June/July 2010

by Jennifer Lynn Woodruff Tait

It wasn't all that long ago that evangelical Christians were dismissed and scorned by political and cultural leaders. Today evangelicals are among the movers and shakers in Americas religious and political environments. While mainline denominational attendance declines, attendance in more conservative and nondenominational congregations is growing. Who are evangelicals and what will we make of our moment in history? 14

COMING EVANGELICAL FUTURE

by Leith Anderson

Will evangelicalism collapse in the next decade? NAE President Leith Anderson doesn't think so, but he does predict the face of evangelical Christians will change.

15 SURVEY SAYS

Every month the National Association of Evangelicals polls evangelicalleaders about a topic. Check out these leaders' opinions on American's greatest moral issues and the future growth of Christianity.

16

INCONSISTENT EVANGELICALS

by Richard Kyle

Mennonite Brethren are not generic evangelicals. As Anabaptist evangelicals we have a specific place among this diverse group of born again followers of Jesus Christ. What do Anabaptist evangelicals have to contribute to this successful, yet complex, religious community? How can Mennonite Brethren help to address the inconsistencies that exist in this paradoxical movement?

> FiRST WORDS

[from the editor]

THIS ISSUE MARKS ONE YEAR OF PUBLISHING OUR denominational magazine every other month rather than monthly. For the most part, the shift to a new publishing schedule has gone smoothly. The greatest challenge we have encountered is providing timely news reports and updates of local, regional and national Mennonite Brethren happenings. Posting articles online at www.usmb.org/christian-Ieader is proving helpful as it lets us share news in a timely way So I invite readers to visit our Web site between issues. It's one way for you to keep current on what's happening in our family of churches and with our ministries and agencies

The challenge of timely reporting is particularly problematic as we look ahead to coverage of Celebration 2010, the North American celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Mennonite Brethren Church scheduled for July 12-18 in Vancouver, Be. In keeping with the binational flavor of Celebration 2010, staff members of both Canadian and U.S. Mennonite Brethren publications will be contributing reports, photos and reflections about this event. We also plan to ask participants from both countries to share their experiences and thoughts.

We're excited at the prospect of telling you all about this historic event, especially because we can report extensively and more quickly online than we can in print. So make sure to visit CL Online in early August for a full Celebration 2010 report

Providing well-timed printed coverage of this historic celebration, however, is more challenging. But I think we've found a good and creative solution In a nutshell, the problem is that if we follow our regular publishing schedule, you will be reading about the North American 150th anniversary events in October, three months after Celebration 2010. Even though we . are planning extensive online coverage of this historic event, the U S Conference Leadership Board, at its April meeting, asked us to find a timely way to share these reports in print.

After mulling over several options, we've decided to delay printing the AUg/Sept issue by one month so that we can include in that issue our print coverage of Celebration 2010. This means you will receive the Aug/Sept issue in September rather than August The OctlNov issue, by the way, will be published on schedule, meaning it will atrive in your mailbox in October as usual. Celebrating milestones is important and it's appropriate to mark this special occasion by altering our publishing schedule. We think it will be worth the wait.

> UP & COMING

• July 12-17, 2010-Celebration 2010 and U S Mennonite Brethren Conection 2010, Vancouver, BC

• Ap ril 16-19, 2011 - National MB Youth Convention, San Antonio, Texas

Connie Faber EDITOR

Myra Holmes ASSISTANT EDITOR

SheIIey Plett GRAPHIC DESIGNER

The Chris /ian Leader nSSN 0009- 51491 is published bi- mont hl y by the U S Co nference of Me nnoni t e Bre t hren Churches

MANDATE The Christia n Leader see k s to i nform Mennonite Bret hren me mbers and chu r ches of th e event s. activi t ies. decisions and issues of t heir denominati on , an d to in struct inspire and initiate dialo gue so me m bers will as pire to be fa ith ful discipl es of Christ as un derst ood in t he eva ngelicaV Ana baptist theo l ogical tra di tion

EDITORIAL POLICY The views expresse d in this publ ication do not necessarily represent the posi ti on of th e Christian Leader t he U S Conference Leadership Board or the Mennonite Bret hren Church Scripture references are from New Internati(lnal Version unless otherwise noted The editors invite free l ance article submissions A SASE must accompany articles.

READER PARTICIPATION The editors invite readers to share their t houghts and opinions on topics relevant to the Mennonite Brethren Church using letters to the editor and Forum essays Letters to the editor should be brief- 300 words or less- and on one subject. Letters must be signed and include the writers city and state Letters will be edited for clarity. appropriat eness and length Letters will be published. as space allows unless marked - Not for publication: Forum is open to members or attendees of Mennonite Brethren churches Essays shOuld not exceed 800 words and should include the writer's name. address home church and occupation

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Family values

Attend our family celebration this summer

The mission statement we have adopted as a national conference of churches begins with the words, 'We partner as one family " The USMB Leadership Board states its assignment as 'leading, linking and serving" in our five districts and among our various ministries and institutions. That's one reason why we recently completed a full week of back to back to back meetings in Arizona.

True, there are other reasons why it happened in Arizona. The weather was great. Some of us were able to fit in a professional sports event on an off evening. And it was fiscally responsible.

Phoenix means most of us can get there nonstop (read cheaper). Good deals on convention centers these days didn't hurt either. It is efficient and cost effective to schedule the

ciliation and peace. Our meeting marathon in Arizona is evidence of this.

Family celebration

But the story is bigger than just us. Celebration 2010, the event commemorating the 150th anniversary of the birth of our particular part of God's kingdom family, will remind us of this. We will gather with brothers and sisters from around the world representing many of our 18 global Mennonite Brethren conferences.

This binational and global event will provide a forum for a growing partnership with the entire International Community of Mennonite Brethren. We will hear from preachers who are the progeny of those who first responded to

o Bec] Li se we nre largely decentralized and geographically disparat e. it is extra . import ant for us 10 significantly connect in some recurring ways.

National Pastors' Orientation right before a Board of Faith and Life (BFL) meeting and the annual National Leadership Summit right on the heels of BFL and USMB Leadership Board meetings immediately following the Summit. After all, frugality is one of our values.

It is clear to me that investing a week in this way helped us make progress in the "partnering as one family" part of our mission statement. Because we are largely decentralized and geographically disparate, it is extra important for us to significantly connect in some recurring ways.

As a result of being scattered across the nation, there is also a strong likelihood that we begin to think somewhat provincially or even territorially. Rubbing shoulders and sharing needs, dreams, concerns and fears and looking into each other's eyes mitigates these normal tendencies and reminds us of our commitment to be genuine and effective partners in the mission to which we are committed: the transformation of individuals, families and communities. A lot of that good stuff happened in Phoenix.

It is really good to experience that spiritual family bloodlines run thicker than water. Sometimes process ot decisions or individual thinking take us into high seas. It's the nature of family. Thank God that kingdom and mission can win the day. We are committed to and indwelt by the Spirit of recon-

the call of Jesus to be his followers back in the days of the first MB missionaries ever to go to faraway places like Africa and India. We will have the opportunity to revel in and praise God for the hand of blessing he has held over the kingdom faithfulness of our family for these 150 years.

Inside this week of birthday partying, we will gather for Conection 2010, our biennial national convention. Gracepoint Community Church of Surrey will host our event; the church is a 20 to 30 minute drive from the hotel and global celebration auditorium.

We will begin our national gathering Thursday, July 15, with dinner and an evening celebrating the life transformations that God is performing among us. Friday we will do the USMB family reporting and business.

It is not too late for you to join the party. This kind of opportunity only comes along once in a lifetime. OK, not even So, get online (Celebration2010.org) to register today. I'm pretty sure you won't regret it.

-'el Post your comment on this column at usrnb.orgIchristian-leader

by Michael Kunz

All I really need to know

Relearning life lessons while running a marathon

MyapoIOgieS to Robert Fulghum, who wrote the book

All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten. For a while the book's opening essay was quoted so often it almost seemed trite. It wasn't and isn't. So having run my first marathon and achieved my goal of a Boston Marathon qualifying time, what did I learn?

Nothing.

But I was reminded of a lot of things I think I already knew.

It's all grace. The author of Ecclesiastes writes, 'The race is not to the swift or the bartle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all." I didn't make the qualifying standard by running faster. Rather, I was fortunate enough to still be running at an age whose qualifying time slowed down enough for me to catch. The knee problems at 40 weren't permanent. The herniated disk at 50 improved . The rising PSA count wasn't cancer. The innumerable close encounters with cars while running never actually made impact. I still have a job that pays for these expensive whims. The conditions on race day were ideal. To accomplish most things we desire in life, I know planning and effort are important prerequisites. Yet the bottom line is: it's still just grace.

Journey with those who know the way well. In their wisdom, the race I ran in the PF Chang Rock & Roll Marathon in Phoenix-recruit experienced "pacers" who have run many marathons. They know exactly the pace a particular finishing time requires. Rookies hoping to run that time run too fast at the beginning and die too soon. The pacer I followed ticked off the miles like clockwork-never missing a milestone by more than a couple seconds. I just had to stay behind him.

There is strength in community. I value the solitude of early morning runs, but when trying to accomplish what Eugene Peterson calls "a long obedience in the same direction" it was immensely comforting and encouraging to be one of S,ooo-plus headed down the same path. I spent the first 20 miles in the midst of a group of about 30 runners all intent on the same finishing time. The energy generated by running together made most of the race seem easy. And when doubts surfaced about the sanity of the whole endeavor, knowing I was part of an extended community of friends wishing me

success made the commitment seem worthwhile. Finally there was my wife, Ellen, whose presence in the city where I raced meant that even if I didn't accomplish a particular goal, life was still going to be fun.

«Das Leben ist schwer." Life is tough. It's what I used to tell my daughter, Katie, when, as a child, she would whine about the unfairness of it all. Community can make much of life easier, but "the wall" still hits at mile 22. That is the point where there is no longer a spare molecule of glycogen left in the muscle cells. The only way to continue is to sacrifice the substance of the body that is not so easily expended. Each new step requires a recommitment to lift a stubborn and recalcitrant body part that refuses to budge. It helps to know that the end, though not yet in sight, is at least close enough to strive for. It's also good for me to remember that mine was a temporary and self-chosen hardship. This is the life experience of many with physical, mental, emotional or financial challenges.

Life-lists are not life. A week after qualifying I went for my first post-marathon run. I had donated blood two days before, so there was no temptation to run for speed. After days of rain, it was early-Saturday-morning quiet-cold, crisp, clear with the sun just rising over the camphor trees on Fresno's Huntington Boulevard. Where the trees parted at the boulevard's end, there was one sudden and stunning view of the Sierra Nevada, at that moment vividly living out its Spanish name "snowy range " It is simple joy to move smoothly and quietly through such a world under your own power. And I remembered that this is really why I run.

Still, I am glad I ran that marathon!

Michael Kunz is AIMS Professor in Science at Fremo Pacific University, FreSno, Calif He hopes to run in the 2011 Boston Marathon.

-1J Post your comments at usmb.orglchristian-leader

Claiborne to headline Youth Convention

Event will again emphasize learning and service

Shane Claiborne will be the keynote speaker for the National Youth Convention, set for April 16-19, 2011, in San Antonio, Texas. Claiborne is a prominent Christian activist, author and speaker, featured on the DVD series, Another World Is Possible, and author of The Irresistible Revolution, Jesus for President and Becoming the Answer to Our Prayers. He is a founding partner of The Simple Way, a faith community in inner city Philadelphia that has helped to birth and connect radical faith communities around the world.

Stories in Braille will be the featured band. The San Antonio 2011 Web site says the members of this band "want to simply tell stories that everyone listening can feel in a real way, and ultimately, to create space for God to move."

The National Youth Convention (NYC) is the largest gathering of Mennonite Brethren in the United States and is held every four years, giving students one opportunity to attend in high school. The conventions have been held since the 1970s, primarily in retteat settings such as Estes Park, Colo., and Glorietta, NM.

In 2007, organizers tested a new model that emphasized learning and service in an urban context. Each conferee had opportunity to minister in the city, which organizers felt was an excellent way to pass along an important Anabaptist value. Anaheim '07 was deemed a success, and the 2011 convention will follow a similar model. Anaheim '07 co-directors Rick Bartlett, Wendell Loewen and Tim Neufeld have returned to plan the 2011 NYc.

San Antonio was selected as the site based on the availability of ministty opportunities, proximity of food and entertainment and quality and accessibility of the hotel. The convention will be held at the Grand Hyatt River Walk Hotel. Organizers are asking youth leaders to save the date and begin planning to bring their students. A newly launched Web site, www.SanAntoni0201l.org, will be regularly updated to include details as they are made available. Fund-raising ideas are available on the Web site as well as on a San Antonio 2011 Facebook page. Registration for the event opens Oct. I.-NYC

Young leaders examine core convictions

Young Mennonite Brethren leaders from across the United States and Canada gathered in March to reflect on and dialogue about what matters most to Mennonite Brethren.

