January 2008

Will our younger generations see the church as a healthy place to find answers for life's tough questions?

Will they find churches that are teaching the truths oj God's Word and not some watered-down message?

Will the church matter - really matter - to them?

Mission USA is starting more churches, helping existing churches training new leaders and doing all we can to answer "YES" to the above questions. We need your help! Please give generously to Mission USA. It's an investment in eternity!

We welcome and appreciate your generous support of Mission USA. Please send you r donation to: Mission USA U.S. Conference PO Box 220 Hillsboro, KS 67063 Note "Mission USA" on the memo line

To see more ... come to know HIM!

BODY LI F E

19 > For women only

20 > Calif congregation serves missionary children

21 > A suitcase of gifts

22 > Building for another 70 years

23 > FPU netters nat'l champs

24 > Solving Congos problems - one at a time

25 :> Congregation puts faith into action

26 > Youth events held in November

A day on the Wildside

The year of big events

the weight

FEATURES [A winning season]

8 WHAT YOUR WORLD NEEDS NOW by Ed Boschman

Think about the people you "know"- neighbors, colleagues, classmates and teammates. How many of them know Jesus? What kind of are you in their lives? What kinds of questions are they asking? Are there unique ways in which our evangelical Anabaptist theology as Mennonite Brethren can answer these questions?

10148 CANDLES by Ken Reddig

The Mennonite Brethren Church began 148 years ago during a time of crisis. As we prepare to celebrate our 150th anniversary in 2010, lets take a minute to review our history.

11 RALLYING THE TEAM - An interview with Ed Boschman

Ed Boschman wants to rally the team. As the new executive director for the U.S. Conference, Boschman sees himself as a "playing coach" and looks ahead to big wins - if individuals and congregations can think like a team and work together with a common vision.

14 WHY DOES IT MAnER?

We asked a variety of people to tell us why it matters why it matters that U.S. Mennonite Brethren are involved in church planting, youth ministry, education, stewardship ministries and global missions. These short essays can help us understand why it matters that the Mennonite Brethren Church exists today

> FiRST WORDS

[ fro m t h e ed it o rl

THINK OF zo08 AS A NEW SEASON FOR U.S. MENNONITE Brethren - a winning season led by a new player-coach and one that hopefully completes various projects initiated in 2004 when the U.S. Conference began a restructuring process. The feature section this month is a project of the U S. Conference staff and highlights the dreams, values and ministries of U S. Mennonite Brethren. You will hear from our new coach - executive director Ed Boschman - and others about why Mennonite Brethren theology and denom inational ministries are relevant today. It is fitting that we focus on our denomination this month since January is the anniversary month fo r both the Mennonite Brethren Church and the larger Anabaptist family of churches.

For several years the global Mennonite community has celebrated the fourth Sunday of January as World Fellowship Sunday. The date is selected to correspond with the first Anabaptist baptism that took place Jan. 21, 1525, in Zurich, Switzerland That day 35 people met in the home of Felix Manz for a baptism and communion service. Manz was one of the early leaders of this movement that emphasized the importance of a voluntary and personal commitment to faith as indicated by adult baptism. By 1526, adult baptism was punishable by death and authorities sought Manz and other leaders. Manz was eventually arrested and was killed by drowning Jan. 5, 1527. The purpose of World Fellowship Sunday, initiated by Mennonite World Confe rence, is to re member the common roots that today are shared by almost 1.5 million Anabaptists.

Fast-forward 335 years from the Manz home to another home - this time th at of Isaak Koop in southern Russia. Koop and other members of the Mennonite Church were frustrated with a number of things, including a lack of spiritual vitality in the church. Eighteen men met at Koop's home Jan. 6, 1860, and formed a new church. The members of this new church called themselves "brethren." While their move away from the established church led to strained relationships and trials , the Brethren are credited with influencing a spiritual revival in the Mennonite Church.

Our denomination began with 18 households. In 1910, 50 years after its founding. the Mennonite Breth ren Church numbered 6,000. By 1964, Mennonite Brethren numbered 4°,248 globally. Currently there are 290,397 Mennonite Brethren in 15 countries. In two years, the global Mennonite Brethren Church will celebrate its 150th anniversary. Our spiritual history is one of renewal and revival-an excellent focus with which to begin the New Year

> QU O T ABLE

"The true evangelical faith sees and considers only the perfect example of Christ and strives to conform thereto with all its power " - Menno Simons in True Christian Faith

> UP & COMING

• Jan. 6 - 148th anniversary of founding of Mennon ite Brethren Church

• Feb. 1-3 - Latin America District Conference convention

• Feb. 15-17- U S Conference Leadership Board meeti ng, Denver, Colo

• March 31-April2 - National Pastors ' Orientation, Phoenix, Ariz

• April 18-19 - U S Con fe rence Leadership Board meeting and MB Le adership Summit, Denver, Colo

• J uly 23 - 25 - National Pa stors ' Conference , Wichita , Kan

• July 25-27 - U S Con fe rence conven ti on , H ill sboro, Kan

Con nie Fabe r EDITOR

Myra Holm es ASSI STANT EDITOR

Ela ine Ewe rt GRAPHIC DESIGNER

MANDATE The Christian Lea der (lSS N 0009- 51 491 is published monthly by the U S Co nfer en ce of Mennonite Brethren Churc hes. The Chr is tian Leader seeks to inform Mennonite Bre t hren m em be r s and churches of the events, activi ti es deci si ons an d issues of t heir denominati on. and t o instruct inspire and initiate dialogue so members w ill aspire to be faithful disciples of Christ as underst ood in th e evangelicaVAnaba ptist the ologica l tra di tion

EDITORIAL POLICY The views expressed in th i s publication do not necessa ri ly repre sent t he position of the Christian Leader, th e U.S. Conference leadership Board or t he Menno nite Bret hren Church. Scripture refe r ence s are from New International Vers ion unless oth erwi se noted The editors i nvite freelance arti cle su bm iss ions. A SASE must accompan y art icles.

RE ADE R PARTICIPATION The editor s invite readers to sh are thei r thou ghts and opinions on t opics relevantto the Mennonite Bre t hre n Church using l etters to the editor and Forum essa ys Letters to the editor should be brief-30 0 w ord s or l ess-and on one subject. letters m ust be si gned and include the writer's city and st ate. l ette rs will be ed ited for clarity. appropriaten ess and le ngt h letters will be published, as space allows, unless marked - Not for publication:' Forum is open to members or attendees of Mennonite Bret hren ch urche s. Essays should no t exceed 800 wo rd s. and sh ou ld include t he wri t er's name, ad d ress, home ch urch and occupation

COMMU NICATION All co r res ponde nce including change of address, should be addressed t o the Christian Leader, Box 220, Hillsboro , KS 67063 Phone: 620-947-5543 Fax: 620-941-3266 E- mail : chr istianleaderUlusm b.org

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MEMBERSHIP The Ch ris tian Leader i s a member of the Evangelical Press As so ciati on and Meet inghouse, an associat ion of Mennonite and Brethren in Christ editor s.

POSTMASTER Send address changes to t he Christian Leader Box 220. Hillsboro KS 67063 Periodicals post age paid at Hillsboro, Ka nsas.

Notes on leadership

Promises fro m t he new execu t ive director

Irecently had breakfast with the U S. re presentatives on the MB Biblical Se minary board of directors . It was an intentional opportun ity for me to ask some favorite questions : What advice do you have for me? What should the U .S Conference executive director be doing as he serves you in this assignment? What do you hear in our national constituency that you can pass along? What cautions or concerns do yo u have for me?

The hour that followed was invaluable. It was as if they had rehearsed Their counsel was clarion and direct but also heartfelt and

gracious. The notes I took say: Listen! Reflect! Cast vision! Lead! These encouragements can easily be used to summarize much of the ministry description the U S Conference Leadership Board

provided

It

the picture of our vision for a preferred future is also important. Not tampering with ttuth is paramount in importa nce How we navigate into the future and take into cons ideration these realities will demand clear and intensive thinking.

My promise here is twofold. I will be prayetful and reflective. And, I will ensure that the team is seriously thoughtful, intensely prayerful and imminently careful as we chart the course into our future. As you have thoughts that will challenge, inform or help us, please communicate with us

Leadership is good, godly and biblical. Of all the things said that morning about leadership , the passion and intensity

i<; nl\ ' heartfelt commitment not to trayel around ollr natioil with iJ>od buds in

Ill\' car" and not to be in too much ot a hurr\ ' to lbten wC11.

Listening hard is not optional, but it is not easy either. There are times when what is first said is not yet the intended message. We end up being unclear at times because we as a denominational family are cautious not to say things that are unwise or hurtful. Sometimes I catch myself lining up my next comment while I should still be actively listening So it is advice I will try to take very seriously.

We can put into practice the advice the Bible gives on this subject: Speak the ttuth in love directly to each other and open our ears to hear If we do this I'm absolutely convinced that we will save ourselves some grief. It is my heartfelt commitment not to travel around our nation with iPod buds in my ears and not to be in too much of a hurry to listen well. And if it appears that I'm not keeping my promise, you have permission to speak the truth in love to me.

Reflecting and vision casting as my breakfast buddies intended it is more than dreaming, musing or meditating. It is a mandate to think, envision, and plan hard . And I picked up a spiritual dimension as well. It is about being intentionally and spiritually thoughtful about our denominational family and its life and health and ministry endeavors.

There is no doubt that heading somewh ere is important. Simply managing th ings as th ey are is not a good option . But how we arrive at an d pain t

were most apparent on this point. They talked of the need for strong integrity and honorable leadership and of the imperative of followership .

Being the leader can be exciting And it can also be unnerving. Some years ago I settled on a working definition of leadership: Leadership is influence That knife can cut both ways When good things happen the team celebrates, and leaders are affirmed . When things go south , leaders are rightly evaluated and often bear significant responsibility.

My ultimate hero leader had the chutzpa to say things like, "Follow me" and "00 what I say." But as you well know, he had a significant advantage over the rest of us. There was one other effective biblical leader who went so far as to say, "Follow me" but he added, "so long as I am following Jesus. "

That's about as far as this executive director is willing to go. Should you catch me being like Jesus, doing something he would do, or saying something he would say, have at it And remember that then you too will have both the responsibility and the right to say the same. Inasmuch as the Lord calls me to serve you in this way, I promise you this: I will do my best to lead in the way that best serves Jesus, his kingdom, and the Mennonite Brethren church family.

A number of you have communicated that you will be supporting Carol and me in your prayers . We value that big-time, and we sincerely thank you Because you and God have called us to lead, we have a heart's desire to be the servant of all

You can communicate with me at ebed@usmb.org

MCC aids those im pacted by Cyclone Sidr

Agency fi rst to beg in rebu ildi ng hom es i n Banglades h

Mennonite Central Committee will build 1,250 houses in a rural Bangladesh i community where thousands of people lost their homes to the winds and floodwaters of Cyclone Sidr Sidr tore into Bangladesh's coast Nov 15 with wind speeds com parable to those of Hurricane Katrina. The cyclone destroyed more than half a million houses and left a death toll in the thousands, according to the Bangladeshi government

Seven MCC workers have relocated to the coastal district of Bagerhat to organize the construction project, says Larry Fisher, MCC's Bangladesh representative MCC expects to hire an add itional 40 construction workers. MCC is the global peace, service and relief agency of North American Mennonites .

MCC will rebuild houses in Taffelbari, a coastal area that is home to many fishing and farming families. Since the storm, many families in Taffelbari are living beside the roads in makeshift tents constructed out of whatever materials they could find.

MCC is currently helping to provide food to 10,000 households in Bangladesh th rough the Canadian Foodgrains Bank, a patrner organization. Fisher says that many other organizations are providing food to people affected by the cyclone, but MCC will be one of the first to rebuild homes.

MCC is preparing to rebuild simple houses measuring 9 feet by 15 feet with concrete posts, timber walls and

corru gated steel roofs and siding. The houses will be sturdier and similar in size to th ose des troyed , and they will be built where the old houses stood, Fi sher says.

Fisher estim ates that each house will cost about $ 320 to build, including labor, materials and admin istrative costs. MCC is appealing for funds now to build 1,250 houses by April, and Fisher says the on ly reason to stop then would be a lack of fun ds.

' 'I'm hoping tha t we get another fresh burst of money and can keep buildi n g," he says. "This need will be here-two years from now, we could still be build ing. "

F inancial contributions may be made to any MCC office or online at www.mcc.org/donate. They shou ld be designated for MCC's "Bangladesh Cyclone Disaster Response." - MCC

Anabaptists celebrate World Fellowship Sunday

This month marks the anniversary of the first Anabaptist baptism which took place in Zurich, Switzerland, Jan 21, 1525. Mennonite World Conference, a global fellowship of Anabaptists and Mennonites, is encouraging congregations to mark Jan. 27 as World Fellowship Sunday. Each year, Mennonites ftom different continental regions prepare material for th is celebration This year Hellen Bradburn and Matiku Nyitambe , church leaders from

Tanzan ia, have produced worship materials reflecting their part of the world for World Fellowship Sunday. The 2008 theme is "Worship and serve the Lord your God ." Th e materials include suggestions for worship, prayer requests from around the world , an introduction to Tanzania and the Mennon ite churches there , a map , a story and sermon prompts

"We hope these materi als will help you plan World Fellowship Sunday in your local

churches and that they will provide a way of entering more fully into fellowship , intercession and thanksgiving with and for your global faith family, " says Larry Miller, executive secretary for MWC . Planning materials have been sent to all Mennonite Brethren congregations in the U.S . For additional materials, including statistics concerning Mennonite, Brethren in Christ and related chu rches throughout Aftica , see www.mwc- cmm org.- MWC

Mennonites get seats at global table

Mennonites and Brethren in Christ were represented at a h istori c fi rst gathe ring N ov. 6 - 9 of wo rl d lea ders from vi rt ua ll y all b ranches of the Christian faith in N ai robi , Kenya. Called the Global Christian Fo rum , t he gathering drew 245 invited church representa t ives from 72 nat ions. T hey ranged from Orthodox, C atholic and An glican to African Instituted, Pe n tecostal and Eva n geli ca l. By design, abou t half were from the latter two groups, who usually don't attend ecu menical events.

Mennonite World C onfe rence representatives were Dan isa N d lovu of Zimbabwe, MWC vice president and president-elect, Patricia U rue i'ia of C olombia, presently serving as a M en nonite miss ionary in Ecuador, and Larry Miller of France, general secretary Bill Winge r of Canada, member of the Brethren in Christ Ch urch and chief financial officer of the World Evangelical Alliance, patticipated as part of the WEA delegation

Ecumenical gatherings are not new, but a gathering of this scope is un usua l. The World Council of Churches represents only a quarter of wo rld Christians and does not

include Catholi cs, wh o comp rise half. N or does it include mos t Eva ngeli ca ls an d Pentecostals, the fas test-growing gro ups.

Konrad Raiser, then WC C general secretary, instigated th e process in the late 1990S

"He said we need a sa fe place where the whole c hu rch can gather, where they can trust each other, where they don't fe el th at the W CC or t he C atholic Ch urch is ttyi ng to take over, and where the re are no in stitu tional committnents," Miller says . A series of regional meetings led to th is global gath ering.

The event was neither a theological excha nge nor debate bu t a foru m whe re Ch ris t ian gro up s cou ld tell t h eir sto ries about experi enci ng Jesus C hrist as reconc iler Participants dis cussed how to promote fu rther dialogue and cooperation on their common wimess in the world

"What was most impressive was that this p roce ss to bring all Christian churches to the same table, especially Evangelicals and Pe ntecostals, seems to be working," says Miller. "If it continues for a couple of decades, this gathering will someday be viewed as a watershed in 21st century Christian ity." M ore info rmation is available at www.globalc hristianforum.org . - MWC

Working in Somalia's troubled capital

Anarchy and violence in Somalia 's capital. Mogadishu, are creating a humanitarian crisis , fo rcing thousands of people to flee their neighborhoods, according to recent news reports. Me n nonite Central Committee is supporting a Somali organization that provides food and water to displaced people and helps women start small businesses to support thei r families

SMCID, named after a Somali word meaning "help:' is a 17- year-old women's organization in Mogadis hu. MCC has helped to fund SMCID's work for more than a decade, including many years when it has been too dangerous for foreign organizations to operate in the city. M CC recently shipped two 5,000 - gallon portable water t anks to Mogadishu to help SMC ID provide water to displaced people arou nd the city.

' The situation at the moment is an absolute disaster, " says Tony Burns, a SMCID spokesman who is based in Nairobi, Kenya. U n ited Na tions officials recently warned that Mogadishu has become one of Afr ica 's most serious humanitarian crise s

Duri n g this time, SMCID carried out a MCC-supported proje ct to help women start small businesses in a poor neighborhood of Mogadishu SMCID provided $200 loans and three months of training to help 44 women start businesses such as tailoring shops a nd vege t able stands Th e projec t also enc ourages the women to enroll the ir c h il d ren in sc hool. helping to incr e ase sc hool enrollment in a city where o n ly about one in fou r ch ild ren is in sch oo l. - M C C

TOEWS APPOINTED ACTS PRINCIPAL

Ronald W. Toews has been appointed to the combined position of principal for ACTS Seminaries and associate vice president of Graduate Theological Studies for Trinity Western University, Langley, BC The Associated Canadian Theological Schools is a partnership of six seminaries, including MB Biblical Seminary. MBBS has campuses in Fresno, Calif., Langley, BC, and Winnipeg, Man Toews brings to th e position a background in leadership, academia and public speaking and has taught over 25 graduate-level courses at MBBS of ACTS at Trinity. - TWU

ICOMB APPOINTS RE IMER

The In ternational Community of Mennonite Brethren has appointed Dalton Reimer as educational facilitator under the umbrella of the global fe llowship of MBs. Reimer is professor emeritus of Fresno Pacific University, Fresno, Calif. Reimer's main task will be putting into practice the resolutions reached during the consultation of MB institutions of higher education around the globe, held June 2007 in Fresno, Calif. "We will be able to make sure that our vision and the felt needs will be worked on with capacity and dedication, " says Victor Wall, executive secretary of ICOMB. "ICOMB is very grateful for Dalton's willingness to take on this responsibility and trusts that he will playa key role in developing strategies in order to enhance our global r el atedness in the area of educati on " - ICOMB

What your world needs now

People you know need to hear what Mennonite Brethren know to be true

THE BARNA RESEARCH GROUP TELL US THAT WE each have a relational sphere of influence of about seven people. These are people beyond our nuclear family and inner circle of friends We'd refer to them as people we "know " They're likely to be neighbors, colleagues, classmates and teammates. As we are going on with our lives, we connect pretty regularly with these acquaintances. They are part of our world .

