May 2005

• God's double agents • Incognito • Living on purpose

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19 > Moving into the neighborhood

> «This is a book we both need" 23 > TREK offers taste of full-time ministry

24 > Teens challenged to embrace ministry 26 > MBMSI begins rebuilding additional homes

27 > Another earthquake strikes Indonesia

MWC officials offer condolences to Catholic colleagues

FEATURES [Faith at work]

10 GOD'S DOUBLE AGENTS by Wally Kroeker Christians in the workplace are like God's double agents. They have a foot in the church and a foot in the world.

13 INCOGNITO by John Adams

John may look like an ordinary, nine-to-five businessman. But looks can be deceiving.

16 LIVING ON PURPOSE by Karol Hunt

Vocational roles, financial demands, personal struggles, service expectations and family obligations clamor for our attention. In the midst of our busyness we may wonder: Do I really have a purpose?

> FiRST WORDS

(from t h e ed i tor ]

IN TH IS ISS UE YOU WILL MEET "JOHN ADAMS," A YOUNG MAN WHO, because of the nature of his work . wrote under an assumed name. Adams grew up in the Southern District Conference and I first met him about six years ago when we rode to a district convention in the same van. It only t09k one or two questions to get Adams talking about his life.

Adams spent several years pursuing educational degrees in two seemingly unrelated areas : accounting and the language common to the region where he now lives. Why? So that he could be one of God's double agents, the phrase writer Wally Kroeker uses in the opening feature article to describe how Christians live with one foot in the church and the other in the world. As Adams shared his story that day, I was impressed with the purposeful way in which he is leading his life and with his commitment to being a marketplace Christian. I tucked his name and story away, hoping to find an occasion to tell of his work in the Leader This month's focus on living our faith at work proved to be a golden opportunity. I commend his story to you. May it and the other articles in this month's feature section prompt more of us to wed our professional interests with a passion for reaching people with the good news that Jesus loves us and has a plan for our lives-including nine-to-five.

By the way. in Marvin Hein's column on page 30 you can read more about the situation Adams and other MBMS International workers living in certain parts of the world find themselves. Twice in the last month our family has heard a missionary speak about the importance of keeping hislher name confidential when mentioning them in a church bulletin or newsletter or in e-mails. It reminded me again to pray for the safety of Christian international professionals and missionaries - as well as the local believers-who live and work in restricted-access countries.

And finally, falling in the "did you know" category, did you know there is a Mennonite Nursing Association? There is and MNA is sponsoring Nurses Week May 612. Congregations are invited to honor nurses and the care they give their patie nts; resources have been supplied for worship services May 8. Given our emphasis this month on our lives Monday through Friday, it seems appropriate to mention this opportunity to recognize the valuable ministry of nurses and other medical personnel.-CF

QUOTABLE

"My friend Sarah says that I get to be the voice of God. I usually roll my eyes when she says it, because if I were God, I would never have chosen me, of all people, to speak for him!"- Bethany Hamilton, a 13-year-old competitive surfer on God's plan for her life following a shark artack in which she lost her ann, in her book Soul Surfer.

UP & COMING

• May • May 13

• May 14

• May 15

• July 29-3 1

• Nov. 3 - 6

U.S. Conference Month

Leadership Board meeting, Denver, Colo.

Leadership Summit. Denver. Colo.

Global Day of Prayer

Southern District Conference convention. Denver, Colo . Central D istrict Conference convention. Salem MB Church. Bridgewater. S.D .

Connie Faber EDITOR

Nadine Friesen EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

Myra Holmes NEWS WRITER

Elaine Ewert GRAPHIC DESIGNER

MANDATE The Chris tian Leader IISSN 0009 -51491 is published monthly by the U S Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches The Christian Leader seeks to inform Mennonite Brethren members and churches of the events, activities, decisions and issues of their denomination, end to instruct, inspire and initiate dialogue so members will aspire to be faithful disciples of Christ as understOOd in the evangelicaVAnabaptist theological tradition

EDITOR IAL POLICY The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent the position of the Christian Leader. the U S Conference leadership Board or the Mennonite Brethren Church Scripture references are from New International Version unless otherwise noted The editors invite freeleru:e article submissions A SASE must accompany articles.

READER PARTICIPATION The editors invite readers to share their thoughts and opinions on topiCs relevant to the Mennonite Brethren Church using tetters to the editor and Forum essays letters to the editor Should be brief - 300 words or less - and on one subject. Letters must be signed and include the writer's city and state Letters wilt be edited for clarity, appropriateness and length letters will be published, as space allows, unless marked -Not for publication - Forum is open to members or attendees of Mennonite Brethren churches Essays should not exceed 800 words and shoul!l include the writer's name, address home church and occupation

COMMUNICATION All correspondence , including change of address, should be addressed to the Christilln Lellder, Box 220 Hillsboro, KS 67063 Phorie: {6201947-5543 Fax: (6201947-3266 e-mail: christianleadertausmb org.

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MEMBERSHIP T/le Christian Leader i s a member of the Evangelical Press Association and Meetinghouse. an association 01 Mennonite and Brethren in Christ editors

POSTMASTER Send address changes to t/le Chrfstian Lellder, Box 220 Hillsboro KS "7063 Periodicals postage paid at Hiltsboro, Kansas

By Darla Barton Knoles

Rethinking our attitudes about divorce in the church

How should the church react when divorce is necessary for family?

THE MENNO NITE BRETHREN CHURCH that I attend has a literature rack in the foyer Recently, before the Sunday service began, I was looking for something to read. I discovered a U. S. Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches pamphlet written by David Ewerr entitled "When Marriages Fail: Divorce and Remarriage."

In this brief pamphlet on the subject of divorce, Ewett makes statements regarding the biblical teachings on divorce as well as approaches that the pastor and church leaders should take when a member of the congregation files for divorce

It is unfortunate that the information contained in this work seems to be incomplete. The reasons that people get divorced cannot be effectively discussed in a shott informational statement. Ewert suggests sanctions be imposed on the divorced person . This suggestion could have the effect of punishing the innocent person who, in the best interest of their family, became divorced under biblical circumstances, thus furthering the stigma of the divorced person's role in the church.

Ewert advises leaders to counsel the couple in a marriage that has broken down and "show compassion" to couples who feel the need for divorce. However. Pastor Ewert also states that if" divorce has taken place, pastoral counseling would still be called for. Also, some form of discipline would be necessary, both for the benefit of the divorced person as well as the congregation "

It is unfortunate that this pamphlet does not discuss that in some circumstances divorce can be biblical and is necessary to the emotional life and stability of the family, such

as in the case of spousal abuse. child abuse and adultery.

Mennonite Brethren churches do not exist in a vacuum. Some of its members have been divorced from other professing Christians. A divorce can even happen in a Mennonite Brethren family. Divorce causes much spiritual pain and sadness in a family . But in a Christian marriage, a divorced person can experience a deep regret for marrying a person who did not actively live the Christian faith he/she professed to the congregation and community

How do I know this? I am one of those unfortunate Christian women who fell deeply in love with a man who actively professed faith in Jesus, as Lord and Savior My husband and I were both active members in our congregation. I worked with the children; he sang in the choir. We both volunteered to assist the church in harvest festivals and served wherever we could From the outside we looked like a happy family. I made sure that nobody in our congregation knew our family was in deep pain

One afternoon a few years ago, I received a very disturbing phone call from a detective in our local police department. The detective explained to me on the phone that I needed to remove my husband from my family's life and home . If I refused, Child Protective Services would be forced to take my child out of our custody.

I went into shock. I cried. I prayed every night that God would guide me through this . But the worst part was that I walked this painful road alone because I was afraid my testimony would be tainted when the church discovered I was filing for

divorce.

According to Ewert, my concern was justified We Mennonite Brethren advocate that divorced members "withdraw from all public service until restoration to fellowship has taken place." As a result of these church attitudes, I did not reveal my divorce to the church until one year after my divorce was final because I was concerned that I would become a subject of moral judgment and ridicule.

We, as a church body, need to start rethinking our attitudes regarding how we deal with a divorced person. Christians need to encourage our divorced members who became divorced under biblical grounds (such as incest adultery, and abuse) to rip the paper bag of shame off their heads, hearts and souls. We. as believers, need to model a simple rule of Christian teaching that demonstrates that Jesus loves married people. But in addition, we need to model that Jesus loves the divorced person, that God has a place for a divorced person in his family to be loved, to serve and to heal.

But we Mennonite Brethren cannot effectively do this until our members are taught how to cope with and deal with the loss of a marriage from a practical and human standpoint. Divorce not only affects the individual family, but the church body as a whole.

In addition, there is a ripe mission field of potential new believers and members to be reached if we as a denomination show broken families that the Mennonite Brethren church is a place for the divorced to feel God's love and to find a home

Darla Barton Knoles is a law librarian and a member of Vinewood Community Church in Lodi, Calif She is a graduate of San Jose (Calif) State University and Humphreys College School of Law in Stockton, Calif

A Rebuilding Year

In the sports world we sometimes hear a coach talk about a "rebuilding year." Generally that means we lower our expectations and hope that the coming years will only get better My San Francisco 4gers are a painful reminder of what this tettn has come to symbolize . As a sports fan you sometimes wonder how long a year can last!

So it is with ca ution that I celebrate that the U S Conference has enjoyed a yea r of rebuilding That doesn't mean that we have

beginning as a board and ask for your continued prayers.

Rebuilding Missi on USA

Most fu\filling this year has been watching MUSA restart. With the hiring of Don Morris as our new director we have enjoyed fresh energy in the oversight of MUSA. As part of this we have planted two new churches, a Slavic congregation in San Diego, Calif., and a second-generation Korean church in Glendale, Calif. Both congregations are enjoying the energy and vitality of their new beginnings and are realizing God's blessings. : : \\'C

the

end of this ministry we much better ..lni:ed focu'.ed to meet th e changing needs ()I our con gr egation.., as we the (emul"\".

asked you to lower your expectations of how we serve you as the church It does mean that you can expect more in the future.

We believe at the end of this ministry year we are much better organized and focused to meet the changing needs of our congregations as we face the 21st century. This includes the following:

Rebuilding

the Ch ristian Leader

By now you have received a first copy of our"new look" Leader. We are thrilled with the product and look forward to the day that you can also access some of this information on our Web site. Thanks to Connie Faber, our editor, for overseeing this project.

Rebuildin g our Web site

It was high time we made our Web site more functional and useful for constituents, researchers and Web site surfers. We believe that the World Wide Web will become a primary medium of communication in the 21st century. As of July I, you can check us out at www usmb org. We believe you will find the new USC Web site to be infottnative, inspirational and a great way to access relevant infottnation about the USC.

Rebu ild ing our Organization

Delegates to last summer's convention gave us pettnission to put into practice a provisional structure that consists of a nine-member Leadership Board We have finished a new set of bylaws and will be sending them to the churches for response early in the new ministry year. We hope that at our next convention we will gain final approval of this new structure We believe that we are enjoying a hattn on ious

Rebu ild ing a capital fund-raising ministry

Some of you are aware that in the past I worked exclusively in capital fund -raising with churches needing to raise funds for building programs. I have redesigned the material and am now offering it exclusively to Mennonite Brethren churches on a limited basis through the church health component of MUSA. If your church is beginning a building program arid needs to raise funds , please contact Don Morris or me for an initial consultation

A special word of thanks is due to those of you who have conrributed to these causes financially. Our churches have conrributed at record levels New and emerging congregations have become part of our donor team as well. To provide a fresh overview of these changes and many other significant undertakings in the past year, we have sent a DVD to our churches to show on an appropriate Sunday in May. If you do not see the video. please ask your pastor when it might be shown.

We are excited about our next convention in July of 2006. Please check the June issue of the Leader for specifics. We are very excited about our initial preparations and look forward to this announcement.

Finally. if you are able to send a year-end love offering to the ministries of the U.S Conference, please do so through your church offering plate. Simply designate your contribution for the ministry of your choosing: the Leader redesign , our Web site redesign or Mission USA efforts.

Thank you in advance for your valued partnership in the gospel. And thank you for making this a great year for the U.S. Conference!

May designated Conference Month"

Contributions requested from inactive churches

The u.s. Conference Leadership Board has designated the month of Mayas "U.S. Conference Month." Each

congregation has received a letter from Executive Director Chuck Buller requesting that the denomination's ministries be emphasized on a Sunday in May of that congregation's choosing.