Ten Canadian and nine U S participants, nominated by select representatives, attended the Young Leaders Consultation (YLC), held March 1I-I4 at the MB Biblical Seminary (MBBS) campus in Fresno, Calif. Leaders were post-college, ranging in age from mid to late 20S, and actively involved in ministty and mission through their local churches .

Key partners in YLC included the Canadian and u.S . Conferences and MBBS. MBMS International (MBMSI) and Board of Faith and Life members from both the U.S. and Canadian conferences were involved.

Organizers Cam Priebe, who works in the area of leadership development for the Canadian Conference, and Doug Heidebrecht, director of Canada's Center for MB Studies, were interested in what they would hear when young leaders engaged in conversation around

core MB convictions: understanding the Bible, the nature of the church, and mission in the world.

Sessions offered reflections by teachers, pastors and missionaries, each focusing on one core conviction. Ample time was provided for multilevel, small group conversation.

YLC was not intended to draw conclusions but rather to raise issues that Mennonite Brethren are facing and to provide an occasion for young leaders from across the denomination to engage those issues.

The hope of YLC planners is that conversation related to MB convictions will continue in churches, small groups and coffee shops. Priebe says, <This event is a beginning-not just an event but rather a kickoff to more."

To further facilitate ongoing interaction , a Web site has been created as a place where participants and others can host conversations in their own communities, using podcasts of YLC presentations to springboard discussion. Visit www.yic2oIO.com. -CCMBC. CMBS

Katie Funk Wiebe honored

With an ever-growing list of 2,000-plus published articles and books to her name, 85year-old Katie Funk Wiebe is a likely subject for a Festschrift, a volume of articles and essays honoring her written contributions. An April 24 reception and program on the Tabor College campus launched a book that does just that: The Voice of a Writer: Honoring the Life of Katie Funk Wiebe. The book includes essays on Wiebe's contribution to the life of the church, a sampling of her writing and 98 pages of bibliographic information on the prolific author.

More than 100 people attended the reception and program, including her three living children The evening included a presentation of the book to Wiebe by Peter Klassen, board chair of the Historical Commission; readings from the book by daughter Joanna Wiebe Baer, CMBS director and event organizer Peggy Goertzen, Tabor professor emeritus Don Isaac and co-editors Doug Heidebrecht, director of the Canadian CMBS, and Valerie G. Rempel, professor at MB Biblical Seminary; a series of congratulations; and remarks on behalf of the family by son James. Daughter Susan Wiebe read one ofthe volume's poems by Wiebe's late daughter Christine

In addition to a 30-year run as columnist for the Christian Leader and a career as an English professor at Tabor College, Wiebe has written several memoirs, from her first, Alone: A WuIows Journey, still in print after 34 years, to Silver Angel Award-winning Bless Me Too, My Father, and her latest, You Never Gave Me a Name: One Mennonite Womans Story. Author of numerous books about the role of women in the church, she was named one of the 20 most influential Mennonites of the 20th century

The event was sponsored by Mennonite Brethren Historical Commission, the Center for MB Studies in Hillsboro, Kan., and Tabor College -TCIMBHC press releases

MB Foundation experiences growth in 2009

MB Foundation (MBF) marked several significant milestones in 2009 as two important categories broke the $100 million mark for the first time. MBF is a U.S. Mennonite Brethren stewardship agency

Assets ended the year at $109,966,993, up from $94,313,791 in 2008. 'We are humbled by the growth we've experienced and recognize that we are only stewards of what others have entrusted to us," says Jon C. Wiebe, MBF president and CEO. 'We are equally excited to repott that our expectancies, gift funds in the pipeline'for a variety of charities, ended the year at $105,739,146. This is a testimony to the generosity of others "

Despite the sluggish economy, $1,632,525 in charitable gifts were distributed to other charities, including over 70 percent directly to MB ministties. The economy has caused MBF to concentrate its planned giving efforts on charitable estate planning, developing a new service called Biblical Estate Design.

Meanwhile, MBF's Certificate investtnent program continues to be popular in this lowinterest rate environment. The number of accounts has increased by 85 percent in the past two years, with IRA accounts showing wide acceptance. These Certificate investtnents help fund the loan portfolio, which continues to grow, up nearly 8.5 percent with current loans outstanding of $63 .8 million . The delinquency rate for loans at year end was below 2 percent, well below industty norms Visit www mbfoundation.com to learn about other 2009 highlights.-MBF '

JOIN A CONSPIRACY

MB Foundation has partnered with Advent Conspiracy and MBMS International to encourage churches and families to celebrate Christmas by spending less, giving more, worshiping fully and loving all season. MBMS International will identify specific projects for those individuals or churches who join Advent Conspiracy. For more information, visit www.adventconspiracy org or contact MB Foundation at 800-551-1547.-MBF

MMA HAS NEW NAME

Mennonite Mutual Aid (MMA), a Mennonite financial and insurance organization , is adopt ing a new name, Everence, and will share the name with Mennon ite Financial Federal Credit Union, MMA's banking associate. While MMA is a ministry of Mennonite Church USA, its Board of Directors includes representatives from other denom i natons; Mennon ite Brethren representatives are Paul Quiring, Fresno, Calif., and Larry Nikkel, Wichita, Kan. More i nformation is available at www. MMAonline.org .-MMA

NEW COMMENTARY

Herald Press has released a commentary on 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus, written by Paul M. Zehr. It is the 22nd volume of the Believers Church Bible Commentary Series, a cooperat ive project of the Brethren in Christ Church, Brethren Church, Church of the Brethren, Mennonite Brethren Church, Mennonite Church USA and Mennonite Church Canada. For more information, see wWw.mpn.netltimothytitus -Herald Press

Just like the classic Certs commercial touts the candy as CCtwo ... two ... two mints in one," we Mennonite Brethren often say we merge two theological streams- Anabaptism and evangelicalism. On the occasion of our 150th anniversary as a global Mennonite Brethren Church, it is appropriate to highlight our birth in the Anabaptist tradition and our core theological beliefs- which we did in the Dec /Jan issue. This issue looks at our evangelical identity. What defines evangelical Christians? What unique contributions can Mennonite Brethren make to the evangelical movement? Two church historians- one who speaks as a Mennonite Brethren and the other as a more detached observer- address these questions. Their conclusions? That our dual nature is a valuable perspective, if we're willing to share it.

If Ever we Knew

If ever we knew when a movement started. who started it and why. perhaps evangelicalism is that movement: traceable to April 1942. when J. Elwin Wright. Harold Ockenga and friends met in St. Louis. Mo .• seeking greater unity and clarity of mission among various effective but scattered. fundamentalist ministries and founded the National Association of Evangelicals. declaring in their statement of faith: 'We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ. in his virgin birth. in his sinless life. in his miracles. in his vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood. in his bodily resurrection. in his ascension to the right hand of the Father. and in his personal return in power and glory "

Or. perhaps. traceable to the fall of 1821 when a young lawyer named Charles Grandison Finney. soon to become one of the 19th century's most famous revival preachers. felt the call of God on his life. writing later in his memoirs: "But now after receiving these baptisms of the Spirit I was quite willing to preach the Gospel. Nay. I found that I was unwilling to do anything else Nothing. it seemed to me. could be put in competition with the worth of souls; and no labor. I thought. could be so sweet. and no employment so exalted as that of holding up Christ to a dying world "

Or then again. to May of 1738. when Anglican priest John Wesley. struggling with issues of faith and assurance. went to an evening meeting of Moravian believers and met God in a new way that would lead to the founding ot the renewal society called Methodism-writing soon afterwards in his journal: "In the evening I went very unwillingly to a society in Aldersgate Street. where one was reading Luther's preface to the Epistle to the Romans. About a quarter before nine, while the leader was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ alone for salvation; and an assurance was given me that He had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death."

Or perhaps we should look to 1675. when Lutheran pastor Philip Jakob Spener published a little book. Pia Desiderata. setting forth proposals for renewing the Lutheranism of his day. which gave birth to the term "pietist"-pleading. 'Thought should be given to the more extensive use of the Word of God among us We know that by nature we have no good in us If there is to be any good in us. it must be brought about by God. To this end the Word of God is the powerful means. since faith must be rekindled through the gospel."

Our moment

Regardless of their beginnings. evangelical Christians-in the mid-20th century almost invariably the subject of dismissal and derision from cultural and political elites - have. in the last few decades become one of the most visible Christian expressions in the American religious and political context.

Several decades after the founding of the NAE. when Jimmy Carter identified himself as an evangelical during his 1976 presidential campaign. he was treated in the press. in the words of journalist E. J. Dionne. "as if he were some sort of Martian." In 2008. by contrast. evangelical megachurch pastor Rick Warren hosted both presidential candidates in hourlong discussions of faith and politics broadcast on major cable news networks.

Books and movies from mainstream media outlets. while not always expressing evangelical theology. are regularly aimed at the evangelical market (The Passion of the Christ and the Narnia movies. for instance). While mainline denominational attendance declines. attendance in more conservative and nondenominational churches is rising And evangelical theologians have become respected partners in ecumenical dialogues such as the one sponsored by First Things. "Evangelicals and Catholics Together."

Although precise estimates are difficult to come by due to the difficulty of capturing exactly what makes for an evangelical on surveys. responsible estimates (such as those from the Institute for the Study of American Evangelicalism) put the number of evangelicals in the early 21st century at anywhere between 25-35 percent of Americans. or 70-100 million people. In many ways it is. potentially. our moment.

Who we are

Knowing what we are called to do in this moment depends. to some extent. on knowing who we are As the NAE points out. following historian David Bebbington. evangelicals are often identified by their focus on four crucial points:

"Conversionism: the belief that lives need to be transformed through a 'born-again' experience and a lifelong process of following Jesus.

Activism: the expression and demonstration of the gospel in missionary and social reform efforts.

Biblicism: a high regard for and obedience to the Bible as the ultimate authority.

Crucicentrism: a stress on the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross as making possible the redemption of humanity."

These emphases characterize most of those who claim the term "evangelical," whether they live and speak out within established mainline denominations, gather in breakaway denominations of their own or claim no denomination at all. They admit some diversity of opinion (Once born again, can one fall away? Is the Bible inerrant? How involved in social justice should missionary activity get? Must Jesus' sacrifice on the cross be defined as penal substitution?), but they also serve as a unifying force.

Notably absent from this list, as from the NAE's statement of faith itself, are positions on some other questions that have historically troubled Christian believers. What is the relationship of the Bible as the "inspired, the only infallible, authoritative Word of God" to the Christian tradition, which, guided by the Holy Spirit to give us this biblical canon, has also given us considered views on its interpretation down through the centuries? What is the relationship of "the spiritual unity of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ" to physical ecclesiastical atrempts at ecumenical reconciliation? How are the Holy Spirit's "regeneration" and "present ministry" connected to some ways historically preached as agents of the Spirit in this, such as the sacraments?

Much of modern evangelicalism is well exemplified by Warren's church and others like it, as well as the burgeoning traffic in Christian versions of all aspects of secular culture, from music to self-help books to colleges. But some modern evangelicals have also been searching for answers to these other questions.

Searching for answers

One example of this search is a movement known as the "New Monasticism." While the term goes back at least to the interdenominational community of Taize in France in the mid-20th century, its current popularity grew out of the conviction of several young seminary students almost a decade ago that they needed to do a better job of living out as well as preaching the Gospel. In 2003 they founded a Christian community in Durham, NC, called Rutba House, opened both to married couples and celibate single persons.

In the process they developed 12 "marks of distinctiveness" influenced by both Anabaptism and the monastic movement. These included "relocation to the abandoned places of empire" (such as the inner city), hospitality and sharing of resources with fellow community members and the needy, a commitment to addressing racism in both society and the church, intentional submission to spiritual

Youth leading revival in church today

MBs involved with NAE from the beginning

It seems there is truly a resurgence of interest in the church today and that revival is coming from our youth - people from teens to 30-year-olds The interest centers around issues facing our society today: injUstices, poverty, racial reconciliation and sexual purity, to name a few It is those churehes and organizations that are addressing issues like these that are experiencing life and growth .

The National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) is taking responsibility to help congregations across the nation address these issues The mission of NAE is to extend the kingdom of God through a fellowship of metnber denominations, churches, organi:zadons and individuals, demonstrating the unity of the body of Christ by standing for biblical truth, spealdng with a representative voice and serving the evangelical community through united action, cooperative ministry and strategic planning. With that mission in mind, NAE must be at the forefront of what's bappening in America .

