of the Mennonite church, we think the name Mennonite is a liability and hinders people from becoming Christians. We don ' t want to be called Mennonite anymore. "
Esther jost Hilliard, Ohio
A cut-and-paste job
1 hate to say this, but recently when I've received The Christian Leader I've marked it up, tom it apart, and sent pieces of it to nonsubscribers
You have to understand. 1 do that because I've found so many noteworthy articles and sections.
Right after 1 yanked out A Common Place, a newcomer at church called asking me what "MCC" stood for. 1 was ready. Then after reading
about "Ten Thousand Villages," 1 ran out to my car and over to the nearby Village shop Sure enough, it was more than 1 expected. A fashionable shop in an affluent neighborhood, which could hold its own - and sales are up. Furthermore, God's Kingdom is being advanced right in that location as the sales people tell inquiring customers why they carry third-world merchandise. And as we know, Kingdom building isn't for adults only. 1 read with interest how children are included in MCC projects in North Newton, Kan. .
Thanks for the many exciting and practical examples you provide in the Christian Leader.
Now excuse me , 1 need to go cut and paste
Naomi (Gaede-Penner) Thiessen Denver, Colo
The Christian Leader welcomes brief letters to the editor in response to our articles or of relevance to the Mennon ite Brethren Church. All letters must be signed and will be edited for clarity and length Send letters to Christian Leader, Box V, Hillsboro, KS 67063
HLIGHTS OF C
HONGKO
Includes:
- Shanghai
- The Great Wall
- T erracotta Warriors
- Yangtze River Cruise
- Museums and Tombs
- Visits with persons in BOOK NOW to be Call
about our other tours : OIOU ILlOV, Scandinavia, Europe, Alaska.
TOUR
'97 to be 'benchmark' year for missions
• MBMjS's Harold Ens reflects on this "Year of Global Mission"
WHarold Ens
ITH MB Missions/Services promoting 1997 as the "Year of Global Mission ," we asked Harold Ens, general director, what all the fuss is about. Following are excerpts of that conversation.
Mennonite Brethren in North America have emphasized global missions throughout our history So, why launch a "Year of Global Mission"? What's different or special about this year?
We think this thrust is a benchmark as we approach a new century. It's a good time also because we are nearing 100 years of ministry as a mission organization-MBMjS will have existed for 97 years in 1997. It's time to consider what we've accomplished. We sent out 1,000 missionaries. It's time to praise God for the result The Mennonite Brethren Church today has 200,000-plus members and 1,750 local churches-most of them in other countries. It's time to say, what ' s next?
What is next? What are the cutting-edge issues for MBMjS in this "Year of Global Mission"?
I would note two issues First, are we Mennonite Brethren fully aware that in spite of all the success and celebration of what God has already done , that there's still 2,000 major people groups with no church-planting movement among them? So often we hear that the work is done because the gospel is on every continent. It's true that the gospel is on every continent But there's still this large number of people groups where it hasn't penetrated Most of these groups are tough to penetrate, and missions have tended to avoid them . A lot of them are among Muslim peo·
pIes, as well as Hindus and Buddhists
That 's the fIrst issue: Can we fully understand that the Great Commission is still an unfinished task? The second issue is related to it : Are we Mennonite Brethren still committed to keep participating in that work as an act of obedience?
You mention the opportunities for evangelization. But the operating revenue for MBMjS has declined in recent years. First, how is MBMjS doing in terms of
constituent giving this year?
At the end of October, we were still 6 percent below last year. That concerns us . But it was on an upward swing Summer giving is always low, but we catch up again in September. At the end of this September, though, giving was still 10 percent below the year before. So, October was not only the usual (seasonal) increase, but it also helped catch up some of the backlog
We ' re anxious to see what end-ofNovember fIgures show
Planners hope Zairian choir tour ignites
new missionary fire in North America
ESENGO
ZAIRE, a select singing group of 11 Zairian Mennonite Brethren young people, is a key ingredient in the 1997 "Ye ar of Global Mission. " The group will visit Mennonite Brethren churches in the United States, Canada, India, Japan and Europe during the first six months of the year.
Elmer Martens , chair of the Esengo steering committee , believes the choir can help ignite new missionary me in North American churches. "It just might be God's time for the mission spirit in our churches to be rekindled. It could happen through a year of global mission with Esengo as the chief catalyst. "
Martens says that at one time there were 200 Mennonite Brethren missionaries serving around the world ; presently, the number is less than half that . Budgets that once exceeded $5.2 million have been cut "because the churches are channeling less to MBM j S cross-cultural missions," Martens says These facts have convinced Martens and others that 1997 is the right time for a project such as Esengo Zaire.
Organizers had hoped to raise in advance the $60 ,000 estimated to
fund the tour so that offerings taken during Esengo concerts could benefIt MBM /S As of late December, only about half of the funds had been committed, according to Harold Ens , MBMjS general secretary. As a result , a portion of the offerings taken at Esengo concerts may be needed to offset expenses.
Ens says young people have taken the leadership in raising funds for the tour. High school students attending Estes '95, the U.S. national youth convention, contributed more than $6,000 toward the tour. Ens said individual church groups have contributed to the fund , as have MBM j S alumni, MBM jS board and staff and other interested individuals.
Martens sees two reasons for the tour. "For starters, churches in North America will experience the lift that comes through Zairian music," he says.
Martens believes Esengo Zaire can convey a dimension of Christian joy unfamiliar to western Christians "Their overflowing joy transcends profound physical poverty marked by a 90 percent unemployment rate in Zaire " Martens says Zairian songs express the reality of suffering but also a theology of biblical hope.
