WHEN I WAS A LITTLE GIRL, I tripped over countless cracks in sidewalks when I walked home from school. I wasn't particularly clumsy. I just couldn't see the cracks because my head was buried in a book. I even walked past my own house once because I was so engrossed in a story. Today, I can call up the scent of a library or bookstore without much trouble-which probably explains why you can't go anywhere in my home without seeing a stack of dog-eared books. There's something about a good story that I just can't resist.
As engrossing or entertaining as a novel can be, however, there is a value to reading stories beyond the story itself. In our first article, Elaine Reimer Pare explores what Christians can gain from reading novels. Novels are an open book on the human condition-they examine why we do the things we do. As Christians, this gives us a unique opportunity to learn more about ourselves and the world around us, and this can help us be better servants of Christ.
In the spirit of reading, we at the Leader wanted to know what it is about a good book that causes us to remember it long after we've closed the covers, so we asked 10 people to tell us about one of their favorite novels. Their answers reveal the wisdom we can gain not only about ourselves and others, but especially about God and our faith.
As we put this issue together, we found that telling stories is an important part of being human. In our last feature, Katie Funk Wiebe explores how "telling our stories" reveals God to others.
We hope that you find the articles in this issue thoughtprovoking and challenging. At the very least, we hope you find a good book to read. God bless. -CA
COMING
-JULY 8-10 - Biennial General Conference convention, Wichita, Kan .
• JULY 11-14 - International Committee of Mennonite Brethren consultation, Buhler, Kan.
SEPTEMBER 24-25 - North Carolina Conference convention hosted by Laytown MB Church, Lenoir, NC.
OCTOBER 28-31 - Joint Southern and Central District Conference convention hosted by Tabor College.
NOVEMBER 5-6 - Pacific District Conference convention hosted by Heritage Bible Church, Bakersfield, Calif.
Why read novels?
What can Christians learn from reading? BY ELAINE REIMER PARE
Strong Weeds
A poem written in response to the American classic, My Antonia. BY RHODA
JANZEN
8 What is your favorite book?
We asked 10 Mennonite Brethren to identify one of their favorite novels that they would recommend to others-and why. 9 Summer reading
The Leader reviews some best-sellers that address spiritual issues. Included are reviews on series for children and young adults. 14 Telling our stories
Our stories reflect our with God. By telling them, we tell others about God. BY KATIE FUNK WIEBE
DEPARTMENTS
Readers Say 18 .. : P'h'lip Side by Philip Wiebe 20
• The art of apathy Inquiring Minds by Marvin Hein 21
• Amy Grant's divorce and retirement On the Journey by Rose Buschman 22
• The homeless in The Street BodyLife 24
• Global gathering of MBs this month in Kansas 24
• Evangelism and ministry priorities worldwide 26
• FPU students volunteer at Day One 30
• U.S. Conference finishes year with deficit 31
• Missiologist joins MBBS faculty 32
• YMI volunteers complete assignments 32
• Church News & Notes 33
• What I learned in Narnia
ART CREDITS: Page 7, Cleo Photography; pages 8-11, art by Sara Russet!; pages 24-28, photos courtesy of MBMSI; pages 3031, photos courtesy of Fresno Pacific University; page 40, photo courtesy of MB Biblical Seminary.
Printing by Valley Offset Printing, Valley Center, Kansas.
BOARD OF COMMUNICATIONS: Kathy Heinrichs Wiest, chair; Peggy Goertzen, Phil Neufeld, Dalton Reimer, Herb Schroeder.
The Christian Leader (ISSN 0009-5149) is published monthly by the U.S. Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches, 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 members will aspire to be faithful disciples of Christ as understood in the evangelical/Anabaptist theological tradition. However, the views expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent the position of the Christian Leader, the Board of Communications or the Mennonite Brethren Church.
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ASSOCIATE EDITOR Connie Faber EDITOR Carmen Andres
THE
POWER
OF AN OPENED BOOK
In the early 1930's Aldous Huxley wrote a science fiction novel called Brave New World. It depicts a future where people are not allowed to read. Why? Because reading encourages individuals to think for themselves and question the opinions handed down by the state. For the futuristic government of Brave New World, a society of nonreaders was much easier to control than those who would delve into classics like Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet and Othello. A reading population would be a threat to the existing government.
Ray Bradbury explores a similar concept in his novel Fahrenheit 451, the temperature at which paper burns. The role of firefighters is to ignite, not 4-THE CHRISTIAN
extinguish, fires in order to burn books and maintain control over people.
In both novels it was believed that books encouraged independent thinking and exposed people to new ideas, both values that would threaten the ruling government.
But banning books is not limited to science fiction. In China, as early as 213 BC, Emperor Shi Huang-ti ordered the burning of all books with ideas contrary to his, thus ensuring his control over the people. During the Nazi movement in Europe, Hitler also asserted his power by having certain books burned. From writers to government leaders, people and societies have come to realize the power of reading. Reading helps readers become independent thinkers, explore new ideas and confidently make educated choices and decisions.
As Christians, it is especially important that we refine our thinking skills. We are constantly bombarded with new technological developments and societal changes that challenge us to discern when these practices correspond or conflict with our biblical understanding. Exploring new ideas through reading empowers us with the opportunity to revisit some of our own convictions and to continually realign them to meet the principles of God's teaching.
PASSPORT TO THE WORLD
Opening a book is like receiving a passport with free tickets tucked inside. Reading gives us the
.How reading novels can help us be better servants of Christ
opportunity to travel without leaving the comfort of a cozy couch. As we travel, we learn more about the world-and the people who live in it
• Tickets to history. Books can make historical events suddenly very real.
Most people will agree that the Holocaust was an unspeakable atrocity, but not until I read Night by Elie Wiesel did I feel the overwhelming horror of those events. The gripping story of a young boy trying to survive in a concentration camp not only educates readers on the inhumanity of the Holocaust, but it helps us feel the terror personally. Readers gain a firsthand glimpse into his pain. Teaching through story, as Christ demonstrated so effectively in the New Testament, powerfully promotes learning.
• Tickets to other cultures and places. The portrayal of other societies and cultures is boundless in literature.
Amy Tan delves deeply into Chinese culture and family life, bringing the world of China into our homes. Louise Erdrich deals honestly with the fate of the often-ignored Native American, exposing the continuing ramifications of injustice with her stories from present reservations in the Dakotas. In Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart, the Nigerian Igbo tribe's dilemma comes into focus as missionaries attempt to evangelize the secluded tribal community.
Time and time again, reading expands our view of the world, uncovering cultures and soci-
eties that we only vaguely understood. Vivid description and storytelling prepare us to be better servants, more aware of the needs in the world and better equipped to meet them.
• Connecting to the world around us. Sometimes, the societies and cultures we read about are closer to home.
One of the advantages of waiting for my Canadian permanent residency application to be approved is that I haven't been able to work for so I have more time to read. As I read The Tin Flute by Canadian author Gabrielle Roy, I witnessed my new home of Montreal come alive. Through the story of one family's struggle to survive poverty and broken dreams, I better understood the culture of French-Canadians and how I, a native Californian, can find my place in this setting.
As Roy described holidays like Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day, I reflected on my first experience of celebrating the holiday, surrounded in the city park by hundreds of French-Canadians. I could understand more clearly the history and significance of the day.
As a teenager, I read John Steinbeck's classic, The Grapes of Wrath. As I read, something happened to me for the first time. Names like Shafter and Bakersfield and San Joaquin Valley jumped off the page at me. I knew these places! This was my world. I remembered the legendary tales I had heard of dusty journeys from Oklahoma and Kansas to California. My grandparents, like many Mennonite Brethren,
\livid descrip"on and sto'ttelling prepare us to be better servants, more aware of the needs in the world and better equipped to meet them.
e t peopI t-'s stories, he didn't stand idly by. He always responded, whether in words or in actions. For Christians today, reading imaginative literature involves the same call to action and response.
had made journeys similar to the one made by 10m Joad. The story of The Grapes of Wrath more real to me as I began to relate my own heritage to what I read.
We understand the experiences of others more clearly because of what we are reading. Reading is not only enriched by our experiences, but also helps us understand better the experiences of others.
FINDING TRUTH IN FICTION
One of my friend's favorite questions when watching a movie is, "Is this a true story?" Often, we allow ourselves to be pulled more fully into the story if a program is based on true events. Sometimes when we read fiction we find a comfort in separating ourselves from a story by saying, "Oh, this could never happen."
Can imaginative literature affect us in the same way as nonfiction?
We have just as much to gain from reading fiction as from reading nonfiction. Since imaginative literature derives from the human experience and reveals insights into human nature, there is truth in fiction. The way a character responds and acts in a novel can challenge us to examine our own lives.
In John Irving's novel, A Prayer for Owen Meany, lovable Owen is a unique young boy who strongly believes that his life has a specific purpose. His unwavering belief that God plans to use him inspires us to consider the power of faith in an unusual and unexpected way.
Novels like these, that reveal how others deal with the death of a loved one or act to resolve conflicts, challenge us as Christians to evaluate our own methods of addressing such issues. Have we been wise? Have we chosen Christ-like behavior?
Imaginative literature has the power to help us understand the world in new ways that will strengthen, refine, and transform our minds.
Novels also provide a wonderful opportunity to understand how our experiences have shaped us. Taking the time and energy to reflect personally as we read is difficult sometimes, but it is important. Kathleen Norris paints her own spiritual portrait as she uncovers the details of
Dakota's landscape. In Dakota: A Spiritual Geography, she reflects on her life in Dakota and how the land and country have become an influential part of her "spiritual geography." Reading about her discov'eries and insights challenges us as readers to look deeply into 'our own lives, past and present. What are the significant places that define our "spiritual geography?" How has our faith been influenced by time and place?
CALL TO ACTION
If Christians take reading seriously, reading will also prompt us to action. Part of what makes reading a beneficial experience is that we react to what we read. Exposure to new ideas and knowledge challenges us to evaluate our own lives and to make changes where necessary.
Reading also expands our view of the world, revealing injustice and oppression. When we read of inequity, we are challenged as Christians to act. How can we respond to injustice? How can we work to prevent the perpetuation of oppression?
Reading prepares us with knowledge so that we can make informed choices and share our discoveries with others to increase awareness and encourage social action. When we read stories of survival and personal success, our reading inspires us to continue to spread those positive messages of hope and love. How can we promote goodness? How can we encourage those organizations that help people in need?
When Jesus heard people's stories, he didn't stand idly by. He always responded, whether in words or in actions. For Christians today, reading imaginative literature involves the same call to action and response.
IN SEARCH OF A GOOD BOOK
Finding good books to read wasn't always an easy task for my high school students. Often one would emerge from between the library shelves with a book in hand asking, "Should I read this?" The question is a good one for all of us to ask ourselves when we choose our reading material. What makes for a valuable reading experience?
Choose books wisely. Reading gives Christians a great opportunity for growth and understanding, but the freedom to read comes with the responsibility to choose reading material carefully and wisely.
Although almost all imaginative literature has some value, there are some novels that are sensationalized, with the intention of frightening, disgusting, or exciting the reader. When choosing what to read, consider the author's intent and the overall purpose of the book. Is there a redemptive quality?
Does the novel strengthen who you are or increase your awareness of others?
In watching films, most people would agree that violent scenes to portray the harsh conditions of slavery or the persecution of Christians are necessary for an accurate depiction of such events. Violence in films like these is approached much differently than violence in "shoot them up" films where it is glorified, distasteful and shown as the means to resolve conflict.
In the same way that we critique what we watch, we should also judge what we read. Since not all subject matter is appropriate for all audiences or age groups, it is important to choose our reading material wisely.
• Read wisely. It is our responsibility to maintain a Christian perspective, constantly evaluating what corresponds with our faith and what contradicts.
Some may wonder, "How can I read a book that portrays ideas or actions which go against what I believe?" We will not always agree with the values held or the decisions made by characters in fiction, but disagreeing with the language or morals of characters doesn't strip the work of value. Instead of condoning the behavior or idea, we are challenged to discern what the story reveals about the human condition.
BETTER SERVANTS
Novels provide a rich world of story and adventure. As Christians, however, reading is more than an escape. It is a way to better understand the world and ourselves.
If we read with intent, novels teach us. Novels help us understand the world's boundless societies and cultures, past and present, near and far. Novels challenge us to examine our own lives, choices and actions. With this, we are able to be better servants of Christ .•
Elaine Reimer Pare is a member of Butler Ave. MB Church in Fresno, Calif., and Eglise Chretienne de St-Laurent in Montreal, Quebec, where she currently attends. Pare received a BA in English from George Fox University and a secondary teaching credential from Fresno Pacific University, an MB university in Fresno, Calif. She taught English in the Fresno area for three years before moving to Quebec with her husband. While waitingfor residency, Pare works as a volunteer with Institut Biblique Laval's Center for Research and Development in Faith Education, producing much needed Sunday school curriculum for French-speaking churches throughout Quebec.
WEEDS
the dust and heat, the burning wind, reminded us of many things -My Antonia
uffalo grass and prairie dogs angle e tracks. Fat sunny pumpkins tangle
and he, poor boy, afraid of heights! Big junebugs blundered into lights, haystacks. Polka-dots, yellow gentians, nonplus the cats with frantic engines.
By porchlight he knew his clumsy kiss would open up a small abyss-
Like attic helves, the years accrued a thin rd du t hat settled on his mood
Ii em mories of a parlor, all pink chintz. 'd ne er danced like that before or since,
like taffy spinning, an out-of rhythm chottische that bent his knees and even coaxed the stiff
cushions into bl'ooming greens and golds! Information, old as a map, folds h's traveled face into her frown. And as on a cliff, he can't look down:
so he looks at passing prairie where weeds grow strong and most boys marry.
-Rhodajanzen
Rhoda Janzen .5 a poet and teacher of American literature and poetry at UCLA. She served as California Poet Laureate in 1994 and 1997. She is the recipient of the Newcombe. a national grant for an original dissertation in ethics or religion, and the winner of the Nationat Wilham B. Yeats Poetry Prize. She is a member of Butler Ave. MB Church in Fresno, Calif. This poem was written in response to the American dassic, My Antonia.
VRPAVOR E AND WHY?
NOVELS RECOMMENDED BY 10 MENNONITE BRETHREN
Some ooks resonate with us. We r, member them long after we've closed the covers and placed them ba on the shelf, packed them away in a ox, or returned them to the libr ry. Why is that? What is it about a book that makes it so good?
The best books teach us something about ourselves and the world around us. If we reach deeper, we often find that they teach us something about God and our faith.
If someone asked you to recommend one of your favorite novels, what would you pick? Why? We asked 10 Mennonite Brethren to do just that. Their answers are thoughtful and sometimes challenging.
These recommendations are not necessarily those of the Leader or the U.S. Conference of MB Churches.