Churches have also received a DVD highlighting denominational ministries with the request that it be shown on the designat-

ed Sunday. A single leadership board currently governs USC ministries which fall into four broad categories: administration, communication, faith and life and church growth and health. Current USC lead staff members Buller, Mission USA Director Don Morris, Leader editor Connie Faber and Administrative Assistant Donna

Sullivan oversee these ministries.

In addition to highlighting denominational ministries, Buller asks congregations, especially those that have not yet contributed to the Z004-05 USC budget, to take a '10ve offering" on behalf of the conference in May. Church contributions to the USC are coming in at record levels and new and

emerging congregations are helping to fund denominational ministries, says Buller.

In spite of these increases, USC budget reports show that as of March I, more than half of the congregations had not contributed to the conference. In an effort to gamer the financial support of these congregations, the Leadership Board asked Buller to emphasize the responsibilities as well as the practical benefits, including documentation of church's nonprofit status, that come with denominational affiliation. "If you enjoy this privilege, we would ask that you help us remain financially viable into the future so that we might continue to work together," writes Buller.

MWC mini-assembly proposed for 2006

Southern California churches to host global gathering

Next winter, Mennonites and Brethren in Christ in North America

will have th e opportunity to sample a Mennonite World Conference assembly on a small scale when a mini-assembly will be held Ma rch 9 -15 in Southern C alifornia . The mini-assembly, to be held at the U S Center for World Missions in Pasadena, Calif , was affirmed by MWC senior executive and staff members meeting in late January in Fresno, Calif

Plans for the gathering were refined when MWC staff and southern California hosts met in Pasadena earlier this month . The mini -assembly will reflect the global character but not the numbers of a traditional assembly It will include an expanded

MWC General Council, Pea ce Council and Faith and Life Council business ses sions

C ouncil members represent MWC member churches from each of five continental regions . The councils meet for one week in conjunction with global assemblies, like the most recent one held in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe in Z003 , and at about the midpoint between assemblies . The next as se mbly will be in ZOO9 in Paraguay

Official hosts for the event ar e the Brethren in Christ General Conference, Mennonite Church USA, and th e U S Conference of MB Churches . Southern California churches will be local hosts for some zoo people, including council members from around the world, MWC staff and

inte rn ational and No rth American guests

A consultation on the theme of service, which will examin e how the New Te stament deacon role can be ada pted to serve the marginalized within the global Anabaptist famil y in the ZISt century, will precede the council me etings Pakisa Tshimika, a member of College Community MB Church in Clovis , Calif ., and MWC associate sec reta ry, and Ronald J. Mathies, cu rrent Men nonite C entral C ommittee exec utive director, are planning th e consultation .- MWC news release

Vietnam prisoner transferred

Le Thi Hong Lien, suffering in a Vietnamese prison from severe mental illness for many months, was transferred Feb. 28 to a hospital that treats the mentally ill. This follows a concened international appeal to Vietnamese authorities to provide Lien with the care and treatment she needs.

As of mid-April, Lien's family had visited her twice at the Bien Hoa hospital, 50 kilometers nonheast of the family's home in Ho Chi Minh City. Her family reports that Lien exhibited the same poor health she had in prison. She did not even look at any of them as they prayed with her. They continue to be very concerned about her. "Caught in a wolf trap, nothing has changed," said her father in a written statement. "Her health situation is not improving, and her mental health is in no way restored."

Lien was arrested June 30, 2004, and sentenced November 12 to one year in prison. She is one of six Mennonite church leaders imprisoned as a result of a March 2, 2004, incident. Lien and two others remain

in prison. When it was announced in early April that an appeal would be heard April 12 by the Ho Chi Minh People's Coun. Le Thi Phu Dung, wife of imprisoned pastor N guyen Hong Quang, ::!: called on Christians worldwide to fast and pray April 10-12. She requested prayer for those still imprisoned: Quang, evangelist Pham Ngoc Thach, and especially for Lien.

April 12 more than 200 people gathered outside the coun to demonstrate their suppon for the Mennonite leaders; only two family members were allowed in the counroom. The superior coun upheld the prison sentences. Vietnam regularly announces general amnesties for prisoners three times yearly. Unless granted amnesty, Quang could be imprisoned until June 2007. Thach would be released in March 2006. -MWG

MBBS dean resigns

James Pankratz has resigned from his assignments at MB Biblical Seminary to assume the position of academic dean at Conrad Grebel University College in Waterloo, Onto MBBS president Jim Holm announced Pankratz's resignation March 18. Since 1998, Pankratz has served as academic dean for the seminary's three campuses in Langley, B.C., Winnipeg. Man.. and Fresno, Calif. and

associate professor of mission and world religions at its Fresno campus. Pankratz's resignation is effective December 31.

"Jim has been a valued colleague in seminary administration and a good friend," says Holm. "I regret the loss that the seminary will experience with his depanure. but I encourage Jim and Goldine as they look forward to this new adventure. Jim has served with the seminary for seven years. He has brought wisdom. expenise and a good spirit to our campuses." says Holm.-MBBS

New Canadian offices open

Late last month the Canadian Conference of MB Churches moved into its new building at 1310 Taylor Ave., Winnipeg. Man. The two-story building houses the Canadian Conference offices. Kindred Productions. MB Herald, Mennonitische Rundschau. Youth Ministries. Evangelism

Canada. Stewardship Ministries. Centre for MB Studies. MBMS International. as well as the offices of the Manitoba MB Conference. An adjacent building houses Christian Press. Built at a cost of $2.5 million. the complex features pleasant. welllit cubicles and offices for staff.GGMBG

2:': New commentaries released

Two Mennonite publishers have recently released new commentaries. In April, Kindred Productions announced the release of Turning the World Upside Down, a commentary on Acts in the Luminaire Studies series by Edmund Janzen Janzen is Professor Emeritus of Biblical and ReligiOUS Studies at Fresno Pacific University in Fresno, Calif , The Luminaire Studies give attention to literary form and exposition of the text, application and questions for personal reflection and are useful for individual or group study Proverbs, the latest in the Believers Church Bible Commentary Series, has been released by Herald Press . John W. Miller, professor emeritus at Conrad Grebel University College, is the author. - KP,HP

Director appointed

Ken Reddig has been appointed director of the Canadian Conference Centre for MB Studies, effective August 1. Most recently Reddig served with Mennonite Central Committee Canada as major gifts/planned - giving coordinator He has extensive experience in the area of history and archival work, having served as the Centre's director from 1979 to 1990,CCMBC

\.. Facilities dedicated

Campus supporters dedicated reconstructed Alumni Hall and the new Harold and Betty Haak Tennis Complex at backto - back ceremonies April 1 Alumni Hall, opened in 1964, now includes the campus bookstore and mail center as well as a new coffee shop, convenience store and fireplace lounge. With the new courts, tennis returns to FPU after seven years .-FPU

IaREGARDLESS OF OUR CHOSEN occupations, Christians share a common vocation: being people wherever we work, live and play. And since many of us spend at least half of our waking hours at our jobs, living nine-to-five as God's agents of change is central to our call. Our faith is not a Sunday only thing; it should work seven days a week.

,

o S double agents

Sunday we're in church. Monday we're at work. Is there any connection?

Christians in the workplace are like God's double agents. They have a foot in the church and a foot in the world.

B Y WALLY K ROE K E R

MANY PEOPLE READING THIS ARTICLE WILL SPEND 80,000 HOURS AT A JOB .

For some it will be drudgery; for others, a calling - a place to exercise gifts and skills.

In an average week many people spend more time with their co-workers than with their spouse The workplace may be their primary community To some extent they will be defined by their work ('What do you do?").

Unfortunately, it is a part of life that the church often neglects

God's week has seven days

We have been taught that God worked six days and then took one day off. God gets Sunday, and the rest are ours-five for our jobs and one for yard work

Some of us have also picked up a sense that people who are truly committed to the Lord go into "full-time Christian service,

while those with regular jobs are second-class citizens whose role is to "pay, pray and obey."

If you happen to be a layperson who is serious about faith, chances are the church will enlist you to teach Sunday school, serve on a committee or lead worship "Ministry" happens within the bounds of the congregation or denomination, the "church gathered," as R. Paul Stevens of Regent College terms it. Little attention is invested in the "church dispersed." Rarely is daily work recognized as ministry

Rare, too, is the teaching that all work is service to God. As the Reformer William Tyndale said, 'There is no work better than another to please God; to pour water, to wash dishes, to be a cobbler or an apostle."

wood and to engage in all kinds of artistic craftsmanship." Their tribe is further endowed with skills as "embroiderers in blue, purple and scarlet yam and fine linen, and weavers-all of them master craftsmen and designers."

Anyone who is a carpenter, house framer, bricklayer, metalworker or textile worker can see themselves in that passage of Scripture.

In the Gospels we find a lot of working folk-in fact, most of the action revolves around laboring people like fishers, tenttnakers , pruners and merchants The clergy is notably absent, except as villains.

The apostle Paul extols the diversity of the Holy Spirit's working class: 'There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working. but the same God works all of them in all people" (I Cor. 12:4-6).

God wants us to be emi ssaries in the daily workplace , God's week has seven days, not just one.

Wherever we work, God is there, wanting us to "press the kingdom" into our daily tasks and relationships.

Deep down, though, we all know that God wants people in regular jobs. If we all became paid ministers there wouldn't be room for us.

Peter Wagner, a leading evangelism promoter, contends that only about 10 percent of Christians actually have the gift of evangelism. What, then, are the other 90 percent to do? Are we just worker bees who toil at daily jobs so we can donate to the support of the 10 percent who have the gift of evangelism?

Clearly we are all called to bear wimess to the transforming gospel. But that doesn't mean just evangelism. As in real estate, we're all called to show the property, even if not everyone can close the sale.

God has something in mind for the rest of us. God wants us to be emissaries in the daily workplace. God's week has seven days, not just one.

God

goes to work

The first page of the Bible shows God busy at work. Only on page two are people introduced, and then "in the image of God." Creativity, innovation and work all express something of the character of God. God is also a sustainer who makes continued life possible, very often through the jobs of people like you and me.

In Exod 35 :30-35 we meet Bezalel and Oholiab, whom God filled "with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts-to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in

Whether we work on an assembly line or in an office, we are called to represent God. That is our outpost of mission. Christians in the workplace are like God's double agents. They have a foot in the church and a foot in the world. That is where we represent God's creative genius and the Christian virtues we carry with us.

Too often secular work is seen as little more than another place to proselytize, as if there is no intrinsic value in the work itself. But that is where we do the work of God by providing the goods and services that people need. That is where we become God's junior partners in the ongoing work of sustaining creation

Some clergy resist this because they fear that "workplace ministry" will distract members from congregational participation. 'William Diehl, author of The Monday Connection, found this not to be the case in his denomination. An extensive survey showed that members who saw their daily work as Christian service tended also to be stronger financial contributors and participants in other congregational activities.

Questions to ask

Being God's co-creators raises some interesting questions the church can help us examine :

What public good will my work accomplish today? Is my work an important part of God's economy? Is the world a better place because of the work I do?

Does my work contribute to the kind of world God intended, where deserts become fertile fields, where parched lands become glad, where waste spaces are comforted, as the Old Testament prophets say? Does the work we do enhance life rather than harm it?

Where do we find brokenness in the workplace? How can we deal redemptively with failure, whether that be a bankruptcy or a failed

employee?

The churc h can breathe new life into daily work- even into whole careers-by helping members reclaim the work week for God .

Imagine a business owner seeing the company not as merely a means of profit but as a calling to provide meaningful jobs to bolster a commun ity's economic base. Imagine a garbage collector seeing the job as maki ng the world a cleaner place. Imagine a hospital orderly believing that cleaning soiled linens and bed pans is a vital part of God's healing process.

How th e church can help

The churc h expa nds God's reach when it validates, affirms and celebrates the Monday-to-Friday activities of its members.

Pastors can vis it members at lunch or coffee break. That sends a signal that th is part of life is important to the church leadership.

Pastors, meanwhile, gain insights (and some great sermon illustrations) into the habitat where members spend the bulk of their waking hours.

How about planning a series of short "workplace testimonies" where selected members explain "How I connect Sunday and Monday " It will be illuminating for the congregation, as well as a great opportunity for the selected speakers to ponder how their faith impacts their work.