Did you kno\f that Mennonite Brethren Were scnred at the very first NAE conference in 1943? Rev George Hubert. then pasror of Reedley (Calif ) MB was one of the founders and served on itS first Board. of Directors. Menno.,ite Brethren involvement in NAE con:-' tinues. Today Ed Bo.schman. US. Conference director. and 1 represent U.S. Mennonite Brethren on the NAE Board of Directors .-Winnie Bartel

Winnie Bartel, a memberofSMfter(Calif ) ¥B Church, is currently the secretary lor the NAB ExeCutive Committee Her full reeo rt following the spring NAEBoard meeting is posted on the CL WeD site (wtbw usmb orgIchrlstlan.Jeader) an4 ()Utlinef NAE's wOrk regarding Christian engagement in I.?olitics. immi ,.. , gTatUm, a theology OJ sex, tivility in our discourse and justice issues and the recent meeting Qf N:i\E's EvangeW Leaders

disciplines and to community accountability, nonviolence and conflict resolution (on the basis of Matthew 18) and "care for the plot of God's earth given to us" including support of local businesses and agriculture as opposed to large national corporations.

Another example, under the leadership of Northern Baptist Seminary professor and author Robert Webber, was the Center for an Ancient Evangelical Future, which took as its mission the relating of evangelicalism to hisroric Christian traditions and practices.

Their "Call to an Ancient Evangelical Future" took the broader evangelical culture to task for letting its four defining characteristics run away with themselves. For example, they opposed "fonns of worship that focus on God as a mere object of the intellect or that assert the self as the source of worship. Such worship has resulted in lecture-oriented, music-driven, performance-centered and program-conttolled models that do not adequately proclaim God's cosmic redemption."

They also called evangelicals "to tum away from an individualism that makes the church a mere addendum to God's redemptive plan," an individualism that they felt had "contributed to the current problems of churchless Christianity, redefinitions of the church according to business models, separatist ecclesiologies and judgmental attitudes toward the church."

Finally, like the new monastics, they sought to intensify evangelicalism's prophetic voice "against the culture's captivity to racism, consumerism, political correctness, civil religion, sexism, ethical relativism. violence and the culture of death."

A crossroads

Common to these efforts was the recognition that evangelicalism's many beginnings had all begun as renewal movements within something larger, whenever it seemed that the larger Christian context had lost its passion for applying orthodox doctrine to the believer's heart. Ultimately, they all argued, the evangelical movement functions best as an important emphasis within historic Christianity rather than as a separate movement standing, in some cases, over against it.

And in many ways, this recognition represents a crossroads. After all, those forms of evangelicalism criticized by the writers of the AEF Call have. on the whole, been successful when measured in terms of membership growth and geographical spread of the Christian message. Perhaps more people are hearing and in many cases responding to, the message of the gospel than at any other time in American history. Yet the question remains: Is what they are hearing always adequately connected to the fullness of the gospel Christians have historically preached?

And here is where the Mennonite Brethren can. in my opinion, most clearly have a voice. One of the great contributions the Anabaptist movement has made to the Christian tradition is its clear witness that the gospel, lived out to its fullest, poses a serious challenge to the powers and principalities of this world, whether those powers are kings and emperors or marketers and statisticians. And it is never a message that needed to be preached and lived more distinctively than it does at this moment.

For, in the end. if ever we knew when a movement started, who started it and why. it was in a small Middle Eastern garden over 2,000 years ago, when the God by whom all things were made. for us and for our salvation came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, and was made man; he was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered, and was buried, and the

One of the great contributions the Anabaptist moveme nt has made to the Christian tradition is its clear witness . . « lived out to its fullest, poses a serious challenge to the powers and prin Cipalities of this world.

third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures. By grounding ourselves in that story, we will be able to tell all the other stories that really matter.

Jennifer Lynn Woodruff Tait is an adjunct professor of church history at Asbury Theological Seminary, Huntington University, Southwestern College and United Theological Seminary and the author of The Poisoned Chalice: Eucharistic Grape Juice and Common-Sense Realism in Victorian Methodism, published in 2010. She lives in Huntington, Ind. with her husband and daughter.

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The coming evangelical future

Last March in The Christian Science Monitor, Kentucky writer Michael Spencer said, 'We are on the vergewithin 10 years - of a major collapse of evangelical Christianity." Questions about the future of evangelicalism are the ones I am most often asked. Do I expect a major collapse of evangelical Christianity in the next 10 years? I do not. I do expect the face of evangelicalism to be different in 2019, but that doesn't take a prophet to predict. It is already happening. Evangelical Christianity is rapidly growing in Asia, Latin America and Africa. Traditionally Catholic South America is fast turning into an evangelical Pentecostal continent Christians are multiplying by the millions in Communist China. And in the United States? The growing edge of almost every evangelical denomination is Hispanics. Many of the largest and fastest growing evangelical megachurches in this country are Hispanic, African American and Asian. While white megachurches have been around for a while. many of these new ethnic megachurches are just getting started

There is a very practical way to observe the depth of evangelical Christian faith across America. The next time there is a tragedy-tornado in a small town, shooting at a school, apartment fire in a major city-listen to what the survivors say on television You will be impressed by frequently declared depth of Christian faith in Jesus when facing the

WhatThe National Association of Evangelicals (www.nae.net) offers this definition of an evangelical:

Eharshest traumas of their lives. This is the evangelical faith that has spread across our land and will continue in to the next generation

In the coming decade many older local congregations will go out of business, just as many older Christians will die and many older businesses will close. But have you seen what is happening in your local elementary school on Sunday mornings? Across America there is a rapid spread of new churches meeting in schools. community centers, restaurants, theaters and any other rentable gathering place. Almost all of them are evangelical congregations with young pastors and young parishioners

Evangelicalism in 2020 will be more racially diverse, will speak with a collage of accents, will have closed thousands of old churches and opened thousands more new churches, will take the Bible seriously. will believe in Jesus as Savior and Lord and will be engaging in the needs of people.

Leith Anderson is the president of the National Association of Evangelicals and has served as the senior pastor of Wooddale Church in Eden Prairie. Minn. , since 1977. Faith Matters is his daily radio program heard in cities across America and overseas. He has been published in many periodicals and has written 10 books. He and his wife, Charleen. have four children.

vangelicals take the Bible seriously and believe in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. The term "evangelical" comes from the Greek word euangelion. meaning "the good news" or the "gospel." Thus, the evangelical faith focuses on the"good news"

of salvation brought to sinners by Jesus Christ

We are a vibrant and diverse group, including believers found in many churches. denominations and nations. Our community brings together Reformed. Holiness, Anabaptist. Pentecostal, Charismatic and other traditions. Our core theological convictions provide unity in the midst of our diversity. The NAE Statement of Faith offers a standard for these evangelical convictions

Historian David Bebbington also provides a helpful summary of evangelical distinctives, identifying four primary characteristics of evangelicalism:

Conversionism: the belief that lives need to be transformed through a "bom-again" experience and a lifelong process of following Jesus.

Activism: the expression and demonstration of the gospel in missionary and social reform efforts.

Biblicism: a high regard for and obedience to the Bible as the ultimate authority.

Crucicentrism: a stress on the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross as making possible the redemption of humanity.

These distinctives and theological convictions define us. not political, social, or cultural trends In fact. many evangelicals rarely use the term "evangelical" to describe themselves, focusing simply on the core convictions of the triune God, the Bible. faith. Jesu s, salvation . evangelism. and discipleship.

Survey Says

The Evangelical Leaders Survey is a monthly poll of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE). They include the CEOs of more than 60 denominations and representatives of a broad array of evangelical organizations including missions, universities, publishers and churches. The monthly polls, analyzed by NAE president Leith Anderson, are a window into the attitudes and values of today's evangelical leaders on a variety of topics.

Christianity will increase-except in U.S.

Based on the May 2009 Evangelical Leaders Survey, "evan< gelical leaders are very buJiish on the future growth of Christianity, except in America," says Leith Anderson, NAE president

Responding to the Evangelical Leaders Survey question, "Do you expect the worldwide influence of Christianity and the number of Christians to increase, decrease or stay the same in the next ten years," 94 percent said "increase," 4 percent said " stay the same" and 2 percent were unsure. None predicted a decrease in the number of Christians.

However, the optimism is primarily focused on the global south where Christianity is expanding in Africa. South America. China and other parts of Asia. There is fur greater uncertainty i( not pessimism about the numerical growth of Christians and the influence of Christianity in the United States. The consensus points to staying the Same at best. probably declinJng and hoping for a national spiritual awakening triggered by economic ditflculties and political uncertainties.

Gary Benedict, president of the Cbristian and Missionary Alliance headquartered in Colorado Springs Colo., predicts, "increase in South America, Africa and Asia but continued decrease in North America and Europe." Sammy Mah. president of World Relief with relief and development operations worldwide, spoke for the majority of respondents by simply stating his expectation that Christians will "dramatically increase."

Anderson adds that responses "distinguished between numbers and influence. Overwhelmingly there is an expectation of more Christians but a concern that these Christians may have less influence because of secularization, Islam and persecution "

Moral issues facing America

Abortion, moral relativism and mistreatment of others are the top moral issues facing America ccording to a year-end poll of America's evangelical leaders The Evangelical Leaders Survey con· ducted in October of 2009 asked: "What is the greatest moral issue in America today?"

<While there were some responses that specified seculamation, homosexuality, pornography and other concerns. they were not at the top of the list," says Leith Anderson, NAE president. !be top three reflected a majority of responses ·and were themselves almost a three-way tie."

Abortion was the number one answer Jeff Fanner of the Open Bible Churches in Des Moines. Iowa said. "The moral scandal of abortion tops my list.. .not because murder is worse than other moral evils, but because of the massive numbers of this killing field and intentionality of so many to put selfgratification, greed and political advantage above life itself which is sacred."

Moral relativism was the number two answer. Responses frequently quoted Judges 17:6 (KJV) that "every man did that which was right in his own eyes" referring to the morality and behavior in ancient Israel. The problem. a(Cording to NAE board member RoJ) Carpenter. is "a nonbelief in absolute truth which permeates every other arena of our society."

Mistreatment of others was the number three answer Sammy Mah, president of World Relief, said that. "the greatest moral issue in America today is our blindness and silence to injustices here and around the world. Social ills like poverty. malnutrition. homelessness, human trafficking and So many mote are rooted in injustices that must be fought."

_vange lea s

American evangelicalism is a large, dynamic and growing movement. By most tangible and worldly standards it is successful. Still, it is a complex religious movement with significant problems, especially as it relates to American culture and Anabaptism. So it is fair to describe American evangelicalism as a paradoxical movement.

Defining «evangelical"

Evangelicalism is a large, diverse movement that is very difficult to pinpoint. But at the onset, it must be said that evangelicalism is a type of Christianity, not the only kind of Christianity. God has many faithful followers in the mainline Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox traditions.

Far too often, when some evangelicals say a particular person is a Christian, they mean he or she is an evangelical.

Evangelicalism can be defined both theologically and sociologically. The theological core of contemporary evangelicalism can be identified by

• its adherence to the belief in the authority of Scripture;

• the belief in the divinity of Christ;

• the belief in the efficacy of Christ's life-his death and physical resurtection for the salvation of the human soul.

Behaviorally, American evangelicals can usually be characterized by an individual and experiential orientation toward spiritual salvation and religion in general. The Christian' faith is experiential. Individuals must be born again. They must have a personal faith in Jesus Christ as Savior from sin and a commitment to him as Lord. Following such a conversion, an evangelical. in one way or another, usually seeks the conversion of sinners to Christ.

Who are evangelicals?

Contemporary American evangelicalism is highly diverse, drawing elements from several theological traditions . Evangelicalism is a movement in the sense that it cuts across specific denominations and embraces all people who have had the "born again" experience Evangelicals can be found among Presbyterians, Methodists, black churches, Nazarenes, Baptists, Episcopalians, Mennonites, Pentecostals, Lutherans, fundamentalists, holiness bodies, dispensationalists, various Reformed groups and charismatic bodies.

While evangelicals come from no one social class, overall they are most widely represented among the moderately educated lower and middle income groups. In respect to their relationship to society at large, there is also diversity, from extreme separatism to considerable involvement. The recent trend, though, is toward an accommodation with society.

What is the relationship between evangelicalism and fundamentalism? Are they the same? Both are expressions of orthodox Christianity and both emphasize the 'born again" experience. So it is easy to lump the two together.

Fundamentalism is the right wing of the evangelical movement. It tends to embrace a militant opposition to modem values, separation from the world and a literal interpretation of an inerrant Bible. Being a subgroup within evangelicalism, all Christian fundamentalists are evangelicals but not all evangelicals are fundamentalists Evangelicalism has its moderate and left wings.

Strengths

For much of the 20th century, mainline Protestantism and Roman Catholicism dominated the American religious landscape. Today, in the early 21st century, the story is different. Mainline Protestantism is declining and can hardly be described as mainline anymore. Catholicism faces many staggering problems, including an acute shortage of priests plus charges of sexual abuse by the clergy. Thus, evangelicalism, as diverse as it is, can be regarded as a "third force" that is on its way to becoming the prevailing form of religion in America.