So, given the revenue situation, to what extent is the "Year of Global Mission" campaign driven by a desire to increase constituent funding?
Increased funding would be great. Certainly we would hope for that, given the high-profile effort of the "Year of Global Mission." But at the core, it's even more important for us to see an increase in the commitment of our churches to continue in global mission. Ownership for MBM/S is declining.
Yes, ownership is somewhat related to funding, but even beyond that, we're seeing a spreading out of loyalties among our churches. MBM/S can't exist unless the churches own
us. We're not parachurch, we don't go out and raise funds elsewhere. So the biggest thing we're hoping for is an increase in loyalty and ownership.
Is the "Year of Global Mission" campaign largely a North American thrust, or are our overseas partner conferences participating as well?
It's definitely a North Americanbased thrust. But others are participating too. The International Committee of Mennonite Brethren (lCOMB) will be meeting in Calcutta in January. They've asked for a report, so we'll be talking about global mission there . The Esengo choir tour (see sidebar) will include stops in India, Japan, Aus-
Randy Friesen, director of Youth Mission International, says, "We need to hear the voice of the African church in North America ." Friesen visited Africa last winter to prepare for a YMI summer team and to help Esengo Zaire prepare for its 1997 tour.
"For the Zairians, the kingdom of God is the center and the focus of their lives," Friesen says. "Because of that , they have learned to persevere with great faithfulness and endurance For us, the kingdom is so often peripheral. They have so much to teach us. "
The second reason Martens sees for the Esengo Zaire tour is that it pro-
vides an opportunity for Mennonite Brethren in North America to praise God for the growth of the Zairian MB Conference , which is the largest in the world with 75 ,000 members .
Mission work in Zaire began in 1913 and involved 150 missionaries over 84 years. Twice-1960 and 1991-MBM/ S teams were evacuated from the country because of political unrest.
"The coming of a Zairian singing group provides an occasion for the entire constituency to say a giant thank you to the dedicated missionar· ies who served in Zaire," Martens says (From reports by Gary Hardaway and Elmer Martens)
tria, Germany and probably France. So there will be that level of involvement on other continents .
What impressions of our North American churches do you hope Esengo members will take back with them to Zaire?
One strong impression I would like them to take back would be our commitment to mission. I think they have a sense of that. Zaire is now the largest Mennonite Brethren conference in the world today-and it came out of a missionary effort based in North America. I would hope they would see that we still have that commitment.
Also, the Zaire church is having a desire to reach out beyond their own
Esengo Zaire Schedule
Current as of 12/ 18/ 96
Pacific District
Feb 7 - MB Biblical Seminary, Fresno, Calif
Feb 8 - Culto Unido Sabado
Feb. 9 - Din uba , Calif. (a .m.), Reed ley (a.m .) Fresno, Calif (Bethany, p m )
Feb 11 - Fresno Pacific College
Feb. 12 - Fresno, Calif (North church youth rally)
Feb. 13 - Immanuel High School. Reedley
Feb 14 - Bakersfield, Calif (Heritage Bible, tent )
Feb 15 - Shafter, Cal if.
Feb 16 - Bakersfield, Cal if (laurelglen)
Feb 19 - San Jose, Calif (Lincoln Glen youth rally)
Feb 20 - Orland, Calif
Feb. 21 - Salem, Ore. (Kingwood Bible)
Feb 23 - Ferndale, Wash , (Good News Fell )
Central District
April 7 - Wolf Point, Mont.
April 8 - Rap id City, S D.
Apr il 11 - Grant, Neb.
April 28 - Omaha, Neb
April 29 - Henderson, Neb
April 30 - Freeman , S D
May 1 - Sioux Falls, S.D.
May 2 - Mountain lake, M i nn
May 3 - Huron, S.D.
May 4 - Huron, S D (a.m ), Gettysburg (p.m )
May 5 - Harvey, N.D
Southern District
April 13 - Denver, Colo (Garden Park)
April 15 - Garden City, Kan
April 16 - Buhler, Kan
Ap ri l 19 - Newton, Kan
Ap ri l 20 - W ich ita, Kan. (a m ), Hillsbo ro (p m )
April 21 - Tabor College (a m ), Fairview, Okla ., (p.m )
April 22 - Corn , Okla
April 23 - Edmond, Okla
April 24 - Collinsville , Okla
April 27 - Topeka, Kan
North Carolina Conference
May 29 -June 2 - Schedule not available
The spirited music of Esengo Zaire expresses hope in the midst of suffering. say planners.
ethnic group-like going into Rwanda. I hope that might be strengthened.
Any concern about how our affluence will be communicated to our brothers and sisters in Zaire in light of their hardships?
I don't think our affluence will be a big surprise to them. They've had many people study here, so I think the word's already out. I do have a concern, though, whether they will see that we have kingdom priorities in how we use our wealth.
We understand Youth Mission International (YMI) will be forming a touring group to promote the "Year of Global Mission" in North American churches during the second half of the year. What can you tell us about that?
The MBM/S board wanted the "Year of Global Mission" to be a fullyear emphasis. Esengo is the primary emphasis during
have a number of these kinds of things going.
Have you been satisfied with the effort to have international Mennonite Brethren serve as regional secretaries for MBMjS?
We feel very good about our Europe (Franz Rathmair) and Africa (pakisa Tshimika) desks. We're a little frustrated that we haven't been able to move on the other two (Latin America and Asia). We have just had an interview with a South American person, we hope there might be some action on that by April, but that's still tentative.
