THE CHRISTIAN ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY has grown py leaps and bounds over the last 30 years. When I was a teenager in the late 1970s and early 1980s, Christian music choices were pretty limited. There just wasn't that much variety. Today, listeners can choose from traditional, rock, country, gospel, grunge, hip-hop, blues-the list seems endless. The same goes for film and fiction, although development has been a bit slower in those industries. Today, you can walk into your comer Blockbuster and rent a drama, comedy or action-adventure movie made by a Christian studio. In the bookstores, you can pick up a romance, suspense, science-fiction or more literary novel for your summer reading.
This year's annual pop-culture issue takes a look at Christian films, music and fiction. I am heartened to see Christians expreSSing themselves in these areas but also curious as to how well we are doing as filmmakers, musicians and authors. Are we any good? The articles in this issue attempt to find out.
Take time to read through the rest of the magazine, especially our profile on David Reimer, the current conference chair whose term ends this month. Associate editor Connie Faber spent some time with him as he reflected on a decade of service with the U.S. Conference.
God bless. -CA
COMING
-JULY 25-27-U.S. Conference and General Conference conventions in Abbotsford, B.C., Canada.
SEPTEMBER 10-911 Remembrance, a national prayer event.
NOVEMBER 1·3-eentral District Conference convention, Grace Bible Church, Gettysburg, S.D.
NOVEMBER 8-9-Pacific District Conference convention.
ART CREDITS: Cover images, Cloud Ten Pictures, Photoshop stock art, Viking; Page 4-5 images, Jenkins Entertainment and Cloud Ten Pictures; Page 10-11, Photoshop stock art; Page 13 images, Watershed Records and Wind-up Records; Page 14, Eyewire; Page 16 images, Viking, HarperCollins and Bantam.
Christian
Some
- Christian film, music and fiction
BOARD OF COMMUNICATIONS: Kathy Heinrichs Wiest, chair; Peggy Goertzen, Harold Loewen, Phil Neufeld, Dalton Reimer.
The Christian Leader (ISSN 0099-5149) 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 dialogue so members will aspire to be faithful disciples of Christ as understood in the evangelicaVAnabaptist 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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Christian films ar n't vvhat they used bebut are they vvhat they should b ?
From left: Hometown Legend (Jenkins Entertainment); Left Behind (Cloud Ten Pictures); WattHprDof (Cloud Ten Pictures); Left 8ehind: Tribulation Force (Cloud Ten Pictures)
A young girl skips down the street, a bag ofgroceries in her arms. Music swells and the girl looks up towards the sky. Suddenly, she is gone. The only thing left on the pavement is the sptlled bag ofgroceries, a half-carton of mtlk spreading its contents over the asphalt.
THA T SCENE IS MY FIRST memory of a "Christian film." It's from one of the end-times movies I watched as a kid at church youth events in the late 1970s and early 198Os. I don't remember much about them except that they were low-budget, badly acted and poorly scripted.
In short, I thought they were awful.
Some of them were so bad that the more serious the scene the harder my friends and I laughedmuch to the frustration of our youth sponsors (though some of them, I suspect, were fighting the same urge). We definitely wouldn't have recommended them to our non-Christian friends.
While I did see better-made and more memorable films like The Hiding Place, for years those badlymade and forgettable films of my youth were the first thing I thought of when someone said "Christian film."
Well, things have definitely changed since then. Today, Christian films are getting more attention from secular They boast well-known Hollywood stars, improved production quality, more special effects, bigger budgets-and bigger profits:
• The end-times focused Megiddo, starring Michael Bean (Terminator, Abyss) and Michael York (Three Musketeers) took $25 million to make and drew $1.6 million in its first weekend of theatrical release last fall.
BY CARMEN ANDRES
• Waterproof, a lesser-known film released straight to video, was written and directed by Barry Berman, who wrote Benny andJoon, a well-received mainstream film in 1993. Though it didn't see a theatrical release, Watetproofhad big-name stars on its marquee: Burt Reynolds (Mystery Alaska), April Grace (Finding Forester and AL), Ja'Net Dubois (IV's Good Times), the late Whitman Mayo (1V's Sanford and Son) and Orlando Jones (Evolution).
.Joshua, a film version of the same-named Christian novel, was released in late spring and stars Tony Goldwyn (Bounce and Ghost), Oscar-winning F. Murray Abraham (Amadeus) and Stacy Edwards (Company of Men).
• And who can forget Left Behind, the film version of the best-selling novel that stars well-known 1V actors Kirk Cameron (Growing Pains) and Clarence Gilyard (Walker, Texas Ranger).
Those both inside and outside of the Christian filmmaking industry seem to agree that Christian films have come a long way. Christian-run studios like Cloud Ten Pictures, Epiphany Films and Billy Graham's World Wide Pictures seem to be getting better at what they do-and making more money and receiving more attention while they're at it.
But most in the industry also agree to some extent that Christian filmmaking still has a way to go. With a couple of exceptions, many Christian films don't rise above the quality of the films you'd find on 1V or cable. Even organizations championing Christian values in entertainment name secular films in their awards. The Christian Film and Television Commission named The Princess Diaries and Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring as the best films of 2001 in their 10th annual awards cere·
mony this year-which some call the "Christian Oscars."
So, what's holding Christian filmmakers back? What challenges are they facing?
What makes a movie "Christian"?
Perhaps the biggest challenge Christian filmmakers face is how to portray and convey Christianity. Does a Christian film have to be made by Christians? Does it need an overt gospel presentation? Christian characters? Redemptive themes? A particular rating?
AS CHRISTIANS'. we are commanded to do well whatever It is we do. Artists-be they writers, poets, painters or filmmakers--a... fk) exception.
However, demanding the best of artists who are disciples of Jesus is a bit tricky. Often times, when artists excel at their craft. they make us uncomfortable. They point out things we don't want to hear. They confront-us with the unknown. They ask questions we don't want to deal with. They reveal truth, and often we aNn't ready for it
Here are what se\teral Anabaptist..-rtists have to say about their profession.
• AS INDIVIDUALS in a plurallstiG society we see through a .fass darklYJ we see pieces and fragments instead Of the whole. As we grope teriind meaning and direction we need the voices of others to connect us with The more """'r'w, more wegail) a sense «)f the
whole. Good literature helps us to identify and face moral and spiritual Issues. Sometimes its purpose '5 to ask the right questions rather than resolve problems or provide solutions."
Wilfred Martens, author and professor, in "The Gold BehInd the Paper Currency: Uterature and the Christian College" (Direction Journal, Fall 1995)
·'IF YOU CONTINUE in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free'" (John 8:31b-32 NSftY). Artists are risky people to be around. They have a penchant for seeing things differently people partly because,·in addition to rational resources, artists rely on a God-given intuitive senll rooted in experientiallUiOWledge. Artists are often comfortable with seelQng truth in mysterious, hidden, even dark places, as well as in the more obviously beautiful and well-lit
For Christian Filmmaker Ministries, a Christian film is one where "the main story line or ending deals with (or is based on) biblical Christian principles, morals and beliefs."
"All right," counters Pamela Urfer in an article on FaithFilm.com, where she is a contributor, "but which principles? Which beliefs? Must a Christian film explain, somewhere in its plot line, how one goes about getting saved? Must a Christian film include an invitation to accept Christ?"
Some say a Christian film must have a Christian message.
areas of life. This difference In seeing is not always c0mfortable, but is nevertheless Important." -Douglas Liechty Caskey, director, actor, storyteller and professor, in "A Christian an Artist: Reflections ofill Mennonite Theater Professor· (Direction Journal, Fall 1998).
-, BELIEVE THAT people of faith can be bold to enter and be present with the arts, and need to be.-
-TO fI' ENGAGED with the arts 15 fearful because we Q1ten do not uflC!erstand It. • We are afraid when art i$ unfamiliar, We ,re af.raid because we may koow something new which could disrUpt our comfort, something which may us to change.-
-'TFIE like the experiences a strong sense qf calling, a-calling to beat WItness. ••• An artist mOved. honesty aI1fI integrity will show life as b Is." -Jean Janzen<. poet, in
"Why we are afraid ofArt" (Direction JournaL Fall 7998).
"THE SUBVERSIVENESS of art runs parallel to the subversiveness of a ChriStIan presence. The early Christians, we are told, turned the world upside down.-
• ANGER AND FEAR pn response to writing criticizing the church], it SMmS to me, are not especiallY 1leIP" ful. Is the church so easJly confounded by attists who speak as truthfuily 8$ UMty can about their workf and may in the course of doing so put a finger on the flaws of the church? A better response might be 9ratituC(e for a fresh, honest. vfew--: however angry and incom plete. It is healthy Iy to be upset. Sometimes- it is the necessary prerequiSite to healing. The language of art and the language of faith 'are equally capable of Creating uproar." -Sarah pOet and fiction writer, in ·Faith, Art and Reci1nd1iatlon(Dire(tibn JournaL Fall 1998).
"But which message?" Urfer asks again. "That Jesus is God and Savior? That there is life after death, and we'd better get ready for it? That we are all sinners and need redemption? That God loves us and is concerned with our welfare? That we should treat our neighbors as we would like to be treated? That we shouldn't hide our light under a basket but get out and spread the gospel? Or all of the above, all in the same film?"
Some argue that faith is best expressed as an experience given to the movie-goer, instead of an overt message plus altar call.
Robert Johnston of Fuller Theological Seminary says, "I'm convinced that the chief theological importance of movies is the first-order experiences they provide. To put it in the vernacular, movies can make us cry. In theological language, movies have more to do with encountering the Spirit than with understanding the Word."
Dr. Kenneth Boa, author of numerous books, contributing editor to the Promise Keeper's Men's Study Bible and president of Reflections Ministries, thinks along the same lines.
''What makes a film Christian?" asks Boa in an interview with Crosswalk.com. "There's a vision; there's a way of seeing; there's a way of approaching; there's an integrity. It's not just the subject matter "
Critics like Johnston and Boa believe there are a number of non-Christian films that are closer to the spirit of the gospel than some films made by Christian production companies. Tender Mercies, Chariots of Fire and Babette's Feast are just a few on a long list.
Movies coming out of Christian film studios reflect the diversity of opinion of those in the industry and its critics.
On one end of the spectrum are films like Left Behind and Megtddo, both in the dispensationalist end-times prophecy vein. Left Behind, from the bestselling fiction series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins, focuses on the lives of several individuals "left behind" after the rapture, an event in which all Christians are taken to heaven prior to the tribulation. Megtddo focuses on the rise of the anti-Christ from childhood to the battle of Armageddon. Both films deal overtly with biblical situations and prophecies.
On the other end of the spectrum are films like Waterproof, a story about a single mother in Washington, D.C., who kidnaps the Jewish shopkeeper her young son shot in a botched robbery attempt and flees to her hometown of Waterproof, Louisiana. Once home, she faces her own wounded past and experiences the love of family. The wound-
ed shopkeeper finds understanding in the power of forgiveness and begins to heal his own inner pain and reconsider his life. The story is subtle. It deals with the promise and release of confession, forgiveness and redemption without overtly presenting the gospel.
Telling the story
Most Christian filmmakers struggle to make the gospel relevant to contemporary culture. In the opinion of some critics, many don't quite succeed.
"All in all, the current spate of Christian films is notable for its growing proficiency and deep pockets, which help attract big-name stars to these projects," writes Marjorie Baumgarten in a review of Joshua in The Austin Chronicle. "The narratives, however, are proving to be lame exercises in transparent religious parables.... There is never any question of how things will tum out."
"The Gospel remains relevant," writes Crosswalk.com's entertainment editor Christian Hamaker of World Wide Pictures films like The Climb, "but presentation is key, and I think these films don't engage the imagination in a way that makes for a compelling package."
• Message over story. Terry Mattingly illustrates this point in his April 24 On Religion column. He recounts a speech by Reed Arvin, a long-time powerful player in the Christian publishing and music industries. Arvin moved on to secular publishers because he was frustrated by the limitations placed on his ability to "tell a good, truthful story."
Arvin ponders what would have happened to Romeo andJuliet if Shakespeare had submitted the manuscript to a Christian publisher. Instead of accepting it as the powerful, timeless, truth-telling story that it is, Arvin argues that Shakespeare would have been required to make severe changes and write a happy ending. "The lovers would meet, just as before, and the parents would still disapprove. Probably one set would not be Christians at all, providing a convenient subplot of salvation," Arvin says. Mattingly summarizes the rest nicely: "As newlyweds, Romeo and Juliet would strive to evangelize those lost parents In the final scene, Romeo's parents would be converted and, as Juliet's father leads them in prayer, the sun would break through the clouds over Verona. Amen."
Arvin's illustration can be applied to many Christian films. The filmmaker's stories tend to be sacrificed for the "message."
"The typical Christian mistake is in treating a theatrical film primarily as an evangelistic tool," writes Douglas leBlanc in a Christianitytoday.com article, "and in thinking that telling end-times horror stories
qualifies as evangelism."
• Trying to tell too much. Part of the problem might be that filmmakers either feel pressured or believe that they must somehow present the whole stocy in one film.
To counter this challenge, Uefer turns to Scripture to see what stories Jesus told-and how he told them.