Many churches commiss ion people for mission work or voluntary service. Why not do the same for Fred the firefighter or Theresa the teacher or Sally the social worker?

Plan a Sunday school elective on the theme of work. Use resources like Faith Dilemmas for Marketplace Christians (Herald Press), which is designed for a 13-week quarter You may find that the resource is secondary, that people will be delighted by the chance to

talk about their work in the context of the church.

Church newsletters can carry anecdotes featuring members' jobs. A budding photographer in the church can take shots of members at work, or of where retired members used to work, and mount them on a display titled "Our dispersed church "

Work strikes a responsive chord in worship planning, and not just for Labor Day weekend. A church in Ontario invited members to show up one Sunday in work garb The array of uniforms was quite a sight - Hydro workers, nurses, auto mechanics, medical technicians, a chef, even a Home Hardware clerk with a loud red jacket. When everyone stood together it was a dramatic illustration of the diverse cultures which the congregation's influence penetrated every week.

Another option is to use "tools of the trade" for a worship display, or a showcase of goods and services put forth by members during the week.

Th e exit is an en trance

Even the benediction can send an important signal. Greg Pierce, a Chicago publisher and Ministry of Daily Life activist, has said that it's important to "get the dismissal rite right."

One church does it this way: "Sisters and brothers in Christ, we are NOT dismissed ; we are NOT just free to go-Christ sends us. Go forth into the world in the power of the Spirit; go to help and heal in all that you do "

Another church has a sign posted over the main exit door that says "Service Entrance." But it's posted on the inside, not the outside. That way it's the last thing worshipers see as they leave the auditorium, reminding them that as they leave worship they are heading out into the world where they will spend the next week as ministers.

Wally Kroeker is editor of The Marketplace magazine, published by Mennon ite Economic Development Associates. His article appeared first in the Mennonite Brethren Herald

•John may look like an ordinary nine-tofive businessman. But looks can be deceiving. John is really a follower of Christ who is committed 24 hours, seven days a week, and 365 days a year to making more disciples. And he wants you to join the cause .

GoD HAS CALLED ALL OF US TO MAKE DISCIPLES (MAn: 28:19· 20), and most of us are called to do so in the secular workplace I consider myself fortunate that God has called me to join him in making disciples in another culture. I have spent almost a in closed countries as a tentmaker, earning my living as a finance manager working for international companies and involved in ministry to local professionals and businessmen.

There are a number of ways in which tentmakers have an advantage over traditional missionaries and c h u rc h workers. Wh i I e some of these are unique to ministry in another culture, others are similar to the oppor-

tunities believers living and working in the U.S. encounter at their places of employment.

Tentmakers have access to closed countries . I work in a country that has only sporadically issued missionary visas over the last decade. And missionaries who receive visas suspect that the police only issue such visas to determine who the missionaries are. Moreover, humanitarian aid worker visas, once easy for missionaries to receive, are becoming harder to obtain . Now many missionaries have the hassle of traveling to a neighboring country every few months to renew their humanitarian visas.

While it has never been easy for me to get a business visa, it has never been impossible Although my country has adopted strict quotas for foreign professionals, I have always gotten an exemption. For four years I worked at an oil field in one province while my

employment contract was with a company in another province. The two labor departments had a bureaucratic fight for four years over which province's quota I should be counted against, so I got temporary visas for four years!

Then I worked as finance director for a communications company, and the human resources director wrote a letter to the police stating that I was not taking the job of a national. So again I was exempted from the labor quota and received an exemption visa. Finally, after I left that job, I founded my own company that issues me an invitation to come and go to that country to manage the company. God has used the bureaucratic maze to get me almost a decade wotth of visas under one exemption or another. Nothing is easy, but nothing is impossible.

Tentmakers are self-supporting. Most traditional missionaries feel that raising support is a necessary evil. But I earn my living through selling my financial skills (Acts 18:3). When I first artived in my adopted country, a missionary told me that having a job would distract me from ministry. On the contrary, having a job has given me the opportunity to earn my living the same way as do those to whom I am ministering, and it puts me in daily contact with people who need Jesus.

For example, when I worked for an oil company as a finance manager I became friends with a gifted translator who spoke fluent English, Persian and a couple other languages On a number of evenings, we would go to a care after work to talk. He told me of his struggle to find meaning in life-money, a challenging job, a beautiful girlfriend, a fling with the Moonies and a study of Buddhism had yet to provide the answer. I shared with him how I had found a purpose by giving control of my life to God He has yet to grasp this truth, and I am still praying for him . But the very process of earning my salary brought me in contact with a searching soul.

Tentmakers develop relationships with secular people. Being an accountant opens doors to secular people (Titus 2:6-11). They might shy away from deep conversations with a missionary; they might never enter the doors of a fellowship's meeting place; but when I work side by side, month after month with colleagues, they see what I am like.

A friend recendy shared with me the reason that he had become a follower of Jesus . We had worked together for years, and I had shared the gospel with him several times. He dismissed it as a "European thing." Then at our company's Halloween party, he got very drunk and almost passed out. No one, including his unbelieving conationals, helped him. But I got him on the bus and then

to his donnitory room. Two years and many conversations later, he accepted Christ. The conversations sprinkled with salt had laid the foundation. But God filled me with compassion for a drunken and helpless acquaintance, and then used that encounter to bring my friend to the truth. Secular and postmodern people drop their guard around professionals and businessmen, but they raise it when confronted by someone they view as a religious worker.

Christian service honors God. For example, a journalism student who became serious about his walk with God lefr the university during his senior year and entered seminary. What a tragedy. While there are hundreds of pastors eking out a living on foreign support, to my knowledge there is not a single believing journalist in the country. Because he felt it

Secular and postmodern people drop their guard around professionals and businessmen, but they raise it when confronted by someone they view as a religious worker.

Tenttnakers face the same challenges as their colleagues. When I come home from work and quickly get tea and a snack together for a Bible study, the men in my discipleship group see that I make ministry a priority despite my pressing schedule. When I prepare my chapter for the study at lunch, they understand. And when I face the same ethical challenges that they do, my response gives witness to my faith.

For instance, once I received a call from the prime minister's office asking why our chief executive officer was late to a meeting with the prime minister. When I finally found the CEO's assistant, he told me to call the prime minister's office and tell him that the CEO was out of the country on an emergency. I refused to lie and expected to get fired (and this just three months afrer having started a new job). When the CEO later called me in to his office, instead of firing me he congratulated me on my integrity! As far as I know, neither the CEO nor his national assistant has become a believer, but I gave a witness of integrity to them. Thanks to the trials by fire, I can talk with men whom I am discipling in concrete and personal tenns about ethical choices and consequences.

One of the greatest challenges for the young men whom I disciple is to develop their careers in a changing and unstable marketplace. They are tempted to cut comers-as am I-but I can share with them my struggles to have faith and then of seeing God's provision (Phil. 4:19). At the moment, I am planning soon to go back to my adopted country although I have no job there. I have received a lucrative job offer in another country, but will most likely reject it because I believe God has called me to return to my adopted country. At times, I doubt my professional skills, and I wonder if I have what it takes to be a shrewd, decisive manager, which makes it hard to send out resumes with confidence. But a fellow tentmaker once told me, "If God has called you to (Country A), he will provide the job for you to live there." My struggles are no different than those of my friends.

God redeems our work. In my adopted country one of the greatest weaknesses of the church is the attitude that only full-time

was more godly to be a pastor, he lefr a career in mass media that could have potentially influenced his country to view faith in Jesus positively to join the mass of pastors struggling to start a fellowship.

As a finance manager, God has called me to serve him in my job. When I present useful financial reports to my boss, I continue God's work of creation, of bringing order out of chaos (Gen. 1:1-5). Financial statements really can be a thing of beauty! When I stand for fair wages for my subordinates, I continue God's work of bringing justice to all his children. When I help a company manage its finances well, I make it possible for many employees, customers and vendors to provide a living for their families, buy products they want and keep their factories running (Ps. 1°4:13-15). When I train an employee on a new piece of accounting sofrware, I invest in a man or woman who is made in the image of God (Gen. 1:26). When I do my job, which can ofren be boring, stressful or frustrating. as unto my master (Col. 3:23), I point a seeking world to the significance that God wants to give to everyone.

All of us should be using our workplace to show God's glory, and I challenge you to consider if God may be calling you to glorify him in a workplace in another culture. I have found that my light, however small, shines the brightest when I place my life in the darkest cultures.

The author, writing under the pen name of John Adams, is a finance manager and tentmaker with MBMS International and has served for about 10 years in Asia. You may contact him at panhandle empire@grnail.com All names have been omitted and details changed for security reasons.

Purpose can be lived right where we are, with whom we are, and what we have. When we connect our strengths with a need in the world, we are powerfully influential.

TODAY PERHAPS YOU HAVE BEEN MIRED DOWN in numerous meetings and people demanding your attention at the office, or listened to hours of clients' issues, or graded the 98th essay question, or several times answered that allimportant question, 'What's for supper?" And as you ended your day in a state of exhaustion you wondered: Just how did I make a difference? Why am I doing all of this?

As we face vocational roles, financial demands, personal struggles, service expectations and immediate and extended family obligations, we may wonder: Do I really have a purpose? What is it? How can I discover it? How can I daily live that purpose?

What

is purpose?

Purpose is a rather simple concept to define, but a more complex one to discover and live out. Each of us has a unique purpose for our short time on earth and it is our responsibility to discover, pursue and fulfill. Purpose is your reason for being. A purpose is specific to the individual and is the point

on

where your gifts, values and passions intersect with a need in the world. By merging your abilities and who you are with service for God, you can add value and make a significant contribution to humanity.

Living with a purpose, you are able to commit to an important, challenging cause or pursuit that has deep meaning and is far greater than you. It inspires and stretches you, engages your passion, requires courage and selflessness to pursue and gives focus to your daily choices. Purpose impacts all of your life, encompassing both professional and personal components.

Discovering purpose

Discovering individual purpose and then fulfilling it is key for experiencing a life of meaning. Discerning purpose is a continuous

The following steps fo r discerning your purpose are adapted from Laurie Beth Jones' book, The Path.

Step I: Select an action. Purpose calls for action. What excites and motivates you? What are you passionate about? Select up to three verbs that will shape and direct your future activities. Examples include discover, nurture, summon, express, generate, heal, inspire, write, encourage, surrender, defend, produce, affirm and volunteer.

Step z: Select a core principle or value. Purpose connects with a core prin ciple or value. What engages you? To what are

You realize your purpose by taking the time to discover and know yourself and to ask and answer the big questions of life. In the solitude of prayer and listening, ask God for his answers.

process of discovery and involves intentional self-reflection, understanding and leadership. You realize your purpose by taking the time to discover and know yourself and to ask and answer the big questions of life. In the solitude of prayer and listening, ask God for his answers

• Who am I meant to be?

• What is really important to me?

• What am I meant to do with my life?

• How do 1 want to live my life?

• What gives passion, meaning. and purpose to my life?

• How can I make a difference?

• How can I live connected to my inner values?

• What do I care about?

• What moves me?

No matter your life stage, it is never too early or too late to discover and begin a life of purpose.

you willing to devote your life? Pick two or three principles and values for focus. Sample core principles and values include excellence, service, peace, faith, creativity, community, equ ality, family and integrity.

Step 3: Select a group or cause. Purpose centers on helping others . Who do you desire to assist? What cause do you want to champion and support? The more clearly you identify the "who" or "wh at" the more focused and powerful your energy will be in living your purpose . Choose up to three groups or caus es that most attract you Then pick the one you most want to im pact in a positive way Samples incl ude the envi -

ronment, the homeless, children and youth, the church, family, music, literacy, the poor, agriculture, justice, the elderly, education, research, law and performing arts.

Step 4: Integrate the components. Action + Core Principle/Value + Group/Cause = Purpose. Integrate your action verb, core principlelvalue and group/cause into a powerful, single statement.

Personally, my purpose is to reach the summit by exercising (verb) leadership (core principle/value) in my personal life, academia and camping (groups/causes) . I have chosen words that are meaningful for me and that display a result which I can picture in my mind.

Because I am a physical educator, I have selected exercise as my verb. Exercise means to train and use, to

any critic's objections Although it may appear to be inconceivable, God will prepare the way to follow his purpose.