The Blue Mountains of China
By Rudy Wiebe
Recommended by]ean]anzen, a poet and teacher ofpoetry writing at Fresno Pacific University (an MB university) and Eastern Mennonite University. She has published four collections ofpoetry, the latest, Snake in the Parsonage, and has been included in numerous anthologies and journals. In 1995 she received a National Endowment for the Arts award. She a member of the College Community Church in Clovis, Calif.
This artful novel follows the lives of several Russian Mennonite families in their quest for a land where they can live and worship freely. It spans nearly 100 years, skillfully weaving places, characters, ideals and painful struggles as it moves from the Ukraine, Moscow, and Siberia to western Canada, South America and Vietnam.
Read this novel, first of all, for its great writing. Wiebe, one of our own, a prize-winning novelist, brings the novel into an imaginative level rarely achieved. Read it also to learn about our ethnic Mennonite Brethren history and its deeper levels. All readers will be challenged to take an honest look at the human dilemma when we face a crisis and the call of Christ within our lives. This is the book that propelled me into my own journey of writing.
The Clowns of God
by Morris West
Recommended by Randy Friesen, executive director of Youth Mission International (the North American MB churches' short-term missions program) for the past 11 years. He has also served as a youth pastor and attends Waterloo MB Church.
The Clowns of God is a fascinating novel about a pope whose vision of the return of Christ and the end-time judgments deeply shake up his life and make him a threat to the very Church he serves. Forced to abdicate the papal throne, he sets'
out on a lonely journey to better understand the truth of his vision and the gospel of the Kingdom. His quest leads him through a terrifying labyrinth of international politics and an unexpected conclusion. It's a page-turner.
The book is well-written and offers a depth of insight into several important themes. When taken to its logical conclusion, the gospel of the Kingdom that we often so glibly proclaim is threatening to every power structure in society-including the institution of the Church. Where does our authority to proclaim this gospel come from-the Church or the Lord of the Church? The end-times include apocalyptic events; at what cost would I side with Jesus in proclaiming the need for repentance? It is often the seemingly powerless "clowns of God" who have the clearest voice. Correspondingly, myexcitement about the return of Christ is probably affected by how much I have to lose should the kingdoms of this world become the Kingdom of our Lord.
Cry, the Beloved Country
By Alan Paton
Recommended by Katie Funk Wiebe, author and professor emeritus of English at Tabor College, an MB college in Hillsboro, Kan. Wiebe has written many articles and books, including The Storekeeper's Daughter and Border Crossing: A Spiritual Journey. She is a member of First ME Church in Wichita, Kan.
It's an old book but still a worthwhile book. The setting is apartheid South Africa in 1946. The country is broken. Races are divided with whites in control, determined to keep the other races sub-
dued. Families are broken because of poverty, inequality, violence and crime. The tribe is broken because the village chiefs are powerless in the face of white political and economic manipulation. The church is broken because it has become routinized and legalistic. The glory has departed from it.
The main character, Stephen Kumalo, a simple African pastor, is broken because of fear, ignorance, discrimination and poverty. He is much troubled because family members have been lured to the city where they are caught up in the urban vices of prostitution, crime and violence.
I recommend this book because it vividly depicts Kumalo's pain, bondage and fear. It is also a powerful story of restoration, forgiveness and healing through God's grace. The word images are striking, the wisdom profound. To walk with Kumalo through his suffering is to learn that God can use life's most difficult experiences to bring people through to the light.
The Cunning Man by Robertson Davies Recommended by George Klassen, pastor of the Salem MB Church in rural Freeman, S.D. He is vicechair of the Board of Trustees for the US. Conference Central District and a member of the Board of Resource Ministries of the General Conference, the North American bi-national MB conference.
The book "is about a medical doctor who brings together his life experience, religious convictions and medical expertise to diagnose the ailments that commonly afflict humanity. The novel follows the
SUMMER READING
Reviews of best-sellers that address spiritual Issues.
BOOKS FOR ADULTS
Apollyon by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins
Doubleday
Apollyon is the fifth book in a series of popular apocalyptic novels about people left behind after the "rapture" which heralds a seven year tribulation period before the return of Christ. In the first book (Left Behind) all Christians "disappear," causing a worldwide panic. The series follows
several people "left behind" who become Christians and form the Tribulation Force, an organization to oppose the Antichrist.
Apollyon picks up near the middle of the tribulation period. The "Trumpet Judgements" continue to strike as the Tribulation Force goes to Jerusalem for the Meeting of the Witnesses-"which will result in the showdown" between the Force and the forces of the Antichrist.
The series is a hot seller-recent ads boast more than 3,000,000 sold. In March, Apollyon held the number two spot on the New York Times fiction best-sellers list. That's rare for a book coming from a Christian publisher.
Many readers find the books hard to put down. In addition to the books' "page-turning" quality, readers say the books challenge them to examine how well they live out their faith.
The series' popularity has spawned its own cottage industry. On leftbehind.com, you can get information on everything from the upcoming sequel (Assassins) and a corresponding series for youth (Left Behind: The Kids) to Trib Force T-shirts and hats-and even a movie that's in the works. Though popular, the book does have its drawbacks. If you are looking for a well-crafted, literary novel, this is not it. The book is poorly written and the char-
The novel challenged me to questionhowmy faith and theology speak to the issues that arise in the novel.
main character through most of the stages of life, from childhood to that of a senior citizen. While there are many characters involved, the plot is centered on Dr. Jonathan Hullah, the main character and his two childhood buddies whose paths diverge and converge throughout the novel. Dr. Jonathan Hullah earns the title, "the cunning man," by his holistic approach to medicine and to life.
Robertson Davies is a gifted storyteller. His stories are captivating for the reader as they touch the common experiences of life. If you are looking for a Christian novel, this book will disappoint. However, it will challenge readers to see the world through another lens. The novel challenged me to question how my faith and theology speak to the issues that arise in the novel. It also critiques the church for its inability to use the gifts of its artists. Finally, the holistic approach to life is not the author's invention but rooted in the Scriptures, both the Old Testament theme of Shalom and Jesus' practical demonstration of ministry to the whole person. I was challenged to reaffirm my conviction that Christ is a holistic prescription to a hurting and diseased world.
Labyrinth: Selected Stories and other Writings by Jorge Luis Borges
Recommended by Leslie Mark, retired missionary of India and Mexico and retired professor of biblical studies, Spanish and missions at Fresno Pacific
University. He is a member of Bethany MB Church in Fresno, Calif.
My favorite short story by Jorge Luis Borges is "The Shape of the Sword." This is a short mystery"' told in the first person, which contains an amazing existential truth and a surprise ending in the last two sentences.
Borges plays with the mind, dreams, space and time in his paradoxical writings. As in our dreams, he imagines the past, present and future existing simultaneously. In his 50s, Borges concluded that time doesn't exist outside of each present instance. As God views the past, present and future as one eternal now, so Borges thought of time as just that.
I am always fascinated by the frustrating quest of writers who discover some truth but make God and Christ into their own image. They never quite come to a transforming personal acquaintance with Christ, who is himself truth. Borges' writing helps me to understand how to deal with others who seem to be floundering. I learn from them, and I hope they learn a little from me.
The Maestro by T. David Bunn
Recommended by Marilyn Hudson, manager of Kindred Productions, a publishing house of the MB churches of North America. She attends McIvor Ave. MB Church in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
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Jewel
by
Bret Lott
Jewel is a compeUlng., moving story based on the lifoe of Bret lott's grand mother. The novel" introduces a southern family finally making it: a steady income, five healthy children, and release from the. bitterness of a painful past." On the first page we dls(over that the 39 year-old nar-
While it would be easy to cr:ixfdae Jewe'lfs tunnel vision, lott softens our j:ucfg,.. ment by flashing back to Jewel's at 12j banished to a cold boarding school, surviving on sheer deter... mination.. While Jewel believes in God and prays to /lthat distant and puzzling and conniving God I thought t sometimes knew,1' she makes her own choices and plans and then asks God to bless them.
Lott's replication of a 19401 5. Mississippi dialect is masterful, and he realism with a detailed sense of place Readers may be offended by the way lott uses terminal-
Music runs deep in the soul of Giovanni di Alta and finds expression through his classical guitar in various genres of music. Receiving the best musical training available in his region in both Italy and GerGianni (the Maestro, as his friends lovingly call him) is eventually acclaimed as a rising young star. But through it all, Gianni struggles with a "God hole" within him, a hole filled with hatred, anger and hurt. His music finally leads Gianni to the ultimate "Maestro."
The art of living is characterized by tension-the tension between the inborn teacher and the voice of the physical teacher, the tension between the wish to lose the consuming hatred and hurt within and the holding on to it tenaciously, the tension between basking in the presence of God and the unwillingness to acknowledge its source. The Maestro ,looks at these tensionsin a very realistic way. The author draws the reader into the life of a young boy in his pursuit of excellence in music, his relationship with a loving, nurturing grandmother and his longing for a father's love.
For the travel lover, the description of the Italian countryside and life or the more rigorous German way of life will carry you along. For the music lover, the journey of music lessons, the burning desire to give expression to the music within and the numerous Christian lyrics scattered throughout the pages will inspire and bless you. And for those looking for a good Christian book that is more than
set in the rurs::J community Mltford, but A New Song Q:&a::ls .wit:n. a reloca tion to Whitecap, a sfflcd't se:aside community.
Father Kavanag:b takes an interhn pastora:1 position where he is "forced to test his beliefs and phUQsophy on a new parish. Along the w:ay, he discovers unforgettable characters and con fliets in his flock, fleshed out through a lawsuit, an incorrigible neighqor, a ftewly independent foster son and anew threeyear-old charge w:ithout ah:ome. The main characters capture our hea=rts as we experi ence day-to-day Ufe America.
The Mitford series is refreshing and delightful. The books are strewn with scriptural languag:e and references, me:t'aphors drawn from feUl\iliar works in literature and common sense adages communicated in vernacular. We cannot escape the book's assertion that
"fluff'-that paints the Christian life with its tensions and its blessings-The Maestro is a good choice.
My Antonia
by Willa Cather
Recommended by Dr. Rhonda]anzen, poet and teacher of American literature and poetry at UCLA. She served as California Poet Laureate in 1994 and 1997. She is the recipient of the Newcombe, a national grant for an original dissertation in ethics or religion, and the winner of the National William B. Yeats Poetry Prize. She is a member of Butler Ave. MB Church in Fresno, Calif.
Of all the great American novels, Willa Cather's My Antonia is perhaps the easiest to read. There's a peculiar, breathtaking quality to the stories told by Jim Burden, who as a fifty-something New Yorker can't stop thinking about his boyhood friend Antonia. When Jim begins to write about the years they spent together growing up in Nebraska, we readers can smell a romance. But there's a catch: the expected romance never happens. What we get instead is far more provocative and disturbing.
Jim's stories sustain so compelling a momentum that it's easy to miss Cather's focus. First-time readers
faith is the bedrock of cor(utrlunity. E:8cn member of 'th:e cornrruanity-with his own strengths and weak nesses-is valuable to the There is a battle to be fought B,nd won of g:ood over evil.
Surprising:1y, these books (publ:is:J'led by Penguin Books) are not ha:iled as II Chri:stian It novels, but the series is decidedly and ref:reshing:ly Jus.t that. Kavanagh, a member of 'the dergy in his sixties with a rare ability to feel another's pain, sees himself as 'la:fways on the·front line for justice and rnercy and 'forgiveness and redemption, tryi,n:g to figure out the mind of God, giving to the Lord his personal agenda." He uses every opportunity to communicate God!s I:ova, grace and satvation in a most natural way_ With every new situation we find him asking the Lord for wisdom and assistance. His spirited wife with a generous servant s heart joins him in proclaiming God's grace.
As with the rest of the series; tne same farnrUar the:m:es and conTUcts play out in A New Sang-hatred and bitterness versus love and faith, anxiety and wo:rry versus. peace and captivating styfe. Again, Father Kavanagh models a G:od who is ever present in tria,ls, caring and going with His children an the way. -Reviewed by Peggy Goertzen, director of the Center for MB Studies at Tabor College'l an /VIS college in Hillshoro, Kan. She is a member of Eben feJd MB Church in Hiflsboro.
The Testament by John Grisham Doubleday
If a typical John Grisham novel tnvolves complex lega:1 issues woven withi:n an intricate plot, The Testament is not typicaL
Readers of Grisham's newest bestseller do meet a variety of less-than-ethical lawyers, including the hero Nate D/Riley, and explore a complex legal
tell me years later that they still remember the story of the bride and the wolves, which, in fact, is more memorable than Cather's theme in the abstract: the idealization of a personal past and the creation of a national identity. It's only after some reflection that readers discover the questions that this novel is really asking. And they are the questions that count. What is belief and what is it for? How do you balance tradition and change? What happens when expectation slides into disillusionment? Why is inventing the self such a uniquely American enterprise, and how does it affect constructions of community? The book richly rewards any reader who has questioned fate, who has succumbed to nostalgia, or who has been brave or foolish enough to challenge convention.
Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis
Recommended by Wilfred Martens, author and professor of English at Fresno Pacific University. He has written numerous articles for the Leader and other periodicals. His novel, River of Glass, was published in 1980. He is a member of College Community MB Church in Clovis, Calif
Lewis suggested that the most effective way of sharing one's faith was through stories. A story captivates the imagination of nearly everyone, regardless of age, belief or cultural differences. His children's stories, the Narnian tales, are as
topic--the 1:incd will and of bitt..lionaire ·Troy Phelan. But i;n, tn:i:s Grisha:"n th:tiI hlU1 most of the e:xc:ittemn:eAt COJfnes not in a courtroom but in the Brazi:lf:jan wet lands·as Q.fRil:ey survives a p:fan., Grash; a tropical storm and jungle fever in hls search for missionary Rachel Lane, title mysterious heir to Phelanl.s bUUons.
While I appreciate a meg:8:-seUlng author like Grisham. aHudiA:g so clearly to his own Christian faiths The Testament portrays dedicated Christians as bla:ncl rather than complex. The bad guys are more interesting than the good ones-Lane is perfect and Q'Riley's spiritual mentor .5 a one.. dimensional
In spite of thisweakness1 Grisham tackles a number of important questions of faith and life: What's the real legacy of a lifetime of work? How does one measure character? How important should success
interesting to adults as they are to children. The space fantasy trilogy is a favorite of many readers. In each of these fictional tales, a reader can discover aspects of faith smuggled in as symbols, images, patterns and themes. Till We Have Faces is his last work of fiction and the one he considered his best. It is a challenging and unusual novel, but well worth reading.
The story is a retelling of the ancient myth· of Cupid and Psyche. It is about three sisters in the imaginary country of Glome, a century or two before the time of Christ. One of the major themes deals with aspects of love, a topic that he wrote about later in 1960 in The Four Loves. The story shows how possessive love becomes destructive and how sacrificial love can transform one's life.
A wide range of readers-from perceptive teenagers to curious adults-who are willing to take on the challenge of a different kind of novel will find much to ponder in this unique work of fiction.
Pontius Pilate by Paul L. Maier
Recommended by Hal]. Penner, youth pastor at Pine Acres MB Church in Weatherford, OK He also serves as u.s. Conference Southern District Youth Commission secretary and is the chaplain for the Weatherford Fire Department.