"It doesn't seem that Jesus worried all that
much about whether there was a clear portrayal of God in each stocy," says Uefer. "Nor, in each stocy, did he give explicit instructions on how to 'enter the kingdom of heaven.' When he did, it was often as a metaphor-be like a little child, a trusting sheep, not rich, go by the way of the narrow gate, be born again of water and the spirit
''What he wanted, it seems to me, was to make clear the way some particular person or situation
Current and upeollin_ Christian fillls
'I1Ie GIIIIb Joshua
World Wide Pidures Epiphany Films
The Gmega Code 2 com (2001) Climbers take part in a har- A man arrives in a small TBNFilms rowing mountain rescue in town, gets a job as a carpen- This apocalyptic film follows S which they save the son of a ter and proceeds to perform the rise of the Antichrist and "SlngAbout big-time developer. Grateful acts that appear to be mira- his brother's attempts to World Wide Pictures for the rescue the business c1es, leading many locals to stop him. www.8x.coml An ex-con with a talent for man offers to bankroll the suspect that he may be films/megideJo (2001) singing struggles with his men's fantasy climb, which Christ. www.joshua dreams of a steady job and a leads to a spiritual journey themovie.com (2002) Mercy Streets better life until he meets for one of them. www.the- Providence Entertainment Memaw, a spunky saint with climbmovie.com (2002) Left BehInd Urban drama in which a big heart who takes him Cloud Ten Pictures estranged twin brothers, under her wing. www. IiJdnmeDaJs A journalist, airline pilot one an ex-con and the other somethingfoslngaboutcom Providence Entertainment and preacher look for a young minister, are forced (2000)
Four young men about to answers amid chaos and to switch lives. www. graduate from college take anarchy after millions of mercystreets.com (2000) nn.Chenger one last road trip up the people around the globe Christiano Films West Coast to partake in a suddenly vanish simultane- Miracle of the cards A 18905 Bible professor uses variety of extreme sports. ously. www.leftbehind- World Wide Pidures a time machine to come to Along the way, they meet a themovie.com (2000) Based on the true story present day. www. girl who joins them, and of Craig Shergold, a boy timechanger.com (2002, they learn some life lessons Left BehInd U: with a brain tumor who in theaters nationwide along the way. www. Tri 1atIon Force expresses his wish to win a this OCtober) extremedays.com Cloud Ten Pidures place in the Guinness Book (2001) The Tribulation Force forms of World Records by receiv- W as Nicolae carpathia consol- ing the greatest number Cloud Ten Pictures IIonIetown Legend idates his power in this of get-well cards. www. Tyree Battle whisks Jewish Jenkins Entertainment! sequel to the end-times miracleofthecards-the shopowner Eli Zeal, who Warner Brothers thriller left Behind. movie. com (2001) was shot by her son, away A high school football team www.tribulation to her home in Waterproof, in a dying Alabama town force-themovie.com Rede.nptIon louisiana, where she and Eli tries to dust itself off from a (2002, to be released on World Wide Pictures gradually recover from their 12-year-old tragedy. video and DVD in October) A comic road adventure Individual physical and psywww.hometownlegend.com uniting a grandfather and chic wounds. www. (2002, available on DVD and his granddaughter, a young waterproof-themovie.com video this fall) woman pursued by the mob. (1999)
was like his Father, or like the kingdom, or like us," Urfer continues. "He knew it was impossible to cover all bases in one story; that's why he told so many. Each one was devised to illuminate one aspect of his father, the kingdom or our relationship with God-not the entire thing. FollowingJesus' lead, it seems to me that we can make films about any amount of interesting and important stuff-as long as it conveys some aspect of Jesus' teaching."
The subjects provided by Jesus' parables, Urfer says, are practically endless: good and evil in life, the value of the gospel, finding salvation, the all-inclusive church, duty' of forgiveness, the last will be first and the first last, insincerity and repentance, careful and heedless preparation, compassion for all, prudence and self-denial-the list goes on and on.
The good, bad and ugly
Some recent Christian films have earned solid marks as stories.
Waterproof, while it didn't see a theatrical release, received good reviews and won the Christian Film Excellence Award this year for best motion picture.
Christianity Today's Douglas leBlanc recognizes Waterproofs weaknesses. "Too often this film strains credulity, especially in suggestion that [the shopkeeper] would be so long-suffering about being shanghaied from inner-city Washington, D.C., to a small town in LoUisiana," he writes in an online article.
"Nevertheless," leBlanc continues, "Waterproof explores interracial love, the destructive power of guilt and the sheer joy of Christian baptism." leBlanc concludes that if Cloud Ten Pictures continues making films like Waterproof, "it will attract a devoted core audience of people who respect storytelling over propaganda."
Another film released this year promises to be in the same vein. Hometown Legend is billed as "an inspirational football drama set in a small southern town." Produced by Dallas Jenkins, son of wellknown Left Behind author Jerry Jenkins, the film casts big-name stars like Terry O'Quinn (1be Rocketeer, 1be Cutting Edge, 1be Stepfather), Lacey Chabert (IV's Party ofFive) and Kirk B.R. Woller (Al, Minority Report). The film won the Los Angeles-based VISion Film Festival's Vision of the Arts award in the top feature-film category last summer. It had a limited theatrical release in January, and Warner Brothers-a mainstream film studio--is releasing the film on video and DVD in August.
On the other end of the spectrum, however, there are films like Megiddo. Despite its monetary success and lauding by some Christian film critics, Megiddo also received poor reviews from secular critics, and a
number of Christian critics cringed as well.
"A larger budget equates to better visual effects," writes Michael Elliott of Movie Parables. But he goes on to say that "the acting of Megiddo can best be described as over-the-top scenery chewing of Bmovie distinction."
The film also portrays governments as unrealistic and "ridiculous," says Elliott. As a result, the film "suffers from a credibility problem, which I suspect, could spill over to lessen the spiritual impact the film could carry."
Telling a good story
The future looks good for Christian movies.
"There is a sleeping giant out there," says Barry Werner, director of operations for Billy Graham's World Wide Pictures. "If you just keep raising the bar on production values and talent, you'll see more ofthose films."
The Christian film industry is raising the bar. The quality is increasing and that seems to increase the audience. Even films that aren't quite reaching the bar are making an impact. When World Wide Pictures' 1be Climb aired on 1V recently, a phone number was listed on the screen afterwards. Forty percent of the calls after the film were from people wanting to make a commitment to Jesus.
The Christian film industry is experiencing success-financially with films like Megiddo and Left Behind, in audience response as with 1be Climb and in thoughtful exploration of hard issues as with Waterproof
"Movies are the single most powerful way our culture and values are passed along in the society at large," says Peter Lalonde, executive producer of Left Behind, in a Christianity Today interview.
But high quality filmmaking-both in production and the story-are key.
"It can't be a thinly disguised sermon," says Lalonde. "It has to be a story about real people."
Many Christian ftlmmakers may still have a way to go in that department, but they have come quite a distance since those low-budget films of the late 1970s and early 1980s. Twenty years ago, there were veryfew Christian films I would have recommend to my friends-Christian or not. But my memories of those forgettable films are being erased by several films of the last few years, especially those like Waterproof I even recommended a few of them to my friends-both Christian and those yet to become disciples of Jesus .•
Carmen Andres is editor of the Christian Leader and a longtime film fan and arnu:hair critic.
Last year, the Christian music genre saw its best year ever financially, according to the Gospel Music Association, which supports, encourages and promotes the development of all forms of gospel music-from sacred hymns and traditional gospel to adult contemporary, pop and rock. But some say the music isn't Christian enough, and it's too commercialized. Are they right?
BY SARA COOK
WHEN I SERVED AS A MUSIC BUYER for a Christian bookstore, I thought Christian music was an answer to prayer. Finally, I had found positive, upbeat music with a message to which I could relate.
But it didn't take me long to realize that not everyone felt the same way. A controversy is brewing in the Christian music industry-especiaUy around "nontraditional" contemporary, pop and rock Christian music. In the store as well as trade publications, I encountered comments like, This music isn't Christian because it's not supposed to sound like this or Christian music has become too commercialized.
The Christian music industry is in the midst of redefining itselfbut is having difficulty doing so. What brought this on-and how should we respond?
Making music
As Christians, we are to encourage our kllow believers as well as minister to nonbelievers. Music gives us a chance to do both.
Music plays many roles. It is a way to escape, to leave troubles behind for a few moments. It reassures. It encourages. It allows us to dream. Music also brings issues closer to home-even those we may not want to confront. Life. Hardships. Love. Doubt. Brokenness.
When these issues are presented in the context of Christianity, hope and grace appear where it seems there is none.
The Bible encourages us to express our faith in song. "Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs," says the apostle Paul. "Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord]esus Christ" (Eph. 5:19-20). Christian music gives us a chance to offer our praise and thanksgiving to God. Every song we sing allows us an opportunity to draw nearer to him.
The Bible also says that God sings over us: "The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing" (Zeph. 3:17). Christian artists reciprocate the gesture. God rejoices and sings over us, so we should also sing over him in return. Christian artists are giving back to God what he has given them.
Not Christian enough
Some critics, however, claim Christian music has become too diluted or watered down. For example, Christian artists are criticized for including a song on their Christian label recording that is not Christcentered. In addition, "crossover" artists like Susan Ashton, The Oak Ridge Boys, Sixpence None the Richer and P.O.D. are criticized for "crossing over"
into the secular market without Christianity overtly permeating their music.
So, how worried should we be about situations like these?
Some of the concerns are valid. For instance, a number of critics and industry leaders are concerned about groups who are signed to a Christian label but don't confess their beliefs in a straightforward manner. The same is said about mainstream groups, such as Creed and Lifehouse, who reflect Christian beliefs in their music, but don't publicly claim to be a Christian group or refuse to talk about their faith.
Numerous passages in the Bible tell us to stand firm in the faith. It is very clear that we as Christians are supposed to stand up for and defend our faith. When artists refuse to conkss their faith, they appear to contradict the very beliefs they claim to hold.
While the concerns above are definitely worth noting, some concerns about Christian music are questionable.
For example, some artists include a love song on their Christian label recording which does not specifically mention God. If the artist is a publicly-committed Christian, does this pose a concern? Even if God is not mentioned or addressed in the song, it is fair to say he is the foundation on which the song standsjust as our love for others in our daily lives stands on the foundation of God. After all, God is pure love.
Criticism of artists whose songs receive significant airplay on mainstream radio stations also bears a second look.
We need to remember that profession doesn't matter when it comes to using our God-given gifts and talents in service for him. Think about the Christian who is a checker at the grocery store or a news anchor on lV. If they don't specifically mention God to every customer or in every newscast, are they criticized? If they are living their lives according to God's Word, then their words and actions will be a witness-even if God isn't mentioned in every sentence they speak.
Crossover artists are no exception. These artists are also providing a message of hope and salvation to a world that desperately needs to hear it.
Michael W. Smith is a long-time crossover artist and gains a great deal of airplay for such songs as Friends, This Is Your Time and Place In This World, which is perhaps his best-known adult contemporary song. While it never mentions God by name, it's clear that it is a prayer being offered to God. In I Will Be Your Friend, Smith extends his hands-and God'sto those who are lonely, embodying God's love for his people and opening a door of communication.
And crossover artists like Smith are attracting a new audience to Christian music-those who don't know]esus.
A way to reach the lost
Crossover artists who retain their faith have the chance to reach out and minister to those who don't know Jesus.
When many of these artists cross over from the Christian market to the secular, they don't change their beliefs-they change their target audience. And when this happens, those who do not hear the gospel have a chance to listen.
As Christians, we are familiar with the command to be in the world but not of it. And we take Jesus as our example. He ate with the tax collectors. He spoke and gave his message out into the world. He associated with people whom no one else would give a second look.
In our busy lives, however, we tend to pass by and cast aside those unloved and "untouchables" of our society. But music is different. Radios carry songs into houses in upscale suburbs, streets of the inner city and farmhouses in rural America. It's impossible to know when a Christian song like Smith's Place In This World or I Will Be Your Friend is touching the heart of someone who has never known Jesus. It can reach the very soul of even the hardest hearts and turn on a light that starts the listener on a journey towards a personal relationship with their Maker.
God meets us where we are. Christian musicespecially the nontraditional-reaches people where they are. Testimonies abound from those who never knew there was a Christian genre of music until they perhaps..heard Jars of Clay or dc Talk on a secular radio station. Those two groups-and others who have seen great mainstream success-have planted a seed, a seed for which their newfound audience will forever be grateful. Christian music ever so slowly turns a hurting world around by providing hope. When crossover groups are played on mainstream radio, the purpose of their ministry is at work.
So, who is actually performing the most ministry: bands who only play to a Christian audience or bands who extend their hands to society? I say they both do.
Prophets or profits?
Whether we like to admit it or not, the Christian music industry is a business. The average cost of a CD in a Christian bookstore is $17. The average cost of a ticket to see an artist in concert is $15. To retain a well-known group in concert, be prepared to hand over thousands of dollars.
Figures like these lead some industry leaders to ask, Who are the artists glorlfying-God or themselves? Christian music artists are giving back to God what he gives to them-but that often comes with dollar signs. On the one hand, the industry is creating
prophets. And on the other, it is making profits. Those in the Christian music industry tread a fine line.
While the industry has become commercialized, however, much of the music inspires, encourages and repairs broken hearts-all through the Holy Spirit working through music that appeals to everyone, young or old, rock or gospel, converted or not.
Can Christian and crossover music retain its message? That will depend on whether Christian music can keep pace with other kinds of music in terms of quality and style. And Christian artists, like all other believers, have a reputation to live up to. While it may be true that some Christian artists may, in fact, be in the business for themselves, we need to be cautious about jumping to the conclusion thatthat motive is true for all Christian artists.
Also, Christians are to live godly lives. When someone in the spotlight fails to do so, our first impulse is point fingers. But let's remember that those in the spotlight are no different from those of us who go to work every day. We have all fallen short of the glory of God. We make mistakes. We cause rifts. We sin. "So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God's judgment?" (Rom. 2:3). But it is through the grace of God that we may approach his throne. "[All] are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus" (Rom. 3:24).
Christian musicians and singers are no exception. We only read articles and interviews, but God knows the answers. He searches each heart through and through.
Embracing our prophets
Times change and so do musical styles.
God has given each of us special gifts and talents. Some have gifts of art, writing, music and ministry. Jesus commands whoever has ears to use them, and the same can be said about our talents. God doesn't command us to give only a part of ourselves to him and his service-he commands us to give our all. And this is what many Christian artists strive to do.
Unfortunately, we often shun fellow Christians who are crossover artists more than the world shuns us as followers of Jesus. Some Christian bookstores refuse to sell their products, and Christian radio refuses to give the artists airtime. We harbor the assumption that once these artists cross over they are no longer sharing their faith.
That assumption mayor may not be correct. But we need to ask ourselves some questions: What is their purpose as Christian musicians, artists and singers? Do they exist to minister to the nonbelievers or do they encourage those who already believe?
In a perfect world, it would be both. So, we need to be careful about making judgments. We must also be careful about turning our backs on Christian groups who cross over to the secular market and yet remain committed Christians. If we do so, we may be turning our backs on fellow
Christians-those who are trying to advance the kingdom with God-given gifts and talents .•
Sara Cook is director ofpublic relations at Tabor College, an ME four-year liberal arts college in Hillsboro, Kan.