Pursuing purpose requires action, fervently living your values and contributing to something that really matters. Sometimes we think purpose is a grand venture that takes us to far away or exotic places to influence the multitudes. We think it requires great talent and huge resources In reality, purpose can be lived right where we are, with whom we are, and what we have When we connect our strengths with a need in the world. we are powerfully influential.

According to William Damon. author of Noble Purpose. "Purpose is communicated through daily life. found in familiar places. and pursued in everyday acts." You can live out your purpose today. right where you are.

It's important to realize that few of us are called to dramatically

Once you discover your purpose, you can either accept or rebuff it. God gives you

the choice.

learn and implement. I study and practice my core principle/value-leadership-through my personal and professional life. Since leadership comes from within. I must first lead myself before I can lead others. Two of my passions are college students and camping ministry, elements of my professional life. I bring it all together with an image of reaching the summit. I am an avid hiker, and my goal for any climb is to reach the mountaintop. This requires focus, energy and perseverance. the same requirements for living a life of purpose.

It is not enough to discover your purpose. compose your statement and stick it in your day planner. Review it regularly. Live it daily. Keep it foremost in your mind as you make those moment-by-moment decisions of time use.

On my desk is a picture of Longs Peak. a 14.156 foot mountain in Rocky Mountain National Park. It's eight grueling miles from the ttailhead to the summit. a trek I have completed four times. That picture is a cue to follow my own purpose with passion.

Pursuing purpose

Once you discover your purpose, you can either accept or rebuff it. God gives you the choice You may need to give yourself permission to live your purpose, to follow your heart and passion. I think we have all been on the receiving end of these messages: "Just how will you make a living pursuing that dream?" "You will never find a position in that field" or "Get a real job " Following God's call to purpose should be stronger than

alter history or lead millions. but we can contribute and make a difference in our present circumstances one task at a time and one conversation at a time. Damon also suggests that purpose allows us to discern "meaning in the day-to-day experiences of ordinary existence." Purpose is most readily found in the familiar.

That Sunday morning message may not become a model for students to emulate in seminary preaching classes. but the words may reach a struggling soul sitting in the pew. Mowing the church lawn may not rank in the top 10 hottest new jobs of the year. but it's a service you can give. Reading your child's favorite book. ..again ... may appear trivial, but it might be just the feat that will inspire him or her to develop a love of books and become a wellread adult. You may not be an author who appears on the New York Times bestseller list. but you can write a few encouraging thoughts to encourage a grieving person.

You can realize your purpose in filling the pulpit of a rural church. in chasing toddlers from dawn to dusk, in performing accounting tasks for a small business owner. in serving meals to the homeless in the inner city, in washing cars to raise money for a youth mission trip. in walking beside a family in crisis. or in studying in obscurity to further your education.

Pursue your purpose. Apply your talents and skills and connect with a cause that you find compelling. Discover a need in God's kingdom and fill it. You may continue to end your day in a state of exhaustion. but now it's different. Added is the satisfaction of making a difference.

This spring Karol Hunt is interim vice president for academics at Tabor College, a Mennonite Brethren institution in Hillsboro, Kan. In the fall she will return to her position as professor of physical education Hunt is a member of Parkview MB Church. Hillsboro

Moving into the neighborhood MBMS International partne r s w ith Indian MBs to plant church

IF A PIcruRE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS, THEN A LIVING, breathing model of Christ's love will surely speak volumes. This summer three North American families will go to New Delhi, India to live out the gospel in community. 'The Delhi Project," as it has been dubbed, is a cooperative effort between MBMS International and the Indian MB Conference to plant a church in an unreached part of the world.

Saji and Bindu Oommen, Darren and Shahna Duerksen and Mark and Amy Klassen and their children will leave in July for three months of language and culture training in Mussoorie, India, before setrling in close proximity to each other in New Delhi. The three

Shahna Duerksen, right, pictured with an Indian friend, and her husband are members of MBMS International's The Delhi Project team.

families are what Mark Klassen calls "an incomplete team;" they hope to be joined by as yet unnamed team members from the Indian MB Conference later in the year.

The team will function as what Randy Friesen, MBMSI general director, calls a "transforming community" within the larger New Delhi community. As they live out Christian faith as a community, they hope to in tum transform New Delhi.

'We're not going there to plant a church," team member Saji Oommen says. 'The Spirit is the one who plants the church and makes it grow. We're called to be the church."

The hope is that as others see the team living out Christian faith in community, they will be drawn and discipled, eventually becoming part of the community. Oommen says John 1:14, translated in The Message as , 'The Word became flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood," has become a meaningful verse as the team consid-

ers their assignment in Delhi.

«Our calling is to be neighbors." he says. Relationships-both within the team and with those they meet in Delhi -will be key. Oommen jokes that he has the "gift of hanging out" and says he looks forward to building relationships in New Delhi.

This team approach offers several advantages. says the team. Amy Klassen points out that a team brings a wider range of gifts. which in tum provides more opportunities for others to connect with them. It also provides a natural support network for team members. which. she says. helps ease anxiety.

For example. the K1assens expect their third child just weeks before leaving

will hopefully be able to reach into other unreached areas. 'We've positioned this team in New Delhi with an intentional view to the north." Friesen says.

New Delhi is also a place of great opportunity, according to Oommen. He speaks with excitement as he says. "There is a sense of divine providence that God is leading, that God is calling people to North India and he is raising up the Indian church as well to bring about

DFriescn calls l'\e\v Delhi a " gateway center of commerce, politic.;, anJ

culture. Becau..,e it is such a center of influenc e,

..1 church there will hopefully be able to reach into oth e r unreached areas.

for India, but Amy says the fact that all three of the North American families have young children will be a help and a comfort. Mark Klassen says that the diversity-especially the multicultural diversity-within the team community can be a strong statement in an area where racial tensions run high.

Living as a team in a new culture also presents some obvious challenges, especially as the team considers their diversity. The three North American families have begun to intentionally foster team unity with one team retreat in March; they will have another in May. During the first retreat, team members spent time assessing and understanding themselves and each other. They learned about their strengths, weaknesses and gifts, spent considerable time praying with and for each other and studied the dynamics of a multicultural team .

"I think for everybody involved it was a real time of renewal and vision building and team building," says Ray Harms-Wiebe, MBMSI's team leader for training and team health. Their May retreat will focus in part on strategy and philosophy of mission. a common source of conflict. Harms-Wiebe says that although MB missionaries have been considered part of a team in the past, the emphasis now is on building the team "in a very proactive way before they leave for cross-cultural service."

'This intentional team model is similar to that of Team 2000 in 'Thailand and represents a shift for MBMSI. Friesen says that in the past missionaries might be assigned to the same location. but each had their own assignment. Intentionally preparing and sending a team to focus on a single church plant. as with Team 2000 and The Delhi Project, is new. "I think that model reflects where we're going as a mission," Friesen says.

Friesen says that a vision phrase MBMSI has been applying to The Delhi Project is "transforming communities amongst the least reached." New Delhi is among the least reached places not only in India. but also in the world. "One of the least reached parts of the world is North India and the Himalayan range." says Friesen. It is a strategic place to plant a church, a place of great need as well as great opportunity.

Less than one percent of New Delhi's 13 million people claim to be Christian . It is growing rapidly, as Indians from rural areas flock to the city in search of jobs; estimates place the population at 27 million in 10 years. The vast majority of Indians claim to be Hindus, but India also has a significant Muslim population, especially in the north Oommen talks about the "palpable sense of oppression and bondage" when describing New Delhi.

Friesen calls New Delhi a "gateway city"-a center of commerce, politics and culture Because it is such a center of influence. a church established there

something special-revival. renewal. a radical sense of the providence of God. "

'The vision to reach North India was initiated by the Indian MB Conference. South India was one of the first places that North American MBs sent missionaries and the Indian MB Conference is now the largest MB conference, with a membership of over 103,000. Now the same Indian conference has initiated the vision for reaching into North India.

"'The vision was birthed there," says Harms-Wiebe. He says that these North American couples are responding to the call of the Indian Conference as well as to the call of God.

Harms-Wiebe notes that New Delhi is in many ways cross-cultural for members of the Indian MB conference in southern India. For team members from the Indian conference, a move to New Delhi will mean learning a new language as well as moving from a rural area to an urban. middle-class area. Although the team members from the Indian conference have not yet been named. Friesen says "We look forward to how God is going to put the pieces of that component together."

Harms-Wiebe says. "It's a matter of God raising up people. The most effective thing we can do is pray for these people to emerge."

Oommen dreams big when he talks about the goals of The Delhi Project. He hopes this multinational team will "birth a movement" that will expand into unreached regions of North India.

It is a big dream. But. Oommen says. "You can't dream large enough for North India - or for God. I think we need to dream big." - By Myra Holmes

• body LIFE .... is a book we both need"

date time to get to know one another, Nicholai vanished. "He didn't know how I would respond Maybe I would report him to the authorities." Sannikov says.

Religion was just one more university subject to Sannikov, who was raised an atheist. He had never read the New Testament. "It was very fresh," he says.

The story spoke to Sannikov and his wife, Tatiyna, even with no one to interpret the fine points. "I always searched to find out who I am. I can't find out," Sannikov says. 'f\her three or four weeks I realized I was already believer."

After a few months Nicholai returned and told Sannikov he was a Baptist. "I was shocked. I heard at this time that Baptist people did bad thing-they killed children," Sannikov says. "I was in very high position and I believed this."

When he attended Odessa Baptist Church, Sannikov found the speakers articulated beyond their education. "Even our professors cannot preach this way," he says After three or four services he decided to join, eventually becoming a pastor and teacher in the I,300-member congregation.

Soon Sannikov's university superiors would call him in to see why he was going to services and eventually force him to resign.

Love of learning and Christ brings Fulbright scholar to FPU

LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT: MANY HAVE EXPERIENCED IT, USUALLY WITH A ROMANTIC INTEREST.

Sergei Sannikov had such an encounter-he made an immediate connection with someone and knew his life would never be the same. The person was Jesus and Sannikov's encounter led to. among other things, a Fulbright Scholarship at Fresno Pacific University.

In 1978 the Soviet Union was in full flower and Sannikov was a philosophy professor at Odessa State University. "The department was called the Marxism, Leninism Philosophy Department," he recalls, smiling at the definition of academic freedom he lived under. His green eyes dance but his humor, at least in English, is sly.

A friend , Nicholai, handed Sannikov a New Testament. He said "This is a book we both need. you and 1," Sannikov says . Then. like someone giving the participants in a blind

Colleagues first expressed optimism about his finding a new post, but nothing happened. He joined his brother as a plasterer for seven years, becoming part of the underground economy as well as the underground church. Ironically, he made more money than he had as an academic. "My wife was very pleased," Sannikov says. the sly smile again stirring his bushy gray beard.

In 1985 Sannikov returned to teaching through the Moscow Correspondent Institute that brought groups of pastors from all over the Soviet Union for short-term

courses. Four years later he was named founding president of the USSR's first theological seminary. also located in Moscow

The seminary moved to Odessa in the Ukraine in 1991 because the Russian government and Russian Orthodox Church did not welcome evangelical groups. The Ukrainian government is more open -or at least the

dean of FPU's graduate school and school of professional studies. who is also active in international accrediting circles. She wrote the Fulbright Scholarship proposal that brought him to FPU for the spring 2005 semester. "When I heard of this opportunity with Fulbright I immediately thought of him." she says.

Fulbright is the U S government's flagship pro-

there arc Jlerhaps 1.00 Christian schools in the tonncr Soviet

\\ ' hile numhers difficult to come by. Sannikov gram in international education al exchange. Proposed in 1945 by Senator J William Fulbright. more than 250.000 citizens of the U.S. and other

Union . with most in L krainc anJ countries have received grants for university lecturing. opposition is more divided. While Russia has one Orthodox Church, Ukraine has three. This conflict opened Ukraine to Christian diversity. The one percent of Ukrainians in evangelical churches is a large number compared to Russia and other former republics "So evangelicals play quite an important role in our society." Sannikov says.