Picture these folks in your mind. Now let me ask you a question : How many of them have chosen to trust and follow Jesus? Statistics say of most of us followers of Jesus that we tum our lives away from our worlds to such a degree that we have zero acquaintance relationships with "of the world" people . If we believe that's how Jesus wants it to be, we have tragically misunderstood him H is prayer for us makes it unmistakably clear that he deliberately places us "in but not of" our worlds of influence (John 17)

We are Mennonite Brethren Evangelical Anabaptists, born of Reformation (1544) and renewal (1860) movements and living in post-Christian United States of America at the start of the third millennium . What is our place in this world of ours? What do we have to offer to our spheres of influence?

It's both interesting and encouraging to me to notice how Evangelical Anabaptist theology answers questions people of our world are asking: Why is the Bible any better tha n the Kora n? What is it about Transcendental Meditation that makes it bad? How can you say that Jes us is a berter religious leader than Mohammed? Wh at's so great about organized religion - the church is mostly irrelevant and mostly about money. How can all those hypocrites get away with being so self-righteous?

These questions are stro ng evidence th at God has purpo se for us here and now Let's look at four of the core truth s we hold dear and see how it works.

We are people of the Word. O ne of th e theological ba ttl e cries of our refonner founders was , ''What does the Bibl e say? " It was a deliberate plan to deconstruct the powe r of societal mores and church tradition where they were in conflict with the Scri ptures O ur holy book is both the truth and the story of the one who said he is "the way and the truth. "

Our American world is increas ingly pl uralistic and omn i- tolerant. In such a world God has given us the privil ege of believin g in and living out the truth. People in our spheres of influence are looking for truth , meaning and purpose, and we have th e text for all that and more The Bible is God-b reat hed and eternally relia ble God says it will not pass away. We are here to make th e tru th of the Scriptures come alive in us , to both live and te ll that story

A friend of mine, who has recently re newed his connection wi th church after a long hiatus, told me that he has been do ing "what it says to do in the Bible. " The Scriptu res are becoming a life - manual for him Not many weeks ago he stopped in at the office of a business colleague with whom he had been at odds for years to declare peace. On his way out the door, he laid it on the li ne , '''This is how the Bible says I should live." How good is that?

We are fo Uowers of Jesus. O ur world is lookin g for heroesfor gurus, for prophets, for homeboys . Jes us, th e founder of our family of faith, is like no other. People compare him to othe r aspiring messiahs and wannabe religious leaders, but no one else makes the claims Jesus makes, and no one else backs them up like he does. With focused precision he faces up to sin, deat h and hell and then convincingly crushes them all with a once for all self-sacrificing death and incredulous resurrection.

This Jesus is the one we follow. We tell his story He 's th e one who has given us peace with God and empowers us to choose peace in all our relationships He's the one who forgives us of our sin and sets us ftee from guilt and shame .

Is it any surprise that in Utah disillusioned Monnons are falling in love with a Jesus they never knew? As pastors Paul Robie and Cory Anderson explain that Jesus' call to follow him is wrapped in forgiveness and grace, hundreds of discouraged and fonnerly hopeless men and women fall at his feet.

Jesus sets our lives on course by providing reason to live and inviting us to invest our lives in preparation to become co -regents with him in the new heaven and earth. The people in our world need this story incarnated before their eyes. Then they11 ask for the reason we have hope, and then we can po int the m to th e one who gave it to us

We believe in and belo n g to t h e church. It may well have fallen on hard times, but it rema ins th e pla n of its Lord. It is still the church that Jesus inaugurated and pa tented and chose the building materials for. One of the most powerful needs the people of ou r world have is to belong - to be loved, acce pted , forgiven and eve n to

B Y E D BOSCHMAN

be held accountable Yes, the church has issues, but when it's functioning the way Jesus intended it to, the church is what people are looking for This is why we need to keep reviewing how we are the church , both when we are gathe red and when we are scattered

If we function as or are perceived to be another action option or a self-protecting and self- regulating club, we are in desperate need of refonnation and renewal. But if ou r gatherings encourage and strengthen us and provide opportun ities for focused corporate learning , fellowship, holy communion, worship and prayer, then they are both an intended intennittent culmination and commencement.

At a football game the huddle is good for regrouping, reminding, redirecting and recharging, but the action is post huddle . Our world needs us like defense needs an offense "In but not of" assumes welI mix it up with them When they watch us living a 24/7 lifestyle of worship, they will sooner or later ask about it.

We are committed to aU day, every day discipleship. I believe it is here that we can make a unique and powerful contribution to the coming of God's kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven . There are lots of Christian church people whose piety is evident while they're at the church building or attending a churchsponsored function . The research monster tells us that most Christians don't live any differently than their "of the world" neighbors for the rest of their 24/7 lives. We do Right?

So during the daily course of our lives we wear faith, hope and love on ou r sleeves. Our demeanor evidences joy, peace and patience. We offer grace and forgiveness without keeping track And we do everything we can to live at peace with everyone, including our families at one end of the spectrum and our earthly enemies on the other.

This kind of living is rare When people in our worlds of influence see and experience it, you can bet they will find it winsome. Let's be careful though that it is authentic, nonlegalistic, living-guided and bounded by clear biblical mandates and principles rather than a bunch of man-made local church rules

We matter. Your world needs you. It's simple and profound. The Bible is God's truth. Jesus is God in truth . The church is the body of Christ and the family of God And it is not his will that any should miss it. Our world needs that truth , and we know it.

Ed Boschman is the executive direc tor of the u.s. Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches He and his wife, Carol , li ve in Bakersfield, Calif. , and are members of Laurelglen Bible Church

candles

How 18 brethren grew to 290,000 beLiever s

WE ARE J48lE\RS OLD.

BretlJ!en Church will celebrate its binhday January 6. It was !t that day in t860 that 18 men, heads of family formed a new church from within in present day Ukraine. Church began during a time of crisis The the Mennonite colonies in Russia m disarray. A wealthy class had emerged that ownedmostoftbe land, leaving a large group of disen_ landless people Young people agitated for cha1iIe and oppottunity Governing officials, who were also locat cluJ1'ch leaders, supponed the wealthy- too ...aJfraidJ'b1tlakesJignificant changes to the system .

The Church worship experience was bogged down t1irrly lifeless system. You were born into a family and expected to eventually become parrof the church and community. The Anabaptist conalpt of the church as a voluntary fellowship of believers had slipped into a routine form.

At the same time many of the young ad ults were drawn to a new spiritual vitality that was emerging within the Gnadenfeld congregation . This was reinforced by a revivalist, pietistic movement that had begun within a neighboring German Lutheran congregation. Eduard Wuest, a young, dynamic Lutheran minister, led this new movement. He emphasized the repentance of sins and the free acceptance of God's grace .

These new influences offered a fresh new spirit within the Mennonite community. And some of the people who felt hemmed in by the economic, political and church structures of the Mennonite settlements in Ukraine became attracted to this new vitality. They ttied to bring it into their congregations, but in general the older leadership refused to have anything to do with this new movement.

Following considerable discussions, much prayer and discernment, a group of 18 frustrated people came together Jan. 6, 1860, in the home of Isaak Koop where they formed a new church. Typical of the people who made up this new church was Johann Claas sen, an early lay-leader.

Claassen was a young factory owner who assisted the early Mennonite Brethren by lobbying on their behalf for official government status in Pete rsburg He took on this task in spite of the opposition of the larger church. He also helped members of the new church and

other landless people find and move to new settlements, such as the Kuban and Crimea Here the old church hierarchy could interfere less with their church and community life .

As with any renewal movement , the early years were fraught with dissension and extreme views However, as the Mennonite Brethren began to try new things they were also drawn to the German Baptists who espoused ideas such as Sunday school and gospel music. Via the Baptists, more functional church polity and structures emerged. Soon the fledging movement gained strength and resolve, and it began to grow.

Already in the early years a zeal for missions developed. The group was too small to develop a missions program on their own. For a few years they worked in cooperation with other mission agencies, such as those of the Baptists, before forming their own missions committee and sending missionaries to India and Africa .

Approximately 15 years after the binh of the church, Mennonites and Mennonite Brethren from Ukraine began immigrating to the U.S. The missionary zeal continued and in 1884 a group of U.S. Mennonite Brethren traveled to Manitoba to explore mission activities among the Mennonites there In 1888 the first Mennonite Brethren church was begun in Burwalde, a small locality near W inkler. It was the first Mennonite Breth ren church in Canada.

This is the early pan of the story and now we build on this story together. From a German-speaking congregation in Ukraine we have grown and today worship in 27 different languages in Nonh America each Sunday. We have congregations in 18 other countries, and we are over 290,000 believers who adhere to a single Mennonite Brethren confession. God has been good.

Those 18 men who met 148 years ago in Elisabe thal. Ukraine , would never have imagined the movement to become so large. In 2010 the Mennonite Brethren Church will be 150 years old How will we celebrate? The International Community of Mennonite Brethren together with the Mennonite Brethren Historical Commission is currently engaged in writing a global history to be released by 2010. Johann Claassen Writers from Mennonite Brethren churches around the world are contributing to this history, and Abe Dueck from Winnipeg, Man., is serving as the general editor Other events in Nonh America and around the globe are also being planned I invite you to join the celebration .

Ken Reddig is the executi ve secretary of the MB His torical Commission , a ministry of the U S and Can adian MB Conferences. He lives in Winnipeg, Man

Rallyi -ng the team

"Co ach" Ed Boschman calls us to the big game

ED BOSCHMAN WANTS TO RAL LY THE TEAM

As the new executive director for the U.S. Conference, Boschman looks ahead to big wins - if individuals and congregations can think like a team and work together with a common vision

Boschman stepped into the role he compares to "playing coa ch" Oct. I , replacing Chuck Buller, whose resignation was effective Jan. 31, 200 7- Buller was the USC's first full-time executive director, and Boschman describes him as "the proverbial right guy, right place, right time." Buller's resignation began a prayerful search that ended when the Leadership Board promoted the USC's new coach from within the Mennonite Brethren team .

Boschrnan has been part of the MB team for a long ti me "I'm one of those guys that has been hanging around the MB church since I was an infant, " he says Boschman grew up in MB churches, beginning in Yarrow, BC He received his master's degree in biblical studies from MB Biblical Seminary in Fresno, Ca lif , foll owed by a Doctor of Ministry from California Graduate School of Theology

H e pastored several MB congregations, most recently serving as executive pastor at Laurelglen Bible Church , &kersfield, Calif. In addition, he has served in a number of leadership roles wi thin the denomination, including moderator of the General Conference in th e years before divestiture into separate U.S and Canadian conferences, and executive director of Mission USA, the church planting and ren ewal arm of the Usc.

As a lifelong team member, Boschman comes to his new role as coach with an understanding of team dynamics He's been there when the US C has garnered wins and when the team has suffered losses He 's seen firsthand the team 's strengths, which plays have worked well and where th ere are gaps in the offensive lin e

Boschman to ok the time recen tly to chat wi th Le ader assista nt editor Myra Holmes about the high stakes season ahead of the USC. He spoke frankly about th e team's winlloss record and the game plan he hopes will catapult the USC into a Superbowl-sized wi n

Congratulations o n yo u r n ew job.

(L aughs) I always wonder if that's the right terminology. I do feel honored. It's an hono r to be asked to serve in this leadership role.

What excites you abo ut movin g fro m player to coach?

Excitement and vis ion for me are closely connected. If as a national Mennonite Brethren tea m we could stir up a sense that we are "one for all and all for on e," if it could become clear to us that we could all li nk up and really make a kingdom difference in our nation and, maybe more specifica lly, in our neighborhoods , that would be wonderful. That wo uld be high octane fu el for me .

In order to do th at, we need to rally the team We need to make sure that we have our vision clear, and if we want to do well in that big opportu nity, th at big game, we have to do it together.

I am convin ced that our individual and our corporate Christian living has to be about pass ion for God and passion for people. If we can have our spiritual blood runni ng for those two purposes , then we can all start pulling in the same d irection

So I'm excited to be a catalys t in this process. I'm excited to have the opportunity to rally the team and call us to the big game.

You describe yourself as a p layin g coach Why?

I have no interest in being a general manager up behind glass in some air-conditioned booth There needs to be room as we go after this mission together for all of us to be in uniform. I want to be in uni-

form. I want to be pan of the game. As I am calling other people to passion for God and passion for people, I want to be living that way.

Where do we stand as a team? Do you take leadership of a team in the midst of a winning streak or struggling under a losing record?

Well, we've got some challenges, for sure. We're not a very big team. I think we've grown to 30,ooo-plus, but that's still not a very big number. And being small and rather scanered, we don't have critical mass. How do you build a good team when we're preny far-flung and don't spend much time together? That's a challenge for us.

I think another challenge is the maner of local church buy in. It's dear to me that there are some added values that the national structure brings, but we need to clarify those and we need to communicate those aggressively. And I think we need to communicate it in such a way that the emerging generations understand it and value it.

We have a number of folks who are faithful and loyal Mennonite Brethren who have been pan of our team for decades and generations, and there is incredible value in having those people as a pan of our team. They add stability; they add strength. That's good. One of the challenges we need to face is how we will encourage the next generation to take fresh and strong ownership.

Another thing that we11 have to face is the ongoing need for financial resources. Aside from what our local churches and various panners send us, we have to raise dose to $200,000 a year to balance the budget. That's no small nut to crack. My hope and prayer is that we will be able to strengthen our suppon base and multiply our funding streams, to reduce our level of concern about that and time spent in addressing it.

I think we've had some challenges with respect to what I would call "turf" or "regionalism " That has to do with the fact that each district has its own agendas and its own priorities, and they may vary from district to district. So when we're looking to have five districts panner, there's always a tension. It would be my prayer that we will be able to lay aside regionalism and the turf mentality and prioritize words like "collaboration" over competition . We're all in this together.

What do we have going for us?

We still denominationally have a warm hean for global mission It's obvious because there's still strong suppon for that at a grassroots level. I think that's a good thing.

I think another thing that signals some strength

among us is that we have two Christian colleges and a seminary in our nation. A lot of consultants would say that would be impossible for us. But we have believed in providing that kind of high quality education and have sacrificed to make it happen. That's a sign of some strong, healthy commitment.

Another indication of strength is our quadrennial national youth

we can call everybody to rally around the game plan. Then rallying the various coaches of the va rious special teams at the Leadership Summit this April-that's a high priority for us right now .

Another thing that we are working really hard at is putting together a thorough , "third millennial" communication

In order to do that, we need to rally the team. We need to make sure that we have ou r vis i on clear, and if we want to do well in that big opportu n ity, th at big game. we ha ve to do it together.

convention. Another one of those happened last year, and the pivot point changed from a retreat format to a missional format, and it was incredibly strongly reviewed.

There's another signal of strength in some of our church plants that have emerged in the last decade or so. And I have really been encouraged to notice that some of our existing churches that may not be in venues to plant churches have nonetheless joined that strategy by becoming financial and prayer partne rs with new church plants in their districts. That's a wonderful model whereby any of our churches can make a difference. I think that's good .

I happen to think. too, that our evangelical Anabaptist theology, the basic planks of what we believe, plays well into the questions being asked by the people who live in our world and our neighborhoods (See article, p 8.)

So, overall, do you see a winning team or losing team?

We've gamered some wins There are signs that we are alive and well There are also a significant number of opportunities for us to write some new plays and run a new offense.

Let's talk game plan. What are your first priorities as coach?

My dream is along the lines of calling all our local churches and all our districts and all our ministry agencies to rally together, and we as a national leadership team would be doing two things: We would be leading the mission, and we would be linking the teams. If we can make clear what the goal of that mission would be, I think we would have a great opportunity to strengthen our kingdom impact.

The Leadership Board is working now to clarify our vision, our mission, our goals and our strategy, and we're going to have that put together by the time we get to late spring or early summer. We're going to present that at our national convention in July 2008 in Kansas. That's a priority right now.

In addition, we're going to put together wh at we're calling "appropriate branding." We need to have some good symbols and some good brief descriptors that will be memorable and clear so that

construct, which will include the electronic world and our Web site, so that well be interconnected through our Web site to not only everything that we do but also to all our various partners.

The other thing we really want to put in bright lights is our willingness and our desire to work together to write a game plan for our USC for the next season of our ministry.

Strategic planning so that we1l not only win the next game but also be winning years from now?

Let's set up a dynasty. (Laughs ) That would be cool.

How far can this team go?

I sometimes have the audacity to imagine what it would be like if every single MB church member in the U.S. would really earnestly. prayerfully have a passion to join the spirit of God in calling lost people into the family of God. That could be a game such as we have never yet experienced.

That'd be a big win.

That'd be a Superbowl.

Is there anything that might hold us back?

I really don't know people's hearts . I would like to be able to assume that we really do have an undying fire in our bones for our God and that we really do have an intentional heart's desire to be kingdom people and to make a kingdom difference.