Two music reviews
TEN THOUSAND DAYS
BeboNorman Watershed Records
by Sara Cook
IF YOU TAKE nothing else away from Bebo Norman's first national release, Ten Thousand Days, take this: God looks past all of our downfalls, doubts and misunderstandings, and cares for us, draws near to us and loves us.
Norman, while targeting a college audience, fearlessly and eloquently puts words to our innermost ponderings. He asks many questions: How can I love? How can God love me, a sinner and a doubter? Why does death sometimes seem so unfair? But he also provides many answers: Although we think we may love, we cannot fathom the love that God has for us. We are to trust in the Lord, for he is always there, giving us reason to live. God can heal anything from aching hearts to ailing marriages to broken lives.
But it's the song, "The Hammer Holds," that makes the album. This acoustic guitar-driven ballad is the most profound, contemplative piece of music found here. An allegory between
one of the nails used to crucify Christ and human life, the song tells the story of a shapeless piece of steel formed and twisted into a final shape, but its future unknown.
Although we may not always know the course of our life, Norman reminds us that our dreams are not the issue, and that whatever our task in life may be, our Maker holds it.
Although this album is three years old, its songs are timeless. Ten Thousand Days-like Norman's independent project, The Fabric of Verse (1996) and Big Blue Sky (2001)-will make you think. And YOU'll find that it will be a joy to listen to this album 10,000 times to receive Norman's numerous messages. -Cook is the director of public relations at Tabor College
12 STONES
rockers to ever appear in music -and the most amazing twist of all is that these guys are blatantly Christian, not just in a Lifehouse "spiritualized" sense, but with lyrics that are downright gripping, exploring what it means to be Christ-like in a brutal, fallen world.
12 Stones Wind-up Records by John
Brandon
JUST WHEN YOU think hard rock is all about dead pigeons on stage and wretchedly offensive tattoos, along comes one of the most incredibly talented groups of college-age
The band's debut is glimmering with intensity right from the opening primed-for-radio track. "As I search for your hope, I'm finding so much more," sings Paul McCoy, as the furious drone of guitars and drums echoes his own despair. For some reason, while the music is always slightly foreboding, the overall feeling is one of positivism and hope. In fact, the grunge just makes the hope seem even more alive. Eric Weaver plays guitar as though the instrument is connected to your inner thoughts, immediately creating a frenetic discord and pulling all the instruments together at the same time.
Broken is an easy, early candidate for song of the year. Keep in mind that my own musical tastes fall somewhere in the Caedmon's Call and Jars of Clay camps, but this hard rock
anthem of brokenness has perfect Creed-like power to make it seem like the songwriter really means what he's singing about. Check out the deep struggle of conviction that comes through lyrically: I question why you chose to die / When you knew your truth I would deny / You look at me / The tears begin to fall / And all in all faith is blind / But I fail time after time / Daily in my sin I take your life. There's also no questioning where the writer is come from on The Way I Feel when he sings "In the midst of darkness, Lord, my spirit calls for you.· The power in the music is real, and all throughout the album there's a sense of hope, of asking questions and of leading people to the truth. There's a clean quality to the music, even though it definitely borders on hardcore metal at times with plenty of screaming and frantic drums. Amazing as a "metal worship· experience, 12 Stones connects deep and delivers honestly. -Brandon is a freelance writer and has his own contemporary Christian music website: www.christrock. com.
THIS IS A TYPICAL SCENE &om a romance novel-but not the kind you might think. This one is &om a novel published by Steeple Hill, a line of novels in which "Christian characters face the challenge of spirituality, life and love as weD as finding strength and enlightenment through devotion to their faith," according "PbUIP allowed bls band to explore the satiny texture qf her skin, the soft down of ber arm pridIlttJg upward wltb tbe cooler air. Garnering courage, be rested bls palm over her band and wrapped her cblUedft".ers In his. His reward was Jemma'. delicate squeeze, seeming to let him Imow bIsdJoldness was approved. Bow much uibuld this cold nlgbt unloose
to Steeple Hill Family Report 2001.
This particular novel goes on to talk about the character's faith, but essentially the story is not much different than secular novels.
After reading a novel like this one, I can't help but wonder just how Christian is Christian romance fiction? And is it worth reading?
The Christian fidion market
Christian fiction is making a resurgence in Christian bookstores. Old stories are being reprinted, and new ones are being written. Christian fiction now accounts for 5.25 million books yearly and earns about $43 million.
Romance novels are popular among women. A March 20, 2000, Time article reported that "during the preceding year, 37.9 million females age 10 and over in the U.S. had read at least one romance novel." It also stated, "More than half the mass-market paperback fiction titles sold annually in the U.S. are romance novels." Of the romance novels read, six percent have Judeo-Christian themes.
Christian publishers are reprinting books by Grace tivingstone Hill, Harold Bell Wright and other writers from as far back as the 1920s, as well as books by George MacDonald, the Scottish poet, preacher, novelist and mystic from the 19th century.
Newer writers include Janette Oake who has produced over 50 Christian historical romances over the past 20 years, selling 15 million copies. (She even has a book club.) Other popular authors are Terri Blackstock, Gilbert Morris, Bodie Thoene, Michael Phillips and Judith Pella. Many of the books these writers produce are one in a series--once you read one, you are presumably hooked and want to read them all.
Taking after the secular market, Christian publishing houses have started "imprints" or mini-book houses of their own. Tyndale House has an imprint entitled Heart Quest, billed as "romance the way it was meant to be" and "a new line of quality Christian romance fiction." Multnomah promoted its line of romances together with an "Order Your Mail Order Bride (or Groom) Contest." To win the cash prize readers were asked to write a short personal ad describing their perfect bride or groom.
Those that don't have special imprints still cash in on the market. Zondervan dropped its imprint and publishes its romance novels under its fiction/romance category. Probably the biggest Christian fiction publisher is Bethany House, which in a recent catalog listed 50 Christian fiction series (with from two to 21 books in the series) and five beginnings of series, plus many individual titles.
BY SUSAN
BRANDT
And let's not leave out the secular publishing
houses.
Recently Harlequin, probably the biggest publisher of romance novels, entered the Christian book market with its imprint, Steeple Hill. Although not calling themselves specifically Christian, Harlequin's Love Inspired line promo states: "Welcome to Love Inspired-stories that will lift your spirits and gladden your heart. Meet men and women facing the challenges of today's world and learning important lessons about life, love and faith." The Love Inspired line features "the talents of some of the world's bestknown and best-loved contemporary Christian authors."
The Christian aspect of the story varies according to the author who is writing. In Search of Her Own, a novel by Carole Gift Page originally published by Accent Publishing (a division of Cook Communications), has a fairly strong Christian message. The Parson's Waiting, however, is quite different. Although written from a religious viewpoint, it is not as overtly Christian.
On the bad side
So what's so bad about injecting faith into romance novels? On first glance, the trend looks harmless. However, there are some obvious problems .
• Not enough quality. The pressure to produce a series of books has its drawbacks.
First, we have to wonder about the quality of writing when an author has a new book (fifth in a series) coming out in July, another in September (coauthored and third of a series) and another in October (co-authored with a different writer and seventh in a series).
In addition, most of these books have formulaic plots. Anyone who has ever read a Harlequin romance knows that the story line is very predictable and very formula driven-and the "Christian" romance novels are no different. "Romances must end happily; the spirited heroine must bring the male of her choice to heel-'civilize' or 'tame' him ... before the final clinch and fade out," a Time article says of romance novel plots. The Harlequin Steeple Hill line is no exception, according to Western Report columnist Joe Woodward, who reports that sleaze may be out, but Harlequin still banks on "shlock."
Guidelines for romance authors by Tyndale, a Christian publishing house, run along the same lines. An inspirational romance has three plot lines: an action plot involving a problem to be solved, an emotional plot dealing with a developing love relationship, and a faith plot that shows the growth of the characters' walk with the Lord.
Low-quality fiction undercuts the role stories play in our lives. Stories, according to Charles Colson in a Christianity Today article, are the best vehicle for influencing modem sensibilities. "Stories change us because they reach the whole person, not just the cognitive faculty," he says. "As we read, we identify with characters who demonstrate courage and self-sacrifice, vicariously making choices along with them, and in the process, our own character is
shaped." When the quality is questionable, the message or moral of the story can lose credibility as well.
• Not enough faith. Books like Harlequin's The Parson's Waiting, which are not overtly Christian, also present a concern. Something that comes in the guise of Christianity is probably more easily misinterpreted than something that is overtly secular. If a reader thinks the contents of a book are Christian,
Topselll _vel. deall with faith ..... Ilfefrom Christian publ........
A Distant Beacon (Song of Acadia series) by Janette Oke and T. Davis Bunn (Bethany)
In 'This Mountain
After Anne (Coming home to Bruster series) by Roxanne Henke (Harvest House)
cape Refuge by Terri Blackstock (Zondervan)
Grace At Bender Springs by Vinita Hampton Wright (Broadman & Holman)
Hidden Places by Lynn Austin (Bethany)
Island of Refuge by Linda Hall (Multnomah)
In This Mountain (Mitford series) by Jan Karon (Viking)
The Proposal (English Garden Series) by Lori Wick (Harvest House)
The Remnant (Left Behind series) by Tim LeHaye and Jerry Jenkins (Tyndale)
Some Wildflower in My Heart by Jamie Langston Turner (Bethany)
Unafraid (Lineage of Grace series) by Francine Rivers (Tyndale)
True Valor (Uncommon Heroes series) by Dee Henderson (Multnomah)
other .............. with faith _d life from publ
Just Shy of Harmony by Philip Gulley (Harper)
Joshua, The Homecoming by Joseph Girzone (Doubleday)
Peace Uke a River by Leif Enger (Atlantic Monthly Press)
Atficus by Ron Hansen (HarperCollins)
The Testament by John Grisham (Dell)
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver (Harper)
Sweeter Than All The World by Rudy Wiebe (Random House)
a.slcal novels wIth faith and life
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
she is likely to gloss over content that may not promote a Christian lifestyle. Often, the "Christian" element in the novel is only a surface element of the story. In The Parson's Waiting, one main character was a pastor, but faith itself was not an issue.
• Not enough truth. When authors are overtly Christian there is another kind of concern. Often, the formulaic plots do not reflect real life. So, just how truthful are these novels? And what is this kind of fiction doing to its readers?
Jessie Schut explores two sides of this issue in "Christian, secular fiction meet in a growing romance market," an article published in Cbrlstfanweek.
Rosalie de Roset, professor of general education and communications at Moody Bible Institute, says, "It's women's pornography-it airbrushes the truth." Roset goes on to say that Christians especially get flabby when they consume regular doses of the books, which she feels are poorly written, unrealistic and one-dimensional.
Senior editor Barbara Ulland of Bethany House, however, disagrees. "I believe that Christian romance requires far more of authors--they must portray a tangible, three-dimensional, emotional relationship with all of its joys and struggles, and provide the reader with a true picture of the kind of love God intends," says Ulland.
Many of these books do portray an evangelical Christian message. And they are relaxing to read. They are the kind of books to read on a warm summer afternoon on the beach, when the mind needs a respite. While some perhaps can be helpful to their readers, however, most set up an unrealistic ideal of what romance, love, marriage and Christian commitment are all about.
Taking this into consideration, an occasional Christian romance is probably harmless. But, if this is one's entire reading repertoire, it's a little like eating popcorn rather than stir-Cry-it does have some nutritional value, but you have to eat a lot of it before all your nutritional needs are met.
On the good side
If you enjoy reading fiction, there are good novels out there that deal with faith and life-and some of them even have romance.
Historical fiction, ifwell-researched, can teach history in a painless and interesting way. Pearl Buck's stories set in China can help many readers understand that culture. Tolstoy's and Dostoevsky's novels about the Russian political and religious life of the 19th century show the stark contrast to life in that country today.
Rudy Wiebe is twice winner of Canada's GovernorGeneral's award and has written novels illustrating
Mennonite life (Blue Mountains of China, Peace Shall Destroy Many) as well as novels about aboriginals (Temptations ofBig Bear, Stolen Life). His latest work, Sweeter Than All the World, contains Mennonite history from its beginnings to current Mennonite life.
On the lighter side is Jan Karon's Mitford series While a main character is a rector, these novels are not preachy. They are a reflection of life in a small town as seen through the eyes of an older couple, come to marriage late in life.
Fiction not necessarily overtly Christian can also help us grow in our faith. John Grisham, a Christian published by mainstream publishing houses, has profound messages in some of his novels, especially The Testament. Ron Hanson's AtUcus retells the story of the prodigal son parable, and Leif Enger's Peace Like a River explores faith and miracles. Barbara Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible tells the story of missionaries in Congo during the early 1960s and the revolution. All of these books are published by secular publishing houses but deal with issues of faith in the characters' lives.
Many of these books are not comfortable reading. They stimulate thinking and engender changes in attitudes and behavior. They encourage us to face some of life's hard issues. For example, The Poisonwood Bible forces us to examine how missionaries interacted with Congolese. How does this compare and contrast to how our Mennonite Brethren missionaries worked together with their African brothers and sisters? And from that, how do we today interact with people from other nationalities and races?
Well-written and well-told stories invite us to examine ourselves and our faith. As we face life's issues in "fiction," we have the chance to consider them from an outsider's perspective before we incorporate them into our own lives.
Being good thinkers
Much can be learned from reading good fictioneven romance fiction-if it is well-written. A recent issue of Marriage Partnership quotes C.S. Lewis as saying, "Any amount of theology can be smuggled into people's minds under cover of romance without their knowing it. "
Just as we are careful about the books we read from mainstream publishing houses, however, we should be careful about the books we read that are published by Christians. Paul says, "Everything is permissible for me, but not everything is beneficial" (1 Cor. 6: 12). That's probably a good test to use when choosing books to read-ehristian or not .•
Susan Brandt is managing editor of the MB Herald, a publication of the Canadian MB Conference.
