WHEN JESUS ASCENDED INTO HEAVEN, he left us-the church-to continue his work. Lately, it seems, churches in America have fallen on hard times. Membership is declining or plateauing, and many churches are closing their doors. How can we know if we are "doing" church right? What can we do to make sure our churches are healthy?
In our first article, Ed Boschman looks at the health of Mennonite Brethren churches in the United States. Boschman pulls on his as executive director of Mission USA, the church health and planting arm of the U.S. Conference. He gives an overview of our strengths and weaknesses and some ways to encourage church health.
Our next two articles explore two of those elements in depth. Discipleship is essential to a healthy church and a healthy Christian. Wendell Loewen explores discipleship, revealing that it is more costly-and more rewarding-than many of us realize. How we structure our churches is also important. In Acts, we have a candid snapshot of the New Testament church. Edmund Janzen takes a look and gives us three pointers we can take from the first century church to help us "do" church better.
Our fourth feature focuses on Easter, coming early next month. Phyllis Pellman Good reflects on the resurrection through the eyes of the two Marys. God often works in ways we don't expect-and Jesus' resurrection was no exception.
In Bodylife, we explore how Southern and Central District MB pastors are working towards making their churches more healthy. You can also read about what Mennonite Brethren and other Mennonite groups are doing around the world. Back home, it looks as if North American Mennonite Brethren are headed for some big changes-the General Conference executive committee released its initial recommendation to dissolve the General Conference and move towards more nationally-oriented responsibility.
Have a blessed Easter as we celebrate the resurrection of our Savior.
COMING
MARCH 20-23 - Estes '99, the quadrennial Mennonite Brethren youth convention, Estes Park, Colo.
APRIL 8-10 - U.S. Conference joint board meetings, Visalia, California.
-JULY 8-10 - Biennial General Conference convention, Wichita, Kan.
- JULY 11-14 - International Committee of Mennonite Brethren consultation, Buhler, Kan.
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FEATURES - Healthy churches DEPARTMENTS
Growing healthy churches
Churches in America are in trouble, rnost either declining or plateaued in membership. What can we do? BY ED BOSCHMAN
8 Walking as Jesus walked
We are called to walk as Jesus walked, but do we really know what that means? BY WENDELL LOEWEN
11 The way we lIdo" church
As we approach the twenty-first century, there are a few pointers we can pick up from the first century church. BY EDMUND
JANZEN
14 Into the resurrection
The two Marys entered a still garden, not expecting what they found. BY PHYLLIS PELLMAN GOOD
by Tim Neufeld
• Change the methods, not the message Ph'lip Side. ................... by Philip Wiebe 20
• Taking care of business?
Minds by Marvin Hein 21
• Forgiving the president and receiving blessings On the Journey by Rose Buschman 22
• The stories in family photos
• Pastors undertake program to work towards church health 24
• Central district pastors attend national CRM seminars 25
• Exec council supports dissolving General Conference 26
• U-SERV volunteers complete projects 27
• Earthquake aid a global effort 28
• Mission agencies take step towards global accountability 29
• Church News & Notes 32
• The church is not a product
ART CREDITS: Page 8, 9 and 10, Ed Wallowitch; page 11, 12 and 13, engraving by Gustave Dore; page 14, Alan Cliburn; page 29, Mennonite Central Committee photo by Wanda Kraybill.
Printing by Valley Offset Printing, Valley Center, Kansas.
BOARD OF COMMUNICATIONS: Kathy Heinrichs Wiest, chair; Peggy Goertzen, Phil Neufeld, Dalton Reimer, Herb Schroeder.
The Christian Leader (ISSN 0009-5149) is published monthly by the U.S. Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches, 315 S. Lincoln, Hillsboro, KS 67063. The Christian Leader seeks to inform Mennonite Brethren members and churches of the events, activities, decisions and issues of their denomination, and to instruct, inspire and initiate dialog so members will aspire to be faithful disciples of Christ as understood in the evangelical/Anabaptist theological tradition. However, the views expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent the position of the Christian Leader, the Board of Communications or the Mennonite Brethren Church.
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EDITOR
Connie Faber
EDITOR
Carmen Andres
In the plant and animal worlds, health results . in growth and reproduction. That is the normal and natural order of things. Plants and animals "know" instinctively that they exist to grow and reproduce. That's how God set it up. If the "biotic principle"-that healthy organisms grow all by themselves-is applied to the church, the conclusion is not too complex: healthy churches grow and reproduce!
Health, growth, and reproduction are the heart of Jesus' purpose for the church. Jesus gave us the great commandments: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself'" (Matt. 22:37-39). In the great commission, Jesus told us, " ... 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age'" (Matt. 28: 18-20). Jesus also told Peter, "And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it" (Matt. 16: 18). The Bible makes clear the mission of the church.
Churches in the United States, however, are in trouble. The dramatic changes in our American society have impacted virtually all churches. The rapid pace of change and its tumultuous aftermath have left some churches struggling to keep pace and even more churches dangerously lost
and ineffective. National statistics indicate that eight out of every 10 churches are plateaued or declining, and that half of those will close their doors within a decade.
Mennonite Brethren churches in America are not immune. While MB churches are multiplying overseas, the u.s. Conference has plateaued. Excepting the growth we have experienced through the assimilation of transcultural groups through the integrated ministries program, we have not grown much, if at all. We were about 20,000 members in the mid-1970's and still are today. Only a small number of churches have shown significant growth during those decades. Without them we would be facing a declining rather than a plateaued reality.
While there are many reasons churches don't grow, door-to-door surveys by prospective church planters asking nonchurch goers why they don't attend, tell us that they view church as irrelevant to them (90 percent). At the same time, those same people say they believe in God or a higher power (96 percent).
One way to understand these responses is to recognize that "packaging" is a large part of the problem. The liturgical form and musical style of many of today's churches still reflect the idiom in which they were born some three or four decades ago. Because we too often do things the way we have done them before, the vibrancy and vitality which were appropriately evident in the form and style of yesteryear eventually wear thin and then become ineffective for a large percentage of potential churchgoers among emerging generations. As a
result, what was once an effective church family is eroded at various points because of over or underemphasis of a particular element or even something as simple as the way in which a particular ministry or function of church life is exercised or experienced.
WHAT MAKES CHURCHES HEALTHY
There is no lack of desire for healthy growing churches-but how to get it done bedevils us.
Some years ago, German theologian-churchman Christian Schwartz set out to discover what elements of church health were common to growing churches. After studying more than 1000 churches in 32 countries and on all five continents, Schwartz reported that when churches have a significant degree of health in eight particular elements of church life, they are by all evidence vibrant and growing. What is even more astounding is that these churches grow "automatically"their growth is the natural result of their health. Schwartz also developed a questionnaire honed to remarkable reliability and accuracy, to evaluate these elements.
Several years ago, Mission USA-the U.S. Conference board dedicated to church growth and planting-began using this questionnaire to help Mennonite Brethren churches get an objective picture of their local church health. The questionnaire focuses on the eight essential elements that Schwartz identified: empowering leadership, gift-oriented ministry, passionate spirituality, functional structures, celebrative worship, disciplemaking small groups, relational evangelism, and loving relationships.
urc
Churches in the u.s. are in trouble. Eight out of 10 are declining or plateaued in membership-and half of those will close their doors within 10 years. What's wrong with our churches? Ed Boschman, executive director of the u.s. Conference Mission USA program, gives us an explanation and explores some ways that we can grow healthy churches.
There is no lack of desire for healthy growing· churchesbut how to get it done bedevils us.
HEALTHY CHURCHES
Since then, 32 churches have participated in the self-evaluation. On average, we are finding that we are weakest in disciplemaking small groups and functional structures, and our strengths lie in celebrative worship, visionary leadership and passionate spirituality. (It is important to note that these composite average responses represent only those churches that have responded and that not all of the respondents had the above summarized profile.)
ELEMENTS TO STRENGTHEN
• Church structures. Underlying our lack of vibrancy and reproduction in many instances is the organization of our churches and the debates about who decides and manages that structure. Schwartz found that this element-more than any otherspoints to the difference between growing and shrinking churches. He suggests that there is no theological legitimization for church structures apart from the contribution they make to the birth and growth of branches of the church of Jesus Christ. Could it be that our church structures, which have often become miniature Christianized democracies where decisions are made by casting ballots, have become barriers rather than enablers of health and growth? When we wrestle with the who-is-incharge-here question, we displace positive ministry with the energy we use to debate who is in charge.
'\. We need to ask ourselves if the forms of organization in our churches are effective and useful for
Vi:si:on:ary Leadership
KeV Questiont Do the pastor and church leaders set a vision:Q:ry direetio:n for the church and estabUsh goals for the church that m:otivate people to work for the acbievement of that visi:on1
Growing churches tlave a pastor who knows where the church should be going. He does not need to have all the sklUs hlrnsel1, but he must know how to find people to be ac't:lvety involved in the workJ how to motivate them and how to ma:ke use of t:hem in the growth of the church. He ma:s a vlsion Tor the church, and he e:rnpowers the chutch d:Ad its leaflers to be visionaries.
G:iftMobiUzing
lCey Questfon::ls the dlstributi:on of task:s i:n the church structured aCEordlng to what spiritual gifts. the i:ndividual Chdstians have?
Tne members of the church should be involved in the mlnistry 'for wotch they have spirj:tual gifts. vhis is the work they enjoy rnost; it is Alore ef:fective# and that is th:e wa:y G:oo intended things to 08. Wl:th th:i:s principle it is :possible to achieve moore with less eTfort than jf the work is t$:ckled witt-lout taki:ng into' account people's g:ifts.
the growth of the church. Good church structures free those people who have the gifts of leadership to lead, and through their leadership train, affirm, and free the church family at large to do the work of growing the church by investing their various gifts for church health and multiplication. Effective structures are lean and efficient and effectively serve the mission for which they are put in place.
• Discipleship. Have we assumed that once a person decides to be a Christian, they will just automatically become mature? That they will know automatically how to live in fulfillment of the great commandments and commission? That they will somehow grow in spiritual disciplines without teaching or accountability? Those are not good assumptions.
We need to ask if the small groups in our churches systematically meet the needs of the Christian. These small disciplemaking cell groups must help the individual Christian facilitate spiritual growth and find security, personal relationships and the chance to share spiritual experiences with others.
ELEMENTS OF STRENGTH
• Worship. It is a God-thing when we at various places are discovering more of what it means to have a vertical rather than horizontal experience in our gathered celebrations. Focusing more on the fact that music is a vehicle to provide an opportunity for us to focus on the Lord and present ourselves and our worship to Him is preferable to
Passi:onate spirituality
Key question: 1:$ the spiritual life of the Christian characterized by an intensive prayer ute, by enthusiasm andjoy1
The de<isive factor in the growth of a church is not the theology or the devotional style it stands TOf, but whether the Christiansllve their faith enthusiastkal'ly. It is a consistent pattern that Christlans ShOWrl'l0re cornmitrnent in their spirituaJ lives in growing churches than in shrinking ones.
Functional Structures
Key question: Are the 'forms of o:rga:niz8tion in ttl& church planned in term,s of their effectiveness and usefulness for the growth of the church,? to none of the eight essentiaf elements is there as great a difference between growing. and shrinking churcnes as tn this one. Theta is no other theo:logical l:egttbnization Tot church structures apart from the contrIbution they m:ake to the birth and growth of branches of the church. of Jesus Christ.
HEALTHY CHURCHES
impressing ourselves with making nice sounds. It's important to notice as well, that the younger-'generations stay in church when their musical tastes are included
• Leadership. It is worthy of thanks that we have visionary leaders among us. Some have gone so far as to say that we will not survive without godly visionary leaders. Schwartz observes that growing churches have pastors who know where the church should be going and that the pastor then empowers the church and its leaders to be visionaries too. Do we celebrate that kind of pastor? Are we ready for that? When God gives inspired vision to local church leaders, they need to be tested and reviewed, and when they prove appropriate, they ought to be supportively celebrated.
• Spirituality. Spiritual passion, Schwartz says, is demonstrated by an intensive prayer life and by enthusiasm and joy. The evidence is that we have happy and energized Christians among us who know that prayer is fundamental to our life, growth, and reproduction. This is especially encouraging because we have sometimes been viewed as primarily somber and seriously lacking in evidence of joy. When people who are not yet part of the church see us demonstrating genuine vibrancy and enthusiasm in our lives, they will find that "worth checking out." God knows, and we do too, that people outside of Christ often have precious little reason for joy in their lives.
TO WIN SOME
If we as individual Christians are not effective in bridging Christians into a relationship with God through Jesus and assimilating them into the church, we will not grow. Even if we would retain all the biological children God gives us, we would still be barely ahead of the plateau. That's why "to win some" has become Mission USA's prophetic battle cry. Unless we do win some, we will not have a long or healthy future.
Holding a mirror to ourselves as local churches and a U.S. constituency is a good and godly exercise. It is important to remember that analysis is not the as therapy. We have much treatment to anticipate. Because health and reproduction is Jesus' prayer for us, let's welcome whatever it takes to bring us to the state of health that will allow us to experience the natural and supernatural growth and reproduction that the Lord of the church has in mind for us .•.
Ed Boschman is the moderator of the General Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches and the executive director of Mission USA, the U.S. Conference ministry dedicated to local church renewal, church growth and church planting. Boschman has pastored churches in both the U.S. and Canada. He and his wife attend Copper Hills Community Church in Glendale, Ariz.
Ce:l:ebr.tive Wors:hip
Mey question:: Is 'the worship service an- inspiring experi:e:ncefor those who attend?
Whatever form a church service olay take, attendance at the services in growing churches [s f:e:lt to be an inspiring experience. This can be found both in Iltufglcidand in free service:s, -in serm:on..o:riented services and fA servtcesof op:en worship. The secret is found in the l:arge number of errthusiastk Christians wno take part.