As Alister McGrath projects, "There is every indication that (evangelicalism) will soon become - if it is not alreadythe dominant form of Protestantism in North America " He points out that of the currently growing churches in the United States, 89 percent were found to be evangelical.

By the early 21st century, evangelicalism has much to brag about. Evangelicals now wield considerable political. economic and cultural influence. Their numbers are significant and growing. Evangelical churches are the largest and most dynamic in the nation . They have established numerous parachurch organizations, some with budgets greate r than many denominations Hundreds of colleges with an evangelical orientation dot the American landscape

These churches and institutions have won people to Christ and have shaped many lives. Most foreign missions have been established by evangelicals . In general, evangelicals have succeeded in being culturally relevant and achieving considerable numerical success while maintaining the timeless essentials of the old-time gospel.

Moreover, while evangelicals do not generally want the government promoting social welfare, on the private level they run organizations that have helped the poor and needy. Furthermore, evangelicals have moved to the highest levels of American society, including the corridors of economic and political power. And they are no longer considered ill-educated, having respected scholars.

The price for success

Evangelicalism's success has come at a price - it has confused American culture with the Christian faith And in doing so, it has accommodated the faith to cultural trends, perhaps more than any other religious body in America Evangelicals have attempted to create a Christian America Instead, they have developed an Americanized Christianity, and they cannot tell the difference between the two.

Evangelicalism faces a problem that confronts all religions: how to be relevant to the surrounding culture without being absorbed by it. In a free religious market, most religious groups desire to grow The key to growth is to connect with the surrounding culture and to offer people what they want.

Evangelicals, however, have stepped over the line. On the whole, they still proclaim the old-time faith , but in order to spread the good news, evangelicals have indeed "become all things to all people." Consequently, evangelicals have baptized aspects of secular culture.

Many evangelicals contend that America's political and economic systems are divinely inspired In theory they reject

big government but readily accept it when it enforces their moral views. Evangelicals are among the most patriotic of Americans, advocating a strong military and a go-it-alone foreign policy. They are also staunch supporters of the market economy, viewing any kind of government involvement as akin to socialism . Evangelicals have even Americanized salvation. To be sure, salvation entails a personal commitment to follow Jesus Christ. The new birth is not gradual. While an individual may not know when it occurs, the new birth begins at a moment in time.

But many evangelicals believe that they must be able to identify when they invited Jesus into their heart or responded to an invitation. Moreover, some evangelicals make a shallow commitment to Christ. They accept him as Savior while largely ignoring his lordship over their lives. By focusing on the one-time experience and cheap grace, many evangelicals have in effect "McDonaldized" salvation. They like their salvation like their fast food-quick and cheap.

In part, evangelicalism's problems have arisen because the movement is unabashedly populist. Evangelicals have championed the spiritual superiority of the common person against the elite or learned clergy. In doing so, they have reduced serious religious thinking to its lowest common denominator. Evangelicalism's obsession with numbers since the mid-20th century has caused the movement to pander unashamedly to the popular tastes of American culture.

Thoughtful worship has degenerated into showmanship, often with a circus atmosphere. Evangelicals view America as God's chosen nation and feel that they (and the nation, too) have a comer on divine truth and righteousness. They have sanctified large segments of American culture, especially its consumerism and middle-class values.

Worse yet, evangelicals do not gather around doctrines or church organizations but tend to follow charismatic leaders. American evangelicals have indeed embraced the cult of personality

What about us Mennonite Brethren?

How do we Mennonite Brethren relate to this large dynamic movement? For much of our history, the Mennonite Brethren have been ambivalent in our attitudes toward mainstream evangelicalism, ranging from a strong sense of kinship to one of near contempt. On one hand, many of us have bought into generic evangelicalism. On the other hand, Anabaptism is an essential aspect of the Mennonite Brethren heritage, and many of its principles run counter to popular evangelicalism

Given any standard definition of evangelicalism, we Mennonite Brethren must be regarded as evangelicals. Theologically, we are orthodox and embrace the historic Christian faith We embrace the core theological beliefs of evangelicalism, as already noted

In our spiritual life, Mennonite Brethren resemble the average American evangelical. The "born again" experience is alive and well in Mennonite Brethren circles A high percent claim to engage in daily private prayer and attend church on a regular basis. Moreover, Mennonite Brethren strongly support evangelistic efforts including foreign missions.

As we U.S. Mennonite Brethren are becoming assimilated into popular evangelicalism and American culture, we are seeing a breakdown of Anabaptist characteristics. The traditional emphasis on discipleship, social justice and the lordship of Christ is receding. In fact, only about half of the U.S. Mennonite Brethren currently uphold our historic peace position. Many of us have bought into values so prevalent in popular evangelicalism: mindless populism, subjectivity, personal feelings, self-improvement, pragmatism; materialism and rampant individualism.

This erosion of Anabaptist qualities has resulted in two extremes. A small number of us Mennonite Brethren with strong Anabaptist leanings have distanced ourselves from American evangelicalism, even denying that we have a place in the movement. A larger group of us have uncritically bought into popular evangelical trends. Some have even embraced the excesses of fundamentalism-nationalism, militarism, sexism, anti-intellectualism, an excessively literal interpretation of Scripture and viewing the world in black and white terms.

Both positions are incorrect. Mennonite Brethren are evangelicals, by nearly any definition. We are part of the kaleidoscope that makes up American evangelicalism. But Mennonite Brethren are not generic evangelicals. We occupy a specific place on the evangelical spectrum, being evangelical Anabaptists

As such, we need to assert the historic Anabaptist attributes-namely, the lordship of Christ, discipleship, social justice, the believers' church, peace, separation of church and state and community as an alternative to rampant individualism. Instead of distancing ourselves from American evangelicalism, we Mennonite Brethren can make a healthy contribution to the movement and serve as a corrective to its less desirable traits

Richard Kyle is professor of history and religion at Tabor College, the Mennonite Brethren college in Hillsboro, Kan. He has written nine books, including Evangelicalism: An Americanized Christianity, published in 2006. Kyle has received numerous awards and has twice been selected as a Fulbright Scholar. His love for travel and interest in seeing college students grow has led him to take more than 580 students on 25 international study trips.

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Celebrating our 150th anniversary

u.s. Mennonite Brethren can experience global MB Church in Vancouver

HOW will you celebrate the 150th birthday of the Mennonite Brethren Church, now a body of z80,000 believers who worship in some 18 countries? Why not experience the global Mennonite Brethren family firsthand by attending Celebration ZOIO, the second of two global anniversary celebrations, scheduled for July IZ-18 in Vancouver, BC.

The early registration deadline has passed, but registrations will be taken until June ZO. Participants can register online at www .celebrationzolo .org . The deadline for reservations at the Sheraton Vancouver Guildford Hotel, a hotel in Surrey at which a group rate has been negotiated, is June 10

The Vancouver celebration is really four events in one, beginning with Renewing Identity and Mission: A Mennonite Brethren Consultation scheduled for Monday evening, July IZ, through Wednesday noon. The remaining eventsCelebration ZOIO sessions and Canadian and U.S. Conference (USC) biennial conventions-are intertwined Wednesday evening, July 14, through Saturday afternoon.

Renewing Identity and Mission (RIM) will explore where Mennonite Brethren have been, where they are going and what they have learned along the way. RIM will take place on the cam-

This eight-member girls' troupe performs a welcome dance at the India MB Conference's 150th anniversary celebration Jan. 17. India was the first national Mennonite Brethren conference to celebrate our 150th anniversary. The event, held on the grounds of a hospital operated by the India MB Conference at Jadcherla, Andhra Pradesh, drew a crowd of 2,000. They met beneath a shamiana (tent) for five hours, beginning mid-morning and including a meal. Also pictured are some of the ordained MB ministers, dressed in the robes recently introduced for leading worship services.-Elmer Martens

pus of ACTS Seminaries, a consortium of Trinity Western University in Langley, BC, of which MB Biblical Seminary is a member.

The three-day consultation will involve more than 30 presenters, and RIM organizers anticipate it will be a rich time of reflection and conversation, along with the challenge to be God's missional people in the world. Alfred Neufeld of Paraguay is the Monday evening plenary speaker and he will talk about theology and identity. Tuesday evening a panel of international guests - Nzuzi Mukawa of DR Congo, John Shankar Rao of India, Caesar Garcia of Colombia and Johann Matthies of Germany-will focus on missions. A description of the Z7 RIM workshops scheduled Tuesday and Wednesday is available online at www.celebrationzolo.org.

The second component of Celebration 2010 begins Wednesday evening when the first of two evening celebratory services are held at Chandos Pattison Auditorium, located on the campus of Pacific Academy in Surrey. Celebration 2010 participants will hear from three international Mennonite Brethren Wednesday and Friday eveningsMukawa of DR Congo, Rao of India and a Mennonite Brethren serving Arabic-speaking communities through radio, television and printed materials

Thursday, July 15, Celebration 2010 participants will return to Chandos Pattison Auditorium for a day of binational and international ministry reports. Reporting agencies will include MBMS International (MBMSI), the North American denominational global mission agency, and MB Biblical Seminary (MBBS), the North American MB seminary with campuses in Fresno, Calif., Abbotsford, BC and Winnipeg, Man.

MBMSI will use an interactive world map to tell mission stories that illustrate how God's family continues to grow. says Friesen, MBMSI general director. The MBMSI report will highlight the most recent conference of Mennonite Brethren churches in Thailand and Laos, with reports from Team 2000 members who are completing their Io-year commitments to church planting and recommitting to new leadership and resourcing roles in Thailand.

MBBS will review the seminary's 55-year history and outline its plans for the future The report will include alumni and student testimonies and comments from MBBS President Lynn Jost. Fresno Pacific University President D. Merrill Ewert will highlight plans for providing graduate theological education in the U.S . and the Canadian Conference Task Force will outline its work in Canada. Delegates will have the opportunity to interact with seminary representatives during the national conference business sessions.

The U.S. and Canadian Conferences will hold their biennial conventions at separate locations Thursday evening and Friday morning and afternoon. North Langley Community Church will host Canada's Gathering 2010 and Gracepoint Community Church will host the U.S:s Conection 2010.

Stories of transformed lives, told live as well as pre-taped, is the focus of Conection 2010. Matt Unruh, worship arts pastor at Gracepoint, will be the musical worship leader

The opening Conection service will emphasize the diversity of the U.S. Conference. Slavic and Ethiopian choirs from the U.S. Pacific Northwest have been invited to participate in the evening worship celebration. Paul Robie, pastor of South Mountain Community Church in Salt Lake City, will highlight the ministry of Mennonite Brethren in Utah.

Friday Conection delegates will hear testimonies from Mission USA church planters and people who have been impacted by new Mennonite Brethren churches, a report that is often a convention highlight. "These personal stories of what God is doing through our church planters is always rewarding," says Mission USA director Don Morris. "Our U.S. MB church planting is increasing, and we are excited to tell the story."

Delegates will also hear reports Friday from the U.S Conference Leadership Board, Board of Faith and Life and Christian Leader. The National Youth Convention planning team, Tabor College and Fresno Pacific University will give ministry updates. As part of its report, MB Foundation will distribute a new booklet telling the story of ISO years of denominational stewardship.

Delegates will take action on a recommended budget and a bylaw change that places district ministerS, by virtue of office, on the national Board of Faith and Life. Delegates will also elect board members for national and binational boards.

Celebration 2010 participants can "Experience Vancouver" Saturday. While the agenda for the day includes visiting a tourist attraction, the focus will be on ministry-exploring how Mennonite Brethren are active in the inner city, a prayer journey and a closing

in downtown Vancouver. Vancouver area Mennonite Brethren congregations will host visitors for Sunday worship services.

The Celebration 2010 Web site offers details about complimentary transportation options, meals and breaks and the children and youth programs .-Connie Faber

Celebration 2010 in CL

The first of two global celebrations for the 150th anniversary of the Mennonite Brethren Church was May 13-24 in Germany and included the annual meeting of the International Community of Mennonite Brethren . A report of this celebration will be published in an upcoming issue of the Christian Leader Coverage of Celebration ZOIO and Conection will include online blogs, reports and photos published at CL Online (www usmb orglchristian-leader) in early August The CL print report will be published in the Au gust/September issue, to be mailed in September rather than August

Resources celebrate 150th

Several resources are available commemorating the ISoth anniversary of the Mennonite Brethren Church .

• The Mennonite Brethren Church Around The \%rld: Celebrating 150 is a commemorative book containing stories Qf the global Brethren family written within their contelUS. The price is significantly reduced if purchased with registration for Celebration 20io.

• An interactive timeline, complete with extensive historical information and rare photographs, is available on the Celebration ZOIO Web$ite (www celebrationzolo orgltimeline). A team of historians and communicators created the timeline as -3 dynamic resource that illustrates the MB journey since its beginnings JanuaIY 6, 1860, in what is now Ukraine

• Giobal MClnnonite Brethren Devotional Series was an online series of 50 devotionals to be used during the 50 days between Easter and Pentecost 2010. Writers represent most of the IS -member -conferences of the International Community of Mennonite Brethren (ICOMB) A historical note covering the 150 years of the Brethren Church accompanies each devotional. The devotional series is found at http://Jcomb.orglglobalmbdevotionals.