Invitation from MCC
I would like to invite our brother John Kliewer ("What Reader's Say," April 2(02) to look more closely at the work of Mennonite Central Committee around the world. Come and see the mission of Jesus in action. John need only look as far as the Primorye Association of Churches in eastern Russia who recently used a $10,000 grant from MCC to purchase health supplies and grocery boxes for needy families. The churches made their own health kits after receiving kits from MCC. They said to themselves, "Hey, we can do this'" according to MCC Ukraine worker Mary Raber. The boxes included a New Testament and invitation to the churches' Easter service. And there is more, much more. The good news is brought to the poor; captives are released; the oppressed are fre(:(l. MCC does indeed proclaim the year of the Lord's favor (Luke 4). Come and join with us, brother John.
Rona/dj.R. Mathies Executive Director Mennonite Central Committee
The wisdom of God's family
In response to several letters l read in the March and May issues of your periodical, I have some thoughts I would like to share.
Jing Zhao shared some wonderful insight in his letter regarding Christian Hypocrisy in America (''What Readers Say," March 2(02) and I for one, although not fully in agreement, found it to be refreshing to have a Christian perspective other than the ones we have through our own "colored" glasses here in North America. We are not the center of the universe here in the West and the same Holy Spirit who dwells in us also leads and guides Christians around the world.
As I read the response from Max Pearce
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, 101 N. Capitol Parkway, Montgomery, Alabama 36107 (e-mail: chleader@jps.net).
("What Reader's Say," May 2(02), I was also pleased with his articulation, though not in total agreement. But when I got to the end of his letter, I was saddened and disappointed. For a country to be proud of its heritage is one thing. But for aChristian to hold onto the view that "every alien from other countries would give his eye teeth to be enjoying the freedom we all have here in the good old USA" as he put it, left a very sour taste in my mouth, and I believe reaffirmed Mr. Zhao's opinions about Christians in the West.
It appears to me that Mr. Pearce has not spent much time fellowshipping with believers in other countries, thus his generalization. I spent a number of years myself in a foreign country not far from the U.S. and, although many were migrating to America, the vast majority with whom I fellowshipped had the same amount or more pride for their own country as Americans do for theirs, and had no desire whatsoever to "give their eye teeth" to go to the U.S.
I also personally know many missionaries who work around the world and share a similar story. They often report of working in war-tom countries or countries with disease and famine and beginning with an attitude of feeling sorry for the Christians there. But the usual response from local church people is surprise and the complete opposite sentiment. They are the ones who feel sorry for the Christians in the West as they see our "comfortable" life as a reason for apathy and shallowness. What we see as a miserable life, they view as an environment to live out an extreme faith by trusting God. Would they like to be free from their discomfort? Absolutely-but more so as a part of humanity, not so much for reasons of their faith in God.
As a Canadian, married to an American and raising our family in Canada, I personally know many Americans who are much more openminded than Mr. Pearce about appreciating the equality of people around the world. May we all learn to be more open to the wisdom and insight of all of God's family members.
Gerald D. Reimer Steinbach, Manitoba
Business before business
It is fitting that after more than 100 years of "General Conference," a celebration of praise to God is planned in Abbotsford, B.C. at the July convention. There is ample reason for thanksgiving.
Earlier this year I was teaching the book of Amos to a group of church planters at the Mennonite Brethren Centenary Bible College in India. Together we memorized a key passage which speaks about "justice." We learned that justice is much more than fairness; it is the observance of "honorable relationships" as prescribed by God in his Word. The memorized verses have reverberated within me: "[ hate, [ despise your festivals, and [ take no delight in your solemn assemblies Take awayfrom me the noise of your songs; [will not listen to the melody ofyour harps. But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-j1owing stream" (Amos 5:21-24).
It may be fitting to celebrate; but it is also sobering. Unjust relationships within churches or even between larger conferences will need to be resolved before God will take delight in the July "celebrations." The most important business of the conference may well need to take place before the celebrations at the convention.
Elmer Martens Fresno, California
Editor's Note: This letter was also sent to and published in the MB Herald, a publication of the Canadian MB Conference.
Do we want it or not?
''You are trying to pass the MB Conference on to the next generation, and that is nice-but maybe we don't want it'" That was one of the many quotable phrases that came from the 1995 General MB Conference in Fresno. It was a convention characterized by "delegates 'paid' to be there," "angry young male clergy" and calls for "real issues to be debated on the conference floor instead of behind the scenes" (MB Herald, Aug. 11, 1995).
One year later, at a follow-up meeting of conference leaders, Dan Unrau stated, "The young leaders I work with are not
willing to accept a passed baton. They will only pick up a dropped baton" (MB Herald, Nov. 8, 1996).
So where is the MB Conference seven years later? In spite of the fact that many churches are thriving, there are disturbing signs that ownership in the MB Conference is rapidly eroding at almost every level. The mood at Fresno 95 was cavalier, and there was even some exuberance at the idea of thinking "outside the box" and shaking up archaic structures. The most notable by-product of that convention is the dissolution of the General Conference, which will be completed at its final convention this year in Abbotsford.
The closing off of specific structures is part of life, but this maybe the time to reflect a little more thoughtfully about the state of the larger MB Conference. It may be time to let the whole thing die, but it certainly will be a tragedy if it dies simply because of neglect and ignorance. It is time for the next generation of leaders to put off glib cliches and decide what we are going to do.
We modem MBs are beneficiaries of an enormous investment by previous generations. We have colleges, a seminary, camps, missions organizations, relief organizations, periodicals, management structures and more. For the most part the benefits of these are simply taken for granted much as children accept the provisions of the family home. But these structures will not maintain themselves. As a generation we have been very impatient with the mundane routines required to keep healthyorganizations functioning. But now there is no choice-we must either take on these tasks or let the whole enterprise decay due to neglect. This is not a task which we can simply delegate off to those leaders still valiantly bailing
for which a whole generation of potential leaders is accountable. Do we want what is being passed on or not? We thought we were clever in 1995, but that question will need to be answered, and we will answer to the next generation for what we decide. If indeed we do want to pick up what is passed on there is much to seriously examine. Exactly what are we being given? What are the things of hidden but very real value that need protection and care? And at a very practical level, what must we do to pass on a healthy legacy to the next generation? But none of these questions have meaning if we don't want what has been bequeathed to us.
It is with some chagrin that I write this. I too have been very conrent to remain a
sideline critic and it was not until the reality that the heart of the MB conference could be irreparably damaged that I seriously reexamined the role of the conference in my life and that of my church. I suspect that for many among the next generation ofleaders the assumption remains that the conference will always be there in those areas that we need it. I suspect if it were established that the Conference was in its death throes, a great hidden support would rise up. I also suspect that unless we wake up soon to the declining state of conference health, much of what we take for granted will be unnecessarily lost.
Do we want the MB Conference or not? This is a question only you can answer.
]amesToews Nanaimo, B.C.
Editor's Note: This letter was also sent to and published in the MB Herald, a publication of the Canadian MB Conference.
Keep the Leader
I am alarmed by the threat of discontinuing publication of the Christian Leader (June 2002, "Keep the bike rolling-for now"). As stated, it is "vital to the cohesiveness of the community we call the U.S. Conference. Today, communication that links us together is more important than ever."
To remove this superglue is to take away a "language" that is common to all. When one studies ethnic groups, it is language that provides a common denominator and holds people together. If the conference is having trouble holding together now, to eliminate the Leader would be like pulling out of the proverbial dike the finger that is trying to hold in place the sway of currents that could possibly erode the larger structure.
The Leader links together MBs (and other brands of Mennonites) whether they are city or rural, ethnic or nonethnic, young or old, traditional or contemporary, from the U.S. or Canada or India, or attending an MB/Mennonite church or not attending a Mennonite church.
This last one pertains to me. I do not attend a Mennonite church and rely on the Leader to connect me to the larger whole of my background and how I can continue to interact and support Menno-
nite organizations and causes. It showsand-tells what is happening in the Mennoworld. Ifl didn't see, I wouldn't be aware and I couldn't support.
Because of the new, broader viewpoint the editors have given the Leader, their good journalism, and the Leader's siveness, the Leader is not just about MBs and connecting among MBs, but it connects the many body parts of other Mennonite happenings and opportunities.
I believe the consequences of discontinuing the Leader would be dire. I expect that by discontinuing the Leader, other Mennonite entities would suffer since the window into those organizations would no longer be available. People need to see needs, and the Leader provides this visibility.
To have one publication that provides information about missions, Mennonite Central Committee, Mennonite Disaster Service, various Mennonite conferences and happenings, effectively saturates readers with information and provides a "big picture." To send out pieces of Mennonite happenings (for instance, flyers about missions, a letter about MCC in New York City, and another tw9 page newsletter on Slavic MB churches in the U.S.) would not be cost effective--an4 it reduces the impact that a Leader overview provides. It is exciting for me to see the vast array of Mennonite happenings-as illustrated by reading a monthly Leader from front to back. I prefer sitting and immersing myself in a magazine versus sorting through pieces of paper that perhaps contain the information, but which are parts tossed at me, rather than woven together in a coherent and cohesive fasWon-each aspect is then strengthened. The sum is greater than the parts.
Editor Carmen Andres has had a powerful impact on the Leader and everyone who reads it. She has increased journalism, stretched readers' thinking by offering contrasting points of view and allowing readers to make their own choices, provided in-depth and various perspectives by carrying out themes and designed an up-to-date and professional format. The Leader is a top-notch publication.
Even though we live in a techno-age, I don't believe that an electronic Leader continued on page 30
BY PHILIP WIEBE
Everything about women
FROM THE TITLE OF THIS column, you might think I plan to write something definitive about those confounding creatures who are a constant source of puzzlement for we simpleton males. Or perhaps, noticing it is a man who presumes to offer "everything about women," you're merely tuning in to see if I say something controversial or ignorant. Well, don't get your hopes up.
As far as I know, I'm not going to write anything controversial or ignorant. Or at least not controversial. It's just that the female of the species has inspired a number of recent reflections, a few of which are following:
•I saw an article examining the evolution of television women from June Cleaver, the 1950s housewife and mom of Leave It to Beaver, to Jennifer Garner, the kick-boxing spy of the current 1V hit, Alias. The article provided these examples as proof that 1V portrays much better female role models than it used to.
I've never seen the show Alias, but ads for it always depict the supermodel-looking Garner karate-chopping her way through roomfuls of bad guys while still looking quite fetching. In reflecting on the June Cleaver to Jennifer Garner timeline, one thought occurred to me. When it comes to portraying women, television has managed over the last 40 years to become even less realistic.
Despite all the grief June Cleaver has taken for her dull housewifely ways and high-heeled housekeeping, most women's lives today are still probably less unlike hers than the Alias heroine's. I don't mean that as an insult. Modem women manage households, raise kids, pursue careers, serve as volunteers, but rarely are involved in international espionage while draped in Versace
evening wear. Unless there's something about my women friends I seriously don't know.
• Speaking of evening wear, I recently overheard an interesting conversation in a department store. Several young women were assessing a formal gown displayed on a mannequin. I was amazed at how articulately and insightfully they discussed this item, in both practical and philosophical terms. The most intelligent thing I could have said was, "Looks like a dress. "
Now, for all I know these young women could have been Rhodes scholars, brilliant not only in fashion but also in other I sense that in general, however, people (both women and men) are becoming more knowledgeable about pop culture and less conversant in literature, history and other substantial studies. I don't know what that means for the future of society, but it seems to me it can't be good.
•I don't pay much attention to the activities of pop singer Britney Spears, but a little news item about her caught my eye. Reporting some flap about an appearance of hers in England, the article said, "Spears, wearing a silver sequined outfit, approached the crowd " That stopped me short. Would such a sentence ever appear in a news article about a man? "George W. Bush, in a charcoal suit with powder-blue tie, attended the nuclear disarmament summit "
Okay, maybe that would show up in this new tabloid news environment. But still, I think the Spears item shows our culture has a long way to go toward valuing women for intelligence and talent over appearance.
•I saw a bumper sticker that said something like, "A well-behaved woman rarely makes history." Apparently it was a quote, but I didn't catch the reference. Taken in a historical
sense, I can understand such a statement. For much of history women have been exploited, devalued, considered little more than property. Many courageous, nonconformist women have had to break out of such roles to pave the way for progress.
I couldn't help wondering, though, if the bumper-sticker bearer meant that quote as a social statement or a personal license. Was she educating the commuting masses, or merely giving herself permission to be a grouch?
Of course I don't know if she was doing the latter, but such behavior wouldn't be uncommon in our age. All the time, people take perfectly noble ideas and exploit them for personal use and excuse. Being "wellbehaved" certainly can be a sign of dangerous conformity; but in these rude, discourteous days it sounds more like something that needs to make a comeback.
• The fact that I started this column joking about men's cluelessness regarding women tells you something about the state of gender relations these days. Women are assumed to be complicated and barely knowable by men; men are thought to be rather shallow and predictable. And though such generaIizations make great material for humorists like myself, they can also lead to trouble. How quickly men and women jump to conclusions about each other, without ever lingering to learn more.
If a woman presumes her man is an open book, she may never bother turning past the first page. If a man believes the woman in his life is unfathomable, he may never even take the book off the shelf. What a sad state of affairs when women and men live together in relational poverty, with such a potential abundance of wealth sitting right across the table .•
BY MARVIN HEIN
Questions about faith and life
Listening to radio evangelists and reflecting on age discri1nination
QWhy do well-meaning Mennonite Brethren listen to radio personalities whose music may be wonderful but whose theology is radically faulty? (California)
AThe question arose when I quoted from a magazine article in which Gene Edward Veith assailed a popular radio evangelist who broadcasts regularly throughout California. Harold Camping, with Reformed tradition roots, sounds evangelical enough upon first hearing, and the music played and preachers heard on his station are a delight to most old-timers. However, he is now suggesting that Christians should not go to church; they should drop their church memberships and just listen to the radio.
Camping's "end-times theology" dictates his teachings. He insists Satan has set up his throne in the church and that the "church age" is over. Therefore the Bible's words about pastors, elders and churches, designed for a previous dispensation, are passe. Incidentally, this seemingly all-knowing theologian once declared that the world would end in 1994. People believe him. Reformed Church pastors report almost unanimously that they are losing members because of these teachings.
