July 1995

THE CHRISTIAN

JULY

FIRST WORDS

1995

.•• from the editor

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'M BACK. I won't ask if you missed me. My five·month sabbatical was refreshing, but it's good to be "home" again. lowe a lot to Katie Funk Wiebe, whose gifted service as interim editor made my sabbatical possible. Thankfully, her impact will be felt for some time in the magazine.

In this issue she writes our provocative lead article on the church-and-family contract. You'll also want to read her insightful profile of our Carson MB Church (page 20).

Ministries that strengthen marriages are a cornerstone of any church that wants to be pro-family. Ronald Vogt shares insights he's learned in his work with Recovery of Hope (page 11).

One more word about transitions. Connie Faber, our assistant editor, is taking a three-month leave of absence to care for her newborn son, Harrison James Nicholas Faber, who entered this world June 12 at a healthy 8.5 pounds.

Connie's duties will be covered in the interim by Aleen Ratzlaff, who teaches communications at Tabor College. I think we'll get along fine .-DR

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COMING • JULY 6-9-60th convention of the General Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches, Fresno, Calif.

• OCTOBER 27-29-Central and Southern districts meeting jointly for their annual convention; hosted by Tabor College.

• Pacific District Conference regional rallies: • Oct. I-Good News Fellowship, Ferndale, Wash.

• Oct. 8-IGngwood Bible Church, Salem, Ore. • Oct. 15-Greenhaven Neighborhood Church, Sacramento, Calif.

• Oct. 22-Lincoln Glen Church, San Jose, Calif.

• Oct. 29-North Fresno MB Church, Fresno, Calif.

• Nov. 5-Heritage Bible Church, Bakersfield, Calif.

• Nov. I2-Dinuba (Calif.) MB Church

QUOTABLE "We've taken a concept of artistry and have put it up the rung of celebrity when really it should be at the bottom in terms of the concept of stewardship. It's like, 'Oh my goodness, you mean God has called me to the creative process? Surely not me. ' It should be more like Jeremiah or Moses saying, 'Who am I? Who am I to create? God is Creator! Who am I to interpret His word and His world for His people through music, through poetry? I'm not sufficient for this. ' But we don't see that attitude, do we?

Not a lot. " -MUSICIAN MICHAEL CARD ON THE TENDENCY TO IDOLIZE CHRISTIAN MUSIC FIGURES, IN THE MAY ISSUE OF CCM

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INS JULY

IDE 1995 THE CHRISTIAN

VOLUME 58, NUMBER 7

FEATURES - Theme: The pro-family church

4 The church's contract with the family The church needs to be proactive in strengthening the family.

Here are several commitments the church should make if it is to minister to the various family models of the 1990s. BY KATIE FUNK WIEBE

11 Revisiting the state of the union A marriage therapist identifies four key characteristics of a healthy marriage. BY RONALD VOGT

DEPARTMENTS Forum .... . ....... . . by Donna Voth Jost and Lynn Jost 14 • The high call of communion

What readers say . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Ph'lip Side ...................... ... by Philip Wiebe 17 • Up the Creek?

Inquiring Minds ..... . ...... . ...... . by Marvin Hein 18 • All that "devil talk" • Are convention votes binding?

Musings . . .......... '. .

. ..... . .. by Jim Holm 19

• Conditional forgiveness

Bodylife ......... . ............ . ...... . .. . ...... 20 • PROFILE: Carson MB Church, Delft, Minn. 20 • Hispanic Assembly draws 700-plus 22 • John E. Toews to leave MBBS 23 • Two Korean churches to join PDC 24 • MBMjS and India work at reconciliation 24 • Dinuba couple leads MDS effort 26 • MCC funds sent to fight Ebola virus 27 • Mennonites consult in Moscow 28 • Laurelglen Bible Church plans Russian mission trip 29

Miscellanea ............. . . .. ....... . ... . ....... 34 Editorial ... . .. .. ..... ... .. .. ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 36 • Am I any smarter?

INTERIM ASS'T ED. Aleen Ratzlaff

EDITOR Don Ratzlaff

ASSISTANT EDITOR: Connie Faber (on leave) BOARD OF COMMUNICATIONS: Ron Braun (chair), Noelle Dickinson. Jeanie Klaassen. Herb Schroeder.

Kathy Heinrichs Wiest MANDATE: THE CHRISTIAN LEADER (ISSN 00095149). organ of the U.S. Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches. is published monthly by the U.S. Conference Board of Communications, 315 S. Lincoln, Hillsboro. KS 67063 . The Christian Leader seeks to inform Mennonite Brethren members and churches of the events, activities, decisions. and issues of their denomination. and to instruct. inspire and initiate dialog so that they will aspire to be faithful disciples of Christ as understood in the evangelical!Anabaptist theological tradition .

EDITORIAL POLICY: The views and opinions of our writers and advertisers are their own and do not necessarily represent the position of The Christian Leader, the Board of Communications or the Mennonite Brethren Church . The editors invite free-lance article submissions, but ask that each submission be accompanied with a SASE . The editors reserve the right to edit, condense or refuse all copy submitted for publication; anonymous contributions will not be published.

READER PARTICIPATION: The editors encourage readers to interact with our articles through letters to the editor and essays to Forum, our op-ed column . letters for What Readers Say must include the author's name and address. Forum is open to memo bers or attenders of Mennonite Brethren churches.

Essays to Forum can address any issue of relevance and interest to the faith and life of the Mennonite Brethren Church. The essay should be no longer thim 800 words and should include the home church. occupation and a clear photo of the writer.

COMMUNICATION: All correspondence should be addressed to The Christian Leader, Box V, Hillsboro.

KS 67063. Phone: (316) 947-5543,. Fax: (316) 9473266.

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ART CREDITS: Cover, pages 4, 5, 7, 9, 11 and 12, photos by Cleo Freelance Photography; page 23, Juan Wall; page 27, MCC; page 29, Jenny Jackson.

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POSTMASTER: Send Form 3579 to The Christian Leader. Box V. Hillsboro. KS 67063 . Second·class postage paid at Hillsboro. Kansas .

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THE CHURCH'S

CONTRACT WITH THE FAMILY Churches that are pro{amily make a contract with the family instead of preaching and programming only for individuals. by KATIE FUNK WIEBE

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MERICANS ARE WORRIED ABOUT THEIR FAMILIES. AND

they should be. Trends indicate the continuing deterioration of the physical, mental and emotional well-being of Standardized test scores fell between 1960 and 1988. Teenage suicide and homicide rates more than doubled. Obesity increased by 50 percent. Children below the poverty line increased from 15 to 20 percent since 1970.

Twenty percent of children ages 3 to 17 have a developmental, learning or behavioral disorder.

By ages 12 to 17, one in four adolescents suffers from at least one of these disorders. One in three teenage boys have one of these disorders (Don Browning and Ian Evison, Christian Century, July 14-21, 1993).

Browning and Evison attribute part of this deterioration to changes in cultural values: increasing individualism, growing preoccupation with individual fulfillment, wider tolerance for divorce as a solution to marital problems, and more general acceptance at all social levels of the high rates of out-of-wedlock births and single parenthood.

A strong, stable family unit is important to the development of the child and to the welfare of our society. Strong families are important to church strength. Churches that are pro-family openly make a contract with the family instead of preaching and programing only for individuals.

Dennis B. Guernsey, director of the Marriage and Family Counseling Program at Fuller Theological Seminary, told the Mennonite Brethren School for Ministry in January 1990 that family ministry is "the church's empowering the people of God to relate to one another as if they are family, especially if they are [italics mine]."

What are the key elements in the church's contract with the family?

ITEM ONE: The church will intentionally develop a theology of family to monitor and discipline its family ministries.

As Mennonite Brethren, we have well-devel-

oped theologies of salvation, evangelism and missions, but a strong family theology so far has eluded us. Bits and pieces show up here and there, frequently based on isolated texts. We, like many other evangelicals, tend to rely on the teaching of leading family practitioners and theorists, such as James Dobson, for what we believe

As Mennonite Brethren, we have well-developed theologies of salvation, evangelism and missions, but a strong family theology so far has eluded us.

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about family instead of working through a theology of family for ourselves.

Don and Carol Browning, writing in Christianity Today (Feb. 6, 1995), suggest that on family matters, both religious conservatives and liberals need to use the Bible with a greater sense of context to develop a family theology. The Brownings' concern is that both liberals and conservatives bring to their understanding of family theology a presumption that "Christian family" can be equated with the nuclear family (working father and an at-home mother). The nuclear family is a pattern that developed with the industrial age and lasted until the 1960s, when it began to be displaced by other structures.

While the church should support and promote the intact mother/father unit, this is not the only family structure. Once it involved the extended family. Today it has been joined by single-parent, the step- or blended·family of remarriage, childless, empty-nest and intergenerational families.

The emphasis upon the family in the New Testament went far beyond the maintenance of the nuclear family, or the extended family for that matter, states Guernsey. "Christianity, if it is going to work, must work in the most intimate of relationships between husband and wife,

between parents and children, between siblings, between believer and believer, and between believer and unbeliever. As the people of God we paint a family portrait as we demonstrate the real presence of Christ in the world through our love for one another."

Among other things, a theology of marriage would include the following: • That marriage and family are a calling of the highest sort, not just another lifestyle choice.

God calls men and women to marriage as he calls people to other callings. This is to be a lifelong monogamous relationship.

• That procreation should be confined to marriage.

• That fathers are not dispensable to strong family life.

• That sacrifice of self is a key element in parenting. This involves sacrifice of time, energy, space, material things, sometimes even of career and especially of self-fulfillment and independence.

• That a prime task of parents is to protect children from the destructive values of a consumer SOCiety, especially television.

• That the prevention of family disruption is as important as treating fractures after they occur.

After the ball bouncing and singing are over...

Promise Keepers changed my husband. .. and our family

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HAD HEARD THE NAME "Promise Keepers" from a Keepers, it is still there two years later. friend once before because this friend thought it was His first comment was, "You haven't worshiped God good. I thought it would be a good thing for my hus- until you've worshiped with 50,000 other men. You band, Michael, to go to. Nothing ever came of it until one could feel the Holy Spirit moving." But what happened year later. after that is even better. Michael changed and our marMichael's father called and asked him to go to a riage and family changed.

Promise Keepers meeting and Michael said yes. At the Michael relies on God to control his life and our life time I wasn't aware that Michael was only going because together. He is aware of the kids and me and our needs. his dad had asked him and that he thought it was "no big He spends quality time with the family and God. Chrisdeal." tian and Cassie, our children, have experienced Michael But his attitude changed quickly. I could hear and praying over them. He started that the night he got home feel the high he was on when he called me after the first and has continued ever since. If he isn't home when the evening. He promised to call the next night. I couldn't children go to bed, they ask him to come in when he wait to hear from him... but he didn't call, because of the gets home, even if they're sleeping. late hour.

Our family and individual lives continue to grow as When he drove into the driveway Sunday afternoon, we trust in God and as Michael continues to guide us by I could see he was still on a high. Usually, after these following the Seven Steps of a Promise Keeper.-Sharon meetings the high lasts a few days, but with Promise Gerken, First MB Church, Wichita, Kan.

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Sacrifice of self is a key element in parenting. This involves sacrifice of time, energy, space, material things, sometimes even of career and especially of selffulfillment and independence.

• That opportunities for training children are not squandered by age 5.

Could your church sign this contract?

THE PRO-FAMILY CHURCH WILL. .•

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intentionally develop a theology of

family to monitor and discipline its family ministries.

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revise its understanding of marriage

as a public contract, not a private one.

ITEM TWO: The church will revise its understanding of marriage as a public contract, not a private one.

The new understanding must also include the church body. Today, Christian marriages are considered a covenant before Christ between a man and woman, with parents sometimes offering their support at the wedding. Yet it remains essentially a private family affair.

The minister performing the ceremony is often someone connected to the family through blood lines or friendship. The guests are family and friends . Such a wedding then focuses on blood ties to the neglect of the body of Christ.

Christian marriages today no longer are viewed as a public commitment to society, but a private affair between the couple and God .

Neglected is the thinking that a marriage represents a new unit in society and and has purpose in relation to the husband and wife and their chil-

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offer premarital counseling to help

couples decide if they are ready for marriage-not just to complete wedding plans.

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make teaching about family life a strong emphasis.

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promote support structures for special

needs.

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see every member of the church

fami ly as an important person, with no one group more important than the other.

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dren, and also to the family of God. Marriage once was a church ordinance administered by the church leaders in full view of the entire congregation, not just a select group of friends and family. Would present trends in marriage breakups be lessened if marriage were moved back into the life of the entire church body?

This would mean the minister who married the couple would be the pastor of the church which the couple attends or belongs to. Present at the wedding would be the entire church family, not just family and friends. Having a large part in the service would be sponsors to welcome the couple into the family of faith. The intent would

Intentional about families

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'We would rather take a family an inch than an individual a mile'

HE NORTH FRESNO CHURCH is committed to the development of strong families. Within the last three years the church made two strategic decisions which symbolize that commitment. We were concerned to strengthen the ministries to children and students. Often, however, needs which children have are symptomatic of deeper concerns within the family. So we were also concerned with nurturing mothers and fathers in their parenting responsibilities.

In fall 1992 the church called Tim Neufeld to serve as pastor of student and family ministries. Neufeld oversees the ministry to students, junior high through college, and their families.

In summer 1994, the church called Janice Porter to serve as pastor of children and family ministries. Porter oversees the ministry of children, birth through grade six, and their families.

Features of the family focus have included Sunday school classes and small groups that deal with parenting issues and marriage enrichment. A popular four-week Sunday school series is held each spring for parents and their teens. Last fall pastor Larry Martens preached a sermon series on marriage and family. A group for single parents is also being planned and support groups for struggling marriages are being formed. The church is also investing in video materials that can be used as a resource by families.

Families are the cornerstone of our society. Our families nurture, preserve and pass on to succeeding generations the values and faith we share and cherish. Pastor Tim Neufeld says, "We would rather take a family an inch than an individual a mile."

The North Fresno Church is committed to help mothers and fathers fulfill their God-given roles to nurture their children to love God and follow him in their lives.-Lany Martens, pastor, North Fresno Church, Fresno, Calif.

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be to bring marriage back into the public domain of the faith community rather than leaving it a private affair with the blood-family.

ITEM THREE: The church will offer premarital counseling to help couples decide if they are ready for marriage-not just to complete wedding plans.

Larry Martens writes in Direction (Spring 1990) that churches and pastors "increasingly realize that their calling is not to perform weddings but to nurture marriages .... Indeed, in many cases the church has contributed to the increase of divorce rates by marrying people who are inadequately prepared for marriage."

The church is not just a blessing machine.

Martens cites the example of the action taken by church leaders in Modesto, Calif. They adopted a community-wide marriage policy to make it more difficult to get married. The policy mandates a four-month minimum waiting period, extensive counseling and a concentrated period of preparation for marriage. Seventy-three ministers signed the covenant representing more than 30 Protestant, Catholic and Greek Orthodox churches and Modesto's only Jewish synagogue.

Because a major trend of family life is the absence of fathers (sometimes physically, often emotionally), the church that is pro-family will make boys and young men a major target for teaching parenting ideals, skills and responsibilities before they marry.

ITEM FOUR: The church with a family ministry will make teaching about family life a strong emphasis.