Current discussions about the possibility of dissolving the General Conference structure will directly affect MBMjS, a General Conference agency. Does MBMjS have an "official pOSition" on these discussions?
the first half of the "In broad strokes, we
year. Then, our presentation at the Waterloo (General Conference) convention this summer will be focused on the "Year of Global Mission . " To carry it on into the year, the board asked YMI to form a
don't see any major problems for MBM/S if
In broad strokes, we don't see any major problems for MBM/S if the General Conference were to dissolvealthough we have a pre-
the General Conference ferred future. We were to dissolve-
although we have a already operate legally as two separate "companies." We have a Canadian operation and a U.S operation . preferred future."
Mission USA agenda tops
'96
news stories
• Mix of good news and bad comprises editors' annual list
THISYEAR 'S list of top 10 news events includes stories about new faces, a new name and new futures. Unfortunately , it also includes some old news we ' d rather not hear again: revenue shortfalls , civil war and AIDS.
Using immediate impact and longterm potential as our criteria, here are our picks for the year past:
1. Mission USA developments. 1996 was big for the fledgling U.S renewal and church growth effort. Leaders approved a daring funding plan-agreeing , if necessary, to borrow money to get MUSA off the ground. Ed Boschman , a successful church-growth pastor in California and Canada , came on board in September as MUSA's first executive director. Two months ago, Brad and Elfie Klassen of Waterloo, Ont. , agreed to serve as the first MUSA church planters.
In Canada, we formal-HAROLD ENS ly are a subsidiary of the music/drama group focused on mission that could visit as many of our churches as they can reach. So YMI will be forming a team for this purpose. The team will be funded like other YMI one-year teams: participants will have to raise their own funds.
How is the recognition that Mennonite Brethren have become a global church affected how MBMjS approaches global mission?
We are continuing to recognize that we are part of a global church and are inviting more and more involvement by the other 15 orga· nized conferences. In 1997, for instance, Japan will be sending another missionary through MBM/S. Colom· bia's been inquiring about sending people to the Muslim world. So we
Canadian Conference
We have a Canadian board and operate under the Canadian Conference. In the U.S., we operate under the General Conference because it's a Kansas corporation. So we have two completely separate accounting systems, payrolls and so forth That part of it, the nitty-gritty, everyday things, wouldn't be hard.
The preferred future, though, would be that MBMjS still be a (binational) operation by appOinting a joint board. For instance, the Canadian Conference could elect five members and the U.S. Conference could elect five members. It would be pretty much business as usual for us if it would go that way, except that accountability would be to two groups-two conventions-instead of one.
Boschman and Mission USA received effusive support at this summer's U.S. convention. Word that Boschman would be headquartered in Phoenix, the first MUSA target city, raised some eyebrow s, though. Some wondered if Phoenix is geographically too distant from supporting congregations.
2. Fresno Pacific College takes a new name. The name change to "Fresno Pacific University" signals how far the college has come in the past decade. Enrollment has increased by 60 percent to 1,600 students-half in the liberal arts college and half in the graduate school. The Fresno Pacific School of Professional Studies has 12,000 enrollees annually in development courses. In addition to the 45-acre campus in Fresno, a center in Bakersfield opened recently.
3. Kriegbaum resigns. Many attribute the dynamic growth of FPU to President Richard Kriegbaum . 1bis fall, Kriegbaum announced that he and his wife, Eiona, will be leaving the school at the end of June after 12 years of service
Kriegbaum ' s vision extended beyond FPU to embrace the other institutions and agencies of the conference He will be missed
4. General Conference faces a new future. No one knows what the future will look like , but the General Conference, as we know it, is likely enjoying its last hurrah Some 35 representatives from the United States and Canada met at ECCO Retreat Center near Fresno , Calif., in late September to begin brainstorming about ways to reorganize-or eliminate-the binational structure
While no decisions were made, the group reached consensus : the management of current binational ministries could be shifted either to the provinces/ districts, national conferences or an appropriately representative board. In other words , we could get along without the binational conference . What's your vote?
5. Colleges expand facilities. Tabor College in Hillsboro, Kan . , revealed in late December that it had qualified for a $500 ,000 Mabee Foundation challenge grant The $3.28 million campaign included funding for the Solomon L. Loewen Natural Science Center and chapel renovation The college is also planning to build a new residence hall
A new residence hall is on the want list at Fresno Pacific University too. This past year, the school dedi· cated a new facilities management plant in August and is constructing an energy distribution system and central plant. FPU is seeking $12 million to build a college commons complete with a cafeteria and auditorium.
6. Agencies in the black despite giving shortfalls. Mostly because they were able to cut or underspend their budgets . Revenue fell s hort across the board .
The U.S Conference enjoyed relatively stable giving from churches and a generous response to a special fundraising appeal. But delegates to the U.S. convention this summer, spurred by the potential of Mission USA , approved a budget for 1996-97 that was 120 percent higher than what was actually spent in 1996. Conference leaders plan to meet this budget through grants and targeted fund-raising.
7. Menno's birthday bash. Had he lived, Menno Simons would have been 500 years old this year. Mennonites around the globe c elebrated in his absence , mostly by trying to remind themse lves what he stood for. All in all, Menno's milestone offered Mennonite Brethren the opportunity to consider the direction of our future based on the foundations of our past . Or not.
8. Crises in Africa. In Botswana, the AIDS epidemic led Christians to declare a month of prayer during September Bryan and Teresa Born,
MBM/ S workers there, report that God has begun working in people 's lives through HIV/ AIDS seminars, evangelistic meetings , and times of prayer.
Civil unrest in Central Africa prompted MB MisSions/ Services and Mennonite Central Committee to issue a joint call to pray for Zaire. More than 1 million people fled their homes and refugee camps due to fighting between Zaire's military and rebel groups
9. MBM/ S personnel developments. "More with less" is the rallying cry at MB Missions / Services headquarters in Fresno , Calif. , following a recent board decision to cover administrative responsibilities with fewer full-time staff. While the administrative staff is being reduced , the agency is aggressively searching for new overseas workers It also announced plans to work with the Wolof people of Senegal in cooperation with Africa Inter-Mennonite Mission and formed a Muslim ministry/ training team
10. Continuing emergence of our global family. The multicultural and global identity of Mennonite Brethren is growing. This fall, the Japan Conference sent its second missionary as a new MBM/ S worker to Thailand.
Meanwhile, the International Committee of Mennonite Brethren (ICOMB), once a loose and informal gathering of representatives from Asia, Latin America , North America , Africa and Europe, emerged this year as a fully organized body seeking to solidify international partners hip. The 17 national conferences have been asked to review ICOMB 's proposals regarding purpose, structure , finances and a schedule for global consultations
That last item may set the tone for the new year. With Assembly 13 of Mennonite World Conference kicking off 1997 in Calcutta, India , and with MBM/ S' s "Year of Global Mission , » expect our global village to become even more familiar . Which raises the natural question: For God's sake, what in the world will Mennonite Brethren be up to this year?
Ed and Carol Boschman (center) were commissioned during the Colorado Springs convention.
IN BRIEF
CORRECTION: Contrary t o th e report in the Nove mbe r iss ue of th e Christian Leader, res ignati o ns have not been receive d from MB Mi ssio ns/Services s t a ff me mbers Gary Hardaway , Craig Hallman and Steve Klassen . Hard away is o n a six-mo nth leave of abse nce t o a ll ow him and his w ife, Lynn, t o serve with MBM/S in Lithuania Ha ll man a nd hi s w ife, Bridget, anti ci pa t e se rving w ith Middle Ea st Me di a as a n MBM /S a ssoci ate, but ha ve not set a definit e de parture date. Kla ssen is wo rking t o deve lo p a missio n tr a ining ce nt e r in Br it is h Co lu mbia , but w ill al so co ntinu e t o wo rk with MBM/S.
FUNDED: Tabor Coll ege has full y subsci be d its capital cam pai gn fo r th e So lo mo n L. Loewen Natu ral Scie nce Ce nte r, according to a Dec. 17 lette r se nt t o ca mpaign don o rs by Presid e nt David Brandt. This mean s th e co llege ha s qu a lified to rec e ive a $500 ,000 chall e ng e grant from th e J.E and L.E Ma bee Foundation, Inc . , of Tul sa, Okla Whe n completed, the two-story, so la r-heated science center will house a lectu re hall, faculty offices, nine la boratories, gree nh ouse , animal observation area a nd an atrium that will a lso serve as a co mm ons area fo r stud en ts. The $3 28 milli o n capital cam pa ign in cl ud e d $39 5, 000 t o compl e t e th e co lleg e's chape l re novation pro ject ( rC)
RECOGNITION: Fresno Pacific Un ive rsity vo lley ball stand o ut Tracy Ainger ha s co ncluded her career by bei ng nam ed natio nal pl ayer of the year by th e Nati ona l Assoc iation of Inte rcollegi at e Athl eti cs Ainger, a senior fr om Sa nge r, Ca lif ., was named a fi rst-team All -Amer ica t he past thr ee se a so ns, o nl y th e fourt h playe r t o be so ho no red . Each yea r she led th e Sunbird s t o th e nati ona l tou rn a me nt , w he re she was chose n t o th e a ll-t ou rn a me nt fi rst t eam Th is yea r, FPU ti ed fo r fifth at nationa ls a nd fi nished with a season reco rd of 30-5. Anoth e r FPU playe r, Stacy Kaufman n, a senio r fr o m Simi Vall ey, Calif ., was named t o th e NAIA All-A meri ca second team. ( M ennon i t e Week ly Review)
Gilbert named new MBBS academic dean
• Faculty newcomer set to take on additional responsibilities
PIERRE GILBERT, associate professor of Old Testament, has been named academic dean at MB Biblical Seminary, beginning June 1. The appointment represents a strategic bridge to the next generation, says Henry Schmidt, MBBS president.
Gilbert came to MBBS last summer from Institute Biblique Laval in Montreal, Que., where he served as professor of Bible and theology Gilbert also served as registrar and academic dean at ffiL and was interim president in 1991 and 1992.
"When we candidated Pierre for faculty a year ago, there was no doubt he would make an excellent academic dean one day," Schmidt says. "But we were thinking it might be four or five years away, not one year."
Gilbert says, "In spite of the challenges inherent to the dean's position, I'm excited about making our seminary one of the best institutions for training effective and dynamic leadership for the MB church both in North America and the rest of the world. "
Gilbert earned his doctorate in Old Testament from the University of Montreal in 1994 and his master of arts in Old Testament from Providence Seminary in Otterbume, Man., in 1981. He is a member ofthe General Conference Board of Faith and Life.
He and his wife, Monika , have three children (MBBS)
U-SERV workers aid
Raisin City church
• Volunteer labor results in big saving and closer fellowship
T AST MONTH, a group of U-SERV Lworkers finished repainting the exterior of Iglesia De La Communidad in Raisin City , Calif. U-SERV, an acronym for Utilizing the Skills and Energies of Ready Volunteers, is a ministry of the U.S. Conference.
The congregation had been looking for a contractor to do the work, but after receiving a bid of $10,000, pas-
tor Henry Palanco spoke to U-SERV organizer Ted Thiesen about having the painting completed by U-SERV. Thiesen agreed to engage volunteers in the work.
In November, U-SERV workers nearly completed the project, only to be interrupted by rain. So on Dec. 2, Thiesen, Don Loewen, Charlie Evert , Toni Gonzalas, Henry Laemmlen, Arnold Funk and Arnold Leisch met at the church to finish the painting, using more than 40 gallons of paint
In addition, Loewen oiled the bearings of an old bell in the tower above the roof so it could ring again for the first time in years . The total cost of materials for U-SERV came to $249much less than the contractor's bid.
De La Communidad has its roots in the Raisin City Church of the Brethren , organized in 1908. The name was changed to the Raisin City Community Church in 1964 In 1971 the congregation became a member of the Pacific District Conference . In 1992, the ethnic mix of the church had become 90 percent hispanic. In December of that year, Henry Polanco, Ismail Hernandez and Geri Warkentin began ministering to the congregation . The church adopted its current name and on Feb. 18, 1996, the new congregation organized with 14 charter members. (From a report by Ted Thiesen)
Cooking classes add to church plant
• MBM/S workers assist Japan workers in Southern California
ENGLISH lessons and cooking classes are being used by missionaries Takao and Kayoka Nakamura from Osaka, Japan, in a new church-planting ministry-in California
The Nakamuras are hoping to reach unchurched Japanese managers and their families who run Japaneseowned factories near the U.S./Mexico border, just south of San Diego, Calif. Two years ago, the Nakamuras established Bonita (Calif.) Japanese Bible Church, and have purchased a home to serve as a base for the Japanese nationals in Bonita.
Fran Penner, MB Missions/Services worker serving Mexico border
churches, has taught the English and cooking classes. Last month, Marylene Thiesen and Marion Loewen of the Rosedale Bible Church, Bakersfield, Calif., showed the 14 eager Japanese women how to cook American favorites such as ham, gourmet potatoes, cherry pie and pecan pie . Though the classes reach families, it is often difficult to involve the managers because of long work hours. However, the Nakamuras offer married life seminars and Bible studies to the couples. (From a report by Ted Thiesen)
.CHURCH NOTES
• Baptism/Membership
BLAINE, Wash. (Birch Bay)-Ten new members were received into fellowship Nov 24. Baptismal candidates included Brooke Hurd, Marci Hurd, Neena Beatie and Brandon Workentin. Other new members include Richard Beatie, Jim Fowler, Amy Hystad, Tricia Morell, and Clint and Angie Vadnais.
LEE'S SUMMIT, MO (Summit)-Jim, Janet and Davey Martin were baptized Nov. 3 .
SAN JOSE, Calif. (Lincoln Glen)-Pauline Kemmerer, Catrina Korpela, Dori Miller and Melissa Pannabecker were baptized Dec. 15. Brendan Miller was also accepted as a new member.
INMAN, Kan. (Zoar)-Lois Stolifer was welcomed as a new member Dec. 15 .
• Celebrations
LEE'S SUMMIT, MO (Summit)-Twelve people signed the church charter when it was officially opened at the close of worship services Nov . 24. The charter will be open into 1997 . The service was followed by a fellowship meal.
LITTLETON, Colo. (Belleview Acres)The congregation celebrated the completion of the second level of its fellowship addition Dec 15. The two new classrooms will service the congregation's child care center.
BLAINE, Wash. (Birch Bay)-The congregation is inviting friends and former members to attend its 60th anniversary celebration July 27. More information is available from the church office at 360-371-2300.
• Fellowship
DALLAS, Ore.-Following a fellowship meal Nov. 24, the congregation shopped
at the Alternative Christmas Fair and purchased ornaments for the church Christmas tree from merchandise made available by Mennonite Central Committee The evening concluded with a concert.
HILLSBORO, Kan.-Scott Brookins, trumpet soloist from Colorado Springs, Colo., and Jonah Kliewer from Tabor College, were the featured performers at a dessert concert Dec. 1.
SAN JOSE, Calif. (Lincoln Glen)- The choir joined with the choir from First United Methodist Church of Los Gatos to present a Christmas program Dec. 14 and 15 The first performance was held at Lincoln Glen and the second at the Methodist church.
CORN, Okla.-The Cordell (Okla.) MB Church and Pine Acres Church of Weatherford, Okla., were invited to attend an international food night Nov. 10.
• Ministry
BELLINGHAM, Wash. (Community Bible)-The congregation recently voted to purchase a meeting facility in the Birchwood neighborhood of Bellingham.
OMAHA, Neb. (Iglesia Agua Viva)-The congregation has begun a jail ministry. Twenty-four inmates attended the first service.
• Proclamation
BETHANY, Okla. (Western Oaks)-David Plett, retired pastor, led a day-long workshop in early November which focused on short- and long-range ministry plans for the congregation Plett preached the morning message Nov. 10 A month-long missions emphasis concluded Nov. 24 with a banquet.
SHAFfER, Callf.-Gary Prieb, general secretary of Africa Inter-Mennonite Missions, was the guest speaker Dec. 29. In addition to preaching the morning sermon, he talked during the Sunday school hour about the work of MB Missions/Services workers Carol and Phil Bergen
• Workers
DENVER, Colo. (Korean Mustard Seed)Joon Maeng has resigned as pastor.
FRESNO, Calif. (Bethany)-Lynn Kauffman, missionary to Spain, was ordained Dec. 1.
LITTLETON, Colo. (Belleview Acres)Seth Rings was welcomed as youth pastor Dec. 8 . Rings is attending Denver Semi · nary. He and his wife, Kelly, have previously worked with Campus Crusade for Christ
IN BRIEF
AFFIRMATION: Seven Tabor College faculty members who have successfully completed their doctoral dissertations within the past 12 months were recognized at a reception Dec 6 Those being honored included Robert Forsythe, assistant professor of mathematics and computer science; Christina Ay-Chen Long, assistant professor of music; Lynn Jost, assistant professor of biblical and religious studies, Douglas Miller, assistant professor of biblical and religious studies; Loretta Schmidt, assistant professor of education; Kenneth Otter, instructor of biology; and Howard Keim, assistant professor of communications. These seven instructors, several of whom are in the first year at Tabor, represent one fifth of the teaching faculty. (TC)
RETIREMENT: Ruth Enns retired Nov. 22 from Older Adult Social Services, an agency she founded in 1983. OASIS, a not-for-profit group sponsored by Fresno Pacific University, offers adult day care at three locations, home care services, and weekend care. (FPU)
APPOINTED: Mennonite Health Services has appointed Larry Nikkel as executive director. Nikkel, a member of First MB Church in Wichita, Kan., has been serving as interim director from his Wichita office. Nikkel has been spending about one week a month at the MHS main offices in Lancaster, Pa. MHS serves 54 member health care and human service organizations across the United States and is sponsored by the Mennonite Church, General Conference Mennonite Church, Brethren in Christ and Mennonite Brethren (MHS)
ORIENTATION: Thirty workers, including two Mennonite Brethren couples, recently participated in Mennonite Central Committee orientation held at MCC headquarters in Akron, Pa . Carolyn and Dave Wagner of Edmonton, Alta., are beginning three-year assignments in Bulembu, Swaziland. Lawrence Smith and Suzanne Macdonald-Smith of Langley, B.C., are beginning two-year assignments in St. John's, Newfoundland (MCC)
CLEARINGHOUSE
Have a position to fill? Looking for a new employment or ministry opportunity? Have a gathering or celebration to promote? Need to sell or acquire property? Reach U.S Mennonite Brethren through a Clearinghouse classified ad. The charge is 40 cents per word, with a $15 minimum. Withhold payment until an invoice is received The editors reserve the right to tum down inappropriate material. For display (boxed) ad rates, please call us.
POSITIONS AVAILABLE
1M PASTOR: A small, vibrant urban Anaba tist co gregation committed to peace and evangelis seeks alf-time pastor from Jan. 1, 1998, to Aug. 31 , 1998 ile current pastor is on sabbatical leav Potentia also for part-time service with Mennon ' e Central C mmittee Office at the United Nations. All inquiries t : Interim Pastoral Search Commi ee, Manhattan ennonite Fellowship, 314 E. 19t St., New York, N 10003.
SOURCE-Looking for daily devotional r source written from an Anabaptist perspe tive? Try Rejoice!, t
E-mail: lonf@t neUabor.e u. Home page : .tabor.ed .
booklet. Rejoice! mines the riches wisdom throughout the Old and New testaday features a 300-word devotional I with Bible reading, key verse and mAnilbtinr,,,1 prayer Writers for Rejoice! are from the
or to order Rejoicel, church office, or call toll-free Kindred Produc:Ii'onls. 800-545-7322
Send resume to:
• Team up with national
• Some knowledge of • Between 800-2,800 Lord during a two-week CPE experience-discover what God
as their personal Savior and a part of an enriching spiritual
For more information, contact: 604-864-3941, or Evelyn Unruh, 604852-5744; or Peter Loewen, ".r'" 604-853-6482
Church Partnership Evangelism is by MBMIS and the King Road MB Church in British Columbia. It is a ·cnU/'G:n-to-aflUl'cn effort that involves lay members in personal evangelism worldwide Your to participate in CPE will be forwarded to the King Road Church for processing.
Peter Loewen CPE Promoter
Harold W Ens MBMIS General Director
Make a New Year's Commitment to Your Pastor: Pray lor Him Every Dayl
In an open letter from a pastor, this is what he says about the necessity of being upheld daily in prayer by his congregation. Could this be your pastor?
As I prayed for you today I wondered if you were also praying for me. When you demonstrate your enthusiasm and participation in fulfilling the purpose of the church, I am confident that you are praying for me and the ministry we share. If I detect apathy and distance, I sometimes begin to wonder.... This letter is to let you know what's on my heart and how you can pray for me.
Pray that I will follow the example of Christ in loving and serving you as well as teaching and training you for your ministry. The magnitude of the Great Commission and the Great Commandment convicts me that we are all called to be the ministers of this church. Pray that God will give me wisdom to know where to put my energies. I want to choose to do what is best rather than what is convenient or merely urgent. When I am tempted to preach at people I need to be reminded that I must preach from my heart instead of from a pedestal.
It is important that I keep the right perspective and not take people's actions and words personally. Pray that I might love people where they are, instead of waiting until they're where I think they should be. Ask God to cause me to grow personally. When my private devotions spin off into sermons in my head I need the discipline that brings the time back to just God and me. When my thoughts stray during my study time I need to focus on my task. Pray that I assume the position of spiritual leadership in my home. I need God to teach me how to love my wife and children and to make me sensitive to their needs.
Pray for protection in general. I face temptations common to all of us, and on occasion, I face those who seek to intentionally harm the cause of Christ. Because I am human and weak I must depend on God's strength and provision. I need fellow believers of integrity who will hold me accountable and wise counselors who will walk alongside me .
My office and telephone line are always open for prayer time. Let us pray for each other that together we may accomplish God's purpose for this church!
Mission USA recognizes that to reach our nation with the gospel 01 Jesus Christ, the leaders 01 our churches need to be surrounded with praying congregations. Ask your pastor on a .gular basis: HLet me know what's on your heart and how I can
MISSION UIIIOAR ... 1:
Ed Bosdunon, Phoenix, AI.
Exerutive Director
Chuck Buller, V'1S01io, CA
Mike Schuil, Reedey, CA
Fred I.eonord, Oovis, CA
lim SuDivan, Hillsboro, KS
Neil DeFehr, Fresno, CA
LoreHo Jost, Aurora, NE
C1ari(e Rempel, Buhler, KS
Randy Steinert, Bakersfield, CA
Oint Seibel, HiBsboro, KS
Jin Weems, Gettysburg, SD &Die Friesen, W'Khito, KS
Howard Loewen, Fresno, CA
lim Geddert, Fresno, CA
KKk EsdJbough, Topeka, KS
Ex Offido Members:
Henry Dkk, Fresno, CA
Clinton Grenz, Bismark, ND
Roland Reimer, Wkhito, KS
MEDIA MATTERS
BY BURTON BULLER
With convergence on the way, we soon may have difficulty knowing where work stops and play begins.
NEW TECHNOLOGIES TEND TO SPAWN
new words. Meanwhile, common words take on new meanings. Before
increase the number of ways they can deliver entertainment and other digital services. More choices should mean more customers-and more profit.
space travel, no one had heard of an "astronaut." The mouse of my youth ate cheese and I To assure their success, these same companies not only want to deliver the programs, but they also was loath to touch one. Now it resides in my hand and I find myself clicking it unmercifully.
In the world of digital information the word "convergence" takes on new meanings In this case, it represents how a variety of communications technologies are beginning to blend together.
Convergence will change our lives. That has already been decided by those who will profit from its sale. Like a distant classmate at a 25th reunion, we likely will not recognize it until someone points it out
Convergence takes many forms. One that is getting a good bit of media attention these days involves the technologies most familiar to us.
Telephone companies have usually thumbed their noses at cable television companies. Each insisted on clear boundaries around their respective businesses.
But no longer. A year ago, telephone companies began buying cable television companies. Cable television and telephone companies alike are buying shares in companies that create television programs, like motion picture studios.
The assumption behind all the buying frenzy is that we are moving toward a world in which the divisions between telephone, television and computers will blur. These companies are betting that the resulting technology will allow them to
want to profit from the creation of these programs.
For a number of years, the technology has existed to combine telephones, televisions and computers into machines that offer greater flexibility and more services in combination than each can offer alone. Although the resulting machine may cost more than the standard television or computer, we will need to buy only one piece of equipment. VCRs, with their eternal blinking "12:00" may become obsolete.
So, why hasn't it happened?
Simple. People don't want it.
Severalyears ago, a study for US West in the Omaha, Neb., area explored what services people wanted from their new digital cable company. Overwhelmingly, people wanted more of the same and little new. They did not mind remote controls. But they opted against anything more complicated When television is involved, it is clear that people want entertainment.
William Stephenson, in 1967, put forward the "Play Theory" of communications. In this theory, he noted that people divide their media experiences into two realms: play and work. People would rather not mix their media experiences
Current research continues to
confirm this theory. For US West, it meant scrapping, for the moment, any attempts to offer advance digital information services by cable. Instead, they offered channel upon channel of movies.
For many people, the remote is seen as complicated enough. TeleviSion, in people's minds, is easy to use, nonintimidating and ultimately entertaining. It is a passive device, demanding little in technological savvy to operate . Computers, keyboards and computer add-ons to television and the telephone simply don't pass the test for ease of use, or for entertainment.
Still, why the frenzied move by companies to combine the very things people say they don't want?
Two reasons come to my mind. One, the current generation cutting their teeth on keyboards and computer screens will find these devices comforting rather than intimidating. Technology advances take a generation to find acceptance.
Two, these companies are taking the long view. They are searching for ways to help us change our minds about keeping our computers and televisions separate. By introducing related but separate technology requiring us to rethink how we interact with machinery, we may be trained to accept the union of television, computer and telephone. For instance, personal digital assistants (PDAs) are becoming commonplace in electronic stores. These devices, essentially an electronic form of the appointment calendar, use voice commands rather than keyboards to keep appointments and search the Internet. Talking to your electronic machine smacks of an exotic gamehardly work by today's definition.
Once we are comfortable talking to our PDAs, it will be a small step to talk to the machine that combines computer, television and telephone
For now, work remains work. But with convergence on the way, we soon may have difficulty knowing where work stops and play begins.
LET'S TALK ABOUT IT
A GUIDE FOR GROUP INTERACTION
SESS ION 1 Th e chur ch In a war zo ne
Based on "Christians in the Crossfire," page 4.
GET READY - Getting started
• Which war during your lifetime has had the most impact on you?
GET SET - Examining the issues
1. Identify ways in which believers are emulating the Prince of Peace in the midst of the conflicts mentioned.
2 . Why does tremendous spiritual growth often occur during persecution?
3 Identify the key words and concepts in the quote from the second to last paragraph. Which are practiced and which are ignored in our churches today?
GO - Applying ideas to the way we live
1 What do you think your reaction would be to living under the constant threat of violence and suffering?
2 . Through implication, what does the article suggest to us about our witness in our own country?
3 . What are some specific things you and your congregation can do to promote peace in our world?