D:isciplemaking Cell Groups
-Key que:stion: Is the range of small group:s in the church structured in such a way that it systQ:mallicaUy meets the needs of the Christia:l'ls?
Growh'lg: churches have asystern of smaU groups in which the· indlvid:ual Christian rlnds -securitYt personat relationships and the chance to share spiritual experiences with others. In these small groups there IS a fhJi=d boundary between just being t1brothers and sIsters in the faith fl and being friends. The larger a church beconlest the more decisive is the role played by small §,rou:ps in the UTe of the whole church.
Relational Eva:n:gelism
Key questi:on: Do the methods of evangelism empJQ,ed by the church have as their starting point the nee,ds of the people who 8:reto be reacbed? Growing churches succeed in w:itnessing in a way that is relevant t:o the questions and needs of the ta:rg:et g:rCUJ;f). EvangeUsrn is not uncierst:ood as a merely verbal a:etlo=rt., but as a relati:onshtp-a ministty of the g:os:p-et to aJI aspects of Hte, induding. personal and soclaJ needs
caring Relatio:nships
Key question: Is the church characterized by a bigh degree of love of the Christians for each other and fbr outsiders?
fn .growing churches the rela:th:>nshi:ps of the people each other are chara'cteri:zed by a -relatively high d:eg=ree of love and carlng. This is true bollh ,for th:e rela:t:i:<>nshlps of Christians B:mong the=rnselve:s and for their relationships towards those outslde the church. Thils hlgA love quotient proves to be a much stroA:,er and steadier attraction than evarlgeUstk progranls and catnJ;lai=gns that nlajor enttrely on verbal co:rnmun:icatlon. --is
Fora related news story, turn to page 24.
We are calle.d,',... to .... ·.lk:. ' .. wa ' . as Jesus walkedbut do we really know ? what that means. Do we know what it costS?
It wa.:.s a near.twarming scene. A peaceful Christ.mas Eve, huge flakes slowly fluttering,..-softly landing onto a thick layer of pillowy, white snow. Surrounded by shimmering lights and rations of green and red, we sang familiar, inspir ingcarols.
"Tbis is Cnristmas!" I thou,ght.
Alter a reading and a solo, we sang againnow; it was contemporary worship. The choruses centered on Christ's work on the cross. The dual focus of the evening between Jesus' birth and death, left a huge hole.
HWhat about His life?" I wondered. "Didn't Jesus teach us anything worth singing about?"
This story reflects the condition of our COAtemporary discipleship. Discipleship has come to mean many things-from being synonymous with evangelism to "doing" God's Word. The most recent discipleship trend tends to glorify Christ's birth and death and disregard his life ana teachings. This view of Christ, while probably unintentional, can lead to a flat form of discipleship.
One-Dimensional Discipleship
No one can criticize our preoccupation with Bethlehetn and Calvary. They are vital components of salvation. If Jesus had not entered the world, died and risen, there would be no hope of heaven or etemallife. Perhaps we prefer to magnify these realities because doing so costs us little. We're able to believe and leave our ethics untouched. But the passionate focus on Jesus' birth and death and the casual neglect of his life profoundly influence the way we live out our faith. Believing in Christ, then, gets us a first class ticket to eternity. O:ur beliefs are influenced, but our lives are not changed.
As a result, discipleship has been reduced to a semioptional endeavor in personal piety-a noble pursuit of consistent Bible reading and prayer. The occasional venture into personal evan,gelism rounds out the enterprise. These disci'plines, though good and necessary, are just the begin-
ning. Christ has called us to so much more.
A move in the right direction is "WWJD?"- the popular (and fashionable) acronym which reminds Christians to ask themselves, "What would Jesus do?" It's a very good discipleship question. Yet, I wonder if we fully understand what Jesus would do. Christ not only taught us to be loving, truthful, patient and nice-He spoke out against injustice, defended the poor, and confronted religious oppression. Jesus sacrificed, suffered and died, and warned his disciples that following him could lead them to the same fate.
Discipleship is central to the Anabaptist understanding of the Christian life. Jesus' invitation to "follow" is a call to lifelong discipleship. Becoming a Christian involves more than believing in Christ. It includes following-the imitation of Christ. It is our faJth expressed in obedient living. Jesus. must become our Savior and Lord.
Discipling is at the heart of the Great Commission (Matthew 28: 18-20). Among Jesus' last words to his disciples were "Go, therefore, and make dis ciples." Making disciples was a pursuit close to the heart of Jesus and ought to be of primary importance to us.
The "all of life" endeavor of discipleship and the process of disci pIing are powerful elements that can revitalize the church and influence our world. Today, there is a critical need to recapture a more complete expression of discipleship.
Three-Dimensional Discipleship
Biblical discipleship takes Christ's life and teachings seriously. It moves beyond personal piety, to include corporate and societal dimensions.
The personal aspect of discipleship challenges our ethics-our code of conduct. Biblical discipleship is about "folloWing Christ in daily life by bringing all of life under his lordship," says John Martin in Ventures in Discipleship. Lawrence Burkholder in The Anabaptist Vision of Discipleship tells us that discipleship includes that
BY WEN DEL LL0E WE N
Cbristiafiityis more than reflection upon Christ as the d:ivine Being who invaded time, and the appropriation of benefits of tne divine drama of the cross. Cbristianity is toe concrete and realistic 'imitation. of Cnrist's life and work in tne context of tn>e kingdom of God." There is no basic split between faith and life. "In Cnrist, salvation and ethics come together," says John Redekop in Anahaptism: The Basic Beliefs. Biblical discipleship takes seriously the question, "What does it mean to follow Christ-to submit life in its totality to. tne claims of the kingdom of Goa?"
Biblical discipleship has corporate expression. As disciples, we commit ourselves to the local body of Christ and together we grow in maturity. Bond... ed by loving commitment, we experience grace and encouragement as we practice loving accountability. The idea of tbe individual., victorious tian life is a damaging myth. It contradicts Christ's community vision for the church. Jesus calls us to a level of discipleship that can only be maintained through a vital corporate Christian life. Alone we cannot be all that God intends for us to be.
Biblical discipleship also has its societal application. The New Testament presents two opposing kingdoms. Disciples live in tension with the king... dom of this world as they live in the kingdom of God. But Christians today more accurately reflect the values of the dominant culture more than they mirror the value system of Jesus. We are called to confront the godless values of contemporary society and embody the ideals of God's kingdom in all aspects of life.
How can we recover biblical discipleship? Here are a few practical ideas.
Rethinking Our Values
The task of restoring biblical discipleship begins by reexamining some dearly held values. We need to look squarely at our ethics and ask, what ways do I exhibit cultural values rather than Jesus' values?" We should especially consioer the influence of the more subtle values of our society, such as individualism, materialism, the need for power, the emphasis on seIf fulfillment, an:d the anxious endeavor to secure one's own needs.
We have been conditioned to grasp whatever we can for ourselves, be it possessions, pOsition or power. But Jesus called his disciples to give up even their unalienable rights (Matt. 5:40). "The self"emptying Christ," theologian Henri Nouwen says, "always abandonedpower in favor of love." To fol.. low means to emulate nis radical ethics and make a clean break from the ethics of our world.
Such a split can be aided with the pastor's help on Sunday mornings, and with the concentrated effort of the church's educational program. In the midst of a two-kingdom tension, our allegiance clearly belongs to the kingdom of God. Jesus affirmed that our chief aim is to seek God's kingdom that stands in direct opposition to the kingdom of this world.
Cell Groups
Shepherd groups, D-groups, small groupsmany churches already have existing cell group structures. Such groups can provide a corporate context in which authentic spiritual growth can be considered, shaped, and expressed. When groups practice accountability and tangibly express their faith in everyday life, they begin to work more wholly at discipleship. In addition to current agenda, groups should seriously consider such questions as, "What does it mean to follow Jesus daily? How can I intentionally sacrifice for someone else? In what ways can we restore equity in behalf of the marginalized or rejected in our world?"
Freshly looking at Jesus' teachings and sincerely considering how they can be practiced will bring new life to the group and the church.
Discipling
Many Christians see discipleship as a belief system (a collection of ideas), rather than a lifestyle (the orientation of their lives). Through effective discipling young believers can move their discipleship beyond belief. Discipling is a process in which a more mature believer initiates a modeling relationship with a younger believer. More than a succession of meetings, discipling includes commitment, accountability, and interaction. Discipling activities can include building a home for Habitat for Humanity, spending an afternoon at a homeless shelter or throwing a party for a forgotten resident at the local nursing home. This approach involves taking the younger believer "under your wing"-seizing teachable moments to reproduce real-life and durable faith. Discipling requires the sacrifice of time and energy, but it's worth it.
Service
Inherent in Christ's call to follow is a clear call to serve. Our commitment to following Christ is made tangible as we meet others' needs. Jesus identified caring for those less fortunate as a service that demonstrates true Christianity. We ought to view human need the way Jesus did and should respond with loving service. Spiritual maturity comes as we move our concern away from ourselves to the needs of the poor.
Youth groups have been doing service projects for years. It's time that adults got involved. We claim, "I don't have the time to take a week off!" or, "It doesn't fit with my vacation plans." But perhaps sacrifice needs to be made. Mter all, service and sacrifice go hand-in-hand. Service to others demonstrates our faith, and we learn much from those we serve in the process. Jesus made it clear that the life of a disciple is the life of a servant (Mark 10:43; John 13:1-17). Sure, it's far easier to serve once in a while than it is to be a servant. But a consistent commitment to works of service can begin to form the desire for a lifestyle of serving.
"The key link between our lives and the kingdom of God," author Howard Snyder says, "is discipleship." Biblical discipleship is following Jesus and taking his words seriously. Many Christians today give little concrete evidence of doing either. Perhaps there is little interest in the cost that comes with following Christ.
Jesus made it clear that discipleship will be costly. So too will a recovery of biblical discipleship in the church. Contemporary, dynamic discipleship will require the power of the living Christ and a strong corporate influence. Biblical discipleship will transform lives, breathe new life into the church, and powerfully impact our culture and our world .•
Wendell Loewen is an assistant professor of Biblical and Religious Studies at Tabor College in Hillsboro, Kan. He and his family attend Parkview MB church, also in Hillsboro.
" " urc
BY EDMUND JANZEN
As we lTIove from century one to century twenty-one there are a few pointers we can take frolTI the New TestalTIent church.
It was the Fall of 1960. With eager anticipation I settled into my seat in my first Bible class-the Book of Acts-at the Mennonite Brethren Bible College in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Cold place, Winnipeg. + Finally, in strode our professor, Dr. John A. Toews. "People," he began, "we cannot be the first century Church; but by God's grace we can be a New Testament Church of the twentieth century."
And with these words Dr. Toews ture or organization that we can disstarted to warm our hearts as he cern in the New Testament that might unfolded the story of the early apos- guarantee our own continuity with tolic church. I confess that I have fallen that of the Early Apostolic Church? in love with the Book of Acts-in large
It is relatively easy to move quickly measure due to the early inspiration of into a debate with fellow Christians my professor, mentor, and friend. Acts about who has gotten it "right." Truthprovides us with so many insights and fully, we will do well to admit that our descriptions of that Early Church. own lenses are tinted; for we see the Added to that are the details of the Church-even our own Mennonite inner workings of many churches Brethren Church, "through a glass noted by the Apostle Paul, plus the let- darkly" (Paul's words in I Cor. 13). The ters of Peter, James, and John. Reading least we can do is to admit honestly these is like looking at a candid camera that few of us can promote our view of picture of how the Early Church was the New Testament Church structure as born, how it grew, how it functioned, the only view. and with what structure it evolved.
Nevertheless, there appear to be
Is there a model to be found that recognizable patterns of both church we might adapt that would make us leadership and structure in the New resemble that Early Church? Is there a Testament that are transferable from recognizable pattern of church struc- Century One to Century Twenty-one.
The New TestalTIent churches developed a leadership pattern that focused on a core group of elders.
• Church structure should arise out of purposeful function. Organization must enhance and make effective the ministry of the church.
Acts 2 records the "birthday" of the Church in Jerusalem: Pentecost. When Peter gave his altar call, the Holy Spirit created an instant Church. Imagine starting out a "church plant" with over 3000 peopie! Imagine also no set meeting place, no worship team, no ushers, deacons, elders, teachers, youth directors-no infrastructure of any kind. Just 3000 people.
Fortunately Peter and the other 11 apostles were present. House or cell churches quickly developed, but little is told us of how, when, and where these met, and who actually led them and taught them. And yet in an "eruption of the Spirit," as William Willimon puts it in his commentary on Acts, this very first church simply exploded in numbers-and all of this in the context of persecution and suffering. Amazingly within a year or two (Acts 6) there were at least 25,000 men and women in that Church, according to biblical scholar R.C.H. Lenski.
Problems? You bet. What external persecution could not do, internal problems almost did-that is, destroy the Church. First, Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5) tried to do an end run in their giving, posturing publicly that they had given their all but in reality retaining some. Peter's harsh words of judgment resulted in a terminal disciplinary action that would make any church member shudder and think twice! Then the Greek-speaking widows complained about the obvious inequity in food distribution. Out of that dilemma emerged the solution: the appointment of 7 Greek-speaking "tablewaiters"-servants filled with the Spirit, who became the first deacons (Acts 6).
• New Testament leadership is purposedriven, not position-driven. No one pattern defines it. New Testament leadership includes a multiple style, a discerning and utilizing of all the gifts, an equipping for ministry, and an emphasis of "building the body" into a healthy church.
Biblical scholars tend to agree that there is no normative pattern of church leadership in the New Testament. This variety in pattern is in part a reflection of the missionary nature of the Church as it
sought to penetrate various cultures with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Yet within diversity can be found some constants which remain significant for the church throughout the centuries.