In 1999 Sannikov left the seminary presidency, though he still serves on the faculty. to become the fulltime executive director of the Euro-Asian Accreditation Association. Also based in Odessa. EAAA is part of the International Council of Accrediting Agencies. comprising groups in Africa. Asia and Europe. Agencies test and evaluate standards and procedures for Christian schools. By the mid-1990s Christian schools were opening all over the former Soviet Union, but were giving degrees. sometimes doctorates, with no standards for curriculum. teachers and textbooks. 'We determined we needed a network to support this," Sannikov says. and EAAA was born.

Today seven of the 54 schools in EAAA are accredited. 'i\ccreditation is long process and not easy." Sannikov says. While numbers are difficult to come by. Sannikov guesses there are perhaps 100 Christian schools in the former Soviet Union. with most in Ukraine and Russia. About 7.000 students study in Christian schools in Ukraine.

Textbooks were a problem. "I used book published in the 19th century." Sannikov recalls of his early teaching. So he wrote 20 Centuries of Christianity a three-volume church history of Ukraine that is the first work to combine the stories of Eastern Orthodox and Western denominations.

"I tried to realize a more holistic approach." he says. The cover of Volume 2, for example. has portraits of Pope John Paul II. Patriarch Pimen of the Russian Orthodox Church and Billy Graham. After 12 years of work. the volumes were published between 2000 and 2002. Through EAAA. Sannikov met Wendy Wakeman,

advanced research and other activities.

Among Sannikov's FPU assignments are teaching an unde rgraduate class. "Religion in the Slavic Context." and serving as a resource to students and faculty. He is also working on a book on Menno Simons. whose Reformation ideas apply to the Ukraine today. according to Sannikov. "Our Baptist unions in former Soviet Union are very close to Mennonites. But when 1 ask people there who is Menno Simons. nobody knows." he says.

Sannikov is also helping develop FPU's Institute for Eastern Slavic Studies . Vyacheslav Tsvirinko founded and d irects the institute. which began in 2002 with a class on Russian Today the only place in Fresno offering Russian the institute offers three levels of language courses as well as instruction in Slavic history and culture. About 60 students from the former Soviet Union are enrolled at FPU. and all share Russian as their first language. The institute also attracts area residents with Slavic ancestry. "(The institute gives) them an opportunity to learn more about their roots." Tsvirinko says

An emigre from the former Soviet Union himself. Tsvirinko spent nine years as a pastor in Fresno's Slavic church. He also knew Sannikov from previous visits to the U.S. and was involved in the Fulbright application.

Nicholai's spiritual matchmaking paid off for Sannikov's family as well as his academic career.

Both of Sannikov's children. a 24-year-old lawyer son and a 33-year-old banker daughter, belong to the same church as their parents Tatiyna is working on a doctorate and teaches Christian education at Odessa Theological Seminary and, as a special experiment, Christian ethics in a government school. 'We try to prove Christian ethics is best fo undation for ethical behavior," Sannikov says. In trying to describe the program, Sannikov smiles one more time "It's not allowed ," he says , "but not restricted " by Wayne Steffen of FPU news service

TREK offers taste of full-time ministry

Current teams learn, serve in Burkina Fasa, Peru

Two TREK TEAMS LEIT NORTH AMERICA FEB. 28, ONE BOUND FOR Burkino Faso where they will be hosted by Phil and Carol Bergen, and one bound for Peru where they will be hosted by Bob and Erika Sukkau and Liana Penner. They will be working with these missionaries unril their return June 16. These two teams are just the latest to be sent out under MBMS International's TREK program, which sends out four to five teams per year.

At six to 10 months per assignment, TREK is the longest short-term missions opportunity offered through MBMSI, according to Sam Dick, director of the TREK program . "You give about a year of your life to tasting what life would be like in a missionary, international or church planting setting." he says. Assignments are designed to give Trekers opportunity "to learn and to serve," Dick says.

TREK assignments focus on leadership development for those age 20 and older. Dick says the opportunity appeals to a variety of people, from those just out of high school to students who receive practicum credit to young couples or families. Dick says that offering short-term missions opportunities to 20-somethings is important because "We quickly lose the passion of our youth."

Many people experience some kind of "call" to missions or ministry in their teen years, but lose that passion in the details of life: schoo\, marriage, debt, jobs, etc. 'To live a life surrendered to Jesus is the most challenging and most rewarding thing you could ever imagine," Dick says. TREK offers an opportunity to explore missions and rekindle that passion.

These most recent assignments, like all TREK assignments, began with a twomonth training time that focuses on personal discipleship, relationships within the body of Christ and global mission. Dick emphasizes that the order of priorities is critica\, because a solid foundation of discipleship is necessary for any further ministry. He says

Currently serving on a MBMS International TR EK team in that experiBurkina Faso is above (top) Dave Mowat, Mark Wiens, enced mis(front) Nicole King, Krista DeBoer and Katie Hutchinson. s ion a r i e s Serving in Peru are right (top) Joe Wilton, Dennis Dick, confirm the (front) Bettina Unrau and Inge Schowalter. importance of a solid

foundation of discipleship: "Time and time again, after IS years, 20 years experience, they're saying, 'Everything you do for God is going to flow out of your intimacy with him."'

One of the current Trekers says a training session on evangelism was especially helpful. "I have always been intimidated by evangelism, seeing it as such a huge task," the Treker says. "I loved the idea of our role in introducing people to Jesus rather than feeling like we have to 'marry' them to Christ immediately. If Christ is my true friend, I can introduce him as I would other friends This changes my perspective on 'missions as conversion: Mission is a process. It takes time to build relationships. We are relationship builders, not converters."

Current TREK assignments will give plenty of opportunity for the team members to build relationships as well as interact with the local people, encourage the missionary hosts and serve in a variety of ways. Dick points out that newsletrers from Trekers may talk about things like weaving baskets, playing soccer or teaching English-not exciting activity or quantifiable success. But, he says, "they love people," which has real and lasting impact. Because of that kind of impact, Dick says, there is a big demand for TREK teams among MB missionaries.

In Burkino Faso, the TREK team will be building relationships and modeling community as they build five huts for local families. Host missionaries Phil and Carol Bergen write, 'This will be a one-room house similar to virtually every other hut that normal people live in. And the family you live with will not only be some of the nicest people you may have ever met, but they will really love the house you leave behind when you go home again!" Dick points out that as the TREK team leaves behind homes for local people, they will have an impact on the community. 'J\s we give gifts with no strings attached, it's going to bless and reap fruit for eternity," he says.

In addition, the Trekers will participate in various rela-

tionship-building and service activities. "For example," Bergens write, "if a woman is going to the bush to get wood, maybe two to four TREK girls will go along.

"In meeting with your hosts," Bergens write to the TREK team, "Phil has explained that the Trekers are young leaders in training who are coming with a desire to serve God through friendship and service. He has talked ro them about the two most important commandments in the Bible, and how you are interested in learning to love God more and also love others who are different than yourselves."

Dave Mowat from Winnipeg, Man.; Krista DeBoer from Chicago, III ; Mark Wiens from Vancouver, B.C.; Nicole King from Kelowna, B.C.; and Katie Hutchinson from Aldergrove, B.C., make up the Burkina Faso team.

In Peru the TREK team will be serving a small church plant that is in the process of building their first facility They will form relationships, teach English classes and participate in children's camps. Since a felt need of this young church is for music and worship, one of the Trekers who is musically talented will be helping in those areas. Dick notes that although they don't recruit TREK members with particular gifts, "It's unbelievable how God matches gifts and calls and passions."

The Sukkaus in Peru shared the following job descriptions with the Trekers that have made their way to Peru: 'We would like to integrate you into the church as much as possible so that we can all work together. We are thinking that you can probably fit into such areas as working along with the youth, forming part of our worship team, visiting and sharing at our cell groups, etc." They add, 'We want to give you an opportunity to use your gifts and perhaps even find new areas of service that you have not done before."

Dennis Dick from Guernsey, Sask.; Bettina Unrau from Penticton, B.C.; Joe Wilton from Waterloo, Ont.; and Inge Schowalter from Germany make up the team working in Peru.

Upon returning to North America, these teams, like all TREK teams, will spend several days debriefing This gives team members a chance to evaluate the experience and process what they've learned. Sometimes, Dick admits, team conflicts necessitate a time of healing and forgiveness. Team members will also process what kind of life changes the TREK experience will mean for them and talk about how to incorporate the experience into their normal lives.

By the end of the TREK experience, participants know whether missions is for them. Dick estimates that a third of Trekkers find themselves in some kind of long-term ministry within 10 years.

But even those who don't make missions a vocation have a new perspective. "Everyone's got their mind open to the world," Dick says.

Often, he says, Trekers join a missions committee in their home church, support missions through prayer and finances or are the first to welcome visiting missionaries. Dick says they act as a bridge between the local church and the mission field, sparking missions vision as they share their experience

'They're going to be mission mobilizers, " Dick says.Myra Holmes and MBMS International news service

Teens challenged t l

Practicum exposes youth to three a

BETHEL MB CHURCH OF YALE, S.D., TAKES EQUIPPING youth for future ministry seriously.

This small congregation is located in rural South Da kota, 23 miles from the nearest town. About three-fourths of the families in the congregation are agricultural in a time when the family farm is becoming less and less viable. The demographics of the area are slowly aging, and few jobs are available to young people . Most Bethel young people necessarily leave the area after high school or college Assistant Sunday school superintendent Helene Wedel says, "For Bethel church, knowing full well that our young people aren't returning here, we have a huge responsibility to prepare them for ministry in the future, wherever God takes them."

A key component of the congregation's strategy for training their young people is a summer practicum developed by Wedel, who is quick to say, "It's God's work " After reading that many young people simply don't feel needed in church, Wedel wanted to find a way to involve the youth even more than they already were. And the summer practicum was born.

This summer will be the third for Bethel's practicum . Every high school young person in grades nine through 12 is expected to be involved in the pra cticum, which has three parts : involveme nt in worship, in Sunday school and in service

Every young person is assigned responsibility in one of the

!mbrace ministry

:ts of church work

younger Sunday school classes for the summer. Those who have past experience might be teachers; those with less experience are helpers and learn from an adult mentor. This aspect of the pracricum gives regular teachers a break or some added help. More importantly, it gives the young people experience talking about their faith. "We want them to be comfortable in sharing their faith and in presenting a Bible story," Wedel says. She points out that every Christian must be able to give an account for their faith at all times. "The more often they share, the more comfortable they11 be," she says.

The second part of the pracricum is service. The youth choose three areas of service-one per month-from an extensive list of what Wedel calls "stuff that has to get done in order for a church to funcrion " The list includes things like mowing the lawn, ushering, babysitting for a women's event, arranging flowers, typing the bulletin and attending a meeting. "Terribly simple things," Wedel says As the young people serve in these ways, they begin to understand that all kinds of gifts and service are necessary for the church to function . It helps the youth think

beyond the most visible ministries to what happens behind the scenes, Wedel says. For example, last summer some of the youth chose to mow the church propeny, a job usually done for pay. The youth turned down payment, recognizing this as a ministry.

For the third part of the pracricum, the youth participate in Sunday morning worship twice during the summer. The first service is mostly planned by the usual worship leaders, but the second service is planned and implemented entirely by the youth. The youth and their adult leaders put considerable effort into the planning, says Wedel, so that the service is of the highest quality possible. Wedel says this is vital so that both the youth and the adults in the congregation know that the young people are capable of first-rate ministry. 'We want them to know that they are talented too and God can use their talents in our church," Wedel says.

Although Wedel is careful to point out that no ministry is onesize-fits-all and that the pracricum is simply one idea that works well in this church at this time, it is clear that this congregation has benefited from the involvement of the youth. 'J\t Bethel, our church has been able to continue to feel young and have a contemporary feeling and a young vibrant spirit because we are very aggressive in allowing our young people to be involved in all aspects of ministry," she says.

Hopefully the young people benefit in the long run, too. Wedel points to many Bethel young adults who have moved away and are acrive in ministry and leadership. "I don't want to give our pracricum any credit for that," Wedel says, "but I do think that involvement in the church gives the kids confidence in ministry. I think it gives them a desire."