"The trial would become the central event in history. But for the judgment of one man, a faith shared
\Mhlt "to be·a disciple of Cfffristl '
The nevel:1 s ,poJnt is the s:piri"O t:ual tran$f;ormat:ion oT O'(l'Uey, a man wit:h two. ruined marri'8:ges,estranged relat:iof1shi:ps with his chUcI;ren a big problem with· dtugs a,A:d alcohol, and a way of treating rehal) Uke a.hobby.
In an interview with Newsweek magazine" says he contemplated a full blown conversion scene for Q'Riley, but his wife and editor ts:lked him out of it. What readers get instead i:s a more ·reaJistic story of a man's search for God.
11 It was one thing for God to forgive his astounding array of injqu:ities, and Nate certainly felt as though his burdens were ·lighter writes Grisham. "But it was a far more difficult step to expect· himself to oecome a follower. IIReviewed J::ty Connie Fabe!"t associ.. ate editor of the Leader.
"Fhe Chronicles of Narn:ia by Lewis Harper(ollins
Our family's first trip to Narnia was tne summer our two oldest children were three and six. ·We have returned again and again to this magical land of kings, queens1 witches1 talking anlmals and other creatures. It's one of our most favorite places to go.
The Chronicles of AJarnIa are considered a masterpiece by many and demon strate the depth of Lewis' Christian convictions. The seven books follow the adventures of English children who travel to the world of Narnia where they meet the powerful· Hon Asian and become themselves more than mere children. These profoundly allegorical stories present good and evil and faith and hope in such a way that even young children can wrestle with the issues.
by nearly a billion people today might not have been born." This quote from the preface clearly describes the purpose of this book. A documentary novel, it takes the facts from history around Pontius Pilatetaking no liberties-and reconstructs his life, only filling in the gaps based on probabilities. This book attempts to tell" 'The Greatest Story Ever Told' from its least-told vantage point. Roman-perspective. "
We associate that name of Pontius Pilate with the murder of our Lord, but never do we think of the other point of view-Pilate's. Was he the killer of the Christ, or just a pawn in God's awesome plan of salvation? We don't know-but what we do know is that God used him to save you and me.
The story is so eloquently told that I was drawn deeply into Pilate's life, hoping that he would answer the age old question he asked Jesus (in John 18:38) "What is truth?" Although he was afraid of the answer at the time and didn't allow Jesus to reply, he continued searching through the death and resurrection and to the end of his own life.
Although the book is not new (first published in 1968) it is still available. I have used Pontius Pilate often to spur discussions in youth settings, adult Bible studies or dramas. Pilate's quest to find truth is the underlying theme, and he looks for the answer in many of the same places people still look today. Does he ever find the answer? Will we see Pilate when we get to heaven? What is truth? Do you know?
While the first book, The Lion, the Witch ancJ the Wardrobe, is best known, oth,.. ers in the series are eCfua=Uy engaging" In The Silver ("hair; the children meet the curious lVlarsh wiggJe PuddJeglum ana visit the rnysteri:ous underground of the Emer" aid Witch and her EarthmEn1 while sea:rching for Narnia's lost Prince Rilian. Along the way the children-and the read:ers----find the courage needed to fight evil and realize the importance of rernemb:ering and following Aslan's words.
Throughout the Chronicles, Asian is the <:entral character. He is Narnia/s creator, protector and savior. He is both and feared. Each of the children who Visit Narnia must eventuaUy decide whether or not to trust Asian.
Ills he quite safe 7" asks Susan in the first book.
Watership Down by Richard
Adams
Recommended by Michael Dick, executive secretary of the General Conference Board of Resource Ministries/Kindred Productions. He has worked on several denominational publications and writes for Rejoice!, an MB devotional guide. He attends South Langley MB Church in Langley, British Columbia, where he was .associate pastor for 10 years.
Watership Down is an adventurous journey taken by a band of rabbits. Sensing danger, Fiver the prophet encourages Hazel to lead them from the safety of their warren to discover a new warren where they can live in peace. Bigwig the warrior rounds out their leadership team. Leaving one danger, however, only leaves them open to many others. Through a gripping story that totally immerses the reader in the world of rabbits, come some insightful lessons about leadership. Personalities of leaders differ. As leaders contemplate a given problem their opinions on a course of action may be quite different. It is essential that leaders talk, weigh the options and above all come to consensus regarding a course of action. A goal is achievable when the leadership team pulls together and leads as a unit. •
I have used Pontius Pilate often to spur
discussions in youth settings, adult Bible studies or dramas.
IfS<rffe answers B:eave:r. 1'·Who s8:i:d anything about safe 7 f::Co:urse he saf.e. But he's g:OOQ. H:e's the.KIng., J teU you."
-Revie:wed by Connie faber; associate editor of the Leader
BiOOKSFOI YOUNG AD:ULTS
The Russia:Rs (7 vots) (1991-199:8) by Judith
Pella and Michael PhflUps Bethany House Publishers
This seri:es, set in Russ:ia from 1876 to 1918, tra:ces the life of Anna Yevnovna Burenin, the daughter of a humble 'leas,.. ant family from the smaU village of Katyk. Anna leaves her family to become a ser... vant for the aristocratic Fedorcenko farni M ty in St. Petersburg. Anna's solid in God affects those around her, including the spoiled Princess Katrina and her brother Prince Sergei, with whom Anna
f:tdls in I:ove.•
As Russia race:s a W8:f in the Balkans 8:n:Q an interna:t revolution that threatens to divide the country, tne stories of the 'two farTlU:ies ate interwoven to demon strate ·(i:Q:(l:'s sovereignty as members from ee:ch family face crisis and sorrow. The characters struggle throug:h relationships, revolution, war., exile, loss and reconciliation. AnnaJs strong character and f:irm faith in God dur·ing these struggles provide an exceUent role mode1 Tor young adults to identify with and emulate. Being of M:ennonite descent I have always about the Bolshevik revolu and was interested to lea·rn more. This series prOVides an accurate reflection of nisf;oryandgives the reader a sense of being in the midst of the action and feeJing the paln of war and political upheaval. -Reviewed by Judy Brown, librarian for 15 years at Immanuel High, an MB high school in Reedley, Calif. She attends Dinuba MB Church in Dinuba, Calif. •
I CHOOSE TO WRITE MOST OF MY BOOKS, but I fell into the writing of Good Times with Old Times: How to Write Your Memoirs. The director of our college's continuing education program for the plus-sixty group had asked me to teach a short writing course. I agreed. I chose to emphasize personal experience writing, and my 26 students caught my baited hook unhesitatingly. Out of the class came the book encouraging older people to recount their life story. After that I couldn't quit encouraging others through memoir-writing workshops to keep telling their stories. Or to stop telling mine.
We should never have stopped telling stories.
I can still hear a preacher of several decades ago say, "Please pardon the personal illustration, but .... " At the time I never understood the hesitancy, for often I liked the story better than the sermon. I thought he demurred because it was bad manners to make one's private life a public affair. Missionaries could tell stories about their experi ences, and were expected to, but when they preached, they too switched gears and the stories stopped. Somewhere the connection between the story and belief got lost, even though Jesus did most of his teaching to adults through story.
The linear account of God's dealings with humanity from Genesis to Revelation-what he has done, is doing, and will do-never becomes one unified account for many people because it is not told as one continuing story. The grandeur of the story of how God came to humanity through an event, or a series of events, misses them. Their strong meat is some aspect of the systems that have grown out of the stories: Does a human being have a bipartite or a tripartite nature? Did Judas have free
If
you ask me to tell you about my God, I can't tell you without telling you my story.
BY KATIE FUNK WIEBE
choice if he had to be a traitor?
The story was lost and with it the power and glory of the good news, for in the story lies the essence of faith. We must listen to the story again. The stories of God's dealings with humanity from the beginning of time. And our own stories.
Story reveals faith
When the stories are distilled and packaged for popular consumption into theological systems, they do not capture the imagination of the listener. Modern story-theologians are saying we must find ways again of telling the stories of the Bible in such a way that readers identify with the characters and say, "Aha, that's my story, too," for we learn and act because of stories. Because motivations for actions, feelings and reactions remain the same throughout time and only the setting changes, stories appeal to the emotions.
The ancient Israelites had a strong sense of their story in which they saw themselves as part of a covenant community. They did not come before God seeking him only as individuals, but as an individual always conscious of being a member of a people who had ,a story that went back many generations. At important junctures in their history, the leaders recited this story to the Israelites, a story that began with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses. The New Testament apostles, when preaching to crowds, began by showing their listeners how they were part of the Jewish story. They belonged to the story of Abraham, and on through one story after another, to David and Christ. They were part of the flow, of the movement toward completion, not isolated scraps of being drifted with the current.
I find myself reacting to my awareness that as a
church we have not only lost contact with the Bible stories in favor of a systems approach, which includes the three-point sermon, but we have also lost contact with the story of Jesus and his love in the lives of modern believers. We prefer the sys .. tems statement "I believe in the incarnation" to a story of a modern incarnation. We prefer to say, "God can forgive your sin," than to explain how he forgave ours, though a truer statement about our faith is always our personal story.
What I experience about God shows up in my personal history. If you ask me to tell you about my God, I can't tell you without telling you my story. You will see the God I really know and trust only as you learn to know my story. Here my true theology is revealed.
The dearth of our personal and family history is due in part to the contemporary emphasis that life begins with our particular generation, when we were bride and groom, rather than with the awareness that each new couple is a member of a family, of a continuum.
The lack of emphasis on story is due also to the contemporary view that the Christian life begins with the individual. New Christians are encouraged to begin testimonies with "I was saved on August 17, 1987, and became a member of the family of God" without acknowledging that the people of God were already present long before this. It was only through people witnessing to them and showing them how the faith life could be lived, that they become a part of it.
It is also partly due to the present emphasis on instant pleasure. Television allows us to amuse ourselves to death without reflecting on our own story. Someone has said if we do look at history, it comes in the form of the instant replay. Again and again we look at yet another view of a play, from this side, from that side, and then again from this side.
Immigrant storytellers
Several years ago literary critic Alfred Kazin told a conference of English teachers that "the immigrant writes to make a home for himself on paperto find a place, a ledge." I understood then why my immigrant parents had told us children stories around the old oak table in our small frame house in northern Saskatchewan. They were trying to make sense out of the difficult experiences of war, revolution, and famine just behind them. We heard funny stories about courting during the war, sad stories about sudden death during the revolution, and courageous ones about immigration to America without money and carrying with them only a Russian samovar, a flour sack filled with toasted rolls,
six polka-dotted diapers and a few other items packed in a few suitcases, and a tin cradle. They were telling stories to find a home, for people tell stories to identify the secure place: "This much I know about myself This part of my life is secure. I can talk about it. Now how do I match this experience with what I yet don't understand?"
This kind of storytelling or life review to integrate all of life is important, for a person's story is God's work in their life. The telling helps them put together the bits and pieces.
Immigrants have only language by which to pass on what is important to them. The past is gone, as are family heirlooms and other artifacts. The territory in the adopted land is new. They are guided by memories, a set of values, and hope for the future. The only way to pass on the values inherent in their past and to explain the reason for making a break with the past is through stories.
Becoming modern immigrant storytellers
Most of us are not immigrants-we have lived in this country sometimes for generations. Yet in times of fast change \ such as we are experiencing, we are immigrants of another kind.
Vocational and geographic mobility, technological advance, changing values system, have turned us all into immigrants, sometimes without clear ideas of our place in God's economy. The new frontiers are emotional, psychological, technological, intellectual and spiritual. We are all looking for that safe ledge as much as the landed immigrant from another country. We all need to tell stories as we confront change, as we have sought and found new freedoms, as we have cast off old bondages, and won new victories. Anyone who has felt excluded from history, such as minorities and women, will feel the need for storytelling sooner than those who are content in their role.
As I hear older people discuss the faith life informally, their questions are not so much academic or doctrinal, as practical. They don't seem as much concerned about whether the virgin birth is possible as whether faith can survive the moral darkness, whether the church is actually concerned about fighting sin and evil, whether the words of a celebrity, toothily saying, "The Lord guided me to success," can be trusted, whether faith in Christ actually makes a difference in times of personal sorrow and suffering.
Modern immigrants in this unbrave new world need the courage which comes from the story told by the person who shares life experiences with God.
Modern immigrants in this unbrave new world need the courage which comes from the story told by the person who shares life experiences with God. Such stories of faith and joy, but also of hopelessness and despair, can unlock the listener's own dreams, of which today there is a real dearth. They give the hearers permission to risk their own dream, knowing that though success may not always follow, the reaching is important.
Hope is always hope, love is always love, courage is always courage, faith is always faith. Circumstances change-houses are made of brick instead of wood, floors are tile or carpet instead of mud. Benches have been exchanged for chairs, hard rope beds for waterbeds, the horse and buggy for a high-powered vehicle. But something always remains the samewhat a child feels when coming home to warmth and love, the first awareness of a person of the other sex, the disappointment at a gift, the first knowledge of powerlessness, corruption or violence, the first awareness of God's grace and mercy. We are all searching for these same truths and don't know it until we find ourselves in someone else's story.
Stories show how someone caused values to become living truth in another time and setting. The listener can then link his or her own question and hopes with the shared experiences. Such identification with the emotions involved in the story provides insight into the Christian life and opens the way to a more mature faith. Without the story, preaching and admonishing seem just so much pressure to conform to group beliefs.
A return to an emphasis on stories, however, may
ADULT FICTION
Chariots in the Smoke by Margaret Epp
The Deacon by Myron Augsburger and Marcia Augsburger Kincanon
Under the Still Standing Sun by Dora Dueck
TO ORDER OR FOR MO'RE INFORMATION:
Toll free order line :(800 ) 545 7322
create two problems. In Mennonite Identity and Literary Art, John Ruth points out if there is no true story of cross-bearing for God present in a personal or congregational history, the "essential emptiness of the story will reveal itself soon enough." That is possibly the main reason we stick to a systems approach. To tell our own story of Jesus and his love might reveal a stark poverty of spirit.
Furthermore, people may come up with new understandings of the Bible stories if they reread them with a fresh approach, forcing those who are very sure of their interpretations to defend their systems, which then may result in a different kind of story. This has happened before in history, with Martin Luther as a prime example. He went to the Bible and discovered in a new reading salvation by faith for all believers. Minorities, women, and the oppressed, who read the Bible stories with the understanding they are included in them and need not live on the fringes, rejoice in the gospel in a new way.
An authentic story makes it impossible to pass off a string of words as the essence of the redeemed life. Above all, it passes on to one's children not an empty bucket, but shows them where to find the well. •
The article is adapted from Bless Me, Too, My Father, with permission from Herald Press. Katie Funk Wiebe is an author and professor emeritus of English at Tabor College, an MB college in Hillsboro, Kan. She is a member of First MB Church in Wichita, Kan.
"Resourcing Mennonite Brethren people for Christlike living and ministry"
CHILDREN'S FICTION
The Gift of love by Gloria Guenther
Stories from Grandpa's Rocking Chair by Sarah Kaetler
More Stories from Grandpa's Rocking Chair by Sarah Kaetler
Rogues, Rascals and Rare Gems by Danny Unrau New Release - May 1999
Saints, Sinners and Angels by Danny Unrau
Beyond Those Mountains by Dick Thiessen
Please Carry Me Lord by Rose Cornelson
HISTORICAL STORIES
Journeys: Mennonite Sto'ries of Faith and Survival in Stalin's Russia by John B. Toews.
Comanches and Mennonites on the Oklahoma Plains by Marvin Kroeker
MEETINGS
New from Good Books
Meditations for Meetings: Thoughtful Meditations for Board Meetings and for Leaders
collected by Edgar Stoesz
The moment comes to begin a board meeting or committee meeting. Where does a leader turn to find an appropriate comment to open the occasion, to prepare the setting for doing good work?
Here are more than 75 two-page long meditations, written expressly for board meetings by seasoned board members. They all write from their lives. Some are men; some are women.
Each meditation begins with a Scripture, moves on to a personal story, and ends with a brief prayer. Each is about leadership-the courage it requires, the clarity it demands, the celebration it sometimes offers. $9.95, paperback
DON'T FORGETDoing Good Better: How to Be an Effective Board Member of a Nonprofit Organization by Edgar Stoesz and Chester Raber
In these days of tightening budgets, organizations cannot afford weak board members. In this time when many qualified persons have few discretionary hours, they have little time for training. Doing Good Better serves both needs efficiently and thoroughly. (Revised edition.) $9.95, paperback
A Guide to Happy FalIlily Gardening
a little help to get started gardening with kids by Tammerie Spires
You'd like to plant a garden but you aren't sure how or where or what.
You have a yen to grow some fresh veggies but you'd like a little hand-holding through the enterprise.
You've imagined cultivating a modestly sized plot of dirt with your kids but you're afraid you'll all regret it later. m••
Don't do anything until you've read A Guide to Happy Family Gardening. It is clear. It is precise. It is hard-won wisdom from a mom who's been seven years in the adventure. (Tammerie is a member of Peace MennoniteChurch in Dallas.)
You can begin anytime of the year! $8.95, paperback
Reuben and the Quilt
P. Buckley Moss, Artist; Story by Merle Good
Reuben was ducking strawberries in the truckpatch when his dad got the idea about making a quilt. The whole family would help (even Sadie, who threw the plump red berries). They would make it as beautiful as possible. Then they would sell it at the auction to raise money for an operation needed by their neighbor.
But the colorful Log Cabin quilt disappears before they have a chance to give it away. This hearty Amish family faces a new adventure!
What if the thief was needy? Should they turn the other cheek? $16.00, hardcover
DON'T FORGETA Guide to Happy Family Camping by Tammerie Spires
There's more to going camping than gathering the gear. Or plotting your route or reserving your campsite. Veteran camper Tammerie Spires began her forays into the out-of-doors as an eight-year-old and is still at it with her husband and their two preschoolers. If you want to camp but don't know how to start, Spires lays out the plan in bite-sized steps. Each one is clear and good-humored. $8.95, paperback
DON'T FORGETReuben and the Fire and Reuben and the Blizzard
P. Buckley MaSSI Artist: Story by Merle Good
The first two books in the REUBEN series by Moss and Good have been well received. Why not have all three? Or give them as a set to your favorite children. Or to your church library. Follow the adventures of Reuben, his family, his bossy sisters, and his neighbor friends.
IILively and colorful. II -Kirkus Reviews $14.95 each, hardcover
Call toll-free 800/762-7171 • P.O. Box 419, Intercourse, PA 17534
Available at local bookstores or directly from the publisher. Mastercard and Visa accepted. Shipping and Handling (add 100/0, $2.50 minimum).
TlzoughtfiLl Meditations for Board Meetings andfor Leaders MEDITATIONS
RBUCRTU MOSs,.I\rdst Stu/) by MbHI Ii GOOD
REUBEN and the BUZZARD
BUCKIJ,Y MOSS. Artist Story by MERIE GOOD
IQV is not so accurate
Larry and Sherry J ost' s love for precise Bible translation is commendable (May 1999, "What Readers Say"), but their preference for King James needs informing. I like KJV's color and idiom, but I am cautious in studying it.
James' translators employed a hastily assembled collection of available Greek manuscripts (except Revelation which was reverse translated from Latin) labeled "Textus Receptus" by the publisher-not a text in common use. The compilation depended heavily upon Byzantine manuscripts, unashamed updates of the Bible into fifth century Greek. Most of the thousands of changes were trivial, adjusting parts of speech and word order. Some synoptic gospel accounts were adjusted to conform. A few traditional marginal embellishments were included as text.
However, with good intention, Byzantine authorities sometimes changed the text to smooth over doctrinal ambiguity. Thus in Luke 2:43 (the incident of Jesus as a boy missed at Jerusalem) older manuscripts (e.g. Sinaiticus) read, "His parents did not know it." But since Jesus is God's son, to avoid doctrinal dispute, Byzantine manuscripts became, "Joseph and his mother did not know it." So reads the KJV.
Adamant for King James, my friend Jeff argues that only the King James contains the term "only begotten son," makingJesus a sired son, more beloved than a formed son.
Noble thought. But truth is nobler. The Greek "monogenus para patros" (only generated/only derived from the Father Oohn 1:14)) really doesn't demand a sexually sired connotation at all. The Holy Spirit is not a man that he should inherently have sperm. Nor is sin
WHAT READERS SAY
The Christian Leader welcomes brief letters on topics relevant to the Mennonite Brethren Church. All letters must be signed and will be edited for clarity and length. Send letters to Christian Leader, 7531 Delta Wind Dr., Sacramento, CA 95831 (e-mail: chleader@jps.net).
or holiness transmitted by chromosomes. This KJV mistake no doubt influenced the Mormon heresy of an adulterous union between Mary and a god man. Luke 1:31-34 tells a different story. An angel announces to Mary, "You will conceive The Holy Spirit will come upon you, " (future) giving Mary time to consider and give her consent. And the very next time that we read of the Holy Spirit, a few days later, the Spirit is in Elizabeth's home, filling Elizabeth, blessing Mary. And Mary responds wonderfully. In my view, the conception of Jesus took place there, inspiring Mary's Magnificat speech.
And because of the national significance of Jesus being a son of David, I believe the genetic material matched Joseph's. But the life was from God. The outstanding uniqueness of Jesus , filially is this: He is the eternal Son, derived seamlessly from the Father, having no beginning, equal in kind. The fussiness of KJV obscures this amazing truth and masks the lesson that God, without defiling a man's bed, gave Joseph a true son, born of a virgin, in the line of David by paternity, according to promise, fully God and fully man.
Peter Ste(lrns Lodi, Calif. (
Dissolution is costly solution
The proposal to dissolve the General Conference is an easy way out of a perceived problem, but the solution is potentially costly. Christian unity is not only chiefly structural. Still, structural fragmentation sends a message, one that is hardly a positive model for churches in Europe, Africa, South America or Asia. Despite the best intentions to salvage the ministry of spiritual supervision of faith and life, global mission, leadership training, or media resourcing through a plan of national organization and cooperation, I fear that the costs of disjointedness, scattered vision, administrative overhead and an overall downplaying of these priorities will jeopardize effectiveness of ministry and blur our identity.
I agree that changes are necessary, but I ask: should changes not be made in the light of our calling and mission? Is dissolution the appropriate response to the vision statement for the General Conference which was proposed in 1987 and adopted, together with strategies, in 1990? Is it now expedience that determines decisions?
Elmer A. Martens Fresno,
Depression needs more than words
Calif.
Thank you for publishing the article "Surviving the Desert" by Doug Miller Oune 1999). I found his insight and suggestions to be excellent anchors in a troubled time and I genuinely appreciate the time he took to offer them to your readers. A few years ago, however, I would not have appreciated his remarks but would have found them hurtful, destructive, and an unwelcome rubbing of salt into my wounds.
For a significant period of my life I suffered from what was finally diagnosed and treated as clinical depression. Darkness, hopelessness, a longing for death were my constant companions. These companions only grew stronger with the repeated sound of voices that said I should have more faith, trust more, depend on God and stop worrying. No amount of prayer, vigilance, and longing for the mercies of light and love could free me from my despair. The teaching of my church and family and friends only led me to believe that my darkness was a result of a personal, devastating failure to accept the love of my God. What a remarkable blessing it was when I at last sought the medication, therapy and spiritual direction that I needed. Medical and therapeutic help were necessary to bring me to a point where I could hear the good words of someone like Miller. The healing-coming to the place where such words are encouraging rather than painful-took a very long time.
When we walk through trouble, phrases such as "Panic will subside if you
focus on today," "put energy and creativity into your job," "worship may take grit and determination," "the desert will end" (all taken from Miller's article) are necessary reminders of how we can faithfully maintain our commitment to God even as God walks with us through the trouble. Yet, when I was suffering from depression, phrases such as these increased my anguish and despair. I knew to the bottom of my heart and soul that these attitudes and actions were in no way possible: I was very sick and in need of a different approach to come back to health and wholeness.
How I wish that during my time of darkness I had heard the teaching voices in our church recognize the affliction of depression. I wish that when I had read articles such as "Surviving the Desert" there had been a paragraph that acknowledged my experience, that reminded me and others that sometimes overcoming the pain and darkness is not a matter of nurturing the right attitude. It is a matter of medical intervention as surely as overcoming a massive infection requires antibiotics.
So, I speak now for those who struggle as I did: save the good advice of this article for the day when you will be healthy enough to hear it. The encouragement of articles such as Miller's is not for you at this point in your life, for your needs are very different. Know that your darkness is not a lack of faith, but is a place you must walk through on your journey of faith. Know that the God who seems absent also seemed absent to Christ on the cross and to Mary who watched her child die. Know that you are not the only one and please, please know that the help can be found.
Name withheld by request
MEDA: Helping make the mundane holy
For Phil Neufeld, the business world is where he does his ministry.
"I believe God wants me to incorporate Christian discipleship into the cut -and-thrust of daily business," says Neufeld, who owns asoftware development company in California. "My goal is to make the mundane holy. I don't need to leave God at the door. When I visit someone on a sales call, I'm actually there to care about them."
Neufeld finds MEDA to be a"valuable source of information on ways to take my faith to work. At the same time I can help others through MEDA's business-oriented approach to helping the poor."
Do you want to connect your faith and work? Then MEDA is for you!
1-800-665-7026
meda@meda.org www.meda.org
LaV\ds Of the Bible
Sept. 22 - Oct. 5, 1999
John & Naomi Lederach
30hV\ & Naomi iV\vite l'0vt to come aloV\9 to the iV\ to the
iV\ e9l'pt/ with all of iV\ betweeV\,
Mennonite Economic Development Associates
BY PHILIP WIEBE
The art of apathy
At times, we seem to care too much about the wrong things and too little about the right things.
Most of us would say that apathy is not a good thing. Especially these days when it seems to run so high. A com-
mon lament, for example, is that voter turnout continues to decline. Many people just aren't interested in politics anymore. Some would claim that's a natural result of scandals and lack of
integrity among politicians. But others would argue that voter apathy is pal·t of the problemthat unwillingness to take responsibility for the "people's government" contributes to the atmosphere of dishonesty and immorality. This kind of apathy is bad for society.
In the church we also want to avoid apathy. Signs of revival are evident in many churches and ministries today; but there are also indications of the opposite trend. Overall church attendance is declining, charitable giving is down, and churchgoers are less likely to be consistent in attendance and ministry involvement. This kind of apathy is bad for the church.
The health of the family is also affected by apathy. There are many caring, conscientious spouses and parents today, but we're also seeing the serious problems that lack of love, attention, and guidance can produce. Couples drift apart and children drift aimlessly. This kind of apathy is bad for families.
We could think of other examples. The point is, apathy is considered to be a negative characteristic, something to be avoided. The dictionary defines apathy as "lack of feeling, interest, or concern; impassiveness or indifference."
Recently I got to thinking about another side to apathy, however. I was
struck by a quote from C.S. Lewis on the Christian's relationship with prevailing culture. Lewis was reflecting on his own connection with popular trends and entertainment after his conversion. Should he continue to embrace them? Reject them completely? Consider them benign? "On the whole," he wrote, "the New Testament seemed, if not hostile, yet unmistakably cold to culture. I think we can still believe culture to be innocent after we have read the New Testament; I cannot see that we are encouraged to think it important."
That statement resonated with another thought I heard in the wake of the Littleton, Colo. high school shootings. As always in these situations, much speculation ensued regarding popular culture's role in the tragedy. To what degree is blatant violence on TV, in the movies, in video games, and so on to blame for rampant violence in society? How can the entertainment industry be castigated and regulated?
During one TV panel discussion I saw, a media professor and researcher interjected the most sensible comment I heard on the subject. In essence he said, "The only real solution to media violence is for the public to say, 'We're just not interested anymore.' When millions stop consuming violent programs and products, companies will stop making them."
That really seemed to get to the heart of the matter, yet it was largely overlooked. People were more interested in what they could do about the problem rather than what they could
stop doing. But the media professor was right. If most of us ceased caring so much about today's amoral entertainment culture, its troubling influences would largely go away.
It makes me think we could use more of that kind of apathy. There are appropriate things, even necessary things, to be indifferent about. At times we seem to care too much about the wrong things and too little about the right things. I write this a few weeks after mania for the new Star Wars movie peaked. Crowds of people stood in line for days to get tickets. News broadcasts devoted large amounts of coverage to this "landmark" event. Yet during this same time, if you mentioned "Kosovo" to someone, you may well have gotten a blank stare. How ironic that a fantasy Star Wars incited more popular interest and concern than a real war. As Christians we can also misplace our apathy. Many things compete for our interest and attention. I often complain that too much to do and too much to think about hampers my spirituallife. I don't have as much time for prayer and reflection as I'd like. In reality, that's the choice I make. How I spend my time reveals what's most important to me. Too often I prove to be apathetic about seeking and serving God, and not nearly apathetic enough about things that can take me away from God.
Paul spoke of the right balance between enthusiasm and apathy when he wrote, "I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ] esus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ" (Phil. 3 :8). That kind of faith is hard to find these days: passion for knowing and following]esus coupled with indifference for the things of the world. As the classic chorus encourages: "Turn your eyes upon]esus, look full in his wonderful face; and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of his glory and grace."
QMany of us have been saddened recently by the report of Amy Grant's divorce. Do you think the pitfall may have been her decision to sing secular as well as sacred music? Should we expect more from our Christian celebrities than from ordinary believers? (California)
ASomeone has suggested that a Reformation insight was that all Christians have a "vocation." Each believer possesses a set of talents, abilities and opportunities that represent a calling from God to serve in the world. I can buy that notion. In a very real sense, we all have multiple vocations. We serve God not only in our jobs, but as parents or in community involvement or many other venues.
Amy Grant, along with her former husband, undoubtedly had a set of gifts that enabled her to serve people. I'm not particularly troubled that she decided at one point in her career to sing secular music. There may have been unhealthy motives that caused her to make that choice, but I will not be judge of that. I do think it could well be part of God's plan for her life to sing not only for Christians but for a secular audience as well. Most of us exercise our "vocation" in the world at large, not just in the church. Christians should express their faith in their vocations, be those sacred or secular. Perhaps in God's eyes there may be little difference.
Should we expect more from the Amy Grants of the world because they become famous, influential and role models? I presume that anytime a believer has any influence, he/she carries a greater responsibility to live Christlike. That doesn't say that any of us are less responsible to God. But with
INQUIRING MINDS
BY MARVIN HEIN
increased influence, in my mind, comes greater responsibility. Paul's letters indicate that certain persons in the church (elders, deacons, shepherds) have stiffer requirements than others. If not, why do we have the lists of qualifications for such offices? Amy Grant was a very visible, popular performer. I think she had all the temptations the rest of us experience, but her visibility on the Christian musical scene made it all the more important that her life be exemplary.
Having made that judgment regarding the fall of Amy Grant, I do want to say that some of us may be almost accessories to the "crime." All too easily we make icons out of our heroes and then are bitterly disillusioned when they fall. It is we who placed Amy Grant on such a high pedestal that when she fell, great was the fall. It is dangerous to look to celebrities for spiritual leadership. Artists are not by nature spiritually superior to ordinary people. They are bound by the same rules that guide our lives. The temptations to egotism by virtue of huge popularity are as dangerous for Christian artists as they are for Christian pastors and leaders. Notoriety in any form has its own set of temptations.
QIs retirement a Christian concept? (California)
AI'll confess this is my question. But I ask it because repeatedly the subject comes into conversations I have with people. They want to know how I'm enjoying "retirement." They inquire about how it feels not to be as useful as I once was. Fortunately, I have had the privilege of working
Have a question about a Bible passage, doctrine, conference policy, or other spiritual issue? E-mail Marvin at mhein1 @fresno.edu or send your question to "Inquiring Minds, " c/o Marvin Hein, 4812 E. Butler, Fresno, CA 93727.
part-time for almost a decade after retiring from the pastorate. I've had the best of two worlds--a meaningful avenue of service and a relaxed schedule.
I do think, however, that the typical notion of retirement is not always a Christian one. To think of your golden years as a time when you relax, move to Florida, do all the things that satisfy you and have no concern for the world around you--that seems to me something short of what God would expect. To be sure, people can retire and still be productive. I have many friends who, while long retired from their jobs, continue to be useful through volunteer work with MCC, hospice, chaplaincy and a variety of other good works.
The attack on the work ethic in our society has caused us to forget that work was not a curse. Oh, yes, Eve sinned and made it more stressful, but Adam and Eve worked before the Fall. And will there not be work in heaven? I think there will be, and what a pleasure it will be. God gives us capacities for work and it would seem to me that we, so long as we are able, should use them to the best of our abilities.
ON THE]OURNEY
BY ROSE BUSCHMAN
The homeless in The Street
Reading The Street Lawyer opened up the world of the homeless in a way I had never experienced before.
It was Friday afternoon and I was exhausted. A week of teaching algebra to high school teenagers usually did that to me. However, on this day I was more tired than usual. In fact, I knew I would be in big trouble if I didn't do some serious resting over the weekend. I walked over to the school library and asked the librarianfor a good book to read.
"I need to rest this weekend," I said. "Can you recommend a book that will keep me from doing too much housework? Something light, very little violence, decent language and fun to read."
She thought for a while and then suggested that I might enjoy a Helen MacInnes novel. The library had several and so I checked one out and took it home. It was exactly what I was looking for. I got my much needed rest and made friends with a new author.
I've learned that reading novels, one chapter at a time, and then working for 15-20 minutes between each one is a wonderful way to spend a Saturday. I get my laundry, baking and cleaning done, but at the same time I am also reading, resting and relaxing.
After Helen MacInnes died I knew I had to find a new author. I first heard about]ohn Grisham's novels from a colleague at school. I was in the office one day and heard her talking about the new book she was reading, The Firm. Since she recommended it so highly, I decided to buy it and read it for myself. Soon I was on to The Pelican Brief, The Client, The Chamber and others. I was hooked and relaxing at the same time.
When I first read Grisham's novel, The Street Lawyer, I thought I was in for more of the same. However, this time I was wrong. Oh, the book had a fastmoving plot with enough suspense to
keep my attention, but it did much more. It opened up for me the world of homeless people in a way I had never experienced before. The characters in the book became real people with big problems and very limited solutions available to them. Grisham himself admits in a note at the end of the novel, "Before" writing this book, I had not worried too much about the homeless. And I certainly didn't know anyone who worked with them." In this novel, he "pricks our conscience," one reviewer wrote. Another one called this book "A suspense novel with a social conscience." It certainly was that for me. (I'm not going to tell you the story of the book, because I want you to read it for yourself)
. The closest I've come to identifying with the homeless is the experience we had in moving from Nova Scotia, Canada, to Florida. After several years of serving with our Mennonite Brethren Christian Service program in eastern Canada we were on our way to the University of Florida so my husband could pursue graduate studies. For six weeks we lived out of our car as we camped our way across Canada to British Columbia (my sister was getting married) and then proceeded diagonally across the continent via Kansas (my husband's parents lived here) all the way to Florida. We had a small canvas tent, two folding cots, two sleeping bags, a camp stove and a Styrofoam cooler. Our eight-month old son slept and played in his car bed positioned in the back seat among our clothes and other belongings. (We didn't have infant car seats in those days). Money was scarce and gas was charged to our one and only credit card. We couldn't
afford to eat out, so all our meals were either a picnic along the roadside or cooked in a campground. Since we didn't have a lantern, I learned to cook using the headlights of the car on a number of occasions.
When we got to Florida we had to tent in a campground for several weeks until we found affordable housing. My husband was beginning his graduate degree program, and so I needed to find a job to support us. I sometimes wondered if I looked as bedraggled as I felt, dressing up for job interviews while kneeling in our tent with sand on the floor, wet sides from the afternoon rains and oppressive humidityaccompanying the 90-degree temperatures. We didn't have a phone-that cost me several prospectivejobs because I couldn't leave a number where I could be reached.
We had enough money to pay the first month's rent for a mobile home we found but not enough to put down an equal amount as a security deposit. I went in search of a short-term loan. The best I could do was a loan company that offered me some money at 36 percent interest. Our previous good bank credit rating from keeping up with our car payments didn't help here. We were homeless! Eventually, the mobile home park manager let us move in on the promise of a deposit payment later after I got a job.
As I read The Street Lawyer I found myself thankful that I had the heritage of being raised in a Christian home. How would I handle my life if I didn't know who my father was, if my mother was in jail on drug dealing charges and if I had not been taught Christian values and morals? The book left me with a sense of "there but for the grace of God, go I."
On the other hand, now that I have a lovely home and everything that I need, what is my responsibility as a Christian to the homeless? I'm still working on that!
BOTH NEED AN ESTATE PLAN.
It may be a simple will, a living trust, perhaps a creditshelter trust. but some kind of plan is needed. A will or trust allows you to accomplish many good things:
• Name a personal representative or trustee to manage the distribution of your estate.
• Name a guardian for the care of minor children or a family member with a special need.
• Possibly reduce or eliminate estate taxes.
• Make a charitable gift to support the ministries you value.
No document in human affairs is more important than your estate plan, whether a will or a living trust. Such an instrument speaks with authority as to how your family should be cared for and how your assets should be distributed. It is the final and finest expression of your real character, love for family, and love for God.
r----------------- CLIP AND MAIL -----------------,
Please send me the leaflet, "Your Legacy Planning for a Better Tomorrow."
Please send me the leaflet, "Understanding Living Trusts."
Please send me information on making a planned gift to a ministry or charitable cause I value.
IlWe have already included a Mennonite Brethren ministry in our estate plan in the following way:
Please contact me by phone. The best time to reach me is:
Name: Address: City: State: Zip:
Telephone:
Global gathering of MBs this month in Kansas
• ICOMB Consultation is bringing MBs from around the world to Buhler, Kan., July 11-14.
This month, Mennonite Brethren from around the globe who come to Central Kansas for the historic International Committee of Mennonite Brethren Global Consultation may well echo the words of The Wizard of Oz's Dorothy Gale: "Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore."
In many ways, Kansas represents the vision of denominational leaders to establish churches beyond North America and Europe and in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Mennonite Brethren-a denomination that began as a revival movement among Mennonites in the Russian Ukraine in 1860-began immigrating to Central Kansas in 1874. Over time the small Kansas town of Hillsboro became the hub of the denomination's mission and publishing efforts.
Today, MBs worldwide number 239,284. In fact, the number of MBs in both the Congo (84,000) and India (72,000) outnumber North American MBs (53,177). The work of the denomi-
nation is no longer headquartered in Kansas but is decentralized and ICOMB is emerging as a unifying-though not a decision-making-body.
The]uly 11-14 ICOMB Global Consultation, hosted by the Buhler (Kan.) MB Church, will celebrate international respect, sharing and learning among MBs from the 17 ICOMB member conferences, says ICOMB chair Takashi Manabe of]apan.
"Each conference has her own distinctive history of having become what she is now," says Manabe. "Therefore, all of us have to pay our greatest respect for what we have attained in our distinctiveness. In this sense, we are all equals. Our God, the Father, and our Savior, ] esus Christ, does not have any partiality for race and culture. Standing firmly in Christ on this foundation, we can learn from each other as MB Christians.
"ICOMB is not a legislative organization," says Manabe. "It is a mutually sharing fellowship group to learn and
to encourage. No one conference should impose anything on another conference. Our fellowship is mutual in every respect: praising together, learning the word of God together, sharing the common concerns together, and even making decisions together for our mutual benefits without imposing anything.
"I trust and pray that the meeting in Buhler will be a pre-taste of what all of us will be tasting in our glorious future in Heaven," says Manabe.
ICOMB's beginnings
Mennonite Brethren got a taste of what it is to be an international family 10 years ago when the first worldwide congress was held in Curitiba, Brazil. The 805 registered delegates from 14 countries experienced firsthand that the MB global family is more "third world" than "first world" and that the domination of German and English-speaking tongues is a thing of the past.
The Curitiba conference grew out of a conviction on the part of North American leaders and those of the various national conferences that a new forumother than the North American denominational mission agency-was needed for discussing questions of church life, including evangelism. The Curitiba conference provided leaders of national conferences with a forum for discussing theological and churchly concerns. For international mission leaders, it became a consultation on partnership evangelism. And for the local Brazilian leaders, it was the opportunity for members to receive evangelism training; nightly evangelistic meetings targeted the community and received considerable coverage from the local media.
At the MWC in 1990
While the Curitiba conference represented a step toward internationalization, no one was quite sure what would happen next. It was agreed that national leaders would discuss internationalization issues with their respective countries and report back to the North American Board of Reference and Council. This input would be collected and circulated among the national conferences. The MB leaders agreed to meet again following the 1990 Mennonite World Conference in Winnipeg, Man., to consider concrete recommendations.
Discussions at the 1990 meeting moved slowly-five languages were spoken by the 40 participants, only four national conferences submitted reports
and the majority of the 1990 participants had not been at the earlier meetings. Two agenda items were slated for discussion: global relationships and the relationship of national conferences with the North American mission agency, then called MB Missions/Services.
However, the mission agenda took a backseat and by the end of the gathering, delegates had created a new international MB committee with communication as its primary role. A committee was established with one continental representative coming from North America, Africa, Asia and Europe and two representatives coming from Latin Americaone representing the north and the other the south.
Paraguay 1992: first ICOMB meeting
In 1992 the first annual ICOMB meeting was held in Asuncion, Paraguay, with Edmund Janzen of Fresno, Calif., as the chair. Janzen, as General Conference moderator, was the North American representative to ICOMB and served as ICOMB chair until 1997. This first meeting was also historic because it was the occasion of the first ICOMB-sponsored event-a three-day regional consultation of southern Latin American MBs.
ICOMB restructured in 1997
A new level of international cooperation was reached in 1997 when leaders of the 17 national conferences voted to restructure ICOMB to include representation from each of the national conferences rather than regional representa-
tives. It was also agreed that each national conference would forward one percent of its annual income to ICOMB. It was at this meeting that the July 1999 consultation was scheduled.
Kansas 1999
Since ICOMB continues to develop as an organization and has limited resources, MBMS International (the global mission agency of the North American MB churches) is supporting the 1999 consultation with a $30,000 grant. MBMSI and u.S. Conference staff have processed visa requests, made travel arrangements, issued official letters of invitation, worked with translation needs, organized program details and promoted the event.
MBMSI staff member Shelly Spencer says 150 participants and as many as 200 people, including a Japanese tour group, are expected. Each national conference was invited to send a conference leader, a theological educator, a woman's leader and a youth leader. To ensure that each conference could send at least two representatives, travel funds were made available to conferences from economically depressed countries.
The opening session Sunday night emphasizes the Global Consultation theme, "Signs of hope in a world of chaos: Renewing the MB church for Century Twenty-One." Subsequent morning and evening messages will focus on renewal-through prayer, the Holy Spirit, the Bible and suffering and in witness and the promise of eternal life.
continued on page 26
Worldvvide MB Church Melllbership 1999
Update according to I,COMB statistics at the end of 1998
COUNTRY MEMBERS/CONGREGATIONS
Angola - 4,600/25 *
Argentina - 40* /1 *
Austria - 385/8
Brazil; GOBIM - 3,720*/37
Canada - 32,330/213
Colombia -1,642/26
D.R. of Congo - 84,000/345*
Former Soviet Union - 4,000*/15*
Italics: fraternally related (non-MB or partially MB)
* No current data available
Germany (AMBD) -1,397/15
Germany (BTG) - 5,658/26
Germ,any (VMS) - 225/7
Germany (tndep. MB) - 6,500* /20*
India - 72,000/813
Indonesia - 12,910*/100*
Japan - 1,863/29
Mexico - 175/8
Panama - 860/15
MB World Membership - 239,28411,835 With fraternally related - 259,8SZI2,031
Paraguay (CIEPHM) - 2,500/69
Paraguay (VMSP) -1,538/7
Peru (AlEA) - 2,000170
Peru (lEHM) - 370/10
Spain -10/1
United States - 20,847/160
Uruguay - 190*/7*
Venezuela (lEHM-G) - 3211
Venezue'la OEHM-L) - 25/1
Evangelism and ministry priorities worldwide
• International MB conferences share a priority on growth, evangelism and ministry, from planting churches in Germany to responding to a devastating earthquake in Mexico.
Brazilian Conference grows to 40 congregations. four church plants
The Brazil MB conference welcomed two more congregations to the national conference this past March at the annual meeting bringing the total conference membership to 40 churches.
"We had a very blessed annual conference," says Harry Janzen, conference executive secretary. "Items that should have been on the floor for discussion already at earlier conferences finally could be discussed at this one."
Progress is also being made in connecting conference leadership with local congregations and in promoting the Brazil MB Bible College among the congregations, says Janzen, who is also the director of the college.
The conference is also currently
involved in three church planting projects-in the cities of Santa Maria, Chapeco and Dourados. Mission couples at all three sites are praising the Lord for the people who accepted Christ in the last couple of months and for those who have been baptized.
The new congregation at Santa Maria, led by Ingo and Ellenore Dettmer, urgently needs a place for worship and other gatherings, says Janzen. A lot has been purchased but conference leaders are currently exploring other locations as well as financing for the building project.
The Brazil Conference is divided into districts and in May one of the large districts was divided to form two districts. "It was hard to handle the big distances in order to assist all the churches," says Janzen.
The new district has four congregations and Janzen requests prayer for the "integration and mutual help in the Southwest District of Parana." Of special concern is the congregation at Pato Branco. The pastor recently left both his family and the congregation.
Global gathering continued from page 25
Each evening, testimonies and music from a different continent will help participants become acquainted with the broader MB family. General sessions will be translated into Spanish, English, Japanese, German and French.
The morning sessions will include speakers and hosts from the different conferences. The afternoons will be devoted to workshops on a variety of subjects-theological education, the confession of faith, youth ministry, women's ministries, missions, leadership training, stewardship, urban church planting and peacemaking. Issues related to global fellowship will be discussed in a number of workshops including one led by Mennonite World Conference executive secretary Larry Miller of France. Wednesday afternoon, time is set aside for tours, group meetings and networking.
July convention goers can take home a reminder of the international MB community thanks to the new ICOMB video. The video, produced in Paraguay with funding from the Kroeker Foundation of Manitoba, is available in six languages and four video formats. It will be available for the first time at the GeneralConference conventionJuly 8-10 and the ICOMB Global Consultation. -CF
"We are very much concerned about that church," says Janzen. "It was growing and was in the process to become a cell church. Help us to pray for the Pato Branco church and for the family of the former pastor." -CF
German church planting tradition
Five years ago the Neuwied congregation in Germany sent church planters Peter and Maria Hoffmann to the city of Vlore, Albania. Now they have established a refugee camp and are helping care for about 2,000 war refugees from Kosovo. Truck transports with goods leave Neuwied every two to three weeks. Several other churches and church related organizations are using
the channels of the Neuwied church to help.
This is nothing new for German Mennonite Brethren. Germany's church planting tradition started in 1950, when the first MB church in Germany was founded in Neuwied (Rhein) mostly from East Germany and Eastern Europe refugees and was supported by North American congregations. As that congregation grew, it planted other congregations. That tradition continues today.
A new MB congregation is emerging in Steinhagen, a growing town 15 kilometers west of Bielefeld with a population of about 17,000 and without a free church. This is a daughter church of the Immanuel MB Church in Bielefeld.
Sixteen Immanuel members form the nucleus for the new congregation. For about one year, they have held Sunday services in a Greek restaurant with about 40 to 50 people, including children, in attendance. The group includes 27 committed Christians, many of them with young families. Now the group has rented new facilities in an industrial building and anticipate becoming an independent congregation this fall.
The Arbeitsgemeinschaft Mennonitischer Briidergemeinden in Deutschland
• Of the nine countries bordering Congo seven are engaged in some .kind ofwar. I saw trucks in Kinshasa unloa<l* ill' scores of refugees-women and cnutiren frottl BrazzaviDe with only small buftdl-es of clothes to claim. as posses ' sions. lleEugees. eame to my door a:R<I in broken English .told of the horrors of war, of thirtecft and fourteen year-old , , soldiersJ of a pastor and. eVaD;ge'list and-most Jl1lesome-of the 'Shooting down in 'cold blood 0%1' 'p@ople mltet ·iog together in a house for prayer. At one poj:nt a. pastor, jarred, de.-astat:ed and exhausted, was given a couch. in. the f(Qttse where I stayed sa he could get some sleep. He had fled to Kinshasa to urge the Cllristians there to pray.
• Down the hill from us, a stray sbeU from across the river came througb the wi@dow of a Mennonite Brethren home. A. thirteen..year-oltl n@:ipbor boy inside that horne was killed. The son in that home was hit in the leg by shrapnel and taken to a hospitaL
• In addition to the political hat. shi1fs" people's daily lives are hard, too.
(AMBD) in partnership with MBMS International is in the process of planting a church in East Berlin. After establishing an MB church in the city of Dresden (160 km from Berlin), this is the group's second church plant in the former communist Eastern Germany.
"It is a great challenge to go into the German capital of 3.5 million people to start a new MB congregation there," says conference leader Alexander Neufeld. "We are praying and looking for a suitable church planter couple to go to Berlin and work there alongside Lawrence and Selma Warkentin from MBMSI."
Neufeld says the distance between Berlin and Bielefeld, the region where most of the MB congregations are, is also a challenge. The congregation in Bielefeld-Stieghost recently bought new facilities: a former British officer casino. The large military establishment was built by Hitler for his officers in the 1930s. After World War II it was used by British military forces until the early 1990s.
"Now the church of about 140 mem-
.Kinshasa, a city of more than live tnillion, was functional, but barely. Bven paved main streets haa large potholes, 'making speed lialit signs utlt\c,cessary. T:hllre were no Telephones, for the few who had sometimes '];:0<:tloaed but often die not. More than once I prepar-ed lessons bycan<ftelight because the electricity had gone off.
The unemployment mte in Ki:nshasa is altouad. -,0 percent. )oho:iachim, a 50 year..ol<l :MiD nurse with a family to sup.. port., left nursing to prepare for ministry. I found it hard to accept his alit of peanuts, tnangoes and bananas" since I Imew his family nacJ Ittdc.
In the midst of tnis physical mflering, however, the CllUfCh is growinl.
.In t.he Uk$ me church loses 3,090 melItbers per day, but in SulrSanara .Mti,a-whidl includes Congo-the Cllr:istian ellurcl: 1jains 16,(i)QO per day. CJ,){\vetsions aM xe:lative:ly common place. Following a message at tbe Kintambo Mil Church (attelldance lOO), tlle pastor gave a call to coftv;ersion arrd two YO;UllJ m¢1l fespono@d. They were
hers is remodeling the building to be used as a place for proclamation of the gospel of peace and for building up a community of peace," says Neufeld. Germany's history, culture and geography have contributed to the formation of several MB conferences. AMBD, the first conference established in 1966, is a child of North American MB missionary involvement in Austria, says Neufeld. This conference of 15 congregations has about 1400 members who were born in Germany or are immigrants from the former USSR or are Mennonite immigrants from South America. As congregations were planted in South Germany, they were initially part of the Austrian conference. The national border prompted them to become an independent body in 1986. The Bavarian regional conference includes seven congregations with about 225 members. The Austrian and Bavarian conference work closely together, says Neufeld, who is a former AMBD chair.
In the late 1970s, "Aussiedler"-Men-
immediately assipled to a discipier . • The ChriSTian influence in Kinshasa is strong. At one upscale restau:rant a Christian TV program was showing-not an uncommotl sight. The eross clenomi· national witness is also impressive. Evan gelital churches are organizing to spon soc tne:ir own television prop-am. A crowd of 80,()().O gathered on New Year's Eve at the Protestant foe a praise service to God for his sparing of the dUring tne August 1998 rebel Baptist and Assembly churches, eve·a Afrlcan Independent Chu:rcnes, welcomed us and invited us for sermons and sem:iaars.
should I tell tne people back hornet' I aske<l my students before llelt. Said one student: '·Tllank those in the West for Others said it is time for MBs to "bring the gospel to the and, encouraged by Youtn Mission International (an MB short tenn mission program), that our should focus on youth." Still another suggested that we consider African churches as we make Oll:f mission plans.
nonite immigrants from the USSRbegan arriving in large numbers. Some joined existing MB congregations but most founded their own MB, Mennonite and Baptist ("ethnic Aussiedler") churches. About half of these MB congregations united with the Baptist congregations in 1989 to form the Bund Taufgesinnter Gemeinden (BTG) which presently has 27 churches with about 5,800 members.
"We from the AMBD have quite good relationships with BTG churches and leaders," says Neufeld. "Culturally and sociologically speaking, the AMBD and Bavarian churches are very much German congregations and the BTG churches are second generation 'ethnic Aussiedler' people somewhere in between in the process of cultural integration."
Germany's Anabaptist community also includes a large number of Russian German immigrants who came to Germany in the 1990s and those who wish to remain culturally Russian German. It is estimated that there are 250 Aussiedler congregations in Germany in the Anabaptist tradition with about 80,000 members. Within this group, there are independent MB churches, some with as many as 800 members and 1,500 in attendance. To help keep their cultural identity, about 50 of these congregations have founded a "Bruderschaft," a large body of Aussiedler churches. "Most differences to us in the AMBD are cultural," says Neufeld, "though it has implications in practical theology as well." -CF
Leadership and evangelism Japan's top concerns
Preparing leaders for the 23 congregations of the Japan MB Conference and evangelism is the priority of the conference going into the 21st century, says conference leader Takashi Manabe.
Twenty-eight pastors, many of whom are first generation Japanese pastors who will be retiring in the next several years, serve the established congregations as well as the seven evangelistic
and two branch congregations.
"There is much need to train younger people to replace them as pastors of local churches," says Manabe. "Evangelical Biblical Seminary has a burden to fulfill this need." The seminary presently has 14 regular students and 9 auditors. Four students graduated this year.
Three missionary couples and two single missionaries are supported by the local congregations and individuals. A year ago, evangelistic work in Izumi was begun.
"The financial need of the conference will be multiplied as we plan to set up more local churches," says Manabe.
Over the past year, the Japan Conference has sponsored a number of events to nurture the congregations and their leaders. A conference retreat in May, 1998, featured Vern Heidebrecht of Canada as the speaker. The pastor's training seminar that followed was conducted by Heidebrecht and Darrell Bock of Dallas (Texas) Seminary.
A Sunday school teacher training seminar was organized. "There is a strong tendency among churches in Japan that the enrollment of Sunday school pupils is decreasing," says Manabe. "Our MB conference in not an exception. "
Summer camps for people of various ages, two musical praise festivals, a oneday New Year's Conference, a young adult training camp, a pastoral and missionary training seminar were also held.
Many pastors and lay people have been involved in international activities, says Manabe. "Compared to ten years ago, there are many more people who have gone to foreign countries to participate in Christian activities," says Manabe. Thirty-eight Japanese will attend the International Committee of Mennonite Brethren Global Consultation this month in Buhler, Kan.
Trips to places like the United States, Korea, and Israel have introduced people to new opportunities. Some congre-
gations have adopted a Korean discipleship training program that emphasizes the teaching ministry of pastors.
Not all traveling is done in personmany pastors have their own personal computers, and e-mail correspondence circles have been established among the pastors as well as lay people. -CF
Mexican MB's relief aid brings miracle
In southern Mexico along the Sierra Coast, rains from Hurricane Mitch flooded fifty rivers last September, washing out villages and taking several thousand lives.
Ernesto Zedillo, the president of Mexico, called it the worst natural disaster in the country since the earthquake in the city of Mexico in 1985.
The ensuing needs did not go unnoticed, and many organizations rushed to bring aid to the battered areas, including Mexican Mennonite Brethren churches. The National Presbyterian Church requested help for the village of Valdivia in the Chiapas region of southern Mexico. Peacemakers MB Church in Leon and United MB church in Guadalajara responded. For several days, their team of doctors, nurses, counselors, and pastors distributed food, clothing, and medical attention to those who needed it.
MBMS International, the global mission agency of North American MB churches, funded $9,000 for the aid, which provided over 40 tons of food and clothing.
According to Hugo Hernandez, pastor of United MB Church, God was involved in a special way on this project. Having counted the kits of food and clothing meticulously, the pastor knew they had only 250 kits available to hand out to the villagers. However, more victims arrived from other villages, and the team continued to hand out the kits.
When it was all said and done, they realized they had distributed 150 more kits than they had brought. And having witnessed the miracle first-hand, two non-Christian physicians from the team accepted Christ. -MBMSI news release
BODyLIFE
Let Mission USA and Mission Analysis Help You Discover the Health of Your Church!
Mission USA has partnered with 38 churches in Mission Analysis, a selfstudy on church health and effectiveness. As a result, participants have reported that they have been encouraged as their strengths have been affirmed and challenged to work on areas that need to be broadened.
"Mission Analysis was the tool we needed. It was helpful to get some objective feedback and to see where we need to focus for healthy growth. It's been exciting to see how God has led and stirred new spiritual passion in me and others through this process. /I - Skip Suess, Pastor, Good News Fellowship Church in Ferndale, Wash.
The survey indicates the state of church health in the following eight essential elements:
• Visionary Leadership
• Gifts Mobilization
• Passionate Spirituality
• Functional Structures
• Celebrative Worship
• Disciplemaking Groups
• Relational Evangelism
• Caring Relationships
A second survey is suggested to measure the church's growth in areas of weakness. Kingwood Bible Church in Salem, Ore. committed to the Mission Analysis process and assessment in 1997. "We were encouraged to see our strengths in the areas of Visionary Leadership and Celebrative Worship. The two lowest factors at Kingwood were Relational Evangelism and Small Groups," states Pastor Gordon Bergman. Following an emphasis on prayer, resourcing, leadership development and implementing strategies, a second survey now indicates a 330/0 improvement in Small Groups and over 260/0 in Relational Evangelism.
Churches are invited to contact Mission USA to enroll in the Mission Analysis program or to request a second survey opportunity.
Contact:
Ed Boschman, Mission USA Executive Director 20165 N. 67th Ave., Suite 120, Glendale, AZ 85308
Phone (623) 825-7112 or Fax (623) 825-7135
E-mail: ebmusa@phnx.uswest.net
MISSION USA BOARD:
Ed Boschman, Phoenix, AZ.,
Chuck Buller, Visalia, CA.
Karin Enns, Dinuba, CA
Phil Glanzer, New Hope, MN
Joe Johns, Weatherford, OK
Loretto Jost, Aurora, NE
Brad Klassen, Glendale, AZ
Nancy Laverty, Jones, OK
Stephen Reimer, Shafter, CA
Randy Steinert, Bakersfield, CA
Tim Sullivan, Hillsboro, KS
Gory Wall, Lodi, CA
Ex Onicio Members: Henry Dick, Fresno, CA.
Clinton Grenz, Bismark, N.D.
Bruce Porter, Fresno, CA
Roland Reimer, Wichita, KS.
Clint Seibel, Hillsboro, KS
Jim Westgate, Fresno, CA
FPU students volunteer at Day One
• 74 Mennonite Brethren university students volunteer at youth rally in Michigan
u're at Day One," said the man in headphones. "Smile while you are here! Be the best usher you can be."
The man smiled as he continued to give instructions. "Never let anyone in your section throw paper airplanes or toilet paper rolls. They should be confiscated if you see them, but never stop smiling. Don't let anyone have water bottles. Smile. Compress your section, allow as many people as possible to fit in each row. Smile some more. Always be on your feet, smiling. Be energetic. Did I mention smile?"
I honestly wanted to smile. But after four hours on a bus from Fresno to IA and four more hours on an airplanemy first time-to Pontiac, Mich., all that could make me smile at that moment was the thought of a warm bed and a soft pillow.
Only a few hours before, I had arrived at the Silverdome with 74 other Fresno Pacific University students and FPU president Allen Carden and his wife, Denise. With sleep only a dream, we painted on our smiles and headed into the stadium.
The idea to attend this gigantic youth rally was sparked two months earlier by students who attended Teen Mania's "Acquire the Fire" rally in Sacramento, Calif. Teen Mania, a youth missions organization, planned to host the biggest youth gathering ever in Michigan and we wanted to be there. God affirmed our decision to serve at the Day One rally when in less than nine weeks we raised over $29,000 towards the cost of the trip.
The moment I walked into the arena, excitement and adrenaline began to pulse through my veins and my smile came naturally as I scanned the seats. Over 70,000 teenagers would arrive in less than an hour. What would they be like? Would I be able to handle this?
I waited for what seemed like an eternity for my section to arrive. Waking up from the nap I didn't mean to take, I found that the first of my section finally
high and high school students attended the two-day conference at the Silverdome in PonFPU students Kimberly Johnson (left) and Sarah Elder (right) met with members of the Sepik Iwam people from Papua, New Guinea, who were among the groups in that country that first heard the gospel in their own language thanks to the work of Marilyn Lazlo, a missionary from the Wycliff Bible Institute.
More than 70,000 junior
Illiiiiil;;;iil
headed my way. Smiling, I led them to their seats.
The energy vibrated. It amazed me that the audience was four times the size of my hometown of Selma, Calif. Junior high and high school students from all over the u.S. and Canada were bursting with energy as they danced in the aisles. They sang along when the bands came out and waved their hands in the air. One of the youth pastors in my section, clad in overalls, a tie-dye shirt and combat boots, played an imaginary drum set as he jumped up and down.
While everyone was bursting with energy, they were also overflowing with love for Jesus Christ. During prayer times, you could hear yourself breathe. Even' the bouncing youth pastor poured over his Bible during breaks.
The teens were also respectful when guests such as Josh McDowell spoke. As he told the story of Cassie Bernell of Littleton, Colorado-shot by one of two fellow students after confessing her belief in Christ-students applauded her courage and dedication. Calling her a modern-day martyr, McDowell invited everyone to sign papers taped up in the hallways for the teens at the high school.
An offering was also taken to buy every student at the school a Bible.
The weekend of April 23-25 is one I will never forget. When we set out for the rally, we prayed the experience would change us and bring a realization of God's power. As I watched over 70,000 teenagers give Jesus a standing ovation that lasted more than seven minutes, I couldn't help but realize how powerful God really is. Surely he had touched the hearts of all who attended. He had touched mine.
As we gathered after the conference ended, our FPU group remembered Joshua 3:5, "Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow, the Lord will do amaZing things among you." We had all been a witness to the wonderful things he had done at Day One.
As I walked out of the Silverdome for the final time, I prayed that the fire we had all experienced would be evident in us, touching others along the way-and I was smiling. -Sarah Elder, communications assistant at Fresno PacifiC University, an MB university in Fresno, Calif.
u.s. Conference deficit lower than expected
• Church contributions remain strong for national, binational ministries
In spite of earlier projections to the contrary, the end of the u.s. Conference fiscal year on May 31 brought more good news than bad.
In early April, the financial outlook was bleak. Projections indicated the conference would need an additional $120,000 above church contributions to balance the 1998-99 budget, u.s. Conference treasurer Dale Regier told conference board members at the annual joint boards meeting April 8-10.
After a year-end push to balance the budget, the conference raised over $100,000, leaving a deficit of only $19,739.
The situation improved considerably when the MB Foundation awarded the conference a $60,000 grant made possible by a matured estate gift. The deficit was further reduced when board members pledged an additional $10,000.
Lynford Becker, U.S. Conference executive secretary, reports that an every-home fund appeal plus follow-up phone contact with selected individuals in May netted another $16,000.
"All the boards underspent their budgets," says Becker, "and that helps." The
MB institutions
celebrate commencements
Almost 100 students graduated from Fresno Pacific University, Tabor College' and MB Biblical Seminary in May.
A total of 444 students graduated May 8 from Fresno Pacific University in two commencement ceremonies. Adrian Riveria (right) was one of 116 students graduating during the undergraduate ceremonies held in the morning. During the afternoon ceremony 167 students graduated from the graduate school, 101 from the Center for Degree Completion and 10 from the adult transition program. Shirley Showalter, president of Goshen (Ind.) College, was the featured speaker for both commencement ceremonies. FPU, located in Fresno; Calif., is operated by the U.S. Con-
1998-99 budget for the Board of Church Ministries, Board of Communications, Board of Trustees, Integrated Ministries and Mission USA totaled $649,910.
By late April, conference chair David Reimer and others hoped to balance the budget without the need for a loan from the MB Foundation, but that wasn't to be the case. Year-end income totaled $586,280 including $275,812 from church contributions and $164,081 from special fund raising. Interest and endowment earnings added to the total. But Reimer and others are thankful the deficit was only $19,739. "It's pretty amazing we got this close," says Becker.
In addition to coming close to balancing the budget, church giving finished at $275,812, just three percent shy of last year's 16-year high. "Church giving is encouragingly consistent," says Regier.
Giving to the MB Biblical Seminary guaranteed subsidy-a conference responsibility but not part of its operating budget-came in over budget for the first time since the subsidy was put into place at least 10 years ago.
Giving to other ministries was also
stable, says Regier. Contributions to the binational General Conference totaled $95,993, down just five percent from the previous year. Giving to Mennonite Central Committee, the inter-Mennonite relief agency, totaled $97,880, slightly more than the 1997-98 total of $96,645.
Conference leaders continue to be cautiously optimistic that giving to the U.S. Conference will increase. The U.S. Conference budget for the 1999-2000 fiscal year is slightly less-$620,260 versus $649,910-and Becker says the $308,000 church contribution goal is reasonable.
But Becker says two things will need to happen in order for the current level of financial support to increase. The U. S. Conference will need to improve its communication with local congregations and individual members regarding national ministries and congregational giving to conference ministries will need to increase alongside increased giving for local church needs.
"Our local churches are growing," says Becker, "but giving hasn't caught up with that growth." -CF
ference Pacific District Conference of MB Churches.
Tabor CoUege graduated a total of 119 students during commencement ceremonies May 22. The morning commencement cer.. emony featured Valerie Rempel from MB Biblical Seminary as the speaker. Tabor College is located in Hillsboro, and operated by the u.S. Conference Southern, Central, Latin America (Texas) and North Carolina MB Districts.
Twenty-seven students graduated from MB BibUcal Seminary in the 43rd co·mmencement ceremony May 23. Fourteen are from the U.S , eight from Canada, two each are from Germany and Paraguay and one is from Brazil. The commencement speaker was Pierre Gilbert, MISS associate professor of Old Testament. MBSS, an educatio·nal institution of Mennonite Brethren in Canada and the U.S .• is located in Fresno, Calif. -CF
IN BRIEF
APPROVED: The MB Biblical Seminary board of directors met April 22-24 and the British Columbia Conference of MB Churches met April 30-May 1, both giving final approval to MBBS-BC joining the Associated Canadian Theological Schools (ACTS) consortium of Trinity Western University in Langley.MBBS-BC and Canadian Theological Seminary (Christian and Missionary Alliance) join Trinity Western Seminary (Evangelical Free), Canadian Baptist Seminary (Baptist General Conference of Canada), and Northwest Baptist Seminary (Fellowship of Evangelical Baptist Churches) in making up the consortium. The hope is that MB enrollment at ACTS will reach 40-50 for the 1999 fall semester, says MBBS president Henry Schmidt. (MBSS)
RESIGNED: Pierre Gilbert, associate professor of Old Testament, has resigned his position at the MBSS-Fresno campus to accept a position on the Concord College faculty in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Up to half his time will be contracted to MBSS for seminary courses to be taught in Winnipeg as part of the emerging Federation of Mennonite Colleges, as weH as possi ble courses in B.C. or California. Gilbert came to the Fresno campus in the fall of 1996 and served one year as academic dean. (MBBS)
ANABAPTISTS: Although their country is known around the world for its large Protestant churches, some South Korean Christians are looking for lianother way"-and that has led them to the Anabaptists. Mennonite workers Karen and Tim Froese supported by the General Conference, Mennonite Church and Mennonite Central Committee, are in South Korea to help nurture a budding Anabaptist movement and help its scattered adherents find and learn from each other. Tim says that most of the people he and Karen talk to are Christians who are "Iooki ng for a new vision-of relevance, renewal, faithfulness and a transformed life for the future. There are many believers here but a need for renewal. We are in Korea to listen carefully and help work for that kind of renewal. Anabaptism is not an institution, it's a spirit-a faith. Korean Christians can be Anabaptist without the Mennonite name. " (GaMe NS)
Missiologist joins MBBS faculty
• Mark D. Baker, former missionary, joins seminary faculty
Mark D. Baker of Ashland, Ore. has accepted an invitation to join the faculty of MB Biblical Seminary as Assistant Professor of Theology, Mission and Ethics, beginning June 1, 1999. Baker has been a missionary with Eastern Mennonite Missions in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, since 1996, his third stint in Honduras. He has worked with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship and taught social studies and Bible in Academia Los Pinares, a Christian high school in Tegucigalpa.
Baker has a Ph.D. in Theology and Ethics from Duke University (1996) in Durham, N.C., a Master of Arts degree in biblical studies from the New College for Advanced Christian Studies, Berkeley, Calif. (1990), and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Christian education and social science from Wheaton College in Wheaton, Ill. (1979).
While in Honduras he taught at SEMILLA (Latin American Anabaptist Seminary) and the Baptist Theological Seminary of Honduras. He has also taught courses at Calvin College, Duke
Mark D. Baker, author and former missionary, has taught at SEMILLA and the Baptist Theological Seminary of Hondorus.
University and the Bible Institute of the Honduran Holiness Church.
Baker has written a commentary on Galatians for Comentario Biblico Latinoanoamericano and has completed two books soon to be published by Intervarsity: Recovering the Scandal of the Cross co-authored with Joel B. Green and Religious No More: Building Communities of Grace and Freedom.
Baker says he was "impressed by many things I observed at the seminary. I look forward to becoming part of this community as we work together at the challenge of reshaping leadership training for the church and the world in the new millennium."
Baker and his wife Lynn have two children, Julia and Christie. -MBBS news release
YMI volunteers complete assignments
• Youth meet with other MB organizations for further training options
In May, 17 Youth Mission International volunteers completed their six month TREK assignments and spent a week together evaluating their experiences.
YMI staff members Randy Friesen and Steve Klassen met with each team to identify highlights, challenges, disappointments and lessons learned.
Since part of TREK's purpose is to strengthen the link between YMI and the long-term Mennonite Brethren service agencies, TREKers visited with representatives from MBMS International, Canadian Board of Evangelism, MB Bib-
lical Seminary and Mission USA concerning options for further training and service.
TREK, a mission program of the North American MB churches, provides short term missions assignments for young adults who are considering full-time missions. TREK was launched as a pilot project by YMI with the support of the CBOE, MUSA, MBMSI and MBBS. In early April, representatives of these agencies affirmed TREK as a permanent YMI program and asked Klassen to continue as its director for the coming year. -YMI
Baptism/membership
HILLSBORO, Kan.-Warren and Rosann Priel were welcomed into membership June 6.
CLOVIS, Calif. (Mountain View)-Frank Domingues, Ryan Hensen, Wil Martin, Amy Harris, Trista Streib, Amanda Loewen, Scott Copeland, Anthony and Corinna Stover and Scott Tobiasen were baptized May 30 as part of an outdoor service and baptism held at the Fresno Pacific University amphitheater.
DRAPER, Utah (SMCC)-Kent and Kathryn Boden, Bob Nelson and Katie Jansen were baptized May 23.
WICHITA, Kan. (First)-Kylie Barger, Aaron Friesen, James and Stephanie Nance and Jason Reiswig were baptized May 23.
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (Laurelglen)-During May Mark and Tamara Decker, John and Katy Glentzer, Mark Alford, Amie McCormick, Fawn Hedman, Beth Tompkins, Ronnie and Shelley Balzer, Debra Burke, Marguerite Kalusche-Ellis, Brian and Barbi Lapp and David Wu were welcomed into membership.
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (Heritage Bible)-Matt Barnes, Lex Williams, Emily Whitfield, Andre Blanton, Dylan Byrd, Kristen Powers, Dana Jones, Dustin Staples, Harrison Linsky, Christine Stronach and Adam Vance were baptized May 16.
FRESNO, Calif. (North)-Jennifer Outfleet was baptized and welcomed as a new member May 16. Stan and Reva Fast, Dave and Debbie Friesen, Allison Steinert, Leland and Grace Wiens, David and Melissa Barton, Tim and Janine Bergdahl, Bob and Wanda Kroeker, and Ben and Irene Quiring were welcomed into membership by letter of transfer.
CORN, Okla.-Allison Gossen, Courtney Hinz and Danae Warkentin were welcomed as new members May 2.
OMAHA, Neb., (Iglesia Agua Viva)-Walter Parada, Evelyn Cardona, Daniel Segura, Stephaney Parada, Brenda Antunez, Magdalena Borbolla, Petra Gomez, Elvira Ortega, Daysi Martel, Lilliana Aguilera, Elijia Velazquez, Ana Velazquez and Vilma Chavarria were baptized and welcomed as new members April 18.
PHOENIX, Ariz. (Spirit in the Desert)-Whitney Hamrick, Zachery Hamrick and Alan Chaplin were baptized April 4.
Celebrations
GARDEN CITY, Kan. (Garden Valley)-The congregation will celebrate its 40th anniversary Sept. 4-5, 1999. More information is available at 1-888-866-7410 or bye-mail at gardenvalleychurch@juno.com.
WEATHERFORD, Okla. (Pine Acres)-The congregation was invited to write favorite Bible verses on the concrete floor of the new addition prior to the laying of the carpet. The goal of the project is to symbolize that God's Word is the foundation of the new building.
Workers
VISALIA, Calif. (Neighborhood)-Kelly Thomas joined the pastoral staff June 1 as the new youth pastor. He and his wife Karena moved from Lodi, Calif., where Thomas had served as youth pastor of the Lodi MB Church.
DINUBA, Calif.-Grayson Piepgrass has accepted the call to serve as senior pastor. He has served the congregation as associate pastor since 1986.
EDMOND, Okla. (Memorial Road)-J im Collinsworth has accepted the call to serve as associate pastor with responsibilities in youth, worship and administration. He and his wife Alice along with their two sons will begin their ministry this month.