This objective means much more than showing a series of ftlms on parenting and a sermon on marriage. It would include: • Building library resources in which books are intentionally selected for all age groups, including parenting titles, is important.

• Offering parenting classes that empower parents to make their own decisions and not feel obligated to look for the latest word from some family expert to give them permission how to parent their children. According to Vange Willms Thiessen (Direction, Spring 1990), the "ultimate goal of parenting is a self-motivated, self-disciplined, responsible young adult." A maturityempowering model of Christian parenting incorporates a parenting style that attends to the developing needs of children and an empowering approach assists children in progressing from dependency toward autonomy and mature independence.

Often these single parents, usually mothers, are economically weak.

They need many kinds of help and receive it in the church with a family ministry.

ITEM FIVE: The church will promote support structures for special needs .

• Marriage Encounter to strengthen good

marriages and shore up weak ones. (See Ronald Vogt's article, page 11) • Single-parent families. Mothers and fathers are important to family strength. According to SOciologists, a stable two-parent household is the best protection against child abuse. Yet the reality is that the number of single-parent families (divorced, never married, widowed) is increasing. Often these single parents, usually mothers, are economically weak. They need many kinds of

Small and rural doesn't mean you can't be pro-family If parents realize <;hurch is only a supplement, children can be adequately trained

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HE SILVER LAKE MB CHURCH near Freeman, S.D., is a small rural church with only about 15 children and youth ranging from preschool through high school. It has been the victim of the sharp demographic shift of the population from rural to urban.

Presently, Sunday worship attendance hovers around 60.

Two neighboring Mennonite churches within a few miles are having the same experience. Each congregation has grappled with trying to carry on a viable Sunday school and midweek program, especially as these relate to children. They cooperate with youth activities and vacation Bible school.

In 1990 they agreed to establish an all-church midweek program for January, February and March. Each year one church would host the sessions.

What has now become an annual venture begins with a kickoff rally on the fU'St Wednesday in January.

Following a supper provided by women from each church, all ages assemble for an opening rally planned by the pastors. Classes are conducted for all ages for the next five weeks followed by a midterm rally with a special program of a ftIm, speaker or other activity. This past

winter the guest speaker was a believer from the community who had a heart transplant. Five additional weeks of classes follow the midterm rally.

Two electives are available for adults. Children are divided into three age groups and the teens into one.

This means that there are now six to 10 children or youth in a class instead of two or three.

These joint sessions have had a good response from all three churches and all age groups during the past six winters. Clellan and JoAnne Becker state, "There seems to be special enthusiasm. The spirit is good, and that is enjoyable. This shows a unity as a larger group of believers. Attendance has been good."

Art Becker says, "I love it. It is good to share thoughts with persons from other churches. " This joint venture is the extent of midweek activities at Silver Lake Church for children during the year. To do more is not feasible in terms of workers and students. If parents take seriously the fact that the church is only a supplement to what they do, then the children will not suffer for lack of adequate training. -Ron Seibe~ pastor, Silver Lake Church, Freeman, South Dakota.

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help and receive it in the church with a family ministry.

• Blended families: 46 percent of all marriages involve at least one partner who has been married before (many of whom have children.

• Programs for mothers of small children that give them opportunity to study and fellowship with other women and a well-worked out program of activities for their children.

• Parents cannot be replaced by institutions such as childcare centers and schools, church programs, as good as they are. Yet, offering this support to mothers who work lightens the load.

Both mothers and fathers will find participation in church activities more inviting when childcare is offered for some events.

• Men's programs such as Promise Keepers, a large-scale mobilization of men to counter the problem of estrangement of men from their roles as husbands, fathers and moral leaders.

• Families outside the normal church structures, as when one member is in prison, the armed forces or similar situations.

no one group more important than the other_

Older adults are often pushed to the fringes as are singles, the disabled, and minorities. The church that is pro-family has no fringe members; here members of the body of Christ without blood relatives still have a family. Parents without children or children without parents still have a family. Older adults without grandchildren or grandchildren without grandparents still have a family. The family of faith becomes the family of those who don't fit the dominant family patterns.

A common practice in some congregations is to divide by age and gender when the family enters the church door. Yet a pro-family congregation never forgets that children are not isolated units, but always members of families and some of those families have unique strengths-and also sometimes failings.

The apostle Paul's teachings were radical for his time, especially as they related to the relationship of husband and wife (husbands were to love and sacrifice themselves for their wives, an unheard of idea in the Roman world) and parents ITEM SIX: The church will see every member of were to love their children. But the result of this the church family as an important person, with radical teaching was to show the world that the body of Christ, of which the family was a part, was the best witness of discipleship.

This family feeling can come through family night or other all congregation activities in which the whole family of God worships, serves and plays together.

'Relationships between generations are "Becoming family to one another" means the entire congregation is involved, not basic to being alive and being well' just parents with young children, as is sometimes the case.

NE OF THE MORE EXCITING intergenerational programs of The church helps when it deliberately the 80 located in Kansas, according to the Kansas Intergeneragives generous wholehearted support to tional Network, is Whitestone on Wednesday (WOW), which and protection of family rituals and celeis a part of the Whitestone Mennonite Church located in Hesston. On brations by not scheduling activities that most Wednesday evenings throughout the school year, Whitestone separate family even more by gender, age, brings together children as young as 6 along with adolescents, young and family structure. and middle-aged adults, and retirees. On the typical evening there are Dennis Guernsey points out that secuabout 110 individuals present-sharing a meal, working on crafts-while lar literature suggests strongly that "someall the time encountering God in a variety of settings. thing important happens when persons In my time at WOW, I sense a high level of enthusiasm (liberally, create and maintain intimate, caring rela"to be filled with God"). I see people from across the age span interacttionships with one another. If this is true ing with each other. Often, when I walk into Whitestone meetinghouse in human relationships in general, how when another evening of WOW is just beginning, I feel a tremendous much more so is it true when the people electricity in the air. Seldom do I sense this feeling in other social setof God become family to one another." i2. tings.

Relationships between generations are basic to being alive and Katie Funk Wiebe, well-known Mennobeing well. These relationships give an account of where we have come nite Brethren author and speaker, recentfrom and, sometimes, give direction to where we are going.-Excerpted ly completed a term as interim editor of from a longer article in the Wichita Eagle by Dwight E. Roth, social scithe Leader. She is a member of First MB ence instructor, Hesston (Kan.) College Church, Wichita, Kan.

Bringing young and old together

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STATE OF THE UNION A marriage therapist for Recovery of Hope sees understanding, initiative, self-disclosure and sacrifice as keys for an enduring and endearing marriage VER SINCE THE DAY I SLIPPED THAT RING ON MY WIFE'S

finger, my hunger to master the complexity and the elegance of marital dynamics has steadily grown. Suddenly I began to enjoy doing marriage therapy. I started encouraging my married clients to bring in their spouses. During this time, my wife, Laurie, was finishing her graduate training in marriage and family therapy at Fuller Seminary. We would talk endlessly about classes, concepts, and clients.

We dreamed about becoming a husband-and-wife marital therapy team.

Soon after Laurie's graduation, we received a call from Philhaven and our dream became a reality. We accepted positions here in Pennsylvania to become c-directors of Recovery of Hope, a program offering marital therapy in an intensive week-long format. In the space of a few years, I'd become a "marriage expert." Now I work with marriages for a living.

As I look back, I realize I have learned much from my own marriage and also from working with couples so exclusively and intensely. I have developed some convictions about how couples should and should not relate to each other.

Those convictions are capsulized in four concepts: understanding, initiative, self-disclosure and sacrifice.

UNDERSTANDING By far the most powerful intervention we employ in helping a couple get past the impasse

by RONALD VOGT

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Only the love communicated in understanding is able to transform the speaker and the listener and transcend the conflict in their relationship is to challenge them to listen and to understand each other. When a couple begins to encounter differences and problems, one of the greatest mistakes they can make is to let their fear of the friction propel them immediately to problem solving and therein skip what we call the exploration phase.

Our primary goal in the first part of marital therapy is to teach our clients to focus fully on their spouse instead of their own reactions, thoughts, needs and fears . Usually in conflict, most of one's listening ability is crowded out by judging, editing, fixing, forming rebuttals, and, in short, living in fear of the ramifications of what the other person is saying. This fear maintains the adversarial relationship and only creates more conflict.

Love, however, seeks understanding. This means being open and really listening to what one's spouse is expressing. In true listening with intention toward understanding, walls come down and together the couple begins to explore the reasons for the differences between them.

Rather than adversaries in conflict, they have united as a team in exploration.

Listening skills are crucial to exploration. One effective skill is to repeat or paraphrase what the speaker said and then check back with him or her to verify the accuracy. We also coach couples to follow up any statement with an open-ended invitation to say more-for instance, "What was that like for you?" and "Tell me more."

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The goal here is understanding, not agreement. Understanding does not mean agreement.

Agreement is a problem-solving goal and must be postponed until each partner feels fully understood.

Before approaching any volatile issue, we encourage couples to pray the famous lines of St. Francis of Assisi: "Lord, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console; to be understood as to understand." To give understanding is to give the purest form of love. Only the love communicated in understanding is able to transform the speaker and the listener and transcend the conflict. Only then is resolution possible.

SELF DISCLOSURE

One common trap couples fall into is to fixate on their partner's shortcomings. For example, when I complain to my wife, "You left the door open again," I implicitly assume that she is responsible to look out for my concern that the door be closed. Also, in making a "you" statement, I have most likely tacked on considerable judgment for not having closed the door. This naturally results in making her defensive which causes the conversation to shift to her excuses and anger at being judged. In so doing, I have also produced anger in my wife toward me rather than engendering empathy in her concerning my need to have the door closed.

Rather than making a "you" statement, we

coach clients to use self-disclosure-for example, "When you left the door open, I felt angry." This statement, because it is direct and vulnerable, facilitates understanding and empathy. We have seen remarkable healing take place in couples who gain awareness of their language patterns and shift from making "you" statements toward self-disclosure.

Self-disclosure is more than sharing feelings, however. One of the "rules" we often institute with a couple is that all feelings must be followed up with a request. When a person self-discloses feelings, we prompt them to fmish with "and the behavior I would like from you is .... " In this way, his or her partner is assisted in knowing how to respond.

INITIATIVE The best predictor of marital satisfaction and growth, say researchers, is a ratio of greater than five to one warm moments to hurtful moments between husband and wife. Successful therapy seems to be closely tied to the initiative our clients take as a result of our work together to increase the pleasurable moments between them and to decrease the hurtful exchanges. For instance, during our intensive week with couples, we encourage and guide them to make interventions into the problem areas in their marriage. Mer exploration and self-disclosure, a couple mutually agrees to take some initiative to address the problem. For one couple, her particular hurt related to being taken for granted. They decided that whenever they were out together, he would always open the car door or building door for her. They report that this intervention has been amazing in increasing warm moments and decreasing hurtful moments between them.

Initiative, however, takes effort. I remember all the attention I gave to Laurie early in our marriage to nurture and care for our relationship. It came so effortlessly. What happened? One explanation is that I've moved from trying to secure the relationship to being secure in the relationship. Now it has become all too easy to take our love for granted. But just as it requires attention and care to have good children, it takes attention and care to have a good marriage.

Often marriages that are in distress remind me of two people in a canoe drifting down a river without any oars-just drifting along and feeling at the mercy of outside forces . The only initiative seems to be attacking one's partner.

Part of the success of our program in helping hurting couples is due to the couple's willingness to seek help. Another factor is their commit-

ment to spend an entire week together in therapy working on their marriage. These conscious decisions are healing in and of themselves. There is hope for any marriage where at least one partner is intentional, deliberate and proactive. Initiative means dropping an oar in the water and rowing, even if it is to a therapist's office.

SACRIFICE Frequently the couples who come to Recovery of Hope for the intensive week are separated and are conSidering divorce. Over and over, it is the issue of sacrifice that makes or breaks the decision to recommit to the marriage. All the communication techniques and wise interventions we can bring to bear cannot overcome a heart that is not open to reach out beyond itself and extend care to the other.

When I met Laurie, I thOUght I had a pretty good idea of what to expect from a relationship, especially since I was a therapist. Was I in for a surprise! That first year of marriage was rough.

As I would confide what was going on inside of me, most of my married friends would just smile.

They knew.

Often my own desires, dreams and expectations for myself and for our marriage had to give way in order to love and care for my wife. I had my vision of how to love and care for Laurie, but she didn't always experience those behaviors as loving. If our marriage was going to survive, I realized I had to begin to love and care for Laurie in ways that she would experience as loving.

Many times my frame of reference had to be sacrificed to maintain the relationship.

From that first year of marriage, I learned something of what Jesus meant when he said, "Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. The man who loves his life will lose it." I learned flfSthand what my professor meant when she said those who wish to share in the rewards of relationship must also accept the responsibility of relationship. For me in my marriage, accepting the responsibility of relationship means sacrifice. Sacrifice, for me, means I must acknowledge Laurie's right to make a claim on all that is dear to me. The reality of this goes down hard sometimes, but in so doing, I have tasted the flfStfruits of what heaven must be like. i2

Ron Vogt is a psychologist specializing in marriage therapy. He is a graduate of Tabor College and MB Biblical Seminary. He and Laurie live in Mt. Gretna, Pa. JULY

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The high call of communion

BY DONNA VOTH JOST AND LYNN JOST

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VERY SUNDAY morning, in thousands of congregations, millions of believers hear the words, "This is my body ... " and "This is my cup ... ", and they celebrate communion. Every Sunday, there are undoubtedly hundreds of exceptional cases like the one David Wiebe described in his article, "When Is My Child Ready for Communion?" (May).

Adults with mental challenges celebrate without the benefit of full understanding. People with glowing facades but bitter spirits participate.

Unattended children sneak communion wafers in a grand cathedral. The point is this: The doctrine of the Lord's Supper is not designed to accommodate exceptional cases.

Why is communion controversial?

• All Christians eat the Lord's Supper. Orthodox and Anabaptist. Catholic and Evangelical. It's no wonder we have differing views.

• The Lord's Supper is important.

Together with baptism, communion symbolizes our Christian identity.

And the Lord's Supper is loaded with meaning.

• Practice varies. Although the Bible is clear about many things, biblical teaching of communion leaves room for local variations.

In his article, Wiebe asks, "Why do I think children should take communion?" The question itself raises other questions. Wiebe is writing for the church, but the question is couched in individual terms. The push for participation by young children is part of a cultural shift. Even the church is asking, "What's in this for me?" Individualism threatens to replace the community of faith.

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Partaking in the cup of our Lord should be the conscious choice of one who is also ready to die with Jesus.

Forum is a column of opinion and comment on contemporary issues facing the Mennonite Brethren Church. Manuscripts expressing an opinion for Forum should aim for a length of 800 words. Authors must sign articles, identify their church membership and vocation, and include a clear photo of themselves.

Unhooking baptism from the Lord's Supper presents two problems.

First and foremost, the separation is unbiblical. Acts 2:41-42 reports mass conversions, followed by baptism and Christian nurture, including "the breaking of bread." The recently changed Confession of Faith states, "The normal pattern in the New Testament was that baptism preceded participation in the Lord's Supper...."