But why do Mennonite Brethren listen to his Family Radio network? I'll confess that I listen rather regularly in short spurts to music on thisnetwork. I rarely listen to Camping's expositions. I guess we listen for the same reason some of us listen to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. The music is excellently done and edifying. I surmise we listen for the same reason some of us pastors have studied William Barclay's commen-
taries when we know he didn't believe in the physical resurrection of Jesus. Spiritual nurture can come from strange sources. Perhaps we have even poorer reasons to use AT&T telephone services when they are among the worst in supplying hard core pornography.
I've never forgotten the wise counsel I heard from an Mennonite Central Committee representative while in Civilian Public Service in 1950. He cautioned us youthful proponents of peace who thought we must be completely consistent in our nonviolence beliefs by saying: "Try hard, but be assured you will never be 100 percent consistent."
To be sure, there are dangers involved in feeding at strange troughs. Listening to Harold Camping's expositions demands critiquing his conclusions, and many are unable to do that. But that kind of critique is occasionally needed in some of our congregations as well. We do well to follow the Bereans (Acts 17:10-12) who were said to be "more noble" because "they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true."
One final note: while it may seem inconsistent, if you listen to those whose theology is questionable but whose music is full of grace and truth, don't contribute financially. And usually, as it is with Mr. Camping, there is a repeated plea for monetary help.
QAre older people being discriminated against in our society and church life? (California)
AIf you are in your 70s, it may well seem to be true. Particularly when traveling by air, which I do quite
Rave a question about a Bible passage, doctrine, conference poltcy, or other spiritual Issue? E·mall Marvin at mhetn1@fresno.edu or send your question to "Inquiring Minds, n c/o Marvin Retn, 4812 E. Butler, Fresno, CA 93727.
often, I am amazed at the deference shown to me, I think, because other passengers consider me old. I accept that as positive. While I'm not the greatest AARP-advocate (nor am I anti-AARP), I do believe that most of us older folks receive rather generous financial benefits from our government. In the church I find that the very young find it difficult to talk with the aged. Maybe younger parents ought to work on that with their children.
I have to confess that in the church, with a rapid succession of changes and innovations in worship, and with the emphasis on the "future" of the church (the young), I often wonder if only the elderly are to make adjusttnents, or if the younger should be just pliable. Actually the young should fuld it easier to bend than the "stifl" elderly. When I am called a "fuddy-duddy" when I have difficulty appreciating a new, trend in the church, I admit I feel a bit of discrimination. There is need for reciprocation. It is not a matter of either-or.
Speaking from my elderly bias, younger folks would do well to remember that the Bible advises children to listen to the wisdom of their parents. Paul said: "Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father" (1 Tim. 5:1). This suggests that there may be times when sons must speak firmly-but lOvingly-to older fathers, but there is caution, too. In a society obsessed with rights, both the old and the younger are "inclined to put rights above obligations and exchange deference for demands" (Anne Morse). Perhaps next month I can tum to the other side and suggest some things the older might do for the younger as we work together in the Kingdom of God.•
BY ROSE BUSCHMAN
Seek ye first the kingdom of God
THERE IS A SMALL, HAND-SIZE
American flag on my desk that has a special meaning for me. It was given to me one hot July day in the summer of 1977 by a federal court officer in a Gainesville, Fla., courtroom. It was there that I pledged my allegiance "to the flag of the United States of America one nation under God " I first came to the United States from Canada on a student visa in 1960. later it was upgraded to an immigrant visa, and finally 17 years later I became an American citizen. It was hard for me to give up my Canadian citizenship, especially since I still have strong family ties to that country. But as I was married to an American and planned to live here indefinitely, I felt it was the prudent thing to do. Seeing that little flag on my desk brings back memories of the mixed feelings I experienced, saying "no" to the country of my birth and "yes" to the country where I had now chosen to live.
During our years of living in North Africa the American flag again took on a special meaning for me. I still remember the feeling of comfort and security I felt as we drove up the hill to the American embassy and, as we rounded the comer, saw the American flag flying high above the embassy's protective walls. My husband and I had "embassy privileges" which meant that by showing our badges we could gain entry to the embassy grounds, shop in its commissary (which had imported American foods), see the embassy nurse, eat at the American Club (where the menu was written in English and they served hot dogs and hamburgers) and feel as though we belonged. It felt like coming home, and that was a very good feeling.
Now when I drive around my community I see, due to the events of last
September, the proliferation of American flags-they are everywhere. In store windows, on car antennas, on clothes, towels, anything people can think of. Some flags are displayed in good taste while other uses of the flag border on disrespect. I want to believe that for those people displaying the flag, it has a positive meaning for them, just as the flag has for me.
While driving along the road recently and seeing American flags all over the place the thought occurred to me: Has the flag become an idol for us? My dictionary defines "idol" as "any object of ardent or excessive devotion or admiration." We need to find a balance in our patriotism. Jesus said, "Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's and to God the things that are God's" (Matt. 22:21 I<JV). Just as I sometimes feel a divided loyalty between Canada and the United States, so we Christians need to remember that our first allegiance is to God and that our loyalty needs to be divided between our earthly home and our heavenly destination.
While on a visit to my friend, Gill, in England last Easter I came across a short "Letter to Diognetus" by an unknown writer, which is thought to have been written about 150 A. D. This anonymous author wrote in reply to someone asking serious questions about Christianity.
The writer wrote, "You can't tell a Christian from a non-Christian by where he lives or the way he speaks or how he dresses. There are no Christian towns; there is no Christian language and they eat, drink and sleep just like everybody else. Christians aren't particularly clever or ingenious and they haven't mastered some complicated formula, like the followers of some religions.
"But while it's true that they live in cities next to other people, and follow the same pattern of life as they do, in fact they have a unique citizenship of their own. They are, of course, citizens of their own lands-loyal ones, too. But yet they feel like visitors. Every foreign country is their homeland, and their homeland is like a foreign country to them They are nationals of various states, but citizens of heaven.
"To put it simply-the soul is to the body as Christians are to the world. The soul is spread through all parts of the world. The soul is in the body but it is not of the body; Christians are in the world but not of the world" (quoted in The Lion Book of Christian Classics). I was so impressed with this excerpted letter that I copied it into my notebook and brought it back with me.
The letter reminds me of the gospel song we used to sing, "This world is not my home / I'm just a passing through / my treasures are laid up / somewhere beyond the blue n Sometimes I think we get so caught up in the nationalistic fervor of our time and in the symbols used to portray it that we forget that Jesus said, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness." The unknown writer 1900 years ago understood this.
When I see bumper stickers that say "God Bless America" I want to cross out the word "America" and write something else. Isn't God the God of the universe and not just the God of America? If we get our loyalties straight and follow Christ's commands then someday there will be, in heaven, joining us, "people from every tribe, language, nation and race ... singing, 'to Him who sits on the throne ... be praise and honor ... forever' " (Rev. 5: 9b, 13b GNB) .•
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Balancing sacred and secular
Leadership-not limelight-focus of Reimer's tenure as a conference leader
BY CONNIE FABER
David Reimer, a 43-yearold retirement community administrator from Reedley, Calif., who is currently serving as U.S. Conference chairman, admits that he is attracted to leadership opportunities. But it does not take long to realize that Reimer prefers to serve in anonymity.
"I feel a little funny about seeing this in print," is one of several similar comments Reimer makes while talking with the Leader. "But if it helps other young
people get involved, I'm all for it."
Developing a new generation of Mennonite Brethren leaders has been a reoccurring theme during Reimer's four-year tenure as U.S. Conference chairman. In fact, the 2000 national convention focused on leadership development. So it is no surprise that Reimer would think of his interview with the Leader in terms of encouraging service among his peers. Reimer began his decade of national conference ministry in 1992 as a member of the U.S. Conference Board of Commu'l
nications, a board he also agreed to chair. Two years later he was part of a "changing of the guard." Delegates to the biennial convention that summer elected the youngest executive in recent denominational history. The average age of the officers--chairman Dennis Fast, vicechairman Reimer, and secretary Stuart Pederson-was under 40. By virtue of his office, Reimer was also a member of the General Conference Board of Faith and life from 1994 to 1998.
In 1998 Reimer was elected chairman of the U.S. Conference, which also made him chair of the Board of Church Ministries, the decision-making board that acts as the conference in interim. He will continue to serve on BCM for the next two years in the office of past chair.
Reimer has been part of leadership teams that have moved the U.S. Conference through a decade of significant growth and change. "It's been a fascinating time. It's been a very busy time," says Reimer.
"There has been growth in numbers as well as in programs," says Reimer. One ministry that has impacted the conference in membership and agenda is Mission USA, the national church planting and renewal ministry. In the early 19905, Reimer participated in planning sessions for this ministry and helped implement the first MUSA board. Numeric growth has also come through transcultural congregations that have joined the U.S. Conference thanks to the work of Integrated Ministries, says Reimer, and spiritual growth has come thanks to the work done to update the Confession of Faith.
Another significant change has been the transition, to be completed this month, of General Conference ministries from binational to national oversight. "There is a fearful moment and there is a creative moment when there is change," says Reimer of the divestiture.
To an onlooker, these changes may seem to qualify the past decade as an exhilarating time for Mennonite Brethren leaders. Not necessarily so, says Reimer.
'We read about the exciting times of the church and we want so badly to be part of a red-hot experience," says Reimer when asked what advice he would give upcoming conference leaders. "But when we read Scripture we see that there were a lot of doldrums and very few red-hot times. So we need to guard against a selfish expectation that it will be us whom God will use for that
red-hot experience," he says.
''There have been some impressive moments, but in the 10 years I've been involved in U.S. Conference work there has been more frustration and challenge than anything else," says Reimer.
A significant challenge has been managing multiple agendas and priorities, says Reimer. "At the same time that the General Conference is going away and we're phasing in national ownership of these ministries, we're trying to grow existing national ministries There has been a call for differing priorities and we've had to try and balance that."
Reimer has considerable personal experience balancing competitive priorities. For the past 13 years, he has been the executive director of Palm Village Retirement Community, a retirement home community in Reedley supported by MB churches, and has chaired committees for the state professional association. While enrolled for eight years as a part-time MB Biblical Seminary student, he also was a husband to Sandy and father to their three sons. He has served the MB church both nationally and locally and is a licensed minister with the Pacific District Conference.
In all these settings, Reimer's interest in both the secular and sacred has been an asset. "When I am in the business world, people think I'm a minister. And when I'm with ministers, people think I am a businessman. They think I am the other It makes it really hard to know who to sit with at lunch," he says with a laugh. "I think what I am is a balance."
Balance, says Reimer, helps him look at U.S. Conference agenda from more than one viewpoint. "Not because I'm a genius but because of my training, I am able to talk in terms of fund accounting and in terms of theology," says Reimer. "I think [MBBS] gave me a very unique education, and my work experience has helped there too."
Mennonite Brethren institutions and leaders have heavily influenced Reimer. After spending two years at Tabor College, the MB liberal arts college in Hillsboro, Kan., Reimer graduated from Wichita (Kan.) State University in 1980 with a degree in communications. In 1995 he graduated from MBBS with a masters degree in theology. "The seminary was very good in allowing me to tailor-make course work that was germane to the context in which I work," says Reimer, who focused his graduate
studies on managing and leading church-related organizations.
Reimer also appreciates MB leaders who have taught him by example. "I learned about the handling of meetings and groups as I observed Ed Boschman and Herb Kopp chair General Conference meetings. I also learned from Lynn Jost and Dennis Fast. Four people with strengths in areas of leadership; guys I imitate."
Reimer acknowledges he is the youngest U.S. Conference chair in recent history, but he notes that an earlier generation also stepped into leadership at a young age. That group includes Loyal Funk, U.S. Conference executive minister, Marvin Hein, General Conference executive secretary, and Dan Friesen, a pastor and conference leader who died in 1998. And while he is a generation apart from these men, ''we are brothers," says Reimer.
Serving one's church is something Reimer learned from members of his family. "I have always been very aware of denominational ministries," says Reimer. "That's one of the things in my family culture." Members of Reimer's family have been extensively involved with Tabor College and his father is an MB pastor currently serving as the Southern District Conference minister.
This history has helped Reimer see the local church as connected to the denomination. ''We can do great things when we join together," says Reimer, citing foreign missions as an example. "There is the temptation to be independent. It looks efficient. But I think that's afalse notion."
The denomination also helps a local congregation know ''who you are and why you are. It defines who we are theologically." It has been a trend over the past 10 years to remove denominational distinctives, says Reimer. He advocates maintaining denominational distinctives even when some within the church disagree with them. ''We need to maintain our distinctives and maintain relationships," he says.
Calling out leaders, whether pastors, church planters, missionaries or U.S. Conference volunteers and staff members, is another way in which the local church and denomination are interdependent, says Reimer.
"I think all of us together as a group need to call out leaders. People in the pews who are leading congregations need to think of leadership for the
entire group, not just for that congregation they are sitting in now."
Reimer has enjoyed serving the larger church and he hopes his sons Michael, 17 years, Daniel, 15 years, and David, 6 years, will continue the Reimer family tradition.
"I see some things in them that I think would serve the body very well," says Reimer of his sons. "It might be in churchrelated entities-it might be the church."
As someone with experience serving both a denomination and a churchrelated agency, Reimer has found his work with the denomination to be more challenging in terms of identifying core values. "Church agencies have an easier time because there is less ambiguity of the mission, priorities and strategies," he says, citing Mennonite Central Committee as an example of an agency with a clear mandate. "The church-that's a real challenge."
One of the challenges Reimer hopes the U.S. Conference will address in the future is its core values. "I hope we embrace community in decision-making and that we talk about core values," he says. "If we are coming out with different answers, is it because there is a core value difference? If it is, let's talk about the core value difference rather than the decision at hand."
Reimer is confident about the future of the U.S. Conference. "I'm excited about the leaders stepping in in 2002," he says. "I feel good about the way we are going."
At the convention this month, Reimer will hand over the chairman's gavel. Delegates will be asked to affirm current vicechair Rolando Mireles of Rio Grande City, Tex., as chair, Chuck Buller ofVISalla, Calif., as vice chair and Don Morris of Weatherford, Okla., as secretary. The chair of the Board of Trustees, to be elected by BOT board members after board elections inJuly, will join Buller and Morris as BCM executive newcomers.
Reimer admits to sometimes biting off more than he can chew and his decade of service to the U.S. Conference combined with his responsibilities as a father, professional and churchman has at times been tiring.
"I think I need to rest," says Reimer. "I think when I'm done resting, then I will be sad. There is a lot of [U.S. Conference work] that I'm going to really miss. It's been a privilege. It's been a blessing."
Bringing living water to the Water City
MBMSI's Team 2000 settles in ministry location in Thailand
BY ilSAALVEY-MBMSI NEWS SERVICE
Although barely able to speak the language of their Thai neighbors, Team 2000 members have left the security of "home" to establish their ministry base. The group of six missionaries and their children recently loaded their belongings on a grain truck and settled into a new community.
Ricky and Karen Sanchez, Dave and Louise Sinclair-Peters, and Andy and Carmen Owen are a team of missionaries who moved to Thailand a year ago to begin a to-year church-planting effort. Their first year was spent in language study in the city of Lopburi. They are sent and supported by Mennonite Brethren churches across North America through MBMS International, the cross-cultural mission agency of Mennonite Brethren churches in Canada and the United States.
In February, they left this "home" to move to Chonburi, about three hours'
drive from Lopburi, to make their new home and establish a ministry base.
Chonburi has developed from a sleepy, fishing village into a busy urban center. It is home to 300,000 people, a university boasting 15,000 students, many shopping malls and markets and only five evangelical churches.
Moving to Chonburi proved to be a challenge for the team. In Thailand, renting a house is done mostly by word of mouth, making house-hunting a long process of driving to an area and walk· ing and talking to people. Many days and sore feet later the hopeful renter may find one possible option.
The families looked for homes close to each other, but in different neighborhoods so they will maximize their relationship building in new areas.
"Our homes have many different uses," says Carmen Owen. "We use them for school for our children, offices for work and study and a meet· ing place to work as a team to worship
and pray. Our prayers are that God will bless our homes to use for his glory."
The move to Chonburi finds the team having to explain once again, as they meet new people, what they are doing in Thailand. They have learned to introduce themselves as language learners (Thai) and language teachers (English)-both of which are acceptable roles in society.
"It is important to us to continue to learn the Thai language so we can develop relationships with the Thai people," Andy Owen explains. "We do that through sports activities, teaching English and Thai language study."
The team has started teaching the Bible in English every Sunday at a local church. This small church has been mentoring the team in how to share their faith and disciple new Thai believers. The English classes have become popular, with up to 30 people on Sundays, over half of them never having heard of Jesus before.
Language study is a big part of the team's everyday lives. Louise SinclairPeters says, "Recently I was racing to
buy a coffee on my way to language study at the university. As I was talking to the market lady, she just started to laugh. I asked if my Thai was that bad and she said, 'I've never heard a foreigner speak Thai before.' And she continued to laugh and laugh. Ifl hadn't been diligent in my studies, I never would have been able to have that conversation and relate to her why I was in Thailand."
Settling in to a new neighborhood often means finding help in the house and with the children. Karen HubertSanchez shares about meeting Phil Ganiga, a woman who was interested in cleaning house and taking care of the kids while Karen was in language studies.
"Understanding that I would be hesitant to hire someone I barely knew, she took me to her home," Karen says. "As we walked to her home, everyone knew her: the shopkeepers, all the fisherman-it was amazing. I knew right away that if Phil Ganiga became a believer it would have an effect much greater than we can ever have on our own."
While Chonburi means Water City, Dave Sinclair-Peters believes the people of Chonburi are spiritually dry, turning to Buddhism to fill their spiritual thirst. The team's goal, he says, is to bring the message of true life.
"We're praying that the people of this City would look to Jesus as the one who can give them living water, so they'll never thirst again," he says.
An update video of Team 2000's move to Chonburi is available by calling MBMS International at 1-888-866-6267.•
Last minute convention details
Organizers release updates on meals and ,. transportation for B.C. summer conventions
New meal opportunities and transportation service details are now available for the July 2729 conventions in British Columbia. Canadian and U.S. MB national conferences are meeting individually during the day, and delegates will gather in the evening for the final convention of the General Conference.
Suppers
Registration information for the Canadian, U.S. and General MB conference conventions in July stated that the evening meals will be "on your own." Convention planners have now worked out an arrangement by which suppers will be available at Central Heights Church, the site of the evening General Conference celebrations for $8.00 (Canadian). These meals are not part of the convention registration payment package. However, tickets for these evening meals may be purchased at the registration desks in the mornings.
Shuttle buses
Convention organizers are also planning a comprehensive shuttle sere
vice to transfer delegates between the various sites. The shuttle service will pick up delegates from the hotels in the mornings and take them to the daytime convention sites (Northview Community Church for the Canadian Conference and Bakerview MB Church for the U.S. Conference). At the end of the afternoon, they will take delegates from the daytime convention sites to their hotels or directly to the evening convention site where the supper will be available for those who purchased tickets in the morning. Delegates not eating supper at Central Heights will be picked up at the hotels and taken to Central Heights in time for the evening celebration services. The shuttle buses will then take delegates back to the hotels after the evening services. The shuttle buses will also take delegates to and from the Tom and Christine Sine seminar at Central Heights on Thursday morning. The cost of the I shuttle service is included in the convention registration package.
For further infortnation, contact Marilyn Hiebert, B.C. MB Conference administrator, at (604) --Convention news release
Mennonite Mutual Aid (MMA) has opportunities for highly motivated individuals interested in a full-time career in insurance and financial services. Candidates will need to become licensed to sell life and health insurance as well as securities. A training allowance, plus bonuses, is available to qualified applicants. Opportunities exist in many areas of the U.S.
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Reaching out to newcomers
Slavic MB joins West Coast MCC board to help build ,. bridge between Slavic community and wider church
During the past two decades, refugees from the former Soviet Union have been pouring into the United States. Often fleeing religious persecution, members of this Slavic community are the fastestgrowing group within the Mennonite Brethren church.
Paul Chernetsky, the newest member of the West Coast Mennonite Central Committee board and a participant in the recent MCC U.S.-sponsored Immigration Law Training held in Akron, Penn., knows first-hand the struggles of Slavic newcomers. Now the coordinator of the King County Slavic Association in Seattle, Wash., he draws on these experiences and a deep faith in God to reach out to other refugees.
Eleven years ago, at age 22, Chernetsky came to Sacramento, Calif., from Ukraine. His family's Protestant Christian faith had meant decades of persecution. His father, a pastor, spent six years in prison during Stalin's reign of terror.
"Teachers in school, when they knew you were a Christian, they would give a lot of verbal abuse," Chernetsky says. "Christians couldn't get good jobs. There was constant harassment."
When the restriction on emigration loosened at the end of the 1980s, Chernetsky's family applied to come to the United States as refugees.
"It was a different world here, and the language was very difficult," says Chernetsky in now-flawless English. "But I could see there was so much opportunity. And finally we had the freedom to worship God."
The links created between Slavic immigrants and established Mennonite Brethren congregations are "God's connection," he says.
"The Mennonite Brethren opened their hearts and showed a willingness to help us when we first arrived," Chernetsky says. He is now a member of a Slavic Mission Mennonite Brethren church pastored by his brother, one of five such congregations in the Seattle
area.
There are currently about 13,000 Slavic Mennonite Brethren church members, mostly on the West Coast. A shared history of struggle unites the groups, Chernetsky believes. Originally from Holland and Germany, Mennonites living in Russia and Ukraine faced enormous persecution during the late 1800s and around the time of both World Wars.
"I think we feel that somewhere we are connected in our heritage," Chernetsky says.
Now a U.S. citizen, Chernetsky feels called to reach out to the people of the former Soviet Union and has returned to the region for several missions trips. During one such visit, he met a Russian woman, Julia, who is now his wife.
He also works with newcomers to the United States through the Slavic Association. "Slavic" is defined loosely to include people fleeing the former Soviet Republics of Azerbaijan and
Armenia as well as Russians, Ukrainians and Romanians. Many, like Chernetsky, were persecuted because they are Protestant Christians; others were persecuted for being Jewish or from a minority ethnic group.
His organization focuses on providing social services, as most Slavic newcomers already have legal status as refugees before arriving in the United States. A few, however, come having entered on temporary visas and seek assistance in applying for political asylum.
Chernetsky says he appreciated the MCC U.S.-sponsored immigration training not only for the technical information but also because it opened his eyes to the scope of immigration issues faced by others in his adopted country.
He hopes his time on the West Coast MCC board will be one of building bridges between the Slavic community and the larger work of the church. Most refugees from the former Soviet Union are already involved in supporting service and ministry projects in home areas, he says. While religious restrictions have eased in much of Russia and Ukraine, financially struggling church members depend on assistance from former residents to supplement their projects. -MCC news service
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Let's Celebrate Together! 123
years
1879-2002
GENERAL CONFERENCE OF MENNONITE BRETHREN CHURCHES
For more information contact: Marvin Hein at 559-452-1713 or mhein1@fresno.edu
Canadian Conference website: www.mbconf.ca
Enjoy 3 evenings of music, drama, testimonials and much more as we celebrate together the conclusion of the General Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches.
July 25-27, 2002 7:00-8:30 p.m.
IN BEAUTIFUL BRITISH COLUMBIA
Held in conjunction with the Canadian and u.s. Conventions held in day-time sessions.
• U.S. MB Conference website: www.usmb.org
• General Conference website: www.mbconf.org Central Heights Church, Abbotsford, British Columbia. Registration not required .• Childcare for children to age 5.
would be as effective as hard copy. I don't believe that the majority of read· ers would access the web. The hard copy is user-friendly-and can be carried about to be read in waiting rooms, on airplanes, at kitchen tables for morn· ing reflections with a cup of coffee, and in beds and bathrooms!
I would like to see some brainstorming on how the Leader could be continued. I am an individual subscriber. How could individuals be more involved, rather than fees paid through the church? Could suggestions be submitted and/or posted on a website?
Thus, my thoughts, pleas, concerns, and prayers,
Naomi Gaede-Penner Parker, Colo.
Don't stop publishing the Leader
Please do not stop publishing the Christian Leader ("Keeping the bike rolling-for now" June 2002). I have learned so much about the Mennonite
WHAT READERS SAY
Continued from page 19
church and what it does from your publication. I am new to the Mennonite church. Though I grew up in a commu· nity with a Mennonite church and often attended youth activities, my parents belonged to another church and we went there. I knew of some of the activo ities that they did, like helping people after disasters, sending clothes to mis· sions, etc. I just did not know the length and breadth of it all.
People appreciate what they have to pay for. Why not do subscriptions to make up the needed money? I would pay for two-one for myself and one for someone else that couldn't pay. You could publish every other month to cut down on publishing and shipping costs. Putting it online might be good to reach our missionaries and others where the shipping costs are high. I
find it hard on my eyes to tackle volumes of reading online. Many people do not have access to computers, and people with vision problems cannot see it online unless they have special read· ers and most do not. But there has to be a way to keep the Leader viable.
I hope that the Board of Communications continues to employ Carmen Andres as editor. I really didn't see any change with her being in Alabama. With all our advanced technology it shouldn't matter where she is as long as she can keep in touch with Associate Editor Connie Faber and the board.
I read my copies of the Leader and then share them with my brother who is a Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) minister. I think the artides are interesting and thought provoking and could give him ideas fur sermons or classes.
Don't stop publishing the Christian Leader. The staff has done an excellent job. Thank you.
Rosalie A Smith Com, Ok/Q.
MBMSI SHORT-TERM MINISTRIES UNDERGO CHANGES
Friesen takes on new role at mission agency
EVENING OF PRAYER SEPT. 10
da and the United States.
"When YMI merged with MBMS International two years ago, we knew there was potential for new energy and ideas," says Harold Ens, MBMSI general director. "[Randy's] substantial expertise in mentoring and discipleship can now be used to guide all of our short-tenn programs, fur a wide range of ages, and help churches strengthen their mission and discipleship efforts."
Over the past several years, YMI and the other MBMSI short-tenn programs have seen increased involvement by
rent role as YMI Director.
In]une, the current YMI head office in Waterloo, ant., became the short-tenn ministries office, with Friesen remaining there. YMI's main office, as well as its ACTION and TREK programs, for young adults over age 18, will be headquartered in MBMSI's office in Abbotsford, B.C., with Stanley moving to Abbotsford from Waterloo in]une. YMI's SOAR program, for teens aged 15 plus, will be headquartered in Fresno, Calif., where SOAR director Philip Serez has been located for the past fuur years. -MBMSI
Second 100-year flood brings MDS volunteers
MENNONITE Disaster Service volunteers are responding to the second flood in less than a year to rise above the 100-year flood plain in McDowell County, W. Va., an area characterized by steep hillsides, nacrowvalleys and widespread
MENNONITE BRETHREN congregations are invited by loyal Funk. U.S. Conference executive minister, to join with other American Christians for an evening of prayer Sept. 10,2002. Materials for the national event, called 911 Remem.brance, will be made available to congregations.
"In our deep desire for peaceful solutions to evil, war, terror and tension we Anabaptist evangelicals need to participate," writes Funk in an e-mail. "Most evangelical denominations will be partners in this call upon God to heal our land and the lands of the world."
Additional information on the event is available from www.911Remembrance.com. -USC
The May 2, 2002 flood damaged or destroyed hundreds of homes, including 10 of the 28 homes that MDS volunteers repaired since the first flood struck in]uly of 2001. MDSis in discussion with
local and state authorities exploring the possibility of a buyout program that will enable flood-affected families to relocate to higher ground. Instead of digging out and rebuilding on the valley floor, these various agencies hope to secure an elevated section of land where new construction can begin. -MDS poverty.