CORN, Okla.-Russ Claassen, a 1999 Denver Seminary graduate from the Ebenfeld MB Church in Hillsboro, Kan., has accepted the call as youth pastor. He and his wife Chandelle will begin their ministry this month.
INMAN, Kan. (Zoar)-Wilfred Fadenrecht has resigned as senior pastor. He and his wife Bonnie have not announced their future plans.
CHICAGO, III. (Lakeview)-Fergus and wife JoAnne Furlong will serve for six months as the full time pastoral couple.
VISALIA, Calif. (Neighborhood)-Interim youth director Mike Moore was killed in a car accident May 12. He left behind his wife and five children, ages 11 through college age.
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (Heritage Bible)-Andy Beeghly has resigned as youth pastor.
WICHITA, Kan. (First)-Beth Powers will serve as a summer intern with the children's ministry working with Jo Schrock and Joel Klassen will serve a summer internship in youth ministries.
LODI, Calif. (Vinewood)-Neal Barlow of Fullerton has accepted the call to serve as youth pastor. He and his wife Emily will begin July 12.
vives. He is also survived by his seven children, Ramona Karber of Enid, Okla., Wesley Friesen of Pine Grove, Calif., Gilbert Friesen of Westminster, Colo., Edna Janzen of Independence, Kan., Roger Friesen of San Jose, Calif., Monty Friesen of Lucas, Texas, and Randy Friesen of Great Bend, Kan.; two sisters, Erma Thiessen of Garden City and Bertha Friesen of Hutchinson, Kan.; 14 grandchildren, 24 great-grandchildren and two great great-grandchildren.
HEINRICHS, DORA, Reedley, Calif., was born July 12, 1906, at Hillsboro, Kan., to George E. and Anna Schroeder Bartel and died May 19, 1999, at the age of 92. On Oct. 20, 1926, she was married to Jake B. Heinrichs, who predeceased her. She is survived by two daughters, Betty Heatwole of Harrisonburg, Va., and Marilyn and husband Robert of Sacramento, Calif., one son, Robert and wife Darlene of Fresno, Calif.; one sister, Hilda McFarlin of Orosi, Calif.; one brother, Dan Bartel of Firebaugh, Calif.; 12 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren.
HINZ, ALFRED A., Fresno, Calif., a member of Bethany MB Church of Fresno, was born Oct. 8, 1921, at Corn, Okla., to Ferdinand and Sarah Ediger Hinz and died March 3, 1999, at the age of 77. On July 30, 1944, he was married to Thelma Janzen, who survives. He is also survived by two daughters, CharLyn Hinz and Arleta and husband George Lepp; one son, Darryle and wife Anja; and three graJ)dchildren.
KRIEGER, AGATHA, Kan., a member of the former Bessie MB Church of Bessie, Okla., was born Dec. 5, 1902, to Dietrich and Agnes Fast Rempel in the village of Alexanderwohl in South Russia and died May 30, 1999, at the age of 96. On Dec. 11, 1927, she was married to Leonard Krieger, who predeceased her in 1951. She is survived by two sons, Edgar of Lawrence and Norbert and wife Sylvia of Ericson, Neb.; two daughters, Hildegard and husband Wilmer Thiessen of Hillsboro, Kan., and ( Nelda and husband Virgil Thiessen of Henderson, Neb.; one brother, Henry D. Rempel and wife Marianna of Lawrence; one sister, Agnes .D_e_a_t_h_s \ Peters of Margate, Fla.; 11 grandchildren and .E.,great-grandchildren.
FEHR,KATHARINA, of Fresno, Calif., was born Dec. 27, 1957, to Abe and Mary Fehr at Cuauhtemoc, Mexico, and died April 10, 1999, after a lengthy illness at the age of 42.
FRIESEN, THEODORE, W. "TED," Garden City, Kan., charter member of Garden Valley Church of Garden City, was born Sept. 12,1911, at Jansen, Neb., to Isaac and Susie Wiens Friesen and died May 22, 1999, at the age of 87. On Oct. 11, 1934, he was married to Linda Brandt, who predeceased him in 1951. On March 21, 1953, he was married to Ruth Adrian, who sur-
-
LEWIS, LLOYD ANDREW, Freeman, S.D., a member of the Salem MB Church in Freeman, was born May 11, 1920, to CI ifford and Etta Pritchetto Lewis at Lynch, Neb., and died May 20, 1999. On Aug. 4, 1962, he was married to Rosa A. Tschetter, who predeceased him in 1996. He is survived by his brother Russel of Sioux Falls, S.D. and his sister Shirley Jean Lieb of Texas.
MOORE, MICHAEL ROLLIN, Visalia, Calif., a member of Neighborhood MB Church of continued on page 34
CORRECTION: The June obituary of William AII,en Bartel incorrectly gave his wife's name as Pauline Jost. William Bartel, who was born Feb. 20, 1910, and died March 21, 1999, at the age of 89, was married to Pauline Just on AprilS, 1934.
CONVENTION: Peggy Wehmeyer, known to many North Americans in her role as religion reporter for ABC World News Tonight, is the featured speaker for the 1999 Mennonite Economic Development Associates convention, to be held November 4-7 in Norfolk, Va. She will be joined by other keynoters John Dalla Costa, president of the Center for Ethical Orientation and author of the bestseller The Ethical Imperative: Why Moral Leadership is Good Business; and Bishop Leslie Francisco, pastor of the fast-growing Calvary Community Church in Hampton, Va. (MEDA)
ACCREDITED: The California Commission on Teacher Credentia Ii ng has agai n given its seal of approval to Fresno Pacific Graduate School. The report, by the committee on accreditation, an arm of the CCTC, was issued April 30 following a visit March 14-17 by a team of educators. A highly qualified and caring faculty and staff, well-managed resources, prompt assistance in admissions and a strong collaboration with area school districts are some of the strengths fisted in the report recommending state accreditation of graduate education programs. (FPU)
AWARDS: Three MB Biblical Seminary students studying in the area of Marriage, Family and Child Counseling were recently awarded Mennonite Health Services' Elmer Ediger Memorial Scholarships. Anna Gossen, a member of Northview Community Church in Abbotsford, B.C.; Maribel Ramirez, a member of EI Buen Pastor in Orange Cove, Calif.; and Gregory Yoder, a member of North FresnoMB Church in Fresno, Calif., will receive $1,100 for the 1999-2000 academic year. The scholarship honors Ediger, one of MHS' founders and director of Prairie View in Newton, Kan., from 1957 to 1983. (MHS)
GIFTS: Fresno Pacific University has recently received two major gifts toward the $22 million Building Our Community capital campaign. Max 'Steinert has given $100,000 toward the new athletic facilities valued at $1.75 million. FPU also received over $101,000 from the estate of Dorthea Hotman through Paul and Joline Wasemiller. The fundswifl go toward the Dining Commons building, a $4.3 million structure that will house formal and informal dining facilities as well as an auditori um for a variety of performances. (FPU)
Clearinghouse
Have a position to fill? Looking for a new employment or ministry opportunity? Have a gathering or celebration to promote? Reach u.s. Mennonite Brethren through a Clearinghouse classified ad. The charge is 40 cents per word, with a $15 minimum. Withhold payment until an invoice is received. MB institutions advertising vacancies or position announcements may be eligible for a no-cost ad. Contact the editor for more information.
EMPLOYMENT-CHURCH
Associate Pastor
Vinevvood Community Church in Lodi, CA, is seeking a full-time Associate Pastor. The position will be tailored according to the gifting of the individual who has a deep love for Jesus, a passion for ministry, a heart for people, and a willingness to function in a team environment. A negotiable combination of some of the following ministry needs would complete the job description: Music, Christian Education, Assimilation of Newcomers, Discipleship/Small Groups. Submit resume and reference to: Pastor Search, 1900 W Vine Street, Lodi CA 95242; e-mail gwall@vinewoodchurch.com.
Office Secretary
The Shafter Mennonite Brethren Church is looking to fill the position of office secretary. This full-time position is now available. If you are interested in applying, please contact the church office at (661) 746-4969 or write to PO Box 1538, Shafter, CA 93263.
Senior Pastor
The Hillsboro (Kan.) Mennonite Brethren Church is in search of candidates for the position of senior pastor. Candidates gifted in providing leadership for a congregation with an average attendance of over 500 and experienced in directing a multiple pastoral staff are invited to send a resume to: Pastoral Search Committee, Daryle Baltzer (Chm.), 104 s. Washington, Hillsboro, KS 67063.
Church News and Notes
continued from page 33
Youth Minister
Buhler (Kan.) Mennonite Brethren Church is accepting applications for the full time position of youth m.inister. We are a progressive and growing church of 350 with an established youth program. Our family life center that will complement the youth program is near completion. The successful applicant will continue the program to encourage the spiritual growth and Christian fellowship of youth and young adults of our congregation and community. Send resume to Buhler Mennonite Brethren Church, Youth Minister Search Committee, P.O. Box 126, Buhler, KS 67522.
Young Adulfs Pastor
Neighborhood Church in Visalia, Calif. is seeking a full-time pastor for young adult ministries (ages 25-39). In addition to overseeing the spiritual development of this age group, this person should possess leadership skills that help facilitate the Seeker component of our church mission statement, as well as administrative abilities in personnel management. Neighborhood is a growing church of about 750 people, with a new multi-purpose facility in the heart of Central California (approximately 45 minutes south of Fresno). Please send resumes to: Young Adult Search, Neighborhood Church, 5505 W. Riggin Ave., Visalia, CA 93291; or call the Sr. Pastor, Chuck Buller, at 559-732-9107 or e-mail cbuller@valleyweb.net. Feel free to check out our church Web site at http://www.neighborhood-church.com. Job description available upon request .•
Visalia, was born March 7, 1955, and died May 12, 1999, at the age of 44. He is survived by his wife, Karen; five children, Erin, Daniel, Katie, Robyn and Casey; his parents, Rollin and Bev Moore; two sisters, Jennifer Kiely and Mary Tischmacher; and his maternal grandmother, Noni Hume.
WILLEMS, CLARA R., Inman, Kan., a member of Zoar MB Church of Inman, was born July 31, 1909, in McPherson County, Kan., to Henry and Helena Flaming Entz and died May 5, 1999, at the age of 89. On Nov. 4, 1928, she was married to Aaron H. Willems, who predeceased her in 1992. She is survived by two sons, Henry and wife Glenda of Windom, Kan., and LuAlan and wife Judie of Hesston, Kan.; one daughter, Vernita Engle of McPherson, Kan.; one brother, Harry of South Hutchinson, Kan.; eight grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.
WIENS, ANNA KLEIN, Mountain Lake, Minn., a member of Mountain Lake MB Church, was born July 13, 1912, to David and Margaret Willems Klein in Cottonwood County, Minn., and died May 16, 1999, at the age of 86. On Dec. 3, 1941, she was married to John C. Wiens, who survives. She is also survived by one daughter, Marlys Wiens of Edina, Minn.; two sons, Melvin and wife Lorna of Staples, Minn., and Norman and wife Sharon of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia; two sisters, Susie and husband Herman Peters of Butterfield, Minn., and Helen and Jacob Heffele of Milwaukee, Wis., and four grandchildren .•
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Ican't remember the first time I visited Narnia. As a child, I fervently hoped that I would see the glimmer of a lamppost and Mr. Tumnus waiting every time I entered my closet, crawled through a hedge or stared long at a scenic painting.
The Chronicles of Narnia were written in the 1950s by C.S. Lewis, a well-known author and Christian apologist. The Chronicles follow various children as they stumble from our world into N arnia, a world of talking animals created' by AsIan, a powerful and mighty lion who is the Christ-figure in the stories. Among adults, the books are respected for their allegorical portrayals of biblical themes and truths.
Last year, I read the Chronicles again. I realized then that I had learned quite a bit in Narnia about Jesus, temptation, sin, forgiveness, the unexpectedness of God's call, the warmth of his love, and his sheer power.
Narnia also showed me that stories can be a powerful medium of truth. As a wardrobe serves as the doorway to Narnia in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Lewis' fiction serves as a doorway to Christ and truth.
Good fiction does that-it reflects God"s truth.
A book doesn't need to have a Christian author in order to contain a reflection of God's truth. Paul says that God has made. himself known to all people. "For since the creation of the world God's in'Visible qualities-his eternal power and divine been clearly seen, being understood from wh'at has.been made, so that men are without excuse" (Romans 1:20). Often, I find an incredible insight into God's truth in a story that doesn't grasp the entire truth.
These books are wardrobes of a kind. Shakespeare's McBeth and Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment show the effect of sin and guilt on a person's conscience, and Moby Dick illustrates the destructive power of obsession. The Heart of Darkness looks deep into the depravity of man, and The Stranger shows the horror of a world without God. Books like Silas Marner and the Secret Garden illustrate the transforming power of love.
-Onward and upward
Even if books don't contain the whole of God's truth, they can be a call "onward and upward" to God's full truth.
Paul illustrates this when he speaks at the Areopagus in Acts 17. In Athens, he began a discussion with some philosophers in the marketplace. They took him to the Areopagus to meet with a council that acted as an authority in areas of religion and morals. Respecting them as people who were "religious,"
Paul connects to them with a piece of their own culture, their altar to an unknown god. "Now what you worship as something unknown, I am going to proclaim to you" (Acts 17:23).
As he begins to tell them about God, Paul obviously knows the literature of his audience. In fact he quotes two poets, Ep'imenides and Aratus, using them like stepping-stones to lead his audience onward and upward. "'For in him we live and move and have our being, ,,, Paul quotes Epimenides. "As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring,'" he quotes Aratus (Acts17:28)
These poets didn't see the whole of God's truth. They saw only a shadow of it, but Paul uses the bits of truth the poets grasped. In the same way, I find discussions about novels can open up opportunities to talk about Christ.
Back from N arnia
Some novels reveal more truth than others. As we read, we must be careful to test what we read against God's truth in Scripture.
Paul tells us that some will choose to suppress the truth. "For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things . rather than the Creator-who is forever praised" (Romans 1:21, . 25). Some stories are false or pervert the truth. Bridges of Madison County may capture one woman's loneliness in marriage, but adultery is the wrong way to find fulfillment.
The best stories teach us more about God's truth and Christ. By introducing readers to AsIan in the Chronicles, Lewis invites readers onward and upward to meet Christ.
At the end of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, AsIan sends Lucy and Edmund back to their own world. He tells them that they cannot come back to Narnia.
"You are too old, children," said AsIan very gently, "and you must begin to come close to your own world now."
"It isn't Narnia, you know," sobbed Lucy. "It's you. We shan't meet you there. And how can we live, never meeting you?"
"But you shall meet me, dear one," said AsIan.
"Are-are you there, too, Sir?" said Edmund.
"I.am," said AsIan. "But there I have another name. You must learn to know me by that natTIe. This is the very reason why you were brought to Narnia, that by knowing me here for a little, you may know me better there."
The best books are like that. We come to know Christ better. -CA