When I feel apprehensive about those things, what catries me through is that if we are a part of Jesus' church, then the potential for fear is overcome by the commitment of Jesus to build his church . That was an unequivocal promise against the very forces of hell. So whatever the opposition throws at us, in the end I absolutely believe in the church. And I'm confident that our part of the Lord's global "tea m" really can and wants to make a difference .

We asked people directly involved in all the stuff we U.S. Mennonite Brethren do together to tell us why it matters that MBs are involved in church planting, ed ucation, youth ministry, stewardship ministries and global mission s. Most of the people you"ll hear from on these pages are not th e CEO s-th ey are people who work in board rooms and offices, giving their tim e voluntarily and offeri ng th eir professional expertise to advance the kingdom of God through the Mennonite Brethren Church .

... that Mennonite Brethren are involved in church planting?

• We need more M ennonite Brethren churches across America than we can even begin to plant over the next several years The overall population has grown , but the numbe r of ch urches and church attendance has faltered It's estimated that only 10 percent of Americans regularly attend an evangelical church . As Mennonite Brethren we need to be doing all we can to attend to th is huge need . If we plant churches in a dynamic way, I can envision our MB church planrs in tum planting more new chu rches in thei r area, thu s providing consistent reprod uction of vi brant, life-cha nging churches . As we develop many churches with in an area or ma jor city, these clusters can collectively have a far greate r impact than just one or two

MB churches can have. We Mennonite Brethren can make a real, positive difference in the metropolitan and rural areas of this countty. I firmly believe this But for me it goes beyond just numbers of churches needed Back in the late 70S my wife, Janna, and I were looking for a good, Bible teaching, discipleship-oriented church. It was the Mennonite Brethren church in Ulysses, Kan., that met our spiritual needs. I still strongly believe that Mennonite Brethren are committed to solid, biblical core values . Why plant more MB churches? Because America needs churches that are teaching the life -changing truths of the Word . We need morf! churches where the people are striving to live out their lives as true disciples of Jesus. And for sure, the world needs to focus on peacemaking now as much as ever before in history

When Mennonite Brethren create churches, we seek to start churches that do what God wants all churches to do - help build the kingdom. We want to help people find Jesus. We also want to help them grow as mature believers We can't reach all of those who don't yet know Jesus as Savior-but we can reach many And that's what it's really all about- reaching people for Jesus.

Don Morris Mission USA director

• Church planting matters because new churches are mo re evangelistic than established churches. Churches less than three years old will win an average of 10 people to Christ per year for every one hundred church members. Churches three to 15 years old win an average of five people per year for every 100 church members. Churches over 15 years of age win an average of three people per year for every 100 church members.

Church planting matters because we need more churches to replace those that are closing. Researcher Tom Jones estimates that approximately 60.000 of the roughly 400,000 churches in the U.S. will close in the next 10 to 15 years . "We will need at least 60.000 churches just to stay even'" says Jones

Church planting matters because we need more churches to effectively reach this culture for Christ. Based upon 2007 U S. census figures. the lost and unreached in the U.S would comprise the fifth largest nation in the world . Church planting matters because the birthing of new works is a sign of life. Reproduction is a natural process of life . Church planting matters because Mennonite Brethren have something to offer to the world - a sttong tie to biblical ttuth balanced with the practice of that ttuth in daily living.

Rodney D. Anderson , church planter

... that Mennonite Brethren are involved in ministry to youth?

• It's a well-known statistic that 85 percent of all who come to Christ do so before they are 18 years old. This alone should behoove us to have active youth programs and budget monies accordingly. The church needs to be there for the youth, to nurture and develop them into followers of Christ Today's youth have many activitiesgood and bad - that vie for their attention, which makes th is task exceptionally tough . The church provides guidance and/or di scipleship to youth . Youth groups meet regularly for Bible studies and activities We can

ide nti fy gifts in our youth and show them how they fit into the chu rch We expose yo uth to Mennonite Brethren colleges - statistic s show that graduates of our church colleges are active in our churc hes and mis sion fields. We inttoduce youth to the work of the deno mination and the MB Con fessio n of Faith-i t explains how we believe the Christian life should be lived .

A chu rch needs people of all ages and getting youth involved helps ensure that they will be active as adults. The future of the Mennonite Brethren church depends on this generation . Th is is vi si bly noticed in ou r rural churches with the ir declini ng populations, including youth.

We shou ld also be involved in youth ministry because helping youth build relationships with people their own age will hel p the m not to feel isolated or reluctant to be a Mennonite Bre thren. Building relationsh ips can happen at the loca l level and also at the district and national levels. It provides our youth with fr iends who share their values and inte rests. Th ese positive activities promote the values and beliefs of Men nonite Brethren.

leral Gross, Central District Conference Youth Committee chair and National MB You th Conference planning team member

. .. that we have Mennonite Brethren educational institutions?

• I n 1908 the fledg li ng Mennonite Brethren denomination fulfilled a dream for its own ins ti tution of higher education and Tabor College - unsere schule ("our school")was founded in Hillsboro, Kan Some 35 years later similar des ires led to the formation of Pacific Bible Institute - now Fresno Pacific U niversity - in Fresno, Calif.

As we approach the 100th anniversary of Mennonite Brethren higher education in North America , it is appropriate to ask whe ther "ou r schools " and our denomination 's efforts to ttain futu re leade rs in gene ral. remain relevant.

Certainly, much has changed since Tabor and Fresno Pacific were fo unded According to the 2006 Digest of Education Statistics, there are 4,276 degree-granting colleges and universities in the U.S . - an average of nearly 86 per state. Whereas Tabor and FPU were once the first option for Mennonite Brethren high school seniors, our schools now compete with community colleges, state universities and other Christian institutions Ironically, some MB students now view the denominational ties that once drew students to Tabor and FP U as a reason to look elsewhere

I believe, however, that Mennonite Brethren continue to have much to contribute to higher education . In an era when many institutions have chosen to de-emphasize their religious roots, there is a renewed need for colleges that are decidedly Christian. In an era when "Christian education" has increasingly political overtones, there is a significant role for training that emphasizes discipleship, service and miss ions-the distinctive that caused the Mennonite Brethren to create "our schools" in the first place.

Are there other institutions in the U.S. that provide high quality education? Of course Are there other institutions that are wellgrounded in the Christian faith? Undoubtedly Are there other institutions that provide opportunities for service? Certainly. But I am convinced that the blend of academic excellence, biblical foundations and global vision that thrives at Tabor and Fresno Pacific is unique. It is without hesitation and with considerable pride that I affirm that Mennonite Brethren have much to contribute to higher education through "our schools."

Lyndon Vix , Tabor College Board of Director chair

• My understanding of God, people and our role in the world shifted considerably during my years at MB Biblical Seminary At seminary I learned to appreciate the ways in which God sought to restore the rela tionship between himself and the people he created, culminating in the sending of Jesus to offer reconciliation to broken people and a broken world. God still seeks to heal brokenness in our church and our world .

I believe that this view of God makes sense in our world. A God who reaches out to people in their time of need, primarily through the act of Jesus on the cross and the continuing work of the Spirit in the world, connects with people. Helping people meet God-who does not cause pain but rather seeks to walk with them through the pain - gives people an opportunity to celebrate healing with God Our world cries for a God that heals and a church that offers a solution to deep needs

Seminary also taug ht me that God calls all people to join the mission of offering healing relationships to a broken world. One of my semin ary professors, Raymond Bystrom, often said, "God calls all

people into ministry wherever they work, live and play." This foundational Anabaptist belief shaped the core of my understanding of chu rch leadership. Church leaders invite all people into the healing relationship offered by God through Ch rist Inviting people to join that same project becomes the role of God's people - the church. As God's people, the Mennonite Brethren are called to minister in all arenas and to invite all people to join the mission. MB Biblical Semi nary provides a unifying presence by training church leaders who in tum empower congregations to become ministers in their world.

Seminary shaped me into a leader who serves the church and invites the church to join in that service for the world. Seminary connected me with a network of mends who also serve the world for the sake of redemption-and who va lue the encouragement of our people to do the same. As Mennonite Brethren we value the study of Scriptures together, we invite others into God's saving project in the world. and we walk with people through life modeling the relational outreach of our Lord and Savior. Jesus Christ. An dy lohmon , MB Biblical Seminary director of recruitment

... that Mennonite Brethren are involved in stewardship ministries?

• Why should it matter? There are three things that drive MB Foundation/MB Loan Fund operations that also drive every investor.

Direct io n We want our investors and potential investors to feel comfortable in the services we offer. The vision of MB Foundation goes back to 1904 when the first planned gift was received for the benefit of missions. While I wasn 't present at that transaction I suspect someone somewhere had a burning desire to use the resources they felt God had given them to further the kingdom of Christ.

Satisfaction As the stewardship branch of the denomination we take seriously the task of providing solutions that are relevant and competitive That means Bible and bucks - a biblical perspective on financial issues while also researching the markets to ensure that our partners receive a quality return. There's nothing wrong with combining the two. When we are setting our interest rates we are analyzing the market. anticipating the trends. evaluating our competitors, growing ou r investors, acting for our future All of that

to service investor questions like "How can I gain a competitive return on my investment while knowing that I'm assisting with spreading God's word?"

Significance. Our financial solutions are designed to impact the things that our investors believe God cares about. We do that by using the funds investors place in our certificate program to make loans to churches. We also facilitate gifts from donors to the charities, family members or organizations that they desire. We partner with our investors to impact growing churches, church plants, mission organizations, missionaries, educational institutions, the next generation or the next leaders.

Financial solutions that offer direction, satisfaction and significance-what's not to like?

Bruce Jost, MB Foundation and MB Loan Fund project manager

...

that Mennonite Brethren are involved in global missions?

• Mennonite Brethren are involved in global disciple making first and foremost because we have a mandate from Scripture to go into all the world (Matt. 28: 19-20). Anabaptists were virtually the only Protestant church in the first generation of the Reformation to be missional, with over 500 churches planted in a five-year period. These churches then assigned missionaries to each part of Europe. Later, when the Mennonite Brethren Church was organized, one of the first expressions of individual renewal was sharing the Christian experience with fellow Mennonite and Russian neighbors . MBMS International was formed less than 25 years later.

This strong heritage of global missions through MBMSI is evidenced by the 17 International Community of Mennonite Brethren conferences throughout Africa, Asia , Europe and Latin America. As Mennonite Brethren we are equipped with distinctive qualities that can only bear fruit through our mission agency. We are committed to long-term ministries: efforts that not only seek conversions but also stay to resource, disciple, ttain, equip and nurture.

With this heritage comes the unique gifting for MBMSI to facilitate global missions for North American MB churches. I am excited to see the synergy created when all our agencies (local church, districtlnational conferences, schools/seminary, missions and others) work at ministry together. MBMSI involves the church, both locally and globally in our church planting efforts. Holistic church planting that transforms communities is not possible without the participation and resources of all the MB ministries.

The uniqueness we create together does not originate from within our own MB circles. God created each of us, equipping and gifting us for his ministry. Collectively we share a unique set of gifts, convictions, insights and abilities . This distinctive did not develop randomly or by our own design. It is from God. He designed us to need each other

Our historic relationships tie us together in purpose whether person to person , church to church, church to schooVseminary, church to MBMSI, MBMSI to schooVseminary and so on. God

loves relationships He is the creator of relationships. He made true rela tionships possible th rough his son Jesus. I do not know God's plan for the Mennonite Brethren church nor fully understand his ways But I do know that God has gifted us and has kn it us together for select ministries that require the exact abilities and relationships we possess. God designed us to find true joy and fulfillment when we join him in these min istries

Dale Regier, MBMS International senior accountant

...that

the Mennonite Brethren Church exists today?

• Someti mes we become so engrossed in the programming, de tail and other aspects of the assignment we are tasked with that we lose sight of the overarching reason we are about the work be ing done Likewise, it is easy to lose sight of what we represent as Mennonite Brethren. It begins with our theologica l dis tinctive, our passion for the Scriptures and ou r long and rich tradition of foreign missions. Our passion for domestic church planting grew out of our foreign work and is gaini ng a stronghold through Mission USA, and hurting and platea ued churches are also being blessed by the work of Miss ion USA. Our educational institutions are an integral part of the MB family and provide education that pursues our theological distinctive.

As important as these elements are, of critical importance is the value our local churches bring to members, guests and frequent attendees . Loca l churches provide strong biblical teaching and mea ningful worship , and people feel the strong bond of fellowship and friendship as they move through life together But for our churches, a large part of MBMS Internationa l's fo reign work would not be funded Our new church plants would not be coming on board and our education al institutions would lack support for continuing excellence

As I think about the list of important items regarding U. S Conference work currently on my desk, I am glad for this opportunity to again thin k abo ut the critical iss ue of why there remains a need for the Mennon ite Brethren churches to exist and thrive for ou r today and tomorrows

Joe E Johns, u s Conference Leadership Board chair

• Why bother with a denom ination? Who needs the bu rea ucracy - the cumbersome stru ctures? Why stru ggle with language and cultural barriers? Why not just ignore the smalle r, strugglin g co ngregations? Wouldn 't it be simple r to form associati ons with the people and churches who think like us and look li ke us? It wo uld be so much easier to focus our attention and resources on our local co ngregati ons and its myriad of needs.

Why should we work to maintain and grow this fam ily of churches we call the Mennonite Brethren? Despite all of our im pe rfection an d dysfunction , we are attempting to live out the vision of Jesus for his church. In his church , dividing lines blur (Gal. p8 ) In his ch urc h, the haves and have-nots live and work together In his church , the strong help the weak In his church, neither skin color nor eth niciry nor budget size nor propetty value nor wotship sryle matter. In hi s church the old and the yo ung worship and serve together. Jesus loves diversiry and he loves being the unifying force amidst all of that diversiry.

If you belong to the Mennonite Brethren family, you are, in a sense, forced to deal with the complexities of this di vers iry Wha t is ou r common language? We speak 13 on any given Su nday in the Pa cifi c District Conference What is our common vision? We believe in th e mission of the churc h, ministry to the poor, church planting, global outreach, higher education, leadership training, caring for the elde rl y, and so on . That's a fairly diverse array. There must be a simpler way.

Actually the re is : We all become fiercely independent. Eac h of us focuses only on the singu lar pass ion and people which make us comfortable and ful fill ed We all consider our way to be th e best an d only way, even to the point of quest ioni ng the spiritua l pas sion of others who see thi ngs differently.

But simpler is not biblical. Simpler does not fu lfill the prayer of Jesus that we be one. Simpler would make life eas ier for many of us , including those of us in denominational leadersh ip, but simpler wou ld not be as rewarding or God-honoring.

The Mennonite Brethren are not the only followers of Jesus attempting to li ve out these values. But this family of faith - this denominationis doing its best to be the church in all of its wonderful fu llness, complex as it might be.

Gary Wall, Pacific District Conference minister

• For the past two years my family and I have lived at home in South Texas. We've enjoyed all the rights , privileges and respons ibilities that come with living among family. The righ t of people trusting and loving you because of yo ur fam il y' s reputation , the privileges of saving on ren t and having parents who love and at times take care of yo ur kids and the responsibilities of having people arou nd you who know your capaciry for service and lovingly expect your pa rticipation have all been vital parts of fa mily li fe for us.

In the past, however, we have experienced years of dis tance from our family and th e challenges th at we sometimes take for granted today . And so as we so met imes get antsy of too much famil y or of bei ng in one place fo r too long, we qu ickly reme mber back to the yea rs when we sorely missed our fam il y and the rights, p rivileges and respon sib ilit ies that family life entail s As for this d isc uss ion, the quest io n is whether it

matters that Mennonite Brethren exist It matters to us, bu t does it matte r to anyone else? If we d ied tomorrow wou ld anyone miss us and our cont ribution to God's kingdom?

I th ink it does matter, and I think we would be missed-especially when you draw para llels between the Mennonite Brethren and a family As I th in k of the Mennonite Brethren as family I see that sometimes we don 't know how much of a good thing we've got

Anybody who has been part of a family and its customs for a long time knows that at times families grow self-serving and too inwardly focused This is the challenge for our MB family today. It is a call similar to the one that our local church family in Grulla, Texas, has received from our pastor Aaron Hernandez. We have been challenged to be a church family in 2008 that excels in belonging, changing and sharing.

That is our challenge and vision as Mennonite Brethren - to learn and work to be long and to change and share our family with a world in need. We belong to a family with a great history and ancestors in the faith who have run exemplary races . We realize that we have been a family that has not taken well to change in the past but who must now embrace it in order to survive and thrive in times when the relevance of our family and the powerful message we believe and live must be stronger than ever.

Finally, if our family and its members truly have a sense of belonging and are sufficiently mature to change in whatever areas God leads, then our third and most important aspect will result : We will be a family who shares We will share our table with outsiders We will share our resources and give freely. And most importantly, we will share Jesus and the privilege it is to be part of his family with others. That is the essence of who we want to be. We will be a family who belongs, changes and shares. And because this is true, then yes, it does matter that the Mennonite Brethren exist!

Rolando Mireles, Jr., Leadership Board member

For \Nomen only

Co l o r ado team serves missionary women at Asian retreat

Wom e n have different needs than men. Not exactly a profound statement, but one that had profou n d implications for MBMS I nternatio nal when they pla nned their 2007 an n ual retreat and cons ultation fo r wo rke rs in one global region

"The re are times wh en wome n just need to be with women ," says Paul Dyck, tea m leader for member ca re w ith th e global mis sion agency of N orth American M ennonite B rethren . With th at in mind , M BMS I wanted to hel p m iss ionary wo men fi nd renewal in ways that would meet their unique needs

Ente r R&R Retreats , a retreat min istry for wo me n unde r the umbrell a of Belleview Comm u nity C hurch , an MB con gregati o n in Littl eto n, Colo R&R knows

something about how to help women find rest and renewal. For six years, R&R has been providing Christ-centered retreats des igned to help women " connect with Christ, connect with women, heal. dream and celebrate," as their Web site says .