• and Living Your Faith, a study guide for the International Community of Mennonite Brethren of Faith, was developed in anticipation of the 150th anniversary as a for congregations. The study manual can be viewed and downloaded at http://icomb.orglliterature.

Move-in day for Wichita church

New worship center dedicated in prayer

Moving day is an exciting time. especially when the spacious new "home" has been long dreamed about. So it's not surprising that as the congregation of First MB Church. Wichita, Kan., celebrated their new worship center in March. excitement filled the air. "Everyone was terribly excited," says pastor Brent Warkentin, "the God-is-great kind of excitement "

Technically, the new facility is not a completely new home but what the church newsletter. with tongue in cheek. calls a 'little remodeling." The nearly $6 million project includes a new 24,000-square-foot worship center as well as significant renovations to the lobby and nursery areas.

First MB has been waiting some 20 years to build the worship center. holding services in the activity center until the time was right. And when the time was right. the project went remarkably well. Giving to the project is ahead of schedule, despite the economic downturn. 'The generosity has continued to be a real blessing," Warkentin says. And the congregation was able to move in ahead of schedule-not always the case with big construction projects.

Warkentin credits the sInooth sailing in part to a congregation willing to wait for unity and God's timing: "God has graced this congregation with the right time and the right leadership to bring this together. Clearly one lesson is 'Don't rush God's timing.'"

In hindsight, Warkentin says the right project partners had something to do with the smooth sailing, too. Although the congregation didn't intentionally seek out Christian-owned companies to work with, both the contractor and architect are "devout Christian men" who viewed the project as a ministry, not just another job. Warkentin describes a spirit of cooperation and unity as they worked together. .

The new worship center will be used "the same way anyone uses a worship center," says Warkentin. 'We just want to reach more people. so we need more seats."

The congregation chose to dedicate the new facility prior to the March 7 move-in day in order to keep the Sunday focus on worship. It is. after all, a worship center.

So some 650 people. including children and youth from the midweek programs, gathered March 3 to dedicate the building in prayer.

Notably lacking from the dedication were any formal recognitions or ceremonies about blueprints or keys Instead, after Scripture reading, a brief meditation and a hymn. families scattered to simply pray. Stations were set up throughout the building with guidelines and suggestions

"It was a beautiful thing," Warkentin says. "Families were sitting in comers; they were up on the stage; they were over by the baptistery; they were over by the entrances. We had big numbers scattered throughout."

The first services in the new worship center, then, looked pretty much like any other Sunday morning, "as much as you can have a regular Sunday service on the morning of the fulfillment of a dream."

There were nods to the new building: Those who lent their expertise to the fulfillment of the dream. such as the MB Foundation. were recognized. Attendance was up, due to mailings, invitations and curiosity, with about 1300 people in the three services.

But the focus of each service was squarely on the church's vision for reaching their community and world. That vision. Warkentin notes, hasn't changed. "We're just meeting in a bigger room; that's the only difference."

He adds. 'We believe that because of our step of faith, God's going to make that bigger room necessary " -Myra Holmes

Prior to the first Sunday they worshiped in their newly remodeled church building, as part of a midweek dedication service, members of First MB Church of Wichita, Kan., scattered throughout the building to dedicate it in prayer.

Extreme church makeover

California congregation reaffirms its unique model

Butler MB Church, Fresno, Calif., certainly isn't the first u.s. Mennonite Brethren congregation to face conflict, nor will it be the last. Sadly, unresolved conflict closes its fair share of churches.

But when Butler found itself wrestling with conflict and upheaval a couple of years ago , they decided that their mission was worth fighting for. Through a long and patient "extreme makeover" process, Butler is reaffirming their vision as a multicultural, multicongregational church.

Butler has for a long time considered itself both multicultural and multicongregational. Before the makeover, Butler Church included four worship communities in three languages: a traditional Englishlanguage community, a contemporary English community, a Southeast Asian community and a Spanish-language community.

The church's Web site describes how the different worShip communities evolved from the original English group: First, a desire to reach students spawned a more contemporary service. In 1992, a ministry to the Lao/Khmu community began with Phone Keo Keovilay leading. Then in the mid-90s, a Spanish Bible study grew into a worship service.

'1\11 groups agreed adamantly that though different in languages and cultural norms, together they would be one church," the site says.

But, maybe because the different worship communities evolved over time, the English culture remained dominant. "Maybe in a sense

we kind of took over as an Anglo church and maybe did (the other groups) a disservice by leaving them without the control to run things as their culture would," speculates interim coordinating pastor Scott Holman. 'J\s you go along as a church for 50 years, things are just happening, and you don't always think about why they are."

In recent years, theological and cultural misunderstandings led to conflict. Long-ignored cracks grew and threatened the church's very foundation. People left. The church was hurting.

So Butler asked for help from the Pacific District Conference's Board of Faith and Life, which led them to Larry Martens. Martens has experience as an extreme makeover expert; he's a former MB pastor and former president of MB Biblical Seminary who has worked with nine congregations in transition or conflict in the four or five years since his semiretirement. Butler asked Martens to bring this considerable expertise to an interim assignment, beginning in September 2008

With Martens' help, Butler formed a Transition Team of respected congregational representatives to lead the church through a healing and revisioning process. This team formed a Transition Plan-a lengthy document that defines Butler's vision and describes what it means to be a multicongregational, multicultural church. The Transition Plan includes four goals for matters of relationships, structure, mission and leadership. The plan was approved by the congregation, and an Implementation Team followed up to begin to put the plan into action.

The "new" Butler MB Church in Fresno, Calif., has formed five distinct congregations that bring together diverse ages and ethnicities to work interdependently as a single body.

The makeover isn't just cosmetic. The process has required the congregation to rethink its foundations , then rebuild accordingly Key to Butler's unity and identity is the MB Confession of Faith and a clear belief in the centrality of Christ. '''There has to be a center to the faith," Martens says. '''That's not optional."

Building on that common foundation, Butler explored its vision to reflect the diversity of their community, which they believe also reflects the kingdom of God All groups interested in being part of that vision were asked to formally apply to be a congregation of Butler Church It meant thinking through and affirming their uniqueness as well as their commitment to Butler's theology and mission. While that wasn't an easy process, Martens calls it "enriching" and "a vital part of solidifying the commitment for the future. "

Five distinct congregations emerged: Faith Community is an English-language traditional congregation; Common Ground worships in English but is intentionally open to an ethnic mix; Kingdom Tide, the third English-language congregation, has a vision for reaching a postmodem mind -set; Asian Grace serves the Lao/Khmu community; and Amor y Fe is the Spanish-language congregation.

Each congregation-even the three English-language congregations - represents a unique culture with a distinct mind-set. '''There is a difference in how we approach and think about church," Holman says. 'We're pursuing the same thing but in very different ways "

Each congregation has autonomy and is expected to take ownership of their ministry Each sets its own budget, for example, and takes responsibility for any staff salaries while also contributing to shared Butler expenses . Each decides how they wish to reach out to their community and worships in a culturally-appropriate way.

At same time, the five congregations function interdependently, not as five churches side by side, but as one Butler Church. So they cooperate on things like leadership and facilities , and they share expertise, resources and gifts to meet larger ministry goals

Admittedly, it's complicated To make it work, especially when diverse viewpoints come together, Butler works intentionally at building relationships. The Transition Plan calls for regular worship together, as well as other gatherings, such as the monthly "Meal and More," for which one congregation plans a meal and another plans an activity

From there, the Butler congregations are learning to serve side by side, partnering in ministry. For example, men come together to work on various projects on the church campus "Even if we don't share a language, we can work together," Holman says A developing Celebrate Recovety ministry will be a shared ministry of all the congregations

Relationships are also encouraged on an informal level. After all, it's harder to speak ill to or about someone when there's understanding "on a heart level," as Holman says . 'We're being very intentional about building relationships and going beyond, 'I think 1 know how you are: to 'I've eaten with you; Ive seen your family; I've been in your home and you've been in mine."'

Although Butler Church celebrated its new identity as five congregations with a common worship service Jan. 17, the makeover is far from complete The Transition Plan lays out a three-year process . The church will continue redecorating. refining and knocking down walls as they worship and serve together. It won't be easy.

But Butler believes it's worth the effort. Martens says, "It's part of what it means to be kingdom people when we don't see skin color or culture as dividing lines; we see a common faith in Jesus Christ. " - Myra Holmes

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The Voice of a Writer Honoring the Life of Katie Funk Wiebe

Doug Heidebrecht and Valerie G. Rempel, Editors

For more than fifty years, Katie Funk Wiebe has opened up her life to others by "wrapping words" around her questions, doubts, and struggles. This collection of essays provides a thoughtful reflection on the significance of Katie's writing and her contribution to the life of the church.

Washington church

CBF focuses on new ministry as it closes

Churches, like people, go through life stages. A new church is born, grows and matures. Eventually it declines and dies.

It doesn't have to be that way, says Rod Koenig, pastor of Community Bible Fellowship, Bellingham, Wash. When CBF leaders saw their church's ministry declining, they chose to "proactively retire" rather than face an unhealthy death.

CBF was born in the 1990S as a Pacific District Conference church planting project under the leadership of Steve Schroeder. As the congregation matured, "hundreds of lives were touched with the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ," says PDC district minister Gary Wall. "I am deeply grateful for these faith-filled risk-takers who pioneered a new work in the Pacific Northwest."

Then middle age set in. Church leaders saw that artendance had declined to around 40. The budget, while manageable for the moment, was in a tenuous position-just one supporter away from crisis. The average age in the congregation was 50something, with few young families.

Efforts to reach out to the Bellingham community, --especially to young families, failed to bring new growth. 'We weren't able to get something to take hold," says Koenig. In addition, the core leaders had been serving for years without a break. They were tired, and no one was stepping up to fill their shoes.

It felt like the church was sliding toward death, but CBF leaders were determined not to let their church end in an unhealthy way. After two years of processing and prayer, they saw three options for the future of the congregation: invest still more energy in breaking the downward trend, merge with another congregation or retire.

When a worker retires, Koenig points out, they're far from dead. "They have a new lease on life for a new phase of life." The same can be true of a church, he says. "Retirement for a church can be a positive experience rather than a negative experience, if people understand it's not a death; it's an opportunity to move forward with new conditions and new opportunities."

Early in 2010, church leaders became convinced that such a "proactive r.etirement" was the healthiest of their options; they would close the doors and move 1Oto a new phase of ministry. Wall says, "This difficult decision with congregation, and, while not all agreed with the process and of conclud1Og the ministry, the congregation dki-support the decision to proactively conclude, rather _ than watch what appearedto be-an inevitable decline."

So on Feb. 21, CBF held their final service and shared their final meal as a congregation. Now, the "retired" congregation looks ahead to a phase.of ministry. "

'We were able fo close our fellowship while we were still relatively healthy, Koenig says. He says that when a church is allowed to decline and end in an way, people get wounded. Sometimes, they are so wounded they want noth1Og with any church. Koenig says, ''I'd much rather see people move on to fellowship 10 other parts of the body of Christ healthy." He hears reports that most CBF folks are beginning to minister in other churches.

CBF hopes to see their facility used for new ministry as well. The church had invested significant energy in maintaining a beautiful, fully-furnished campus. But the congregation was only using it for a few hours each week. Church leaders wanted to see the facility used for the larger kingdom of God in a way that CBF wasn't able to do. The PDC is considering options for future ministry, says Wall.

CBF's retirement does come with grief. No one really wanted to see the church close. It's a difficult transition and a loss. But Koenig and CBF leaders hope that viewing the closure as a retirement rather than a death can help keep the focus on the next phase of ministry.-Myra Holmes

Among the leaders who guided the Bellingham congregation to "retirement," were (left to right) Brian CoUins, an elder, Rod Koenig, pastor, and Dave an elder (standing far rightJ, pittUted here with Pacific District Conference minister Gary Wall on the day four years ago when Koenig was installed.

Graduations held

"Triple play" nets 574 winners

es held at the new Joel H. Wiens stadium. Appropriately enough, 100 students graduated from the main campus in Hillsboro, Kan. In addition, two associate's degree students, 45 BS/BSN candidates and eight MBA candidates received degrees from Tabor's School of Adult and Graduate Studies in Wichita, Kan. The total of 155 proposed graduates was the college's largest graduaring class ever. Tabor's board chair, Lyndon W. Vix, was the commencement speaker. Vix is an attomey from Wichita, Kan.-Myra Holmes

Bucket Sunday

Heritage Bible centennial includes service

U.S. Mennonite Brethren institutions of higher education scored big in a "triple play" of spring graduations. A total of 574 students were the winners at Fresno Pacific University, MB Biblical Seminary and Tabor College ceremonies

First up was Fresno Pacific University, the MB school on the West Coast, with commencement exercises held May 8 at the school's main campus in Fresno, Calif. Approximately 150 graduated in the morning from the traditional undergraduate program; another 250 graduated in the aftemoon from the degree completion and master's degree programs.

Karen Cianci, dean of the School of Natural Sciences, gave FPU's morning commencement address, titled, "Marshmallows, Commencement and the Kingdom." Ron Claassen, director of the university's Center for Peacemaking and Conflict Studies, gave the afternoon address, titled, "Power, Process and Doing the Right Thing."

Next up in the graduation lineup was MBBS, the MB school for graduate theological education, with a main campus in Fresno, Calif., and Canadian campuses in Langley, BC, and Winnipeg. Man. Nineteen graduated in Fresno May 16, including nine with master's degrees in marriage, family and child counseling. three with Master of Divinity degrees, two with master's in New Testament, one with master's in Christian ministry, one with a diploma in congregational care, two with master's in theology and one with a diploma in Christian studies. The commencement speaker was Larry Martens, retired MB pastor and former MBBS president.

In addition, 10 graduated from MBBS's Canadian campuses at a ceremony held April 25 at Northview Community Church, Abbotsford, BC.

Last but not least, Tabor College, the MB liberal-arts college in the Midwest, marked its looth commencement May 22 with exercis-

Fresno Pacific University seniors officially mark their graduation by movi ng their tassels.

Heritage Bible Church in Bakersfield, Calif., is celebrating its centennial year. To commemorate God's goodness and blessing. every month from September of 2009 to September of 2010 the congregation is focusing on a different aspect of their ministry over the past 100 years. In March they chose to focus on their involvement with MCC by hosting a service project in which the entire church could take part.

Centennial Committee members Jerry and Connie Koop spearheaded this event, dubbed "Bucket Sunday." For weeks the congregation collected the necessary items to include in MCC relief kits. The buckets were packed during the break period between the first and second worship services March 14.

The entire church family was able to participate, from youth to elderly folks, as workers formed a 'bucket brigade." Buckets were pushed along a row of tables, workers adding each item in sequence. The buckets were loaded after the second worship service that morn-

Heritage Bible teens join the bucket brigade.

ing and taken to the MCC warehouse in Reedley, Calif. They were shipped to Haiti AprilS.

Senior Pastor Dave Froese says, "Hands-on involvement in ministry always has a greater impact on people than simply giving dollars. It was so inspiring to watch the effect on the hearts of the people when they delivered towels and toothpaste and soap, and then packed the buckets, knowing they were going to go to someone in desperate need."

Relief kits provide essential first aid, hygienic and medical supplies to families traumatized by war and other disasters. MCC made a special request for 20,000 kits to be sent to Haiti to aid recovery efforts of the January earthquake that devastated the nation.

According to Michael Chapman, West Coast MCC Resource Development director, "Relief kits are a tangible way that MCC meets people's needs around the world in the name of Christ. Joining with Heritage in making 100 buckets was such a blessing. Watching everyone, young and old, rally around this cause of providing relief to disaster victims was proof that the church is active in helping redeem the brokenness of the world."

Sheri Wiedenhoefer, West Coast MCC executive director, spoke in the services about involvement of Mennonite Brethren churches in the formation and leadership of MCC throughout its history. Heritage Bible Church specifically traces its MCC history to the integral role it played in the formation of the modem relief sale movement. Without strong supporting churches like Heritage, the relief sales would not be such a success, and MCC would not be able to do the ongoing work it does around the world - Michelle Welch, HBC, and Emily Stednick, WCMCC Communications

Easy as pie

Denver youth raise funds with auction

FundraiSing is a sweet tradition for the youth and congregation of Belleview Community Church, Littleton, Colo. That's because the youth group's main-often their only-fundraiser each year revolves around pie.

It's a tradition that goes back at least one decade, maybe two. One Sunday each spring, the youth serve a simple lunch. This year's April 18 menu featured BBQ sandwiches, chips and crudites. But the highlight of the day comes after the meal, as homemade pies are auctioned off to the highest bidder

The pies are displayed during the meal, so potential bidders have opportunity to decide on their favorites. Students bring each donated pie to the stage, and the bidding begins. Jim Brenneman, a professional auctioneer from nearby Glennon Heights Mennonite Church, has donated his time and talent for the cause for a number of years, adding to the authenticity of the event.

Bidding is fast and furious and all in fun. Brotherly love and familial affiliations are momentarily set aside as friends and family

members compete for that strawberry rhubarb or banana cream. New bonds are made as table-mates pool funds to raise the stakes. And stakes are high indeed. This year, a bourbon-pecan pie took honors for the top bid, going for $500. A blackberry-sour cream pie went for $475.

The Belleview congregation consistently responds with generosity, even in tough economic times. Total proceeds from this spring's pie auction topped $6,000-pretty impressive for a congregation of about ISO.

'The Belleview congregation never ceases to amaze me in their generosity when it comes to our students," says student ministries pastor Blake Buhrman. "I think people get excited about giving to student ministry because they see what a difference it makes."

The proceeds help defray the cost of camps, mission projects, National Youth Convention and other youth activities. The youth group includes a number of students from the community who either have limited resources or no family connection to church, so funds often enable those students to be involved.

Buhrman says that people give generously because "they want to put as many kids as possible in a position to hear about Christ," so he works to honor that desire when using the funds.

While the Belleview youth are the big winners of the day, everyone gets a taste of "sweet success" as pies, ice cream and forks are passed around and shared. At this auction, everyone wins.Myra Holmes

Christine Rempel and Carly Wilhelm stand by pies prior to the auction that raised $16,000 for their youth group.

USC leaders meet in Phoenix

Four events held back-to-back

It was a marathon for U.S. Mennonite Brethren leaders who met April 1825 in Scottsdale, Ariz. While some participants attended only one in the series of four events scheduled that week, there were a number for whom it was at least a doubleheader, if not a triple.

The week began with the National Pastors' Orientation (NPO), scheduled for Monday through Wednesday and organized by the U .S. Conference (USC) Board of Faith and Life. The pastors' event, which drew 28 new pastoral staff, including six senior pastors, was designed to educate pastors, many who come from other denominational traditions, about Mennonite Brethren history and theology and to introduce pastors to U.S Conference (USC) ministries and leaders .

Key resource speakers were MB Biblical Seminary professors Valerie Rempel and Tim Geddert and district ministers Roger Engbrecht, Central District; Gary Wall, Pacific District; and Tim Sullivan, Southem District. Pastors could receive one hour of graduate credit from MBBS for Geddert's presentations on the Church and Its Mission.

Many of the USC leaders who participated in the NPO also attended the Leadership Summit, an annual gathering of national and binational ministry leaders. The Leadership Summit, not a decision-making body, provides the opportunity for sharing information and discussing issues that impact the national conference. This year the group spent Thursday evening talking about the decision to transfer the ownership of MB Biblical Seminary-Fresno to Fresno Pacific University, the university owned by the Pacific District Conference. The transfer was also discussed Friday during ministry reports.

More than two dozen men and women attended the 2010 Leadership Summit. They included representatives from MBMS Intemational and MB Biblical Seminary, two ministries co-owned by the U.S and Canadian Conferences; MB Foundation, the U.S. stewardship ministry; and Tabor College and Fresno Pacific University, the two regionally-owned U.S. Mennonite Brethren schools. Representatives from four of the five district conferences, the Board of Faith and Life chair and USC staff and Leadership Board members also attended.

Sandwiched between the NPO and Leadership Summit was a meeting of the national Board of Faith and Life, a group of nine individuals responsible for providing theological oversight to the denomination.

In his report at the Leadership Summit, BFL chair Larry Nikkel of Wichita, Kan., reported that the board met with two representatives of the Canadian Conference BFL to discuss the Memorandum of Understanding that guides the relationship between the two North American BFLs and continued work on its topical pamphlet series. BFL is also outlining how it will continue to provide theological oversight to MBBS-Fresno, a mandate given to BFL by USC bylaws, once the U.S. seminary program is transferred to Fresno Pacific University.

Nikkel concluded by saying BFL is concemed about the discrepancy between what the Confession of Faith says and how U.S . Mennonite

Brethren live out those convictions. Summit participants affirmed BFL for wrestling with how best to lead the denomination in the difficult task of matching word and deed.

The Leadership Summit was followed by one-and-a-half days of Leadership Board (LB) meetings; the LB is a nine-member board that functions as the conference in interim. The LB heard from USC staff members Ed Boschman, executive director; Donna Sullivan, administrative assistant; Don Morris, Mission USA director; and Connie Faber, Christian Leader editor. Written reports from denominational and inter-Mennonite ministries were also reviewed.

While updates dominated the LB's agenda, the board took action on several matters. Meeting in executive session, the LB approved a 1.5 percent pay increase for USC staff, a 2010-11 USC budget of $714,136 and a sabbatical policy for full-time USC staff While in executive session the LB also formalized three specific requests regarding a new Christian Leader format that will be introduced later this year and voted to reduce CL staff hours from a total of 46 hours per week to 30 hours per week, effective Nov. I.

The LB approved an amendment to USC bylaws regarding the membership of the national Board of Faith and Life. Delegates to the USC July convention will act on this recommendation, designed to include district ministers, by virtue of office, as full BFL members. The LB approved a new part-time staff position, director of electronic communication, to be filled as soon as an appropriate candidate is secured.-Connie Faber

Leadership board members Rolando Mireles, Jr. and Kathy Isaac discuss recent changes at MB Biblical Seminary. '

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ON THE Journey

by Rose Buschman

Bordering on disaster

Border unrest impacts ministry efforts

This past week I received a disturbing phone call from a friend in south Texas who is my contact with an orphanage just across the border in Mexico. For security reasons, references to people and places in this article will be vague. My friend reported that some drug cartel members recently showed up at this orphanage with guns drawn and demanded that all the children and caregivers leave immediately.

Fearful for their lives, they complied. The drug cartel moved in and took over the orphanage facilities. People in a nearby town are temporarily caring for the children. The orphanage director was able to go back and retrieve some clClthes for the children-nothing else.

This orphanage began several years age when a pastor visiting this community from a nearby American city became concerned about the many street children he saw who were homeless and in need of care. He and his wife, together with members of his church family, responded to the tremendous need they saw. They received permission from local authorities to use a small abandoned manufacturing plant as their home base. With help from mission groups and others from both sides of the border, they turned this facility into a nice home for children who need one. Now it has been stolen from them.

The need in this community is great. For example, police brought three children-ages eight, six and threeto the home The three were found living under a bridge where their mother had abandoned them. From evidence at the site, police estimated that the children had been there at least seven to 10 days. In another case, an uncle brought his nephew to the home. 'We don't want him anymore," he told the director.

It is hard for me to imagine what has now happened there. Just last summer my husband and I visited this orphanage and watched as the children participated in a vacation Bible school program put on by a visiting mission group. We felt perfectly safe In fact, I've been there several times over the past few years and always felt safe. Now, because of the activities of rival drug cartels fighting each

other for territory, things are very different in this town.

In the past, my friend was able to collect supplies from several food banks on the American side. The pastor would then take this food across to the orphanage. Now this is no longer possible. Cartel members have taken over the town, not just the orphanage. They watch the border and confiscate anything coming across that they want for their own use.

This pastor still crosses the border, risking his life to do so. So far, he has been able to take some cash across to buy food locally. His wife is staying with the children to help care for them. However, this puts a serious strain on their ministry. Local officials are recommending to the orphanage director that the orphanage be-relocated to another-eity. This will require a serious infusion of new cash.

While not all areas along the border are dangerous and visitors continue to safely cross the border between the U.S. and Mexico, the unrest at the border has caused a significant number of mission trips to be canceled. Orphanages and ministry centers in these communities rely on these visits for the needed income to function throughout the year. Now, with the increased level of unrest due to the drug cartels fighting each other for territory, many of these ministries are struggling to survive.

Groups that choose to cancel their ministry trips would do well to consider raising the money for the cancelled trip and then sending it down to the organization they had planned to visit. Right now, orphanages and other ministries desperately need cash in order to provide for the basic needs of their homes-electricity, food, clothes, health care, school fees and supplies.

Please keep our Christian brothers and sisters in your prayers as they seek to minister in areas which are at times dangerous. Let's support them not only with our prayers but also with our cash.

-t Post your comment on this column at usmb.orglchristian-leader

BAPTISM/MEMBERSHIP

Grant, Neb. (New Lifel-Dennis Watkins and John Long were received as members May 2.

Bakersfield, Calif. (Laurelglenl - Leah Stewart and Loren Kolb, Jr., were bapt ized April 1B. Oscar Arevalo was baptized April 11. Betty Ruiz was baptized March 21.