Wedel, who has two daughters in the youth group, says she wants her daughters and their fellow young people "to love the Lord Jesus Christ out of joy and out of excitement and enthusiasm to be a part of his ministry in the world. I want them to leave excited about the ministry of the church. That's the goal and if God will honor us and bless us with that privilege," she says, "what more could we ask?"by Myra Holmes

,December 26, 2005 to January 16,2006

Stops in Delhi, Taj Mahal, Hyderabad, Mumbai (Bombay), and Shamshabad

Visit Mennonite Brethren missions

Estimated Cost: $2500 with Wichita Departure

VISIT

Paraguay

July 8-22, 2005

Asuncion, Mennonite colonies, Iguazu Falls, Chaco

Estimated Cost: $2000 with Wichita Departure

Tabor College credit available with both trlpl!

Tripstled by Donna d9it t21 •

Bethel MB Church high schoolers participate in a summer ministry practicum. They are pictured here at the fall 2004 Central District Youth Conference.

MBMSI begins rebuilding additional homes

Churches asked to organize volunteer work crews

THE FIRST PHASE OF "OPERATION REBUILDING Lives," MBMS International's response in southern Thailand to the December tsunami, has been completed and last month the agency announced it will proceed with a second phase.

Phase II, approved by the MBMSI Lead Team in consultation with ORL on-site coordinator Ricky Sanchez and various ORL participants, involves building five additional homes on Thailand's Kho Khao Island.

MBMSI is requesting that for this second phase individual churches organize work teams of five to 10 people. Teams should include individuals with construction experience who are willing to do physical work while also building relationships with Thai people. The agency encourages congregations to include one medical person and a pastor/counselor

on their team, saying these professionals are valuable to the teams' ministry. Church teams will work a two-week stint sometime in May through August. Teams will arrive and depart from Bangkok and individuals age 18 and older are eligible.

MBMSI personnel were among the relief volunteers who were on-site within days of the December 26 tsunami that killed tens of thousands of people in 12 countries around the Indian Ocean. Members of MBMSI's Team 2000, three families working to plant a church in southern Thailand, initiated "Operation Rebuilding Lives," a plan that initially called for the rebuilding of 10 Thai homes in the Phangnga region of Phuket. .

The mission agency organized four teams of North American volunteers that each spent about two weeks on Kho Khao. A total of 59 volunteers, primarily construction and healthcare workers, representing 28 Mennonite Brethren congregations participated in the January through March project.

The teams' ministry also included building friendships

u.s. Members of ORL Teams

Of the 59 "Operation Rebuilding Uves" team members who assisted in building the first 10 of IS homes in Thailand, 21 come from the U S and 16 ohhose individuals come from Mennonite Brethren congregations

. Thomas Ashmore , construction, Bible Fellowship Church , Rapid City, S D

Shana Aye rs, medicaVcounselingiconstruction, Mountain View Community

Church , Clovis, Calif

Ki mberly Balzer, worship leader/nurse, Denver, Colo

Je remy Balzer, re poner/construction, Denver, Colo.

Judy Bam, nurse, Buhler (Kan ) MB Church

Gilben Barrow, construction, Sacramento, Calif

Don Beckenhauer, constructiOn/pastoral, Grace Community Church , Sange r, Calif.

Roger Brandt, construction, Reedley (Calif ) MB Church

Carol Carey, nurse , Bible Fellowship Church, Rapid City. S D

J Edward Epp clean-up work. Henderson (Neb ) MB Church

Don Eskes, construction/electrician Buder MB Church, Fresno, Calif

Kathleen Hope Helgesen medical San Diego Calif

Lori Knudsen. nurse First MB Church Wichira, Kan

Gary Nuss, clean-up work. First MB Church, WlChira. Kan

Bill Olinger, construction. Reedley (Calif ) MB Church

Robert Mark Pankratz, construction. Buder MB Church, Fresno. Calif.

Tom Payseno, construction Reedley (Calif.) MB Church

Luwanda Schroeder clean -up Bubier (Kan ) MB Church

Richard Schroeder. clean-up, Buhler (Kan .) MB Church

Gerald Reed, construction Reedley (Calif ) MB Church

Carl Vincent Simms, construction North Fresno (Calif ) MB Church

Linda Lou Williams. medical. Denver, Colo.

Sathapom "Sam" Vathayanon medical team leader Fresno Calif

and sharing Jesus with the Thai people. Team members knew that their ultimate purpose was to see a holistic church plant take root in the Kho Khao Island community. Reports indicate a number of Thais have shown interest in knowing the God of the work teams and some have accepted Christ. A Thai pastor is now working to meet with these Thai seekers.

"Families without hope have experienced God's love and compassion along with a new home," says MBMSI general director Randy Friesen. 'These families now insist future ORL teams stay in their new homes as their guests while they rebuild other homes. Hundreds of people in South Thailand have received a clear witness to the gospel through deeds of compassion followed by verbal witness."

Friesen says the North American volunteers are also helping to spread the word in their home communities about the agency's vision for ongoing ministty on Kho Khao Island. " Each (ORL volunteer) heard and experienced MBMSI's church planting vision for Thailand and can now help communicate that vision to our constituency," says Friesen. '1\ new church plant in South Thailand is emerging in the wake of the tsunami."

Congregations interested in organizing teams for Phase II of "Operation Rebuilding Lives" should contact Carol Hagen at carolha@mbmsintemational.org for more information.-Jrom MBMSI news service reports

MBMS International "Operation Rebuilding Lives" work teams began by building temporary housing, pictured here

Another earthquake strikes Indonesia

A MASSIVE EARTHQUAKE STRUCK off the coast of Indonesia March 28. The quake occurred on the same fault line as the December quake that created a tsunami that killed thousands of people in 12 countries around the Indian Ocean.

As part of a multimillion dollar tsunami response, Mennonite Central Committee is also committing $50,000 to respond to new devastation on the Indonesian island of Nias. MCC, which is supporting projects in Nias following the Dec. 26 tsunami, is responding to the March quake through partner organization YAKKUM Emergency Unit, the emergency response arm of the Christian Public Health Association of Java.

YEU is providing a team of 21 medical and logistical staff, mobile clinics, clean water and food, building toilet and shower facilities and providing body bags, gloves and boots for workers removing the dead. Because YEU had been working in Nias since January, teams were in place to continue and expand emergency services immediately after the March quake.

MCC and its partner agencies in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and India are continuing a long-term, more than $12 million response to the Dec . 26 tsunami. For details of this response go to www mcc orglasiaearthquake. MCC is the relief, service and peace agency of North American Men nonite and Brethren in Christ churches.

MWC officials offer condolences to Catholic colleagues

ALONG WITH LEADERS OF OTHER CHRISTIAN world communions, Mennonite World Conference executive secretary Larry Miller of Strasbourg, France, attended the April 9 funeral of Pope John Paul II as a fraternal guest.

Miller together with MWC president Nancy R. Heisey sent a letter of condolence on the death of the Pope to the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.

For more than five years, MWC and the Pontifical Council have held an international dialogue The letter was addressed specifically to the leaders of the Council: Cardinal Walter Kasper, president; Bishop Brian Farrell, secretary; and Monsignor John Radano, head of the Western Section.

The letter of condolence read in part: " We give thanks to God for the gifr this man has been in so many ways for the peoples and churches of the world. We are grateful in particular for his service on behalf of reconciliation. We believe that the International Dialogue of the Catholic Church and the Mennonite World Conference, with its joint recognition that we are "Called Together to be Peacemakers," stands as a tribute to John Paul II's exemplary spirit of repentance and his deep desire to heal divisive memories."

Miller and Heisey also wrote that they would pray for Cardinal Kasper and his colleagues as they enter the Conclave to select a new pope. "May God grant you extraordinary wisdom and discernment as you choose a new leader," they wrote.

An actress and my pocketbook

If

an

actress invests in helping others, so should Christians

Wile watching a recent ABC Nightline broadcast, I listened as reporter George Stephanopoulos interviewed Oscarwinning actress Angelina Jolie. Her name didn't mean a whole lot to me but the topic they were talking about did. The conversation centered around her trips to Africa and the Far East as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. She has visited refugee camps in Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Pakistan and Myanmar. Seeing the tremendous poverty and suffering that exists in these camps has given her an incentive to help. She recently donated $3 million for aiding refugees. This included $500,000 which has been set aside to develop a legal aid center which will provide free legal assistance for the thousands of children who arrive alone in the U.S . each year as refugees and immigrants. These children are often the victims of international sex trafficking rings or of vicious abuse

The conversation that evening centered around how these trips have changed the actress both in terms of her outlook on life and how she spends her money. Before her rrips, her focus was primarily on acting and on her career. Now this has changed. She is lobbying for ways to help the poor and the needy, particularly the refugees, around the world. When asked about her acting career she indicated that it was not the center of her life anymore. "I want to remain focused on helping these people," she stated emphatically.

While I have found no connection between Jolie's behavior and religious belief, I can't help but bring in my own Christian dimension. The Bible is full of admonitions to help the poor and the suffering. James says "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress"

(James 1:27). Isaiah tells us to ".. .learn to do right! Seek justice; encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow" (Isa. 1:17).

And this takes money. In his book The PurposeDriven Life, Rick Warren says, 'The Bible is very clear: God uses money to test your faithfulness as a servant. Money has the potential to replace God in your life When Jesus is your master, money serves you, but if money is your master, you become its slave. Wealth is certainly not a sin, but failing to use it for God's glory is." If a movie actress can give so generously to help the poor and to seek justice for the oppressed, I as a Christian need to do all 1 can as well.

Christine and Tom Sine, in their book Living on Purpose, cite statistics that indicate that Christians have declined in their giving by 19 percent over the last 30 years while their income increased 60 percent. Overall, estimates show that Christians as a group give less than 2.5 percent of their income to the church and to charity. This is a far cry from the 10 percent tithe that some suggest we should be giving.

When we give to the Lord we are investing in heaven as Jesus commanded. Giving is then no longer a sacrifice but an opportunity to invest for eternity. This is the foundation for the abundant life the Bible promises us. 1 can't write a check for $3 million but I need to learn to write checks for $100 instead of $20 and maybe even for larger amounts. The dividends of such investing are huge. The inner satisfacrion of knowing we have helped someone who is in desperate need far outweighs buying something for ourselves. And let's not forget that there will be eternal rewards.

My father often told the story of a conversation between a farmer and his pastor. "If you had a hundred pigs, would you give 50 to the Lord?" the pastor asked.

"Of course," the farmer replied.

"If you had 50 pigs, would you give 25 to the Lord?"

"Of course I would," he answered again

"If you had 10 pigs, would you give five to the Lord?"

Hesitantly the farmer answered, ''Y-e-e -s-s.''

"So if you had two pigs you would give one to the Lord, right?"

"But pastor, 1 can't do that," the farmer stuttered. "I only have two pigs "

We are not asked to give what we don't have, but we are asked to share what we do have . Jesus meant it when he said, 'Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matt. 6 :21).

by Marvin Hein

When calling me Hein" might do more harm than good

Qwe read prayer requests for MBMS International personnel in MBMSI literature and in Rejoice. the interMennonite devotional guide. Why are there sometimes only initials or first names given for those for whom we should pray? (California)

AIn a world that is increasingly casual, last names are used more and more infrequently. When you register in a restaurant for a meal, they ask your first name. Almost everywhere, when introductions are made, people inform you of their first names, not the last. When the bank teller, who is less than one-third my age, bids me a "good day," he addresses me by my first name. Only on the golf course, when I pay my green fees or am called to the first tree, am I called "Mr. Hein." I confess I find that strange, since I was taught to call people older than I by "Mr." or "Mrs." I understand the reason for this, but I can't forget that as a matter of respect I always called our church custodian "Mr. Reddig." He was older than I. Moreover, using first names rather than last makes playing the "Mennonite game" impossible.

When the question above was asked in a recent small group meeting at which MBMSI general director Randy Friesen was speaking, I was not quite prepared for his answer. My immediate thought was that perhaps M B M S I m e d i a sources were simply following the more casual nature of how we

address people in our day I should have known better, but perhaps there are Leader readers as ill-informed as I was. Randy's answer was that MBMSI does this for the safety of some of our missionaries.

We live in a world where freedom of religion is not universally

practiced. Many people live in cultures where they do not have the freedom to choose whom they will worship. For some people, conversion to the good news of Jesus is a crime punishable by death. For our mission personnel to enter into some of the leastreached parts of the world, they and we must observe very careful communication and identification procedures. If the work and identities of some of these workers were publicized harm could come to them.