Second, the distinction between the Lord's Supper for all believers and baptism for mature, committed believers is the logical outcome of this separation. The Bible nowhere allows for such differentiation into a two-class system. The Didache, the first Christian literature after the New Testament, describes the early church's procedure. New believers awaiting baptism are not included in communion. The supper is a meal for the corporate body. Initiation into the covenant community is marked by the symbol of baptism; membership is celebrated by the symbol of communion.

Doesn't this position reflect hardnosed suppression of children? Aren't we making too big an issue of an occasional symbol?

The God-given religious liberties which we enjoy may blur our understanding of the Lord's supper. The cup of thanksgiving is also a cup of suffering. When James and John requested seats of honor at the messianic banquet, Jesus asked, "Can you drink the cup I drink?" (Mk. 10:38).

Partaking in the cup of our Lord should be the conscious choice of one who is also ready to die with Jesus.

Both baptism and the Lord's supper symbolize believers' commitment to their Lord.

Children can be taught to love Jesus and to experience his love with-

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out rushing them into an "adult" commitment. Wiebe's sidebar, "Tips Toward a More Kid-Inclusive Communion," could be modified to help children feel at home in the family of Jesus. Church fellowship meals (and Passover events) linked with the Lord's Supper could be designed to include the unbaptized believer without breaching biblical guidelines.

The clear focus of communion is on community. In our individualistic world, the Lord's supper is especially essential. At the table we commit. We renew our bonds of covenant with the people of God. We share burdens.

We meet physical needs . We give offerings to assist distant sisters and brothers (Gal. 6:2).

At the table we gently confront sin and forgive the sinner in the name of the Lord (Mt. 18:15-20). We confess that Jesus is Lord, that our sins are forgiven and healed Gas. 5:16). We proclaim that in this world of death, our Lord gives life. We shout the glorious good news (1 Cor. 11 :26).

At the table we become one. Black and white. Male and female. Rich and poor. Barriers are erased when we come to serve one another on the only level ground in the universe-at the foot of the cross (Gal. 3:28).

Let's make the Lord's Supper all our Lord wants it to be by including all who are baptized into the covenant community. Like the Emmaus disciples, may our eyes be opened to covenant unity in the breaking of the bread.

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Donna Voth fost is pursuing a master's in special education at Vanderbilt University. Lynn, who teaches Bible at Tabor College, is on doctoral leave there. They are members of the Hillsboro (Kan.) MB Church.

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the sin of failure to respect the elderly "Can I Grow After 65?" by Katie (Lam. 5:12).

Funk Wiebe (February), ftnds an echo Is it signmcant when Jesus charges in many hearts of the growing aging the Pharisees with the sin of not propopulation in the Mennonite Brethren viding for their fathers and mothers Church. Ten institutions, known as with the pretense that missions-"any"old people's homes" and owned by thing of mine you might have been churches in several district confer- helped by, has been given to God" ences, are part of a larger culture (Mt. 15:4-7)-had priority? With Jesus, where fathers and moththe care for fathers and ers-the aged-are socially How do we mothers takes precedence isolated, separated from over responsibility for the immediate family and insti- reconcile the kingdom of God-missions. tutionalized.

In his conversation with biblical teaching the rich young ruler, Jesus The youth culture, dom- to honor and inant in contemporary sociplaces the failure to "honor ety and in the life of many provide for our your father and your mothchurches, forces the "older er" as sin equal to murder, adultery and stealing (Mk. generation" to the periph- aging mothers 10:17-22, Lk. 18:18-23). ery of the larger spiritual and fathers fellowship. Many of the How do we reconcile the elderly, in reality still pil- with the biblical teaching related to lars of the church, learn to general trend to our obligation to honor and provide for our aging mothmake their contribution to the spiritual quality and transfer their ers and fathers with the genfinancial resources of the care to public eral trend to transfer their fellowship from the percare to public welfare? I iphery. They participate in welfare? remember when caring for the life of the church with the aged and poor was an decreasing opportunity to share in important item on conference agenshaping the spirit in worship and pro- das and congregational meetings. gram. The slogan "Are you 65, then Establishing 10 care centers for the step aside" -a statement that came aged testiftes to this past dedication. from a pastor prominent in the conMy concern is born with a backference-seems to find wide accep- ground of living in a retirement comtance. The place of the "elders of the munity for 15 years. I have lived side people," dominant in biblical history, by side with the aged. At times it's has gradually moved into the back- been depressing, but more so rewardground. ing. Many residents have become These trends give cause for con- charges of the state because social cern from a biblical perspective. The security benefits are inadequate to social structure of biblical history cover the cost of their care. throughout the Old Testament places My concern reaches a degree of responsibility for the spiritual condition of each era upon the elders in that society. The ftrst commandment all> in human relationship is "Honor your (,~~ Pontius' Puddle father and your mother" (Ex. 20: 12), Ht>.LLELOJA."\ I'VE le.I-II£I/£D with the admonition "you shall rise Sp,(lI~L l'rltf:£~~IO~ , 1: A\II\ ~L~Io/L~S9 -- AN before the gray-headed and honor the lJ~BLE'\II\ISI(El) VE'gsEL . aged" (Lev. 19:32). In his farewell I#..AV c.oo Sf#.ITE' \ll\E I~ 'T'~\s address, Moses emphasizes that the IS NOT so\ welfare of his people's future depends on their relationship to the elderly, fathers and mothers (Deut. 5:16). The prophet Jeremiah charges Israel with

pain when I find widows from our churches-some wives of past leaders-sharing a room designed for one occupant because of insufficient pension provisions. Robbed of all privacy, they wait for their deliverance to the blessed hope beyond. Because of a few hundred dollars a month, must our people be limited by inadequate provision of the state, placed in an institution, robbed of all privacy, and forgotten by the churches?

In keeping with the biblical mandate, support from churches to institutions that care for elderly would remove existing inadequacies in the care of our aging brothers and sisters.

Is it time that we review our priorities in light of the Scripture in the assignment of responsibilities?

J B. Toews Fresno, Calif.

Have we less money?

When representatives of Mennonite Brethren churches in North America assemble in convention in Fresno, Calif., this month, I have heard that one of the central themes will be the need to cut back on conference ministries. The reason? Our church members and adherents have less money to support these ministries than they have had in the past.

I challenge that assumption. Some individuals, families and congregations no doubt ftnd themselves in difficult financial straits, but that is nothing new. In total, I believe Mennonite Brethren congregations in North America have much greater fmancial resources now than ever before.

I have traveled extensively through

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five Canadian provinces and at least eight U.S. states. This is what I observed: Never before have our members, generally speaking, lived in nicer homes-and owned so many of them.

Never before have our members done more traveling, including cruises, trips to Europe, and winters in warm, sunny climates.

Never before have Mennonite Brethren spent so much money on eating out-and driven more expensive cars to get there.

Never before have so many Mennonite Brethren owned investments in mutual funds, IRAs, government bonds, or other forms of securities.

Never before have our local church buildings been as comfortable, spacious and expensive.

Never before have so many Mennonite Brethren households had two good incomes and the resulting increase in financial resources. Mennonite Brethren used to be maids; they didn't hire maids.

I find nothing necessarily wrong with any of the above indulgences.

But I cannot accept the argument that we who have such things don't have the very small sums of money needed to underwrite our conference ministries.

I'm aware, of course, of some standard rejoinders to this sort of analysis.

"It won't last," say some critics of our current economic well-being. Perhaps, but we are dealing with the present.

"There's less money available for charities," is another frequent comment. But government data suggest charitable donations have never been higher than now.

"The older people have the money," is a common one. This may be partly true. But God requires from us that we give as we are able to give.

If it's the seniors who have the most resources, so be it.

As a conference of committed Christians, we need to maintain a balanced perspective . We need to ask ourselves tough questions, contemplate realities carefully, give honest answers, avoid rationalization-and then reject unwarranted ministry reductions.

John H Redekop Abbotsford, B.C. 16

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Doing justice to 'justice' The notion of justice to which Marvin Hein referred when answering a question about war in the Old Testament (Inquiring Minds, April) bears a second look, especially in view of Donovan Ediger's letter (May). Ediger thinks that to give priority to justice instead of to the value of human life, implies that sinful people, by anyone's definition, can be "dispatched" as "expendable." Not so.

The Western mindset, to oversimplify, thinks of "justice" as punishing the bad guys and rewarding the good guys . The Bible, by contrast, holds that righteousness and justice are the foundation of God's throne. "Justice" means a wholesome, harmonious relationship between persons defined along the lines of what is right.

When humans so violate a "just" relationship that excessive hurt and destruction result, the fabric of "justice" is tom; it is kaput. In reading about war, as ordered by God with the reSUlting loss of life, we quickly bemoan the death of persons as though their existence were of greatest worth, but these persons have already abandoned justice. What is to be done then? God, not we, must decide. Sure, life is valuable. The same God who said, "I have loved you with an everlasting love" Oer. 31 :3), also said, "I, the Lord, love justice" (Is. 61:8).

Brother Ediger might consider how a God who is committed to justice (wholeness of right relationships) as well as to the value of human life (God has no pleasure in the death of the wicked [Ezek. 33:11)) is to proceed when the life that is valued is totally unraveled through evil.

Brother Ediger's too hasty conclusion that we take justice-Americanstyle-into our own hands and dispatch "whoever" is beside the point.

The point is that we take God's definition of justice into our hands, so to speak, and establish wholesome relationships all around.

Elmer Martens Fresno, Calif.

Aname for all of us?

I suggest that all of our Mennonite groups adopt the umbrella name "Mennonite Church of Christ ." We need to keep our current denominaLEA D E R

tional names, but the umbrella name would unify us as one denomination.

Our witness to the world would be one of unity.

To be called the Mennonite Church of Christ would be an incentive to live up to that name . Christ's church is one, not divided. When we recognize the variety of gifts within the church and that we need each other, competitiveness and jealousy would be minimized. The healing ministries of the church need to be open to all who need them-the emotionally ill, military veterans, homosexuals, persons of all races, etc.

Mennonite Central Committee is already a model of the Mennonite Church of Christ. Eighteen Mennonite and Brethren in Christ groups belong to it. Our mission is to feed the body and soul of people The Mennonite Church of Christ could identify closely with the Mennonite World Conference, lifting us from our provincialism to a church with a global vision.

All our current periodicals could remain as they are, except that they should also include the umbrella name, Mennonite Church of Christ .

The same could be true of various conferences, organizations and schools.

Let's pull together now as one church, the Mennonite Church of Christ.

Geraldine Gross Harder North Newton, Kan.

Agood name game Thank you, George Nachtigall, for expressing your thoughts about our name change in Phoenix (April).

The original Palm Glen Neighborhood Church of the Mennonite Brethren, an alias of Palm Glen Mennonite Brethren Church over the past 31 years, is officially known now as Desert Valley Community Church of the Mennonite Brethren.

The name change was the best thing to happen to this area in years.

Oh yes, Mr. Nachtigall, I learned a new word-"karoake"- and its meaning.

Thank you for all letters-pro and con. We believe God's kingdom will be furthered because of the concern and prayers on our behalf.

Ola Mary Frey Phoenix, Ariz.

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BY PHILIP WIEBE

Up the Creek

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HEN MICHAEL DICK of the Mennonite Brethren Board of Resource Ministries suggested during a trip to Chicago that we visit Willow Creek Community Church, instigator of today's hot "seeker movement," I was all for it. What an opportunity to critique the center of our trendiest church trend, and even more importantly, get material for an easy column.

So Michael Dick, Marilyn Hudson of Kindred Productions and myself pointed our rented Dodge Neon toward the suburb of South Barrington and set off to seek the seeker church. Now, I've never been shy about my seeker service skepticism-at times the movement seems bent on entertaining rather than enlightening-so I admit to heading toward The Creek as a cynic. As we rolled through the country club countryside of South Barrington, with its stately six-bedroom estates, I commented, "Pastor's housing."

OK, cheap shot. But as I said earlier, my main mission on this outing was, "Easy column."

Atop a rise, we spotted the expansive church grounds in the distance . Or so we assumed. Where else would there be Disneylandlike traffic at 10:30 Sunday morning? I'd heard Willow Creek boasted something like 25,000 attenders throughout a given week, and negotiating thick traffic toward the parking lot entrance, I didn't doubt it.

We puffed into the entry drive and got a better view of the church; an attractive brick-andglass campus graced by lovely trees and a rambling lake. A sign out front said, "Willow Creek Corporate Headquarters." Well, no, I guess it really said "Willow Creek Community Church."

Without the sign, though, people might have taken it for Hewlett Packard.

As we passed the complex's tourist, er, churchgoer-clogged entry area on our way to the oceanic parking lot, I declared, "Hey, isn't that Mickey, Minnie, and Goofy over there?" Shame on me. I was already having way too much fun for church.

After parking, we made our Oong) way into the church's foyer, leading to the question: Is a foyer still a foyer when it's bigger than my church's entire education wing? A greeter said hello and gave us programs. That was it. No one else talked to us or acknowledged our presence.

And here I must boldly speak my mind and say, I kind of liked that. I realize that "friendliness" is a holy commandment of modem church

life, and of course that's good. Better, certainly, than some of the stoic and sour-faced ways of old. But I wonder if we can get too friendly.

Sometimes it seems that when newcomers come, we're all over them. "Absolutely fabulous to have you here, and after you tell me your entire life history, I have a list of committees I'd like you to consider joining." I'm exaggerating (maybe), but at times we seem to believe that attracting newcomers to church means suspending the normal rules of politeness and courtesy in favor of passionate chumminess. It can, I think, be off-putting.

At Willow Creek, I noticed in some of their literature, they use "nonthreatening." In a world full of bad feelings and misconceptions about the church, it may not be a bad word. At any rate, as I said, I kind of liked the fact that nobody bugged us. I didn't have to go through the embarrassment of having to explain myself.

After getting settled in our comfortable theater seats in the spacious auditorium, I noticed the program declared up front that their seeker services were "designed to present basic truths of the Christian faith at an introductory level." A pretty way of saying "sound and media bites," I figured. But I also figured I'd enjoy hearing Bill Hybels, the church's founder and senior pastor, who wrote one of my favorite books, Too Busy Not to Pray. Looking over the program, I located, Message: Nancy Ortberg. Nancy Ortberg?

The morning message was being brought by a woman? Hey, maybe this place would be all right after all!

And it was. If I went in cynical, I came out impressed. On the whole, the service came across as professional yet warm, casual yet-dare I say-substantial. It's a little troubling to admit that I came away from this seeker service with more useful insights than I've gotten from a lot of believer's services. It defmitely made me want to check out one of Willow Creek's midweek believer'S meetings.

All in all, it was a good reminder never to judge a church by its clones. "Willow Creek Model" churches are everywhere these days, and not all of them compliments to the original. But that's what happens when structure supersedes Spirit. Saying "We do it this way because Willow Creek does" is hardly different than the old, "We do it this way because we always have. " Good thing for today's church, I realize now, that Willow Creek doesn't. ef2 r

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to the oceanic parking lot, I declared, "Hey, isn't that Mickey, Minnie, and Goofy over there?" Shame

on me. I was already having

way too much fun for church.