Edmond, Okla. (Memorial Roadl - Amanda Becker was baptized and received as a member April lB. Chris Becker, Kevin and Karan Ediger, Wade and Danielle Farquhar, Jeremy and Amy Jordan, Gabe Pennington, Christa Towns and Matt and Jennifer Winton were received as members

Henderson, Neb.-Bailey Friesen and Kim Goossen were baptized April lB

Hesston, Kan. - Kenny Fairchild and Abigail Reimer were baptized April lB

Wichita, Kan. (Firstl - Jan Arbuckle was baptized and received as a member April 11. Barry Arbuckle was also received as a member. Mary Delmez, Penny Lasater and Michelle Miller were baptized and received as members March 14 Keith and Rochelle Stutzman, John and Bennie Booth, Doug and Chellie Powers, Lloyd and Leanne Hoskins and Brad and Karen Bartel were also received as members.

Littleton, Colo. (Belleviewl-Mariah Kliewer, Mandy Rempel and Shelby McCool were baptized and received as members April 11

Buhler, Kan -Jack Adkins, Sarah Hagen , Erin Kirchoff, Karley Mishler, Laura Pankratz, Marty and Misty Robertson, Steven and Cinda Rogers were baptized and received as members April 11. Kaley Dick and Kaylee Schmidt were baptized and received as members April 4 Doug Kennel was also received asa member

Reedley, Calif.-Carlos Ayala, Manuel Ayala, Jacob Balakian, Rob Carroll, Amanda Collin, Bryce Collin , Jessica Davison, Alice Honorato , Zach Just, Lexi Peters, Christopher Rosedale, Sam Szpor, Zack Trostel Lopes and Megan Warkentin were baptized and received as members April 4 Corrine Cano, Randy Flaming, Sherry Flaming, Dave Frietas, Ruth Frietas , Gordon Turner and Yvonne Turner were also received as members

Yale, SD (Bethell-Chet Glanzer, Keith Ulvestad, Allison Waldner, Caroline Waldner and Tom Waldner were baptized and received as members April 4

Kingsburg, Calif.-Margaret Vasquez , Julie Wright and Andrea Wiest were baptized April 4 and received as members April 25.

Fairview, Okla .- Weston Chu rc h, Will Church, Becca Davis, Maggie Martens, Brylee McCue, Baylee Sharp, Taylor Sharp and Ella Strader were baptized and received as members April 4.

Fresno, Calif. (Butlerl-Yolanda Gutierrez, Steve Rogers and Carmen Burgos were baptized and received as members April 4.

Orland, Calif. (Country Biblel-Micah, Seth and Anneka Danley, Katie, Kendra and Nicole Gordon, Ashley Darrow, Nicolas Bergen and Johnathan Bostrom were received as members April 4

Fresno, Calif. (North Fresnol - Angel Borjas, Jenny Borjas, Jason Brooks, Ryan Hau, Elizabeth JonesWiebe, Drake Martens, Rebeca Pessoa and Sherry Rivera were baptized April 4. Jill Brooks, Lori Doyle, Kris Klein, Jerry Richert, Nori and Yoshka Terashima and Willie Vogt were received as members

Inman, Kan. (Zoarl-Greg Friesen was baptized and received as a member Manch 2B; Sausha Friesen was also received as a member Matt and Jamie Pitzer were received as members Feb. 2B. Jason and

Keli Teeter were baptized and received as members Feb 21; Reg and Paula Teeter were also received as members. Luke Froese, Darlene Stucky and Rustin and Michelle Lafferty were received as members Feb. 12

Dinuba, Calif. - Debbie Collazo, Jose Romero and Janet Zepeda were baptized and received as members March 21 Mary Al aniz and Aaron Bryan were also received as members

Bakersfield, Calif (Rosedalel-David Younger and Kelly Fast were bapt ized and received as members March 7.

Fresno, Calif. (Bethanyl-Davis Huang , Yixiang Feng, Linda Van Tian, Xin Wang , Jeff Dahlgren, Zedekiah Fries, Janice Line, Courtney Smith, Miranda Reckard and Nick MacNeill were received as members Manch 7 via a membership class or baptism.

Cordell, Okla (Biblel-Andy Weller was baptized and received as a member Feb 28.

FELLOWSHIP

Littleton, Colo. IBelleviewl-A May B ''La Di Da Brunch " for women of all ages featured a fun fashion show from various decades. Seniors invited singles and young married couples to a get-acquainted potluck Manch 13.

Fresno, Calif, (North Fresnol-A women's spring event May 6 featured hats and the speaker spoke on, " My Life in Hats. "

Wichita, Kan. (Firstl-Attendees shared talents and hobbies during STAGE Night (Sharing Talents and God's Excellence! May 5. Men gathered April 10 for prayer with Al Ewert from World Impact's Morning Star Ranch, then traveled to the Florence, Kan., ministry for a tour.

Hays, Kan. (North Oakl-Women were encouraged to wear poodle skirts and saddle shoes to a May 2 mother/daughter social with a '50s theme

Reedley, Calif.- The April 27 senior adult event focused on chocolate and included a chocolate dessert buffet and a movie about Milton Hershey, founder of Hershey Chocolate Company

Cimarron, Kan.(Valleyview Biblel-Women held a progressive dinner April 23.

Mountain Lake, Minn, (Community Biblel-An April 12 women 's event, held at a local senior residence center, centered on purses, with a devotional titled, "What's in Your Purse?" Prizes were awarded for the heaviest, lightest, largest and oldest purses

IT ' S FANTA STIC T O BE FREED FRO M EARTH!.Y FETTERS SU CH A S UNGER, BU T FRANK L Y, I REALLY M ISS T HE PO TlUCKS

Weatherford, Okla, (Pine Acresl-Men attended a "battle camp " with the theme "Heart of a Warrior" April 8-11.

Rapid City, SD (Bible Fellowshipl-An all -church ice skating event was held April 10.

Eugene, Ore. (North Parkl-Women meet monthly for crafting and a salad lunch

Bakersfield, Calif. (Laurelglenl-Dads and kids enjoyed activities at the church March 20 while women were at a retreat.

Fresno, Calif,(Bethanyl-Fathers and sons built a project, ate ice cream and heard a professional football speaker at an event March 19.

Blaine, Wash. (Birch Bay Bible CommunitylFourteen couples attended a marriage retreat March 12- 14, based on the video series, 'laugh Your Way into a Better Marriage," by Mark Gungor MINISTRY

Bakersfield, Calif (Heritage Biblel-High school and college students plan to go to Costa Rica for a short-term mission trip June 28 -July 10

Wichita, Kan. (Firstl - The church is offering respite care for those with special needs children

June 25 The even ing includes short-term skilled care, recreational therapy and socialization, all with a biblical theme A team is headed to Mexico June 5-13 for a mission trip Eight people went to Thailand for two weeks in April to visit missionaries and projects supported by the church

Bakersfield, Calif. (Laurelglenl- The church is partnering with a local ministry to offer a weekly medical clinic on the church 's campus. The ministry targets those in the community with no public or private health insurance and is staffed by volunteers

Hays, Kan. (North Oakl-A team will travel to Kansas City, Mo ., June 21-26, to support and learn about Watershed, a Mission USA church plant in that city.

Rapid City, SD (Bible Fellowshipl-Middle school students participating in the church's first-ever mission trip for that age group will go to Pine Ridge Native American Reservation June 12- 18

Kingsburg, Calif. -A carnival May 5 included families from Kingsburg MB , Iglesia Agua Viva, the Spanish-language MB congregation that shares Kingsburg facilities, and Happy Days, the preschool on the church campus.

Bakersfield, Calif. (The Bridgel-A small group collects donations of excess fruits and vegetables once a month and gives it to a ministry that serves the area 's poorest.

Meno, Okla. (New Hopedalel-The church is now operating a community food bank

Topeka, Kan. (Cornerstone CommunitylAttendees were encouraged to invite friends and neighbors to the service April 25, then out to lunch as part of "Community Sunday."

Fresno, Calif. (Mountain Viewl-A "Go Fresno " local mission emphasis March 29-April 1 included opportunities such as neighborhood acts of kindness, a community food bank, spring cleaning projects at the church, inner city ministry, pancake breakfast for the community, motorcycle ride and church cleanup Kids in first through sixth grades spent the evenings building and racing cars

Littleton, Colo. (Belleview Communityl-Women collected donated prom dresses, then made them available to young women from the community March 27

Dinuba, Calif,-Rhonda Ysusi served with a medical team in Haiti March 20-April4

Minot, ND (Bible Fellowshipl-Women tied 57 quilts for MCC relief in Haiti.

Sioux Falls, SD (Lincoln HiUsI-The congregation's annual Operation Prom Dress event March 20 drew about 70 teen girls, who were treated to pedicures, manicures and facials and allowed to choose from 400 donated prom dresses

Fresno, Calif. (Bethanyl-Women did yard work and cleaning March 6 for a needy homeowner through Fresno Urban Neighborhood Development. The church's "Sod Squad " volunteers save the church about $50 ,000 per year in weekly cleaning , mowing and upkeep of the church's 20 -acre lot

Fresno, Calif. (Butlerl-Some 13 volunteers participated in a community outreach to needy families in the community in March. Diapers, wipes, sleepers, jackets and bags of food were distributed to 54 families, includ ing 84 children

PROCLAMATION

Hillsboro, Kan.(Parkviewl-Gracia Burnham, who was held captive as a missionary in the Philipp ines, spoke at a May 9 evening service

Weatherford, Okla. (Pine Acresl - April 24 the church hosted a simulcast seminar by Beth Moore, "So Long, Insecurity "

Blaine, Wash. (Birch Bayl-Bob and Christina Davis, workers in Thailand, spoke March 21.

TEACHING/NURTURE

Inman, Kin. (Zoarl-In preparation for Easter, a representative from Jews for Jesus recreated the traditional Passover March 22 and explained how it foreshadowed Jesus' death and resurrection

WORKERS

Fresno, Calif. (Bethanyl-Jedidiah Carpentier is the church's new choral director.

Bakersfield, Calif. (Heritagel-Vernon Reimer resigned as pastor of visitation March 1.

Enid, Okla.-Jerred Unruh was installed March 28 as the new student ministry pastor.

Littleton, Colo. (Belleviewl-Pastor Mike Andrews will be on sabbatical June, July and September.

Eugene, Ore. (North Parkl-Pastor Mike Spinelli has resigned, effective June 30.

Bakersfield, Calif. (Laurelglenl - Tod Eenigenburg is the new lead pastor. He will begin preaching in early June

Hesston, Kin.-Pastor Steve Toews has resigned Larry Thompson has been called as interim lead pastor.

WORSHIP

Fresno, Calif. (North Fresnol- The choir presented the Easter musical "Calvary's Love " April 4. During Lent, a table at the front of the sanctuary included symbolic objects to encourage reflection Some of the items were: burlap representing humility, ashes representing human mortality and need for Jesus, a lamp as a sign of waiting with hope, 30 pieces of silver for the betrayal of Jesus, a whip to remind of the suffering of Jesus, and a crown of thorns for the mockery Jesus endured.

Fresno, calif. (Butlerl-Easter communion included fish, remembering Jesus' meal with his disciples after his resurrection. During worship March 28, the Common Ground congregation hung weights, representing troubles and distractions, from a cross as a visual demonstration of Heb 12:1-2

Minot, ND (Bible Fellowshipl-Easter worship included a time of sharing memories that "ignite our faith ."

Dinuba, Calif.- The choir presented the musical "Worthy! The Song of the Ages " on Easter morning

Pontius' Puddle

Eugene, Ore. (North Parld-Families from the community. especially those who normally attend the congregation's First Friday ministry, were invited to an interactive Good Friday evening, with 12 stations that told the story of the crucifixion, a participatory lesson by pastor Mike Spinelli, a light supper and worship.

Harvey, NO -The church participated in a community-wide Good Friday service with four other churches.

Inman, Kan. (Zoarl-The church hosted the community presentation of the Easter musical "The Borrowed Tomb" March 28.

Edmond, Okla. (Memorial Roadl-Famil ies and individuals were encouraged to come to the church for an unhurried time of guided reflection during the week leading up to Easter.

Freeman, so (Sa18ml-Youtil used puppets during worship as part of Youth Sunday March 14.

YOUTH

Hays, Kan (North Oakl-A BBQ May 12 honored high school seniors

Bakersfield, CaUf. (Rosedalel-High school youth and leaders served an inner-city mission in Los Angeles March 28"April 1.

Wichita, Kan. (Firstl-High school seniors made and distributed sack lunches for the city's homeless March 26-27

Fresno, Calif. (North Fresnol-Fifth and sixth grade students sold lemonade after services in March to raise money for Haiti relief.