MB HAND.BOOK: Kindred Productions, the North American MB publishing ministry, has recently released Family Matters: Discovering the Mennonite Brethren. This book, written by Lynn Jost and Connie Faber, both of Hillsboro, Kan., is intended for use in baptism and membership classes, assimilation groups and for personal reading. It includes 13 chapters covering the history of the MB church, its beliefs as expressed in the Confession of Faith and offers a snapshotlook at MBs today in canada. the U.S. and around the world as well as inter-Menno-nite groups with which MBs are associated. -eL
!MO INEWS honors MB
.:-.... Luther Verhaar, a member of North Fresno MB Church, was honored with Menno-nite Mutual Aid's President's Stewardship Award, the top award given annually to MMA field representatives and staff. The President's award distinguishes an MMA field representative who most exemplifies holistic stewardship, not only in his or her vocation, but also in daily life. "As someone who works very dosely with Lue, I have seldom found someone who is as dedicated as Luther to being a good steward of his time and serving other people, both dients and other MMA counselors," said Stanley SChrock. western regional vice president. Verhaar was recently approved for membership in the prestigious Million Dollar Round Table, which financial service professionals must qualify for annually. MORT members are comprised of the top sales professionals In the life insuranee-based finandal services business. MMA counselors help church members meet their goals for financial savings and security in ways that complement their faith and values. -MMA
EMPLOYEES HELP CHILDREN GET TO NEW SCHOOL
USERY helps church, camp
IGLESIA HERMANOS
Menonita West Park, a Mennonite Brethren con· gregation in Fresno, Calif., recently participated in the USERY program that partners congregations with construction needs with volunteer laborers.
Thieves had broken in to the West Park facility three times, each time stealing audio equipment. In early May, volunteers constructed a sixfoot chain link rence around the perimeter of the church.
A second USERV team worked with members of the congregation to install a new roof on the church building. The vol· unteers removed all the old roofing material and installed new 3D-year composition shingles on the church and Sunday school wing and did some other repairs to the roof.
USERY coordinator Ted Thiesen reports that Pastor Cristobal Aleman and six members worked on the rence project. They were joined by Charlie Ewert from Kingsllcannedll
I- Mennonite central Committee supporters canned 426,276 cans of meat from October 2001 through April 2002, making this canning season the most productive ever. This was a three percent increase over last season, due in part to a 47 percent increase in the amount of turkey canned-from 99,945 to 147,135 cans. MCC had encouraged participants to can more turkey, both because the "mad cow disease" scare made shipping beef to Europe difficult and because turkey is relatively cheaper than beef or pork. This was the 57th MCC meat canning season. So far in 2002, MCC has shipped canned meat to hungry people in Bosnia, Serbia, Haiti, North Korea and Russia, with additional shipments planned for Angola and Rus-
sla. Meat is also distributed in the United States. -MCC
Pastor Aleman, Rubi Gonsales, Wilmer Aleman, Joaquin Rodriges, Eluterio Mejicaro, Danilo Rodas and Mario
Calderon helped with the roofing. USERY volunteers included Richard Schellenberg and Lee Willems from Reedley MB Church, Don Loewen, Bob Fiser and Ted Thiesen from Rosedale Bible Church and Dale Warkentin from Fig Garden Bible Church of Fresno, Calif.
On both occasions, women of the church, includingJoaquina Gonsales, Maria Gonsales and Esmeralda Arriola, prepared delicious lunches for the workers.
Thiesen reports that a "wonderful spirit of supportive community developed" during the projects.
Hartland Christian Camp, a ministry supported by the Pacific District Conference, benefited from the work of a USERY volunteer when John Smith of Dinuba (Calif.) MB Church changed the bed on one of the camp trucks to allow the truck to hydraulically dump a load. -USERV
India hosts youth seminar
MENNONrrE
Brethren Centenary Bible College In Shamshabad. India. hosted a seminar on youth ministry March 11-12. The event, organized In partnership
MBMSI PARTNERS WITH MB BIBLE COLLEGE IN INDIA research assignment in India; Elmer Martens. MBBS professor on a two-month teaching assignment; and P.B. Arnold, president of the India MB Conference. -MBMSI
with MBMS International, was attended by 167 youth leaders from across the Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka regions. The seminar was envisioned and organized by a
committee of faculty. The main speakers were Mark Klassen, YMI team leader; Darren Duerksen, MB Biblical Seminary student on a 10-month teaching and burg (Calif.) MB Church, Lee Willems from Reedley (Calif.) MB Church and Don Loewen and John Rathjen from Rosedale Bible Church of Bakersfield, Calif.
NEWS FROM OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS ACROSS THE UNITED STATES
Baptism/membership
UttIeton, Colo. (Belleview Communityr-Karen Duonolo was baptized and welcomed into membership April 28.
Wichita, Kan. (First) -April 28 TIm and Jana Kubik, Shanna Kennedy and'L1oyd Smith were welcomed into membership by testimony.
Bakersfield. calif. (Laurelglen)Jake Stuebbe and Terry Maybee were baptized and welcomed into membership May 5. John Amaya, Dean Baker, Curtis and Carol Bergman, Carrie Maybee, Jan Perkins, Linda Reagan, Ruth Rogers, Diana Williams and Ron and Carol Wilson were also welcomed as members.
Bakersfield. calif. (Rosedale Bible)-Stephanie Young and Brandon Reed were baptized and welcomed into membership April 28. Elizabeth Funk, James Funk, Paul Kaminski, Emily Loewen, Jacob Loewen, Ellen Mayer, Lorren Penner, Noelle Penner, Michael Peters, Katie Schiewe and Matthew Thiessen were baptized and welcomed into membership during the month of May. Joan Huckaby, Ron Huckaby, Jennifer Kaminski, Joey Kaminski, Marilyn Kaminski, Jason Klopfenstein, Joy Klopfenstein, Francis Krause, Michelle Mudryk, Cindy Neufeld, Darlene Smith, Roger Smith, and Vernon Weaver are new members welcomed by transfer.
Fresno, Calif. (College Community)-Glenn DeVoogd, Brett Vanderburg and Lynn Welton were baptized and received into membership May 19. Karen DeVoogd was also welcomed into membership. Ed and Elda Plank were welcomed as new members April 28 and Larry and Susan Dunn were welcomed as new members May 5.
Facilities
Denver, Colo. (Ethiopian Evangelical)-June 16 the congregation dedicated its new building with auditorium seating for 500.
Bakersfield. calif. (Laurelglen)The congregation has committed itselfto nine months of prayer to determine how best to utilize its newly purchased property. Options include a dual campus, a church
plant, a reverse church plant and selling and relocating. Church leaders anticipate coming to a decision by the congregation's 25th anniversary celebration Jan. 25, 2003.
New Hope, Minn.-The church shares their facility on Tuesday evenings with the Christian dance group Zion's BridelZion's Pride. The group rehearses and spends time in prayer and worship.
Lawton. Olda. (Faith Bible)-The congregation invited other area MB churches to help with some maintenance projects such as cleaning windows, planting flowers and shrubs, and other building repairs April 27. The day began with a pancake breakfast.
Fellowship
Bellingham, Wash. (Community Bible Fellowship)-Funds raised at a recent pie social to benefit women's activities and retreats were doubled thanks to a matching grant by the local Wal-Mart.
Shafter, calif.-Becky Stine, program director for women's and children's ministries at Hume Lake Christian Camp, spoke at the women's spring tea May 6 on how children can impact the future.
Shafter, calif.-The church sponsored a backpacking trip June 28-30.
Ministry
littleton. Colo. (Belleview Com-
munity)-Six women who attended a women's event Jan. 26 called "Simply Elegant Evening" made a first-time commitment to Christ. Of the 96 women who attended, 75 were first-time visitors.
Bakersfield. calif. (Laurelglen)The Church will be sending mission teams to four locations this summer. An adult team led by Yale and Donna Kushner will be heading to Botswana to help missionary kids from all over the world in their ministry through drama, showing the JESUS film, and street witnessing. Doug and Holly Culhane will be leading a high school team to Kenya where they will work at International Christian Ministries Seminary, do community outreach and help with
CHURCH ALSO CELEBRATING THREE DECADES OF MINISTRY
North Fresno celebrates new worship center
NORTH FRESNO MB CHURCH hosted a neighborhood party June 2 to celebrate the grand opening of their new worship center and three decades of ministry in the neighborhood.
"We are not only celebrating the opening of our new worship center," says Larry Martens, senior pastor, "we're celebrating the fact that we've been at the corner of Bullard and Fresno for over 30 years. We're committed to service in this area of Fresno. We've talked about moving the church further north, but our commitment to this area of Fresno is too strong. We've developed some wonderful ties in the neighborhood; we're not going anywhere."
One such tie is a reading program facilitated by church volunteers at neighboring apartments, Whispering Woods. The program is a collaboration between CARE Fresno and local churches. Apartment complexes that had a high level of police calls and school truancy issues were targeted across the city. Since the program's inception, the rate of calls from Whispering Woods to law enforcement has dropped significantly.
The community was invited to join the local church in celebrating the completion of the worship center that church
leaders hope can become a base for other outreach events such as concerts and family events.
The celebration included a community carnival held between the 8:15 a.m. traditional worship service and the contemporary service at 10:45 a.m. The carnival included food, games and a bouncehouse for children.
The new worship center has a sanctuary with seating for 500 and offices for the pastoral staff. The $1.2 million project was constructed on the site of the former sanctuary that was torn down in September 2001. During the construction of the new sanctuary, the congregation held services in their multipurpose gymnasium.
North Fresno was born in 1969 when a small group of Christians decided to form a new MB church in Fresno. The first public service was held Sept. 28, 1969. The group rented the chapel at the San Joaquin Gardens retirement center, less than a half-mile from the current facility. Less than a year after its first public service the congregation purchased the current church property.
"We're looking forward to what God has planned for us in the future," says Martens. "It's an exciting time to be in Fresno." -NFMBC
a youth rally. Galen and Uta Norsworthy will be leading a college group to Brazil where they will take part in a building project and camp ministry near Sao Paulo. Christian Shannon and Rick Erickson will be leading a group of adults and young people to minister to Romanian orphans and their caregivers.
0Ikag0, II. (Lakevlew)-The small congregation experienced a 25 percent increase in attendance Resurrection Sunday. "Before you get too envious, " writes Pastor Fergus Furlong in the Central District Conference newsletter, "when you are a small fellowship, four visitors can bring a big increase."
s.n Jose, calif. (Uncoln Glen ChurdI) -An e-mail prayer line has been initiated by a volunteer. The congregation is invited to share their prayer requests and praises and to pray for each other using the Internet as well as the regular telephone prayer line.
Dinuba, CaIIf.-The Women's Missionary Service dosed its doors after 50 years. The group met biweekly to make quilts and comforters, design stationery, roll bandages and embroider tea towels to make money for missions.
TeachingINurture
Delft" Minn. (Canon)-The church will be holding summer services at 10 a.m. with no Sunday school. A special feature or music time will be held for the children each Sunday during services.
OldIe, Kan. (Community 1IbIe)The church will be holding special summer Sunday school for children grades one through six using vacation Bible school curriculum. The lessons will include Bible lessons from Hebrews 11, games, crafts and snacks.
WIchita, Kans. (First)-The church will hold MAD (Music, Art, Drama) Camp every morning July 15-19 for third through sixth graders. The campers will prepare the musical "Promise U" during the week and perform it July 21 at both Sunday worship services.
FIirview, Okla. - Women's summer Wednesday Bible studies began June 1 with a choice between a morning and evening time slot as well as two study options. One study by Beth Moore is on the life of David and the other by Dee Brestin and Kathy Trocolli focused on Jesus.
EnId. Okla.-Summer Bible lessons for children are taking place this month in two age groups. Children age three through third grade studied the life of David July 8-12 using Vacation Bible school materials. MBM51 missionaries Ken and Marilyn Fast were the resource pe0ple for Mission Quest July 22-23 during which children grades four
through six learned about life in Brazil and did service projects.
Newton, lean. (Koerner Heights)This month through August an alternative to traditional adult Sunday school classes is being offered. A variety of individuals will share their experiences with family conflict, personal tragedy, addictions and other stories of overcoming a situation.
WIchita, Kan. (oaldawn chlWCh p1ant)-Eighteen Oaklawn community youth recently attended a retreat at which one young person made a first-time commitment to Christ.
Yale, S.D. (llelhel)-Pastor Darren Rempel of Bethesda Church of Huron, S.D. presented a seminar on worship April 21.
Femdale, Wash. (Good News FeIIowship)-pastor Skip Suess is leading a six week leadership workshop which began May 12.
.wortcers
Madera. calif. (Madera Ave. BIbIe)-Jim Vandermark began serving as interim pastor May 5.
Harvey, N.D.-Curtis Lautt began as summer youth intern May 20.
HiIsboro, Kan.-Nadine Friesen's 25 years of service were honored with a "sundae celebration" May 5. Her ministry for the congregation was completed in June. She has not announced her future plans.
Inman. lean. (Zoar)-The congregation held installation services May 26 for Dwight Carter who is the new associate pastor with responsibilities in youth ministry. He and his wife Jennifer, who is expecting their first child in August, were welcomed with a noon meal.
Ark. (Martin Box)Earnest Weber will be completing one year of ministry in June. He has accepted a position at a Brethren in Christ church in Pennsylvania.
Broken AmM, Okla. (Community 0Iurch of the lleart)-Paul Bartel and Kyla Gaeddert will be working as interns this summer.
Newton, lean. (Koerner Helghts)Casey and Rachel Rohrer will be serving the congregation for 10 weeks during the summer as participants in the Hesston (Kan.) College Pastoral Ministry Program. Casey's responsibilities will include teaching vacation Bible school, directing announcements, leading prayer and visiting homes.
UttIeton, Colo. (Belleview Community)-Jeff Werth resigned as pastor of outreach and discipleship as of June 1. He has accepted the call to serve an Evangelical Free Church in Leesburg, Fla. Jeff Nikkel has accepted the call to serve as part time youth pastor while attending Denver Seminary. Daniel Moore will take over duties in outreach/disciple-
ship and worship.
Deaths
BROER5-PHIUP, NANCY MARIE W1U1AMSON, Abbotsford, B.C., of Clearbrook MB Church, Abbotsford, was born Feb. 18, 1920, to Charles and Lela Reneau Williamson at Ottawa, Kan., and died Sept. 18, 2001, atthe age of 81. On Nov. 13, 1954, she was married to Wiley Glenn Broers, who predeceased her. She was married to Marshall Philip, who predeceased her. She is survived by one son, Bill Broers and wife Elizabeth; one daughter, Bev and husband John Kirk; two sisters, Ruth and husband Carl Ratzlaff, and LenaBelle Moore; one sister-in-law, Lorena Williamson; 9 grandchildren.