Philip Wiebe lives in Salem, Ore. lQQ"

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BY MARVIN

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We hear lots of "devil" talk these days. Can Satan read our thoughts? Do we have to speak aloud for Satan to hear? How much emphasis should be placed on "enemy" talk in church discussions and sermons? (CALIFORNIA)

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"Spiritual warfare" and "power theology" are favorite topics in some evangelical circles. It is clear that the New Testament speaks of our being in conflict with spiritual powers. Since we cannot deny that such powers exist, to downplay the importance of "spiritual warfare" almost automatically calls into question our spirituality. We have, however, also been urged to "test the spirits," which would assume that not everything is necessarily as it is preached, even when it sounds very scriptural.

First, I doubt that Satan can read our thoughts. 1 Corinthians 2: 11 would seem to indicate that the Spirit has been given the capacity to know the thoughts of men and women. That is why the Spirit can intercede for us.

Satan is not all-knowing. He doesn't have unlimited access to our thoughtworld.

But we can open our minds to Satan. One of the despicable things about using mind-altering drugs is that minds become susceptible to outside influences and can come under Satan's attack, which can result in treacherous consequences.

As for speaking to the devil, James says we should "resist" him, and draw near to God. The Bible offers evidence that demons were cast out by speaking to them in the Lord's name. What is more clear is that we can be guilty both of too little and too much talk about demons . In some circles, no one wants to talk about demon possession. At the same time I'm convinced that possession is more prevalent than we want to believe. On the other hand, some people seem to see a demon under every rock or bush.

We need to keep a balance.

We need a healthy respect for Satan. He goes about like a roaring "e>

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Every General Conference convention seems to have a hotly debated issue. A vote is taken.

After the dust settles, nothing much seems to change. Are General Conference resolutions binding? Or just guidelines? How are they enforced?

(CALIFORNIA) Some of us are old enough to remember when convention decisions were considered binding. Records indicate that noncomplying persons or churches were confronted. Admittedly, some rather unloving actions were taken in the name of conference fidelity.

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lion, and you neither ignore lions nor brag about your safety from them. So I suggest that we don't go around boasting about our power against the demonic worldthat may be teasing the lion.

Nor do we walk in fear of the demonic power-that may be minimizing the power of the Spirit who lives within us.

A friend has suggested that in spiritual warfare, we ought to see the war as a "truth encounter" rather than a "power encounter." Many spiritual warfare battlers exercise a kind of egotistical warfare because they major on the "power." My friend contends it is "truth" that sets us free, reveals Satan's lies and exposes him for who he really is. The Word of God frees people in bondage. That's why it is so important to know and use the Word in doing battle with Satan.

When persons struggle with demons and are delivered by "power," they may well have recurring battles.

When the victory comes through God's Word, reliance rests upon the ever-present Word and not upon the "power broker."

To be sure, if ever we are agents of deliverance to those bound by Satan, we should make sure the released person knows it was the Word that delivered, not us.

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Do you have a question about a Bible passage, doctrine, conference policy, or other spiritual issue?

Send it to "Inquiring Minds, " c/o Marvin Rein, 4812 E. Butler, Fresno, CA 93727. extreme. Too often we hear, "The convention can vote as it pleases, but we will go home and do what we want." Two sins are revealed in that attitude: a great big dose of intoxicating American individualism, and an absence of appreciation for the body, the church.

The same spirit causes people in the local church to vote with their feet . They walk away if they do not agree. The result is a lot of church "transplanting."

I doubt that we realize how far down the road of rugged individualism we have come. When I read, for instance, the suggestions coming across my desk about people's views on projected revisions of articles of the Confession of Faith, I'm depressed. We all know best. We all want to do it our way. We trust very few others. We can find fault with anything. We threaten to leave if we don't get our way. We sound a lot like little children who throw tantrums if they cannot rule the household.

So, inquirer, you are more correct than I want to admit. The closest we can come to passing along directives is "guidelines." We pass motions and then I sense that even the most faithful among us often disregard them.

My, isn't that a bit negative? Yes, I plead guilty. Some churches look to the conference for guidance. Some even look for ultimatums, especially if they coincide with their views.

No, all is not lost. Among us remains an honest desire to work as a cohesive body of churches, but we struggle because it has become so easy to be "conformed to this world" and want our own way. $2

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BY JIM

HOLM

Conditional forgiveness

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ATELY I'VE BEEN DEALING with some Christians who refuse to forgive others. I am talking about so-called believers who carry hurts and bitterness and grudges against other people, and who carry them for a long time, sometimes even years, without giving or seeking forgiveness. In fact, there are people who harbor anger over the imagined slights of others. Yet these unforgiving Christians seem to think they are in good standing with their heavenly Father. I wonder if it would make a difference if they understood that God can not only withhold forgiveness, he can remove it when it has already been given.

Matthew 18:35 contains one of those difficult statements that Jesus made about forgiveness. Difficult, not in the sense that it is hard to understand, but that it is nearly impossible to accept. The statement reads, "This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart." The most troubling word in the sentence is "this."

What is the "this" that the heavenly Father will do to each one who is unforgiving?

Jesus's statement comes at the end of a parable. The Lord had been teaching his disciples about the necessity of forgiveness. Peter then wanted to know how many times it was necessary to forgive someone. By offering to extend this favor seven times, Peter felt he was being extravagant, going far beyond what common courtesy might require. But Jesus's response, "Not seven times, but seventy-seven times," showed how far off the mark Peter's attempts to calculate forgiveness were. Forgiveness is part of the character of God, Jesus intimated, and therefore the Christian is always in a forgiving spirit. In short, it is to be expected that Christians will forgive. It is standard procedure.

But what if they do not? That's the question we ask as we read this passage. Jesus answers our unspoken query in this parable of the unforgiving servant. The story is simple, and typically Middle Eastern. The royal potentate has a servant who owes him a huge amount. When the servant begs for time to repay, the king goes far beyond what kindness would suggest and actually forgives the debt. That servant goes out and, finding one of his fellow-servants who owes him a pittance, has the fellow thrown into jail for nonpayment. Though the second servant begs for time, his fellow-servant allows none.

When word comes to the king that the one he had forgiven has refused to extend forgiveness to another, the king becomes so angry that he reverses his decision to forgive the huge debt, and he orders his servant to be tortured until the sum is paid.

The story is clear, but then Jesus says the fateful words: "This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you, etc .... " Does Jesus mean that God would revoke a pardon which he had already granted, that God would remove forgiveness which he had already extended? Does Jesus mean that God would be so angry at the unforgiveness of one of Jesus's followers that he would "unforgive" them? As hard as it is to believe, we must conclude from this parable that is exactly what Jesus is saying. God would reverse himself, canceling forgiveness already given, if one of his followers would not forgive his brother or sister from the heart.

We know that Jesus believed in forgiveness, that he insisted his followers should be forgivers. In the Lord's Prayer, he instructed us to say, "Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors." And immediately following his teaching in that prayer, Jesus spoke these words: "If you forgive [people] when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive [people] their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins" (Mt. 6:14-15). The meaning is not ambiguous, and it should not be avoided. Jesus appears to be saying that those who persist in an unfor· giving attitude do not enjoy the assurance of God's forgiveness.

I ache inside when I see the conflicts between people, and I hurt for their unwillingness to forgive and reconcile. I, we, need to take unforgiveness seriously. Since we know that God can withdraw forgiveness from us, our hearts oUght to become softer.

Can it happen? I hope so. f!!2.

Jesus appears

to be saying

that those who persist in an unforgiving attitude do

not enjoy the assurance of God's forgiveness.

Jim Holm is from Reedley, Calif.

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Envisioning a rural future

by KATIE FUNK WIEBE

• Demographic challenges motivate Carson MB Church to rethink ministry focus

HAT MEASURES can a rural church take to keep from dwindling and eventually dying under the pressures of urbanization? Farms grow larger and farm families smaller. In a rural community, life has fewer headlinemaking events . The city beckons young people with its economic, academic and cultural opportunities.

Carson MB Church, Delft, Minn., has faced a declining attendance for some years.

From a high membership of about 200 in the 1940s and 1950s, attendance today is fair· ly stable in the upper 70s.

What lies ahead for such a congregation?

"We are not ready to give up," says Ed Eytzen, moderator.

"There is a definite future for this church."

Pastor Herb Schroeder's study of the demographics of the church, which he recently presented to the church, doesn't look encouraging. But even that doesn't deter Eytzen.

"Even though the facts in our community and in the Central District are not encouraging, I believe God has put us here to be a light for him in this community and to reach into homes in the area.... God can and will turn this thing around for us if we do our part."

"This thing" that needs turning around includes: • An overall declining membership. The Carson church is located in the small, unincorporated town of Delft, which has a population of about 60. People leave the area because there are few economic opportunities for them. The church is made up of primarily two age groups.

One is working people age 30 to 40 with families who are mostly farmers and agribusiness people. The other group is senior citizens (65 plus). Sev-

Millard Bible Church in suburban Omaha, Neb . , Lincoln Hills Bible Church in Sioux Falls, S.D., and Washington Heights Community Church in era! teenagers are poised to leave for Bismarck, N.D.-all new and flourishwork or college in the next few years. ing congregations. Pressure is on older The congregation has no one in the rural congregations to think of heading for the city.

20-something age group.

But there's lots on the other side to • Older adults are retiring to the larger community of Mountain Lake. weight the scales for Carson MB Church to buck the trend and move toward growth: • A pastor who feels called to a rural church ministry. Herb Schroeder, who came to the Carson MB Church in 1993, sees himself as a rural pastor. A rural church is not his stepping stone to a larger urban church.

Schroeder's ministry with the church began in September 1993. Prior to that he was pastor of the Post Oak MB Church of Indiahoma, Okla., The Carson meetinghouse for 11 years. His ftrst pastorate forms a dominant presence was the Community Bible in the Delft community.

Church of Olathe, Kan . , where he served more than four years. The Carson church had contacted 13 other "You have to be prospective pastors before content with slow him; none was willing to candidate for the position. visible results and be willing to "I was happy to candidate redefine your measure of success." at Carson," says Schroeder, -HERB SCHROEDER "and am thrilled that the Lord opened the way for me to • People feel a relentless push to come here. I believe I am God's man become urban because that's where for this church at this time. I am able church growth seems to take place in to function well and feel comfortable this decade. Of all Mennonite denomi- in small rural churches where many nations, Mennonite Brethren are the others could not serve." most urbanized, according to socioWhat are the traits of a rural pastor? logical studies made in recent years. "You have to be content with slow visMennonites in western United States, ible results and be willing to redeftne who are largely German-Russian back- your measure of success.You have to ground, are roughly twice as urban as be able to live with long-term tradiMennonites in eastern America, who tions and take the church as it is. are largely of Swiss background (Men- Change comes slowly." nonite Encyclopedia, V) . The first Schroeder's personal goals are tied members of the Carson church were to his ministry goals: to grow in Christ Russian-German Mennonites from the personally and to guide others in their own spiritual growth and developUkraine.

In the Central District, eyes are on ment. "My primary spiritual gift is

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teaching," he says. "My sermons are strongly biblical and expositional."

Schroeder is committed to longterm pastorates. He believes building can only begin after being in a church at least three years. Schroeder and three deacons meet Friday mornings more for prayer and encouragement than for business.

• A congregation committed to their church. "There is good unity and fellowship within the group," Schroeder says. Some older people who have moved to Mountain Lake drive the 12 miles to attend church in Delft. Some come from Bingham Lake.

To accommodate these older members in winter when roads may not be good, Schroeder conducts a midweek Bible study in Mountain Lake.

"God was doing some pruning in the years prior to my coming," Schroeder says. People speak of a better spirit and not so much "pressure and tension" now.

• Faithful stewardship practices.

Carson MB Church is one of few churches that consistently gives at or above the suggested conference norms.

• Mature lay leadership. "I am impressed with the maturity and skills of our church leaders and with the musical ability this church has," Schroeder says.

• Loyalty to inter-Mennonite and Mennonite Brethren enterprises. The church pays the pastor's expenses to all conferences and activities he attends. Eight teens and two adults attended Estes '95 . Some members are active in and strong supporters of Mennonite Central Committee and Mennonite Disaster Service.

• A willingness to do self-examination and make changes. "We are searching for a new vision and the willingness to try some new approaches," Schroeder says.

During the past few months, Schroeder has been working with the church leadership to develop a new vision for the next decade. "We recognize that simply maintaining the status quo will result in continued decline and eventual demise of the church," he says.

The vision-building process will begin with a church evaluation to hear what the congregation has to say about where it is and what changes need to be made. Schroeder is also

teaching a series of Bible studies on spiritual gifts to help the majority of the congregation identify its mix of spiritual gifts . He then intends to develop programs and ministries that will enable members to minister in their area of strength.

Plans call for revision of the organizational structure so that ministries are built around people's gifts rather than forcing people to fit established program slots.

Three out of four Sundays worship services follow a traditional pattern, but on the fourth Sunday, the emphasis is more contemporary. A leader or worship team leads the singing of choruses and opportunities to share and praise . A choir sings once a month. The theology is biblical and conservative.

A key issue Critical to the new vision is the need for an awareness that there are still people in the small community of Delft and surrounding areas to be evangelized. "We have to expand our ministry to a wider radius and think in terms of miles rather than blocks," Schroeder says.

The small Delft community has changed dramatically through the years. Once almost totally Mennonite, it is now inhabited by unchurched people, mostly from lower income groups.

Schroeder has held one membership class since he began at Carson. It consisted of four adults and five teenagers. As a result, two adults and four teenagers were baptized and joined the church. The two adults and one teenager became Christians as a direct result of the friendship and caring of the church people.

"The Carson Church must make a major change in our philosophy of ministry," Schroeder says. "We are now a traditional church, trying to get people to come to our church, become a part of our group and get their needs met through the services we provide here.

"We need to focus more on meeting people where they are, discerning their physical, emotional, relational and spiritual needs and developing ministries to meet these needs. The focus must be much more on ministry outside the walls rather than within the walls of the church."

The aim, he says, is not to become urban but to become more relevant to the community.

The "glory" days The Carson MB Church began in 1875 when a group of Russian-Mennonite immigrants chose Carson township to homestead. These Mennonites were among the 18,000 who emigrated from Russia to the United States and Canada between 1875 and 1880. The first baptismal service was held June 11, 1877, when a decision was made to organize a Mennonite Brethren church (formerly known as Bingham Lake Church).

Minnesota congregations from 1896 to 1950 commissioned 27 missionaries for overseas and city mission work. Minnesota churches are the mother churches of some early Canadian congregations in Manitoba.

Stable leadership respected conference-wide gave strength to the Carson church for decades after its initial organization. The first pastor, Heinrich Voth, served as minister for 40 years and Abraham J. Wiebe, the second minister, for 24. The congregation grew into one of the largest and most influential of the Mennonite Brethren churches.

In its glory days the Carson church flourished in a thriving farming community with about 200 members. The church could have been described as the typical Mennonite Brethren church of the times. They lived in a rural community, farmed for a living, and attended a country church. They established missions in cities, like Minneapolis, but did not live and work there.

The Carson church boasted a large chOir, a strong missions emphaSiS, active Christian Endeavor, growing youth activities and Sunday school with teacher training sessions held periodically. Active women's organizations supported overseas missions.

The mid-week Bible study was a regular well-attended event-and continues to this day.

But for the members of today's church, the glory need not depart if the church remains faithful. Church members try to reach out and minister to community families through prayer, counseling, support and encouragement. Rural is not necessarily second-best.