Henderson, Neb.-Junior and senior high youth attended the Dare 2 Share conference in Lincoln, Neb , Feb 26-27 The conference challenges youth to share their faith with their friends and other people

Olathe, Kan ; (Community Biblel-In February youth helped assemble 1,250 food kits to help displaced ch ildren and orphans in Haiti

DEATHS

BULLER, MARI NE M•• 95, En id. Ok la • member of Enid MB Church, died April 3, 2010 Spouse: William "Bill" Buller. deceased Parents: Abraham E. and Minnie (Frantz) Pankratz Children : Loretta Janzen. James; three grandchildren ; five great-grandch ildren

DYCK, ISAAC WIEBE. 74 Corn, Okla., of Corn MB Church , died April 26, 2010 Spouse: Judy Fehr Children : Pete, Isaac, Johan, Jacob Ann Hunzicker, Lisa Bradbury, Judy Goodman, Lena Funkhouser; four grandchildren; two great-grandchildren.

FAUL, WAYNE H., 79, Harvey, ND, member of Harvey MB Church, died Nov. 18, 2009. Parents: Herbert and Leila [Trout! Faul. Spouse: Norma Lautt. Children : Owen, Jason, Perry; nine grandchildren; two great-grandchildren.

' FRANZ; MARY G•• 103, Hillsboro, Kari , member cif Enid [Okla.) MB Church, died March 29 , 2010 Spouse : George Franz, deceased Parents: Klaas and Susanna [Fastl Wiens. Children : Robert, Roger, George; seven grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren

GIVAN, GLEN A. , 80, Denver, Colo., charter member of Garden Park Church, Denver, died July 31, 2009 Spouse : Berniece. Parents: Clarence and Zelia Givan Children: Jane Schultes, Timothy, Judi De Bock; nine grandchildren; three great-grandchildren

HARPER, SUSAN, 53, Fresno, Calif , member of North Fresno MB Church , died March 29, 2010 Spouse: George Harper. Parents : Don and Peggy Freeman. Children: Jessica, Valerie .

HENDRIX. EUNI CE, 88, Valdese, NC, of Darby MB Church, Ferguson, NC, died April 5, 2010 Spouse: Fane Ervin Hendrix , deceased . Parents: James and Eva [Gentry) Hatton Ch ildren: Roger, Joe, Michael, Charles, Leven, Norris, Patricia Morrison ; 14 grandcl1ildren ; 13 great-grandchildren

HORTON , SHI RLEY, 68, Lenoir, NC, of Bushtown MB Church, Lenoir, died April 14, 2010 Parents : Charlie and Murty Isbell Horton.

JOHNSON, WI LUAM J., 95, Hillsboro, Kan., member of Parkview MB Church, Hillsboro, died April 23, 2010 Spou se: Georgina Korne l sen, deceased Parents: Peter and Kather ine Johnson Children : Carey, Denise Hendrickson ; four grandchildren ; two great-grandchildren

JUST, HAROLD, 83 Hillsboro, Kan., member of Hillsboro MB Church, died Feb 18, 2010. Spouse : Mary Goentzel, deceased Parents : Fred and Susie Just. Children: Shirley, Dennis, Dorothy, Leroy; nine grandchildren ; four great-grandchildren

NIKKEL, EDWARD C., 89, Shafter, Calif , member of Shafter MB Church, died March 27, 2010. Spouse : Alma Nikkel. Parents : Jacob and Emma [Reimer) Nikkel. Children: James, Robert, Donald ; four grandchildren; three great -grandchildren

PENNER, EDWA RD E., 88, Hillsboro , Kan., of Hillsboro MB Church, died Feb. 10, 2010. Spouse: Lula Schmidt. Parents : Jacob and Helena [Epp) Penner. Children: Robert, Darryl, Berkeley Barron, Arlen; 16 grandchildren; three great-grandchildren

REGIER, NELDA, 71, Hampton, Neb. , member of Henderson [Neb.! MB Church, died March 18,2010

Spouse : Michael Regier Parents : Jacob and Susan [Kliewer) Hodel. Children : Jody, Denise Vanosdall, Marc, Nikki Goertzen; four grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren

SEIBEL,ANNARICHERT, 99, Hillsboro , Kan. , member of Hillsboro MB Church, died April 2, 2010. Spouse : Solomon Seibel. deceased. Parents : Abraham J. and Maria Wall Richert Ch ildren : Joan and Gilbert ; 16 grandch ildren.

UNRUH, ESTHER EUZABETH, 93, Shafter, Calif., member of Shafter MB Church. died April 10, 2010. Spouse: John Waldo UnrUh, deceased. Parents: George John and Anna E Hiebert Children : Jerry, Richard , Tim; seven grandchildren; seven greatgrandchildren

" .nnonfte Brethren theolosian David Ewert died April '3, had served fat: mote-rlta!). 70 years gifts of inteUea.lHibUc speaking. teaching and compelli.leadersbip Du nd half of tbe 20th century. Ewert spok, to an abunpance of theologicalissues Mennonite Brethren. ct of his ministry an,d service as a Bible tea¢ller, preacher, scholar ana'Wl'iter extends beyond the ,..MB North America to Europe. South America. Africa and aUs$ia. Ewerts knowledge and 0 re made bis a voiee that couldr(t easily be dismissed..

Ewert":! S . year teaching career included seven ytars

2.5 arMB Bible Coli. in Mm:. three at Eastern Mennonite in VifiJitda And nine years at M-B Biblical Selflinaty" (MB:BS) in F .. He1s die aut®tof m6re than:to books. A cbapter commem()taringEwert,s life and ministty will iit el.Leah Who Us. a recently released book edited by Har-01d anli published by Kindred he of the Canadian MB Conference. Ew in 'n immjgrated¥t6 Canada with his parents in 19z6 He was a member Gf

tvi Ih.t Ab otP. Be He by his wife of 6$ years, (Harom); SOIh re da husbafld Ray Mattens, Ma'.Qnne and husband :8Q1:> Worcester. .ah4 I>orettn: l.lt s" Abe. Etiza1SerJrand Hen.\y; fz-3randchtldren..an.4 four - COMBe

The church doesn't compare

Why the private business model doesn't always work

Recently I read an interesting article about the widespread feeling that government agencies should be run more like private businesses. Unlike wasteful government, the argurnent goes, the private sector lives by a strict code of efficiency and excellence

Except when it doesn't I always scratch my head a little when private business practices are upheld as the way to run everything. You rnean we should follow the example of the famous car company that knowingly sold products with dangerous flaws and covered it up to avoid bad publicity? Or how about corporations that rake

fiscally conservative like a,business, position itself in the marketplace like a business and give customers what they want like a business. These are pretty good as basic principles. We need to use money wisely, have a relatable identity in the community and be interesting for newcomers. But at some point the comparisons breakdown

Once in a church meeting, for instance, I shared my feeling that we shouldn't cut funds to missions to meet a shrinking budget but instead should reduce some internal support services . I was surprised at the general wave of resistance to that Someone said it

o r[ hat kind o f thing bothers me . rrhe p rimary mis sio n of a church is not to main.

tain its infras tru ct ure but to O Ul t o p e opl e .

in billions, pay their executives millions, yet jack up prices for us common folk? Or perhaps you're referring to the business owner in my town who took payments to help homeowners avoid foreclosure, then pocketed the money rather than actually doing anything.

Oh, you don't mean we should embrace those kinds of business practices? OK, just trying to be clear.

My point is that you can find fraud and waste in government, and you can find it in the private sector. You can also find efficiency and excellence in the private sector; believe it or not, you can also find it in government. I hear the scoffing out there, possibly from that guy who once asked me how my government job was going. 'We're really busy," I replied.

He gave me a double take and declared, ''Whataya mean, busy? I thought you worked for the state." Badum bum.

From rny busy publishing office I've never wimessed the legend of the nonworking state worker, but I've heard stories. Just like I've heard accounts from private-sector employees about coworkers who pawn off tasks and tty to do as little as possible.

Getting back to the article I read, a point was made that it's not always helpful to compare government work with private business. There's a difference between providing services the public needs and offering products consumers might want. Obviously there are cases in which government agencies could manage taxpayer dollars a lot more efficiently. But it's also true that serving a vast and varied population of citizens is kind of inefficient by nature.

From here we could move into a discussion about what services the public really needs or doesn't need. But since that conversation would last until the end of time, let's just move on.

Private business models often get bandied about in churches too. To cite a few examples, it's said that a church should be

wasn't good business to stretch our dollars oversees when there were needs at home.That kind of thing bothers me. The primary mission of a church is not to maintain its infrastructure but to reach out to people.

As for giving customers what they want, that only goes so far. The whole seeker church movement started with this principlefinding out what people liked and didn't like about churches. then starting a church based on what they liked. The good thing is that it attracted a lot of newcomers; the bad thing is that it created the current consumer church. People shop for a church like a cell phone, then when they get tired of their phone, I mean church, they go out and look for a new one.

Regarding the promotion of our churches in the marketplace through advertising and demographic calculation, well, I don't know. I used to be into that kind of stuff, but I'm no longer convinced that selling our churches like products is what we really want to do. Product placement is what our culture does, and look at the results. We've become a nation of flighty consumers addicted to the short-term thrills of trendy gadgets and 1V seasons and YouTube sensations.

When you view those kinds of excitements next to the boring old church, with its unassuming, dedicated, caring people of faith, the church really doesn't compare. And I thank the good Lord for that.

-1l Post your comment on this column at usmb.orglchristian-leader

Three wishes

What I wish for U.S. Mennonite Brethren

Birthday cakes and candles go hand in hand, as does the tradition of having the birthday person make a secret wish that will be realized if all the candles are extinguished in a single breath. Since we in North America will be celebrating the 150th birthday of the Mennonite Brethren this July with a weeklong celebration, I want to share my wishes for our church family in the United States .

I wish we U.S. Mennonite Brethren would do what we say. The struggle to have congruency between belief and action is one shared by Christians through the ages. Inconsistency between what the Bible teaches and how Mennonites were living prompted our spiritual ancestors to break away from their church and community 150 years ago and to form the Mennonite Brethren Church.

This commitment to have a consistent witness in belief and behavior is prompting our U.S Conference Board of Faith and Life (BFL) to begin looking at how we 21st century U.S. Mennonite Brethren measure up to our stated convictions. Denominational leaders who participated this past April in the annual Leadership Summit encouraged BFL chair Larry Nikkel and the board to courageously lead the denomination in this quest. Becoming Christians characterized by theological integrity will require some of us to lead, most of us to follow and all of us to wisely execute our responsibilities in this process. We need bold leaders and valiant followers.

I wish that we would handle our disagreements in healthy ways. Several news stories in this issue allude to the fact that disagreements can become conflicts that create unhealthy situations. This happens in local congregations as well as at district and national levels. To imagine that Christians-and Mennonite Brethren - will never disagree is pie-in-the-sky thinking. On the other hand, to believe that disagreements can be resolved before they do permanent harm is to prioritize biblical peacemaking.

Leadership matters in every sphere of life, says Ken Sande, president of Peacemaker Ministries, a Christian organization endorsed by the U.S. Conference that offers conflict resolution resources to churches. Even in the healthiest organizations, including the church, conflict and leadership are interwoven threads . It is not uncommon for U.S. Mennonite Brethren leaders with some history in our denomination to talk, some-

times laughingly, about ours as a dysfunctional family. They recall that conference leaders have not always handled disagreements in healthy ways. Nor have they always processed decisions in ways that kept everyone on the same page. Nor have leaders always talked directly to and honestly with one another about important things.

Admitting that leadership in our denomination has at times been flawed is helpful, but it is not enough. We must be willing to do the hard work and invest the time it takes to build a culture of peace among U.S. Mennonite Brethren. Those of us in leadership need to avoid corporate thinking-"results over relationships." Instead, when leadership and conflict intersect we are called to put into the practice the counter-cultural message of Jesus Christ. We don't just repeat what our Confession of Faith says about being agents of reconciliation but commit ourselves to putting that conviction into practice. It means that our leaders, boards and committees put a higher priority on relationships than the speed by which agenda is addressed.

I wish that we would be people who radiate hope. The mission of our denomination is to "partner as one family to serve one Lord on one mission, for the transformation of individuals, families and communities."

Our neighborhoods and schools are filled with people who need to hear that their messed-up lives can be different. We will meet people this month thanks to summer recreation programs or at the gym or swimming pool who may look put together on the outside but who are swamped with feelings of despair. People need our message of hope to nourish their souls and acts of kindness that acknowledge their physical needs. While some transformations come quickly, others require an exhausting investment of time and energy. Transformation can be messy and inconvenient. But we don't really have a choice. Being a disciple of Jesus Christ means demonstrating the kind of "true evangelical faith'; that Menno Simons describes: responding to spiritual and physical needs out of thanksgiving for what God has done for us New life is God's wonderful present to us and one that we can share with others. These are my wishes. Will they come true? That's up to us. -Connie Faber

Thanks to MB Herald editor Laura Kalmar for her "Make a wish" editorial, January 2010, that inspired my own wish list.

mplo}fment:

Ctiurcti

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