4 Spend time in prayer for those in your congregation who are proclaiming peace in difficult situations .
SE SS ION 2 Maintaining hope amid CIISI S
Based on '''Friends Under Fire, " page 7.
GET READY - Getting started
• Do you tend to "tune in" or "tune out" to news coverage of refugee situations? Why?
GET SET - Examining the issues
1. Identify three dynamics that are mo st striking to you in each story.
2 How do you think believers maintain hope in Christ in such circumstances?
3. Skim through the Epistles and highlight Scripture that provides strength and perspective for dealing with difficulty such as these people experience.
GO - Applying ideas to the way we live
1 To what extent can we prepare ourselves ahead of time to deal with such crises?
2 What is our responsibility for enabling the prayer for the people of Central Africa to be answered?
3 How would you evaluate your commitment to faithfulness to Christ in spite of difficulty?
SESSION
3 When Ii sk backfir es
Based on "Targeted by Trust," page 11.
GET READY - Getting started
• W hat's the closest you have come to experiencing personal violence?
GET SET - Examining the issues
1 What biblical story or character do you think most closely relates to the Godards' experience?
2. Which fruit of the Spirit do you see in Godard's example? How wa s it manifested?
3. At what point, if any, do you think the Godards should have changed their approach to relating to Marvin?
GO - Applying ideas to the way we live
1. If you were the Godards, would you move to a safer location? Why or why not?
2. Is there ever a time to say to a needy person, " I can't help you anymore"?
3. How can we help each other deal with disappointment with God?
4. Who is the "Marvin" in your life? In what area of your response to that person do you need the most prayer?
SESSION 4 ValUing ourselves and othels
Based on On the Journey, page 15.
GET READY - Getting started
• Share a stray-animal experience you've had
GET SET - Examining the issues
1 Based on the Scriptures mentioned in the article, what do you think God is saying about sparrows and about us?
2. In what ways do we sometimes pounce on others and treat them as if they are "no big deal"?
3. What scriptural basis do we have for believing that we have value in God's sight?
GO - Applying ideas to the way we live
1 How does knowing that we have value in God's sight affect our ability to face the future?
2. How do you or your congregation help people to know that they are of value?
3 Describe yourself as God would describe you if God was introducing you to a group of people.
4. Ask God to remind you of one specific person who could benefit from your affirmation of their value.
Year of global family?
THE DYNAMICS of a family change with time. Death and divorce signal abrupt change, and the ensuing adjustments sometimes feel intrusive. But no less significant are the changes that come with the simple passing of time and the growth toward maturity
In our home, Mom and Dad have pretty much ruled the roost to this point. Son and Daughter have needed us to fill that role because they have been too young to take care of themselves, much less us. Today, Son is knocking on the door of adolescence and Daughter is not far behind. The dynamics of decision-making and cooperation have already moved toward shared input and away from unilateral direction. Mom and Dad expect that trend to continue as we move with intent from paternalism to partnership.
The dynamics of the Mennonite
and practically our "mother" agency through the decades, continues to move, by its own design, from household manager to household servant as our international partners become more involved in growing this family of ours
We should applaud these developments because the Mennonite Brethren family is maturing and, through its diversity, becoming more wholesome And we should encourage internationalization to continue One opportunity to do so emerges naturally in the recent discussions about the future of the General Conference . Those who would like to see the North American structure overhauled or eliminated often cite increased efficiency and decreased duplication as primary motivations for doing so. They may be right about that. But for me, the most compelling reason to eliminateBrethren global family are changing too.
A generation ago, the North American churches stilled ruled the roost even as we sought to nurture fledgling churches overseas. The arrangement was natural and even necessary because the General Conference "parents" had the maturity, the means and the mandate to establish
and manage a household of faith.
"'5 time for national conferences to relate to each other
as equals.
Today, many of our overseas "children" have matured into full-fledged conferences. Two of them, Zaire and India, have already far surpassed us in size. They and their sibling conferences have demonstrated a desire to sit as equals at the Mennonite Brethren family table-not just to share a meal, but to help detennme the menu.
Until recently, that desire seemed little more than wishful-perhaps even wistful-thinking. When a handful of international leaders got together in 1990 to talk informally about family matters, the notion seemed almost quaint. When the group actually organized and called itself the International Committee of Mennonite Brethren (lCOMB), the move struck some as audacious. I'm not sure too many North American leaders took these developments seriously
It's time we did During the past year or two, ICOMB has established itself as a determined and viable forum for family reconfiguration MB Missions/ Services, historically
or reconfigure-the General Conference is rooted in our global realities. It's time for national conferences to relate to each other as equals.
MBM/ S has proclaimed 1997 as the "Year of Global Mission ." We wholeheartedly support the notion that our mission is indeed a global one-but in the fullest sense of the notion. It ' s not only North American Mennonite Brethren reaching the world It must become world
Mennonite Brethren reaching the world.
This summer, the General Conference will convene in Ontario . What better way to celebrate the "Year of Global Mission" than to make this a "Year of Global Family" by taking significant steps toward changing our structure. Let's either eliminate the General Conference and change the name of ICOMB to International Conference of Mennonite Brethren, or let's reconfigure the General Conference to include all 17 national conferences around the family table.
The Canadian and U.S Conferences, because of our material resources and expertise, will still playa key role in supporting key agencies and institutions. But in the kingdom of God, wealth and expertise are gifts to be shared, not power to wield. God has given the Mennonite Brethren Church in this world other gifts as well. To become a truly mature household of faith, we must find ways to use each gift to its fullest -DR