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FELLOWSHIP

Hispanic Assembly draws 700-plus in celebration of growth and service • Reedley hosts fourth annual gathering of poe churches

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ORE THAN 700 people gathered to celebrate God's greatness during the fourth annual Hispanic Assembly held May 27-28 at the Reedley (Calif.) MB Church. The annual assembly, convened for the hispanic churches of the Pacific District Conference, is intended to celebrate God's faithfulness which is evidenced in changed lives.

"The annual event is a reminder that growth is a process," says Juan Wall, associate director of Hispanic Ministries in the Pacific District. "We have not yet arrived, but we have grown and will continue to grow."

This year's gathering drew people from churches as far north as Portland, Ore., and as far south as Los Angeles.

For the first time, the assembly met for two days. Saturday afternoon featured workshops dealing with personal enrichment as well as church development. Several hundred people attended the Saturday evening banquet that, according to Wall, had "a

spirit of camaraderie, excitement and celebration. " At the four-hour Sunday afternoon service, a group of young people from the churches, using a contemporary style, led worship and praise. In contrast, a choir from the churches sang traditional songs.

"People enjoyed both styles as they lifted their hearts and minds in praise to Jesus," Wall says.

Testimonies evidenced changed lives . One young man told how, months ago, he and his best friend came to Reedley in a stolen car. They had stolen the car for fun and ended up at the home of Juan Montes, pastor of the Mennonite Brethren church in nearby Parlier. Since then, both young men have made commitments to Christ and play instruments in the worship services of their local church.

They actively reach out to other young people who need the Lord.

"Throughout the hispanic churches, God's grace has changed people's lives," Wall says.

The assembly concluded with a message from Carlos Calera, an international evangelist. He challenged the people to walk with the Lord and be sensitive to the Holy Spirit's leading.

When a closing invitation was given, about 50 people came forward to rededicate their lives to the Lord and his service.

The annual assemblies evidence the continuing development of hispanic congregations in the Pacific District.

In the late '50s, six tnission churches were established by individual congregations to respond to needs among hispanic farm workers in the Central San Joaquin Valley. In time, the district became more directly involved. Iglesia Los Hechos, San Jose, Calif., was the first church started under the umbrella of the district.

In 1987, a group of hispanic leaders began to function under the loosely defined term Ministerios Hispano (Hispanic Ministries). As time passed, this group of leaders became more organized and took on more responsibility for the ministry of the hispanic congregations.

From 1988-92, the number of hispanic churches grew from eight to 24.

They were scattered from the Mexico border to San Jose. The paradigm shifted from older churches primarily located in small towns to new churches established in urban centers. Since

An interchurch youth group. directed by keyboard player Oscar Hernandez. leads the assembly in contemporary-style worship.

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1992, the number of hispanic churches has remained stable.

The Hispanic Assembly, which designates the hispanic Mennonite Brethren congregations as a whole, was formed in 1993 when the Pacific District modified its bylaws. Groups, based on ethnic identity, were freed to organize themselves within the conference. Members of the Hispanic Council, a group of hispanic leaders who provide guidance to the assembly, serve on the district boards.

The hispanic churches continue to grow. During the 1994-95 fiscal year, congregations averaged an 11 percent increase, excluding the new churches added during the year. The Hispanic Assembly has adopted the goal of a minimal 10 percent annual growth, stressing its commitment that churches be motivated and equipped to reproduce themselves.

"The hispanic churches are encouraged," Wall says. "They will continue to grow through the power of the Holy Spirit as they share the grace of God through Jesus Christ with their neighbors. May the Lord show his support for the work that gives eternal results." -from a report by Juan Wall

TRANSITION

Toews accepts call to Conrad Grebel presidency • MBBS mainstay to leave current post Jan. 1, 1996

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OHN E. TOEWS, professor of New Testament at MB Biblical Seminary since 1977, has submitted his resignation, effective Jan. 1, 1996. Toews has accepted the presidency of Conrad Grebel College in Waterloo, Ont. "The call from Conrad Grebel College came at their initiative, and as a complete surprise," Toews wrote in his resignation letter to president Henry Schmidt. "It would have been easier to stay in Fresno and complete our ministry here. But calls are gifts of grace; they give affirmation and present new opportunities and challenges."

Toews had been contacted by the college last year, but was unable to consider the move because of health concerns for his wife, Arlene.

Schmidt told faculty and staff he received the letter of resignation with mixed emotions-thankfulness for Arlene's recovery and a challenging opportunity for John, but acknowledgement of the "enormous loss" to MBBS. "I thank God for his contribution as administrator (12 1/2 years as academic dean and one year as interim president), teacher, Toews scholar, directional leader, curriculum developer, writer and denominational leader," Schmidt said.

"On the other hand, his resignation is an enormous loss to the Seminary and to denominational leadership, particularly because of his leadership strengths and the other faculty transitions at MBBS this year."

This spring the retirement of Elmer Martens and the resignations of Howard Loewen and Toews have ushered in a major faculty tranSition, Schmidt said, which can be attributed to the aging of faculty and career moves of faculty in their 50s, and to the caliber of MBBS faculty.

"It is not surprising they receive invitations from other institutions," Schmidt said. "It is a compliment to the quality of faculty MBBS has developed over the years. " Toews's teaching career includes assignments at Fresno Pacific College, Conrad Grebel, Tabor College and MBBS. He was also academic dean at Conrad Grebel from 1971 to 1973 and academic dean at the seminary from 1980 to 1992. He served as interim president between the administrations of Larry Martens and Schmidt.

In the Mennonite Brethren denomination, Toews has served on the General Conference Board of Faith and Life since 1984, and the U.S .

Board of Church Ministries (1980-86).

He has also chaired task forces on peace education, women in ministry, new pastor orientation, internationalization, Confession of Faith revision and long-range planning.

IN BRIEF • Mennonite Brethren institutions were not among the many religious and nonprofit agencies caught by the fraudulent schemes of Foundation for New Era Philanthropy. New Era , which promised to double the fund-raising of such organizations through matching gifts of anonymous donors, declared bankruptcy May 15 after the Wall Street Journal reported that the organization appeared to be operating an enormous financial scam. Sources at MB Biblical Seminary and Fresno Pacific College say school leaders had been aware of New Era, but had not pursued the matter. The board of Tabor College had discussed submitting a proposal to New Era, but had not done so. The list of charities and institutions who were promised funds from New Era reads like a who's who of Christian ministries.

Among them are Christian College Coalition, Focus on the Family, Mission Aviation Fellowship, World Vision and Youth for Christ. Christian colleges involved include Biola University, Fuller Theological Seminary, Moody Bible Institute, John Brown University and Wheaton College.

• Increased giving by U.S. churches enabled the u.s. Conference to finish the 1994-95 fiscal year in the black and to come closer to meeting its guaranteed subsidy to MB Biblical Seminary. The churches gave $258,737 to U.S. Conference ministries, a 16 percent increase from the previous year.

When all income sources were totaled, the U.S. Conference finished $12,769 above expenses. Meanwhile, the churches gave $228,249 toward the MBBS subsidy, an increase of 15 percent. Other income raised the amount forwarded to MBBS to $280,813. The amount guaranteed for 1994-95 was $296,416, leaving a shortfall of $15,603. Past years' shortfalls of $134,406 were also reduced to $46,978 by individual gifts and a large grant totaling $87,428. The total accumulated deficit owed MBBS stands at $62,581. "We are grateful for the increased giving and want to encourage additional increases for the coming year as Mission USA begins charting new directions for U.S. Mennonite Brethren," says Dale Regier, treasurer.

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GROWTH

IN BRIEF • Around 1,000 me mb ers of the Japan MB Conference's 27 churches gathered in Osaka May 5 to celebrate th e 4 5th an nive rsary of Me nn on ite Brethren mission work in that cou ntry.

Worshi p, music, international reports a nd messag es by Edmund Janzen, moderator of the North American Conference, filled out an intense six-hour program. (MBM/S) • Partici pants in Estes '95, the U.S. Mennonite Brethren youth conference, raised $11 ,925 in an offering taken March 28 at their fin al assembly. Conference planners had ho ped to raise $5,000 for a Youth Mission International summer project. No decision has been ma de a bo ut th e ove rfl ow, according to Greg Schmidt, director.

The offe ring total too k a sign ifi cant jump when the sound technician hired for the weekend donated 10 percent of his pay toward the goal.

• Me nn o nite Brethren, Brethren in Christ and Eastern Mennonite missionaries converged on Bangkok, Thailand, May 5-8 for the first Anabaptist missionary retreat in Southeast Asia. Ten families participated, including Russell and Elizabeth Schmidt, MB Missions/ Se rvices worke rs in Thailand , and Mark Siemens, Men no nite Central Committee volunteer in Thailand. "The retreat was an atte mpt at drawing together Anabaptist workers in Southeast Asia, regardless of what organization th ey are wo rking wi th ," says Schmidt, who was an organizer of the event. "Because of the common heritage that we all share, we were able to bond as a mutually edifying group very quickly. All were encouraged and would like to continue annual retreats of this kind. " (MBM/S) • Three teams from Fresno Pacific College competed in th e NAIA National Championships this year: women's volleyball, women's basketball and men's basketball . This was the first tim e a California NAIA school sent both men's and women's teams in the same sport to the national tournament in th e same year, reports Jeff McAlister, FPC sports promotion director. (FPC)

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Two Korean groups to affiliate with Pacific District • Anabaptist confession attracts independents

dent Korean congregations are also considering affiliation. "It is likely, if we can meet the needs for biblical interaction, this is the beginning of a strong Korean fellowship of churches in our conference."

The Korean Mustard Seed Church, Denver, Colo., was the first Korean congregation to affiliate with the Mennonite Brethren, joining the Southern District Conference in 1993.

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HE ETHNIC MIX of the u.s. Conference continues to be enriched with the pending addition of two Korean congregations in the Los Angeles area.

Loyal Funk, u.s. Conference minister, reports that the two emerging but already self-supporting groups have applied for affiliation with the Pacific District Conference.

Cho Dai Church, pastored by Joshua Carl, is located in the heart of Korea Town in the Wilshire/Hollywood area of central Los Angeles.

Funk says the group has about 60 attenders with a vision to minister to the Korean immigrants who are joining the more than half a million Koreans living in the area. .

The second congregation, Bethany Korean Church of Orange County, is about the same size as Cho Dai Church and is led by John Song and Joshua Song.

"These churches have chosen to become Mennonite Brethren to have a fellowship with our Anabaptist confession," Funk says. He adds that the Confession of Faith has been translated into the Korean language to serve these and other interested congregations.

Funk says several other indepen-

Funk (center) poses with the leadership team from Bethany Korean Church.

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Negotiations lessen MBM/S tension with India Conference • Mission to release some suspended subsidy funds

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OLLOWING MORE than two years of tense relations, a delegation representing the General Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches, including MB Missions/Services, flew to Hyderabad, India, to meet with the Governing Council of the India Conference, May 26-June 1. The ensuing negotiations about the troubled partnership were especially productive.

As an immediate result of the talks, Harold Ens, MBM/S general director, and Neil Fast, board vice-chairman, released some of the subsidy funds that had not been sent to the India Conference since June 1994. Monthly subsidies, which help support about 75 village evangelists and Bible teachers, have now been resumed.

Prior to their arrival, Edmund Janzen, General Conference moderator, spent several days in discussions with the Governing Council and an opposing faction. The priority of reconciliation was agreed to by both sides, and both groups committed themselves to ongoing mediation. (See accompanying story.)

"God's Spirit was most gracious in allowing opposing brothers to express themselves in a tolerant manner," Janzen says.

Also participating was Takashi Manabe of the Japan MB Conference. Both he and Janzen sit on the International Committee of Mennonite Brethren, the body which acts as an informal

BODYLIFE

board of counsel in matters involving interconference relationships.

On May 31, Ens read an "Open Letter to the India Church" from MBMjS to 60 to 70 leaders and workers. The letter acknowledged tension between the Governing Council and MBMjS and expressed the board's hope for reconciliation.

"Our desire was and is to work in partnership and harmony with the leadership of the India MB Church," the letter stated. "We regret that our actions may have brought hurt and misunderstandings contrary to our intentions. The Board has also been frustrated and hurt by actions relating to the India leadership. However, we declare ourselves willing to build bridges of mutual and pennanent forgiveness. We, and no doubt you, most sincerely want a wann spirit of cooperation and partnership."

After being translated into Telegu, the letter generated much discussion and led to the resumption of the partnership between MBMjS and the India Conference.

The sides reached a new agreement later in the day and signed it. In response to the resumption of subsidies, the Governing Council committed itself to establishing term limits for officers and adhering to defined procedures of accountability regarding use of MBMjS funds. "This is an answer to prayer," Ens says.

To facilitate continuing dialogue and maintain the positive momentum of the new covenant, MBMjS will place a representative in India, perhaps as early as September. The board will seek to name the individual at its July 5 meeting, the day before the General Conference convention in Fresno. (MBM/S)

'Hurt and ache' is conflict's legacy Editors' note: Edmund Janzen wrote this perspective on the India situation as part of a larger journal of his recent travels in Asia.

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UR SECOND LARGEST Mennonite Brethren conference in the world (numbering about 65,000 members) is badly split because of internal leadership squabbles. We have discovered that the history of this crisis is deeply rooted and complex. It goes all the way back to the time in the mid-1970s when our mission board turned over its properties to the national conference. The infighting for control and use of the money generated by these properties has resulted in a series of lawsuits and countersuits that have not honored God and have hurt the church's reputation.

When Christians go to court their witness is badly impugned, and usually all parties lose-even those who think they are vindicated. God's people hurt and ache with embarrassment at the fallout of such behavior. We have discovered that many, many believers-both in India and around the Janzen world-have been seriously fasting and praying that somehow God might intervene, and that healing might come again to this fractured church conference.

After much consultation with the Governing Council and with the Opposing Group, we managed to invite both sides to come together for two hours in one room. Needless to say the meeting was intense; yet God was gracious, enabling us to at least begin the reconciliation process-for both sides agreed that reconciliation was indeed apriority, and both agreed to further mediation. It is but a start, yet a positive ftrst step.

Just as all India waits for the refreshing rains of the Monsoon season to come, so we in the church wait for the renewing touch of the Holy Spirit in the India Conference. We have sensed that many are spiritually hungry and desperate for renewal. It was amazing to hear that in the Gadwal district some 8,000-10,000 people showed up for a dedication of a new Mennonite Brethren church!

Please continue to pray for the leaders of our India MB Conference, that peace and unity might be fully restored.

IN BHIEF • Elmer Martens, professor of Old Testament and former president of MB Biblical Seminary, and his wife, Phyllis, were honored at a retirement party April 19. Martens was a member of the first class at MBBS, graduating in 1958.