MBMSI and R&R partnered to offer missionary women a retreat experience during MBMSI's Asian Retreat and Consultation, held in Phuket, Thailand in October The ASRAC gathered workers fro m fi ve coun tries in Asia, as well as representatives from MBMSI's adm ini stration . Of the 130 people in attendance, Dyck says about 40 we re children and 26 were men The remaining 64 or so were women

Missionary women who attended the R&R Ret reat in Thailand held a foot washing service.

R &R se nt a team of five women to Thail a nd Oct 9-21 to serve th e mi ssionary wo men : Diane Andrews, founder and d ir ecto r of R&R Retreats; Becky H arm on, a massage th erapist; C arlin Buhrman , wo rsh ip leade r; Gina Ashb y, acti vity coo rdinator; a nd Tonya Bl essi ng, speaker. Three tea m members - Andrews, Harm on an d Bu hrma n- are fro m Be ll ev iew

Wh il e the R&R team particip ated and served in vari ou s wa ys dur ing th e entire week of the ASRAC , their foc us was a twoday retreat fo r ab out 48 of th e wom en . "We cam e n ot to fi x th em, but to love the m," says And rews

Th e R&R team loved the women th rough formal sessions, with messages intended to encourage and challenge the women in their spiritual lives and their relationships . 'Women need to hear different messages at times than men, " Andrews says. Andrews and Blessing spoke on the woman at the well, David, Naomi and Ruth and Psalm 23.

Buhrman led worship during the sessions, which was likewise intended to enco urage the women and draw them closer to God . Buhrman says, "We carved out a space for them to just be with the Lo rd and to delight in him and let him delig ht in them ."

R&R also lavished love on the women beyond the sessions through intimate times of prayer for their spec ific needs, through laughter and through activities designed to pamper. Harmon , a professional massage therapist, offered prayer-filled massage to each woman - a healing experience for many both physically and emotionally, judging by informal feedback One afternoon was dedicated to "enjoy the afternoon as friends," as R&R treated the women to lunch out, then gave each the equivalent of $10 cash and turned them loose for shopping, parasailing, coffee with friends or whatever they wished A spontaneous bonus

Calif. congregation serves missionary children

While missionaries from acro ss Asia gathered for en couragement, planning and rene wal at MBMS Asian Retreat and Consultat ion, their children participated in a Christian camp-type experience.

A team of six from The Bridge Bible Chu rch , Bakersfield, Calif., organized Bible teaching, music, crafts, games and field trips for about 40 kids from preschool age through high school. Their goal was to help the kids build relationships with each other, grow spiritually and have fun, while freeing their parents to fully enjoy the adult gatherings

This is the second time the Bridge has served the Asia missi onaries in this way ; the congregation also se nt a te am to work with chil dren fo r MBMSI's Thailand Retreat and Con sultation in October 2004.

The congregation is motivated in part by existing relationships with several of the missionaries who participated in the ASRAC. The Bridge is also motivated by a foundational desire to be "missional, " according to team member Bob Barton He points to local outreach-minded projects initiated by the congregation as evidence that mission is "the nature of our church ." An overseas project, then , is a natural extension of that basic nature

The congregation participated in the project in a tangible way by donating

fina nces and supplies Previous team members helped with preparation, planning and words of wisdom

Paul Dyck, MBMSI team leader for membe r ca re, says the team 's service was mo re th an just child care, that their highquality ministry ' blew the doors off." He says, 'We saw our kids blessed."

Barton says the blessing was twO-

way: "You go on these things thinking God 's going to use me to bless these missionary families, and he accom pli shes that, but you co me away with su ch a blessing yourself."

In addition to Barton, the team consisted of Denise McKnight, Lori Pearsey, Sandy Calkins, Andrew Silbe rberg and Katie Johns - Myra Holm es

Six volu nteers from The Bridge Bible Church in Bakersfield, Calif., including Bob Barton, provid ed a camp- type experience for the children of missionary families attending MBMS International's Asian Retreat and Consultation.

day took the women by boat to a nearby island for a day of snorkeling and relaxation.

Each woman received gifts to remind them of the Bible messages and the encouragement they received at the retreat. When they prayed over each other and washed each other's hands in the ocean, for example, they took home the antique handkerchiefs they used. When Andrews spoke on Psalm 23 and the need for rest, each woman received a bracelet with beads symbolizing the psalm

Dyck says those reminders of the retreat will be important as the women return to the challenges of their service, to "nudge" them to remember the lessons and encouragement they received

The retreat during ASRAC was the first time MBMSI has focused specifically on the needs of women at one of their regional retreats. Dyck believes it was important for MBMSI to focus on the needs of women missionaries, both single and married. He points out that while missionaries don't have to be married to be effective, many single missionaries express loneliness. This retreat was one way to address that need for relationships. 'We look at our missionaries as whole people," he says

Many of the married women choose to take a supportive role, staying home with children while their husbands serve in more visible ways. For these women, Dyck says, the retreat provided "a beautiful time of interaction" with other women who undetstand and care. 'That's a huge gift- a gift that none of us took for granted," he says.

The effort was also a first for R&R- the first time the ministry has organized a retreat overseas While the new setting required the team to flex to adjust to cultural differences and to accommodate the

larger retreat and consultation, And rews says the team was "i n their element," because their vision for touching women's lives neve r changed. " We did what we were gifted in doing," she says.

By many accounts, this attempt to meet the specific needs of women was a hit. "I think it was encouraging," Andrews says. She says she saw women who face emotional hardship laugh. She saw women challenged through the messages, healed through the touch of massage and prayed over intimately. "Hopefully, God moved deep in their souls and reassured them that they are where they are to be," Andrews says.

One participant writes in a letter of thanks, "Many of us have come here exhausted, drained, hurt, confused and maybe broken. God has really used R&R to minister to us. We felt loved and just drank in all that R&R shared with us."

Dyck says that, based on informal feedback, "It was huge. " He notes that missionary men also benefited indirectly as their wives found renewal, and many were thrilled "to be able to do something really special" for their wives.

While the expense was considerable - each R&R team member raised funds from their local churches and other supportersDyck says it was "worth it in spades" to reward the women for their service "This was a reward; this was a thank you for serving ."

The apparent success of this retreat will certainly lead to similar features for women at future retreats, according to Dyck, although details may change. As for R&R, Andrews says putting on an overseas retreat was a positive experience, definitely worth doing again. "We were tired, we were thirsty, we worked hard, but we 'd go back in a heartbeat, " she saysMyra Holmes

A suitcase of gifts Denver church sends bathing suits and more to Thai orphans

Among the luggage that the R&R Retreats team took with them to the Asian Retreat and Consultation in Thailand was a suitcase containing an answer to prayer.

The story begins with a brief article in the Christian Leader that featured the expansion of Abundant Life Home , an orphanage for HIVpositive children and part of the ministry of MBMS Int ern ational missionaries in Chonburi , Thailand ('The ' Monk' who gives bathi ng suits," July 2007 ) The article included an anecdote about three girls praying for bathing suits .

When Cheryl Rempel , coordinator of the mission team at Belleview Community Church, Littleton , Colo , read the article, something clicked She knew that three of the women on the R&R team are from Belleview and immediately saw an opportunity for the Belleview congregat ion to invest in R&R's ministry and the lives of missionaries and children in Thailand " It seemed like a great way for our church to get involved," she says

The church's mission team contacted Karen San c hez , MBMSI missionary in Thailand, for a list of specific needs for the children at ALH Members of the Belleview congregation then donated items and funds to fill a suitcase with as much of the wish list as possible Some of the items cannot be easily obtained in Thailand Others were too large to send, so a financial donation will help purchase those

Sanchez thanked the Belleview congregation via video , saying, ' Iou guys have blessed us with some amazing gifts ." She especially thanked the congregation for a digital camera, which will allow the missionaries to better communicate what God is doing in and through AL H " It blew us away, " she said

In addition to the camera, the suitcase contained gifts such as a digital ear thermometer, linens, bike helmets, toys and clothing And bathing suits for the girls - Myra Holmes

Building for another 70 years

Wash i ngto n chur c h a i m s to b e c ent e r o f co mmunit y l i fe

Birch Bay Bible C o mmu nity C hu rc h , a M en non ite Breth ren con gregatio n nea r the Canad ian b order in Washington, celebra ted 70 years in their community last month. Even as they look back to God's provision in the past, they count on God's provision fo r their future, hoping to b eco me the ce nte r of thei r co mmunity both literally an d fi gu ratively

BBBCC has been in the comm un ity since 1937, when Men no nite farm ers fr o m the Midwest migrated to the area in search of land, settled and est ablis hed a church Those early founders d em on strated tenaci ty in the face of inconven ience, clearing he avily wooded land and selling the firewood to feed their fam ili es before establi shing farming operations.

Pastor Rick Eshbau gh po in ts o u t th at c ur rent members showed some o f th at sam e «tenacity" in celebratin g the an nivers ary : When an inconven ie nt st o rm interfered with p la n ned eve nts, t h e co n g regat ion spread the events o ut over two weeke nds and had wha t Eshbaug h ca ll s «an exte nded time of celebration. "

Pacific District Conference minis ter Gary Wall was the guest speake r for an annivers ary service Dec 2 An annive rsary banquet followed the next wee kend o n Dec 8 The events were pl anned to «be a time of reflecti ng on h ow God has provide d in the past , rejoicing with those who are here with us now an d res pon d in g to how God is leading us into the futur e," according to a church newslette r

As th e congregation looks to th e future, they see a changing com mu nity a nd believe God is leading them to playa key role in that community. Already they are work in g toward that, offering the ir fac ili t ies as a meeting place to more than 90 co mm u ni ty groups in the last yea r. "Ou r chu rch has become the comm u nity ch urc h ," says Eshbaugh , "a nd th at's w hat we want W e want to become the co mmu ni ty center." To do that even mo re effecti vel y, they are making plans to buil d a ne w fac il ity in th e literal center of the co mmu nity

Birch Ba y is a small b ed roo m co mmunity, w it h no tow n ha ll, no post office and no grocety store . Bu t th at's chan ging . Recent pop ulatio n counts indic ate gro wth of abo ut 80 perce nt. What was once known as a resort co mmu nity w ith a p rim aril y " gray" po pu la t ion is d raw ing young famil ies The re' s talk abou t incorpo rat ion , buildin g a town hall an d formi ng an ele mentaty sc hool.

BBBCC took note o f th ese cha nges and bega n to evaluate how to minister most effect ively into th e futur e Th ey q uickl y de termined that if th ey were to impact their com mun ity, t hey'd need to ad d ress th eir sma ll, aging and rathe r isolated facil ity. They boldly sold th eir current p roperty and b u ilding, leased it ba ck fro m the new owner u ntil Octo ber 2009 and purcha sed a plot of lan d fo r a new facili ty

Th e new pl ot of land is strategically loca te d in what th ey hope will b e th e ce n te r of t he co m munity, n ea r p ro p ose d sites fo r bo th th e tow n hall and el eme ntary sc hool. Since pa rt o f t he la nd contain s wetlands, the cong rega ti on is waitin g fo r approva l fr o m loc al a ut horities b efo re finali zing their plans, bu t th eir intent io n an d hope is to have a fa c ili ty desig ned s peci fi cally to meet co mmu n ity needs

A fu ll -s ized gym , for example, would provide space not on ly for church gatherings but also for comm u nity meeti ngs. Since Birch Bay has no soccer or ball fields, pla ns incl ude a mu lt ipurpose fi eld that wo uld p rov ide com-

mun ity rec reation space Si nce recent growth incl udes many fa milies with young children, th e congregation hopes to establish a daycare or preschool in the new facility

W ith an esti mated cost of $4.3 million, it's an ambiti o us p roject for a congregation of 160 So they've ta ken a bold approach to fu nd rai sin g, in clud in g what they call the ' 'Year of Selah. "

The Year of Selah is " a time for the cong regation to pa use and respond to the challenge we've heard from God," says Eshbaugh. During th is yea r, all offerings w ill go toward the building fu nd A financia l su rplus, partly due to a generous, above - market selling price for their current property, has been set aside to pay the bills in the mea n ti me.

Eshbaug h says the cong regation hopes to bu ild the n ew fa cility debt free so that futur e work will not be "encu mbered." He says th at a generou s con gregation , a careful ap proac h to bu ild in g p lans and God's provision on the cost side of the p ro ject will make it poss ib le.

"We believe that God has led us this far ," Eshbaugh says, "a nd we'd like to see where God takes us. " Eshbaugh invites prayer support and workers as BBBCC pursues this v ision .-Myra Holmes

Birch Bay members bring their Harvest Sunday contributions towards the building fund.

FPU nette rs national champs

Sunbirds win thi r d n a ti o n a l titl e , J a n zen i s Coac h o f t h e Yea r

The Fresno Pacific U nive rsi ty Sunbirds are the 2007 N AIA National Women's Volleyba ll Champions. In the finals Dec. I, 2007, they outlasted Go lden State Athletic Confe rence rival California Baptist 30-28, 25-30, 30-27, 34-32 in a battle between the two bes t tea ms in the NAIA.

All four games, played in Colu mbia , Mo., were hard fough t, with the lead changing throughout . "They had us on the ropes several times, " says FPU head coach Dennis Janzen, who was named National Championship Tournament Coach of the Year "But our kids found a way to get it done. I am so very proud of this group ."

Marin (Shilling) Canaday, who was named to the Championship AllTournament Team, led FPU with 20 ki ll s (.385) and four blocks. Fabians Leomil and Thias Julio both finished with 16 kills Leomil led FPU with 20 digs, while Julio was in on five blocks. Lisa Shilling had only four kills, but led FPU along the net with eight blocks.

Setter Shu Liu, who was named the Championship MVP, dealt 54 assists, dug 16 balls, had seven kills and was in on four blocks Libero Tiffany Marinos had 17 digs and a couple of service aces. Brittany P ierce had a tough night offensively, hitting zero for the match (7k-7e-27a), but was a stalwart along the back line with 17 digs

"We stru ggled," says Canada y. "We know th ey have big players and would score big points, but we kn ew if we weathered the storm and sta yed together we coul d do it as a team "

Th e Sunbirds end the season with a 37-1 record and their third champ ionship banne r, having won the ti tl e in 1989 and 2003. - Ken Isaak for FPU

Solving problems

-one at a time

Congressman Lumeya assists M B school, community

Maleghi Lumeya, a DR Congo N ational Congres sman from Kinshasa , who is also a Mennonite Brethren , delighted an entire community in

trating what can be do ne to solve shortages. Teenage boys were given soccer balls and iil jerseys. Lumeya also supplied two bicycles, his native Kafumba with a visit and a promise of assistance in the areas of health, education and farming.

Excitement ran high in this regional community of 6,000 because Lumeya's vis it last summer was the first by a high-ranking government official. His vision is to restore some 100 dilapidated schools in the Kikwit area. The congressman visited the elementary and high school operated by the Mennon ite Brethren. The MB school is the only one in the Kafumba area apart from one operated by the Roman Catholics

The school was without benches and desks, and Lumeya brought in lumber for the local carpenters to build benches, illus -

one to be used by an evangelist and the other by a health worker.

Congressman Lumeya is a professional lawyer. He was trained in France and began working as a lawyer in 1991. He is an elder in the local Kinshasa church, in charge of lay ministries. Lumeya, elected to the National Congress in 2006 with a victory over 90 candidates, is committed to ecology, reforestation , fighting erosion and improving sanitary situations (adding restrooms) in markets in Kikwit. He is a strong advocate for education, teaching children integrity and so addressing the blight of political corruption.

Congressman Lumeya's elder brother, Nzash Lumeya, an educator living in

Fresno , Calif., accompanied him. This month Nzash is following up on the summer visit with a team of volunteers. The team consists of a medical nurse, who will assist in dealing with the high mortality rate, and an engineer, who will assess the need for clean water and seek to help with the infrasrructure Dr Lumeya will teach in the mother church on covenant to benefit the several satellite churches in the surrounding villages

Kafumba, a one- to two-hour trip from Kikwit, .was the first mission started by Aaron and Emestina Janzen of Mountain Lake, Minn. In 1908 the couple began work in Africa with Congo Inland Mission, an

first grade class

Thanks to congressman Maleghi Lumeya (leftl. pastor Loti Muzeba receives a bicycle for local outreach. Above: Maleghi Lumeya organized the building of benches to improve the learning experience in this

at the Mennomte Brethren school in Kafumba.

inter- Mennonite mission agency. In order to reach the u nevangelized, in the 1920S they went to Kikwit in the Bandundu Province where a medical doctor directed them to Kafumba. By 1924 they had settled in Kafumba. With the help of the Mountain Lake MB Church, the Janzens continued in Kafumba until 194 3 when the North Ame r ican M e n nonite Brethren mission agency too k over full responsibility for the work in Ka fu mba.

Aa ron Janzen started a coffee and palm tree farm for t he export of coffee and oil and Ernestina, a nurse, tended to medical needs. In the context of this holist ic activity they shared the gospel. In settin g up his farm, Janzen employed local he lp, including Malegh i's grandfather whom Janzen paid a penny (lu meya in Kikongo). When a son was born, the gra ndfather gave him the name " Lumeya" which subsequently became the family name

That son, Gideon Lumeya, became a teacher, pastor and evangelist and worked with Mennonite Brethren missionaries Abe Esau , Bob and Wanda Kroeker, the Arnold Priebs and others . Gideon and Ikuma Lumeya, now in their 80'S and living in Kikwit, had nine children of which the current MB congressman is the second child The oldest son, Nzash , holds a doctorate from Fulle r Theological Seminary and has founded three schools, including one in Bangui, Centra l Africa, working among pygmies and the Missiology University Center in Kinshasa. The center, now in its 17th year, has a student body of about 100 and last summer graduated 20 in the intercultural stud ies program .-N zash Lumeya

Congregation puts faith into action

Series culminates in Sunday of s e rv i ce

October 21 was a beautiful Californi a autumn Sunday with afrernoon temperatures in the 70'S. It was perfect weather for Dinuba MB Church's longplanned "Faith in Action Sunday."