One of those constants pertains to the nature of church leadership. Some have argued that our current church structures should be focused on strong centralized leadership-the idea being that strong leaders produce healthy churches. Today, church leadership is usually vested in the senior pastor. This individual is given all the authority of a corporate chief execu tive officer.
While it is true that Acts 2-4 illustrates authoritative apostolic leadership, as the story of the church unfolds in Acts, church leadershiplike the Antioch church in Acts 13-is multiple and not singular. And the church invariably is consulted for direction and approval. Authority and power are not vested in a single person, but in a plurality of persons selected by the church.
Given that the structure must facilitate discipleship, nurture unity, guide the exercise of spiritual gifts, and promote evangelism, the New Testament churches developed a leadership pattern that focused on a core group of elders. These were spiritually mature people who were charged with the oversight of the church-caring for the spiritual and often physical well-being of the membership.
At first, as in the case of the Jerusalem church, the apostles themselves functioned as a body of "elders." In Acts 6:4, their priority is stated-prayer and the ministry of the Word. Later, as the original apostles passed from the scene, local churches appear to have been led by pastor-teachers and elders. In some cases-such as in Lystra, Derbe, and Iconium-they were appointed by the Apostle Paul (Acts 14:23) or by his surrogates (Titus 1:5), or they were selected from within the local churches via a discernment process as practiced in the Second Century A.D.
Then as now, significant leadership issues emerged: character issues (who was qualified to lead), gender issues (were only men given leadership gifts), and functional issues (what were the specific tasks of church leaders). I don't have the room to addresses these important matters, but suffice it to say that each congregation recognized the need for a pastor-elder-overseer-equipper functi 0 n (E phe sian s 4: 11-12) so th at th e 0 rd i nary
HEALTHY CHURCHES
church members could accomplish their function-namely the work of ministry.
From a study of the "gifts lists," there appear to be many distinguishable ministries in the church, but little hierarchical value is ascribed to position or "office" (I Cor 12, Roms. 12, Eph. 4, I Pet. 5, and I Timothy and Titus). Paul insists that each gift is important and is not replaceable by another. All have a ministry; leadership simply helps accomplish and guide that ministry.
• Authority for decisionmaking on issues of faith and practice are the prerogative of a conference of churches, not just the local church. How, when, where such conferences are held should be the result of "what seemed good to the Holy Spirit and us" (Acts 15:28).
In terms of relationships among many churches, the New Testament provides us with sketchy but clear signals of the importance of a structure that is both collaborative and decisive in directionsetting for all churches.
Acts 15 provides us with the first example of corporate decision making in the context of a conference of churches-the Jerusalem Council. A council of mature leaders representing a broad range of both Gentile and Jewish churches in the eastern Mediterranean region hammered out the binding resolution of a major problem that threatened the unity of the Church. The preservation of Church unity-and the prevention of splintering denominationalism-was in the custody of leaders beyond any one local church. In other words, the locus of authority for matters of faith and practice was vested in a "conference" of churches seeking consensus on a major issue. Each individual church was thereby prevented from "doing its own thing."
The statement "It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and us" (Acts 15:28), suggests a church structure that in later years evolved into a series of councils and conferences where everything from canonical to doctrinal to ethical to ecumenical issues were raised and resolved-especially in the years following Constantine. Church practice in terms of how it governed itself in succeeding centuries provided for such regional consultations on a regular and as needed basis. How many layers or tiers of such consultations there were is debatable (by histo-
rians), in view of the rapid growth of the Churchand its eventual branching out into Eastern (Orthodox) and Western (Roman Catholic) segments.
Whether one defines Early Church polity as episcopalian (rule of bishops) or presbyterian (rule of elders), the point is that the New Testament Church did not freely affirm the autonomy of the local church-a rather recent view embraced by many today. The Anabaptists, Mennonites and MBs have sought historically to pattern their polity after the New Testament Church experience, resulting in a modified presbyterian governance structure. What remains unclear is how many tiers of conference decision making apparatus should exist-or how often such conferences should meet and deliberate. The New Testament does not tell us that, but it does point to the need and purpose for decision making beyond the local church.
Towards a New Testament Church
So we ask, "Is there one right pattern for Church structure, either on the local or intrachurch level, which we must follow if we want to recapture the essence of the Early Church?"
Not really. The way we structure and govern ourselves-the way we "do" church-will only be a reflection of our nature, of who we "are" as the church. Our structure can only help us or hinder us as we express the true nature of the Church. Perhaps a larger issue for us all is whether we are still Christ-centered or whether we are merely interested in doing what works best for our self-interest. We must remember that the Church today-including the MB church-is global, embracing a variety of cultures and a variety of styles. In short, we must think far beyond ourselves. Can we be the Early Church of the First Century? No, I think not.
But by God's grace we can become a New Testament Church of the Twenty-first Century.•
Edmund Janzen is a professor of Biblical and Religious Studies and the director of the Contemporary Christian Ministries Program at Fresno Pacific University in Fresno, Calif. He has served as an MB conference moderator at the General, national and regional levels. He is a member of Butler MB Church, also in Fresno.
us as we express the true nature of the Church. The way we structure and govern ourselvesthe way we "doll churchwill only be a reflection of our nature of who we "are ll as the church. Our structure can only help us or hinder
INTO THE Resurrection
AN EASTER MEDITATION
as nearly as we can tell, the two Marys didn't get all polished up to go to Jesus' grave. Their visit had the pace of duty, not of high anticipation. They hadn't gotten themselves all primed and ready to receive the resurrection.
They simply went, wrapped in their loss and disappointment. They did what they knew to do and what they could.
Never mind that Jesus had been telling them he'd be back. The prospect was sO.'outrageous. His death had been so laboriously final, such a public event. He had died on a billboard, so to speak, or on the equivalent of live TV, so wouldn't the promised resurrection be as grand a spectacle? In any case, had the women remembered or expected such a development, wouldn't they have gathered up a group to go along to the grave?
And so the audience was small, despairing, and curious, rather than big, confident, and believing. But it was
by Phyllis Pellman Good
enough for the Story to continue. At full throttle.
Two women in the shadowy light of dawn carry their breaking hearts into a deathly still garden, only to be blasted with an earthquake and an "angelapproach" approximating lightning. Mary and Mary, who'd been through a lot of trouble, managed to stay standing, although the guards went down.
The angel messenger spoke to them immediately-assuring them, not reprimanding them for their fear or toolittle faith. They weren't deprived of the Announcement because they had come improperly prepared.
Instead they got the full news-and a demonstration to prove it. In an insistent mix of the physical and spiritual (not unlike Jesus' way of doing thIngs), the women experienced holy white lightning next to core-of-the-earth darkness. They were invited to look in at the hard and empty hole, and then to tell others that Jesus is alive!
Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the grave. And behold a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it. And his appearance was like lightning, and his garment as white as snow; and the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men.
And the angel answered and said to the women, "Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place
And so the women took off, not knowing that they would run into Jesus on the way. He was ahead of them, of course. And after an exuberant reunion, he sent them on so that they-not hewould tell his disciples what had happened.
Knowing little and probably trusting less, the two Marys had set out that morning to accept the blunt edge of loss, to physically remind themselves that this man and his amazing life were over.
They discovered God-in one form or another-awaiting them. Urging them not to be afraid. Urging them one step at a time into the resurrection. •
Phyllis Pellman Good is a communication consultant for Mennonite World Conference and its regional editor for North America. Previously she was a member of the MWC Executive Committee and, before that, of the General Council.
where He was lying. And go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the deaa; and behold, you will see Him; behold, I have told you."
And they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy and ran to report it to H.is disciples. and behold, Jesus met them and greeted And they came up and took hold of His feet and worshipped Him.
Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid; go and take word to My brethren to leave for Galilee, and there they shall see Me" (Matthew 28:1-10 (NAS)).
Readers encourage others to consider benefits of Growing Kids God's Way
After reading the October (1998) article on GKGW I was upset, but being of sound mind decided to wait a night before putting words on paper. My wife and I have attended about half of the 18 week course and have been nothing but pleased.
I don't think we are easily influenced, and we went into the class somewhat skeptical. What we have found, however, are biblically-based teachings and either confirmations or suggestions on our parenting skills. The class itself is a support group that starts with prayer and leads into discussion of struggles as well as insight into implementing the prior week's training.
In the article Mr. McDuff suggested that one reason parents follow the Ezzo philosophy is because of self-interest. We find it difficult to believe that couples are only seeking their own selfinterest by dedicating two or more hours a week on the 18 week course. To be quite honest, we could find other selfish ways to spend our time. We are taking the class because we feel that God has blessed us with our children and we want to use such resources as GKGW to help us in raising our children with Christian moral reasoning skills. In careers we push for education in order to better understand the industry as well as the job. People spend years and money on higher education for their future. Yet in raising children (24 hours a day for 18 or more years) they are quick to dismiss biblical insight from Christian people such as the Ezzos. How many times have we found ourselves seeking parental advice from the grocery store magazine rack, or a friend or neighbor? Perhaps you have been confused about a specific issue
WHAT READERS SAY
The Christian Leader welcomes brief letters on topics relevant to the Mennonite Brethren Church. All letters must be signed and will be edited for clarity and length. Send letters to Christian Leader, 7531 Delta Wind Dr., Sacramento, CA 95831 (e-mail: chleader@jps.net)
and sought the Bible for instruction, but could not find a specified verse concerning it. The Ezzos help in this matter by laying out biblical references that teach moral reasoning.
Many of the "dangers" listed in the article are opposite of what we have encountered. We spend more time talking with our children about WHY they should behave a certain way as well as encouraging and affirming them. Love and learning with the heart is the backbone of what we have received from our training thus far and we can only applaud the Ezzos who have given their biblical insight into this series.
If you have considered taking this course, we would encourage you to do so. Go into it being open-minded and see if you don't find that your family grows closer and that you have a better understanding of the heart of your child. Isn't it the least you can do for the future of your children?
Bruce and Brenda Eitzen Mulvane, KS
We are responding to the letter to the editor in the January (1999) Christian Leader written by Michelle Lippincott. Thank you, Michelle, for putting so well into words our thoughts and feelings about "Growing Kids God's Way."
We, too, have benefitted in many ways from the GKGW program. The biggest benefit has been that it encouraged us to be in the Word. One of the many good things that GKGW teaches is that parents cannot teach what they do not know. If you do not read and study God's Word you cannot teach your child about God.
We would like to encourage all parents to make time to be in the Word daily as you raise your children.
Dale and Rachel Winter Hillsboro, Kan.
December articles get at the meaning of life
Thanks so much for the continued blessing of the Christian Leader! The December (1998) articles by Tim Geddert and the letter from Henry Schmidt really say it all. This life is not about us, not about God getting into our liveseven our hearts. It's all about us getting to Him, sitting at His feet, gazing into His face and opening the wrapper of our security and letting all His light and words pierce the darkness. Praise God for such devoted and open examples of what it means to love God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength.
Sue
Nylander Fresno, Calif.
Another direction on conflict
I want to express my deep appreciation for the excellent articles in the J anuary issue of the Christian Leader on biblical models of conflict resolution. I especially appreciate Lon Fendall's excellent observations that 1) either party in a conflict has an equal responsibility to initiate peacemaking efforts (Matt. 5 & 18); 2) taking it to the church is better done when a representative group of trained peacemakers is engaged; and 3) taking the fourth step, Matt. 18: 17b is not excommunication but demonstrates an extended effort at reconciliation. I would like to observe that faithfulness in "taking it to the church" in our day and age provides encouragement to develop trained, lay mediator groups within the congregation so each person's concerns in the dispute may more fully be honored. It also would go a long way towards addressing the call in Lyndon Vix's article for believers to find a better way to resolve interpersonal conflict than to seek litigation.
I would, however, like to push Fendall's thoughts on the controversy between Paul and Barnabas in another direction. The language of Fendall's passage on that controversy almost sets up a "we-they" context for dispute resolution. What is distressing to me is that the language of the biblical text indi-
cates that Paul was functioning more out of a competitive, or adversarial framework than a collaborative or even compromising stance, and Fendall seems to bless the outcome of the disagreement. Barnabas, as we know, was a harmonizer, a collaborator. Paul's strength of person overwhelmed the gentler, older man who had many years earlier facilitated his ascendancy to the gospel ministry in Antioch, and I believe the gospel was not well served by the outcome of that disagreement.
Unfortunately Christian leaders in churches, church agencies and Christian ministries too often adopt the same position. If they have a stronger sense of person than others, their view of "the vision" prevails, and others are not heard. Their programs and vision may succeed, but others are left wounded in the desert in the process. Scripture does not tell us how much wounding occurred as a result of the controversy in Acts 15:36-41, but we may be sure that it did occur. The lesson is that those who have greater power also have greater responsibility to safeguard the sensitivities of those who are weaker. Thankfully Paul later reversed himself and saw John Mark as profitable for the work of the gospel. It is sad that it came
so late in his life. I also want to express my appreciation for the list of resources you included on page 15, although I do admit to some disappointment that my book, Resolving Disputes in Christian Groups, was not included. It has been used in church study groups and is also
being used as a textbook in classes at Tabor College and does provide an additional resource at both the lay and ministerial level.
Marlin Thomas President of Resources for Resolving Conflict / Church Conflict Solutions Milford, Neb.
Plan nO\\l to attend the 62nd Convention of The General Conference of Mennoni te Btethretl Churches
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Change the methods, not the message
BY TIM NEUFELD
lam resistant to change. I think we all are. In general, we are creatures of habit. We do the same things over and over, day after day. We all have patterns that become routine for us, whether it's getting up in the morning or going to church on Sunday mornings. I don't like change because it messes up the way I "do" life.
Change is hard on us because it brings tension, and tension brings conflict. Patterns, rituals, and traditions create familiarity, stability and comfort. The age old pursuit of order dates back thousands of years when the ancients created patterns out of stars, developed routines for planting and harvesting, and chronicled the Ten Commandments in the tablets of stone. Order is good, ritual is good, and tradition is good, but change is difficult.
If we are honest, though, we have to admit that change is also good and necessary. It works best when it is balanced with the virtues of tradition. Transformation brings creativity, newness, and vitality. Reformation brings vision and life to a community of believers and helps them refocus on their original purpose for existence. Tradition and change can both be good, but only when they exist in a balance, and when both are recognized for their strengths and weaknesses.
The question then becomes what needs to change, and what needs to remain the same? This is a critical question for the Mennonite Brethren church as it enters the twenty-first century. As a youth pastor, I have to stay in touch with the culture and make adjustments to ministry programs as the times dictate. I operate with the assumption that every five years a significant change will need to be made in programming styles.
Forum is a column of opinion and comment on contemporary issues facing the Mennonite Brethren Church. Manuscripts expressing an opinion for Forum should aim for a length of 800 words. Authors must sign articles, identify their church home and vocation, and include a clear photo of themselves.
Our survival as a denomination is dependent on our ability to adapt our methods to the culture, but our message must never be compromised.
While the "five year" period may fluctuate, the principle is sound: change is good and necessary if we are going to stay relevant to our culture. In fifteen years of youth ministry, I have seen significant changes. The days of mass rallies and crusade evangelism are nearly gone. Relationships, small groups, and personal answers to personal questions move today's teens. This shift is reflective of a postmodern world and has signaled that methods have to change.
Here an important distinction needs to be made. Our survival as a denomination is dependent on our ability to adapt our methods to the culture, but our message must never be compromised! I will be the first to say that I am an MB because of the validity of our message for the year 2000 and beyond. Our message of salvation, discipleship, missions, reconciliation, community, family, conflict resolution, and nonviolence is vastly more relevant for our contemporary society than even we have begun to imagine. We have unshakable theological foundations that can provide hope for a confused, hurting and purposeless secular society. But there is a sizable problem. Our methods stand in the way of our message. Changing our methods to make our message more understandable should not scare us-it should challenge us. However, changing our message to maintain our comfortable methods should have us calling each other to repentance.
If the MB church is going to have a lasting impact on the twenty-first century, then I believe that three changes will be critical. First, we must intentionally birth a new generation of pastors, ministers, and leaders. We can begin by assessing the giftedness of junior and senior high students in areas of ministry and leadership, and help to discern the call of God on their lives. Second, we cannot tie the hands of those who have
a radical and relevant vision for our denomination, especially in the area of evangelism. A resistance to changing methods will affect our evangelistic posture most. Third, our programs and structures must be opened up for evaluation, reformation, and elimination if required. The relevance of worship styles, Sunday school systems, committee structures, facilities, and more should be surveyed if we want to be vital in our society.
The apostle Paul was not afraid of change. In fact, some would see him as quite a chameleon at times. In 1 Corinthians 9:22 he states, "I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some."
To the Jews, he became a Jew. To the Greeks, he became a Greek. Paul did not compromise his message. He simply adapted his methods to the cultural context he found himself in so that he might win people to the kingdom of God.
If all of this sounds a little threatening, remember change threatens me, too. Change can only be productive when it is held in balance with tradition. I am not advocating the elimination of tradition from our churches, but if ever there was time to recognize the importance of change, it is now. The message of the Mennonite Brethren church is a fantastic one! Let's not minimize that message by our fear of change. As a young minister I was taught a principle of ministry that continues to guide my thoughts today. It is a call for a church on the edge of the millennium-"Change the methods, not the message!"
Tim Neufeld is the pastor of student and family ministries at North Fresno Church in Fresno, Calif. He is also an adjunct faculty member of Fresno Pacific University, teaching contemporary Christian ministries.
God told the Israelites to treat newcomers justly and that, "the stranger who sojourns with you shall be to you as the native among you, and you shall love the stranger as yourself; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt .... " (Leviticus 19:34)
Just as our ancestors were welcomed to North America years ago, we are today asked to show that same hospitality to newcomers in our midst.
"I was a stranger and you welcomed me." (Matthew 25:35)
A resource available from MCC u.s. titled "Welcoming the Newcomer: Doing Advocacy with Immigrants," confronts the issues surrounding immigration and answers the question, "How can I help my neighbor?" To receive a copy of the packet, contact MCC u.s. at (717)859-3889.
Mennonite Central Committee
PH'LIP SIDE
BY PHILIP WIEBE
Taking care of business?
It is fashionable these days to think of the church in business terms. But just how "business-like" should the church be?
Recently I was intrigued by a magazine article that gave advice on how to make one's family life run as smoothly as one's place of work. The question was posed to harried parents: Why is it that you get so much done on the job and then come home to a zoo?
Use your professional skills to make your home life as efficient and productive as your business!
I must admit to feeling a bit skeptical about such an idea. First of all, it assumes that places of work indeed run smoothly. Obviously that isn't always the case. One wonders these days if it's even sometimes the case. In our age of takeovers, downsizing, hostile competition, career stress, and individual employees doing the work of three, why would anyone want to model home life after life on the job? So many employees I know seek home as a harbor from the rough seas of today's career scene.
Which leads to another question: Are efficiency and productivity really the goals of family life? In some aspects I suppose the answer is Yes. We want to be organized and orderly in our household responsibilities, in order to enhance relationship time. But here is where efficiency and productivity tend to break down-in relationships.
Certainly there are times to be goaloriented in our family ties; to grow and learn and partner and mentor, as the case may be. But the apex of family life, it seems to me, comes when goals and motives are temporarily suspended for the sole purpose of enjoying each other's company.
Unfortunately, modern culture seems designed to thwart the enjoying of anyone's company. Studies show over and over that parents-especially fathers-spend precious little time
with their children. Spouses rarely take the needed time and effort to truly connect. I think this is partly because society has become so obsessed with the "bottom line." What kind of return will I get on my investment? Will it make me money, heighten my status, advance my "To Do" list, trim my waistline, bring me fulfillment, and most important, entertain me?
Relationships don't exactly bring these kinds of returns. Of course they can and should be rewarding and fulfilling, but they can also be frustrating and maddening and heartbreaking. No wonder so many in our culture have turned away from each other to pursue turning a profit or turning the TV channel.
It has become fashionable these days to think of the church in business terms. We talk of marketing and demographics, target audiences and public relations strategies. Church offices have become high-tech information and publishing centers, and pastoral staff have taken to toting cell phones and pagers and other digital gadgets. (There is even an entire magazine devoted to the high-tech churchChristian Computing Today.)
In gauging church health and effectiveness, the corporate model also applies. Not long ago I found it interesting to read a report from a leading Christian researcher on the subject of developing "Highly Effective Churches." Overall I found the information to be very insightful and helpful; but I was also struck with the fact that much of the report was couched in the language of business. Churches were urged, among other things, to be
"strategic" and "efficient" and "systematic" and "holistic" in their various areas of activity.
Not that this is bad. In many ways it's important for the church to think in terms of productiveness and effectiveness in the marketplace. Too many churches, past and present, have lost their original vision in a fog of bureaucracy and institutionalization. There is a fresh call today for churches to shun unnecessary distractions and focus on the bottom line of ministry and service.
But the point where the businesslike church begins to concern me is when spiritual effectiveness is tied wholly to measurable outcomes. By the criteria given in the aforementioned report, for example, only a very small percentage of U.S. churches were deemed highly effective. My skepticism returns. There is so much about spirituality that simply isn't measurable. There is much in making relationships, as I've mentioned, that defies efficiency and systematization. Reducing such endeavors to a "corporate strategy," so to speak, puts the church in danger of missing them entirely.
Recently I was impressed by a couple of things Jesus said to some "systematizers and strategizers" of his day-those religious leaders who had trouble with Jesus' more spontaneous and intuitive approach to ministry. When a group of Sadducees posed a trivial theological question, Jesus got right to the point: "Your problem is that you don't know the Scriptures, and you don't know the power of God" (Matt. 22:29 NLT).
Hearing how Jesus had answered the Sadducees, some Pharisees came with a more sensible (but equally loaded) question about pinpointing the greatest commandment. "You must love the Lord your God with all your heart," came Jesus' well-known reply, and "Love your neighbor as yourself' (22:37,39 NLT).
Out of Jesus , answers flows the real business of the church. Love God, love others. Know the Word, rely on God's power. It all starts here; just do it.
INQUIRING MINDS
BY MARVIN HEIN
QIfJesus tells us to forgive seventy times seven (Mt. 18:22), why are so many Christians so unforgiving toward President Clinton? (California)
ARecently I had lunch with several persons and the conversation turned to the possibility of a president repenting. I was a bit taken back when one person said in essence: "It is impossible for a president to repent. We shouldn't expect him to repent. He is a king. Kings do not repent." I'm not certain whether my brother had tongue-in-cheek or not, but in strictly rational terms, putting aside the morality of the issue, he may have been correct. Kings don't usually repent. There is too much at stake. They sooner kill than repent. They have the power to cover their mistakes by other stronger action.
The typical answer to the inquirer's question from a person favoring the president's ouster is, "He has rienced genuine repentance and th"erefore I cannot forgive him." I confess I am among those who wonder whether or not the repentance is genuine. But the question I ask in turn is, "Does God expect me to make the judgment as to the sincerity of Clinton's repentance?"
In my better moments (I hope they are better) I remind myself that perhaps I should assume the best and forgive, allowing the future to determine whether the repentance was sincere.
One of the worst things this episode has done is make us very cynical. The Bible tells us to pray for our leaders. One president's behavior makes that difficult for many of us. The Bible teaches us to respect authority but our culture and experiences teach us otherwise. The White House drama helps erode respect.
For some of us, the president has become an enemy. Christ told us how to treat our enemies, but we find it very difficult to hate the sin but not the sinner, especially when he appears to be a
habitual offender.
I learned from a comment a good friend made recently. I had brought up the White House offenses, and he said, "The ability of a man in the presidency to be as forthcoming as some would like is pretty seriously curtailed by the political, legal, international implications of his role." He is probably all too correct. And I suppose it is only another evidence of the vast consequences of sin, especially when they are committed by people in power. The resulting repercussions of a full confession are probably so world-shaking that it would demand a very, very humble person to be honest enough to do it. My energies probably can more usefully be directed to pray for our nation and its citizens. We seem to have lost our moral moorings. We need a new sense of God's judgment on the evil deeds of his creatures, and then a new understanding of the available grace that is the only remedy for our ills.
QI'm thinking of our expression "God bless you" or God bless you. " For a while now, I haven't felt it is right for me to say that. Am I presuming that I can order a blessing from God for someone? If God's blessings flow at his own volition or simply out of his character, it seems to me to be the height of arrogance for me to say "God bless you" to someone. What do you think? (Washington)
AWhat a delightful and thoughtful question. It came in a letter from a friend whose parting shot was just as clever as her question: '''Bye for now. May God bless you, whether you honor him or not, whether he wants to or not, whether you seek it or not, whether you're submissive or not, whatever " My first thought in response to this question was the Old Testament "Aaronic blessing," the benedictory blessing some of us pastors have used
so often. "Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Instruct Aaron and his sons to bless the people of Israel with this special blessing: May the Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace'" (Num. 6:22-26).
When I pursued this notion, I was amazed how often the "blessing" is used, especially in the Old Testament. Jacob blessed Joseph, Ephraim and Manasseh in Genesis 48:15-16. Rebekah's family blessed her in Genesis 24:60. A cursory reading of the Old Testament shows that Isaac blessed Jacob, Jacob blessed his sons, Moses blessed the craftsmen who provided the temple paraphernalia, Aaron blessed Israel, and many more.
None of us would dare claim to be a Moses or Aaron or Jacob, but in the case of Rebekah, her "blessers" were common people--her family. So we are not out of step or presumptuous if we wish God's blessings on others.
One of my theological mentors says that when the expression "God bless you" is used in the scriptures, it is always in the subjunctive mood. This means that the expression "God bless you" is a shortened form of "May God bless you." It is essentially a prayer. The Bible even teaches us to bless God. Is it presumptuous to think we can bless God? No, this is simply a way of saying that we want God's name to be magnified. It is our heart's prayer.
Perhaps a New Testament passage is helpful. Hebrews 11:20-21 tells us, "It was by faith that Isaac blessed his two sons, Jacob and Esau. He had confidence in what God was going to do in the future. It was by faith that Jacob, old and dying, blessed each of Joseph's sons and bowed in worship as he leaned on his staff." Is it not true that when we wish or pray God's blessings on another person, we express our confidence that God wants to do good to that person? So, relax, my good friends. And may God bless all of you.
ON THE JOURNEY
BY ROSE BUSCHMAN
The stories in family photos
Ordinary family photos become special when their stories are told.
After I was married and had a family of my own, my mother called me one day and asked, "I don't know what to get you for Christmas anymore. Do you have any suggestions?" I thought for a few minutes and then answered, "Mom, I do. Why don't you find some old family pictures and have them duplicated. That would be a very special gift for me."
Over the next 10 years or so, that's exactly what she did. I wish I had also asked her to write stories about those photos, but I didn't. She is gone now, so I have to rely on my memories and the memories of others for the missing stories.
One Christmas she sent us what I call the 'haystack' picture. In it my great-grandfather Retzlaff, an old man by then, is seated with all of his living children, their spouses and his grandchildren (including my mother, then 10 years old) gathered around him. The backdrop to the picture is a huge haystack which hides anything else from the background. This picture hung on my wall for years before I realized the significance of it. Recently my aunt told me the following story.
The picture was taken in 1924, following World War I and the onset of ' the Russian revolution in the Ukraine. The new communist government had banned all meetings not offiCially sanctioned by the state, even family gettogethers.
Many families chose to leave Russia to escape communist rule there because they feared they would lose their religious freedom. My grandfather decided to emigrate with his family to Canada. The haystack picture was taken the day before they left on the long road to freedom. In defiance of official edicts, each family agreed to go to the
designated haystack in the meadow at an assigned time and wait there for the others. After several hours all were assembled and the photographer arrived. When the photo session was over they all said good-bye to each other not knowing if they would ever see one another again. Then each family returned home as quietly as it had come.
My aunt assured me that eventually all but one person in that photo made it to safety in Canada. The little boy in the lower right hand corner of the picture died of starvation before his family could make all the necessary arrangements, get their travel papers and leave.
I often wondered why the facial expressions on that picture were so somber and sad. Now I know. These were desperate times for my people. They were fleeing their beloved homeland and leaving almost everything they had behind. They didn't even have the assurance that they would all make it to safety.
Then there is another picture Mom sent me. This one is a formal studio portrait of my mother sitting on a big wooden armchair holding my younger brother who is about six months old. I am standing beside her with my elbow resting on the arm of the chair. I am four years old and very proud of the big ribbon in my hair. In front of me mytwo-year-old brother sits on a childsized chair carefully keeping his assigned pose. I'm the only one who is smiling. Across the bottom of the picture is the notation "Dad in the hospital, we at Manitou" written in my mother's handwriting. Here's the story as I remember it.
My father was in a tuberculosis sani-
tarium in British Columbia at that time. During the early months of his hospitalization mom kept us alive with the help of a very meager monthly government welfare check. She was able to feed us, but didn't have enough money to buy adequate food for herself. Eventually her health began to fail. By then the doctor didn't expect my father to recover, so he told my grandfather to come and get mom and us kids. He didn't know if mom would make it if she stayed there and watched dad die.
"The children need at least one parent," he told my grandfather.
Grandpa helped mom get the family picture taken which she then sent back to my father. In a much weakened condition he had just been moved into a different ward in the hospital. I remember the anguish which crept into his voice when, years later, he told me how he felt when he realized that no one left this ward alive. He was horrified to discover that he had been moved into this room to die.
With the picture of his family as motivation and after much prayer he decided to take action. At that time the prescribed treatment for tuberculosis was complete bed rest. Since he was slowly dying anyway, he and one of the nurses devised a plan. Every morning she came and pulled the curtains around his bed so that he could get out of bed and exercise-slowly at first and then more as he got stronger.
He also knew he had to stop coughing. So with a tremendous amount of willpower he began to do that as well. Much to his doctor's surprise he started to improve and after several months was released from the sanitarium and eventually returned to live with us.
These are stories from my family's past that I don't want to lose. I want my grandchildren and their families to know them. So I'm taking the time to write them down.
Ordinary old family photos become special when their stories are told. You, too, have photos whose stories should not be forgotten. Find a picture and start writing!
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Pastors undertake program to work towards church health
II Southern district partners with Church Resource Ministries to help pastors and congregations
w;can't just keep doing what we're doing," says Daryle Baltzer, Southern District Conference chair. "We've got to make some changes to reach our post-Christian society-as churches and as a conference."
To help pastors and congregations identify and initiate healthy changes, the SDC has teamed with Church Resource Ministries, an organization that works with leaders and congregations to strengthen both. CRM is endorsed by Mission USA, the U.S. Conference church growth and renewal ministry.
SDC pastors have learned firsthand how difficult change can be. In fact, the first six months of the year-long SDC/CRM partnership has required the pastors, SDC and CRM to change their standard operating procedures.
"None of us like to be in process," says Rick Eshbaugh, pastor of Topeka (Kan.) MB Church. "We (pastors) have
very busy lives and this makes us stop and do some introspection. It's like medicine-we don't always like it at the time."
SDC leaders are cautiously optimistic that in the end their pastors and churches will reap long-term rewards.
"Time will tell," says Baltzer. "The test will be a year from now when we see how this has changed us as leaders and as churches."
The centerpiece of the partnership is a series of CRM experiential learning seminars for pastors and leaders adapted to accommodate specific SDC goals.
"What we saw happening in our district was that churches, looking for direction in the area of church growth, were going off in a variety of directions," says Baltzer. "There was nothing cohesive that pulled us together. Instead of being independent, we wanted to bring our conference together."
At the same time SDC leaders were
Pastoral staff who attended the Southern District Conference annual Pastor's Advance found the intensive training seminar to be exhausting - but rewarding in the end. One assignment during the Advance was to develop a ministry time line. Here, Will Fadenrecht, pastor of the Zoar MB Church in Inman, Kan., reviews his ministry time line with Brad Sprague, a consultant with Church Resource Ministries who was the resource speaker during the Advance.
looking for a creative, cost efficient way for their pastors to share the same professional enrichment experience, they began hearing good things about CRM.
CRM offers a program that emphasizes church health rather than church growth. The first phase is the ReFocusing Network System aimed at pastors and leaders. ReFocusing participants review their personal leadership history, develop a personal mission statement for ministry and address ways to implement change. The second phase duplicates the process at a congregational level using Mission Analysis, a church assessment tool. A congregation evaluates its history, mission statement and current activities and formulates a plan for implementing agreed upon changes.
SDC leaders decided to offer a streamlined version of the first phase of CRM's program and invited pastors district-wide to participate. Thirty pastors, mostly senior pastors, enrolled in the networking program.
Typically, a pastor will enroll in an intensive week-long ReFocusing seminar along with pastors and leaders from a variety of denominations. To accommodate the SDC, Eshbaugh, who is trained as a CRM ReFocusing Network facilitator, and CRM staff member Brad Sprague reconfigured the program. They stretched it out to include four regional pastor network meetings and one intensive three-day seminar-eliminating the need to attend a national seminar. Attendance was limited to Mennonite Brethren pastors and leaders from the SDC. The regional meetings are led by Eshbaugh and Sprague led the January seminar, reducing administrative costs. Network workbooks were also adapted which resulted in a lower cost for resource materials.
The SDC Faith and Life and Church Extension and Evangelism Commissions contributed budget funds to the project. Pastors participating in the ReFocusing networks could apply to Mennonite Mutual Aid's fraternal fund for continuing education matching grants.
A significant change for the SDC was the decision to offer the three-day seminar during the annual Pastor's
Advance. The annual winter gathering of pastoral staff members and spouses has typically been an opportunity for relaxation, fellowship and renewal. This year Sprague and his wife Marty gave the pastoral staff members and their spouses a condensed version of four CRM modules.
Participants and their spouses were asked to do some homework prior to the Advance. One pastor, intending to give two hours to the assignment, instead spent eight hours working through the material.
"This wasn't an Advance," said one SDC pastor when asked about the amount of information shared. "This was a stampede!"
Not only was the Advance more information intensive than previous years, it was also emotionally draining, say a number of participants. The numerous changes involved in the 1999 Advance illustrate the challenges change brings.
"The stress that these changes caused was good for us as pastors," says Gaylord Goertzen, pastor of Ebenfeld MB Church near Hillsboro. "Too often we expect our churches to change immediately and we need to remember how stressful change is-whether it's good or bad," he says.
"Although the shift in purpose (of the Advance) was agreed upon and communicated in advance, not all of us bought into the package at first," wrote Roland Reimer, SDC districtminister, in a letter to pastors after the Advance. "I appreciate pastors being open to the modifications and patient in the process."
For James Suderman, associate pastor at Fairview (Okla.) MB Church, the networking program couldn't have come at a better time. Just six months into his first pastoral staff assignment, Suderman finds himself serving his congregation as interim pastor. "With the continued on page 27
Central di'stri'ct pasto;rs atte1nd national CRM seminars
'VTnile the Southern District Con,.. W terence bas teamed with Church Resource Ministries to offer leadership setn:inars €Jfcll.lsively for M:ennon:is€ Brethren pastoral staff tllembers and spouses} the Central District Conference flas encouraged· pastors to enro:ll in one of·tbe national CRM leadersbip training These seminars are limited to about 3(J pastors. UBetter than 5() percent or our pastors havecornplered Year 1 train: says CDC district ministerCli:nt Grenz, ·wno mas himself completed tbe program. goal is tbat per·cent of all pastors· will compl:ete the ReFocusing
Pastors wno attend a ReFocusing Network System seminar are eligiDle for a CDC scholarsbip to cover regis tration costs; tBe churcb pays for travel ana housing.
Because GreflZ is sold on CaM's natural ckurch t1evelopment he also e'ftcourages congregations tocomplete tbe second pbase of the prolo' gram willen uses a congregational sur vey to· help cOllgrelatiotls assess th:eir own bealth. "TIle two really 80. hand in says Grenz. Tbere are currently seven CDC congre gations involved hl the secoad p:base; £Otlf congregations kave cotnpletedbotb phases.
Grenz is trained Df CRM to assist congregations in the second st.age of thep:ro:cess. Once -a congreg:&ti-on has j, receivecl the results -of their survey,Grenz aloml '\\lith :members of tne CDC chu:rch renewal cotn>mittee mee;t with cOfilregational leaders to process tne information.
Pastors who would like to attend the seco:A:d C I.M trainirtg setn:iflQ;r. attd lead their congregation through tne process themselves, can receiv:e linan... cial assistance from the CDC to do so. CD;C co:ngreg,ations are also encoiufaged to .complete- <iem0ItRl1'nic sluaies. to better understand thei:r COlJJt01UiOity or the specific group tlley to target for outreacb.
While not every congregation is ready to tackle the weak nesses revealed byfhe sur", vcy, Grenz can share flU rxl:C2 rOtls stories of c:ongtelations wni:ck nave been revitalized ill tne p:roc-ess of doing so. "Tnis bas been a vetypositive experience,'" me says. -eF
Roland Reimer (left) and Rick Eshbaugh (right) are two key SOC leaders involved in planning the district-wide pastors' training sessions for 1998-99. Reimer serves as the SOC district minister and Eshbaugh, who pastors the Topeka (Kan.) MB Church, has been trained by Church Resource Ministries as a ReFocusing Network facilitator.
Executive council supports dissolving General Conference
II Council recommendations would strengthen national conferences with responsibility for current and future ministries
The executive council of the General Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches met in Fresno, February 4-6, 1999, to process the recommendations of the task force charged with a "no holds barred" review of Conference ministry structures. After studying the report and listening to responses from Council members, national moderators, and agency representatives, the executive council decided in favor of the task force recommendation to dissolve the General Conference.
The council then approved additional recommendations designed to
transfer the governance of current General Conference ministries to the national conferences in an orderly process over a period of three years.
"We are committed to protecting the integrity of the ministries," said moderator Ed Boschman, "and we think that can happen best if we sequence the transition of the management of the various ministries with a goal of completing the process by 2002."
The formal recommendation to the General Conference delegation meeting in convention at Wichita, July 8-10, 1999, will be detailed in the conference
Exec Council recommendations
The General Conference executive council approved three basic recommendations which, if accepted by the General Conference convention this July, will give the U.S. and Canadian/national conferences responsibility for current General Conference ministries. The formal recommendations will be published in the May issue of the Leader.
• Dissolve the General Conference. The veneral Conference is currently a structural and legal entity1 which operates various ministries operated by Canada and the U.S. The executive council recommends that the <General Conference be dissolved and that responsibility for its ministries be given to the national conferences.
• Three year transfer of the current GC ministries to the national conferences. Over the next three years, the national conferericeswoulg responSibility, one by one, for each General Conference ministry-MBMS International, Board of Faith and Life, Board of Resource Ministries and the MB Biblical Seminary. An executive committee elected at the July General Conference convention would oversee the transition of each ministry to the national conferences. The details of the ministries' management would be up to the national conferences. This differs from the Task Force Report in that no structure woulcl be imposed on the national conferences for managing these ministries-the national conferences would determine how the ministries would be handled.
• Future ministry opportunities or cooperation between the national conferences would be initiated negotiated and managed by the national conferences.
report to be published in May 1999.
David Reimer, U.S. conference moderator, and Ike Bergen, Canadian conference moderator, expressed support for the executive council plan which frees the national conferences to develop the specifics of partnership agreements between the two conferences. They also affirmed the proposal for a transitional General Conference executive committee to convene and coordinate the binational discussions which will formulate those partnerships.
The executive council includes executive officers, representatives from MBMS International, MB Biblical Seminary, the Board of Resource Ministries, the Board of Faith and Life, the Board of Trustees as well as the moderators of the U.S. and Canadian national conferences. The creation of a task force to conduct the study was approved at the General Conference convention held in Waterloo, Ontario, July 1997. -GC Press Release
GENERAL CONFERENCE REVIEW
General Conference: The conference having final responsibility for oversight of matters of faith and life and shared ministries of the MB churches of Canada and the United States.
July 1997
Delegates at the General Conference convention in Waterloo call for a IIno-holds barred" review of all levels of the North American conference structures.
December 1998
GC Task Force releases a 45 page report which proposes a radical reorganization of conference structures. It states its goal was to enhance the relationships between church and shared ministry, provide the opportunity for increased effectiveness, and achieve a higher level of efficiency.
The report recommends cessation of the General Conference and the reduction of the number of ministries done independently by both Canada and the U.S. national conferences in favor of a "shared partnership model."
February 1999
The GC executive council announces it supports dissolving the General Conference and giving national conferences responsibility for ministries.
May 1999
The GC executive council will release a formal proposal for publication. The Leader will carry it in the May 1999 issue.
July 1999
Delegates at the GC convention in Wichita, Kan., will vote on the proposals for restructuring.
U-SERV volunteers, complete projects
III Churches get needed sidewalks, remodeling
Thanks to U-SERV volunteers, two Mennonite Brethren congregations started the new year with a face lift. U-SERV, an acronym for Utilizing Skills and Energies of Ready Volunteers, is a volunteer ministry of the U. S. Conference and is coordinated by Ted Thiesen of Bakersfield, Calif.
The 250-seat facility used by Iglesia de Restauracion la Senda Antigua of Pacoima, Calif., was in need of new sidewalks and got them thanks to U-SERV.
After surveying the site in July, the U-SERV team along with Sam Resendez, Pacific District Conference Hispanic Council chairman, determined what type of preparation work needed to be completed by the congregation before the team could begin its work.
In early December, team members .spent three days surveying the property, grading the church yard and placing the cement forms for the sidewalk. Just
SOC pastors' training
continued from page 25
situation we're in, there are a lot of directions to go. I expected (the Advance) to point us in the right direction and it is," says Suderman.
Suderman says the regional network meetings have also been beneficial. "It's helped me tremendously to be with folks who have different levels of pastoral experience." Suderman's network prayer partner is Ken Gardner, a veteran pastor with 30 years of experience who is currently pastor of Corn (Okla.) MB Church.
"(The CRM) process can be a catalyst for the MB Conference," says Gardner. "It can provide a vision for growth."
And in fact, that's the next step. Passing on the vision for healthy, growing congregations beyond pastors is one of the goals of the 1999 SDC convention. The convention, scheduled for
after Christmas, team members returned to pour and finish the nearly 30 cubic yards of concrete needed to complete the sidewalks.
Volunteers on the project were Doug Tjepkema, Don Loewen, Jim Dick, Bob Fiser, Garth Ediger, Kendyn Spurling, Juan Perez, David Thiesen, Daryle Thiesen and Ted Thiesen. "The church appreciated the work of the volunteers," says Thiesen, "and provided a wonderful fried chicken lunch for the workers."
U-SERV volunteers helped Vinewood Community Church in Lodi, Calif., save $30,000 on an office remodeling project in early November. The workers changed the office entrance, erected a wall to form another enclosed staff office and rearranged the upper and lower cabinets. The remodeling also required extensive changes in the electrical wiring. -CF
Oct. 28-31 and hosted by Tabor College, will be a joint SDC and Central District Conference gathering with Terry Walling, CRM president, as the keynote speaker.
While the SDC is not currently "requiring" congregations to complete the second CRM phase, congregations are encouraged to participate in Mission Analysis.
Mission Analysis is a process used to evaluate eight aspects of church health: leadership, structures, worship, discipleship, evangelism, relationships and mobilization of gifts.
"We often want a quick fix," says Eshbaugh. "(Mission Analysis) is a process that allows for a lot of input from the congregation. It is not top down. It increases ownership and I think that empowers a congregation to carry out changes," he says.
And helping congregations changeboth spiritually and numerically-is what SDC leaders are after. -CF
RET1RED: After 40 years of ministry among vari·ous Mennonite Brethren cong:regatlons, Bob and Deloris Vogt have retired from fuJl-time pastoral work. Most recentlYl Vogt served the Dinuba (Calif.) MB Church for 14 years as senior pastor. The congregation honored his years of ministry with spedal services Jan. Vogt was recognized for his vitality, vision and as a man through whom God speaks. This month Vogt began a four month assignrnent as the Hillsboro (Kan.) MB Church interim pastor. (DMBC)
CONFLICT: Helping refugee famiti<es, resettlement workers and comm<unity members deal with conflict has been the goal of a three-year project funded by a federa>1 grant and coordinated by Duane Ruth-Heffelbower, associate director of the Center for Peace and ConfHct Studies at Fresno Pacific University. In December1 Ruth-Heffelbower'$ efforts cam:e to the attention of the Washington Post newspaper when he was in the Washington to assist with a three clay work shop attended by immigrant families and community school counselors, potke offj. <;ers and social service workers. The Center has hosted nine such workshops. (FPU)
CONFE:RENCE: ·Peter John Thomas, pastor of Faith Bi:ble Church in Omah:a 1 Neb., was the Tabor missions conference spe:aker Feb. 14-15. Faith Bible mInistries include three congregations and a 10<: all nonprofitmlssions organization. A missions and service fair Feb. 16-18 gave students the opportunity to visit missionaries from a variety of agencies about service opportunities. (rC)
RETIRED: Ruth Enns, founding director of Fresno Pacific University!s Older Adult Social Servkes (OASIS)., retired from her work N·ov. 30, 1998. OASIS offers adult day care at three locations/ horne care and care for the elderly and has a staff of 30 fuH-tlm·e, part tirne and student workers caring for 70 clients in home care and 50 more in day care. Jin Schneider began working as the new OASIS executive director Dec. 1. (:FPU)
Earthquake aid a global effort
II Colombian city faces massive rebuilding
Mennonites around the world are supporting their brothers and sisters in Colombia following a devastating earthquake January 25 that registered at 5.8 on the Richter scale. The earthquake left as many as 1,000 people dead, 4,000 injured and 200,000 people homeless in Armenia, a city of 300,000. Included in those statistics are members of an Armenia Mennonite congregation.
Gamaliel Falla, a Mennonite worker who lives in Cali and arrived in Armenia the day after the disaster, found the Mennonite church building still standing-but heavily damaged. Walls were cracked and part of the roof and one wall had fallen.
Falla learned that many of the church families had been left homeless and others were living and sleeping in the streets because of the massive damage to their homes.
With most of their business community, schools and homes destroyed, the people of Armenia face the daunting task of rebuilding. Ironically, Armenia is known as the "miracle city," observes Cezar Moya, executive secretary of the Colombian Mennonite Church, who visited Armenia in early February to survey the devastation.
"That's because of the energy of the people and the city's fast growth compared to other cities," explains Moya. However, he says, the miracle city now suffers from low morale and the realities of a long road back to health.
Mennonite Central Committee is responding to the call for help from the people of Armenia and neighboring cities in the wake of this natural disaster, by supplying $50,000 in immediate relief supplies and 3,000 health kits. MENCOLDES, a Colombian Mennonite service organization and MCC partner, is working with Anabaptist churches of Colombia to plan for long-term housing reconstruction.
"The damage affected not only those that lost family members and homes," says Moya. "There is collective trauma. There are fears, identity problems, depression and delinquency.
Recovery is expected to Qe difficult, since entire neighborhoods were almost erased."
The week following the quake, international aid flooded the city, but as quickly as it started, donations stopped. Armenia's food supply is now nearly depleted. The Colombian government estimates it needs 150 tons of food daily to feednearly 250,000.
The Colombian military declared martial law in Armenia, notes Moya, but the need for food resulted in looting. "We saw people desperately looking for food for their families and looting supermarkets and stores. This led to shooting deaths of eight people, probably by the military, but that has not been officially confirmed by authorities," reported Maya in mid-February.
Many have left Armenia for neighboring cities or Bogota, while those who remained pitched temporary homes made of plastic and cardboard. These crowded, makeshift camps create unsanitary conditions, while the lack of good drinking water has resulted in epidemics of smallpox, diarrhea and other sicknesses among Armenia's children.
The Colombian Mennonite and Mennonite Brethren churches and MENCOLDES are working feverishly on reconstruction plans, beginning with the church building and members' homes. The first 45 to 90 days will be spent, explains Moya, on meeting basic health and comfort needs, as well as job creation, demolition of homes and psychological care.
Mennonites in Bogota collected food which they hoped to send to Armenia by February 13. MCC has promised to airlift 3,000 health kits, which include hygiene items such as soap and toothpaste.
"MCC stands ready to respond to help our partners meet immediate and long-term needs in Armenia," says Ray Brubacher, MCC overseas director. "We're committed to supporting a longterm reconstruction effort." MCC currently has no workers in Colombia.
Immediately following the quake, MENCOLDES asked for $100,000 for
Mennonites around the world are supporting their brothers and sisters in Colombia following a devastating earthquake January 25 that registered at 5.8 on the Richter scale. The earthquake left as many as 1,000 people dead, 4,000 injured and 200,000 people homeless in Armenia, a city of 300,000. Included in those statistics are members of an Armenia Mennonite congregation.
emergency assistance from several relief and development agencies in North America and Europe. MCC responded with $50,000 for emergency relief for local purchases of food, water, medical supplies, generators and radios. Several European-based organizations also responded.
In a related story, the Japan Mennonite Fellowship, a cooperating body of the Mennonite and Brethren in Christ churches in Japan, has collected funds for aid and reconstruction in Armenia. They donated $500 to Mennonite Board of Missions and Commission of Overseas Ministries for the General Conference of the Mennonite Church. Additional funds collected will go to MCC for reconstruction efforts.
Information from Mennonite Brethren in Colombia concerning the earthquake was not available as of press time. -John M. sp ida liere, staff writer for MCC Communications
Mission agencies take step towards global accountability
II
MBMSI joins other Mennonite mission agencies to increase collaboration and partnership with each continent
Leaders of Mennonite mission agencies have talked for two decades about increasing global partnership and accountability with churches around the world. Now they have decided to boost the talk to a more strategic level.
MBMS International and other Council of International Ministries agencies affirmed plans at the CIM annual gathering Jan. 23-24 for a Global Anabaptist Missions Consultation. It is slated for July 12-15, 2000, in Bogota, Colombia, in conjunction with the Mennonite World Council general council. It is expected to draw 250 participants, half of them MWC General Council members. MBMSI plans to send five representatives.
Two staff members of MBMSI, the Mennonite Brethren global mission agency of North America, will be involved in planning the event. Harold
Ens, MBMSI general director, is a member of the six-person planning committee and Miguel Forero, pastor of an MB church in Bogota and the MBMSI Latin Program Director, is serving as the local hosting committee chair.
The goal of the consultation is to achieve more collaboration and partnership on each continent and to get a better handle on the gifts the global community brings to a common Mennonite mission and how they might be deployed.
"I believe that the Global Anabaptist Mission Consultation will provide a forum for all Anabaptist conferences to encourage one another in our response to the Great Commission," says Ens.
"No longer can mission be thought of as only the task of the West or the North. Today, Anabaptist churches, and more particularly Mennonite Brethren churches are present in many parts of the world. Many of these have awak-
ened to their role in global mission beyond their own national borders. The Bogota consultation will be a significant step in building bridges for a more effective partnership in mission among Anabaptist churches everywhere."
Peter Rempel, CIM executive secretary, says, "We want to move toward actually sharing the decision-making and goal-setting for global missions with Anabaptist churches around the world."
CIM is made up of 22 member organizations. It meets annually for fellowship, missiological reflection, sharing of program information and some joint programming. -Wally Kroeker and Connie Faber
MCC suppli,es ne,eded ici nes for children in Iraq
Iraqi chUdren like ShahHa are receiving leukemia medicines donated by Mennonite Centra:l Committee, a wortd reli:ef org,sni2atio:n.
In 1998# Met purchased the for a (c,mplete twoyear leukemia treatment for 50 <nU", dren-with plans to seJect and fo:flowup with recipients. This program" how evert proved impossible to j,mplement.
In thE meantlme more drug$ have become avaUable in Iraq so Mee/s medicines, valued at $l,00,000 wUt serve as valuable supplements.
ShanHs is pictured with her doctor, Dr" SeJma Haddad" in the h!ukiemia ward of AI M:onsour Pediatric Hospital in Baghdad, Iraq. -MeC
IN BRIEF
R:ENEWAL: fn January, Ernesto Pinto, a native Honduran and the producer of a weekly Spanish program in MB Communication's Winnipeg studio, was inv-ited to return to his home country as a crusade speaker. MBC re-ports that Hondurans, still piecing- together their lives aTter the Hurricane Mitch disaster, were grateful for Pintols sp:jritual guidance. in addition to speaking at three rallies hosted by 25 churches of various denomtnatJons and pa rt.icipating in several catl-in radio shows t Pinto was able to deliver a donation gathered by MB pastors Trom Co:lom<oia. Plnto 1 s radio program is aired on 46 stations in Honduras and about 350 more over Southt Central and North America. (MBC)
Alb: Next year, Fresno Pacific University undergraduate students receiving a Cat Grant will be eligible for at least $13,500 In finandal aid, which is f.ull tuition for the 1999-200g school year, and will continue to receive the aid for ea<h year they remain eligible. Cal Grant 'A pays $9,036 per year to quaUfying students to attend any accredited, private college or univer slty in California. The full-tuition scholarship package at FPU wiH indude the Cal Grant A, federal grants and FPU instltuUonaJ grants; no loans or work study are included. Cal Grant B students will receive a similar package their s-ophomore, junior and senior year; however the full tuition pa:ckage their freshman year will indude a fow interest (:FPUj
HEALl1H GA?HERINCi: Anabaptists inter ested in faith and health care are welcomed to the Mennonite Health Assembly to be held March 2:5 28 in Col orado Springs, Colo. Feat ur ed speak ers include June AUiman Yoder, a ssoclat e professor of cornmu nicatlons at Associated Mennonite -Bi.b Heal Seminary; Gary Gunderson., cUre'Ctor of the Interfaith Health Program at the Carter Center; and Vincent Harding, professor of religion at University of Denver. Regi:stration i:nformation is available by contacting Mennonite Mutua-' Aid at 1 800-348 7468. (MMA)
MB youth gathering in Colorado this month
II Youth from across the u.s. will come together for Estes 199
The 1700 high school students and their sponsors who will gather for the national Mennonite Brethren youth conference March 20-23 at Estes Park, Colo., represent the diversity of Mennonite Brethren in the U.S., says Stuart Pederson, Estes '99 planning committee chair. He says convention goers will speak as many as five languages and will represent at least six different cultures. Organizers believe the weekend events will challenge students to make first-time and continuing commitments to Christ.
Two nationally known speakersBuster Sories Jr. and Lori E. Saliernowill share speaking responsibilities for the six plenary sessions. Sories is the senior pastor of Buster Sories, Jr. one of the fastest growing African American congregations in New Jersey and is a prominent speaker and author who is an advocate for at-risk youth. Salierno is the execu-
tive officer of Celebrate Life International, a nonprofit ministry dedicated to equipping students, women and leaders to lead a life of service to Christ.
Gareth Goosen Lori E. Salierno of Canada will serve as the worship leader. Singer Rebecca St. James, actor Curt Clininger and comedian Scott Wood will take the stage for late evening performances. Curt Clininger
& Naomi Lederach
Rebecca St. James Scott Wood
Copper Hills Community Church Celebrates First Anniversary!
A year of faith building and friendships ... a year of worship and celebration ... a year of learning and living as the body of Christ! This is why CHCC is celebrating its oneyear anniversary with great enthusiasm and joy. The church is on its way to fulfilling its mission: eeTo help the people we love become fully devoted to the God we love."
CHCC held its first baptism on Dec. 6 with three people taking this step of obedience. The setting was a hot tub with palm trees in the background, a bit of snow (Phoenix's first in 20 years!) and believers experiencing celebration. We invite you to encourage and pray for the Copper Hills Community Church as it begins its second
• Pray for the church as it experiences numerical growth. Size growth also means increasing needs and new opportunities.
• Critical to church health is the growth of small groups. Pray that the five which are now meeting will continue to multiply.
• Praise God for the YMI Trek Team which has helped grow a nonexistent youth group into a 30-member one.
• Pray for the Tuesday noon men's Bible study that Pastor Brad Klassen leads in a local business. More than 20 men attend, many of whom are nonbelievers.
• Pray for commitments to Christ among the many "seekers" attending CHCC.
MISSION USA BOARD:
Ed Boschman, Phoenix, AZ.,
Chuck Buller, Visalia, CA.
S" Karin Enns, Dinuba, CA
Phil Glanzer, New Hope, MN
Joe Johns, Weatherford, OK
loretto Jost, Aurora, NE
Brad Klassen, Glendale, AZ
Nancy laverty, Jones, OK
Stephen Reimer, Shafter, CA
In October, CHCC rented this storefront building. The church now has a face in the community, with everyday exposure. The building provides office space for church staff and an activity area for youth gatherings, small groups and fellowship events. Worship services are still held in the larger rented facility. This building also houses the Mission USA offices.
Tim Sullivan, Hillsboro, KS
Gary Wall, lodi, CA
Randy Steinert, Bakersfield, CA
Climon Grenz, Bismark, N.D. Bruce Porter, Fresno, CA
Roland Reimer, Wichita, KS.
Clint Seibel, Hillsboro, KS
Jim Westgate, Fresno, CA
Ex Onicia Members: Henry Dick, Fresno, CA.
Baptism/membership
CORDELL, Okla. (Bible)-Stephanie Carver/ Brad Clanahan/ Brooke Dodson/ James Reiss and Cheryl Wedel were recently baptized. Gary Dodson/ Richard and Toni Giblet/ David and Carol Pritchard/ Maxine Schmidt and David Wedel were welcomed into membership.
OLATHE, Kan. (Community Bible)-Lee and Judy Klaassen/ DeWayne and Jeanne Meadows/ Susan Meadows/ Troy and Emily Reimer/ Brian and Denise Dick and Chris and Anne Hohman were welcomed as new members Jan. 31.
REEDLEY, Calif.-Myles Bacon/ Scott Clothier/ Stephanie Garcia/ Michelle Ginder/ Michelle Heinrichs/ Tracy Heinrichs/ Aliese Leppke/ Andrea Leppkef Kelly Lewis/ Cassie Payseno and Rene Stadler were baptized and welcomed into membership Jan. 24. Darrin and Nikki Hiebert and Steve Stadler were also welcomed as new members.
WICHITA, Kan. (First)-Ernie Sweat/ Carol Sweat/ Ruth Farrell/ Dennis Farrell/ Bruce Unruh/ David Bloom and Richelle Bloom were received as new members Jan. 24. Joan Hopkins/ Jason Schellenberg/ Joyce Schellenberg/ Greg Reimer and Ruth Reimer were welcomed as new members Jan. 10.
INMAN, Kan. (Zoar)-Mark and Kathy Nachtigall and Brad and Kathy Franz were welcomed as new members Jan. 10.
Celebrations
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (Russian Evangelical)-The congregation dedicated their new facilities Feb. 14. Initial remodeling was completed in 1998 but a severe wind storm damaged the building and repairs have now been completed.
HILLSBORO, Kan. (Parkview)-1999 has been designated as a celebration year of the congregation/s 125th anniversary. The culmination of the celebration will be July 31-Aug. 1.
FRESNO, Calif. (Bethany)-Flowers in the sanctuary Feb. 7 honored the 50th wedding anniversary of Frank and Betty Willems.
HENDERSON, Neb.-The family of Walt and Darlene Goossen celebrated their parents/50th wedding anniversary by placing a bouquet of flowers in the sanctuary Jan. 17.
REEDLEY, Calif.-Flowers were placed in the sanctuary Jan. 17 in honor of the 55th wedding anniversary of Richard and Edna Knaak.
Fellowship
BELLINGHAM, Wash. (Community Bible)-A marriage retreat scheduled for Feb. 26-27 featured Eric Johnson as the resource speaker. Johnson/ who recently began a family ministry/ has served on the pastoral staff of Good News Fellowship in Wash.
SHAFTER, Calif.-A valentine banquet Feb. 15 featured a country dinner and the bluegrass band Pacific Crest.
FRESNO, Calif. (Bethany)-A father and son night Jan. 29 was designed for boys kindergarten through sixth grade. The evening included refreshments/ a speaker and a secret project.
VISALIA, Calif. (Neighborhood)Women/s health issues were the topic of an evening women/s ministries meeting Jan. 12. A medical panel discussed asthma/ allergies and children/s immunizations and nurses were available to take blood pressures.
SALEM, Ore. (Kingwood)-Fellowship groups were recently initiated with the goal of deepening relationships within the congregation.
Ministry
NEWTON, Kan. (Koerner Heights)-In an effort to serve community parents of young children/ the congregation has organized MOM/ Morning Out for Moms. Morning child care is offered two mornings a month and will include free play/ craft time/ centers and snacks.
CORN, Okla.-In late January/ the congregation said farewell to Russell and Elizabeth Schmidt who relocated to Wichita/ Kan./ where Russell will serve as the MBMS International representative in the midwest.
WEATHERFORD, Okla. (Pine Acres)-Families were encouraged to each bring one firsttime guest to the worship service Feb. 28.
EDMOND, Okla. (Memorial Road)-The congregation will host a Ten Thousand Village Market March 5-6 to raise funds for Mennonite Central Committee/s self-help funds. At the same time/ a II Raise the Walls Auction // to help reduce the cost of the congregation/s building debt will be held.
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (Laurelglen)- The singles group sponsored a big screen Super Bowl viewing and outreach night Jan. 31. Door prizes were awarded and a half-time program emphasizing salvation was presented.
SHAFTER, Calif.-In an effort to move toward intentional community outreach/ an evangelism committee has been formed.
FERNDALE, Wash. (Good News)-In February/ the congregation participated in a county-wide evangelistic opportunity called Power 2 Change. Power 2 Change is a national two-week media campaign that saturates a community with the message that in Jesus there is power to change one/s life. It includes training sessions that equip individuals to effectively share their faith with others.
BUHLER, Kan.- The church council has organized a Y2K task force to educate the congregation about Y2K and to look for ways to use any complications that arise from computer glitches as opportunities for ministry.
Teaching/Nurture
HILLSBORO, Kan.-Jon Wiebe of the MB Foundation gave a stewardship lesson to each of four groups during the Sunday school time on selected Sundays in Jan./ Feb. and March.
COLLINSVILLE, Okla. (Westport)-A series of stewardship workshops were offered Feb. 2021. Speakers included Lynford Becker of the MB Foundation/ Carey Goossen/ a Mennonite Mutual Aid counselor/ and Terrill Hendrix/ a local financial planner The congregation is hosting a monthly community support group for families of individuals diagnosed with illnesses such as schizophrenia/ depression/ obsessive-compulsive disorder/ etc.
HILLSBORO, Kan. (Ebenfeld)-Jon Wiebe/ president of the MB Foundation/ led a Giving Project Diagnostic Weekend Jan. 22-24 for the congregation/s leadership.
CLOVIS, Calif. (College Community)-The congregation/s leadership participated in a Giving Project Diagnostic Weekend Jan. 29-31. The seminar was led by Jon Wiebe of the MB Foundation.
FRESNO, Calif. (Bethany)-A Giving Project Diagnostic Weekend was led by Jon Wiebe of the MB Foundation Feb. 26-28. The purpose of the seminar was to help congregations develop clear thinking and Christian faithfulness in the use of financial resources.
WICHITA, Kan. (First)-The congregation hosted a II Healthy Congregations// workshop Feb. 26-27 sponsored by the Lombard Mennonite Peace Center.
Workers
DINUBA, Okla.-Associate pastor Grayson Piepgrass is serving as interim pastor while the congregation searches for a new senior pastor following the retirement of Bob Vogt. Piepgrass will share the preaching responsibilities with occasional guest speakers and retired missionary Ivan Wohlgemuth will assist with pastoral care. Pastoral staff members Brent Cummings and Barry Lloyd will assist with administrative responsibilities.
FAIRVIEW, Okla.-Lyle Cunningham resigned as senior pastor effective Dec. 31. He has not indicated his plans.
DENVER, Colo. (Garden Park)-Dave Williams and Glenn Balzer have assumed the interim pastoral responsibilities. They are serving quarter time and the congregation is looking for another person to fill a half-time interim position.
CIMARRON, Kan. (Valleyview)-Pastor Marlin Hiett has resigned/ effective later this spring. He and his wife Michelle will move with their family to Dinuba/ Calif./ to assist with the family farming operation following the death of Michelle/s father.
Youth
FRESNO, Calif. (North)-The youth group hosted a Chili Bowl Cookoff Jan. 31 to raise funds for Estes '99. Members of the congregation were invited to watch the Super Bowl football game and bring their best pot of chili. Prizes were awarded in a variety of categories.
WICHITA, Kan. (First)-The youth group led the morning worship services Jan. 24. Neil Bontrager, director of youth ministry, preached and various young people read scripture, sang in a youth ensemble and played in the worship band.
Deaths
DUERKSEN, MYRTLE, Hillsboro, Kan., a member of Hillsboro MB Church, was born Jan. 13, 1913, to Cornelius C. and Helena Duerksen at Hillsboro and died Jan. 9, 1999, at the age of 85. She is survived by her brother, Clarence and wife Betty Duerksen of Hillsboro and two sisters, Mariann Unruh of Hillsboro and Ruth Rempel of Clovis, Calif.
FRANZ, DAVID EDIGER, Buhler, Kan., a member of Buhler MB Church, was born Feb. 2, 1907, to Jacob A. and Katharina Ediger Franz at Hooker, Okla., and died Jan. 21, 1999, at the age of 91. On Nov. 1, 1931, he was married to Clara, who survives. He is also survived by two daughters, Evelyn and Jim Mciver and Kathryn and Jerry Robinson, all of Buhler; one son, David and wife Pat of Frederick, Md.; two sisters, Anne Neufeld of Reedley, Calif., and Alice Peters of Hutchinson, Kan.; two brothers, Paul Franz of Wichita, Kan., and Joel Franz of Hillsboro, Kan., his grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
FAHRNEY, ELTON LEE, Inman, Kan., a member of Buhler (Kan.) MB Church, was born Aug. 9, 1911 at Sterling, Kan., to Stanley F. and Martha Bell Beaty Fahrney and died Feb. 1, 1999, at the age of 87. On Jan. 14, 1943, he was married to Edith Graber, who predeceased him in 1992. He is survived by three daughters, Delores Lenz, Phyllis and husband Harold Schroeder, and Shirley and husband Don Schrag, all of Buhler; seven grandchildren, five greatgrandchildren and four step great-grandchildren.
FROESE, ALBERT HENRY, Shafter, Calif., a member of Shafter MB Church, was born March 10, 1915, to Henry H. and Anna Goertz Froese at Medford, Okla., and died Jan. 29, 1999, at the age of 83. On Dec. 22, 1940, he was married to Helen Nickel, who survives. He is also survived by one son, Art of San Luis Obispo, Calif.; four daughters, Carol and husband Don Kirchmer of Newton, Kan., Grace and husband Bill Gehle and Nancy and husband John Enns, all of Shafter, and Donna and husband Don Schrag of Wichita, Kan.; one sister, Ruby and husband Gene Yeager of Bakersfield, Calif., eight grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
GOERTZEN, LEVI B., Hampton, Neb., a lifelong member of the Henderson (Neb.) MB Church, was born Feb. 2, 1933, in Hamilton County to Peter K and Mary Goertzen Goertzen and died suddenly Jan. 20, 1999, at the age of
65. On Aug. 23, 1957, he was married to Frieda G. Fast, who survives. He is also survived by two daughters, Marcia and husband Monty Regier of Henderson and Marla and husband Marian Huebert of Reedley, Calif.; one brother, Herman and wife Erma of Hampton, and five grandchildren.
KLASSEN, SUSIE, Reedley, Calif., a member of Reedley MB Church, was born June 11, 1916, to Isaac and Margaret Heinrichs Braun at Joes, Colo., and died Jan. 19, 1999, at the age of 82. On Sept. 14, 1957, she was married to Frank Klassen who predeceased her in 1972. She is survived by one brother, Dave and wife Mary Braun, two sisters, Helen Higdon and Irene and husband Ernest Fast; two sisters-in-law, Clara Braun and Ann Braun and many nieces and nephews.
McNABB, KELLY SHAWN, Hanford, Calif., a member of Neighborhood MB Church, Visalia, Calif., was born July 12, 1957, and died Dec. 31, 1998, at the age of 41. She was married to Philip McNabb, who survives. She is also survived by two daughters, Haley and Casey; her parents, Tom and Charlotte Connelly of Fair Oaks, Calif.; two sisters, Keely and husband Tim LeBas of Galt, Calif., and Lisa Connelly of Santa Rosa, Calif., and two brothers, Kort Connelly of Sacramento, Calif., and Bob Connelly of Honolulu, Hawaii.
SUDERMAN, ROBERT ROSEVEL, Fountain Valley, Calif., was born Aug. 12, 1964, in San Martin, Meta, Colombia, and died Jan. 10, 1999, at the age of 34 due to complications of Hunters Syndrome. He is survived by his parents, Alvin and Shirley Suderman of Fountain Valley; one sister, Jacqueline and husband Ed Titsworth of Bakersfield, Calif.; three brothers, Don and wife Debi of Chico, Calif., Dewayne and wife Yong of Lake Ridge, Va., and Jim and wife Diana of Cedar Hills, Texas; his grandmother, Mary Bingenheimer of Salem, Ore., and 9 nieces and nephews.
THIESEN, HENRY, Reedley, Calif., a member of Reedley MB Church, was born Nov. 9, 1922, to Sarah Goertzen Thiesen near Goessel, Kan., and died Jan. 6, 1999, at the age of 76. On Aug. 22, 1946, he was married to Elizabeth Peters, who survives. He is also survived by his children, Joanne and husband Dave of Irvine, Calif., Jan and husband Mark of Pasadena, Larry and wife Martha of Lancaster, Penn., and Sharon and husband Mike of Colorado Springs; one brother, Walter and wife Anne of Newton, Kan.; one sister-in-Iaw, Gladys, 13 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
WIEBE, ALBERT C., Fairview, Okla., a member of Fairview MB Church, was born April 18, 1907, in Marion County, Kan., to Isaac W. and Nettie Cornelsen Wiebe and died Jan. 27, 1999, at the age of 91. On Oct. 16, 1932, he was married to Alice Martens, who survives. He is also survived by two daughters, Carolyn and husband Orlan Frantz of Balko, Okla., and Marlene and husband Loyd Ediger of Enid, Okla.; one brother, Ernest and wife Dorothy of Hooker, Okla.; five sisters, Esther Hamm of Liberal, Kan., Bessie Voth of Russellville, Ark., Helen Hamm of Hooker, Mabel and husband George Toews and Sarah Toews, both of Enid, five grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren .•
IN BRIEF
DROUGHT: It hasn't rained in the eastern Brazilian state of Pernarnbuco stnce February 1997. Water supplies are nea rly depleted; fields have t ur ned to sand. The local government has reduced the water it supplies $0 fanners now purchase water from privately-run water trucks. Mennonite Centra·1 Cornrnittee workers are di:gging wells and arranging for shipments of water and seeds to help alleviate the suffering caused by the drought. (MCC)
SUFFERING: As recently as late November, four Protestant and Roman Catholic churches in Indonesia were burned and several others destroyed. Seven people died in the rioting. According to Menno nite church leader M'esach Kristeya more than 500 Christian churches have been destroyed since the 19605, half of them in the past five years. Attacks are accompanied by sexual abuse, rape and killings. "But no one,lI he says, "can destroy our wall of faith." (Meetinghouse)
ROADS: Thanks to a Mennonite Economic Development Agency-managed program, people of Haiti now have 125 miles of rehabHitated roads, 44 miles of irrigation canals and nine miles of drainage canals repalred. In addition, five bridges were builtJ three schools reha bi litated six springs improved; 993,558 tree seedlings produced and planted and 9,196 fruit trees grafted. The program also provided training for 3,209 people in grafting and literacy training for 4,193. The of the four ..year program was to refurbish Haitiis infrastructure while creating short",term Jobs and injecting cash in the starve d economy. (MEDA)
DELEGATION: A delegation of eight French-speaking Mennonites from Europe and Quebec spent a week in Kinshasa, Congo., in early February talking with Mennonite church leaders from that country. Mennonite World Conference arranged the visit with the goal of exploring the types of exchanges and projects that might be possible among Frenchspeakers from the North and South. Ann ie Brouseau, editor of the MB French language magazine in Canada, was among the delegation. (MWC)
Clearinghouse
Have a position to fill? Looking for a new employment or ministry opportunity? Have a gathering or celebration to promote? Reach U.S. Mennonite Brethren through a Clearinghouse classified ad. The charge is 40 cents per word, with a $15 minimum. Withhold payment until an invoice is received. MB institutions advertising vacancies or position announcements may be eligible for a no-cost ad. Contact the editor for more information.
EMPLOYMENT-CHURCH
Director of Church Family Ministries
First Mennonite Brethren Church in Wichita, Kan., seeks full-time staff to develop and lead caregiving ministries and provide personaJ pastoral care in a growing church of over 700, rooted in Anabaptist tradition. Responsibilities: 1) assessing needs; 2) developing responses through deacon ministry, support systems, family enrichment events, assimilation and hospitality; 3) leading and equipping lay caregivers ministry team. Experience: 5 years related field, church ministry, group dynamics and family systems, assessment skills. Requires masters degree and seminary training or equivalent. Submit resume and references to: DCFM Search Committee, FMBC, 8000 W. 21st Street, Wichita, Kansas 67205, fax (316) 722-5931. Complete job description available upon request.
Director of and Worship
Director of Music and Worship sought by First Mennonite Brethren Church in Wichita, Kan. A full-time position to direct multiple music ministries and lead blended worship. This visionary, growing, suburban church of 700 attenders of all age groups is rooted in Anabaptist theology and committed to relevant ministry. Masters degree or equivalent experience preferred. Submit resume and references to: Music Search, 8000 W. 21st St., Wichita, KS 67205-1744; fax (316) 722-5931; e-mail fmbc@feist.com
Music/Worship Staff Position
North Fresno Mennonite Brethren Church is looking for a Minister of Worship and Music. This half time position includes planning services of worship, directing the choir, and rehearsing instrumentalists and accompanists in preparation for worship. Applicants should appreciate both traditional and contemporary music, be able to blend the two in a service of worship, be an inspiring worship leader and musician, and kindle a spirit of joy in the worship of God. Send applications to North Fresno Church, Search Committee, 5724 N. Fresno St., Fresno, CA 93710.
Senior Pastor
The Hillsboro Mennonite Brethren Church is in search of candidates for the position of senior pastor. Candidates gifted in providing leadership for a congregation with an average attendance of over 500 and experienced in directing a multiple pastoral staff are invited to send a resume to: Pastoral Search Committee, Daryle Baltzer (Chm.), 104 S. Washington, Hillsboro, KS 67063.
EMPLOYMENT-GENERAL
Technical Services/Automation Coordinator
Fresno Pacific University is accepting applications for an experienced person to coordinate technical services and library computer systems. Under the direction of the Library Director, the Technical Services/Automation Coordinator is responsible for the coordination of techn ical activities which include acquisition, cataloging, and processing library materials. The Coordinator is also responsible for managing emerging information technologies and their applications, and use and operation of electronic resources including GEAC's Advance. Required qualifications include MLS from an ALA-accredited program and knowledge and expertise with library online systems, CD-ROM, the Internet, HTML, and microcomputer applications. Desired qualifications include networking experience and experience in a college setting. Send letter of application and resume to Arlene Mack, Fresno Pacific University, 1717 S. Chestnut, Fresno, CA 93702; (559) 453-2120; e-mail amack@fresno.edu.
Finance and Support Services Director
MBMS International, the global mission agency of the MB church in Canada and the United States, seeks a staff member for its office in Fresno, California. Applicants for this position must be an MB church member who is in agreement with the MB Confession of Faith. The Finance and Support Services director wi II be an accredited accountant who performs all daily accounting functions, and also manages financial resource budgeting and accountability; fund distribution; information system maintenance and development; payroll; benefits administration; management of staffing, facilities and equipment/supplies for all offices. Consideration will be given to recent graduates or experienced accountants who are willing to grow into other management aspects of the position. Position to be filled as soon as possible. This job opening will be closed once a suitable applicant is found. Send Resumes and inquiries to: Harold Ens, General Director, MBMS International, 4867 E. Townsend Ave., Fresno, CA 93727-5006; phone (888) 866-6267; fax (559) 251-1432; e-mail mbms@compuserve.com
MISCELLANEOUS
Collectibles for Sale
Celebrate the history of our denomination in North America. Ebenfeld MB Church was the first congregation established by Mennonite Brethren in North America and our facility is the second-oldest house of worship to be used continually by U.S. Mennonite Brethren. Collectible wooden cut-outs of the Ebenfeld MB Church, as facilities appeared in 1975, are currently available. Each collectible is numbered and signed by the artist, which adds to its value. To order, send $25, which includes shipping and handling,to Brad Wiens, Ebenfeld MB Church, PO Box 152, Hillsboro, KS 67063.
FPU European Tour, June 1999
Fresno Pacific University is sponsoring a European tour in June, 1999. The 15-day tour will combine visiting some of the Switzerland sites important to the beginning of the anabaptist-Mennonite story with the cultural and historic riches of Italy. The tour will include major cities, majestic scenery, back roads, hidden places and glorious art museums. Enough open time will permit the pursuit of individual interests. Allen Carden and Paul Toews will lead the tour. All faculty and staff are cordially invited to join this u unique excursion. Nancy Neufeld, in the President's Office has the full brochure with all of the details. Fresno Pacific University, 1717 S. Chestnut, Fresno, CA 93702; (559) 453-2000; e-mail nneufeld@fresno.edu .•
Pontius' Puddle
BOTH NEED AN ESTATE PLAN.
It may be a simple will, a living trust, perhaps a creditshelter trust. but some kind of plan is needed. A will or trust allows you to accomplish many good things:
• Name a personal representative or trustee to manage the distribution of your estate.
• Name a guardian for the care of minor children or a family member with a special need.
• Possibly reduce or eliminate estate taxes.
• Make a charitable gift to support the ministries you value.
No document in human affairs is more important than your estate plan, whether a will or a living trust. Such an speaks with authority as to how your should be caredfor and how your assets should be distributed. It is the final and finest expression of your real character, love .for falnily, and love for God.
Please send me the leaflet, "Your Legacy Planning for a Better Tomorrow."
Please send me the leaflet, "Understanding Living Trusts."
Please send me information on making a planned gift to a ministry or charitable cause I value.
I/We have already included a Mennonite Brethren ministry in our estate plan in the following way:
Please contact me by phone. The best time to reach me is:
Name:
The church is not a product
About a month ago, a friend of ours visited from the Bay area. My husband and I took him out to eat, and halfway through dinner the conversation turned to religion. "Everything is a product," he said with a shrug. "It's just a matter of marketing-and Christians are good marketers."
The conversation shifted, but I felt uneasy. Why did that statement bother me so much?
Our culture is driven by consumerism. This is not so much a result of capitalism as it is a result of the postmodern thought we hear so much about. Consumerism goes way beyond materialism. It creeps into everything-cultures, ideologies, lifestyles, religion. Postmodernism says we can't know the truth-if truth exists at all-so how are people to convince others that they have the best idea out there? Sell and market. Market and sell.
As I finished dinner, I realized why I felt so uneasy. This consumerism influence can be devastating to us as Christians. It robs us of the true purpose of the church. The church is not one of a million products for consumers-it is the body of Christ. The church is to glorify God, to be holy and to serve God. As Christians, we are to serve the church.
Jesus also taught us how to live: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself' (Matt. 27:37-39). This is the Great Love, and we are to be consumed with it. Like Jesus, we meet need with service-not because it will help sell our product but because we Love.
When we proclaim out of Love, we bring others into fellowship and not just to church.
When we approach church and evangelism influenced by consumerism, the purpose of the church is lost. Evangelism becomes consumed with marketing strategies to bring in "the numbers." We water down the Word so that no one will be offended-if they are offended, they won't buy the product. The church becomes a product to sell instead of a mission to serve.
Jesus was born into a culture that wasn't so different from ours in that people then, as now, were starving for Truth. Judaism had lost its center. It had been hundreds of years since they had heard from a prophet before John the Baptist came out of the wilderness to prepare the way for the Messiah. But Jesus wasn't focused on what "sold." He was consumed with love. He loved His Father, and He loved us. Out of that love, He met people's needs, which weren't always what they wanted or expected. He healed hearts and bodies and gave His life to reconcile us to God-our greatest need of all. Jesus didn't water down this Good News, even when He knew people would turn away.
This Great Love also demands to be shared. Jesus told us to go out to the world and make disciples of all nations, teaching them to obey all that He has taught us (Matt 28: 1920). We obey, proclaim and teach because of this Great Love. John says, "We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ" (1 John 1:3). Our relationship with God naturally extends to bringing others into relationship with us and God. Focusing on the numbers makes people consumers to win over. But when we proclaim out of Love, we bring others into fellowship and not just to church. Consumerism can also have harmful effects on us as church members. In my early twenties, I was frustrated with the church I attended. When I told that to my mother, she shared that she had never found a church that met all her needs or expectations. I interrupted her, surprised because she seemed so happy with the church she attended. But that's not the point of the church, she responded. We are here to serve the church, not have the church serve us.
This was a valuable lesson for me and one I must remind myself of frequently. I tend to focus on what the church can do for me-or doesn't do for me. When the church ceases to be a product I am satisfied or dissatisfied with, it starts to become the body of Christ-a body that I am a part of and for which I share responsibility.
As members of the church, we must demonstrate Love and proclaim the Good News. But we also must beware of our motivations. The church becomes hollow without the Great Love, when we give into the consumerism of our culture. We are not out to sell but to live as servants of God and proclaim the Gospel. We must keep our eyes on Jesus and walk His walk. We must love God and love our neighbor. For this is the church. -CA