After serving as a church pastor for eight years he joined the MBBS faculty and has taught for 25 years. He served as president from 1977 to 1986. Following his official retirement from fulltime teaching at the end of the current semester he hopes to continue his travels and is under contract to write three books. Martens has been granted professor emeritus status by the MBBS faculty and will continue to teach classes on a year-by-year basis. (MBBS) • Jacob Funk joined MB Communications, Winnipeg, Man., May 1 as producer and host of its German program division . Funk was most recently a teacher at Swift Current Bible Institute, Swift Current, Sask. He has also served as a pastor and with the radio ministry of Radio ZP-30 in Paraguay. (MBC)

• The former East Wichita (Kan .) Fellowship facility at Oliver and 10th streets has been sold to True Word Baptist Church, an emerging congregation. The mortgage and outstanding bills were covered by the sale leaving a modest balance for ministries agreed on by the congregation and conference. Five acres of choice land near Woodlawn and 29th in northeast Wichita remain available for future church planting. The former Open Bible Church property in southwest Wichita is under consideration for a new church plant involving World Impact, an interdenominational inner-city missions organization.

• The remaining two church-based Victim Offender Reconciliation Program (VORP) training programs for 1995 will be held July 13-15 and Oct. 3-5 at the Fresno (Calif.) VORP office . Ron Claassen, founding director of Fresno VORP and the Center for Conflict Studies and Peacemaking at Fresno Pacific College, will be the primary resource person. More information is available from Kathy Stuck at 1-800-909-VORP.

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SERVICE

IN BRIEF • Anita Andresen, dean of the professio nal development division at Fresno Pacifi c Co llege, w as named "Woman Ad ministrator of the Year" by Central Va lley A dministrative Women in Educat ion M ay 19. In announcing the award, Diane Yerkes, California State University of Fresno, called Andresen "a 'doer: a highly successful and professional educator, a person w ho pursues quality and exce llence in all activities for w hich she is responsible." (FPC) • Three students w ho attend Mennonite Brethren colleges w ere acce pted t o the Pew Younger Scholars Program for summer study at the University of Notre Dame. Tabor College students Brent Graber, a senior from Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, and Debra Faszer, a junior from Sioux Falls, S. D., parti cipated in three-week seminars. Scott R. Traub, a junior at Fresno Pacific College, was award ed a grant for the eight weeks of study. The summer program brings students to the Notre Dame ca mpus f or intensive gradu at e-st yle research seminars t aught by prominent Christian scholars. The seminars are structured around major co ntextual disciplines, such as history, theology, literature, science and economics. Students earn upper-level undergraduate credit hours from Notre Dame. (TC, FPC) • Slavic Christian Publishing (SCP) of Broken Arrow, Okla., recently released its first book in English, titled Inside the New Russia. The 333-page book contains maps, statistics, illustrations, and articles about the religion, background, history, customs, and characteri stics of all th e nations in th e f or mer Soviet Union. SCP, founded in 1990, is mainly involved in the translation of Christian literature from English into Russian and Ukrainian . It also publishes books by Russian Christian writers in Russian and English languages. All staff members at SCP's headquarters are members of th e Slavic Mi ss ionary Church, w hich has recently affiliat ed w ith the Mennonit e Brethren conference. The company has several associat es across the co untry. Vitaly Michka is executive director. The mailing address for SCP is P.O. Box 284 5, Bro ken A rr ow, OK

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Dinuba couple finds friends, fulfillment during MDS earthquake cleanup work • 'We have received much more than we gave"

A MAJOR EARTHQUAKE rumbled .l'l..through southern California Jan. 17, 1994, leaving widespread destruction in its path. My husband, Roger, and I heard the terrible news on television, but never imagined how this event would impact our lives-all the way up to the Central Valley farming community of Dinuba.

Roger had recently sold his plastering business to our son, and we were beginning to enjoy the freedom of retirement. We had thought about applying for future service with Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS), but we first wanted to travel and relax.

In late February, Wes Heinrichs, MDS director for California, asked if we would coordinate the MDS cleanup in Los Angeles. We had not even submitted our application as yet, let alone been accepted.

When we went to Los Angeles to look over the situation, the devastation shocked us and the people's needs tugged at our heartstrings. After we prayed about it and talked to our pastor and children, we decided we needed to become MDS volunteers.

The day after we arrived, we and some other volunteers visited one of the Red Cross stations set up in a tent.

As we walked in, we heard, "The Mennonites are here. Now we will get something done." The reputation of MDS had preceded us, and now it was up to us to maintain that reputation.

The experiences of the past year have been rewarding and interesting.

One woman was still living in her garage with her dogs four months after the quake. The disaster had so devastated her that she was afraid to even clean up her house, let alone move back into it or trust someone to help her.

When the volunteers arrived, four women spent six hours cleaning up inside the house . All her glassware and porcelain was lying broken on the floor. One volunteer even repaired her television. Other volunteers over time LEA 0

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Rewarding: The Friesens pose in front of the MDS headquarters in L.A.

made it liveable again. "It's a miracle," she said. She was able to smile again.

Her last comment to me was "I'm sure glad you didn't give up on me, and kept talking to me until I let you come."

Most of our work has been with the elderly and with single mothers, although we also helped a former actor on several well-known shows, a diabetic, a leg amputee, and a legally blind person. A number asked why we gave of our time to help them.

That gave us the opportunity to share our faith with them. One even started going to church with us.

Many wonderful people volunteered time and talents with MDS in Los Angeles. We have made many new friends during our time here and have gained a new appreciation for the larger Mennonite family, of which we are a part. Most of all, we have counted it a blessing to serve those in need "in the name of Christ. " We received much more than we gave.

-Barbara Friesen

Eds. note: Barbara and Roger Friesen are members of the Dinuba (Calif) MB Church. Barbara worked at a college bookstore for 20 years; Roger is a retired plastering contractor. The Los Angeles MDS project closed April 1, 1995.

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EPIDEMIC

MCC funds to fight Ebola virus in Zaire • Medical supplies from Kansas aid effort

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ENNONITE Central Committee (MCC) has contributed $6,000 to the efforts of the Zaire MB Church to prevent future epidemics of the Ebola virus that killed some 200 people in Zaire over the past months.

Half the MCC money will go to purchase medicine in Zaire, to supplement medical supplies, valued at $75,000 sent by the medical community and other people in Kansas in early June. MB Missions/Services agency facilitated this shipment.

These supplies are now being distributed by the Zaire MB Church to various secular institutions and to church-operated health centers in the Kikwit area and to the Mennonite Brethren hospital in Kajiji. Kikwit, a city of 600,000, was the center of the latest Ebola outbreak. It is also the city where the Zaire MB Church headquarters is located.

Another portion of the MCC money will go to transport medical kits and infonnational pamphlets to Mennonite Brethren medical facilities closer to the Angola border. When the dry season begins, young men from Kikwit often travel toward Angola to dig for diamonds. The medical kits, which contain gowns and gloves, can be used if medical personnel suspect someone is infected with the Ebola virus.

The remaining MCC funds will go to print pamphlets telling how to take precautions against the Ebola virus, which kills some 80 percent of those infected. Ebola is spread through bodily fluids. It has no known cure but can be contained if people caring for the sick take adequate protective measures. Unfortunately, many Zairian hospitals suffer from lack of basic equipment and supplies, such as gloves.

Other pamphlets, in both French and a local language, will explain how to prevent and treat paratyphoid .

Although it received less international attention than Ebola, a recent epidemic of paratyphoid has killed as many and perhaps more people than Ebola.

Paratyphoid, however, can be treated with antibiotics. (MCC)

IN BRIEF • With, the Anabaptist youth magazine endorsed by the General Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches, rece ntly receive d aw ard s from th e Evangelical Press Association . "No one can ever know," an articl e by Greg Hatcher, received a third-place aw ard in the category of first-person article. " Faith," a poem by Lela Marie De La Garza, received a fourth-place award in th e category of poet ry. (Genera l Conference Mennonite Church)

• Th e Kansas Mennonit e Men's Choru s ha s recen tl y publi shed a book chronicling its ministry. We Sing That Others May Live recounts the story of the chorus from its beginning in 1969 through the 25th anniversary concert in 1994. "Although it traces the history of KMMC, it's much more than a history book," says Irvin Pauls, publi city chairman . "The book is fu ll of st ori es and pi ctures from our trips, concerts and ex peri ences as a choru s." One chapter is a tr ibut e t o M enn o ni te Brethren Paul Wohlgemuth, longtime KMM C direct or w ho was kill ed in a traffic accident in 1987. The book was w ritten by Carol Duerksen and is availabl e through Chri stian bo okst o res.

(KMMC) • So me 100 ,000 pound s of ri ce helped ease the hunger pangs of more than 7,2 00 Liberians last mont h. The aid represented a joint effort of more than 156 ind epend ent churches in Monrovia , Liberia 's capital, and two Mennonite agencies-Mennonite Ce ntral Committee and Mennonite Board of Missions. More than 70 percent of Liberia ns, or 2.1 million peo ple, w ill need food aid this year due to ongoing civil war. (MCC)

TENSION BREAKER: Lori Enns and her students share a humorous moment outside of class at the College of Theology in Gindiri, Nigeria. As MCC teachers of pastors-in-training and their wives, Lori and husband, Phil, Mennonite Brethren from Ontario, Canada, seek to foster mutual understanding, openness and respect as tensions continue to grow between Christians and Muslims. Lori teaches English and library research methods to the women and Phil teaches classes in theology and philosophy of religion. (MCC)

• The Kansas State Board of Education, Topeka, has renewed the accreditation of Tabor College's education program.

The renewa l followed an on-site visit by an eva lu ati on t ea m of educat o rs. " I believe th e [eva lu ation] co mmittee's report gives our teacher education program a strong vot e of co nfid ence," says Gordon Wiebe, chairman of the tea ching edu cation departm ent and professor of elementary education . The renewal is valid until 1999. (TC) , U

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IN BRIEf • Tim a nd Darlene Ratzloff have resigned their positions at Tabor College to accept an assignment with the Christian and Missionary All iance in Cambodia. Their assignment begins in August. Tim, who served one year as director of the annual fund , has been executive director of ad van ce ment since 1993. Darlene taught English as a Second Language and directed the career services office. The Ratzloffs will establish an ESL program at the University of Phnom Penh, Cambodia 's only university. They will also assist established Cambodian churches. (TC) • Zambians and Zimbabwea ns, still struggl ing to recove r fr om sea ring drought in 1992, have once again seen their crops wither due to above-normal dry and warm weather. In consultation with church leaders from the two countries, Mennonite Central Committee will supply food for existing church-run food-for-work programs in Zambia that will feed some 6,000 people during this next year. MCC will also provide 1,600 metric tons of maize to supplement the diets of 100,000 Zimbabweans over the next six months. (MCC) • Plans to hold the next assembly of Mennonite World Conference in Calcutta, India, Jan . 7-12, 1997, ha ve prompted feelings of anticipation and anxiety among organizers. Anticipation stems in part from the warm hospitality extended by the hosts, Mennon ite Christian Service Fellowship of India, at a recent MWC organizational meeting.

The anxiety comes from the question of whether assembly goers will be ready to enter into a gathering with fewer amenities and more potential surprises than past assemb lies. Raul Garcia, MWC president from Argentina, encourages participants to be willing to lea rn, be flexible and be respectful. "India 1997 can be, if we choose, an experience of understanding, of solidarity," says Garcia. The worldwide gathering will be held in two phases: the "assembly gathered" will be held in Calcutta; the "assembly scattered" will involve traveling to various areas of the country where Mennonite congregations minister. (MWC) 'R •

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system is universally rejected, and organized crime bosses and their goons strut about with AK47s as the real law of the land?

The consultation's tone was noticeably muted compared to the confident voices that called for big visions and budgets only four or five years ago.

Some of those big programs have • Native Russians key to come and gone. Others have become established, such as schools in St. future ministry efforts Petersburg and Lithuania, and a radio RANSLATORS deciphered the ministry based in a Moscow studio. As exchanges between some 40 del- late as 1990 there had still been a egates who spoke Low German, H'igh vision for growth and expansion of German, Russian and English. It the Soviet Mennonite churches, even seemed as if the group was meeting as external Mennonite agencies under the sign of Babel, but it was seemed to be creating many new partnerships. This now was an actually the Inter-Mennonite opportunity to take stock.

Consultation held May 7-10 One conclusion Participants spent the in Moscow, Russia. was most first day discussing the It was the first official changing context for minmeeting of Mennonite repre- obvious: any istry in the former Soviet sentatives in Moscow since serious ministry Union. Once a major world the fateful "martyrs conferpower, the country is now ence of 1925," so named in this vast drifting through economic, because many church lead- country will political, social and spirituers who attended died require learning al chaos. Quick fixes are under Stalin's persecution. no longer in sight, includNorth Americans repre- Russia's ing the notion of widesenting different agencies language and spread .conversion to evaninvolved in the former Sovigelical Christianity. et Union have consulted culture.

The present Mennonite annually since 1978. This year the groups met for the first time program includes relief shipments to in Russia, where Russian partners Moldava, radio work, camping, small business training, sponsorship of shaped the context.

One conclusion was most obvious: teachers, student scholarships, peaceany serious ministry in this vast coun- making and social work training.

During the final discussions, the try will require learning Russia's language and culture; yet the North majority of church leaders urged American missionary invasion of the cooperation with existing denominapast five years has forced native Rus- tions, especially the Baptists, though sians to learn the imperial language- some called for Mennonite church plants. A large number of Russian English.

The speakers described the new Mennonites have emigrated to GerBabel in the former Soviet Union. The many and the organized Mennonite internationalist vision of communism, church in the former Soviet Union has where workers would unite, was virtually ceased to exist.

Several evangelical Baptists and one understood as the path to a utopia of peace and the withering away of the Russian Orthodox guest kept repeatstate . Perestroika, a Russian word ing that they hoped the Mennonites meaning "rebuilding," which fol - would stay a long time. With deep lowed, was interpreted internationally regret, they acknowledged the exodus as "Gorbachev is bringing democra- of most active Mennonite Christians cy." But since 1990, many have to Germany during the past eight renamed it "catstroika" or simply years. One Baptist seminary rector said they are now realizing that they "catastrophe."

What can be built when money is feel theologically close to Mennonites.

Many Russian partners stressed nearly worthless, people live as if there is no government and the legal their appreciation of Mennonite CONSULTATION

Moscow meeting focuses Mennonite activity in Russia

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emphases on moral living, as well as the Anabaptist concepts of the church: peace, mission and service.

Whether Mennonites would build a new denomination or work with existing Christian bodies, requests were that there be an influencing presence. -Walter Sawatsky, MGG East/West consultant MISSIONS

Laurelglen prepares for Russian ministry • Team will focus on discipleship and outreach

T AURELGLEN Bible Church, BakersLfield, Calif., (will be sending a team of short-term missionaries from their congregation to Petropavlavsk-Kamchataka, Russia, in July.

Team leader Ernie Zarra will be making his third trip to the Russian Peninsula. Joining Zarra are Rachel

Sturm, Bev Hall and Landis quake on the peninsula this year. . "The Sakhalin tragedy and its effect McGauhey.

"The Lord is doing his mighty work on the people of Kamchatka and Ruson the Kamchatka Peninsula," Zarra sia are worthy subjects of prayer," says. "Alongside active volcanoes, a says team member McGauhey. nuclear submarine base and a marvelous international science institute, . CHURCH NOTES there exists a searching people."

The team's anticipated ministry • Baptisms/membership includes developing home Bible studies, an unfamiliar practice to many Russians. A broadcast of the "Jesus" HILLSBORO, Kan.-David and Melva Brandt and Kelly Nuss were received as video is planned through Kamchatka new members May 21.

Television.