The idea for Faith in Action Sunday originally came from World Vision, says pastor Jim Aiken. The Dinuba church simply modified and made the program their own by expanding a four-week study in the book of Acts on " the church" into a seven-week se ries with an eighth week designated "Faith in Action Sunday. "

The purpose was , as the participan t s' Tshirts announced, "Don't go to church, be th e

church " At th e ce nte r of th e event was the concept th at th e 300 -memb er church could and sh ould make a po sitive im pa ct in their rural Sa n Joaquin Va ll ey communi ty of 20,000 citize ns

Initi al brainstormin g b y th e chu rch counc il ca me u p with three o r fo u r service projects , but furth er investi gati on s qu ickl y turned up ma ny more needs Fo r in stan ce, a call to the Di nu ba Se nior Ce nter to inquire about elderly in need of yard work an d home ma intena nce revea led that th e Se ni o r Center itse lf had a fence bad ly in need of repa ir. In all, 19 p ro jects we re u ndertaken.

O n Fa ith in Action Sunday, t he more

th an zoo p artici pants including some volun tee rs w h o do not artend the church asse mbled for a short worsh ip service before being dis p atched into the community with their ass ignments . The yo uth were deployed to run a free car wash A small tract was given to eac h car wash reci pi ent reminding them that a free car wash is nice but the ultimate free gi fr is th e gift of eternal life. Long-time ch ur c h m e mbe r Ma rt ha Swatsky called wo rkin g w ith the ki ds at th e car wash" a positive. wo nderfu l experience ."

Add itional projects involved people raking leaves and mowing grass for the elderly. hand icapped and for some of their own chu rch famil y suffering illness. One energetic man returned shopping carts to a local market wh ile passing out flyers about the congregation's alternative Halloween activity.

Jeff Enns led a group appropriately known as th e "Bathroom Brigade" who took on the dirty jobs of cleaning restrooms with materials donated by the manager of the local K- Mart. Likewise. Dinuba Lumbe r dona ted pa in ting su ppli es needed for renovatin g a roo m at a homeless shelter as well as cove rin g graffiti.

Thoug h enthusiasm for the project was wide sp read, not everyone agreed that working on Sunday was scriptural and some

members respectfully opted out . Other members who felt that they were not up to the physical aspects of the outreach met together in a Sunday school room at church for prayer while others gathered in the dining room and assembled 300 school kits fo r Mennonite Central Committee with items that had been ordered at a discount through Dinuba MB member Corny Penner. Several adult Sunday school classes volunteered child care for children of volunteers working on projects off campus.

After a morning of physical labor and good fellowship, the weary workers gathered again at church to eat a light lunch prepared by fellow volunteers and discuss their impressions of the day.

Aiken says the church council is committed to helping their congregation be salt and light (Matt. 5:13) and would like to see Faith in Action Sunday happen twice a year

A video of the various components of Faith in Action Sunday was put together by three photographers in the church and was shown Oct. z8 as part of the morning service. Photographer and church member John Warkentin perhaps echoed many people's sentiments in summing up the day: "It was a good thing for both the church and the community." - Lori Belden - Pope, staff writer

Youth events h

SDYC la r gest ga th e ri ng

The third weekend in November cou ld have bee n called "Mennonite Brethren Youth Weekend." Youth committees from both the Central and Southern District Confe renc es hel d districtwide youth conventions th at weekend .

The Central District Conference Youth Commission organizes an annua l fall youth convention for Mennonite Brethren youth from churches in Neb raska . N orth and South Dakota. Montana and Minnesota. This year the youth met Nov 15-1 8 at Leadership Center in Aurora. Neb. The speaker was Jon Cooke, a pastor from Yankton SD Worship was led by iz68, a team from Tabor College in H illsboro, Ka n .

"It was awesome to see God work in the minds and hearts of the participants as there were several fi rst-time commitments and recommitments to Christ and many stood and verbally said, 'Here am I, send me,'" writes Jeral Gross. the CDC Youth Commission chair, in the CDC December newsletter

That same weekend and th ree hours almost straight south, high school stude nrs and sponsors from Ka nsas. O klah oma Arkansas. Colorado and no rth Texas co nvened at Hillsboro (Ka n. ) MB Church for what is called simpl y SDYC - Southern District Youth Convention

Din uba MB Church closed its doors one Sunday morning in October so that

in November

r th Amer i ca

The event rotates between six sitesthree in Kansas and three in Oklahoma - and hosting this many teens is a huge task for the con gregations involved

With a typical registration fig ure of 650 youth and sponsors, the event is the largest a nn ual gath ering of North American Mennonite Brethren and one of the largest annual MB gatherings worldwide.

Th is yea r the convention, held Nov. 16-18, fe atu red guest speaker Cam Priebe of MB Biblical Sem inary's Ministry Quest p rogram who addres$ed the convention theme of "Thirsty" using Scripture passages from Mark, John and L uke A worship band led by Vaughn Jost, associate pastor of Ebenfeld MB Churc h , H illsboro, opened each session.

Saturday afrernoon students could select from a list of IO free time activities and that evening Tabor College provided a half-dozen late night activities held o n the campus

While H illsboro MB Church hosted th e event in their facility, Parkview MB Ch urch an d Ebenfeld MB C hu rch, also of H illsb o ro, sh ared the re sp on sibili t ies of hou si ng, prep aring and serving meals and snac k s and providing cle aning crews.Connie Fab er

A day on the Wildside

Okla. church hosts SOC jun i or h i gh youth

Every year, as the high school studenrs headed off to the Southern District Conference youth convention . the Fairview (Okla ) MB Church junior high leaders had to answer the questions of their middle school students. Question s like: 'Why isn't there something like that for us?"

So in the spring of 2006 the leaders held their first semi -youth conference for middle school students in Fairview The event was called Wilds ide Extreme , build ing off the name of the Fairview junior high youth group - Wildside. After two su cc essful events with local students, the Fairview team decided to invite 7th and 8th graders from the entire Suuthern District.

The third Wildside Extreme held Nov. 10, 2007, drew 150 students from 13

different churche s across Oklahoma and Kansas The one -day event featured i-268 from Tabor College, Hill sboro, Kan., leading worship, and a concert by Hollow, an indepe ndent band from Oklahoma City. Jason Quiring , former Fairview MB Church youth pastor and currently on staff at South Mountain Church in Draper, U tah, and Paul Bartel, interim youth pastor at Fairview MB, spoke at the morning and afternoon sessions.

During the afternoon free time, students had opportunities to play on inflatable games, which featured a 70-foot obstacle course. They could ride shuttles to th e Fairview airport. where the Fairview Fly- I n held stunt performances from pilots from across the region .-Paul Bartel

Na ti o n a l yout h convention tops 2007 year in review

Weve unwrapped a new year, but the old one deserves one last look before we pack it away. For U.S. Mennonite Brethren, what events gave shape and meanin g to 2007? Wh ile each congregation will have their own list of highs and lows, denominationa lly, 2007 strikes your editors as the "year of big events." While some ofthe events on our list drew hundreds, there are a number of smaller gatherings that have the potential for a big impact.

Anaheim '07. For the first time in its 32-year history, the national Mennonite Brethren youth convention was not a mountaintop retreat event. In an effort to respond to changes in youth culture and to improve West Coast attendance, the March 31- April 3 convention was held in Anaheim , Calif Among the list of firsts at the 2007 event was a hands-on format that included a ministry track designed to encourage youth to use their interests, gifts and skills in God's kingdom and an all-day ministry experience, a mammoth unde rtaking that involved all 1,100 attendees . Feedback to the many changes was posit ive . But give n that the Canadian national M B youth convention has been laid to rest, eve nt planners can't hel p bu t wonder what the future will hold for na tional U. S. youth ga the rings.

Faith and Life Su mmit It didn 't attract th e sam e attenti on as the national yo uth conven tion, bu t the Jan uary Board of

Faith and Life Summit helped the denomination take one big step toward (again) forming a national board charged with overseeing theological matters. While summit follow-up took a back seat to other matters for several months, the U.S. Conference Leadership Board anticipates having a national Board of Faith and Life up and running by the July 2008 USC convention.

The Big Free%e One major event that most would rather have missed was the devastating January freeze in California's San Joaquin Valley that destroyed 80 percent of the citrus crops in some areas, seriously damaged other crops and left hundreds without jobs. Mennonite Brethren were quick to respond, including Pacific District Conference minister Jose Elizondo who worked in partnership with Mennonite Disaster Service to assist at least 350 families. The Anaheim '07 offering went to Mennonite Central Committee to aid those affected by the freeze.

International events. 2007 was also a year of significant international events. Topping the list is the first -ever International Consultation on Higher Education sponsored by the International Community of Mennonite Brethren . Representatives from some 23 Mennonite Brethren schools around the globe met togethe r for six days in Fresno, Calif to address the "felt needs " of the institutions .

The task of turning the resolutions formed at the consultation into reality is now in the hands of Dalton Reimer. recently appointed as ICOMB's educational facilitator

U .S. Mennonite Brethren were vicariously involved in a variety of additional international events. In July. ICOMB executive secretary Victor Wall, representing both the International Comm u nity of Mennonite Brethren and Mennonite World Conference. attended the looth anniversary celebration of the Omsk Brotherhood. an independent Siberian conference with strong MB connections. Wall was also part of a MWC delegation that visited Vatican City in October to talk with the Pontifical Council for Promoring Christian Unity.

In August. Pakisa Tshimika, MWC associate general secretary and a Congolese Mennonite Brethren living in California. led an international delegation to Zimbabwe to encourage and stand beside the MWC member churches there as the situation in that country continues to disintegrate The eightmember team also included Mennonite Brethren leader and educator Pascal Kulungu of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

U.S. Conference executive director Ed Boschman and Le adership Board chair Joe Johns attended a two -hour interfaith "conversation for peace" with Iran 's President Mahmoud Ahlmadinejad in New York City. M ennonite Central Commitree

organized the Sept. 26 event with the controversial president.

Churches planted, built and closed. In 2007, a number of U.S. Mennonite Brethren congregations held events celebrating the birth and expansion of their ministries while others came together to commemorate and close their work.

The strategy of Mission USA director Don Morris to plant new churches in partnership with district conferences bore fruit in 2007. Trailhead Church, Centennial, Colo., was launched Jan . 14 and is the second partnership between Mission USA and the Southern District Conference; Providence Fellowship, Edmond. Okla, was launched in November 2006. Christ Community Church, Sioux Falls, SO, was launched April I as a partnership between Mission USA and the Central District Conference. Mission USA has partnered with the Pacific District Conference in several ongoing projects and at the PDC convention in November announced plans to plant a church in Portland, Ore., beginning in 2008.

A recent burst of church building projects continued in 2007 with Garden Valley Church, Garden City, Kan., and Hillsboro (Kan.) MB Church both dedicating new facilities. At least nine Mennonite Brethren congregations are involved in building and renovation projects, including Bushtown MB Church, Lenoir, NC, who began work on The Hope Center, a facility to be shared by the North Carolina District Conference congregations.

Congregations have also come together to mourn. In January, Mission USA announced the closure of Shalom Church English Ministry, a ministry in Glendale, Calif., targeting second-generation Koreans. New Hope Church, Minneapolis, Minn., sold its property this past summer and placed about $460,000 of the proceeds from the sale in an endowment with MB Foundation to benefit Tabor College. The congregation held a "farewell reunion" in June and is no longer meeting for regular Sunday worship.

body LIFE

Pascal Kulungu (left) and store owner stand between empty shelves in a food store in BUlawayo. Zimbabwe.

District events Denominational agency representatives were busy since all five district conferences held conventions in 2007. In an effort to increase attendance, the Southern and Central District Conferences held summer conventions designed as family events. The other three district conferences - North Carolina, Latin America and Pacific - stuck with their traditional format and dates

A common concern among district leaders is involving young adults in district events . A group of young adults in Hillsboro, Kan ., attempted to address that and other needs by organizing "The Rising," a weekend conference targeted at their peers Feedback suggests the event was a success, but organizers are quick to say that it is important for the denomination to address the wide gamut of needs among this age group that prompted the conference in the first place.

Leadership changes. A review of 2007 would not be complete without noting the passing of the baton in key denominational leadership positions. The resignation of Chuck Buller, the first full-time U.S. Conference executive director, effective Jan. 31, 2007, prompted the USC Leadership Board to enter a period of evaluation and discernment that eventually led to the hiring of Ed Boschman, who assumed his new role Oct. I.

Tabor College president Larry W. Nikkel announced his plan to retire, effective

Dec. 31. His successor will be Jules Glanzer, an alumnus of the institution who will take office in early 2008. MB Biblical Seminary faculty members Raymond O. Bystrom and James Westgate retired from their positions at the end of the 2006-07 school year. Both men made significant contributions beyond the classroom through their publishing and speaking endeavors.

Deaths. A memorial or funeral service is an event that brings both joy and sadness, and we know that in 2007 many families celebrated the lives of their loved ones as they mourned their deaths We conclude by noting the deaths of four Mennonite Brethren leaders. Paul Hiebert, who died March II, was a third generation MB missionary to India who became a respected missiologist. Arnold Prieb , who died May 4, spent 30 years in the Democratic Republic of Congo and retained a life-long commitment to the Congolese church Alfredo Tagle, Jr , of the Latin America MB District, who died June 12, and James Fox, of the North Carolina District, who died Nov. 24, were both bivocational pastors who also held numerous district positions and served on U.S. Conference Board of Church Ministries.

A complete listing of 2007 news stories, feature articles , columns and editorials is posted on the U.S. Conference Web site . The names of all individuals whose deaths were noted in the magazine are also listed. The index is available in PDF form at www.usmb.org. - Connie Faber

Top: One youth group stops for a quick photo during their Tourformation visit to LA's Union Rescue Mission. Right: MWC delegation member

Resolving to do the time

What will characterize your New Year's resolutions?

It was our tum to visit our children and grandchildren for Thanksgiving this year. On the day after our extended family celebration my grandson and I were sitting on the living room couch at his house having a conversation. Just then the mail carrier drove up . Joshua immediately jumped up and ran outside to get the mail from the mailbox He came back inside, sat down beside me and started sorting it. Most of the letters (actually bills) were addressed to his

: i 'l() make b..l"ed on

based on the concept of giving is new to me I need to think in terms of what can I give that wi ll have eternal value.

Giving time is an area I need to work on For me, watching TV is a big time-waster. Not everyth ing I watch is worth spending time on So I am going to do some serious culling to make sure I spend my TV time wisely. This should give me more time to read, listen to good music and just increase my sensitivity to hear the Lord speak to me. I need his guidance in determining which activities I should be involved in and which I shouldn't Just being busy for the sake of being busy isn't good enough. I don 't believe in crowding my days so full of activities that there is no time to

the concept

of

giying

I nceJ to think in of \\'hatl Lall gin.: 1h ..11 \\ ill hayc cternal \'aillc.

daddy. One package was for his mommy He looked up at me with very sad eyes

In a rather plaintive 6-year-old voice he said, "I never get any mail."

"But Ive sent you mail," I replied . "But only two letters," . he responded. (Actually, I think it was more , but as Dr. Phil says, "Perception is reality.")

" When I saw that sad face, I made my first 2008 New Year's resolution: I will make a greater effort to send my grandchildren more letters. Within a week a letter was on its way to Joshua and a package with Christtnas ornaments for all three. When I talked to him on the phone, I could hear the excitement in his voice , 'Thank you for the letter and the Christmas ornaments! "

" That's the best incentive this grandma has to do it again!

In her book , 52 Simple Ways to Make Christmas Special, Jan Dargatz has a chapter entitled, " Frame your New Year's resolutions in terms of giving." She asks, "What do you resolve to give to the Lord during the coming year? Think in terms of your time, ability, finances, creativity." She throws out a challenge: "Consider rooting all your resolutions to the central concept of giving ."

I've been doing a lot of thinking about this in the past few weeks To make resolutions

new to me. relax, to visit with friends or to spend time with my family.

When I was a teen ager, my father and I had some rather heated "discussions." He would question some of the things I wanted to do.

"There's nothing wrong with that," I would insist. "No," he would reply, "but is that the best you can do."

I chafed under his direction then, but I've never forgotten it. So when I look at how I now give my time, I need to ask myself, "Is this the best I can do?"

Furthermore, my husband and I will need to sit down together and look at our financial giving for the new year Axe we giving what we should? Which organizations and/or persons should we support? Axe we giving enough?

Malachi 3 has an interesting interchange between the children of Israel and God . God tells them to return to him and then he will return to them. How? they ask. God says they need to stop robbing him. They ask: How have we robbed you? God replies, "In tithes and offerings." His admonition is to ' bring the whole tithe into the storehouse Test me in this and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room for it" (Mal. 3:8-10 NIV).

A friend of mine recently shared with me that they had had a good harvest this year. This meant that they had more money and so could help others who needed help As she talked , the joys and blessings they received by being able to do this were very evident. It wasn't the extra money that was a blessing, but the fact that they could now share it with others

According to some recent U S. polls, Christians as a group give less than 3 percent of their income to the Lord. In her book , Becoming a Prayer Warrior, Elizabeth Alves lists "Not giving tithes and offerings" as one of the reasons for unanswered prayers And when she is asked, "Do we give off the gross or the net? " her answer is, "Do you want a gross or a net blessing? "

Jesus had much to say about giving and the blessings that come from giving. I call it investing in heaven, and I want 2008 to be a great year

BAPTISM/MEMBERSHIP

Shafter, Calif.- Theodo re Bl oe mhof III , Ka ra Gran t, Mel an ie Hockett and Nicole Peters were bapt ized and rece ived as membe rs Dec. 9. Jake and Sh irley Amick, Brent and Teresa Cumm ings, James and Judy Eggleston, Pau l and Judy Neu feld and Hu ghey and Adele Young were also rece ived as members.

Reedley, Calif.-Jennifer Jost , Mart ha Rivo ire, Aunika Speer, Emily Speer, Noah Krahn, D. J Re imer and Charles Rivoire III were baptized and rece ived as members Nov 18. Kirste n Baptista, Robert Bapt ista, Barba ra Jones, Add ie Koop, Cheri Witte r -Lawrence , Michael Lawrence, Caro lyn Ne ufe ld, Roger Neufe ld, Beth Rivoire, Don Thiesen, Eva Th iese n and Wes Th iesen were al so received as membe rs

Bakersfield, Calif. (Laurelglenl - Shannon Dean was baptized the weekend of Nov 17-1 8 Marcia Cates, Mark Miller, Tim and Jan Nord , Shirley Po ley, Cindy Selfridge, Heather Stevenson, Butch and Li nda Stewart and Joan Wright were received as members Dec 2

Bakersfield, Calif. (The Bridgel-J im and Becky Thomas, Betty Gilfi ll an, Bria n and Ho llie Wh itfield and Ron and Bett Beh rens we re rece ntly received as members.

Fresno, Calif. (North Fresnol-Earlene Marcoux, Bryan Marcoux, Ryan and Melan ie Brewer, Frank Crouch and Amy Lloyd were baptized and rece ived as members Nov 18. Jedidiah Carpentie r , Dea nna Frank, Larry and Addie Ollenburger, Sharo n Retz and Fiona Yamamoto were also rece ived as members

Hillsboro, Kan.-Steve Vincent and Greg and Den ise Brown were received as members Oct. 14

FELLOWSHIP

Eugene, Ore. (North Parkl-Women plan ned a retreat Jan 24-26

Fresno, Calif. (North Fresnol-Families were encouraged to make an ornament in December, the n display it on a Christmas tree provided in the churc h lobby.

Dinuba, Calif.-Parents and ch ildren we re invited to a free model - building workshop at the church Dec 15. Church deacons provided a Christmas dinner Dec 4 for adults age 70 or older.

Fairview, Okla.-Women held a cookie excha nge Dec. 13

Sanger, Calif. (Grace Communityl - Sen ior adults ce lebrated Christmas with a potl uc k and wh ite elephant gift exchange Dec. 11

Topeka, Kan (Cornerstone Communityl - Seve ral groups went caroling in the com mun ity, t hen ga thered at the church for soup and dessert Dec 9

Buhler, Kan. - Women baked an est i mated 50,000 peppernuts Dec 9

Manhattan, Kan - Membe rs we re invited to a Dec. 9 Christmas ope n house at t he pasto rs' house

Blaine, Wash. (Birch Bayl-Wo men we re enco uraged to make Christ mas "wish li sts" from a varie ty of catalogs Me n then had an oppo rtun ity to "shop " for t he items for th eir wives , girlfr iend s or mot hers in the ca talogs during a men's break fast Dec 8

Shafter, Calif. -You th prov ide d a pie socia l follow ing the annual chil dren' s Chri st mas prog ram Dec 2

Harvey, ND - Wo men hosted a "Roya l Ch r istmas Ce lebra t ion, " wit h "m erriment , mu sic an d th e King 's table of deli cac ies " Dec 2

MINISTRY

Centennial, Colo. (Trailheadl- The church plant has ou tgrown th eir mee ti ng space in a local rec reati on ce nter and bega n mee t ing at a l oca l church faci l ity Dec 16.

Fresno, Calif, (Mountain Viewl - Vo lunteers offered po in setti as, prayer and gift ca rds to neig hbors Dec . 15 Eugene, Ore, (North Parkl - Comm uni ty me mbers were invit ed to dinner and a Christ mas-t hemed movie at the church Dec . 14 Caro ler s passed out invitat ions in the neighbor hood Dec 8. The congregation aided needy famili es at a loca l eleme ntary school with Thanksg iving and Christmas din ners and funds so tha t teac hers ca n take needy children shoppin g for gifts

Bakersfield, Calif (Laurelglenl - Vo lu ntee rs collec ted stuffed anima ls Dec 9 to be distr ibuted to sen iors at l oca l ca re faci li t ies on Ch ri stm as morn ing. Men

orga ni zed vo l un tee rs to r un a wo rshi p service Dec . 1 at Jes us Sha ck, a loca l mini stry Men have a new bl og site to keep in to uch A new prayer group fo r pare nts praying fo r prod iga l chi ldren began Dec. 16.

Rapid City, SD (Bible Fellowshipl-Ca role r s visited res idents at a local se nior care ce nter Dec. 7 and then had a so up and pie dinner

Edmond, Okla (Memorial Road, ProvidencelVo lun teers from the two congregations formed a team to wo rk wit h the Men noni te Ce ntral Comm ittee meat canning project Dec 3

Dinuba, Calif.-Coats col lected in December were given to students at a loca l elementa ry school.

Kingsburg, Calif,-Vo luntee rs presented a live nativity at a commu nity festival Dec 1 Th ose who visited the scene had an opportu ni ty to place a "birthday gift"" in the ma nger : a newb orn kit for Mennonite Cent ral Comm ittee

PROCLAMATION

Shafter, Calif.-The ad ult choi r presented a cantata Dec. 16.

Grant, Neb (New Life Fellowshipl-An l l -member cast presented a humorous Christmas stage producti on Dec 16- t he first in many years for the church

Weatherford, Okla. (Pine Acresl- The cho ir presented two performa nces of '"There is peace in the wo rld tonight"" Dec 9

Fox: A life of faith and service

Jame s Fox , known as a patriarch of faith and fam ily among the Nort h Caro Lina MB chu r ches , died Nov. 24, 20 07 , at t he age of 71 after an extended iLLne ss " He spent his l ife in serv i ce t o God ," w ri tes his fam iLy in his ob it uary

Before his iLL ness , Fox served as dist r ict mode r at or and pa stor of Bee chb ottom MB Chu r c h, NewLand , NC As a longtime Leader in the Nort h CaroL ina Di st r ic t Conference , he he Ld nearLy every Leadersh ip posi t ion poss ibLe: dea con, trea su rer, district Sunday sc ho ol chai r, pasto r , assistan t di st ri ct moder ato r, d ist r ict mode r ator, teache r. He aLso served on t he board of Mennon ite Centra L Comm itt ee an d the U.s Conference's Board of Church Mi nist ri es

Fox w as inst ru m ent aL in dis ci pLi ng generati ons of chiLdren as direct or of North Caro li na MB BibLe Cam p, w hic h operate d from th e La t e 60s unt iL t he ea rLy 90s. Ma ny ma de comm itmen t s to Chr is t an d m em o-

r ize d Sc ript ure under his Leade r ship

He wa s retired from a 32- year career at a Loca L bank , where he started as a janitor and adva nc ed to vi ce pr esident.

His faith was a model to many, even after he was diagnosed with ALS, also called Lou Gehrig 's disease In correspondence with the Leader after his diagnos is, Fox wrote , " God's love is unchanging and he is aLways in controL if we aLlow him to be."

Fox was born June 17, 1936, to Roy and Mamie Bailey Fox in Avery County, NC He is surv ived by his wife of 51 years , Louise Li pford Fox He is aLso survived by one son, Ricky and wife Adriane of Garner, NC; one daughter, Dorene and husband GLenn Br atton of Da LLas, NC; one brother, PauL Ray of Chicago , ILL .; t hr ee sisters, Eunice Weatherford of Morganton, NC , Susan Fox of Lenoir, and Ma ry Fox, also of Lenoir; six g r andchi Ld r en and 12 great - grandchiLdren .-Myra Holm es

Bakersfield, Calif (Laurelglenl - Th e wo r shi p department presented "All Bow Dow n, " a Chr istm as mus icaL, De c 8-9

Reedley, Ca li f.-A n or igina l dra mat ic mu sical base d on the j ourney of Men nonites f rom Ru ss ia to Nort h America, ti tled "A Christ mas Journ ey ," was prese nted Dec 7- 9

Papillon, Neb (Shadow Lakel - Th e morn ing service the wee k fo ll owin g the wide ly- pub lici zed Dec 5 mall shootin g in Oma ha, Ne b., focus ed on Go d's goodness in t he face of tragedy.

Enid, Okla. - Ch ri sti na DeLoac h, a sin ge r fr om Nashvi l Le , Tenn , gave a Chr istm as concert Nov 29

Blaine, Wash (Birch Bayl-Sk ip Suess, pastor of Good News Fellowsh ip Fernda le, Was h , spoke on "A Ho l iday Surv iva l Gu ide " Nov 25

WORKERS

Bakersfield, Calif. (Laurelg l enl -Er ic Burns is the new pastor of hi gh sch oo l mini st ri es Greg Bake r is the new pasto r of celeb ration arts

Blaine, Wash. (Birch Bayl -K eith Warke nt in has accepted the you th pastor pos it ion.

Wichita, Kan (Lighthousel -J er ry Will hite ha s accepted t he se nior pasto r pos itio n

Henderson, Neb -S teve Rya n was comm iss ioned as associate pastor Oct. 14

Wichita, Kan.IFirstl- Tom Voth has been hi red as the part -t ime director of ca reg iving Chr is Wa lsh has accepted th e executive pas tor posit ion, begi nnin g Ja n 1.

Bakersfield, Calif. (The Bridgel -J ohn Szab lowski is t he new executive pastor, effec ti ve this mo nt h

YOUTH

Bakersfield, Calif. (Laurelglenl - Ju nio r high yo uth had an "Ug ly Sweater Christ mas Pa rty" Dec 19, with prizes fo r the ugli est sweater

Hesston, Kan. - Dec 2 was " Fa mi ly Purity Night ," with a video for youth and parents t itled, "Sex Has a Pr ice Tag "

Weatherford, Okla. (Pine Acresl - Ju nior hi ghers poo led $3 each and went shopp ing toget her Nov 28 for gifts for a commun ity outreach project.

DEATHS

GROENING, MARVIN, Hillsboro , Kan , a member of Hillsboro MB Church , was bo rn Jan 24 , 1925, to Frank and Agnes Co rn elson Groen ing in Herbert , Sask , and died Dec. 1, 2007, at the age of 82 On Aug 8, 1946, he married El sie Ewe rt , who survives He is al so survived by two sons, Loren of Hays, Kan , and Joe l and wife Cindy of Nas uli, Ph ili pp ines ; two daughte rs, Marilyn and husba nd Ron Hi ebe rt of Hillsboro , and Ka rleen and Jerry Wa r ken ti n of McAllen, Texas ; three brothers , Mer li n of Hutchinson, Kan , Harvey of Lawre nce , Kan , and Wilferd of Springlake , Mi nn , 13 grandch ildren and eight great-grandchildren

CHURCH

KLIEWER, HERBERT ANTON, Fairv iew, Okl a , of Fairview MB Church , was bo rn Sep t. 20 , 1917, to Ab r aham A and Lizz ie Ka rb er Kli ewer nea r

Fa irview, Okla , and died Dec. 7, 20 07, at t he age of 90. On Ap r il 24, 1938, he mar r ied Hann ah In ez Ma rtens, who surv ives He is al so survived by two daug hters , Donn a and husband Pa uL Wiebe, and Ma rci a and hu sba nd Dick Shewey, five grandchiLdren and 10 great -grandc hiLdren

LI PFORD, AMANDA , Fe rguso n, NC , a member of Laytow n MB Church, Leno ir, NC , was born March 9, 1919, to Cha r l es and Ess ie Boston Horton in WiLkes Co unty, NC, and died Nov 28, 2007 at the age of 88 She marri ed Dall as Lipford who predeceas ed her She is surv ive d by t hree so ns, Ray , James and wife Do rot hy, and Tony, all of Ferguso n; fou r dau ght ers, Hel en an d hu sband David Dic kson of Lenoir , Hazel Norwoo d of North Wi l kesboro , NC, Wa nda Li t tles and Cat he ri ne SLoan, bot h of Fe r guson; two daughters - in- l aw, Haze l Li pford and Alease Lipford ; one si ste r - i n- Law. Annie Li pfo rd, 14 grandc hil dren, 29 grea t- gr andch iLdre n and one great - great - grandc hiLd

PANKRATZ, HELEN, Hillsb oro. Ka n. , a member of Hillsbo ro MB Ch urch, was born Dec 24. 1916, to Her ma n A and Kat ri na Be rgman Fr iesen in Corn, Okla., and died Nov 24, 200 7, at the age of 90 On Jun e 9, 1942 , she mar ri ed Harr ison Pankratz, who surv ives She is al so surv ived by two sons, Gary and wife Bec ky of Davenport, Iowa, and Jay and wife Car l otta of San Be rn ardi no, CaL if ; one daug hter , Laura and husba nd Charles Ca ll of Holto n, Ka n., eight grandch il dren and six great-g randc hil dren

PRIEB, LUC ILLE D , Hill sbo ro, Ka n. , a membe r of Hillsbo ro MB Church, was bo rn Ap riL 14, 1923, to Bernard and Gu nde Groen in g Pauls in Maywood, ILL.. and died Nov 24, 2007, at t he age of 84 On June 3, 1945, she mar r ied Wesley Prieb, who predeceased her. She is surv ived by two so ns, Gordon and wife Mary of Ed wa rdsburg, Mich , and Robert and wife Rh onda of Hesston, Kan .; two daughters, Judy and hu sba nd Keith Harder of Hi lLsboro , and CaroLyn and hu sband Bob Backis of Ch icago, Il l. , eight grandchiLdren and th ree great - grandch iLdre n.

SCHWIND, MARLENE A., Hill sboro, Kan , a member of Ebe nfe Ld MB Church , rural HiLLsboro , was born Sep t. 26, 1936, to Jacob and Agnes Th iessen Wiens nea r Hi ll sboro and died Oct. 9, 20 07, at the age of 71 On JuLy 25, 1964, she ma r ried Larry Schwind, who pred ec eased her in 198 1. She is survived by two daug ht er s, Karen Schwind of Newton, Kan , and Kri sti Cummings of Dallas, Texas; one brother, ELdo n and wife LaVonne of Hillsboro, and one sister, Phyll is and husband VirgiL Litke of Marion, Kan THO MAS, MARLIN EUGENE, Bl oom ington, Ind ., fo rmer MB pa sto r was bo rn June 11 , 1940, to Henry and Ru th Thomas in Sata nta Ka n. , and died Dec 3, 2007, at th e age of 67 On Se pt. 15, 196 1, he married Janice Wa r ke nti n, who survives He is also survived by his fath er ; one son , Eu gene and wife Tami ; one daughte r, Cri sty and husba nd Ludwig Corn eLi us ; two brothe r s, Art and Daniel; sist er -i n-Law Lo u, and fou r grandc hi ldren

Employment: Church

Youth Pastor: The junior and senior high youth at Cornerstone Community Church are Looking for a part-t ime Youth Pastor. AppLican t will provide oversight to and work aLongside the Youth Min istry Team A detaiLed job des cript ion can be found on ou r Web site at www comerstonetopeka.com. PLease send resume and three references to: Cornerstone Community Church, Attn: Diane Bays inger, 7620 SW 21st St. , Topeka, KS 66615 or fax : (7851 478 - 9711 or e- maiL: off icelilcornerstonetopeka com (1/11

Youth Pastor: The Fa irview MB Church in Fairview, OkLa., i s seek ing a Youth Pastor This person shouLd possess the following qualifications : a strong Leader who is passionate about work ing with youth, an individuaL who works well in a team setting Ith is person wi ll be a part of a three pastoraL team and will aLso work with youth Leaders in both high schooL and junior high I, a coLLege graduate with youth ministry train ing or comparabLe experience For more information, pLease e-maiL fa irv iewmblilfairviewmb com Resumes can be sent to : Search Comm ittee at fa irviewmblilfairviewmb com or faxed to 580-2274347 or mailed to Fairview MB Church, 1600 E State Rd., Fairview, OK. 11/11

Youth Pastor: Bethany Church in Fresno, Calif , is seeking a strong Leader who is passionate about studen ts, grades 7-12 Resumes can be sent to Bethany Church, attn : Youth Pastor Search , 9161 N Maple Ave Fresno, CA 93720, or officelilbethanychurchonLine com 11/121

Senior Pastor: Kingwood BibLe Church, a Mennonite Brethren congregation in SaLem, are., is seeking a Senior Pastor who can grow our congregation and heLp us reach out to the unsaved in our city Kingwood is a congregat ion of approx imateLy 100 members and is Located on the west side of Salem We also have one full-time youth pastor, a part - time Child ren 's Ministry coordinator and a part-t ime church office secretary We seek to grow our church through evangelism and di scipLeship At least six years experience as a pastor is preferred Mennonite Brethren background/ordination is aLso preferred, but not required If interested, send a resume to : Dave Davis, co-chairman, PastoraL Search Committee , 2225 Dorchester Drive S , SaLem, OR 97302; phone 503 - 581 - 9507; E-mail: davyactslilaol.com A packet of information on our church and the surrounding area is avaiLabLe upon r equest. 11/121

Events

Symposium: " Paul and Politics · 2008 Janzen Lectureship in BiblicaL Studies with John E. Toews and Symposium ceLebrat ing Toews' work, March 2728 , 2008, Fresno Pacific Un iversity/ Mennonite Brethren BibLicaL Sem inary campuses , Fresno, Ca li f Contact FPU 15591453 - 2000 or Lrobertslilfresno edu for more information

Losing the weight

Li gh tening more t han just the extra pounds we c arry a r o un d

If you 'd make a li st of the most popular New Year's resolutions, losing weight would have to rank near the top. It seems like a lot of people start th inkin g about that around January 2. It probably has someth ing to do with the five or six preceding weeks Fro m Th anksgiving throug h New Year's Day there are loads of opportunities to eat. And not just because of the holiday dinners and parties and gatherings that fill one's schedule . 'Tis also the season of

too mu ch. Why is it so hard to slow down? Partly it's my li fe stage. with a job an d spouse and ki ds and house and volunteer activiti es that need attention and en ergy But pa rtl y it's due to improper priorities I get too cau ght up in supe rfi ci al th ings th at could be put off or elimi nated. I don't foc us enough on deepeni ng relationsh ips and ca ri ng for othe rs. Doing so would make those sh allow thin gs seem

It I quit trying to th prohlems that Jre c1c,uly out of my hand", Jnd pray for God\- Spirit to work. my \Yorry load \\'ill hecome much li g hter. . . ....

treats . In the building where I work, for instance, there is something called "The 12 Days of Christmas. " During this period employees bring all kinds of cookies, candies, brownies, breads, cheeses, crackers, dips and other items fo r everyone to snack on all day And if you think I have willpower to avoid the break room during those treatintensive hours, you ca n forget it.

Another reason weight loss is on the minds of many has to do with our culture's struggle with obesity issues . The epidemic of overweight and overfed citizens has been well -publicized. Some encouraging bits of news have come from that realm, however. Recently the U.S. government's Centers for Disease Control reported that after decades of rising percentages, obesity rates have leveled off I also read that some popular chain restaurants known for huge helpings are trending towa rds smaller portions. Additionally, many schools are reviving physical education programs and incorporating healthier food items into their lunch offerings and snack machines. These are good signs The stated goal of the Centers for Disease Control is to drop the U.S. adult obesity rate to 15 percent by the year 2010. That's less than half of what it is now. I'm not sure it's realistic, but it's nice to hear that progress is being made.

Though I'm not much of a resolution maker, the "losing weight" thing is always something I think about in early January I deal not only with the extra holiday parties and treats but also with a seasonal work schedule that parks me at my desk for many evenings and weekends. Obviously combining more food with less activity is not ideal for keeping trim. So yes , as you read this I'm probably trying to exercise more and eat less. But this year I'm not only th inking about weight loss in the physical realm, I'm al so pondering it in a metaphorical sense . The re are other areas in which I could stand to shed a few pounds . First. I need to trim some things from my heavy schedule Like many these days, I try to do

less important.

Seco nd, I sho uld throw off the we ight of trying to co nt rol everything I've b ee n reali zi ng ho w much wo rry I take on ab out wha t othe rs th in k how they be li eve and the ways they deal wit h life iss ues and confl icts. Other th an tryi ng to be a good exa mp le and faithfu l frien d. though. what can I really do? I can't d ict ate ho w som eo ne will relate to God or get alon g with other s If I can quit try ing to fix prob le ms that are cl ea rly out of

my h ands. an d instead p ray for God's Spirit to wo rk, my wo rry load will become muc h lighter .

Third, I could cle ar out th e pile s of extra stuff I've acc um ulated I have a hard time letting go because I think I might need it But I wo n't I could give half the stuff away an d still have too much Certa inly so meo ne else could use the items I hardly touch. Giving the m away wo uld help both of us.

Fourth, I could li ghten up with the critical attitude. Looking dow n my nose at things eventually gives me a he adach e If I had to ha ng aroun d with the negative person I can sometimes be, it would bum me out. In fact. it often does I'd feel so much li ghter with a joyful outlook tha t counters the need to overanal yze everythin g

Finally, I could simplify my bloated spiri tu ality I let too many extraneous expectations pull me away fro m my spiritual center. The apostle Paul wrote it well in Galatia ns when he cast aside the vol umes of religious ru les that can we igh us down Those do n't me an an yth in g, he said 'The on ly thing that counts is fait h expressin g itself th ro ugh love" (5 :6) The beauty of Paul's statemen t is that it looks upward and outward . Whe n we go to God fo r grace and strength . our hea rts will overflow with love and ca re for those aro und us.

That's the kin d of sp iritu ality I wa nt to li ve ou t thi s year. And doing so will certa inly take a load off.

Living large

W h a t happens when small fam i lies have b i g houses

Irece ntly read a magazine article about the growth in the size of U.S. homes. According to the National Home Builders Association the ave rage house size in 2005 was 2,434 square feet. In 1950, it was 983 sq uare feet - and the average American family had almost rwice as many ki ds

Arch itect Sara Susanka, author of The Not -Sa - Big HaUfe, tells the story of a phone conversation with a teen who lives in a 10,000 squarefoot mansion that went something like this :

«Hi, is your mom there?"

«I have no idea "

' Well, can yo u look and see if she's home? "

«No way! It would take me, like, 15 minutes to find her and she doesn't carry a cell phone in the house so I can 't ask her where she is."

Our supersized houses, Susanka writes, can actually drive a family apart. "A house should encourage connectedness," writes Susanka . "People lose touch with one anothe r when every function is done in a different room "

The size of my home is certainly smaller than the 2005 average but is larger than the typical 1950 house . Even so, most nights the five members of our family find ourselves spread over four or five rooms. I realized how unusual it is for all of us to be in the same room when a recent ice storm caused a power outage that brought all of us together in one room for the eveningand a fairly dark room at that.

Just like an immediate family can become disconnected when the house gets too big, so too can a family of churches. We U.S. Mennonite Brethren aren't a large denomi nation, but we find ourselves living separate lives in specialized rooms .

In spite of our limited numbers, U.S Mennonite Brethren support a surprising number of ministries locally, regionally and nationally - care for the elderly, colleges, church planting, foreign missions and a seminary are the ones that come to mind. And no doubt for very good reasons - many of which I'm too young to have firsthand knowledge of - our regional and national ministries are not governed by one overarching Mennonite Brethren board but are incorporated as individual entities governed by their own boards

To put it another way, the U.S Mennonite Brethren "house " has lots of designated rooms. The first floor has five rooms, each occupied by one of the five district conferences. On the second floor there is a room ca lled U.S Conference and it is partitioned into several work area s- one

for Mission USA, another fo r th e Ch ristian Leade r, a third for admin istrative funct ion s and pla ns are unde rwa y to create a fourth area for a natio nal Boa rd of Faith and Li fe The third floor has an MB Biblical Seminary room , another called MBMS Internationa l, and a th ird called MB Foundation. All these rooms are in the same very large hou se located on Menno Avenue, but the min istries fo r the most part function independently of one another

We may not be a large denomination - 34,000 members in 200 churches in 18 states - but we have a vision for ministry that is huge And one of the things we struggle with is how to coordinate the many priorities and projects of multiple, independent Mennonite Brethren ministries that are all dependent on the same small family of chu rches for resources . The agenci es make regu lar requests for our presence at events, to fund ongoing and special projects, to donate our time, to read their publications and to pray fo r their particular ministry. It's all good and yet the requests for support are constant.

After sitting in dozens of ,denominational leadersh ip gatherings over the past 12 years, I assure you th at our leaders want to work together The most recent effort to improve communication and coope rat ion berween our various national ministries is an annual Institutional Summit, initiated in 2004 as a feature of the new U.S. Conference governance structure.

It's a roomful of people that include the senior staff member and board chair of MB Biblical Seminary, MBMS International, MB Foundation, Tabor College and Fresno Pacific University along with the district ministers, five district moderators and the members of the U.S. Confere nce Leadership Board. At the close of both the 2005 and 2006 Institutional Summits, the participants agreed it had been worth their time to hear from one another and to address common concerns.

I invite you to begin praying now for the April 2008 Institutional Summit. It is essential to the health of our denomination that Mennonite Brethren entities become more interdependent and less independent, that cooperation rather than competition rule the day. But breaking down the walls berween the "rooms" that isolate our various denominational ministries will not be easy. And from what I can tell , no one has come up with a good demolition plan So let's ask God to unify and direct our leaders and to guide their thinking . And if you are one of those who will atte nd the 2008 Institutional Summit, resolve to pe rs ist in the tough task of working together - Co nnie Faber

For five years, Carl Heppner studied at MB Biblical Seminary's Winnipeg, Manitoba campus while engaged in full-time pastoral ministry.

"Taking courses part-time gave me something more to focus on outside of ministry," he says, "and it gave me new perspective on my ministry."

This fall, the Heppner family moved to Fresno, California, where Carl will complete his MA Theology degree. While living on campus, they have experienced a supportive, helpful community.

"What you learn at seminary is not just theoretical knowledge," he says. "I can apply the things 1 learn directly to my ministry."

Carl and Kathy Heppner with children Joel (4), Kezia (3) and Asha (3 mos.)

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e MBMS I ness

M••• what Is the greatest risk you have taken for

e Lives of Staff and Missionaries

are transformed as they serve in mission ...

MBMSI has risk-taking obedience built into its DNA. Recently I took a survey around our Abbotsford office , what is the greatest risk you have taken for Jesus? The answers were as different as our personalities but a similar chord rang true - risk -taking obedience for Jesus is worth it. The reward of living fully alive, purposed for a Savior who is faithful - far outweighs the cost.

Many of us walked away from carefully planned careers Others have wrestled through worries of finances , family and assured futures, choosing surrender over security We've learned that risk is just a matter of perception. Jesus? The reward Jesus has promised us abundant life (John 10:10). When of living fully alive, purposed for a Savior who Is faithful far outweighs the cost.W we commit to risk-taking obedience for His Kingdom out of surrender and love, there is joy.

Obedience to Jesus will always come with risk because He works best through us when we are out of our comfort zone. Benaiah was a valiant fighter who went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion Not exactly a risk free environment. Later King David put him in charge of his bodyguard. (2 Samuel 23) Esther was called out of everything she knew and was comfortable with to live in the king's palace Her royal position later led to the rescue of her people. Jesus called fisherman to follow him and changed the course of history. Imagine how these stories would be different if people had not stepped out in risk -taking obedience; if they had not said yes to Jesus.

We , at MBMS/, are being transformed as we understand that God doesn ' t want part of us, He wants all of us. So we encourage you to leave the comfortable. Discard the predictable. Embrace the adventure of risk-taking obedience. Live on mission for Jesus. You will never regret it.

Table of Contents

All photos by MBMS International Staff and Team members except as noted

MBMS International Winter 2007

Editor in Chief Randy Friesen

Managing Ed itor Carissa Brey Youssef

Graphic Designer ...••.••.........

Marvin Peters

MBMS INIBINAlIONAL VISION Holistic church planting that transfonns communities among the least reached.

MBMS INmINAlIONAL STRATEGY Mobilizing churches through intentional discipleship in experiential mission that contributes to holistic church planting.

ORGANlZAnONAL VAlUES

· Unreached people

• Holistic church planting

• MB theology and family

• Prayer

•The Word of God

· The Great Commission & the Great Commandment

omCE LOCAnONS

INTERPERSONAL VAlUES

· Dependency on Jesus

• Risk-taking Obedience

•fransfonning Community

•Relational Integrity · Celebration

Western Canada (International Office)

302 32025 George Ferguson Way, Abbotsford, BC V2T 2K7

P: 604 859 6267 F: 604.859.6422 E: mbmsi@mbmsLorg

Western USA

4867 E. Townsend Avenue, Fresno, CA 93727-5006

P: 559 456 4600 F: 559.251 1432 E: fresno@mbmsi org

Central Canada

1310 Taylor Avenue, Winnipeg, MB R3M 3Z6

P: 204.478.2690 F: 204.654.1865 E: winnipeg@mbmsLorg

Midwest USA

7348 W. 21 Street, Suite 116, Wichita. KS 67205

P: 316.729.6465 F: 316.722.8632 E: wichita@mbmsi.org

Eastern Canada

236 Victoria St. N. #3B. ON N2H 5C8 P: 519.886.4378 F: 519.886.6308 E: waterloo@mbmsi.org

TREK : Luke Ha idle [ Iukeh @mbmsi. org]

DM I: Ja mes Nikkel {jamesn@mbmsi.org]

LONGER TERM CHURCH PLANTING TEAMS: Ray Hann s-Wiebe [ rayh w@ mbmsi. org]

GIVING: Selwyn Uittenbosch [s elwynu@ mbmsi. org]

DAI LY PR AYER GU IDE : Ann Zau ner [a nnZ® mbmsi org]

Printed in canada

Achieving the Vision

I recently attended a baptism with one of our church plants in \ Thailand for 21 new followers of Jesus. One after another they stood up to share how Jesus had delivered them from fear, addictions, hopelessness and death. Twenty one lives transformed.

When you are living under the weight of making " merit " in the works -based righteousness of Thai Buddhism , the grace and forgiveness of Jesus really is good news. More than that, the living presence of Jesus within these believers brings daily peace , joy, love and a desire to live for Him. Acquiring this biblical worldview, of following and obeying Jesus, takes discipleship in a community of believers. That's why we believe that it takes church planting teams. To model a kingdom community and bring transformation to the lives of the least reached.

The most impacting moment in the baptism was seeing four HIV positive adolescent boys get baptized. Their

lives have all been transformed by the love of God they have experienced in the Abundant Life Home (ALH) operated by our church plant The Life Center Ganiga, their care giver at ALH , has loved, discipled and prayed for each one of these boys. She was celebrating as she participated in their public declaration that they now follow Jesus. Ganiga herself has come from a life of drugs , gangs and pain - she knows how bad life can be apart from Jesus.

Jesus said that " The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind , to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor "

(Luke 4:18 -19). This is " holistic ministry: Through programs like the Abundant Life Home, our church plants around the world are bringing transformation to their communities through holistic initiatives. Small business loan

Iprograms , community health training and educational support are just a few other examples. Holistic ministry means that prayer, evangelism, job creation, medical services , discipleship and agricultural training all contribute to personal and community transformation

North American churches are also being transformed as they mobilize to support church planting teams through their prayers, support and short-term and long term teams The vision for transforming lives in mission is lifting their eyes off of themselves and onto the world around them.

Mountain View Community Church in Clovis, CA is one church supporting MBMS/'s church planting teams through intercession , financial support and mission exposure trips. Their prayer room focuses intercession on mission workers and countries through a variety of creative approaches. They have sent 266 people on a variety of short-term mission teams over the past five years to support long term workers but also to disciple the participants themselves in evangelism, prayer and mercy ministries. The mission participants return to their home community with a new missional

(continued on next page ... )

MThe Spirit of the Lord Is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour. w

(Luke 4:18-19)

Our vision continues to be Mhollstlc church planting that transforms communities among the least reached w and we are focused on achieving that vision together as we experience transformation In Christ and then share and live the transforming power of this gospel with others.

worldview and renewed desire to see their friends and family follow Jesus.

We are also finding the lives of staff and missionaries are being transformed as we serve in missions. Paul said , " I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ " (Philemon 6). We continue to see in new ways the "good things " we have in Christ as we share what He has done for us with others Amber and Amanda Griffioen , missionaries to Thailand, often encourage our staff through updates on their personal journey as they live in community with least reached people. They wrote recently, " Have you ever jumped into a lake , thinking it was a certain depth , but then it just kept going deeper and deeper? In a way , that is how we feel right now. We have jumped into the ocean of God ' s love. The deeper we swim, the more we realize how deep his love really is, and how there is no end to its depth " (Psalm 103) As they serve , God reveals Himself in new ways and transformation occurs.

As we have prayed about our mission strategy, we continue to be reminded of the centrality of transformation at every stage of the sending, going and serving stages of mission. For that reason the board has updated our mission statement to read " transforming lives in mission" to more fully capture the breadth of what God has called us to at MBMS International. Our vision continues to be " holistic church planting that transforms communities among the least rea c hed " and we are focused on achieving that vision together as we experience transformation in Christ and then share and live the transforming power of this gospel with others.

It Takes A Team To Plant A Church

We believe it will take a team of dedicated people to see the fulfillment of the vision to transform communities through holistic church planting among the least reached. This response form is an invitation for you to become part of a team that is transforming lives in mission.

Your prayers will bring about the spiritual transformation of churches and communities at home and abroad . Prayer is the work of the ministry. Lives will be transformed in prayer.

Your willingness to go and serve on church planting teams (short term and/or long term) will bring the gospel to the least reached and make disciples among the nations. We believe God transforms lives and local churches through discipleship in experiential mission.

Your support will sustain the church planting efforts of our missionary teams as they transform communities among the least reached. God is our provider and we will walk in faith and generosity, without fear.

Please consider how you can respond and fill in the corresponding sections on the back of this form. We invite you to join us in transforming lives in mission.

: want to join an MBMSI church planting team to transform communities among the least reached.

I will pray

o please send me the Daily Prayer Guide

o please add me to the urgent prayer request email list

o please send me information about how to use MBMSI's online Prayer Forum

I will go

o I am interested in long term service

o I am interested in a short term missions opportunity DUM D SOAR D DMI D ACTION DTREK

Name:

Address:

City:

State:

Zip Code:

Phone:

Email: please visit www.mbmsi.orgfor program descriptions

Home Church:

I will support

o $ Monthly* (or) $ One-time gift Card # o use this gift for:

o use this gift where needed most Expiry Date

o I would like to support with the following resource Name on Card (non-monetary):

o please send me information about planned giving Signature

Tax-deductible receipts are mailed after the end of the year. If a project * Credit card only. Please contact us for more monthly options. is fully funded, contributions will be redirected to similar ministries ** Payable to MBMS International. ./

How will you respond?

How will you respond when you hear Jesus' words in Matthew 28: 19 to "go and make disciples of all nations"?

MBMS International has a vision to see holistic church planting that transforms communities among the least reached. Our response as a missions agency has been a direct result of your individual responses and collective responses as MB churches.

In the last year, we have been inviting a record number of people to pray, to go, and to support our efforts to share a holistic witness bringing spiritual, emotional, social and physical transformation to lives, families and communities among least reached people groups in over 40 countries.

MBMS International is committed to transforming lives in mission. We are seeing the lives of short term mission participants transformed a s they are mobilized to go, pray and serve alongside our long term church planting teams. We are seeing the lives of least reached people transformed through the work of our holistic church planting teams as the gospel is being shared.

We are seeing the lives of our volunteers, staff and missionaries transformed as they serve in mission.

Using our Mobilization Survey inserted into our spring issue of Witness magazine, as well as electronic links to an online version of the survey, we were able to measure the effectiveness of our mobilization service. This past year has shown strong progres s towards our strategic goals in mobilizing p'eople , prayer and support for mission.

One example is that 89 % of respondents agreed or strongly agreed with the statement "I would recommend MBMS International to a friend who is looking for a mission service experience." This a strong vote of confidence. By comparison , we noticed that only 50 % of respondents have shown an increased desire in going on mission. While responses averaged anywhere from 89% to 43% when evaluated based on age categories, it is clear that one challenge will be to raise mission awareness. In this annual report, we share the results of the call to mission.

How will you respond?

My desire to financially support missionaries or missions projects has increased due to MBMSI.

My prayer for missionaries has become more meaningful because of communications from MBMSI. My spiritual growth has benefited from the information shared by MBMSI staff or missionaries.

MBMSI has increased my interest in participating in a cross-cultural missions experience.

MBMSI has improved my understanding of how holistic church planting can transform communities among the least reached peoples.

I would recommend MBMSI to a friend who is looking for a missions service experience.

I believe that reaching the unreached should be a priority of the church.

The development of a culture of intercessory prayer worldwide is a worthy goal; one requiring our personal commitment to pray for God to deliver and sustain our missionaries in the spiritual battles they are experiencing.

Intercessory prayer is spiritual engagement with God on behalf of others. It is prayer that reflects a spiritual hunger not only for personal growth but for the healing and spiritual well-being of another person. At MBMS International we are convinced the current season of mission ministry will not and cannot be effective in the spiritual transformation of churches, communities at home, and communities abroad among the least reached apart from intercessory prayer.

Prayer has been woven into the fabric of our missions training and our short term missions programs. Intercessors are an important part of our missions teams. Prayer equipping resources and staffing have been developed and prayer trips have been developed for church based teams interested in supporting long term missions work.

The development of a Daily Prayer Guide raising up missionaries, their work and the nations before God has been a strategic part of our Mobilization efforts. There was a 30% growth in daily prayer guide distribution in this last year. An average of over 1800 copies of the DPG were being distributed each month. (You can download a copy at www.mbmsi.org/prayer.) Our web site also hosts a Prayer Forum as a means to share our

prayers corporately to encourage one another (visit www.mbmsi.org/prayerforum). We urge you to use these tools for praying fervently and regularly for God's work to be done.

We believe prayer is entering God's presence, hearing God's voice, interceding and cooperating with His kingdom work on earth. Prayer is the work of the ministry. We invite you to commit yourself daily to this work. It will transform not only the missionaries and their work but prayer will also transform us. Time in His presence on behalf of others is always transformational.

We have been encouraged by the 77% of survey respondents who agreed that their prayer for missionaries has become more meaningful because of communications from MBMSI. We are thankful for the faithful prayer warriors who are joining us in battle. We are asking more people, "Will you pray?"

WE RESPOND IN PRAYER BECAUSE:

1) Jesus prayed: "One of those days Jesus went out to a mountain side to pray and spent the night praying to God" (Luke 6: 12).

2) Jesus called his followers to pray: "Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up" (Luke 18:1).

3) Jesus said workers will be sent out when we pray: "Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth laborers into his harvest" (Matt. 9:38).

There is nothing short term about mission! We believe mobilization is God's invitation to join Him on the journey of His global mission. The journey is open to everyone and this past year people have responded in very significant ways. Even though the term sometimes looked a bit ' shorter' in length, the mission remained the same. Participants returned with a greater commitment to mission, stronger belief in risk taking obedience and deeper love for all nations. God transforms lives and local churches through experiential mission. Transformed lives are contagious!

In 2007, some 697 people including children, teens, adults, singles, married couples and seniors responded to the call to go. MBMS International hosted 33 mission programs and events, ranging in length from 2 days to 1 year, where people could experience a taste of crosscultural mission. (You can visit our web site at www.mbmsi.org/serve for a list of these programs.)

We are building the next generation of missionaries. We are seeing evidence of this already as 4 of 6 participant s in our 10rnada program (3 year terms) have completed our 10 month TREK program. And of our 28 recently mobilized long-term missionaries, 91 % completed one or more short term assignments with MBMSI.

Since 2005, we have hosted over 30 Celebrate Mission Nights across North America where more than 6,000 people have gathered to hear the life transforming stories of mission. We invite you to attend one of these events in a city near you (visit www.mbmsi.org/cmn). The mission begins when you check "I will go!"

Even more incredible than the number of people who said " I will go", was the time investment they were willing to make. Over 16,400 days were invested by these people to be trained and to serve in mission - that is an average of 23.5 days per person!

Where do long term career missionaries come from? It often starts with experiences in shorter term mission.

Sam Dick Mobilization

Our te am of regional mobilize rs (left to right): Carol and Lloyd L e tkeman (Central Canada) , Philip Serez (Eastern Canada), Gale n Wi es t ( Wes te rn USA), Craig Jost (Midwest USA) .

We believe the most effective way to tran sform communities is to plant churches that bring Hi s Kingdom to the least reached. We believe in church planting through teams walking in the gifts and fruit s of the Spirit. We de sire to form international church planting teams that reflect the Trinity in their relational life and live the shared value s of Jesus' kingdom as th ey plant churches in cro ss-cultural contexts.

Holistic church planting mean s that our teams will lead people to Je sus and form communities of follower s around Him in such a way that they experience the tran sforming power of the Holy Spirit in all areas of their lives (e.g. spiritual, emotional , phy sical , relational , familial, financial).

As kingdom commumtIes experien c ing radical tran sformation, we expect new churche s to influence their relation ship networks and actively promote the tran sformation of their s urrounding society through

holi stic initiative s (e.g. orphanages , micro-enterprise , e ducation, agriculture, peacemaking).

It take s a dedicated team of people to see churche s planted among the least reached. We have mobilized 28 new long term mi ss io naries in the past two year s with over 100 mi ss ionarie s in the field. We currently have 9 c hurch planting te am s in the field with 6 new team s in formation.

MBMS International is being intentional to integrate our short term program with our long term team s. Last year, 47 ACTION participants formed 7 team s that dedicated 6 wee ks to visit and support our long term workers. Th es e people experienced incredibl e transformation and had a transformational impact upon our mi ss ionaries and the lea st reached.

As we look upon the field s, we see that the harve st is plentiful. Will you go long term?

where our missionaries serve:

Paraguay Southeast Asia 1 *

Angola Colombia Germany Mexico Peru Tanzania

Austria Costa Rica Honduras Middle East 1 * Philippines Thailand

Brazil DR Congo India Nigeria Portugal Uganda

Burkina Faso East Africa 1 * Japan North Africa 1 * Russia Ukraine

Central Asia 1 * Ecuador Kenya North Africa 2 * Rwanda Uruguay

Central Asia 2 * EI Salvador Lithuania North Africa 3 * Senegal Venezuela

Central Asia 3 * France Malawi Panama South Africa Worldwide

* Co

Ray Harms-Wiebe Global Program

Member Care

Supporting all of our team members as they serve overseas or in North America is important to us. We value people as our greatest resource and believe that as God entrusts people to us, we are called to fully invest into and develop this resource.

We are building relationships with our missionary alumni on several fronts, including drawing on them to provide mentoring relationships to our missionary candidates.

Each year, we host an infield regional consultation and retreat to resource our missionary teams. One of our missionaries wrote, "The variety of people you invited was super: Not only active missionaries, but senior missionaries, mission experts, church people, and administrative people. This was very, very helpful!!"

Our annual Missionary Training & Team Health Survey has helped us to understand member care needs and how best to respond. For example, we were very encouraged that 85% of our missionaries agreed or strongly agreed with the statement, "My missions experience with MBMSI contributes to my spiritual health."

In the last year, our Member Care team has expanded to include additional prayer and international support resources. We continue to look for people who have a desire to support mission.

Sharing our Resources

While most of us think first of financial resources as a means of support, volunteering and other non-monetary resources have also been offered to assist our church planting teams. As we desire to be good stewards of our resources, there are many creative ways to support missions. We have a number of people volunteering to assist our regional offices as they host short term programs or offer space in their homes for visiting missionaries, as just a few examples.

Over this past year we have continued to see strong financial support from churches and individuals giving to specific missionaries and ministry projects (relational funding) as well as to "where needed most" (undesignated funding). This blended model continues to breathe new life into ministry. Overall financial giving has increased 12% over the past 3 years.

Your generous and faithful gifts enabled all of our 28 new long term missionaries to enter the mission field with full support. Undesignated gifts are helping us to train new missionaries, begin work in new fields such as North Africa and Central Asia, and support international missionaries sent from our partner conferences.

None of this could happen without God's provision through the generosity of our supporters. We are grateful for those who have responded "I will support".

We believe God provides all that is needed so we can walk in faith and generosity and without fear. In this last year, we have seen God's blessings as people have re sponded in support of mission. We have been able to further reduce our Administration costs from 16 % to 14.2 % in the last year. Our financial year closed with a modest surplus.

Our total expense of $7,153,768 (USD) were dispersed as follow s : Our holistic church planting fund s were

s:

Team 2000 in Chonburi Thailand is ju st one of our holistic church planting teams who are transforming communities among the least reached

It Takes a Team to Plant a Church

Holistic church planting that transforms communities among the least reached takes a team of dedicated people who want to make an investment for things eternal, for Jesus. Maybe you are giving to support a missionary, a church planting project overseas, a staff person, or a participant involved in their first mission experience. By doing so, you are becoming part of the team that is transforming lives in mission. There is life transforming power that comes through knowing, loving, and serving Jesus. Please prayerfully consider what your next step could be.

Join an MBMS International church planting team - it will transform your life!

Pray

Prayer is the work of the ministry. We must begin all

Go

There are many ways to serve as a

Support

Our teams trust in God as their things in prayer, which sustains mission and builds spiritual community among teams. Our church planting teams church planter. You can be part of a long or short term team, as an individual or a family, at any age. Our church planting teams need people who will go.

provider. As God provides for you, there are many chances to become part of a team by giving your resources. Our church planting teams need people who will support. need people who will pray.

Transforming lives in mission among the least reached takes a team of dedicated people who want to make an investment for things eternal, for Jesus.

We thank you for your interest in joining an MBMS International church planting team through prayer, service, and support.

You will be contacted after this response has been received.

For more information, please contact our international office.

1 866.964.7627

www.mbmsi.org

The Lives of the Least Reached

are

being

transformed through church planting teams ...

THAILAND

Noy joined our family as household help in January 2002 and we have been praying for her ever since. In 2003 , Noy chose to follow Jesus! Her husband Joy, however, has been resistant and has struggled with alcoholism and gambling for years. This July he hit rock bottom. By the grace of God, Joy decided to come to church camp this summer and gave his life to Christ! Now we are holding a cell group in their home and Joy is hungry to learn more about God. Hallelujah for the power of prayer!

- Andy & Carmen Owen , members of the Team 2000 church plant, The Life Centre, in Thailand

o GERMANY

Wolfgang Hans of Berlin , Germany began his journey to God in Vancouver, BC during a visit with his brother Although Wolfgang believed deep in his heart that there was a God , he had never taken the time to look for Him. Wolfgang ' s brother had found Jesus a few years earlier so they attended church together in Vancouver. It was there Wolfgang met Christians for the very first time and began to sense the love of God.

A year and a half ago, Wolfgang started faithfully attending Berlin MB Church. A few weeks later, Andrew Pritzkau , the pastor, visited him at home "After Andrew answered all of my questions, we prayed together and I committed my life to God." Wolfgang shared. "Since giving my heart to God, so much has changed. I notice

God's blessing on my life and I sense the Holy Spirit leading me. I am so glad to have found God and this church."

- Andrew & Olga Pritzkau , pastors of the Berlin MB church plant

• PERU

Elicia Borelli Nieto, 22 , was primarily raised by her M she told me Catholic grandmother. She had lots of friends , many that she was who were not a good influence in her life. But by the attracted to grace of God and the guidance of her grandmother, she avoided making bad choices in her youth. Two years our church and ago , a friend invited her to an ACTION team program ultimately to and there she met Jose and Esperanza Prada , pastor God by the love, of the Lima MB Church and MBMSI missionaries. In 2006/ 2007 , she became good friends with the TREK compassion and team and again later with the ACTION team in July patience she saw 2007. Through these friendships Elicia decided to from the church follow Christ!

Elicia continues to grow in her faith and is joining our discipleship program. Recently she told me that she was attracted to our church and ultimately to God by the love, compassion and patience she saw from the church leaders. We are so grateful that God allowed our church to be a part of his plan for Elicia and praise the Lord for the transformation in her life!

- Lidia Funk , MBMSI Missionary to Peru

"In Lidia I have found a good friend. She has the patience to listen to me, to give me advice, and to offer love and compassion She has been more than a friend, instead [she has been] the mother I didn ' t have. With the Funks , I have found a second family, but an even more complete one because through them I found something that was missing in my own family - Jesus •

- Elicia Borelli Nieto leaders.w

-Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name.·

Chr. 29:13

ewly Planted Churches

are transforming communities around them through holistic initiatives...

Discipleship Training and Leadership Development: AUSTRIA

Richard and Hazel Funk, MBMSI country team leaders for Austria and Germany, continue to provide vital leadership development and discipleship training through conferences and retreats. They have found teaching and preaching to be indispensable in the process of developing spiritually and emotionally healthy churches. God is moving in a powerful way within the Austrian churches.

Kids Clubs: GERMANY

One of the reoccurring outreaches the Berlin MB Church uses to reach out to their community is a youth oriented "Kids in Action " program As church members build relationships with the local youth, many families in the community have been impacted. Susanne Hergass and her daughter Shary were both introduced to the church through the Kids in Action program.

"Something in my life was missing," explains Susanne. "My daughter and I went to a few evangelical state churches but we couldn ' t find what we were looking for. Then, one day, Shary brought a flyer from Kids in Action home from school." Andrew Pritzkau , pastor of the Berlin MB church volunteers in an after school reading program that Shary attends and invited her and her mom to check out the youth program at his church.

"Somehow holding that flyer in my hand, I felt peace surrounding us, so that Saturday we went to the church

for Kids in Action. " Andrew, his wife Olga, and other church members embraced Susanne and spent many hours in prayer for Shary as she struggled through some serious issues. "When we experienced how prayer turned our lives around, we both received Jesus into our lives! " Both Susanne and Shary were baptized this summer and are eager to share how Jesus has changed their lives.

The Abundant Life Home: THAILAND

It began one day when Karen Huebert-Sanchez met a baby girl named Jintana. Karen was visiting her friend 's son in the local public hospital when she saw a little baby that was malnourished and neglected. Karen 's Thai friend explained that the girl was HIV positive and had been abandoned by her mother. This girl's name was Jintana , one of countless children in Thailand that nobody wants because they have HIV/ AIDS.

The experience with Jintana left a deep impression on Karen and the rest of TEAM 2000. Karen herself was adopted as an infant and has always dreamed of helping orphaned children. In February 2004, Team 2000 proposed to start an AIDS orphanage as a ministry of their Thai church plant, The Life Center. Their project, now The Abundant Life Home, is currently home to seven young boys! For stories of how God is doing incredible things through this project, please visit www.abundantlifehome blogspot.com.

North American Churches

are being transformed as they are mobilized to support long term church planting teams ...

Thirteen pastors and mission representatives from seven Ontario churches spent sixteen days in Thailand visiting MBMS International missionaries this past May on a vision trip. The following are some debrief notes from Philip Serez, MBMSI Regional Mobilizer for Eastern Canada

In Thailand we were greeted with new sounds, Sights and tastes Our hearts broke to see religion's wealth and the people ' s poverty. As we traveled , the Holy Spirit exposed us to the deep needs of these people. We also saw that the Lord is doing a great work in Thailand.

In Chonburi , we went to The Promise Church. A young high school girl wept as she explained that her mother would no longer allow her to go to church Our team gathered around the young lady and cried out to God for her and her mother

At The Life Center, we learned that Team 2000 is hoping to purchase the vacant land next to them to build a training center and orphanage for children with AIDS At the urging of the Thai government , the orphanage has grown into a second rented house for three, young HIV positive girls

We traveled on to Phuket and Pang Nga , where the 2004 tsunami hit the hardest, climbed to an abandoned hilltop resort, and as a team claimed southern Thailand for Christ. In the Pang Nga province, we toured the area where our MB churches built or helped build 25 homes. Pastor Preecha and his wife Phii Niit have worked with MBMSI missionaries to establish a church on Koh Kho Khao Island where we built the homes. There are five strong believers including a village chief's wife.

As we left Thailand, we considered it a great privilege to have witnessed what God is doing across the land. We return home with a burden of responsibility to share with our congregations this great passion for global mission.

-Global mission Is changing In all my trips, I have never seen such passion, vision, clear goals and strategy as the missionaries In Thailand have. They are far beyond us over here. •

- Henry Wiebe, Thailand Vision Trip Participant We need to commit to each-other, to strategize together, to pray together and to send together.

- Ted Ens, Thailand Vision Trip Participant For information on MBMSI vision trips, please contact Carlin Weinhauer at carlinw@mbmsi org