BREESE, DAVID W1WAM, Hillsboro, Kan., of Parkview MB Church, Hillsboro, was born Oct. 14, 1926, to David and Ruth Breese at Chicago, III., and died May 3, 2002, at the age of 75. He was married to Carol Flaming, who survives. He is also survived by two daughters, Lynn and husband David Seligh and Noelle and husband John Klaassen, six grand· children, one great-grandson and extended family member Lomai Saelee.
HEINRICH, IlLOA DICK, Chowchilla, Calif., a member of the Madera MB Church, Madera, Calif., was born Sept. 28, 1905, to George and Anna Dick at Langham, Sask., and died March 2002, at the age of 96. On Sept. 1, 1929, she was married to Otto L Heinrich, who predeceased her in 1976. She is survived by two sons, Lloyd and wife Freda of Yarrow, B.C., and Robert and wife Marilyn of Sacramento, Calif; one daughter, Delores and husband Richard Wiens of Woodburn, Ore.; 10 grandchildren, 20 great grandchildren and three great great grandchildren.
JOST, MARIE ENSl, Hillsboro, Kan., a member of Hillsboro MB Church, was born Aug. 27, 1912, to G.D. and Lena Klaassen Ensz at Inman, Kan., and died May 10, 2002, atthe age of 89. On March 7,1937, she was married to Irvin Jost, who predeceased her. She is survived by two daughters, Shirley and husband Jim Ratzloff of Peabody, Kan., and Sharon and husband Hank Schroeder of Broken Arrow, Okla.; one son, Gerald and wife Joyce of Hillsboro; two brothers, Arnold Ensz and wife Alma of Whitewater, Kan., and Elmer Ensz and wife Kate of Inman, Kan.; two sisters, Ruth Jost of Newton, Kan., and Irene and husband Jerry Sullivan of Oak Ridge, Tenn.; one sister-in-law Luella Ensz of Inman, Kan., and two grandchildren.
KlEINSASSER, JOE, Yale, S.D., a member of Bethel MB Church, Yale, was born Nov. 30,1903, to John A. and Katharina Glanzer Kleinsasser in Beadle County, S.D., and died July
24, 2001, at the age of 98. On July 17,1927, he was married to Susie M. Hofer, who predeceased him in 1981. On March 31,1985, he was married to Lily Odland Norlin, who survives. He is also survived by one daughter, Glenda and husband Alan Hall; one son-in-law, Gene Gilbert; three brothers, Willis of Reno, Nev., Walter of Hillsboro, Kan., and Harold of Dinuba, Calif.; two sisters, Edna Espenson of Windom, Minn., and Elizabeth Waynflete of San Jose, Calif.; two grandchildren, six great grandchildren and three great great grandchildren.
IWEWER, MARGARET LOEWEN, Reedley, Calif., a member of Reedley MB Church, was born Sept. 14, 1911, to Peter Gerhardt and Katherine Harder Loewen in South Russia, and died May 8, 2002, at the age of 90. On Aug. 22, 1937, she was married to Jacob Kliewer, who predeceased her in 2001. She is survived by one daughter, Margie and husband Don Krikorian of Reedley, Calif.; two sisters, Bertha Hagen of Cincinnati, Ohio, and Hilda and husband Rudy Meget of Cordell, Okla.; one brother, Rudolph Loewen and wife Clara of Dodge City, Kan., and one sisterin-law, Selma Loewen of Garden City, Kan.
PETERS, ALBERT B., Fresno, Calif., a member of Bethany MB Church, Fresno, was born Feb. 19, 1915, to Dietrich D. and Elizabeth Wiebe Peters at Dallas, Ore., and died May 1, 2002, at the age of 87. On Aug. 3, 1937, he was married to Esther Neufeld, who predeceased him in 1991. He is survived by one son, Richard and wife Linda of Clovis, Calif.; two daughters, Diane and husband Vernon Willems of Fresno, and Sue and husband Roy Kliewer of Clovis; one brother, Frank of Fresno; nine grandchildren and eight great grandchildren.
SOIMIDT, MARTHA GIESBRECHT, Buhler, Kan., a member of Buhler MB Church, was born Sept. 18, 1906, to Wilhelm and Maria Goertz Giesbrecht at Buhler, Kan., and died May 6, 2002, at the age of 95. On Oct. 22, 1933, she was married to Edward J. Schmidt. who predeceased her in 1968. She is survived by one son, Dennis Schmidt of Buhler, two grandchildren and one great grandchild.
WlOiERT, FRANK, Fairview, Okla., a member of Fairview MB Church, was born Oct. 6, 1903, to Fredrick and Helena Arndt Wichert at Fairview, Okla., and died May 20, 2002, at the age of 98. On April 17, 1932, he was married to Anna Karber, who predeceased him in 1981. On April 10, 1982, he was married to Matilda Ratzlaff Nightengale, who survives. He is also survived by four daughters, Lillian and husband Eugene Janzen of Fairview, Luella and husband Neil DeFehr, Eunice and husband Walter Isaak and
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 46 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-(ost ad. Contact the editor for more information.
EMPLOYMENT-<:HURCH
Associate Pastor
Hesston MB Church (Kansas) is seeking a person to provide vision, leadership and training for youth ministry. Primary responsibility and time commitment is with senior high youth. Oversight of junior high ministries is also included. Hesston is located 30 miles north of Wichita. Send resume to: Hesston MB Church, 610 W. Randall, Hesston, KS 67062; or e-mail Steve Toews at pastor@hesstonmb.org. See complete job description at our web site at www.hesstonmb.org
Minister of Music and Worship
Dinuba Mennonite Brethren Church invites applications for the full-time position of Minister of Music and Worship. We are a large church in a small town, with a long history of musical excellence and participation. This pastor will work closely with other pastoral staff and the Board of Worship to promote, encourage, develop and coordinate various music ministries. Qualifications include:
• Formal music education
• Experience in church music ministry leadership
• Ability to playa musical instrument (piano desirable)
• Ability to work well with people
• Organizational skills
Please send resumes and inquiries to: Search Committee, Dinuba Mennonite Brethren Church, 110 Nichols, Dinuba, CA 93618; phone (559) 591-1176; fax (559) 591-8483; e-mail dmbc@mobynet.com.
Senior Pastor
Valleyview Bible Church (MB) in Kamloops, B.C. invites applications by resume for the position of senior pastor. The applicant should feel comfortable in the following:
• Preaching and teaching the Word of God
• Administration
• Working together with a Pastoral Care Team
• Visitation
Please forward resume to: aipenner20@hotmaii. com. Website: mypage.uniserve.coml-wbible.
EMPLOYMENT-EDUCATION
Vice-president for advancement
Reports directly to the President. Provides leadership of all advancement programs and personnel of the College. Plans and annually meets goals of the fund-raising programs of the Col-
Frances and husband Ron Penner, all of Fresno, Calif.; one son, Leonard and wife Janice of Fairview, 16 grandchildren and 20 great grandchildren.
WOLLMAN, KATHERINE KLEINSASSER, Huron, S.D., a member of Bethesda MB Church, Huron, was
lege, including Annual Fund, Capital Campaigns, Corporate and Foundation Grants, and Major Donors; monitors and coordinates programs for Alumni, Church Relations, Publications and Information Services. Bachelor's Degree required, Master's preferred. Management or administrative experience preferred, ability to work with a church constituency and
committed to developing the Advancement Department as an integral part of organizational health. Must enjoy working with people and be willing to travel. Send nominations or letter of application, resume, and request for application materials to Larry W. Nikkel, president, Tabor College, Hillsboro, KS 67063, Tabor College Web site: www.tabor.edu .•
2002
Itinerary and Invitation
CPE, under the sponsorship of MBMS International, invites born-again Christians to serve as volunteers for its evangelism outreach to:
NOTE: Dates may be subject to some changes, pending further confirmation of some campaigns.
• Team up with national Christians and witness for Christ door-to-door.
• Some knowledge of the language of the country is helpful.
• Between 800 and 2800 persons have prayed to accept Christ as their personal Saviour and Lord during a two-week CPE campaign. Come and be part of an enriching spiritual experience-discover what God can do through you.
For further information, contact:
Church Partnership Evangelism office: telephone/fax: 604-864-3941
Peter Loewen (residence) fax: 604-853-6482
Church Partnership Evangelism is a "church-to-church" effort that involves all bornagain Christians in personal evangelism worldwide. Your application to participatewill be forwarded to the CPE Executive Committee for processing.
born March 15, 1905, to John A. and Katharina Glanzer Kleinsasser near Carpenter, S.D., and died May 15, 2002, at the age of 97. On June 16, 1929, she was married to Edwin Wollman, who predeceased her in 1981. She is survived by three sons, Roger and wife Diane of Sioux Falls,
S.D., Harvey and wife Anne of Frankfort, S.D., and Dwight and wife Shari of Sioux Falls; two daughters, Luella and husband Robert Warkentin of Visalia, Calif., and Imogene and husband Alan Peters of Fresno, Calif.; three brothers, Harold Kleinsasser of Dinuba, Calif., Walter
Kleinsasser, of Hillsboro, Kan., and Willis Kleinsasser of Reno, Nev.; two sisters, Elizabeth Waynflete of San Jose, Calif., and Edna Espenson of Windom, Minn.; 12 grandchildren, two step grandchildren, 22 great grandchildren and five step great grandchildren.•
PETER LOEWEN
HAROLD EllS
Doing what we do
THE STATE OF THE u.s. Conference ofMB Churches will be the main topic of conversation for delegates at this month's national convention. MBs are planting new churches, nurturing existing ones and welcoming others into the national family. MBs are embracing new ministries and expanding existing ones. We are definitely growing. But there's a problem: money is not matching that growth. (See the June 2002 Christian Leader.)
Leaders are meeting the crisis head-on. They are exploring structural, organizational and financial options as well as examining deeper issues such as the needs and wishes of local churches in regard to conference ministries. It is a time of great opportunity, but also a time of risk.
Times like these often lead us toward self-examination. We ask ourselves who we are, what we are called to be and how well we do what we do. It is a healthy response. Indeed, Scripture calls us to constandy examine ourselves.
And the Christian Leader is no exception.
So, what does the Leader do-and how well does it do what it does? The answer begins with our spiritual heritage.
• Getting heaven into people. Our spiritual heritageevangelical Anabaptism-is a call to a radical life in Jesus. It started about 500 years ago in a movement to recapture the faith and life of the New Testament church. Our spiritual fathers and mothers held the Bible as the central authority and sought to imbed the call of Scripture and its teachings into their daily lives as disciples of Jesus. The result was so counterculture that many of them were killed. About 140 years ago, Mennonite Brethren were one of several denominational groups who renewed that call.
Just what is the call we hear from Scripture? We must not only accept Jesus, but also live and breathe as his disciples. To reestablish the New Testament church, we must set aside racial, ethnic, class and gender distinctions. Our church body is inseparable from our faith, so we must weave our lives together with other believers. We function in the world around us but we are radically separated from its values. As a result, we often run counter-culture, an alternative community and life to the one the world offers. In particular, we take Jesus' calling to be peacemakers seriously-making peace and fostering reconciliation are integral to Jesus' message and life. And we must passionately share the new life Jesus makes within us with others, serving as well as teaching them to be his disciples.
Of course, we don't have the corner on this call to a radical life inJesus. Today, many Christian leaders call for the same counter-culture renewal. In his latest book, Reformation of the Heart, Dallas Willard says evangelicals need to stop focusing on getting people into heaven and instead focus on getting heaven into people. Our heritage gives us a head start in that. It is not a fence keeping us in, but a deep well from which to draw.
• Keeping the well from going dry. So, how can we foster such a counter-cultural, disciple-making community when we are made up of individual churches from Florida to Washington? And when we face a crisis like we are today, how can we work our way through it as the community our spiritual fathers and mothers carved into this earth?
We can't do it without something like the Leader.
In the New Testament church, the gospels and letters circulated among the growing and scattered gatherings of believers. These written pieces reminded them of God's personal involvement in human history. They helped unify belief and practice, foster mutual accountability and invited the counsel of the wider church. The letters and gospels admonished believers to work together in the spirit of love, mutual submission and interdependence. These written pieces reminded believers of who they were and what they were called to be.
A church publication like the Leader serves a similar function. It binds together a geographically far-flung community. It provides channels through which accurate information can be shared. It provides opportunities for discernment and analysis of complex issues facing the life of the church. It provides opportunities for dialogue, exhortation and exchange of diverse views. It provides the community with a clearer vision of what it might become and is a vehicle for mutual accountability.
One way to think of the Leader is like a community newspaper. At their best, both are major forces in enhancing, shaping and informing the communities they serve. Both report community news and events, giving members a chance to rejoice or grieve together. Both provide a forum where members can voice their views, concerns and insights, discuss issues and challenges they face as a community or individually, as well as organize and mobilize themselves. These roles are particularly important in a geographically far-flung denominational community, whose members-unlike those of the community newspaper-are unlikely to run into each other at the corner grocery store.
A publication like the Leader reminds the community of who they are and whom they are called to be, with the goal that everyone in the community might better follow Jesus.
That doesn't happen in a publicity piece or newsletter. There must be room to address issues of faith and life and space for the rich diversity of voices and news from each corner of our community. We need to know what is going on. We need to process the issues we face as Christians in general and Anabaptists in particular. We need a place to express our delight, anger, frustration and thanksgiving.
The bottom line? That won't happen at $90,000 a year, 40 percent less than we received last year. We are drawing from an endowment fund to cover this year, but that's not a longterm solution.
This magazine may have only 10 more issues left. Every option we've looked at so far hinders the role of the Leader. lf issues are cut, much of the news is lost or outdated. If space is cut, where will the average MB examine issues of faith and life particular to our heritage? And where will our voices be heard?
We are taking steps to best to utilize what we have. But you must take steps too. Give us your ideas. Give us your insight . After all, this is your "community newspaper." But the Leader's mission isn't just to publish a magazine. It's to foster, inform and bind together a community who is bent on getting heaven into people. If you think we do that well, then help us continue to do this kingdom-building work. -CA