The team will focus on aspects of LODI, Calif. (Vinewood)-Dick and June discipleship and outreach. They plan Bond, Bobby Cunningham, Yevette to launch the Kamchatka Institute of Hoover, Jim Mulrooney, Jane Parker, Kevin Theological Studies. The institute will Scott and Laura Scott were baptized May 21. They, along with Brad and Becky Beeprovide basic theological training for man, Laura Cooper, Ruth Mulrooney and Russian pastors and interested layper- John Parker, gave their testimonies and sons. The format will follow a short- were received as members June 4 and 25. term intensive model. The training ' . WEATHERFORD, Okl~. (Pine Acres)will take place in homes.

In late May, the Kamchatkan peo- . Marisa Gathers, Jordan Mahan and Jade Mahan were baptized and welcomed as pIe were affected by a nearby disaster members April 30. when a tragic earthquake struck Sakhalin, a neighboring island. One NEW HOPE, Minn.-Alexey, Zinaida and seismologist in Kamchatka predicts Dimitri Zherdetsky gave their testimonies the likelihood of a significant earth- and were received as members by transfer June 4.

LITTLETON, Colo. (Belleview)-Jessica Funk, Sonja Acker, Alex Murray, Gerry Neufeld, Allan and Joanna McEwen, and Andrew and Shannon Gallagher were received as members by baptism or testimonyMay7 .

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Celebrations

DINUBA, Calif.-Flowers were placed in the sanctuary May 23 to commemorate the 50th wedding anniversary of Clarence and Edna Isaac.

CIMARRON, Kan. (Valleyview)-A dinner and reception were held June 4 to celebrate the 50th wedding anniversary of Richard "Doc" and Lucille Kopper BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (Heritage)-Flowers were placed in the sanctuary May 21 in observation of Frank and Juanita Nord's 55th wedding anniversary.

BROTHERHOOD AT WORK: A segment of the Bethany MB Church "Sod Squad" pause long enough from their labors to pose for a photo. Self-instituted and working without pay, the 15-member squad tends to the landscaping needs of the 27-acre campus of the Fresno, Calif., congregation. All whose schedule allows meet each Friday at 6:30 a.m. to mow, weed, prune and the myriad other tasks required to keep the grounds in shape. "The pride of ownership, the joy of accomplishment and the pleasure of comraderie come together at 9 a.m. when the church furnishes coffee and doughnuts," says Leonard Heinrichs, a member of the group. He estimates their nine years of service have saved the church $234,000. Pictured above are (left to right) Art Penner, Elmer Nachtigal, Herman Gunther, John Aydelott, leonard Heinrichs and Harvey Kroeker. Not pictured are Benny Friesen, Bill Schmidt, Karl Kent, Jake Andres, George Duerksen, Arnold Prieb and Alfred Hinz.

Yale, S.D. (Bethel)-Sam and Mary Wollman reached their 50th wedding anniversaryMay 27.

HENDERSON, Neb.-Dean and Evelyn Buller celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary May 28.

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (Laurelglen)-Flowers were placed in the auditorium May 28 as a tribute to Robert and Vera Dyer's 50th wedding anniversary.

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HESSTON, Kan.-Menno Koor, a 90-plus voice choir from The Netherlands, presented a concert of sacred music May 14.

CORN, Okla.-On May 21 Ron Phelps, chaplain at University Hospital in Okla· homa City, shared his experiences connected with the April 19 bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City.

ENID, Okla.-Pakisa Tshimika, MB Mis· sions/Services secretary for Zaire/Angola, presented slides and an update of the cur· rent situation in Zaire May 28.

HENDERSON, Neb.-Jason Quiring and Scott Goossen were commissioned for ministry as summer interns at the church June 4.

ENID, Okla.-The church board approved the adoption of Russell and Elizabeth Schmidt, MB Missions/Services workers to Thailand, as their "adopted" church mis· sionaries.

OMAHA, Neb. (Lincoln Hills)-Increasing attendance has necessitated the need for more space for Sunday worship, Christian education and weekly children ' s and youth ministries. The congregation decid· ed unanimously to build an addition to the existing structure. The church council estimates that $45,000 must be raised to undertake the project. The congregation is making financial commitments to help make this happen.

REEDLEY, Calif. (EI Faro)-The Hispanic Youth Leaders sponsored a car wash and tamale·making fiesta to raise money for members Emilio and Sylvia Alanis, who

This team of high schoolers from Laurelglen Bible Church. Bakersfield. Calif.• traveled to Tijuana.

Mexico. to teach daily Bible classes and repair a local church during their spring break. One evening. team members participated in a prayer tour with local Christians. driving to different spots where the group prayed for political. spiritual and social concerns related to those specific locations. The group plans to return to Mexico at the end of July.

will be ministering to children in Africa for three weeks this summer.

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DELFT, Minn. (Carson)-Pastor Herb Schroeder completed a Sunday evening series on spiritual gifts May 28.

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Workers

WEATHERFORD, Okla. (Pine Acres)-

BETHANY BIBLE INSTITUTE Hepburn, Saskatchewan is inviting applications for a full-time faculty position This position involves classroom instruction in Bible and theology. The successful applicant will have a personal faith in Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord and be committed to an Anabaptist orientation. Preference will be given to an applicant with a suitable master's degree.

The starting date is negotiable, but could be as early as August 1995.

Please submit resumes to: President James Nikkel Bethany Bible Institute Box 160 HEPBURN, SK SOK 1ZO

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Don and Jean Roberts are serving a three· month assignment as interim pastoral cou· pie at Community Bible Church in Okla· homaCity.

COLLINSVILLE, Okla. (Westport)-Mike Yutzy, Tabor College senior, is serving as intern pastor of worship and music this summer.

HILLSBORO, Kan. (Ebenfeld)-Mark Dick, a Tabor College student from Henderson, Neb ., was installed as half-time youth pastor of the church June 18. His initial term is 15 months.

OLATHE, Kan. (Community Bible)-Phil Plett, who has pastored the church since 1982, has resigned effective June 30. Fol· lowing a three·month sabbatical, he is open to further ministry.

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (Heritage)-John M. Scoggins Jr. was installed as senior pastor April 2. The special speaker was Curtis Mitchell, Scoggin's former professor and mentor from Biola University, Los Angeles.

A luncheon attended by 400 people was held following the service.

FRESNO, Calif. (Bethany)-Brenda Davis is working as a youth ministry intern this summer.

Phone: [306) 947-2175 FAX: [306) 947-4229

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YALE, S.D. (Yale)- Elton and Ella Berg concluded their 17·year pastoral ministry at Yale June 30. The Bergs plan to travel, visit

BODYLIFE A nation robbed of its past cannot look forward to a good future. It was God's will that the history of Mennonite Brethren be closely intertwined with the history of Russia and with the nations that inhabit the largest country in the world. For hundreds of years this country was an earthly homeland for many Mennonite Brethren forefathers of today's readers of this magazine. Rephrasing an American saying we ask: "How can one die without getting acquainted with the land and the people from where he came?"

Reading this book you will find yourself in the world of your forefathers. This book presents the culture, religion, and traditions of more then a hundred nations of the New Russia.

family and take time for renewal. They have ministered in various churches for 37 years. A farewell dinner was held July 2.

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Youth

EUGENE, Ore. (North Park)-Children and youth participated in "Worship Warm-up Hour," a six-week alternative Sunday school program during April and May. Activities included singing, topic discussions, miniseminars, drama and special music.

BUHLER, Kan.-Fifth to eighth graders attended vacation Bible school June 6-8.

Called "Jesus' Kids Totally H.I.S. (Heroes In Service)," the program focused on serving people in their community. Seventh and eighth graders provided a moming of free babysitting; fifth graders picked up recyclables from area residents; and fifth through eighth graders sponsored a community giveaway, collecting and sorting items that were donated to the Et Cetera Shop and Salvation Arroy.

To order please write to: Slavic Christian Publishing Post Office Box 2845 Broken Arrow, OK 74013-2845

I.8oo.3 2 S. 0 333

. DEATHS

orctTlltollfi"ee:

GERBRANDT, ANNA WIENS, Reedley, Calif., a member of the Reedley MB Church, was born Aug. 1, 1909, to Henry J. and Elizabeth (Harder) Wiens in Henderson, Neb., and died Feb. 11, 1995, at the age of 85. On Aug. 21, 1928, she was married to Abe Gerbrandt, who survives. She is also survived by three sons, Richard, Ken and Gordon; nine grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.

Price: $11.95 + OK state tax. Visa, MasterCard, Discover accepted. Books are shipped within 3 working days.

ISAAK, JOHN J., Reedley, Calif., a member of the Reedley MB Church, was born Sept. 2, 1924, to John P. and Maria D. Friesen Isaak in Salvgorod, Russia, and died May 15, 1995, at the age of 70. On Jan. 27, 1950, he was married to Marjorie Warkentin, who survives. He is also survived by a sister, Olga and husband Vernon Brandt; his mother-in-law, Tina Warkentin; two sons, Tony and wife Susan of Chowchilla, Calif., and Jerry of Reedley; and four grandchildren.

KOOP, IRA NA11IANIEL, illysses, Kan., a member of the Ulysses MB Church, was born April 17, 1929, to John J. and Maria Heinrichs Koop in Fairview, Okla., and died April 28, 1995, at the age of 66. On Aug. 19, 1950, he was married to Louise Martens, who survives. He is also survived by three sons, Ivan and wife Sheila, Tim and wife Tracy, all of Ulysses, and Ed and wife Anita Jo of Olathe, Kan.; two daughters, Carol and husband Randy Burnum and Janice and husband Tom Keaton, all of Ulysses; two brothers, John of Monclova, Cauhulia, Mexico; and Paul of Howard, Kan.; one sister, Maria Lois Paul of Dinuba, Calif.; 13 grandchildren and one greatgrandchild.

HOT off the Herald Press No Longer Alone: Mental Health and the Church

by John Toews with Eleanor Loewen Just as we walk with persons who are physically ill, so we must learn to walk with those suffering mental illness. Destined to become a significant resource for individual Christians and congregations. ''Thank you for creating a wonderful tool for churches!"-Ruth Detweiler, mental health advocate, Akron, Pa. Paper, $10.95; in (anada $15.75.

NEW fromCorrie Bender!

Whispering Brook Form In good Amish life-cycle style, we have birth, death, courting, baptism, wedding, shed bUilding, and a wonderful appreciation of God's creation.

"Bender's writing is sheer poetry."-Ubrary Journal Paper, $6.95; in (anada $9.95.

Available through your local bookstore or by calling 1 800759·4447; in (anada call 519 746-2872 (Provident Bookstores-Me, Visa, Discover). If ordering by mail, please include 10% for shipping-minimum $2.50. (anadian customers, odd 7% of total for GST. Dutton Drive ~ 490Waterloo, ON N2L 6H7

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KROEKER, HENRY, San Jose, Calif., a member of the Lincoln Glen MB Church, was born July 25, 1912, near Enid, Okla., and died April 29, 1995, at the age of 82.

On Nov. 16, 1943, he was married to Adelia Penner, who survives. He is also survived by his brother David and two sisters, Anna Kroeker and Tillie Reimer; a son Loren J. and wife Patty; a daughter, Janet K. Roman; and four grandchildren.

TSCHETfER, BERTHA E. NIKKEL, Den· ver, Colo., was born Sept. 20, 1906, to Bernhard and Katharina Nikkel in Joes, Colo., and died May 14, 1995, at the age o( Mennonite Health Services invites applications for the position of EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

P

alm VIllage is more than a retirement communitr. It's

a communitr of neighbors living and working together.

Located in the smaIl town of Reedley, Calif., Palm Village serves more than 250 residents

• Qualifications include Christian commitment and participation in an Anabaptist congregation ; administrative, organizational and marketing skills; budget experience; comfort with many publics; enthusiasm and energy.

88. On June 16, 1929, she was married to Paul G. Tschetter, who survives. She is also survived by two daughters, Lois and husband Les Hjelmstad and Janis and hus· band Fred Schoonmaker of Englewood, Colo.; a son, Paul N. and wife Renee Tschetter of Englewood, Colo.; her sister Martha Millsap, California; four brothers, Leonard and Joe of Denver, Paul of Col· orado Springs, Colo., and Bill of Florida; 17 grandchildren, 25 great·grandchildren and two great·great·grandchildren.

TSCHETfER, MARY, Emery, S.D., a memo ber of Salem MB Church, Bridgewater, S.D., was born Mar. 20, 1906, to William]. and Maria Hofer Walter, and died May 18, 1995, at the age of 89. On Oct. 20, 1935, she was married to Joe H. Tschetter, who predeceased her in 1973. She is survived by a sister·in·law, Arpa Tschetter.

WILLEMS, ALICE BUHLER, Reedley, Calif., a member of the Reedley MB Church, was born on Oct. 26, 1902, to Peter P. and Helena Nachtigall Buhler, and died May 6, 1995, at the age of 92. In 1927 she was married to Henry Willems, who predeceased her in 1985. She is survived by four sons, three daughters·in-law, 12 grand· children and 17 great·grandchildren. tf2

• Responsibilities include providing visionary leadership and expanding services for MHS, an organization which relates to health providers (including hospitals, retirement facilities, mental health, and developmental disabilities providers).

Some overnight travel required.

The Fawvlew Mennonite Brethren C/7urch IS celebrating ItS centenl7!al year

Send letter of interest and resumes by August 8 to: Arlene M. Mark, 29222 Frailey Drive, Elkhart, IN 46514-1121.

You al'e InVited to a CELEBRA nON of PRAISE

October 21 & 22, 1995 ~ FairView. Okla

in nursing, residential care and independent living accommoda-

Put Yourself in the Picture!

tions.

For more information, call DAVID REIMER

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

There's Still Time to Book a Fabulous Vacation ...

(209) 638-6933

to exciting destinations with people you know and trust!

Mexico November 16-30 1995

PALM VILLAGE RETIREMEN T

Australia & New Zealand February 16 March 9, 1996

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LEA D ER

1011 Cathill Road Sellersville, PA 18960

CLEA RING HOUSE EVENTS NOTICE-Belton CPS #55 reunion planned for July 26-28, 1996, at Mountain View Mennonite Church near Creston, Mont. Costs and information will be sent

by March 1996. If you were not on the mailing list for the last reunion, please contact Perry Schrock, 30180 Sodaville-Mountain Home Road, Lebanon, OR 97355.

POSITIONS AVAILABLE ADMINISTRATIVE LEADERSHIP-Seeking faculty . member to head a new graduate program in administrative leadership, an innovative approach to developing administrative abilities through an integrated, value-based and outcome-oriented program directed toward leaders in a broad range of organizations. Doctorate (or near completion) and significant professional experience required. Applications will be evaluated beginning June 20, 1995, and appointment will be made as soon as a suitable candidate is secured.

Fresno Pacific College is a dynamic Christian liberal arts college of the Mennonite Brethren Church . All candidates for faculty positions must share the college's Christian commitment. For complete description and faculty application form, write or phone Howard Loewen, Academic Vice President, Fresno Pacific College, 1717 S. Chestnut, Fresno, CA 93702; phone (209) 453-2023; fax (209) 453-2007. Position begins August 15, 1995. Women and members of minority groups are especially encouraged to apply.

MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION DEVELOPMENT-Seeking faculty member to teach an adult degree-completion program concentrating in business and organizational development. Master's degree and professional experience required. Applications will be evaluated beginning June 20, 1995, and appointment will be made as soon as a suitable candidate is secured. Fresno Pacific College is a dynamic Christian liberal arts college of the Mennonite Brethren Church.

All candidates for faculty positions must share the college's Christian commitment. For complete description and faculty application form, write or phone Howard Loewen, Academic Vice President, Fresno Pacific College, 1717 S. Chestnut, Fresno, CA 93702; phone (209) 453-2023; fax (209) 453-2007. Position begins August 15, 1995. Women and members of minority groups are especially encouraged to apply.

ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION-Seeking two faculty members to mentor student thesis projects in nontraditional and adult degree-completion program concentrating on business and organizational development. Some teaching in traditional business program also expected. Master's degree and professional experience required. Applications will be evaluated beginning June 20, 1995, and appOintment will be made as soon as a suitable candidate is secured.

Fresno Pacific College is a dynamic Christian liberal arts college of the Mennonite Brethren Church. All candidates for faculty positions must share the college's Christian commitment. For complete description and faculty application form, write or phone Howard Loewen, Academic Vice President, Fresno Pacific College, 1717 S. Chestnut, Fresno, CA 93702; phone (209) 453-2023; fax (209) 453-2007. Position begins August 15, 1995. Women and members of minority groups are especially encouraged to apply.

MENNONITE CENTRAL COMMITIEE is accepting applications for Central States Education and Program ' Coordinator (North Newton, Kan.) . Qualifications: Christian faith commitment, church membership, commitment to nonviolent peacemaking, a college degree.

Applicants must have strong relational . administrative and organization skills and be able to develop and implement new regional service programs and coordinate personnel recruitmentlalumni efforts. MCC work experience preferred. This salaried position requires some travel . Interested persons contact Goldie Kuhns, 21 South 12th Street, PO Box 500, Akron, PA 175010599; phone (717) 859-1151 . Applications due July 10.

TABOR COLLEGE, HILLSBORO, KS, SEEKS Advancement Representative, Annual Giving and Church Relations POSITION: Reports to the Vice President for Advancement. Direct responsibility for annual fund strategy, marketing and church relations. Some travel required to visit constituency.

QUALIFICATIONS: Must enjoy interpersonal networking. Must be committed to a Christian liberal arts/professional education, to Christian ministry, and the work of the Church. Successful experience in fund-raising is preferred TABOR COLLEGE: Tabor is a fully accredited, four-year Christ-centered liberal arts college in the evangelical tradition. It is affiliated wHh the Mennonite Brethren Conference of Churches. Tabor provides educational services in the liberal arts disciplines and selected professional career areas.

APPLICATION: Send nominations or resume and request for application materials to Dr. Jack D. Braun, Vice President for Advancement, Tabor College, Hillsboro, KS 67063. Review of applications will continue until the position is filled.

Director of Foundation &Corporate Relations POSITION: This is a less than full-time pasHion (approx. 60%). General responsibilities include developing and sustaining contact with foundations/corporations, writing grant proposals, researching potential corporate donors, and coordinating visits as appropriate.

QUALIFICATIONS: Must be committed to a Christian liberal arts/professional education, to Christian ministry, and the work of the Church. Excellent writing skills required and college degree preferred.

TABOR COLLEGE: Tabor is a fully accredited, four-year Christ-centered liberal arts college in the evangelical tradition. It is affiliated with the Mennonite Brethren Conference of Churches. Tabor provides educational services in the liberal arts disciplines and selected professional career areas.

APPLICATION: Send resume and request for application materials to Vice President for Advancement, Tabor College, Hillsboro, KS 67063. Review of applications will continue until the posHion is filled.

CHURCH PARTNERSHIP EVANGELISM (CPE) INVITATION King Road MB Church in Abbotsford, B.C., is seeking volunteers for its Church Partnership Evangelism outreach to ....

FIJI ISLAND. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. July 10-28, 1995 RUSSIA, Odessa ...... . ............ . ..... . . . ... Aug. 14-31, 1995 CANADA, Fraser Valley. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sept. 7-21, 1995 PERU, Chiclayo .. . ... . .................... . ..... Oct. 3-19,1995 INDIA, Gadwal area .. . .... . .. . .......... . ....... Nov. 13-30, 1995 • Team up with national Christians and witness for Christ door to door.

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

• Each participant must raise or contribute half of the cost, which is $1,500.

• Similar campaigns have resulted in 200 to 400 conversions.

• Come and be part of an enriching spiritual experience, discover what GOD can do through you.

For further information, contact: Evelyn UnrUh, 604-852-5744 or CPE 604-864-3941 Peter Loewen, 604-853-3173 or FAX 604-853-6482 Peter Huebert Missions Committee President

Peter Loewen Promoter J U L Y

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CLIPS AND COMMENTS

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POSITIONING

An alternative voice

The politics of family

T

HE CHRISTIAN COALITION, a conservative political

action group with strong evangelical ties, unveiled

its 1O-point "Contract with the American Family" in May. Here's what they feel a "pro-family" governmental strategy should include: 1. Passing a religious equality amendment which would permit voluntary prayer in public schools, allow religious symbols such as nativity scenes in public places, and generally end discrimination against religious expression.

2. Limiting abortions after the 26th week of pregnancy, and ending public funding of groups which advocate or perform abortions.

3. Abolishing the federal Department of Education, and transferring its funding to local school boards.

4. Establishing a school voucher program to allow

parents to choose between private and public schools.

5. Ending the "marriage penalty" in income tax, a $500 per child tax credit, a flat tax, and IRA deductibility for homemakers.

6. Restricting pornography on cable TV and the Internet.

7. Ending federal funding of public broadcasting and cultural institutions, including the National Endowment for the Arts.

8. Increasing tax deductibility of charitable contribu-

tions "as a first step toward transforming the bureau-

A coalition of Christian leaders joined together in Washington recently to present an alternative to the agenda of the Christian Coalition and religious right. The group met with political leaders and held a prayer vigil to promote "Cry for Renewal," a statement signed by more than 75 religious leaders. The statement says, "We believe ... that the old political language and solutions of right and left are almost completely dysfunctional now and helpless to lead us into a different future . But if politics will be renewed more by moral values than by partisan warfare, the religious community must playa more positive role. " The statement embodies many of the ideas in The Soul of Politics, the latest book by Jim Wallis of Sojourners magazine. Tony Campolo, speaker, writer and founder of Evangelical Association for the Promotion of Education, is also among those who signed the statement. (EP) HOMOSEXUALITY

cratic welfare state into a system of private and faith-

Drawing the lines

based compassion."

9. Passing parental rights laws to prevent government interference in the family, including the provisions of the United Nations "Convention on the Rights of the Child."

10. Requiring criminals to compensate their victims, plus increased money for prisons and for programs that encourage work study, and drug-testing for prisoners. (EP)

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The church's response to homosexuals and homosexuality continues to be an issue among the two largest Mennonite groups: • The Eastern District Conference (EDC) of the General Conference Mennonite Church (GCMC) passed a human sexuality statement in May that would deny leadership cre-

dentials to people who advocate or practice homosexual, premarital or extramarital sexual conduct. The EDC statement is similar to the GCMC 1986 statement on human sexuality in that it clearly states that premarital, extramarital and homosexual sexual activity is sin; the prohibition regarding leadership credentials, however, differs from the GCMC statement.

• In April, two Mennonite Church (MC) area conferences placed a total of three congregations, also affiliated with the GCMC, on what amounts to probation status. The Franconia Conference demoted Germantown Mennonite Church, Philadelphia, to associa~e membership and gave it two years to end its acceptance of homosexual practice or face the possibility of expulsion. The Illinois Mennonite Conference took similar action against the Oak Park (Ill.) Mennonite Church and Maple Avenue Mennonite Church, Waukesha, Wis. • Meanwhile, the steering committee for the Supportive Congregations Network (SCN) recently recognized 32 Mennonite and Church of the Brethren congregations as "accepting and publicly affirming" churches. Formed in 1991, SCN is an independent network of MC, GCMC and Church of the Brethren congregations which welcome gay, lesbian and bisexual members. According to an SCN news release, the network is designed so that congregations can join at a place which matches their current level of dialogue. "Accepting congre-

MISCELLANEA

~~ Pontius' Puddle YEAH. MOST OF US HA\l1::

8EEN RETRtATlN6 F~OM OUR CO('t\l'-\lito\ENT5 SINCE THE 140NE.Yto\OON ENt)EO ~

gations" accept gay, lesbian and bisexual persons as full members; "publicly affirming congregations" have adopted a written and public statement of welcome; and "exploring congregations" are discussing the issue of welcoming gay, lesbian and bisexual members. (Mennonite Weekry Review, The Mennonite, SCN)

SURVEY

Afaith slump?

Christianity is a faith at risk, according to a new nationwide survey conducted by the Barna Research Group. Examining 13 measures used annually to evaluate the health and stability of evangelical Christianity in America, the organization reported...

• three measures declined: Bible reading, which reached a new low in the nine years Barna has studied it, adult Sunday school attendance (another record low) and identification as a Protestant.

• nine measures remained statistically unchanged: church attendance, church volunteerism, four measures of belief in Christian doctrines, the proportion of adults who claim to be born again, the proportion who are evangelicals, and the percentage who

embrace a biblical defInition of God. • one measure showed an increase: the number of adults involved in a small group which meets for Bible study, prayer or Christian fellowship, other than a Sunday school class or 12-step group. (EP) SERVICE

Donation Grant-ed Singer Amy Grant donated $45,000 toward a service project that will occur at Wichita '95, the July 2530 convention of the General Conference Mennonite Church and the Mennonite Church.

Coordinated by Mennonite Housing and Habitat for Humanity, the project aims to build 20 new homes for low-income and working families with the help of volunteers and donations.

Recipients of the houses pay for their houses over a period of time. Grant is a long-time sponsor of Habitat for Humanity International. She heard about the Wichita service project during a February concert in Wichita. Her contribution covers the cost of one home. (GCMC) BIBLE

the most interesting figures in the Old Testament, according to a survey published in the March-April issue of Biblical Archaeology Review. The survey

attracted more than 8,000 responses. David narrowly edged out Moses in the polling for most interesting man, by a margin of 31 percent to 29 percent.

Abraham came in third with 19 percent, followed

by Joseph (11 percent), Jacob (5 percent) and King Saul (4 percent). Deborah received 27 percent of the vote for most interesting woman, followed closely

by Rachel (26 percent), Eve (15 percent), Miriam (13 percent) and Hagar (7 percent). (EP)

HUMOR

Toward a pro-church family?

V IP BURKE, writing with tongue in cheek in the

~uly/August issue of New Man magazine, offered

eight ways to create "church kids": 1. Since you have to wear that stinking necktie to church, your kids ought to be uncomfortable too. Make them dress to stress.

2. Stomp and scream to get everybody ready for church, so your kids can see how important punctuality is.

3. Choose a youth leader who won't keep your kids out late. eat too much pizza or infect them with that rock noise.

4. Speaking of Christian rock, forbid your kids to listen to any. Everybody knows God hasn't inspired a musician since Fanny Crosby.

S. Relentlessly note any real or imagined flaws in your minister's character, demeanor, style or appearance.

6. Kids need to be in church every time the doors open. (They'll understand your hunting-season and early tee-time exemptions.)

7. Duct tape their squirming fannies to the pew, if that's what it takes, but keep your children in the adult service.

8. Always act religious at church, so your kids see

The winners are...

how special Sunday is as opposed to the rest of the

Israel's Kind David and Prophetess Deborah are

week.

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Am I any smarter?

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o, ARE YOU any smarter now than you were?" Solomon's insight into what makes for greatness in life The question has come to me more than once suggests to me he was wiser than most of us to begin since returning last month from my five-month with. I have to admit, though, I've oftery wondered sabbatical. The hopeful expression behind the question why, having access to God's bottomless wisdom always gives me pause. I know how badly they wish it account, he did so many dumb things toward the end to be so. "Well," I tell them, "my knowledge base is a lit- of his life. It was Solomon who said fear of the Lord is tle broader than it was, but I'm not sure I'm any the beginning of wisdom (prov. 9: 10). Disregarding the Lord is probably the beginning of the end of it. smarter."

And I mean it. Sure, I could feign higher intelligence Solomon's life would attest to that; so would our society. by waxing eloquent on First Amendment values and So I return to this job not sure if I'm any smarter articulating the elements of libel law. I could name-drop than I was. I never thought I was smart enough to be a few of the leading communication theorists and at editor to begin with. The fact that I accepted the role least approximate some of their key ideas. I mean, 12 10 years ago probably confirms that. But God and you hours of graduate studies in mass communication oUght readers have been patient and gracious. I can't imagine to be good for something, right? a better, more fulfilling, job than this one But am I smarter? I don't know. In has been. this Information Age, the accumulation But it also seems more challenging of knowledge, facts and data is calculatdon't want to be than ever. I'm not talking about the daily ed as prestige and power. But I yearn tasks of editing materials or even of tryfor something more. The pursuit of the person who ing to maintain readership in an increasknowledge alone is ultimately empty. I ingly nonreading age. I see a bigger chaldon't want to be the person who sails sails through a lenge. We Mennonite Brethren are at a through a game of Trivial Pursuit but can't recognize an insensitive remark or game of Trivial crucial point in our pilgrimage. Who we are and what will be as a people of God an unjust act.

I want more than knowledge. I want Pursuit but can't seem largely up for grabs these days. I'm realistic enough to know that this publito be smarter, which to me means being recognize an cation and its editor will play a role in able to apply knowledge to everyday sitdetermining that-not the leading role to uations in such a way that my life, rela- insensitive remark be sure, but still a role of some influence. tionships and commitments "work" betPositive or negative. ter, make more sense, contribute some- or an unjust act.

So I want to be smart enough to thing positive beyond myself. know what kind of publication we need The Bible calls this commodity "wisdom." The word seems almost quaint anymore. We for these times. I want to make editorial decisions that will build the church-even when God's design for it is don't hear much clamoring for wisdom in our society.

No, most decisions are based on expediency, deter- not always clear to me. I need wisdom to know which contentious issues are worth addressing for the sake of mined by information. Politicians consult "the numbers" to decide what policies are worth supporting-for the faithfulness, and which ought to be left alone for the moment. Moves and risk are always "calculated." The sake of unity. I want to know when to push for open and honest reporting, even when the news is less than common equation: survey results x PAC contributions x flattering, and when to opt for discretion. I want to be media attention = "bold initiative."

Wisdom, in contrast, implies a broader view and a wise enough to realize when to comfort the afflicted and when to afflict the comfortable. deeper foundation. Wisdom casts issues in terms of the I may not be as smart as I'd like to be, but I'm smart greater good, not selfish advantage. Its goal is not so enough to know I can't accomplish these things on my much seeking an immediate solution as a lasting resoluown resources. The Book of James says anyone who tion. Wise strategies are evaluated not so much by what works as by what is right. Wisdom and justice walk lacks wisdom ought to ask God for some. So I'm asking.

And I'd be obliged if, when you think of it, you might hand-in-hand.

When God gave Solomon the opportunity to receive do the same.

For me, yes, and for all us. Together.-DR anything he wanted, Solomon asked for wisdom .

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