But you may ask: "Who in Tim-buc-tu reads Rejoice! or any other MBMSI news releases? How could officials in restricted-access countries know that we are praying for Sam or Joan or Oliver if we use their names?" Have you heard of Google? Computer users, and by now that's most of us, know that there are search engines like Google are capable of "trolling" the Internet and identifying every known reference to an individual. It works better than "trolling" for salmon on the lake.

Several years ago I "googled" my name and was amazed to discover what people can learn about me. It is available to all. Anyone with computer skills in Algeria or Rio de Janeiro or anyWhere else can find out a lot of things I have said or written in the past. That's not because I'm famous but because that kind of information is known about everybody. I looked up my wife's name, Mary Helen Hein, on Google some time ago and found an obituary in a Texas newspaper for a Mrs. Mary Helen Hein.

So Randy Friesen says, "When church bulletins request prayer for 'Bob: our missionary in a restricted access country, and put that prayer item on a web page, it becomes visible to the whole world-including those wanting to interfere with Bob's ministry. The use of initials and pseudonyms is one way we protect those whose ministry is located in a restrictive patt of the world."

Our technological know-how has created some problems for us. A politician may have to eat his own words when someone can read a speech of two decades ago on the Internet and discover that the politician took a different view then than he does today. A culprit may think he has "deleted" materials in his computer he does not want anyone to know only to discover that there are ways to retrieve even the deleted items

In the same manner we must face the fact that there are those opposed to our ministries around the world who would love to identify some of our workers and possibly punish or even expel them. We believers are urged to be "innocent as doves." Let's not forget that we are also asked to be "shrewd as snakes" (Matt. 10:16).

Baptism/Membership

Bakersfield, Calif (Rosedale)-Nick Fa ir ban ks. Ryan Fiser. Nicole Downing , Brando n Down ing. Joyce Ho lder, Jerry Boles, David Cebe ll , Shanna Rolow, Jill Vida l , Markus Vida l and Kerrick Klopfenste in we re baptized March 13. Phil Ogden, Sari Sprouse, Keith Schlecht, Kent Sch lecht, Jen Suorez, Steve Yerkes , Tom Nord, Nora Nord, Aaron Byrd, Lori Byrd, Nic holas Byrd and Matthew Byrd were welcomed as members

Huron, S.D. (Bethesda)-Paul and Sarah Fiebelkorn, Hugh and Marilyn Sheffie ld and Tony and Kathy Haarstad were welcomed as members March 13.

Bakersfield, Calif. (Laurelglen)-Julie Al len, James Brandon, Lynn Ellis, Cynthia Hagar. Cynthia Mesko. Melonie Parks, Harley Pinson, Cindy Pinson, Julie Russell, Tim Russe ll and Jon Scott were we lcomed as members the weekend of March 12- 13. Nathan Barringer, Lyndsay Hardy and Dan iel Pope were baptized the weekend of March 26-27.

Fairview, Okla.-Bruce Harrison, Jason and Tonya Eaton, Rylee Rankin and Emily Bartel were baptized March 20. Renee Stahlman, Mark and Katie Krigbaum and Gary and Donna Payne were welcomed as members Susan Kliewer was baptized and received as a member April 3

Dinuba, Calif.-Lily Bese, Katy Isaak Bethany Isaak, Rachel Smith and Tiffany Friesen were baptized and welcomed as members March 20. Alvin Suderman, Shirley Suderman , Ruby Bowe, Ruddy Ancheta , Cristina Ancheta, Paul Hill and Carol Hill were received as members

Fresno, Calif. (Bethanyl-Brenna McBrien, Katelyn Cullington, Ala nna Kroeker, Anal iese Goins, Ka itlyn Gaede, Breanne Berg, Desiree Trevino-Dooms,

Ke lsey Penner, Ashley Goossen, Alyssa Wiebe, Sydney Vogt, Mareike Janzen, Melan ie Nachtigall, Xiao Feng Hu, Lin Gao, Scott Backer, Curt MacNe ill, Eric Ormond, Eric Trevino - Dooms and Keith Dooms were baptized March 27.

Fellowship

Mountain Lake, Minn. (Community)-Fellowsh ip is being highlighted through a variety of Sunday evening services "Ko inon ia" is designed by and for the sen ior adults and includes a special speaker, music and fellowship. The "younger half" of the congregation meets on the third Sunday of the month for games and fellowship Organized small groups meet on the second and fourth Sundays.

Boulder Creek, CaUf.-A northern California MB women's retreat was held at Redwood Christian Park March 4-6. Participating churches were Orland; New Li fe, Fremont; El Camino Bible, Santa Clara; and Lincoln Glen, San Jose.

Clovis, Calif. (College Communityl-E P.G -the Exhausted Parents Group-met for an evening picnic and playtime April 3.

Visalia, Calif. (Neighborhood)-In order to facilitate casual connecting places, the church offers special interest groups for building friendship and spiritual support. Groups include men's basketball, backpacking and hiking, crocheting afghans for the needy, quilting and scrapbooking.

Buhler, Kan.-Shin-hee Chin, a Tabor College facu lty member and an artist, shared her testimony along with some of her art work at a mother-daughter tea April 3 Ladies were encouraged to wear hats and gloves from any era to the event.

Dinuba, Calif.-Retired Mennonite Central

Co mm ittee worker Peter Dyck was t he guest speaker Ap ril 3. Dyck began serving with MCC in Eng land du ring World War II and together wit h his wife, El fr ieda wor ked with materi al aid in various count ries Altho ugh he ret ired in 1982, Dyck, now 91, cont inues to sha re the story of t heir min istry with MCC.

Huron, S.D. (Bethesda) - Ang ie Fast and Bet h Wo lgamott led worsh ip and share d the ir test imon ies at a woman's spring retrea t. Attendees spent time between sess ions working on persona l craft projects, read ing and journaling Spiritua l challenge , camping, fellowship and f ish ing were the foc us of a men's fishing retreat April 29-May 1.

Enid, Okla.-A wild game supper was he ld for me n and boys April 9 Cody and Cody of the TV show " On the Water in the Woods " were guest speakers. Wi ld game mounts were displayed and part icipants were invited to share the history of their mou nts and swap stories.

Omaha, Neb. (Iglesia Agua Vival- The congregation held a joint baptism service and worsh ip service May 1 with Faith Bible Church, also of Omaha. Thirty couples from Ig lesia Agua Viva attended a Feb rua ry marriage sem inar and a se minar on family val ues will be held May 9-10. The congregation's goal fo r 2005 is to fill t he sanctuary to its capacity of 260.

Ministry

Onida, S.D. (Emmanuell-Find in g ways to reach neighbors and fr iends-to "catch them for life" -was t he sermon theme March 6 The congregation is casting their net in various ways, includ in g a week ly 'What the Bible says" article in the local newspaper: Clovis, Calif. (College Community)-A 2005 mission project is to complete the endowment, previously

Wall remembered as scientist, servant

Richard Wall, 55, professor of biology at Tabor College, died Easter Sunday, March 27, II months after being diagnosed with Myelodysplastic Syndrome and seven months after undergoing a stem cell transplant Friends , colleagues and students describe Wall as a visionary scientist and community volunteer.

In 1977, Wall, a 1972 Tabor graduate, accepted a two-year teaching assignment at Tabor. Two years turned into 28 during which Wall taught in biology, agriculture, microbiology and genetics He served as chair of the Natural and Mathematical Sciences. Wall earned his master's and doctoral degrees in 1975 and 1980, respectively, from Oklahoma State University.

Wall's community involvement included the Hillsboro Historical Society and Museum, Hillsboro Tree Board, Tabor College Center for Mennonite Brethren Studies and Goessel Threshing Days He also built Hillsboro's Jacob Friesen Dutch flour mill in using only one known photograph as a blueprint. Wall, a member of Hillsboro MB Church, was born Feb. 21, 1950, to Elmer and Frieda Bartel Wall in Hillsboro. On May 26, 1973. he married JoAnn Hein, who survives. He is also survived by two daughters, Jenny and Julie, both of Hillsboro; one sister, Sandra and husband John B. Garrard of Li ncolnville, Kan.; one brother, Robert and wife Joyce of Conway Springs, Kan ., and his nieces and nephews - TC news service

established by the congregat ion, of a faculty position at MB Bib le College in India. The goal is to raise $8,000

Minot, N.D. (Bible Fellowship)- The Saturday before Easter people were invited to stop on the church parking and pet a l amb Visitors then received a brochure outlining Easter services.

Tulsa , Okla. (The Heartl-A spring softball league began Ap ril 3 as an outreach tool. Several people who do not attend church are part of t he team A golf game was organ ized April 9 with the goal of connecti ng with new peop le

Henderson, Neb.-C hurch renewal meetings were he ld in March with Mission USA director Don Morris to discuss t he st rengths of the church and the obstacles that could preven t the congregation from moving forward A day of fasting and prayer to seek God 's ca ll for the church was observed April 6- 7 April 10 all members of leadership boards and committees met with Mo rris to discuss core values for the congregation

Kingsburg, Calif.- The Puppets of Worship team will help run vaca ti on Bible school for the Iglesia Agua Viva congregat ion in Kingsburg during the month of June A Spanish script aimed at both children and adults will be used during the Sunday services The Kingsburg volunteers will also provide crafts, sto ries and games.

Nurture

Sanger, Calif. (Grace Community)-"All Stars for Jesus" is a new Wednesday evening children's ministry for grades one through six. The program began with six children and a vision for reaching the community. "All Stars" has grown to 40 children, with 14 people involved in leadership.

Visalia, Calif. (Neighborhood)-During April. members of "Battalion, " a student ministry, learned to navigate in the wilderness using a compass and map as they also learned about re lying on God as thei r true guide . "Battalion" is for junior and senior high boys who love the outdoors and want to develop leadership skills, Christian friendships and a strong personal relationship with God

Dinuba, Calif.-A seminar designed to help families prepare for a loved one's death was held April 10. A panel discussion included resource persons from local funeral homes and Pastor Jim Aiken.

Wichita, Kan.IFirst)-A parenting seminar was presented April 17 by Wendell Loewen, Southern District youth minister. "Modern Parents and Postmodern Teens " is designed for parents of students in grades five through 12 Fresno, Calif (Bethany)-Student Ministries served lunch and brunch and hosted an open house at the Modular, a new location for student ministries, to acquaint the congregation with youth ministry activities.

Reedley, Calif -Christian Education Sunday April 24 included a joint worship service with a spotlight on children 's min istries, a message by Marlin Hiett and an all- church picnic and recreation at Reedley College after the service.

Bakersfield, Calif ILaurelglen) - Professional counse lors answered questions about leading small

groups at an April 3 small groups leaders' supper and meet ing Clovis, Calif. (College Community)-VBS Peace Camp will be held eveni ngs, June 20-23. The camp is based on the scripture "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called ch ildren of God" (Matt. 5:9).

Workers

Bakersfield, Calif. (Heritage)-Kathy Beeghly resigned as children's min istry pastor

Deaths

HEIER, BERTHA LOUISE WIENS, Reedley, Calif. , member of Dinuba (Calif.! MB Church, was born Jan 5, 1907, to Henry D. and Elizabeth M. Martens Wiens in Henderson, Neb., and died March 16, 2005, at the age of 98 On Dec. 30, 1928, she married Henry F. Heier, who predeceased her. She is survived by two daughters, Anna Mae Friesen of Visa l ia , Calif., and Jeanette and husband Hank Nickel of Fresno, Calif. ; one son, Dwight and wife Carol of Di nuba, 10 gra ndchildren, 28 great grandchildren and five great great grandchildren

HILLAM, EDWARD ALBERT, San Jose, Calif., member of Lincoln Glen Church of San Jose, was born March 16, 1920, in Zion, Ill., and died March 7, 2005 , at the age of 84. He was married to Ilene Hillam, who survives. He is also survived by one daughter, Jane and husband Rich Uhl; one son, Corbin and wife Jane, and four grandchildren

THIESSEN, EDITH MARY KOONS, Fairview, Okla , member of Fairview MB Church, was born Nov. 10, 1909, to Joseph F. and Nellie Koons in Storm Lake, la , and died March 14, 2005, at the age of 95 On Sept. 20, 1935, she married Walter Thiessen, who predeceased her. She is survived by two daughters,

Marga ret and husband Kenneth Flaming of Vin ita, Okla , and Ar lene and husband Arno ld Klaassen of Wichita, Kan ; one son , Robert and wife Sharon of Golde n, Co lo ; three brothers, Harold and wife Dorothy of Tulsa, Okla., Clair and wi fe Mild red of Owasso, Okla., and Bud and wi fe Jo of Newcastle, Cal if.; one sister, Velma and husband Grady Williams of Puyullup, Wash ; cousin Ora and husband Del Delahorne of Tu lsa, Okla., six grandchildren and 10 great grandch ildren.

UNRAU, ISABELLE, Hillsbo ro, Ka n , member of Hi ll sboro MB Church and a Central District Conference missionary to South Dakota, was born Aug 20, 1912, to Jacob T. and Susan Sawatzky Classen in Meade, Kan , and died March 22, 2005, at the age of 92. On June 12, 1938, she married Arthur Unrau, who survives. She is also survived by one son, Paul and wife Grace Unrau of Moundridge, Kan.; three daughters, Phyllis and husband Dale Schroeder of Lakewood, Colo , Elvera and husband Charles Rempel of Hillsboro, and Priscilla and husband Richard Wieneke of Bakersfield, Calif. ; two sisters , Goldie Janzen of Fresno, Calif., and Virgin ia Friesen of McPherson, Kan , five grandchildren and nine great grandchildren

WEDEL, DOROTHY H., Buhler, Kan., member of Buhler MB Church, was born Nov. 19, 1921, to Leslie and Ina Wiser in Fairfax, Okla , and died March 8, 2005, at the age of 83 She was married to Waldo Wedel, who predeceased her. She is survived by two sons, Rod of Gordonvi lle, Tex., and Roger of Denton, Tex ; one daughter, Marilee Harrison of Madison , Wis., six grandchildre n and nine great grandchildren.

Correction: The April obituary for Dorothy Rose Enns should have identified her parents as John and Sarah Buller Unruh

« CLEARINGHOUSE »

Program Director. Hesston College and Mennonite Disaster Service seek a full-time Director of the Disaster Management Program at Hesston College to begin July 2005. Primary responsibilit ies include: developing and administering the program, recruiting and admitt ing students, advising students , teaching courses, and directing field experiences Qualifications : teaching experience; innovative spirit; love of students; and commitment to Mennonite higher education, the Mennonite church and the missions of Hesston College and Mennonite Disaster Service. Master's degree required, docto r ate desired. Please send a letter of application, resume and reference list to Yoder, Academic Dean, Box 3000, Hesston, KS 67062, marcusyfahesston.edu Review of applications will begin May 16 and continue until the position is filled Equal Opportunity Employer. (1/1) Insurance/Financial Services Sales Are you looking for a career that combines your professional skills and your Christian faith values? If so, Mennon ite Mutual Aid wants to talk with you. We are a churchrelated organization whose primary miss ion is to help people manage their God-given gifts MMA is seeking sales professionals to help provide insur-

ance and financial sol ut ions to individuals and businesses, primarily associated with Mennonite and other Anabaptist -related denominations. Openings in Pennsylvania, Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Kansas, Oregon and other states. Excellent compensation and benefits packages. To learn more, visit www.mma-online.org/careers Fax or email resume to (574) 537-6635 or hrfamma-online.org. (2/10)

Human Resources Director. Mennonite Central Committee is looking for a Human Resources Director based in Akron , Penn The director leads a 14-member department that carries out much of the human resource function of MCC, including recruitment, screening, placement, training and care of workers; compensation and benefits administration; personnel policy development; and maintenance of personnel data Qua li fications include experience in personnel management and administration ; knowledge of human resources policies, practices and tools; and solid skills in writing, problem-solving and negotiation Cross-cul tural experien ce and pr io r Christian service preferred Candidates from diverse racia l and ethn ic backgrounds and lor bilingual (Spanish/Eng l ish) cand idates, and women are encou r aged to app ly Contact Prem Dick (psdfamcc org ) fo r a copy of the job description (2/4)

Being salt and light

One of the most common pieces of advice I've been given, as a person of faith, is that my life, words and actions should be like salt and light. This comes from Jesus' famous teaching: "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden" (Matt. 5:13,14).

Whenever I hear these statements, I usually think, "OK, 111 do it." But do I really know what being salt and light means?

Christians obviously differ on how to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. They take different approaches to being witnesses and examples to those around them. At one extreme is the "stand up and fight" crowd, which makes loud proclamations about the moral shortcomings and rampant evils of modem culture. At the other extreme you have the "serve and be quiet" group, which does good deeds but shies away from saying anything about God and the Bible, for fear of offending someone.

As you can tell, I feel these approaches can go too far one way or the other.

For example, sometimes I get God and country type e-mails forwarded to me that speak about "the vile liberals and their evil ways." I'm not making that statement up. I wouldn't call myself a liberal (more of a moderate), but such bashing even makes me cringe. It's hard for me to believe being salt and light would mean hurling insults at people with different values or beliefs.

But I also don't think it means being silent about values and beliefs. Once I heard a speaker talk about how he had ministered to a homeless man by buying him a fast-food meal. The speaker said when we do such a thing, we give the gospel to others. After the meeting someone commented, "I don't think he gave that man the gospel, I think he gave a cheeseburger."

Maybe that was harsh, but I saw the point. Certainly we share the love of Jesus when we meet physical needs, as Jesus told us to. But when the New Testament talks about the gospel, it's usually in

terms of preaching or proclaiming. Being salt and light definitely involves letting "your good deeds shine out for all to see," as Jesus says (Matt. 5:16 NLT). But there's also a time to speak. "Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt," Paul wrote, "so that you may know how to answer everyone" (Col. 4:6). And Peter said, 'i\lways be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect" (I Pet. 3:15).

This leads to appropriateness, another aspect of being salt and light. If you think of salt or any other seasoning there is such a thing as getting too much. Anyone who has experienced the old '1id falls off the salt shaker" fiasco knows this. You tum the loose-lidded shaker over and end up with a heap of white granules on your food. Too much salt tastes terrible.

In the same way, too much light or light shined directly in the eyes is not only a hindrance to seeing but also painful. Well-directed light of appropriate brightness, however, is helpful and pleasant.

These illustrations help me realize I need to use insight and sensitivity in my attempts to be the kind of salt and light Jesus talked about. As I mentioned, some Christians just blare out broad judgments and condemnations without any awareness of how they might be coming across. No one likes a truckload of salt dumped all over them, or a searchlight blazing in their eyes.

Other Christians never share their faith or talk about Jesus at all. In these cases people have a hard time tasting or seeing anything related to God's love and his desire to have a relationship with them.

Another interesting thing about being salt and light: in the same sermon Jesus spoke about shining your light before others, he also said to do your "acts of righteousness" in secret. What's the difference between these two? I think "good deeds" involve humility, helping others and pointing people to God. But in "acts of righteousness" -prayer, fasting and giving-we are tempted to shine the light on ourselves.

Jesus had it right when differentiating the two. Unbelievers aren't usually impressed with public acts of piety. But they are intrigued when we sprinkle our days with grace, forgiveness and wisdom, and illuminate our lives with joy and peace and love. That's what being salt and light is all about.

great and noble task"

Ilong to accomplish a great and noble task," it is reported that Helen Kelle r once said, 'but it is my chief duty to accomplish humble tasks as thoug h they were great and noble."

There are many ways we Christians can take our faith to work with us, and Keller has noted one: giving our best without discriminating as to the value of the task. Doing our best is one way we give witness to our faith nine- to-five. What does it mean to carty out small things with a big attitude? I think of at least two things .

• Be specific when defining "best." Generally speaking. every aspect of our jobs should be completed honestly, fairly, carefully, completely and joyfully regardless of whether we judge the task to be significant, trivial or somewhere in between. Doing my best as editor of the Leader means putting in the hours fo r which I am being paid even when no one monitors my day-today activities. It means searching for the missing Scripture reference to a passage quoted by an author because our style guide requires that Bible verses be noted with chapter and verse. Doing my best means responding promptly to e-mails and returning phone calls, making important last minute content changes with a cheerful attitude and treating disgruntled vendQrs with respect. Producing the best magazine possible means following a basic journalistic premise: deliver accurate, complete and useful information so that a definable group of people can make responsible decisions about their personal and corporate life. It means reporting the good news along with the bad It means advocating for the greater good of the community, not guarding the interests of a few. As fortner editor Don Ratzlaff once wrote, it means, "encouraging constructive dialogue because unity is not the absence of differences, but the acknowledgement of a common purpose." To be the 'best" church journalist is to proclaim truth in the context of community.

• Keep current on occupational changes and developments. Doing our best at work means always looking for ways to do what we do better. Some professions require ongoing professional education and many offer staff the opportun ity to improve their skills and to meet with people who share occupational interests and responsibilities. Some of us have the added benefit of attending professional activities that challenge us personally as well as professionally. When we view educational opportunities as another way to bring our faith to work, professional events take on new meaning.

I am thankful that the U.S. Conference has a history of sending the Leader editor to the Evangelical Press Association convention I anticipate that the zoos convention the last week in April will be another winner. Among the keynote speakers will be Marty Martin and Anne Graham Lotz. Barlow Girl is one of the musical groups that will sing for us and Chonda Pierce will entertain us. While these special guests are an attractive feature of the convention, the most helpful component will be the workshops that address the mundane aspects of our jobs: writing, editing, design, photography, postal regulations and web and Internet topics. Some workshops will highlight theological issues, a helpful way to become acquainted with topics evangelical Christians are currently debating

An equally helpful feature of the EPA convention is the opportunity to talk with other denominational magazine editors and staff members . Two years ago only a few denominational magazine editors met for the Monday night roundtable discussion . Our small size soon proved to be an advantage as the majority

of magazines represented were experiencing a crisis of one sort or another and our discussion quickly became a prayer meeting. Last year the group was very large and the diversity of issues with which denominational publications wrestle was an education in and of itself.

Because recognition from one's peers is rewarding, the EPA convention also includes an annual contest. Thanks to its very qualified past editors, the Leader has received z6 awards over the past z5 years, including the denominational magazine of the year award in 1977, 1980, 1989 and 1990 While an award is certainly nice, one of the reasons we enter the contest is the helpful infortnation gained from the judges' remarks. Last year the Leader also took advantage of the opportunity to have a veteran EPA editor review the magazine. This peer critique was very valuable when it came to redesigning the Leader.

I remember my surprise 10 years ago when I was handed an EPA press card. I wasn't sure that I would ever need press credentials given that most of the events Leader staff attend as members of "the press" are Mennonite Brethren gatherings. But the arrival each year of a new EPA press card reminds me that this job comes with a set of responsibilities Yes, responsibilities to you the readers. But also a duty to carty out my day-to-day assignments in a way that gives witne ss to the fact that I am a Christian who happens to be a writer and editor. - CF

The War, the Quilts, and the Women Who Made a Difference

The book-

Two women find each other in Holland, brought together improbably by a set of worn quilts, made by groups of women haIfa-world-away who simply used what they had.

• First there is An in wartime Holland, risking her life to help othershiding a Jewish baby in her hand luggage while on a ferry that draws gunfire, trying to find enough food, and more such adventures.

• Then there is Lynn, 20-some years later, discovering the quilts and searching for their stories.

This book is a patchwork of stories of women helping others, passing on the comfort.

$14.95, paperback, 186 pages, full color

The traveling quilt exhibitStitched by women in North America, these quilts were sent to Europe during " World War II and distributed by Mennonite Central Committee. The Passing on thl Comfort exhibit pieces together the stories of those who stitched, distributed and used these gifts of comfort.

For the next three years this exhibit will be appearing at quilt shows, relief sales and museums in the U.S. and Canada. In mid-2005, the exhibit will be visiting the following places .

April Pennsylvania, Kansas, Ohio

May Ontario

June Saskatchewan

July Alberta

For more information and additional dates for this exhibit visit www.mcc.orglquilts.

Did you knOW G ood planning requires good informatio n? By visiting our Internet site , you can find helpful estate t-' " h information to assist you in creating the plan that is right for you.

Without a plan that is right for you, an unnecessary amount of your assets may go to state and federal governments in taxes. Your remaining assets may go to individuals other than those loved ones you prefer to benefit. The guardianship of minor children may be left for the laws of the state to determine.

We maintain up-to-date gift planning information for you to access via the Internet. We invite you to visit our web site. There you can find valuable information including: