Psalm 23, one of the best-known Old Testament passages, begins with a perplexing declaration: 'The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want ," Really? Does the psalmist honestly expect me to believe that if I am loyal to Jesus all of my wants will be satisfied? This seems like an exaggeration. Is it? Or, is the writer talking about something else?
12
THE FRUGAL CHRISTIAN
by Katie Funk Wiebe
When the decisions we make about our lifestyles are guided by a resolve to "seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness," we are what author and sage Katie Funk Wiebe calls "frugal" Christians. And that opens space in our lives for God to do something new.
16 THE
SAGA OF STOLEN STUFF
by Michelle Ferguson
Michelle and her housemate return home from work to find their house ransacked and possessions gone-hauled away in Michelle's car. The robbery causes Michelle to wrestle with two conflicting influences in her life: the role personal property plays in defining what it means to be independent and her desire to be a careful steward of all that God has given her.
> FiRST WORDS
[from the editor)
NAMES ARE IMPORTANT TO 43-YEAR-OLD MARTIN HARlWIG
Eitzen , a Mennonite Brethren educator you will meet this month when you visit CL Online (www.usmb.orglchristian-Ieader) and read the articles by the team of reporters who covered this summer's Mennonite World Conference Assembly hosted by our Paraguayan brothers and sisters.
In Paraguay, Eitzen explains to reporter Dora Dueck, your name places you in one ofthree groups : Mennonite, Paraguayan or Indian. "It's an uphill battle," Eitzen admits, "to get it out of people's minds that Mennonite is ethnic." And that's one reason it was so good to have Mennonites of all colors and cultures converge on Paraguay for the Mennonite World Conference.
Eitzen's own name reflects his commirment to living as both a German- and Spanish-speaking Mennonite Brethren. Eitzen grew up in Colony Femheim in the Gran Chaco region of Paraguay with the German name "Hartwig." His grandparents were Russian-German Mennonites who fled the Soviet Union's communist regime to find refuge in the new Mennonite colony settlement.
Eitzen left this community after high school to study in Buenos Aires. Here Eitzen worked in a small church directing the youth activities. Spanish speakers found it difficult to say Hartwig. When one Spanish-speaking friend said that Hartwig sounded much like "Martin," Hartwig began to be Martin, and in 2005 he added it legally to his name.
Eitzen sees a connection between his name change and Paul's decision to alter his name. "When did the name change, Saul to Paul, happen?" Eitzen asks. It was not at conversion, as often assumed, but when he first stepped into the mission field, says Eitzen.
Like Paul, Eitzen lives cross-culturally and missionally, focusing his life on spreading the good news of the resurrected Christ Eitzen is the director of Instituto Biblico Asuncion, a school founded jointly by the Spanish and German Mennonite Brethren conferences. He and his wife, Betty, intentionally live bi-culturally, and Eitzen describes their sons as third culture kids.
Living in a culturally diverse country with great extremes in education and economic levels is a challenge, particularly in a school setting. But Eitzen finds joy and hope in the transformation he sees in his students-both Spanish and German-who will go on to motivate their churches and pastors.
> CL o N LIN E o N L Y
MWC Assembly 15 - Coverage by team of Mennonite reporters on this global gathering
CL Discussion - Questions by Joanna Felts on each month's feature articles www.usmb.orglchristian -Ieader
> UP & COMING
• Oct. 23-25- U.S . Mennonite Brethren Leade rs hip Board meeting, Den ver, Colo.
• Nov. 5-8- Centml District Conference convention. Yale, SD
• Nov. 6-7- Pacili c District Conference convention, Visalia. Calif
• April 19-21, 2010-National Pastors ' Orientati on, Phoenix Ari z
• April 21-22, 2010 -U SC Board of Faith and Lite meeting, Phoenix. Ariz.
• April 22-23, 2010 - Leadership Summit. Phoenix. Ariz .
• April 24-25, 2010 -U .S . Mennonite Brethren Leadership Board mtg. Ph oe ni x. Ari z.
• May 14-24, 2010 - 150th MB Anni versmy events- Germany
• July 12-17, 201O -U .S MBConvention '150th MB Ann iv Cclehration Van couver
October/November 2009
Volume 72
Number 7
Connie Faber EDITOR I Myra Holmes ASSISTANT EDITOR
Shelley Plett GRAPHIC DESIGNER
The Christian Leader IISSN 0009-5149) is published bi-monthly by the U.S. Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches
MANDATE The Christian Leader seeks to inform Mennonite Brethren members and churches of the events. activities. decisions and issues of their denomination. and to instruct. inspire and initiate dialogue so members will aspire to be faithful disciples of Christ as understood in the evangelicaV Anabaptist theological tradition.
EDITORIAL 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 freelance 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 letters to the editor and Forum essays Letters to the editor should be brief-300 words or less-and on one subject Letters must be signed and include the writer's city and state. Letters will 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 should include the writer's name, address. home church and occupation
COMMUNICATION AU correspondence. including change of address. should be addressed to the Christian Leader Box 155. 107 N. Main. Hillsboro. KS 67063-0155. Phone: 620-947-5543.
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POSTMASTER Send address changes to the Christian Leader, Box 155. Hillsboro. KS 67063. Periodicals postage paid at Hillsboro. Kansas.
Reading with your brain in gear
Four cautions when studying the Bible
The first Bible I remember owning was a black bonded leather Revised Standard Version. It's still around somewhere, though it's really thrashed. But I have not tossed it. Are we allowed to?
It doesn't seem right somehow to junk a Bible But it is "just a book" in some ways, right? We do not worship the book itself. The term "bibliolatty" seldom comes up, but when is it in play? Do you ever put anYthing on top of your Bible? How would we know if our Bibles have become idols?
We can easily agree that it is the God of the Bible that we believe in and worship, and that it is the message of the Bible that we place our faith in Yet, it seems pretty clear that we give some kind of honor to the actual book. It is, after all, the story
inal context of life process or condition in the text often tells of deep waters that were navigated before the relief showed up. And that doesn't address the fact that these promises were often given to a particular person or group at a special time for particular reasons.
An additional concern grows out of a strong tendency in most of us to get things well ordered and categorized, especially in our philosophical and theological thoughts and beliefs. So the tendency is to wrestle every theological idea to the ground and then put it in its place There are, however, biblical truths that stand in tension with each other The classic illustration is the obvious tension between God's sovereignty and mankind's free will. This sort of tension becomes an occasion for us to dig
\Ve need to keep our minds in gem when we read the Scriptures, especial1y when we are reading devotionally or for personal nourishment.
of our triune God and his salvation. Heilsgeschichte, a German word literally translated "salvation history," is such a great pseudonym for the Bible.
A few years ago I was working to restate our evangelicalAnabaptist core convictions, and I wrote: ' 'The Bible is the only unfailing guide for peace with God, a fulfilled life and assurance of heaven." That makes it, at very least, unique among books.
Now then, how we read the Bible also matters. I recently read an article that reminded me that we need to keep our minds in gear when we read the Scriptures, especially when we are reading devotionally or for personal nourishment. So let's consider a few cautions.
One of the mistakes we make is to tum a proverb into a personal promise How often have you heard Proverbs 22:6 explained this way? While it is generally true that children will not depart from the way in which they are trained, this proverb should not be understood as a blanket promise. While sharing pain with parents who have trained and nurtured well only to watch their adult children walk away from God, as a pastor I often wished it were a guarantee.
Another proclivity we have is to select or highlight a phrase or sentence of promise or blessing for personal application. While that may well have some desired impact, the orig-
in and defend our preferred understanding. And that's the point. No one has full understanding or the final word.
One last caution flag: Are we willing to admit that it is our natural tendency to read the Bible from our personal and cultural contexts? When Jesus invites his followers to come to him for rest, we U.S. Mennonite Brethren may think of a gathered worship-learning time with our church family or spending time in our recliner, at a spiritual retreat or in personal devotions. What are our spiritual brothers and sisters in famine-ravaged lands or war-tom places thinking when they read that text?
'1\11 Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness," is how Paul puts it (2 Tim. 3:16).
But we need to be diligently thoughtful. It might be that some of us need to review and adjust our thoughts and attitudes about the leather and paper. Others of us may need to read more carefully. More importantly, let's all live as real participants in God's story of salvation.
'1l Comment on this column by going to usmb.orglchristian-leader
> READERS SAY
Choices
Choices come in many ways and in many situations. You cannot start a day without making several choices: Do I even want to get up? What do I wear? What shall I eat? The first choice in human history was made long before man ever walked on this earth. God chose to create a world and make man and have him take care of his creation. Just as God chose to make man, he also gave man the abiliry to make his own choices. God knew from the very beginning that man would make some bad choices. But he wanted us to be able to choose him freely. We are not puppets.
The first test came in the Garden of Eden. Eve made a choice that would forever change the destiny of the human race. Her choice to disobey God caused the whole human race to start down the path of destruction. But God did not abandon his creation. He set in motion a plan that would save all mankind from total destruction. He chose to send his only Son to earth to be the ultimate sacrifice for us
Through the years, many of God's chosen leaders made choices to not follow God's ways. Every time a bad choice is made there are consequences to pay, from the king losing his kingdom, to David's firstborn dying, to Moses not being allowed to enter into the Promised Land.
Some choices we make today have no bearing on our lives: Do I wear sandals or shoes, for example. Other choices can be more serious in their consequences : If someone hits me do I hit them back? Should I go along with them when my friends do something that I know is wrong?
As bad choices are made, it becomes easier to make the next bad choice. For example, when you tell a lie, you have to tell another one to cover that one. And the lies just get bigger The media has put a spin on the word choice. They say you have the right to choose, and I agree wholeheartedly with that statement. But that is as far as it goes . If a woman makes a bad choice, the media tells us that another bad choice will make the first bad choice go away.
Deuteronomy 30:19 tells us, "This day I call heaven and earth as witness against you that I have set before you life and death , blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live "
Phil Bartel, Meade,
Kan
excited- someone is catching on, I thought. Until I read Bartel's remedy for our self-made consumerism: changing the "medium" of the message, i.e., the "Sunday morning worship service and all its trappings." Here I must disagree and assen that Sunday's worship service is merely the outcome of a much more serious problem that has been long developing-the consumer-oriented "medium" is only the result of the compromised message.
Out of passion to reach the lost, the church for more than two decades has sought to become seeker friendly. This began simply - replacing organs and pianos with guitars, keyboards and drums; then substituting hymns with popular CCM songs of the day focused on our experience with God, rather than God himself. Crosses were removed or placed to the side and pews exchanged for comfortable theater seating.
But the change that brought far-reaching consequences is that of the church neglecting her primary obligation expressed in Acts 2:42, cited by Bartel. There, we are told, the newborn church devoted itself first to the apostles' teaching. This teaching ofthe Scriptures, as Paul says in 2 Tunothy 3:15-17, makes us wise for salvation and trains us for righteousness. In Paul's doctrine, salvation encompasses forgiveness of sins, right standing with God and power for righteous living.
It would logically follow that if this teaching is made easy listening for "seekers" (who generally make up a very small percentage of church attendants), the Christians themselves are not being "thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2 Tim 3:17). The Sunday morning service, or any time we gather for exhortation, must be aimed for the believer as Paul states in Eph . 4:U -13. There is no substitute for sound, faithful teaching of God's Word.
We have neglected this responsibility too long while endeavoring to win our culture to Christ. We have come perilously close to compromising the original intent of the Scriptures while overcontextualizing it for the lost. Let us return to our high calling, teaching faithfully sound doctrine "while we wait for the blessed hope - the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:13-14).
Kathleen Moon Dyer, Bakersfield, Calif.
Aim at believers
I am responding to "Confused Consumer Christians" by Paul Bartel (Practically Anabaptist, June/July 2009). In his article Bartel asserts that the church has become a community of consumers, and our worship services have caused us to become consumers, "worrying about worship styles." At this point, I was
Atonement question
In the article on the atonement recently featured in the CL ('l\tonement," by Tim Geddert, Aug/Sept 2009), the point is made that all major atonement theories present Jesus as our substitute. Then why, since the penalty that God's righteous judgment demands for our sinfulness is eternal torment in hell, is Jesus not now and forever suffering the pangs of hell in our place?
Ervin Jost, Corvallis, Ore.
The editors invite readers to share their thoughts and opinions on topics relevant to the Mennonite Brethren Church using letters to the editor. Letters should be on one topic, not exceed 300 words and include the writer's name and city. Letters will be edited for clarity, appropriateness and length
Congolese strategize to strengthen schools
ICOMB, MWC sponsor historic education
Leading educators from the three national Mennonite conferences in Congo came together May 19-21 for an historic internationa! consultation on education in the Democratic Republic of Congo. TIle International Community of Mennonite Brethren (ICOMB) and Mennonite World Conference (MWC) jointly sponsored the consultation held in Kinshasa. DRC.
The purpose of the consultation was to explore how the several hundred Mennonite primaty and secondary schools in Congo might be strengthened. The three national Mennonite conferences in Congo operate more than 300 primary and secondary schools with a student population of more than 50.000.
As in other faith communities. the schools are uniquely co-managed with the government. The government establishes the curriculum in most areas of instruction. but each faith community is free to establish its own curriculum in the area of religious instruction. The government pays salaries as it is able. Faith communities provide school buildings. secure personnel and generally manage the schools. Mennonite Brethren representatives included. among others. Damien Pelende. president of the DRC Mennonite Brethren
consultation
Conference; Pakisa Tshimika of Fresno. Calif.• who served as global coordinator; Victor Wall of Paraguay. executive secretary of ICOMB; and Dalton Reimer of California. ICOMB education coordinator.
Several North Americans associated with Tshimika's Mama Makeka House of Hope also attended as observers. including educator and CL columnist Rose Buschman
In a post-consultation meeting. one planning committee member noted that the objectives for the consultation had been achieved. Others expressed their happiness at what had happened Victor Wall affinned the impottance of church and school working together. A follow-up committee and initial follow-up steps were affinned.
ICOMB represents 17 national MB conferences around the world. MWC is a global Anabaptist fellowship Other sponsors and financial supporters for the consultation included the AIMS Education Foundation located on the campus of Fresno Pacific University. MBMS International and Mennonite Central Committee. A full report is posted online at www.usmb.orglchristianleader - lCOMB
MBs study confession for 150th anniversary
Mennonite Brethren in North and South America are studying the denomination's Confession of Faith in preparation for the 150th anniversary of the Mennonite Brethren Church in 2010. The International Community of Mennonite Brethren (ICOMB) is encouraging Mennonite Brethren churches around the world to schedule classes during 2009 using a new study guide. Knowing and Living Your Faith. so that Mennonite Brethren around the world will be better anchored in the faith. ICOMB says . ICOMB includes representatives from 17 Mennonite Brethren national conferences around the world.
The study guide consists of commentary and questions based on the 2004 ICOMB-prepared and authorized Confession of Faith Sixteen international leaders contributed to the 130-page booklet. published in English by Kindred Productions. the North American Mennonite Brethren publishing ministry. and edited by Elmer Martens and Peter Klassen. both of Fresno. Calif. While the approach is topical, the book is essentially a Bible study.
In addition to English. languages in which the guide has appeared or will appear are: French. Spanish. German. Lingala. Kikongo. Portuguese. Japanese. Telegu and possibly Russian. ICOMB executive secretary Victor Wall. of Paraguay. reports that 3.000 copies of a Spanish version are now available for all of Latin America A German edition of 500 copies has been printed for use in Paraguay only. A Portuguese translation has been completed and is on the way to printing. A pre-print version was used at a Brazilian pastors' conference and is being used in local churches A French translation prepared in Congo was proofed and revised by Annie Brosseau of Quebec.
The study guide is available in the U S from the Pacific District Conferen ce office. pdcmbc@fresno edu or 559-453 - 2082 - lCOMB
Kindred to scale back
Kindred Productions (KP), in-house publisher and distributor of religious books for the Mennonite Brethren churches in the U.S. and Canada, is reevaluating the scope and direction of its ministry.
Over the past two years, KP has emphasized the reselling component of their business. After careful consideration, KP decided this direction is not financially viable. "It became apparent that we needed to scale back on outside publishing, resale and associated advertising," says Cam Rowland, communications director at the Canadian MB Conference.
The implications of this immediately impacted KP manager Mario Buscio, who officially completed his services June 5 "Mario was working specifically on improving the financial health of the reselling component of the organization, and although he brought much creativity and energy to the task, Kindred Productions has not seen enough results required to continue in this direction," says Rowland.
For the near future, KP will continue selling resources developed by the conferences, but is reviewing the resale of books and resources that may be purchased elsewhere. Presently, KP will work with Augsburg Fortress, Cook Communications, Foundation Distributing, Harper Collins and Herald Press in its resale book component. KP will also provide Sunday school curriculum from three of their main suppliers: Mennonite Publishing House, David C. Cook and Foundation Distributing.
Amy Sterk is the KP U.S. representative and the Kindred Spirits Reward Program representative for the U.S. and Canada. '1\my provides excellent customer service to all the U.S. customers and is the main contact person for the exciting Kindred Spirits Reward Program," says Yvonne Heinrichs of KP. Sterk can be reached via e-mail at uscustserve@kindredproductions.com or at 800-545-7322, extension 305.-Canadian MB Conference/KP
MEDA convention to address global challenges
Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA) is offering up new solutions to address new global realities at its annual Business as a Calling convention Nov. 58 in San Jose, Calif. MEDA is an association of Christians in business With a theme of "New Frontiers: New Solutions," and a focus on alternate energy and food supply/security issues, convention goers can expect to hear frank discussions about the current economic reality, new business opportunities and growing needs around the world.
"New pressures and uncenainties create new difficulties for business leadership," says MEDA president Allan Sauder. "Sustainability and minimalization of the environmental impact of industry operations must become key components in decision making."
For Christians in business, there is the added challenge of operating within faith values. The public commitment to ethical practices and creation care is growing. Business as a Calling will help participants explore these new frontiers and find new solutions.
Plenary speakers include Stephen Kreider Yoder, San Francisco bureau chief for the Wall Street Journal; Len Penner, president of Cargill Canada; and Suzanne Broe* and Roger Bairstow of Broe* Orchards, Prescott, Wash.
Seminars will tackle everything from renewable energy and the green revolution in India to sustainability and stewardship in the pork industry. Attendees can also connect with other Christians who share similar values and a commitment to fighting poveny around the globe
For more information or to register, go to www.businessasacalling.org or call 717-5606546. Discounts rates are available for pastors.-MEDA
KP RELEASES BOOK
Kindred Productions, the North American Mennonite Brethren publishing house, is releasing Just One More Day: Meditations for Those Who Struggle with Anxiety and Depression this month. In the book, California author Beverlee Buller Keck shares insight and hope through 40 shon chapters, each including a Scripture, meditation, action step, prayer and space to journal. To order the publication, visit www.KindredProductions.com. -Kindred
WEEMES JOINS MCC
Megan Weemes of Butler MB Church, Fresno, Calif., is among 50 new workers commissioned for service with Mennonite Central Committee in July. Weemes is serving a two-year term in Ethiopia as a community developer. MCC is a relief, development and peace organization of Mennonite and Brethren in Christ churches in Canada and the United States. MCC personnel usually work in partnership with local churches and community organizations. Each year about 300 people begin MCC assignments. Currently, 1,165 MCC workers serve in 50 countries.-MCC
FPU FACULTY PUBLISHES ESSAY
An essay by Fresno Pacific University faculty member Eleanor Nickel is pan of a new book on Pulitzer Prize-winning American author Willa Cather. "Everything Was Contested: Teaching Print and Television Biographies of Willa Cather," by Nickel is one of 19 essays in Teaching the Works of Willa Cather from Green Tower Press. The book is designed to offer resources for educators. Nickel joined the FPU humanities faculty in 2002. - FPU
Managing our resources is all about making choices. Can I embrace simplicity and contentment and still buy the latest 1ashion accessory? Am I a better steward if 1. pu ' has a _____ cheap version t}ie newest gadget? This month e feature artIcles draw attention to the choices we make about ou stuff. I trust the wisdom nd experience of our writers will 110th ch llenge and affirm the decisions we make every day and reinforce our 'desire to • use our resources In generous ways that bring glory to God.-CF
I Shall Not Want?
Why Psa lm 23 is more than an infomerci al for sa ti sfaction
PSALM 23 IS ONE OF THE BEST-KNOWN biblical texts of the Old Testament and a favorite of pastors and chaplains on hospital calls. If your pastor starts reading it to you during a visit, you may want to draw up your will!
This favorite psalm begins with a puzzling observation: 'The Lord is my shepherd I shan not want!" What's so puzzling about that? Well, if you are not sure, keep reading.
God is everywhere!
Before we get to the heart of the problem, let's make a couple of observations about the structure of the psalm. Psalm 23 begins with a reference to Yahweh (one of the Hebrew names for God, most often translated as LORD) and also ends the same way: "I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever." Yahweh is at the front and back end of this psalm. What the psalmist is trying to say is that Yahweh is everywhere. He is there at the beginning. in the middle and at the end of our lives.
Wonderful. isn't it? Well, not so fast. It would be more accurate to say that while God can intimately be involved with us, he doesn't have to be
The late professor Peter Craigie, who has written what many consider to be one the best commentaries on the book of Psalms, notes that the translation we are familiar with may not be telling the whole story. He believes there is something implied in the statement, which should read this way: '1\s long as the Lord is my shepherd I shall not want. "
Absentee landlord or shepherd?
God loves, cares for and sustains the world. In a way, God is the Great Landlord. He provides humanity with a place to live and with all that is needed to sustain life. For a lot of people, that's about it: The Lord is their landlord. Now whether they recognize him as such or not, it makes no difference to God; he takes care of business. Or as Jesus puts it : "He causes his sun to rise on
the evil and the good. and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous" (Matt. 5:45) .
'The Lord is my shepherd" entails much more. Using the name Yahweh and the shepherd imagery imply a close and intimate relationship. It also alludes to personal choice. allegiance. loyalty and love. The Lord is everyone's landlord and creator, but for him to become my shepherd, I have to trust him as such and voluntarily put myself in his care.
To those who do not embrace God as shepherd. he is just Elohim (another common Hebrew name for God)-the powerful and creator God. He is more like the absentee landlord or the mortgage company. He is perceived as being out there somewhere but not close by.
But for those who personally put themselves under the care of Yahweh, he becomes their shepherd. They come under his protection. and they are given a new identity. In fact, God becomes accountable for their well-being-a most surprising truth in the context of the Mesopotamian culture where the gods viewed men and women as little more than slaves.
I shall not want?
"I shall not want!" What a statement! Who can honestly say they have no wants? Is there anyone out there who is perfectly and always happy? In fact, if we stop to think about it at all, it is easy to be skeptical.
It's like watching an infomercial about a new revolutionary set of knives. I am sure that most people who succumb to the temptation do so because it's late at night, and they stan thinking these knives will indeed bring them happiness: "If I buy these knives, I shall not want." The next morning, of course, the promise of happiness that seemed so concrete melts away as quickly as ice cream on a hot day. Is Psalm 23 just a fancy infomercial?
To understand what the psalmist is talking about, we have to examine the Hebrew verb that is translated "want." In the Old Testament, the verb khasar normally describes a desperate situation.
To "want" is, for instance, to face conditions that threaten life itself: no food, no home, no clothing, no friends. Those who
"want" face ,physical and emotional desperation (Deut. 2:7; 28:48 ).
To "want" has nothing to do with only being able to afford a Honda Civic instead of a Lexus. Those who "want" lack the basic necessities of life
The Lord is not my Shepherd, 1 shall be in dire need I shall be obsessed with my wants and my desires
The Lord is not my Shepherd. I shall hunger. I will become empty, without substance.
The Lord is not my Shepherd. I will be forever unsatisfied. Ever wanting, never getting. Ever seeking, never finding.
The Lord is not my Shepherd. 1 shall fold in on myself
Until a ball of pain I become.
The Lord is not my Shepherd.
I realize that for most of us this seems a litrle exaggerated. Well. perhaps But I can think of at least a dozen acquaintances for whom the Lord is not their shepherd and they want. They obsess with money, cars, vacations, trips to Mexico, computers, clothes. jewelry - the list could go on. The more they have, the emptier they feel and the hungrier they get.
The Lord is not my shepherd. I shall want!
Let's not confuse this disease of the soul with the normal sense of dissatisfaction most people experience from time to time. Feeling frustrated is not necessarily a capital offense. The desire to improve one's life is not a sin in and of itself. To some extent, it's all perfectly normal. We are designed that way
In fact, God has hardwired us with the need to improve our world and ourselves. This is why the Iraqi people came out by the millions to vote in 2005. They did so because they hoped for a better future than what they had been dealt under the ruthless rule of Saddam Hussein. This is also why we drive cars and live in homes with central plumbing and heating instead of hobbling along in horse buggies and traipsing to the outhouse. The desire to improve our lives is legitimate. Human beings either go forward or they go backward. There is no neutral position.
The good life
Those who choose the Lord as their shepherd experience
the good life. Because they have a deeper and compelling sense of mission, they do not obsess with money, food or shelter. They are not controlled by their hungers and their wants. They experience life, significance and purpose. They live full and satisfying lives The good things life brings to them simply add to their sense of inner contentment.
Isn't that what the Great Shepherd himself promised to those who would accept and follow him? "I am the bread of life He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty" (John 6:35). ''The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full" (John 10:10).
Too good to be true?
What about those Christians who say they do not experience the good life the psalmist and Jesus refer to? I have no easy answer to offer except to go back to the fundamentals of definition, reality and commitment.
First, the good life is not the perfect life. Jesus never promised his disciples a perfect life, only a perfect eternity. Second, Christians still need to contend with the sin nature and living
The Lord is everyone's landlord and creator, but for him to become my shepherd, I have to trust him as such and voluntarily put myself in his care.
in a fallen world. As long as we exist in this reality, we will face temptations and struggles. The promise of a full life relates in great pan to a life of purpose and intimate fellowship with God actualized through the agency of the Holy Spirit. Third, in spite of the challenges we face, we will experience the full life as long as we don't allow ourselves to be consumed by the distractions of this world and remain committed to the only source of life there is.
C. S. Lewis said it best in Mere Christianity: "Good things as well as bad, you know, are caught by a kind of infection. If you want to get warm you must stand near the fire: if you want to be wet you must get into the water . If you want joy, power, peace, eternal life, you must get close to, or even into, the thing that has them.
''They are not a son of prize which God could, if he chose, just hand out to anyone. They are a great fountain of energy and beauty sprouting up at the very center of reality. If you are close to it, the spray will wet you : if you are not, you will remain dry. Once a man is united to God, how could he not live forever? Once a man is separated from God, what can he do but wither and die?"
Pierre Gilbert is associate professor of Bible and theology at MB Biblical Seminary and the author of Demons, Lies & Shadows. A Plea for a Return to Text and Reason (Kindred Productions, 2008).
-1J post your comments at usmb orglchristian-leader questions are available at usmb.orglchristian-leader
THE CHRISTIAN
To be Christ's disciple is to live clutter- free
TO BE FRUGAL, SAYS JEFF SMITH, HOST OF
The Frugal Gourmet television show, doesn't mean cutting back or using only lower-cost ingredients. It means wisely using resources and avoiding excesses: Don't use a cup of butter when a half-cup will do, but use butter if the recipe calls for it.
In Smith's view, frugality is not living as cheaply as possible and hoarding the excess. It doesn't mean putting everything on our plate at a buffet line to get two meals for one price.
Being frugal, I would add, is not asceticism, self-denial for the sake of self-denial. It is not living in a kind of phony poverty in order to be commended for doing so. Frugality does not stem from the belief that riches are evil, poverty is the greater good and money is dirty and dehumanizing. "The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil" (I Tim 6:10). This hungerfor money can be as strong in a poor person as in a rich person.
Living frugally does mean releasing ourselves from our love affair with the clutter in our lives that keeps us from serving God wholeheartedly The frugal Christian is one whose outward lifestyle is built on the inner reality of being a child of the kingdom and who has heard Jesus say, "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well" (Matt 6:33).
So let's talk about clutter.
• Stuff: We program children to believe that boredom and discomfort can be relieved by something external-a McDonald's Happy Meal gadget, a new sticker book, the latest action figure. Adults have the same approach to life: Uneasiness can be relieved by a new recreational toy or house gadget.
We older adults cling to our clutter as if it means our salvation We're convinced that a moving van will accompany the hearse to the cemetery. We buy souvenirs and take pictures when we travel, only to store them in overfilled closets for children to get rid of after our death .
• Noise: Is noise a necessary clutter for you? What is the first thing you do in the morning? What is the first thing to be upgraded in your home: CD player, cell phone, stereo, car radio? What sustains you? Live a week without noise clutter to find out.
Everyone is assaulted daily by the clutter of sound - from TVs, radios, DVDs, cell phones and loud throbbing beats from the car alongside at the intersection . Joggers carry a radio. There has to be background noise of some
kind when we wait by the phone, go shopping. paint the house or vacuum. Living with our own thoughts, uncluttered by noise, seems impossible.
• Activity: Then there is the clutter of meaningless activity that fills time but not life. Lonely? Go to the mall, buy a video or new pair of shoes or knock the tires on new cars. Bored? Check out the refrigerator, buy a magazine, surf the Net. Dissatisfied? Eat a snack, buy a new lipstick, take a trip.
None of these activities is wrong in itself, but pursuing them trains us to believe that to find fulfillment and meaning requires being a consumer.
• Motives: Add to this the clutter of motives, or the lack of a main principle to guide our decision-making. In church we accept any teaching if the presenter is lively, enthusiastic and amusing. We develop a kind of "coffee break" theology, believing what everyone else believes, especially people with strong opinions. We live comfortably with a kind of double-mindedness-against abortion but for war, for abortion but against capital punishment, against homosexuality but okay with divorce and remarriage.
Beware of clutter. When we let go of clutter, we open up space in our lives for something new to happen . Consider these few principles of the uncluttered life that make that new thing possible.
I. The law of the manna jar or "enough is enough." In the wilderness the Israelites grumbled about food. Slavery in Egypt looked great compared to their present existence. Were they going to die here in the desert? They complained to Moses: "Why did you bring us here?" They wanted to return to the leeks and garlic of Egypt. God answered by feeding them daily with manna and quail.
Years later Nehemiah talks to God in Babylon about this time: "You did not withhold your manna from their mouths, and you gave them water for their thirst. For 40 years you sustained them in the desert; they lacked nothing."
Nothing? C'mon! They were living a stripped down life. Yes, they never had to decide what to make for dinnet or which suit to wear to tabernacle worship. But they were wandering in the wilderness. We think of any wilderness experience as a place of deprivation, as tough, hard times. But for the Israelites, the wilderness was a place of sufficiency, of enough-ness and of economic equality because God provided. No one lacked enough food to eat. Enough was enough.
Years ago, when my husband was seriously ill and we were without income, mends brought us boxes of canned peaches and tomatoes, plentiful in Ontario at the time. We ate peaches for breakfast, lunch and dinner. We ate tomatoes, drank tomato juice and stewed them with everything as if the tomato was the only food in the world. I was tired of our manna of peaches and tomatoes. Yet, in that desperate time, there was enough because God's presence was with us. Enough was enough.
2.. The law of carefree living, freed from anxiety and burdens. Many burdens are related to clutter We face possession overload. A student told me that the night before the big
trip, her high school tour leader had each student wear the clothing they planned to wear the first day and walk about a mile carrying all their luggage The next day each person's luggage was remarkably lighter. Fancy shoes were exchanged for more comfortable ones . Unfortunately we don't get a trial run in life. To be overburdened by the clurter of things, noise and motives is to be spiritually endangered.
Our culture invites, encourages and scares us into a life burdened with things to make us seem safe and comfortable. While on a Mennonite Central Committee learning tour in Central America,
monious caring community. A simpler life frees our schedules to invite people into our lives.
4. The law of justice for th e dispossessed, the poor, stranger, widows and Levites. Quaker John Woolman saw the roots of slavery deep in the desire to have more of this world's goods, so he set himself again st ownership of one human being by another. This meant setting himself against those who supported slavery The frugal Christian is concerned with putting justice for men and women above property.
Living frugally means releasing ou r selves from our love affair with the clutter in our lives that keeps us from serving Go d wholeheartedly.
we toured a wealthy section of a huge city; the city was also home to many poor people. Wealthy homes were surrounded by sturdy stone fences topped by a metal fence that was then topped by barbed wire. Few thieves bother with an old model car. The simpler life ensures peace of mind
3. The law of covenant community. God told the Israelites to stay away from the Canaanites in the new land, to remain a separate people. Former missionary John Driver writes about Christians being "God's contrast society." We're different We have a different lifestyle because we have a different purpose in life . We are a people, the body of Christ, not just a group of individuals each enjoying our private faith.
The uncluttered life has to do with how we fit people into our lives I was a guest in a home where all chairs were facing a behemoth 'IV set. We guests were obviously obstacles to the host watching a football game and indifferently trying to keep conversation going. In another home, the man of the house watched 'IV with a radio nestled in his lap to catch two games at the same time At dinner he brought the radio to his end of the table while he caught the 'IV game out of the comer of his eye. I felt like an intruder.
Clutter diminishes the value of relationships. Clutter substitutes for people Clutter encourages us to live apart from the covenant community and spend time and energy on our things Clutter encourages us to lose sight of the dream of shalom, a har-
How can we fight clutter? John V. Taylor, author of Enough Is Enough, suggests that Christians start a joyful resistance movement against everything that militates against the simple life. But to avoid being too serious about it and pushing a load of guilt on others he recommends three slogans as part of our daily offensive ritual against clutter
Every time you watch 'IV with the children and a commercial comes on, holler together: "You've got to be kidding."
When you are tempted to buy something, tell yourself: 'The price tag is too high, not just in terms of my budget but also the environment and what it will take to maintain it."
When you are about to add to the clutter, remind yourself: "I can't take it with me."
The prophet Isaiah says it simply, "Why spend money for what is not bread?" Yes, why?
Katie Funk Wiebe, of Wichita, Kan , where she is a member of First MB Church, is a prolific Mennonite Brethren author and is stin on the speaking circuit in her 80S She is a Tabor College professor emeritus and a former Christian Leader columnist. Wiebes newest book, You Never Gave Me a Name, was published this summer by DreamSeeker Books, an imprint of Cascadia Publishing House, and co-published with Herald Press '1l Post your comments at usmb orglchristian - leader [@ Study questions are available at usmb orglchristian-leader
The Saga of STOLEN STUFF
Learning the hard way thanks to thieves and friends
lVE MOVED ON AVERAGE ONCE A YEAR SINCE I left home for college at the age of 18. In those first years, moving was not very difficult: I had only what would fill up a dorm room.
After graduating from college, I moved to F10rida and had only what fit into my allotted luggage. Of course I shipped all my books, my most prized possessions. That year I began to accumulate more. By the time I moved back to California to begin graduate school, I had purchased my first car and all my things fit into the back of a Toyota Matrix. Good thing the seats fold down.
Next were moves within California-Davis to Sacramento, within Sacramento, Sacramento to Shafter, Shafter to Fresno and then the move a year ago from an apartment to a house in Fresno. These moves included U-Hauls, pickup trucks and trailers, plus a roommate with her own accumulated possessions.
I am well aware that I don't have as much stuff as families with kids or people who have lived in one spot for a long time. When I moved a year ago I had just turned 28 and had never earned enough money to have much discretionary income
Signs of adulthood
So even though the amount of stuff I've moved around every year has grown, I've never had the option of buying whatever I wanted. I cook with hand-me-down pots and pans and rely on the MB Biblical Seminary clothes closet and gifts from my family for work-appropriate attire. Even then, I'm glad that my office standard leans toward business casual rather than business formal.
The amount of stuff I own has often felt like a test of my adulthood. When I could fill a dorm room I was still a kid. When I could fill an apartment, I was a young adult. Last year when I moved into a house, I suddenly felt like a "real" adult This is the natural progression of growing up, isn't it? It is the image I've lived with since playing house with my miniature kitchen and stuffed animal guests.
Here's the rub: At the same time I have been socially shaped to evaluate my adulthood according to my status of residence and possessions, I've been theologically shaped by the idea of simplicity. So when I moved into my house I felt "grown up," but I also prided myself on having used cookware and not spending lots of money on all the things that could fill the new space in which I resided. I want to be seen as an adult, but I also want to be considered a good Mennonite Brethren steward.
And then a month after moving in and a day before my renter's insurance became active, my housemate and I came home ftom
work and found our house ransacked. We had been burglarized! The robbers used our luggage to pack up what they wanted and carried it away in my car that had been in the driveway. All together we lost about $8,000 worth of possessions. And with no way to file an insurance claim, replacing items that were taken was not an option.
Lost forever
In one fell swoop two individuals violated space and possessions that have shaped my identity. I will feel this loss for the rest of my life. Personal and irreplaceable items aside, I have had to struggle with what it means to come home one day and find my computer, among other things, gone. My laptop contained everything Ive ever written: journals from the last 15 years and college and seminary notes and papers and six years' worth of digital photographs.
I remember purchasing my first laptop. I couldn't believe that I had saved $1,500. I had never paid that much for anything before. It was a mark of adulthood. I was becoming self-sufficient. I didn't need my parents to make this considerable purchase for me; I ' could do it myself. Four years later I upgraded to a newer, faster, better laptop . Keeping up with technology further reinforced my feelings of independence.
And now it was gone. Years of saving, purchasing and caring for this treasured possession were worthless, blown away with a breath, up in smoke-carried away in a stolen vehicle
Then something else happened. My community of faith gave me a gift: $1,500. "Replace your laptop," they said. 'We cannot give you all that was lost, but replace your laptop."
Humiliating?
Miroslav Volf, author of Free of Charge: Giving and Forgiving in a Culture Stripped of Grace, explores the experience of giving and receiving a gift Volf smacks me right in the face when he writes, Gifts can also wound our pride. They can create a relationship of dependence or inferiority and an uncomfortable sense of a vague obligation. It's often humiliating to receive.
Why is it humiliating? Because receiving a gift undermines our sense of self in a world where "we're set up mainly to sell and buy, not to give and
B Y MICHELLE FERGUSON
receive." Resonating with the discomfort of depending on others shone a light on the dissonance between my emotional reaction and my theological affirmation of community and human interdependence.
The gih I received touched me deeply. It both shattered my model of adulthood and allowed a healing paradigm of personhood to take root. This shih had been brewing within me theologically for years , but in this experience of loss and gih it took real shape in my life in a significant way.
Consumption checklist
I have realized that the narrative that largely pervades our consumer culture is one that shapes us to associate adulthood with our ability to independently consume When we are young our families spoon-feed us, providing the house we live in and the toys we play with. We dream of the day when we can feed ourselves: Our teenage years and first jobs allow us to clumsily grab the spoon for ourselves.
Moving out on our own, we enter the world as if it were an all-you-can-eat buffet, hence the growing consumer debt especially among 20- and 30-somethings. The adult meter becomes a checklist of consumption: Residence? Check. Furniture for every room? Check.
Place settings for I2? Check. Home theater system? Check. Car? Check. Weekend toys? Check. And out spits the meter reading, "Independent consumer = adult."
Since the robbery, my journey has been one of learning and embracing a new story. This experience of loss and generosity has allowed that narrative to further speak into my life. The gih of my community made room for me to rest in the truth of my place at the table, a table where we all come to give and receive the communion given to us from God.
Michelle Ferguson, a 2002 graduate of Fresno, (Calif) Pacific University and a 2006 graduate of Fuller Theological Seminary, is the MB Biblical Seminary registrar. She attends College Community Church, Clovis, Calif., and serves on the church's Adult Education Commission.
"ElPost your comments at usmb.orglchriftian-leader [@ Study questions are available at usmb.orglchristian-leader
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Global church gathers in Paraguay
15th Mennonite world assembly draws 62 nations
IIIIIIIIAre
you a Mennonite?" a policeman asked Ditrich Pana as he approached the huge church in Asuncion, Paraguay, where some 6,000 Anabaptists from around the world had gathered.
In Paraguay, Mennonites are known as fair-skinned, Germanspeaking farmers and ranchers who live in isolated colonies and produce much of the country's cheese.
Pana doesn't fit that profile. He is Enlhet, an indigenous group that - as much as it might surprise most Paraguayans-includes 6,000 Mennonites. The Enlhet churchesand those of another indigenous group, the Nivacle - grew from mission work by Mennonite immigrants of Germanic and Canadian background who made Paraguay their refuge from war and worldliness beginning in the 1920S.
Pana, a radio evangelist, told how he answered his uniformed questioner: ''Through the Holy Spirit I said, 'Yes, I am a Mennonite.' "
His story of claiming the Mennonite name as a label of faith rather than of ethnicity captured a leading theme of the 15th Mennonite World Conference assembly, held July 14-19 in Asuncion. In a sermon to the global Anabaptist gatheringwhich drew Mennonites and Brethren in Christ from 62 countries - Pana praised Christ's power to bridge the world's divisions .
''This gathering unites us with glad hearts," he said. 'We belong to each other and to God this week as brothers and sisters and friends."
In that spirit of unity, Paraguay's 32,000 Mennonites hosted a weeklong reunion of the global Anabaptist body. Mennonite World Conference is a global fellowship of 217 national conferences with Anabaptist roots from 75 countries on six continents, including U.S. Mennonite Brethren. MWC assemblies are usually held every six years but may be less frequent in the future.
The 2009 gathering in Paraguay followed the two-part format of previous assemblies. Assembly Gathered, July 14 -19 in Asuncion, featured corporate worship, workshops, service projects, recreation and local tours. Assembly Scattered allowed international guests to visit regional Mennonite congregations and communities before and afrer Assembly Gathered.
Of the 6,200 people who registered for the Asuncion conference, 3,476 came from Paraguay, 592 from other Latin American and Caribbean countries, 766 from the United States, 730 from Canada, 370 from Europe, 90 from Asia and 180 from Africa.
Members of Grupo Ebenezer, musicians from the Paraguayan Chaco, play zampona flutes and guitars "Raise your hands, worship the Creator," they sang
u.s. Mennonite Brethren were represented at meetings of the MWC's governing body, the General Council, by Ed Boschman, U.S. Conference executive director, and Lynn Jost, president of MB Biblical Seminary, Fresno, Calif; by Lisa Washio of Clovis, Calif., at the Global Youth Summit, a gathering of young adult representatives from across the globe, held July 10-12; and by Greg Quiring of Fresno, Calif., at a business consultation hosted by Mennonite Economic Development Associates.
For Assembly Gathered, attendees gathered twice a day in the Centro Familiar de Adoracion (Family Worship Center), a Pentecostal church with a three-level, 10,ooo-seat sanctuary in the final stages of construction. The "platform language" was Spanish, so English speakers and others listened to translators through headsets.
They heard sermons and Bible study messages under the theme, "Come Together in the Way of Jesus Christ" that emphasized living in unity and working for equality and justice, especially within the Anabaptist fellowship.
"Our conduct must reflect a change of thinking and attitude evidenced in how we relate to one another," said Danisa Ndlovu, bishop of the Brethren in Christ Church in Zimbabwe and the new MWC president, on Saturday night. ''This is a clarion call for mutual respect, acceptance and, above all, unity in the household of faith."
While sermons needed translation, music crossed language barriers-and turned a sudden difficulty into a joyful moment. During Thursday morning's service, the windowless sanctuary went dark while Clair Brenneman of Palmer Lake, Colo., was telling about the building of Paraguay's Trans - Chaco Road by Mennonite Central Committee Pax workers in the 1950S and early '60S. Songleader Paul Dueck of Canada and his team of musicians bounded to the stage and led the congregation in '1\labare," "Grosser Gott, wir loben dich,"
'We are walking in the light of God" and other songs until power was restored.
A poignant moment with historic overtones occurred Wednesday morning when MWC President Ndlovu embraced Ishmael Noko, general secretary of the Lutheran World Federation, after Noko spoke of Lutherans' plans to ask for forgiveness of Lutheran persecution of Anabaptists in the 16th century. Worshipers gave Noko a standing ovation. Remarkably, Noko and Ndlovu are both from Zimbabwe. "Divine providence has brought these (two leaders) together," said Larry Miller, MWC general secretary.
Another gesture of reconciliation took place Sunday morning when Helmut Isaak of Paraguay read a statement of forgiveness to the man who killed his brother. "More than 50 years ago, your clan and tribe were resisting us, but now we aren't enemies anymore but brothers in Christ," Isaak said to Jonoine, a chief of the Ayoreo tribe. The chief came to the stage carrying the spear used to kill missionary Kornelius Isaak in 1958.
About 8,500 people attended the Sunday morning service as local Mennonite churches closed and encouraged their members to participate.
Two workshop sessions were held each afternoon on topics such as violence against women and children in Congo and the shared convictions of global Anabaptists. Special-interest groups, such as women theologians from Africa and Latin America, held meetings. Many conference goers spent their free time at the Global Church Village, an outdoor area featuring displays organized by continents.
Meals were served in the church's underground parking garage. Due to health concerns, especially the need to guard against the HINI (swine flu) virus, some conference goers wore cloth coverings over their mouths, and volunteers sprayed disinfectant on people's hands before meals
Activities for youth, including music and sports, took place in the "Teen Zone," a fenced field across 'the street from the church . Before the assembly, the Global Youth Summit drew more than 700 participants, including 48 delegates from 32 countries . MWC's governing body, the General Council, also met before the assembly.
The words of a young Nivacle woman may have summed up the week for many. "I learned that God has different gifts for each of us," said Mirta Perez of Paraguay, reporting on the Global Youth Summit during a worship service. "My dream is that the Mennonite family can remain in unity, because before God we are all the same, we are all valuable." -Paul Schrag for Meetinghouse
Members of Meetinghouse, an association of Mennonite publications, worked together to provide comprehensive coverage of Paraguay 2009, VISit CL Online at www usmb.orglchristian-leader for more, including a report on the General Council meeting and highlights from worship times and workshops.
Jonoine, an Ayoreo chief, holding the spear his father used to kill Kornelius Isaak in 1958, awaits his turn to go on stage and hear a statement of forgiveness from Helmut Isaak, brother of the slain missionary.
ICOMB discusses mission partnerships
ICOMB partners with MBMSI in "mission capacity building"
The International Community of Mennonite Brethren (ICOMB) met in Asuncion, Paraguay July 4-8 prior to Mennonite World Conference Assembly 15, with only Uruguay and Angola representatives missing. ICOMB is the mission and ministry partnership of 18 Mennonite Brethren conferences in 15 countries. Each conference sends a representative to the annual ICOMB meeting; Ed Boschman, U.s. Conference executive director, represents the United States.
The representatives spent significant time talking with MBMS International staff regarding "mission capacity building," a conference's response to the mission opportunities available in countries where Mennonite Brethren live. For example, 4,000 people groups in India have never seen a Christian; many parts of Europe have left faith behind.
In cooperation with ICOMB, MBMSI, the global mission agency for North American Mennonite Brethren, will seek to 'belp release energy and capacity to bring the gospel to the least reached people close to us." MBMSI intends to come alongside MB conferences as they set up their mission agencies.
The Global Mission Alliance, the Mennonite Brethren association formed several years ago to coordinate strategy and to share information in any joint MB conference mission endeavor, will serve as the central worldwide coordinating agency.
The ICOMB delegates rejoiced to see the successful completion of the ICOMB Confession of Faith study guide in English, Spanish and German. French and Russian translations will be completed this fall; the India conference is publishing in Telugu. ICOMB's vision is for people to study the confession in small groups to reinforce the confessional values.
ICOMB has also completed a collected history of the Mennonite Brethren movement worldwide, ready for publishing in English, French, Spanish and German.
Dalton Reimer, of Fresno, Calif., reported on a groundbreaking consultation on education in May 2009 in Kinshasa, DR Congo. ICOMB members voted to invite Mennonite World Conference to continue as a partner to implement the 10 proposed actions. ICOMB also voted to endorse the "Mennonite Global Learning Network," a ministry started by Reimer to engage long-term with this project.
ICOMB affirmed a second global higher education consultation in 2011, as follow up to a 2007 event.
The Isoth anniversary celebrations of the Mennonite Brethren Church are taking shape for 2010. The official ICOMB meeting will be held May 21 in Germany, with a trip to Switzerland and Ukraine to view the location of the origins of Anabaptism and the Mennonite Brethren. A second celebration event will take place July 12-18, 2010, in British Columbia.
Conflict in member conferences continues to be a concern. The delegates discussed how ICOMB might become involved in conflicted areas
The financial report indicated ICOMB is enjoying good health thanks to the willingness of member conferences to contribute. The annual cost of meeting and ofthe executive secretary's office is $60,000.
Mennonite Brethren conferences are located in Portugal, Germany, Austria, India, Japan, DR Congo, Angola, Brazil, Uruguay, Peru, Colombia, Panama, Canada and the U S. -from a report by David Wiebe, ICOMB secretary
Representatives from 16 of the 18 worldwide Merinonite Brethren conferences met in July for the annuallCOMB consultation. This year the meeting was held in Paraguay prior to the Mennonite World Conference global assembly.
Bumper year for SOAR S. Texas
Numbers show growing desire for mission
It was a " bumper year" for SOAR S Texas, a short-term discipleship and mission experience sponsored by MBMS International. thanks to an increase in participants and an undercurrent of spiritual transformation. Under the leadership of Craig Jost, MBMSI's Midwest regional mobilizer, participants worked July 14 -24 alongside the churches of the Latin American MB Conference MBMSI is the global mission agency of North American Mennonite Brethren
This summer was the second year for SOAR S. Texas after a several year hiatus. If numbers are any indicator, Midwestern Mennonite Brethren are glad the opportunity returned Last year, Jost says, 57 people participated in SOAR S. Texas; this year's trip more than doubled that number, with 141 participants.
Registrations rolled in fast and early, leading MBMSI to close registrations earlier than anticipated. "I knew we were going to have a bumper year when I was contacted by four groups from Canada in September 2008 to reserve a spot," Jost says. He says that this year's team included families as well as youth groups, Canadians as well as U.S. participants.
"I think there is an increasing desire for mission across the Midwest," Jost says. He speculates that MBMSI's dual focus on discipleship and service - in keeping with their emphasis on holistic church planting-is attractive. "Many churches are looking for more than a traditional mission trip - one that looks to deepen the impact of serving in a cross-cultural serting with a lifelong discipleship commitment," he says.
As for the experience itself, MBMSI says an undercurrent of spiritual transformation marked SOAR S. Texas. Teams spent several days in spiritual preparation and orientation, then were sent to churches in Rio Grande City, La Grulla, Garciasville, La Joya, Mission, McAllen, Donna and Weslaco, Texas, and Carmago, Mexico. Ministry looked different for each team, but generally involved a daily vacation Bible school as well as service with the local church.
John Langer, group leader from Gettysburg, SD, served with his team in Mission. 'We didn't have one kid at VBS the first night," says Langer. "We stopped and prayed as a team, and God' s faithfulness brought nearly 20 kids to the door." Fourteen of those made commitments to Christ during the week.
' We saw God this week. Clearly, " Langer says
Although not every site experienced such tangible fruit of labor, participants say God was present and working
"On the last day there, I got a sense from the pastor that God did work through us, though we didn't get to see it," says Toby Berg, youth leader from Enid, Okla , who served in Donna "I hope to keep in touch and hear back on the seeds God planted. I think that's the work God had for us, and we're excited for someone to reap that harvest."
Following nearly a week of on -site service the teams processed the experience during two days of debrief Many participants report transformation in their lives.
"I cleaned house spiritually and emotionally, relinquishing a lot of baggage, " says Wyeth Leslie of Com, Okla., and serving in Weslaco. "I rededicated my life for Christ "
Bethany Martinez of La Grulla, Texas, a second-year participant, also served in Weslaco. Though from the area and familiar with the culture, Martinez still felt challenged and transformed "I saw that God really wanted to use me in a big way; I gave my life to him," she says
While Jost has resigned his position as regional mobilizer so that he and his wife, Fabiana, and their children can serve overseas, Jost says that MBMSI hopes to continue SOAR S. Texas next summer. - Jenny GosheU for MBMSI , with additional information from CL rtaff
God really had things orchestrated
Students see God at work during mission trip
Nearly 50 high school and college-aged youth and adult leaders from four Southern District Conference youth groups converged July 19-25 on Denver, Colo., for a mission experience that participants say was covered by God's fingerprints.
The Denver trip originated, in pan, in South Texas. Russ Claassen, youth pastor at Corn (Okla ) MB Church, had hoped to take his teens on MBMS International's SOAR S. Texas shon-term mission trip, but found registration closed early (see related story, pg. 22) He learned from Hal Penner, youth pastor at Pine Acres Church in Weathorford, Okla., that his plans for a summer mission trip for his group had similarly fallen through. So they began brainstorming together about their options.
The two Oklahoma pastors contacted Blake Buhnnan, youth pastor at Belleview Community Church, Littleton, Colo., who, coincidentally, had also been hoping to plan a shon-term mission trip but had run into obstacles. Later Brian Wahl, youth pastor at Memorial Road MB Church, Edmond, Okla , joined the group.
Thanks to Claassen's contacts in Denver, the group connected with Bear Valley Church, a large congregation in Denver's southwest suburbs that needed a shot in the arm for one of their outreach ministries And so The Denver Project came to be. "God brought this together," Buhrman says, adding, "It's always better when he does it."
For the bulk of the week, the teens worked with Bear Valley's multi-housing ministry, which seeks to take the love of Christ to the residents of various lowerincome apartment complexes . Teams of participants were to prepare vacation-Bible-school type activities, games and Bible lessons for children, then run VBS for kids at three worksites and provide basic manual labor '" ata founh.
In the evenings, all teams would work together to provide carnivals at the three apartment complexes, offering free food, games and inflatables to the children and their parents. Bear Valley would then follow up on contacts and build on relationships.
At least, that was the plan. Penner, who has taken his youth group on many mission trips, kindly calls this one "very loose and very fluid "
The three multihousing sites are in areas of the city
marked by poverty and gangs. Even six-year-olds are more likely to fight than sit for a Bible lesson, so carefully-planned lessons took a back seat to playing duck-duckgoose and breaking up fights. One apartment manager forbade any "proselytizing," so teams tried to share Christ without saying a single word.
But God interjected his plans: Patient attention to needy children produced changed behavior. A ball of play-dough and a song led to a conversation about God. A mother, intrigued by the love shown to her children, received Christ during a follow-up visit. One team sorted and moved church belongings out of the basement prior to a freak storm that flooded the site. Because two students missed their ride they had the opportunity to share their testimonies with a 16-year-old father who knew no life aside from gangs. Discouraged Bear Valley volunteers were encouraged as hundreds showed up for a carnival
While students and leaders were frustrated early in the week when very little went as planned, by the end of the week they recognized God at work. "God really had things orchestrated," Penner says. "He pulled off some great things in spite of our planning."
Sometimes it's necessary to "move beyond our comfon zone," says Claassen, in order to see God at work and learn to surrender to him more completely Cell phones and iPods were restricted to help participants disconnect from their familiar lives, while morning sessions of worship and teaching were designed to help participants process their experience and connect with God. Youth groups were mixed to encourage relationships.
Comments from students indicate that at least this hope for The Denver Project worked out as planned. Youth talk about seizing opportunities, no matter how small, about gratitude, selflessness and service. Those from Oklahoma talk about taking the lessons they learned back home to a different culture. Those from Denver talk about eyes opened to the mission field in their own backyard.
One student says, "Maybe God sent me to help these troubled kids. Or maybe God sent these kids to help me." -Myra Holmes
Teens from four Midwest churches ran three carnivals at lower- income apartment complexes during their mission week in Denver. The residents' enthusiastic response meant many new contacts for follow-up by a local church
SDC convention highlights KC church plant project
MacDonald is keynote speaker
The 2009 Southern District Conference (SDC) convention held July 31 through Aug. 2 at Westside Family Church in Lenexa, Kan., continued to build on a family-friendly approach, high on inspiration and low on business, introduced at the 2007 summer convention.
While conducting official business was limited to a lunch hour, the convention program and theme, "Better Together," reinforced the district's three-pronged committnent to church planting, church health and discipleship across the generations.
Author, speaker and pastor Gordon MacDonald spoke three times from his most recent book, Who Stole My Church. He began by noting the constantly changing world, describing it as 'living in the midst of a novel...wondering if things will ever be solid again." MacDonald encouraged attendees to be "custodians of God's call in changing times" and offered suggestions for how attendees could accept this challenge individually and corporately. Worship sessions also included singing led by Vaughn Jost of Trailhead Church, a Mennonite Brethren church plant in Centennial, Colo.
Church planting was the focus Saturday evening and Sunday morning when the convention moved to Swope Park, a large, heavilywooded city park that, among other attractions, hosts the Kansas City Zoological Park where the SDC evening meal and Church Extension and Evangelism Commission (CEEC) program were held. Church planters Jeff Nikkel. Centennial, Colo., and Paul Bartel and Jason Phelps, both of Kansas City, gave testimonies. Eduardo Garcia spoke about an emerging Hispanic work in central Oklahoma. Mission USA director Don Morris closed the evening with a prayer of blessing for these SDC outteach efforts. The SDC has partnered with Mission USA, the denomination's national church planting and renewal ministry, in the Colorado and Missouri projects.
Convention attendees returned to Swope Park for a Sunday morning service led by Paul and Amanda Bartel and Jason and Nancy Phelps, two couples who recently moved to the Brookside/Waldo neighborhood of Kansas City, Mo., to plant a Mennonite Brethren church there. After the worship time, the group of about 175 people chose between three options designed to give them the opportunity to serve and/or learn about the neighborhood: volunteering at a
HIV/AIDS care center, touring the community from a missionary's point of view and doing a prayer walk.
The highly successful SDC youth program was highlighted Friday evening when Wendell Loewen was honored with a reception recognizing his 10 years of service as the first SDC disttict youth pastor. Loewen has resigned due to a change in his assignment at Tabor College (see related story page 25), and the future of the part-time position was the focus of one of nine breakout sessions offered in two time slots Saturday morning. Other workshops highlighted various Mennonite Brethren ministries and SDC commissions. MB Biblical Seminary, MB Foundation, Mission USA, MBMS International, Tabor College, R & R Retreats. the SDC Stewardship Commission and the SOC CEEC Commission provided workshops.
During the Saturday noon business session, attendees approved the budget and elected commission members. A new district logo was unveiled Friday evening. Printed reports from agencies and SDC commissions were included in the convention packet and brief videos from Mennonite Brethren ministries were shown throughout the convention.
Childcare was arranged on-site by Westside Family Church for the 31 children under 12 years. Jana Peyton and Brandon Voth organized primarily off-site activities for the II teenagers who were present. Saturday evening the children joined their parents for a private show in the zoo's sea lion exhibit, and during dinner animal handlers circulated with their animals, entertaining and educating the group.
Prior to the district convention, IOo-some SDC pastors and family members met at Holiday Inn Hotel and Suites, Overland Park, Kan .• for a retreat with formal and informal opportunities for pastors to be together for play. renewal, conversation and prayer. Resource speakers Gordon and Gail MacDonald shared from their own experiences on the topic, "The Private Life of Public People." Parricipants gave the retreat high marks. says district minister Tim Sullivan. and the MacDonald's input had much to do with its success.-Connie Faber
The Southern District Conference held its Saturday evening events at the Kansas City Zoological Park where they were given a private showing at the sea lion exhibit.
An incalculable contribution
Loewen filled unique role as district youth minister
For nearly 10 years Wendell Loewen has served as the Southern District Conference (SDC) youth minister, a unique assignment among the U.S. Mennonite Brethren districts. While Chris Eidse serves the North Carolina District Conference as pastor for their district-wide youth group, Loewen's role has been to support and guide an extensive district youth ministry.
Loewen resigned from his district assignment this summer and a reception was held in his honor July 31, the first evening of the SOC convention. Loewen's resignation was prompted by his appointment as Tabor College's campus pastor and dean of spiritual formation, a position he adds to his duties as associate professor of youth , church and culture. Loewen, his wife, Shelly, and their three children live in Hillsboro, Kan , where they attend Parkview MB Church.
While other districts encourage youth camps and events, none duplicates the efforts of the SOc. Each summer some 1,000 students and youth workers attend the SOC junior, junior high and senior high camps. The Southern District Youth Conference (SOYC), scheduled this year for Nov. 13-15 in Hesston, Kan., typically impacts 650 high school students and youth workers, making it the second largest regular gathering of U.S. Mennonite Brethren .
'This communicates to me that youth ministry is very important to the district," says Chuck Taylor, chair of the Soc. Loewen's job description intentionally limited the district youth minister's involvement so that events would continue to be primarily volunteer-run, says Taylor. Loewen's task has been to come alongside the Youth Commission to guide and plan events, to nurture youth workers and to evaluate needs and provide resources for local churches.
Over the years, Loewen has seen the Youth Commission shifr their approach so that camps and events complement the youth work of the local church. For example, to do more evangelism among youth, the annual youth convention intentionally emphasizes a first-time commitment to Christ. It's a good fit, because as a weekend event, SOYC provides a great opportunity for students to invite friends who might !'lOt know Christ.
Camps, meanwhile, offer a longer getaway, taking students away from distractions and allowing them to "dig in deep" with God. So more and more, camps intentionally emphasize discipleship, another felt need.
Loewen has also seen an increased effort to nurture "homegrown leaders." Instead of bringing in big name speakers and bands for camps and events, the Youth Commission seeks out local teachers and worship leaders.
Youth and local churches have responded well to these shifts. SOYC has made "a quantum leap," Loewen says, in both importance and attendance-from about 200 to well over 600 A new convention for junior high youth is gaining momentum . Camps have sttengthened and grown.
Loewen has been part of the growth, although he refuses to take credit, instead pointing to the many volunteers and youth workers whom he says are "extremely committed to God and to youth."
Working with such gifted people has been a highlight of his tenure, says Loewen, and is one thing hell miss .
Hell also be sorry to leave the "front lines" of youth ministry, as he calls it-an apt term since he describes the needs of today's youth in battle terms. "Our kids are growing up in the conflict of two contrasting stories," Loewen says - the loud , self-serving voice of culture and the still, small voice of God .
Loewen sees hopeful signs in this fight for the hearts of the next generation: youth workers dedicated to helping teens identify and discern the voices around them. And an increas ing emphasis on shortterm mission experiences, which, he says, take youth out of their culture and help them experience the richness and depth of life with God: SOC chair Taylor says Loewen's passionate work on behalf of the district youth will be missed. "He has made an impact on the Southern District that is immeasurable, and for that we are thankful," Taylor says.-Myra Holmes
Chuck Taylor (right) presents Wendell Loewen with a gift certificate in appreciation for Loewen's service to the Southern District Conference as district youth minister. Loewen and his wife Shelly, left, w ere hon ored with a reception at
Rosedale turns 100
Swindled farmers prove faithful beacon
One hundred years ago, an optimistic band of Mennonite Brethren farmers from the Midwest got off a train in California's San Joaquin Valley expecting orange groves, fig trees and grapes. They'd sold their land and most of their possessions to reach this new "Promised Land." Instead, they found the land not only lacking orchards but also proper deeds. They'd been swindled.
But God apparently had plans for that small band of believers. From what is now known as ''The Martensdale Swindle" grew Rosedale Bible Church, a Bakersfield, Calif., congregation that will celebrate their centennial Nov. 13-15.
"God brought a small number of families that were ripped off 100 years ago, and because of their faithfulness, God has a plan for our community that involves this church," says senior pastor John Scoggins, Jr. 'That's something to rejoice in."
On the founders' first evening in their new home, even as reality set in , Jacob Kliewer encouraged them to praise God. He is credited as their first pastor Pastors that followed generally had a common trait, Scoggins says: They preached the Word. As a result, "this church has had generations of people that have had a very, very strong commitment to biblical Christianity," Scoggins says.
Current pastoral staff includes Scoggins; Danny Krause, youth pastor; Jason Klopfenstein, pastor of adult and family ministries; and John Biller, now in his 24th year as worship pastor
According to historical information gathered by Rosedale member Connie F1eishauer, the one promise their swindler did keep was to build a church for the group - a small building with a sign reading, "Mennonite Brethren Church." This was the first church home in a series of buildings that grew in size and changed in location before the congregation settled in their current home, a stone's throw from the last stoplight out of Bakersfield.
From its earliest days, Rosedale desired to be a "beacon" in the community, says Scoggins. At first language was a barrier to outreach, since services were held in German, the language of the immigrant founders. That changed when the congregation switched to English
in the 1940s. Today, Rosedale continues to reach out through intentional evangelism training and deliberate communication with the community. Newcomers often comment on the friendliness of the Rosedale congregation.
The Rosedale family now numbers about 450, with a membership of roughly 300. Scoggins says that a quick scan of the church directory shows a variery of ethnic names, many the direct result of outreach efforts in recent years.
When taken in context of the congregation's humble beginning, "it's something to take courage in," Scoggins says. "God really does use a handful of people."
Rosedale will kick off their centennial celebration with a dinner Friday evening, followed by a weekend of special events Many events will include music from Rosedale musicians, all in the spirit of worship-not unlike the founders' first act of praise in their new home
Featured guest speaker for the weekend will be well-known preacher Haddon W Robinson, current professor of preaching at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and former president of Denver Seminary Scoggins, a former student of Robinson, says he wanted to bring together the best ministry experience he's had with the biggest influence on him as a minister "I wanted to combine the best there is with the best there is," he says. Other guest speakers for the weekend include former pastors
Not every congregation makes it to their centennial celebration . In fact, Scoggins points out that the average church lifespan is around 65 years. "So by the time a church is 100 years old, it ought to be a curio shop or a housing development." But, he says, Rosedale is looking ahead to the next 100 years and is already planning for their bicentennial celebration.
When Scoggins dreams of what Rosedale will be at that bicentennial, he talks about continued faithfulness to Scripture and continued outreach to their community. " If our church can be faithful to what the Word of God says it ought to be, then size doesn't matter," he says.Myra Holmes
Joy Klopfenstein and daughters Brianna and Ashlyn enjoy a recent mother-daughter tea at Rosedale Bible Church, Rosedale's women's ministry is "the most enjoyable that I've ever seen," says pastor John Scoggins. Women from the congregation also traditionally make quilts and relief kits to benefit Mennonite Central Committee.
>READER Essay
by Shery l Fogal
Passage to India
Missionary family has brief st ay, eternal impact
Ididn't live on a in a fore ign country or go to boarding school 800 miles away &om my parents like my sister did. However, I'm still a missi onary's kid.
I was born a year mer my parents, Dilwyn and Mildred Studebaker, returned from India . But I have experienced the legacy that my parents, especially my dad, have left. Dad wrote his memoirs on an electric typewriter, and I transcribed them into the computer-all 125 pages, 50 of which were about their experiences in India. I was privileged to learn about the impact they made during their tenure in India.
Mom and Dad met at Westmont College in 1943 and were married a year later. They felt God calling them to serve in South America and attended seminary to prepare for this. They were planning to go to Colombia with the Mennonite Brethren mission board and their departure was close at hand; they had even shipped a refrigerator and wood stove to Colombia. Then they rece ived a telegram that their visas were denied .
The mission board asked if they would be willing to go to India. They replied that «the field was the world" and if God wanted them to go to India, they would go. While it usually took two months to receive a visa, they received theirs in two weeks. This was a definite sign that God wanted them in India
March 15, 1949, Dad, Mom and my four-year-old sister, Judy, left Fresno, Calif., by train bound for New Orleans to board the ship that would take them to their mission field, Wanaparty in Andhra Pradesh, South India. They arrived May I
With language school and settling into the bungalow, there was much to be done. Dad put screens on the windows to keep out the mosquitoes. He discovered a cistern on the roof of the bungalow so they could have running water. He built a ttavel trailer to take into the villages.
Dad was unconvenrional for the rime in how he worked with the Indian pastors. He did not preach one sermon, baptize any new converts, perform a marriage ceremony or give a eulogy at a funeral. He believed the Indian pastors should do these things, and he taught them how Dad felt they were the ones who should work with their congregations. He was very progressive, and needless to say, those in authority at the time did not accept his approach.
My brother, Keith, was born in India and when family needs brought them home a year early, they were told that they would not be returning to India. Another change of course in life, but Dad and Mom went on to public school teaching careers and
raising three children They had no contact with the mission board after that, but they still got together with fellow missionaries. As a little girl I was greatly impressed with being around missionaries like the J. H. Lorenzes and the P. V. Balzers.
Retired from teaching in 1978, Dad became a travel agent and was privileged to go back to India in 1985 He visited Wanaparty and stayed in the bungalow that they called home. During these years Mom's and Dad's giving put roofs on two churches and built a baptistery in another.
In 1998, my parents were reunited with their language teacher, Murthy He told them that the people with whom they worked remembered them because they had treated them as equals They were also privileged to help Wilson and Mary Koppula in their ministry as missionaries to the Sikhs and Hindus in the Turlock, Calif., area
Dad and Mom sent Mary's parents to Bible school in Shamshabad in 1953. So their influence has come full circle and the impact of their ministry continues.
Dad went to be with the Lord in January 2006 knowing that the work he started in India was not in vain And I know that the legacy he left will not be forgotten.
"Therefore, my dear brothers. stand firm Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain" (I Cor. 15:58) This is the life verse that I would have chosen for my dad.
Sheryl Fogal, a Fresno Pacific University graduate, is an elementary school teacher with 30 years of experience who is currently teaching fourth grade. She and her husband. Mike. have tWo children and one granddaughter. They live in Fresno, Calif, and are members of North Fresno Church
The people behind the statistics
Retired surgeon reflects on current health care debate
As a medical consultant for the Social Security disability program, every day I review the records of IS to 20 people who are applying for disability benefits, to determine if they are credible from a medical point of view.
A couple of months ago I reviewed the case of a 40-plusyear-old woman with rheumatoid arthritis. She was working and had health insurance, but she stopped the medication that controlled her arthritis because she could no longer afford her co-pay. The cheaper alternatives didn't work well, and soon her hands were too deformed to work. She lost her job and with it her insurance, and then couldn't afford even basic medication.
With health care reform in the news, I decided to track for one month how many such situations are in my caseload. I read the records of a 24-year-old woman who had a childhood kidney transplant. Her job did not provide health insurance benefits, and she could not get her own health insurance because of her pre-existing kidney problem. She could not afford the medications needed to prevent transplant rejection, and three years after
stopping the medications her kidney failed, and she went on dialysis.
I read the story of a 40-year-old nurse who at 18 was treated for bone cancer with a combination of surgery, chemotherapy and radiation and was cured of the cancer without amputation. He tripped at work, broke the femur that had had the cancer and needed emergency surgery. Both the workers compensation insurance and the group health insurance refused to pay for or authorize the needed therapy to help the slow-healing bone to mend . He could no longer work as a nurse and with no
job he couldn't get insurance. He was left with a poorly treated injury, a huge debt, no job and no insurance.
Based on my survey, I see on average five cases per week like the ones I describe. Knowing there are about 100 other medical consultants in my state with similar caseloads, you can do the math . When I read a statistic like 47 million Americans are uninsured, it does not have the same impact as the stories of real people that I read in my work every day. Radio and 1V speakers opposed to health insurance reform in the U.S. vilify these people, calling them "dirty hippies," 'lazy," "aliens" and other epithets. And this to me is the ultimate insult - to vilify someone who has been victimized by a health care system that doesn't work for them.
I do not believe that government should be the agent of any one religion, even though all religions advocate caring for the poor and sick in our land. But as individuals, we certainly should act and vote in accord with our religious values
I am grateful for the biblical training I received from my parents and my church. It is implicit in the mission of our denomination that we bring healing to the sick and good news to the poor. I am shaped by what I have learned about Jesus and his teachings. Caring for the sick and the poor are major themes of Jesus' ministry (Matt. 25:31-46, Matt. n:2-6, and Luke 6:20). There is no question in my mind about Jesus' attitude toward the people who are left out of our health care system. Surely he would not vilify them.
In the end, the decision on health care reform should be made on the basis of how we - religious or not-want our government to serve us. There are many areas where we think the government should be less involved and should let private enterprise and the ftee market system work. There are other obvious areas where we want the government to run the enterprise and where the private sector would lead to instability, such as national security. I think this is becoming true in health care.
Until now, our government has protected the right of private health insurance companies to leave out people who are not profitable at the expense of the poor and the unlucky. Accidents and illness can attack anyone . Just as we have a government military and policing system to provide security for all the people of our country, we should have a government-insured health care system that protects all of our citizens against such attacks. It may be against the grain of capitalist ideals, but it would be consistent with the ideals Jesus taught.
Roger Fast, a member of College Community Church in Clovis, Calif., is a retired general surgeon who served as a medical missionary to the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the 1980$.
What I have in common with Fred Phelps Taking God's Word seriously
Recently I was asked if our new church in Kansas City is affiliated with Fred Phelps. For those unfamiliar with Phelps, his Westboro Baptist Church (which is not affiliated with any Baptist denomination) in nearby Topeka, Kan , is best known for waving "God hates fags" signs in front of Episcopal churches, at funerals of American soldiers and at AIDS clinics.
Needless to say, I immediately distanced myself from Phelps and his church. In no way do I want to be associated with this group, for I believe that the gospel of Jesus is one of love, not hatred.
' The Bible says it. I believe it. That settles it," is the line a seminary professor would use in reference to the simple way many evangelicals tend to look at the Bible. The trouble with this statement is that it is almost always stated in reference to others rather than ourselves. When it comes to someone else we tend to see things in black and white, but in our own lives, we see things in shades of gray.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 says: 'l\ll Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."
o \\'e must he careful that our high view of the Bihle does not turn into;] weapon to be used against those who sec things uifferently than us.
Yet, as I reflect upon the disgusting tactics this church uses for its " ministry," I realize that what lies behind their tactics is a desire-albeit misguided-to take the Bible seriously. However, somewhere along the way the Bible no longer was useful for their own faith and faithfulness but became a rock thrown in hate at those who believe or live differently.
Anabaptists have always taken the Bible seriously. It would be difficult to deny that, especially with a history of martyrdom due to the seriousness with which those in our tradition have taken God's Word And now, over 500 years later, Mennonite Brethren continue to take the Bible seriously. We believe that the words found in Scripture are foremost in shaping our communities of faith. We interpret them in community, and we believe in the importance of following the commands of the Bible, particularly those of Jesus.
Our Confession of Faith says this about the Bible: "We believe that the entire Bible was inspired by God through the Holy Spirit. The same Spirit guides the community of faith in the interpretation of Scripture. The person, teaching and life of Jesus Christ bring continuity and clarity to both the Old and New Testaments. The Old Testament bears witness to Christ, and Christ is the One whom the New Testament proclaims. We accept the Bible as the infallible Word of God and the authoritative guide for faith and practice" (Article 2).
Yet in subtle ways we sometimes find ourselves acting eerily similar to Topeka's famous picketing church We must be careful that our high view of the Bible does not tum into a weapon to be used against those who see things differently than us. We don't picket; we're way too passive-aggressive for that .
We tend to focus on "God-breathed" as confirmation for man-made categories such as "inerrancy" or "infallibility." Yet the purpose of this passage is found in the "so that." The true purpose of Scripture is to equip men and women to be faithful, for us to be faithful.
The only way to take the Bible seriously is for it to be truly authoritative: When it changes who we are as people of God, we validate its authority, and when we act as people of God, we do so because we are authorized to do so by the Scriptures. We no longer argue over the nature of Scripture, and we submit to its authority.
Perhaps the reason that the Bible has so little authority in the world today has nothing to do with science, reason, certitude, literalism or liberalism. Perhaps it has everything to do with the lack of authority that we Christians have given the Bible over our own lives. Maybe if we would allow the authority of Scripture to reign over us, the Bible would be given authority once again.
This month, may we allow the words of Scripture to have full authority over our lives, changing who we are and how we live.
May we use God's Word not as a weapon against others but to change our communities so that we may partner with God in impacting others
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Love means learning to say, jfjfl'm sorry"
Book helps readers learn art of meaningful apologies
Why is it that some people cannot or will not say, 'Tm sorry" when they have done something wrong? Why do some apologies, when given, not really mean a whole lot? And why, sometimes, is 'Tm sorry" not enough? There is the story of a child who was forced to say "I'm sorry" for something he had done . His comment later to a friend was, "My mom made me say I was sorry, but on the inside I wasn't."
On a recent visit to a Christian bookstore my husband picked up a copy of The Five Languages of Apology by Gary Chapman and
occurred. Eventually, I decided it wasn't going to get better. My only hope was to leave and find a new beginning elsewhere. I left. It seems to me that we all need more teaching on what it means to apologize effectively. Chapman and Thomas suggest that because we are imperfect people living in an imperfect world we will do things for which we need to apologize. Unfortunately, the lack of an apology often leads to cold and/or fractured relationships. Victims seek justice, become angry and sometimes lash out in violent behavior if the issues are not resolved
o l\fy father's "I'm sorry" was huge. That he would apolo gize in an era when parents didn't apologize to their children, at least none I knew of , was significant and sufficient for me. It hegan the healing process and did a lot to di ssip ate t he resentment I feh towa rd hj m.
Jennifer Thomas and was published by Northfield Publishing in 2006. Reading the book, looking for answers to my questions, stirred up a lot of memories. some redemptive. some painful.
When I was IS years old, my father severely chastised me for something he thought I had done . When I tried to tell him 1 was not guilty, he wouldn't listen . 1 remember lying in bed that night unable to sleep, quietly sobbing. After a while 1 heard footsteps as my father came to my bedroom, in the dark. He told me that Mom had convinced him I was innocent, and he asked for forgiveness for his harsh words. My father's 'Tm sorry" was huge. That he would apologize in an era when parents didn't apologize to their children, at least none 1 knew of. was significant and sufficient for me. It began the healing process and did a lot to dissipate the resentment 1 felt toward him.
A second experience with apologies came during a spiritual emphasis week at the Christian high school 1 attended. 1 was new to the school and had trouble fitting in. 1 knew 1 was somewhat different but didn't realize how big an issue it was until the week of the revival. The speaker told the student body that we had to go and apologize to those we had wronged, and if someone apologized to us, we had to forgive. 1 soon lost count of how many students came to me and apologized for saying unkind things about me. 1 was devastated. My self-concept, already fragile, took a serious beating that week. That these apologies were guilt-induced by the speaker and not from the heart soon became evident when, during the remainder of the year several painfully embarrassing incidents
The authors identify five components of the language of apology that work: I. I am sorry. 2. 1 was wrong. 3. What can I do to make it right? 4. 111 try not to do that again. 5. Will you please forgive me?
Those who are the victims hear apologies in different ways. For some, "I am sorry" will be enough; for others it is not. Some need to hear that we take responsibility for our actions and will do what we can to make it right. We need to learn not only what constitutes a genuine apology, but also what the language of accepting apologies is for the other person. This is a new concept for me.
Learning to apologize is essential if we want to maintain healthy relationships in the family, in our community, at our place of work and in the church. The authors write, "When we apologize, we accept responsibility for our behavior, seeking to make amends with the person who was offended. Genuine apology opens the door to the possibility of forgiveness and reconciliation.... Good relationships are always marked by a willingness to apologize, forgive and reconcile The reason many relationships are cold and distant is because we failed to apologize The good news is that the art of apology can be learned."
I cannot begin to do justice to the excellent content of this book. This is an excellent resource for those who need help in improving their relationships. It includes helps in learning to apologize and to forgive in many different situations. It would make an excellent small group or Sunday school study Included are a group study guide and an Apology Language Profile that readers can take to discover their own apology language.
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BAPTIsM/MEMBERSHIP
Freeman, SO (Salemi-Mike and Diane Pelts were received as members Aug 30.
Wichita, Kan. (Firstl - Ben Hershberger, Rebecca King. Tim Hofer, Brittany Hofer, KaitLyn Brown. KeLyn Vix. Nathan Mitchell. RacqueL Grundman, Janealte Grundman and Wade Hoagboon were baptized and received as members Aug 23 Lynn Unrau , Kevin and Mary Anne Mentzer, Kim and Jeff Hendricks, Darin and ApriL Sawyer and Jessica Hershberger were received as members
Sioux Falls, sD (Christ CommunityJ - NicoLe McGaugh. David McGaugh, Brenda. Brian, Bob and Terry Burge, Kristen Williams and MichaeL VanDiepen were baptized Aug 23
Cimarron, Kan. lValleyviewl-Chris Beery and KyLe Litton were baptized and received as members Aug 23 Dan and Tammy BergdaLl, Verda WedeL and Marie Timmons were received as members
Yale, sD (Bethell-Jeremiah and Amanda Betron were received as members Aug 23
Sanger, Calif. (Grace Communityl-Gerardo Cibnan, Catherine Hernandez, David Gomez, Esdras Gomez, Karina Hernandez, Eric ALejo, Juan ALejo, Martha Garcia and YareLi Aquino were baptized recently.
Bakersfield, Calif. (Laurelglenl-Jerry and Jana Barton, Kristen Kochanski. Lynda TesiLLo and MichaeL Thompson were baptized the weekend of Aug 15- 16 Stephen Brown and SyLvia Brown were baptized the weekend of JuLy 18- 19 Corbin Gavin. MichaeL HikeL and MichaeL Lee were baptized the weekend of June 20 - 21.
Hesston, Kan -HaroLd and Margaret Winsinger were welcomed as members Aug 9 Tessa Isaac and MikaeLa NeedLes were baptized JuLy 12 Chad ChiLds was baptized June 28
Huron, sD (Bethesdal-Lucus Decker was baptized Aug 9.
Sioux Falls, sD (Lincoln Hillsl - Eric and Pam Combs, MeLissa ELrod-Miller and Keaton Chase RobinsonBarrows were baptized June 28
Bakersfield, Calif. (Heritagel-Heather Fuentes, Noah CampbeLL. Jayden Ryan, Sean Bezdek and DanieL Knauss were baptized and received as members June 7 MadeLyn MeLansen was baptized recentLy Josh and Tara NewfieLd were received as members. Kingsburg, Calif. (Iglesia Agua Vival - Rosita MoLina and Rossana Iraheta were weLcomed as members May 31.
CELEB RATI ONS
Fresno, Calif. (North Fresnol- The church wiLL ceLebrate 40 years Nov 21 - 22 Events include a history waLk through the neighborhood; guest speakers district minister Gary WaLL and U.s. Conference executive director Ed Boschman , a dinner and activities for kids History books are being comp iLed Fresno, Calif (Japanese Chapell - The congregat ion ceLebrated 15 years Aug 16
WORKERS
Buhler, Kan. - Steve FuLmer has resigned as pastor of worship Enid, Okla. - Tob ias Berg has res igned as youth pastor
Minot, ND (Bible FeUowshipl-Pastor Duane Deckert was ordained JuLy 26.
Weatherford, Okla. (Pine Acresl - Stephanie Harris has resigned as chiLdren 's director Heath EpLey served as a summer youth intern.
Bakersfield, Calif. (laurelglenl-Lead pastor Roger Poppen has announced his retirement after 20 years at the church A ceLebration for Poppen and his wife, Naomi. was heLd Sept. 20. A farewell reception was heLd Aug 23 for Andy MiddLekauff, pastor of growth ministries who has resigned to accept a Lead pastor posit ion in Oregon. Fred Ramirez and Samer Qsar will fill his position in part-time, interim capacities Gettysburg, sD (Grace Biblel - Dick and ELv ira NickeL
have accepted a call to serve as pastora LcoupLe They were insta LLed Aug. 9
Hillsboro, Kan. - Brian Allen was installed as pastor Aug 23
Bakersfield, Calif (Heritagel - Pastor Dave Froese was on sabbat icaL th is summer Rache LWelch served as a summe r youth intern
Freeman, sD (Salemi - Mike Pelts was instaLLed as pastor Aug 16
Inman, Kan. (Zoarl - Menno Lepp and RaLph VogeL were commissioned for ministry to seniors JuLy 12.
Reedley, Calif.-Randy Janzen was instaLLed as the new min ister of music and worship JuLy 5
DEATHS
ADRIAN, NORMAN F., BuhLer, Kan , of Buh Ler MB Church , was born Dec 12, 1915, to Jacob and Mary NeufeLd Adrian and died JuLy 15, 2009, at the age of 93 On Sept. 8, 1940, he married MyrtLe, who survives He is aLso survived by three sons , Phillip and wife Diane of Lawton, OkLa , Kenneth and wife LuAnn of BuhLer, and Byron and wife Leona of Wichita, Kan ; one daughter, Patricia and husband David Franz of Frederick, Md.; one sister, Ruth Friesen of Garden City, Kan.. 11 grandchiLdren and nine great-grand chiLdren
DUERKSEN, DAVID HENRY, ReedLey, Calif., member of ReedLey MB Church, was born May 24, 1942, to ELmer and Marie Duerksen in Hillsboro, Kan , and died June 30,2009, at the age of 67 In 1962, he married Sharon Regier , who survives He is aLso survived
Wiebe honored
June Wiebe was honored July 12 by Bible Fellowship Church, Rapid City, SO, for her 60 years of full-time Christian ministry, including long-term missionary work in Africa alongside her late husband, Waldo Wiebe, and active involvement in the Central District Conference. Friends shared memories and presented Wiebe with a framed picture and a scrapbook.
For the past 20 years, Wiebe has served as the Bible Fellowship Church secretary. She is often involved with children's ministry, and her creativity is evidenced by the many costumes she has worn to help make the Word of God come alive. She has also been actively involved in women's ministry through Bible study, Sunday school and discipleship training
"She is humble, a servant leader and a hard worker," says church member Darcie Decker. Wiebe is known as a prayer warrior, one who loves and memorizes Sctipture. She frequendy welcomes guests in her home and always has time for sharing Scripture after a meal. Decker says, "She has a generous heart and has tirelessly given of herself in working at the church and for others."-BFC
by one son, Mark and wife Candice of Tracy, Calif ; one daughter, Denae and husband Steve Hansen of Clovis, Calif. ; one brother, Bill of San Jose, Calif.; one siste r , Kathy Kroeker of San Jose, and six grandchildren.
ENGLUND, ESTHER M., Reedley, Calif., member of Reedley M B Church, was born Feb 1, 1920, to P.K. and Mary Warkentin in Tulare County, Calif., and died July 5, 2009, at the age of 89. In 1947, she married Chester Englund She is survived by one son, Rod of Redding, Calif.; one brother, Walter Warkentin of Reedley, and two sisters, Leona Kroeker of Reedley and Dorothy Ratzlaff of Kingsburg, Calif.
FRIESEN, ELLEN JANE, Inman, Kan , member of Zoar MB Church, Inman, was born Dec. 11, 1946, to Jacob B and Marie Regehr Enns, and died June 27, 2009, at the age of 62. On Aug. 12, 1966, she married Raymond Friesen, who survives She is also survived by one son, Shane and wife Angie of Andover, Kan.; one daughter, Carmen and husband Brian Cutting of Overland Park, Kan.; one brother, Darwin and wife Jean of Martinsburg, W. Va .; two sisters, Lorna and husband Jess Hill of Houston, Texas, Laurene and husband Mark Zimmer of Springfield, Mo .; one sister-in - law, Wanda Enns of Kearney, Neb.; one brother- in-law, Ernie Doerksen of Santa Fe, Texas, and eight grandchildren
FRIESEN, JOHN E., Fresno, Calif., member of North Fresno MB Church and former MB pastor, was born March 16, 1920, to Cornelius and Suzanna Friesen of Dallas, Ore., and died July 31,2009, at the age of 89. On June 17, 1945, he married Anne Schultz, who survives He is also survived by two sons, Jim and wife Maureen of Los Angeles, Calif , and Steven and wife Janice of Austin, Texas; one daughter, Lois and husband Eugene McClintock of New York, six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
GARCIA, ANDY, Sanger, Calif , of Grace Community Church, Sanger, was born Nov. 10, 1959, and died July 11 , 2009, at the age of 49 He married Martha Espit ia, who survives. He is also survived by his parents, Baltazar and Gloria Garcia; one brother, Alex and wife Lori; two sisters, Diann and husband Scott Widaman and Alice and husband Miguel Ayala, and nine nieces and nephews.
HEINRICHS WESLEY JAMES "WJ" , Reedley, Calif , of Reedley MB Church, was born June 12, 1927, to Theodore and Bertha Fast Heinrichs in Kingsburg, Calif , and died Aug. 10,2009, at the age of 82. On Aug 3, 1945, he married Lydia Ediger, who survives He is also survived by one son, Jim of Reedley; five daughters, Joanne and husband Art Hofer of Dinuba, Calif , Carol and husband Gary Lewis of Fresno, Calif., Valarie and husband Dan Priest of Reedley, Lanet and husband Tom Erickson of Sanger, Calif , Cindy and husband Bill Cairns of Reedley; two brothers, Burton and wife Loretta, and Eddie and wife Kathleen, both of Reedley; one sister, Mildred Studebaker of Modesto, Calif ; two sisters-in-law, Helen and husband Bob Fenstermacher of Hillsboro, Kan., and Edna and husband Ed Warkentine of Shaver Lake, Calif , 11 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.
HIEBERT, OLIVE L , Reedley, Calif., member of Butler MB Church, Fresno, Calif. , was born July 7, 1919, to Ed and Susie Braun Warkentin near Joes, Colo , and died Aug 5, 2009, at the age of 90 On April 11, 1964, she married Cornelius Hiebert, who predeceased her Nov. 24, 1965. She is survived by one brother, Leonard and wife Joyce, and one sister, Hilda Richert, all of Reedley.
JOHNSON, ARTHUR , Meno, Okla , member of New Hopedale Mennonite Church, Meno, was born March 19, 1923, to Benjamin and Gertrude Penner Johnson and died May 13, 2009, at the age of 86. On May 24,1944, he married Clarine Buller, who survives. He is also survived by three sons, Stanley of Enid, Okla., Myron of Miami, Okla , and Daryl of Tulsa, Okla .; one sister, Freda Eck of Newton, Kan., six grandchildren and five greatgrandchildren.
KLASSEN, ESTHER, Mountain Lake, Minn., member of Community Bible Church, Mountain Lake, was born Jan. 24, 1915, to Jacob J. and Maria Wiebe Eytezen near Bingham Lake, Minn., and died Aug 30, 2009 at the age of 94. On May 18, 1938 she married William Klassen, who predeceased her. She is survived by four children; Evangeline and husband Ronald Patrick of Mountain Lake , Mary and husband Delbert Friesen of Lancaster, Pa , Paul and wife Gladys of Edmond, Okla , and Sharon and husband Berry Friesen of Lancaster, nine grandchildren and 20 great grandchildren
KOOP, AGNES MARTENS, Hidalgo, Mexico, member of Ulysses !Kan.1 MB Church, was born Sept. 15, 1920, in Fairview, Okla , and died April 17, 2009, at the age of 88 On Aug 3, 1958, she married John Koop, who predeceased her March 27, 2007 She is survived by one daughter, Eunice and husband Paul Unruh of Hidalgo; one brother, Cornelius Martens and wife Pat of Williams Lake , B.C ; one sister, Louise Koop of Ulysses, Kan , and three grandchildren.
PLENERT, VERNON A., Buhler, Kan , of Buhler MB church, was born Sept. 11, 1926, to Arnold and Marie Bartel Plenert in Hillsboro, Kan., and died July 14, 2009, at the age of 82. On Aug 21, 1953, he married Sue Ann Schroeder, who survives. He is also survived by three daughters, Beverly ,arid husband Richard Heim of Hesston, Kan .• Sharon and husband Randy Janzen of Visalia, Calif , and Laurie and husband Mark Isaac of Visalia; one brother, Lloyd and wife Vera; two sisters, Arnette and husband Delmar Duerksen, and Sarita and husband John Duerksen, 10 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
RENFROW, FRANK, Sanger. Calif. , of Grace Community Church, Sanger, was born Aug. 11, 1923, to Daniel and Pauline Renfrow in Blooming Grove, Texas, and died July 6,2009, at the age of 85 He married Barbara, who survives He is also survived by three daughters, Laura and husband Brian , Valerie and husband Tim, and Robbie and husband Seth, seven grandchildren and seven great - grandchildren.
WIEST, SANDRA, Sanger, Calif., of Grace Community Church, Sanger, was born Jan 13, 1947, to Benny and Jean Reiswig in Hillsboro, Kan , and died April 6, 2009, at the age of 62 In June 1967, she married Charles Wiest, who survives. She is also survived by her mother; two sons, Chris and wife Evelyn, and Aaron and wife Kristie ; one daughter, Melissa and husband Gerry Camp; one brother, Randy and wife Stacy; one sister, Kathy and husband Bill Harder, and seven grandchildren.
WOLF, GEORGE, Sanger, Calif., of Grace Community Church, Sanger, was born Dec 20, 1917, and died July 11, 2009, at the age of 91 He married Ruth House, who predeceased him On Feb. 14, 1998, he married June Ayres , who predeceased him He is survived by one son , Gordon; two brothers, Howard of Fallon, Nev , and Bob of Sanger ; one sister, Jane Cosgrave of The Dalles, Ore , and three grandchildren
•• CLearing HOUSE
f,:mployment:
-S-eminary I
Faculty: Faculty position opening soon in the Marriage, Family & Child Counseling department at MB Biblical Seminary. Join the team at MB Biblical Seminary 's campus in Fresno, Cali!., a community rooted in the Anabaptist and evangelical traditions. This position will be at the assistant or associate professor level. In addition to a strong emphasis on the integration of counseling and the Christian faith, the seminary's MFCC program includes a pr iority of helping students grow in a wide range of areas not limited to academic achievement and counseling skills Teaching and mentoring are prioritized but research is encouraged. MFCC faculty functions as part of an interdisciplinary team with Bible, Theology and Missions faculty For complete details and resume information, visit www mbseminary edu/employmen!.!11/111
University I
Vice President: Eastern Mennonite University, located in Virginia's scenic Shenandoah Valley, seeks qualified candidates for the position of Vice President and Undergraduate Academic Dean to lead and oversee all undergraduate academic programs of the university. The successful candidate will : provide vision for program quality and development; guide long-range strategic planning ; manage day-to-day details of undergraduate adm inistration; recruit and hire qualified undergraduate faculty; communicate effectively and work collegially Qualifications include: leadership and administrative expertise; a doctoral degree in a discipline in the university; a record of teaching and scholarship appropriate for appointment as a full professor; familiarity with the Mennonite church; commitment to the mission of Mennonite/Anabaptist higher education To apply send a letter of application and resume to Fred Kniss, Provost, Eastern Mennonite University, 1200 Park Road, Harrisonburg, VA 22802 or email to provostrc!emu.edu. For more information, visit our website: www.emu edu/humanresources. Position begins July 1, 2010. Review of applications will begin Oct. 1, 2009 and continue until the position is filled. EMU is an equal opportunity employer with a strong commitment to diversification of its faculty, staff and administ r ation Phone 620-947-3871.
IResearcher seeks public input : I am a researcher from the University of Winnipeg collecting stories about Mennonite Brethren in and around Bluffton, Ohio, Goshen, Ind., and Reedley, Calif., and their involvement in and attitudes toward work and religion I hope to interview business owners and managers, pastors, academics and workers and/or their children and grandchildren. Interested individuals are requested to contact me directly: Janis Thiessen, Department of History, University of Winnipeg, 515 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba, CANADA. R3B 2E9; 204-282-0785 ja thiessenrcluwinnipeg.ca or Janis Thiessenrclunb ca
Biblical answers tuned to primarily answer international students' questions, exercises for sen iors Blog dealing with the victorious and fruitful Christian life Visit henrysanswers.info !1/61
Mother knows best
My mom wisely knew we needed to let go of our old stuff
When I was a kid, my mom regularly got rid of stuff that had gone out of use around the house. She wouldn't keep things around just in case we might want them someday. The stuff we didn't need would go to those who did or to Goodwill.
That could be annoying. Sometimes Mom would jettison things I liked. One time I discovered that the fossil collection I'd assembled during a sixth grade science trip had disappeared. Never mind that it had been sitting untouched in a box for several years. What if I wanted to pull it out and explain the attributes of
I hope. The natural tendency, of course, is to hang on to the old stuff and keep adding more. Down the street from us a bunch of new houses have been built with three-car garages. This is so residents can park their cars ... outside. That way the garage can be piled high with boxes, bikes, boats, barstools and whamot, the way nature intended.
Cleaning out my garage, I've realized there are other parts of my life that can get cluttered with old stuff. My mind can harbor outdated assumptions and prejudices, for example. I was impressed recently when my kids returned from a mission trip to
D wife and 1 recently made the mistake of attempting to cle ..ln out oLlr garage. Digging into hoxes that hadn 't seen daylight tor a decade, I suddenly reali:ed that i\fom \\'as a woman of great wisdom and J wished we'd fol1owed her example of getting rid of stuff in a timely manner.
a Pecten raimondi to my friend? OK. never mind. Maybe it was smart that Mom gave those fossils away.
She also got rid of my Io-speed bike. Well, it wasn't exactly assembled at the time. I had taken it apart to adjust some things that weren't working right Because I didn't get around to reassembling the bike, out it went. Later I found out Mom gave the parts to my older brother, who put the bike together and sold it! Sheesh, leave something lying around in pieces for a couple of years, and she gets all impatient
I was thinking about this because my wife and I recently made the mistake of attempting to clean out our garage. Digging into boxes that hadn't seen daylight for a decade, I suddenly realized that Mom was a woman of great wisdom and foresight. I wished we'd followed her example of getting rid of stuff in a timelymanner.
I found a stack of old record albums and seven or eight boxes of books. I also uncovered two almost-new air mattresses for camping . This was funny, by which I mean irritating, because a few days earlier we had bought yet another camping mattress to send with our daughter on a youth trip Dear Mother, you were right. If we kept things organized like you did, we wouldn 't always be buying extras of items we can't find.
Now we've cleared out room to collect new books, and opened space in our garage to gather more junk. Oops, scratch that last part.
a diverse urban area. They explained how serving in such a place changed their perspectives on immigration, poverty and homelessness. They learned to be more compassionate. That warmed my heart, but also reminded me to keep pursuing new ideas and opportunities in my own life.
Speaking of my children, I need to keep shedding old ways of relating to them. They're both in high school and have long ceased to be little kids. Most of the time. As they grow into adulthood, I learn to give them more trust and ind, uh, inde, ahem, indepen, cough, independence. Whew, that's hard. Hey, I'm trying to be more mature too, just like they are.
I also need to toss myoId ideas about getting old. I never worried much about aging before, but lately that's changed. After injuring my knee while skiing last March, I began to feel fragile. I was whining about this to a friend when he reminded me that I was upright and active, still married to my first wife and remembered which end to play on my guitar. So everything was cool.
True. I've ttied to keep those things in mind, even when I feel a little ancient. But my knee has healed and my mind is, uh, what's the word, oh yeah, sharp. I'm no fossil yet. There's still a lot of living to do.
-1J Comment on this column by going to usmb.orglchristian -leader
Preparing for the worst
Does your congregation have a disaster response plan?
l1lil1li
It never happens here until it happens here," says Jeff Blackburn of Greensburg. Kan., about his attitude before the May 4, 2007 tornado that destroyed 95 percent of Greensburg's homes, including all nine of the community's churches, and killed II people. When the stonn was over and Blackburn and his family emerged from their basement, "there was no house left," he says. 'The stairs went up into the air."
While Blackburn's immediate concern was for his family, his thoughts quickly turned to his congregation: Blackburn is pastor of Greensburg Mennonite Church. And that's when he tealized that his church didn't have a disaster plan The lessons that Blackburn learned the hard way thanks to the tornado have him preaching the value of having a congregational disaster response plan, including ways to check on every member following a disaster and what to do if a disaster strikes during a service.
So let me ask the question : Does your congregation have a disaster response plan? "If you can imagine (a disaster), it can happen," says Kevin King. Mennonite Disaster Service executive director.
Thanks to the appearance in March of HINI, then called swine flu, one emergency that is becoming easier to imagine is a flu pandemic. Today HINI dominates the news and is prompting U.S. colleges and universities, including Tabor College, to work out pandemic flu plans, as this highly contagious flue targets children and younger adults.
Preparing for a pandemic is new territory for many of us. In a recent news release, Mennonite Publishing Network quotes Tim Foggin, a Canadian public health physician from Willingdon (BC) MB Church, who says that the church will play an important role should a pandemic occur. The ill will likely be cared for at home by family and friends - by each other as fellow believerssince hospitals will be stretched thin and family doctors will be swamped .
Foggin encourages churches to answer questions like: What will you do if a third of the congregants are ill? What will you do if all the pastors get sick? How can you best prepare to maintain what you dowell? Thank you times 20
This month we say thank you to Donna Sullivan, the U.S. Conference administrative secretary and bookkeeper who is celebrating her 20th year as an employee of the denomination. She is a faithful and cheerful servant as she carries out her many and varied responsibilitie s.
In addition to her work as bookkeeper and secretary, Donna 's "to do " list includes two Christian Leader tasks that I
While caring for its members is one priority, the church is often among the first groups a community looks to for help in an emergency. As followers of Christ, our response to natural disasters should be rooted in heavy hearts that grieve with those who have lost so much and experienced such pain And tears should lead to deeds "God wants us to release our grip on our money, our resources and our selfishness," writes pastor and author Erwin W. Lutzer in Where Was 'When disasters come, we should be the first to respond with sacrifice and generosity."
Responding to a flu pandemic raises unique questions about personal safety. When we fear for our health, we naturally want to protect ourselves When confronted by a virulent flu, will Christians retreat in fear, or will we respond with healing and hope? Pam Driedger, author of Beyond Our Fears, a new resource published by Mennonite Publishing Network, says government and municipalities are creating disaster response plans "Shouldn't we, as ordinary people of faith, be spiritually prepared?" she asks. 'Why not know before the crisis what kinds of actions and attitudes are most consistent with our faith?"
Christians should also be ready to help other believers-and doubters - cope with what Lutter calls the "religious aftershocks" that follow a natural disaster, challenging the faith of those who believe in God and reinforcing the cynicism of skeptics How do we confidently trust God even when natural disasters bring seemingly unnecessary suffering? Can we trust a God who allows a disaster he could have kept from happening?
Whether it's an HINI outbreak at the local university or a neighborhood devastated by a flood, we are best equipped to offer material, spiritual and emotional care when we've prepared ourselves in advance of the crisis. Preparation is practical and handson: offering basic first aid training, including CPR, at your church, connecting with your city's emergency management office or making sure church leaders are aware of congregants with specific medical needs It also means anticipating that we will need to curb the sometimes natural desire to offer answers when the best thing to do is to sit with neighbors and friends, sharing the pain that comes with loss. It's preparing to do and to be. - CF
would say are critical to the smooth operation of our magazine She is our business manager, which puts her in frequent contact with advertisers, and the CL circulation secretary, wh ic h puts her in touch with you , our readers, and the church offices that regularly update our mailing list. Donna's years of experience make her a wonderful and invaluable resource to the maga zine as well as to our denomination .- CF
Are they speaking the same language?
MMA can show you how they can - even in these challenging times. Learn how to protect your family, prepare for tomorrow, and create a stewardship plan that shares your values - now and for the future.
Talk to your local MM4 representative about:
• Investment and retirement planning
• Annuities and mutual funds
• Health, life, disability, and long-tenn care insurance
• Charitable giving and estate planning
(800) 348-7468.
inSide
Part 1: Seminary Report
, Highlights for 2009
, Did You Know?
, '09 Financial Report
, Why Seminary Matters
, Seminary Programs
Part 2: Bringing Psychology and Theology Together
, David Bruce Rose : On Integration
, inSights: Student Reflections on Integration
Back Page:
, Board and Faculty
Dm
Dear Partners,
Thank you for trusting MB Biblical Semi, nary. Everywhere I go I hear words of encouragement and assurances of prayer Contributions to the Seminary were solid this year. From across the Canadian provinces I am assured of support and alerted to new students in Win, nipeg, Langley, and Fresno. At Mennonite World Conference in Paraguay alumni and supporters added their blessings. And from a US district conference I returned with renewed commitments. As a . new president at MB Biblical Seminary, I am deeply strengthened by this response.
Someone said, "When the rate of change on the outside exceeds the rate of change on the inside, the end is near " North American seminaries are reporting a time of unprecedented change. MB Biblical Seminary is actively working to revamp structures and engage new partners to grow stronger through the current crises. We are in dialog with US Mennonite Brethren schools and Fuller Seminary to strengthen our evangelical,Anabaptist witness through collaboration. As we have in Canada, we are seeking partnerships in · Fresno. A board-appointed task force that includes Academic Dean Emeritus John E. Toews and Board Chairman Jack Falk is giving leadership to these negotiations.
In transition, we are tuned to God's call. The prophet Isaiah was called to lead Israel in a similar time. According to Walter Brueggemann, God gave three distinct calls to Isaiah. In Isaiah 6 God called for a prophetic voice to disturb the comfortable with a warning of coming
exile. In Isaiah 40 God called Isaiah to offer good news of comfort and hope for returning exiles. And in Isaiah 61 God's Spirit anointed the servant to preach good news to the poor and freedom to captives Each call was specific to the time. At MB Biblical Seminary, we communicate God's call to the church's servants-in-training. In transitional times it is essential to discern how God is calling us. We seek to prepare leaders who will know the Lord, know the Word of God, and know how to hear God's call for their day
I am committed to this mission. MBBS is committed to this task. Thank you for your commitment as a partner with us, making this mission possible.
Lynn Jost, President
MB Biblical Seminary is actively working to revamp structures and engage new partners
2008·09 hiLights
Numerous faculty members from all three MB Biblical Seminary campuses contributed to the Globa l Dictionary of Theology (InterVarsity Press, 2008).
MB Biblical Seminary produced two devotionals: one printed and one e-mailed; both posted on the Se minary website. Nearly 12,000 visits from over 100 countries wer e made to the website during the time of these postings, dramati cally increasing the number of visits by 35% over the previous year.
Students on the Fresno, Langley and Win nipeg campuses represented more than 40 denominations and hailed from US, Canada, and overseas.
Dr. Elmer Martens, president emeritus and pr ofessor emeritus, was celebrated through the Festschrift entitled The Old Testament in the Life of God's People. The co llection of articles compiled in his honor was written by Martens and friends, colleagues, and former students, and edited b y Seminary professor Jon Isaak.
In October 2008 the joint accrediting team visited Lan gley and Fresno and tested the Capacity and Preparatory Review. Th e Seminary was approved for the Educational Effectiveness Review, the next step in renewed accreditation.
Student Life
Weeldy Chapel and Common Meal, bi-annual International Dinner, intramural sports, Student Leadership Team, mentoring groups, camping trips, retreats, etc.
Accreditation
MB Biblical Seminary is accredited by the Association of Theological Schooois (ATS) and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) Alumni Ministry
Seminary alumni are serving as pastors, counsel ors, community developers, missionaries, and lay lead ers in more than ten countries around the world.
Partners
There were 162 churches and 652 individ uals, businesses and family foundations in Canada and the U nited States that contributed to the operational bud get of the seminary.
Financial 2008.09 Report
Mennonite Brethren Bib li ca l Seminary Financial Report as of 5-31 -09 (Audit e d)
Statement of Financial Position:
Assets
Cash and Cash Equivalents
Accounts Receivable
Investments
Property, Plant & Equipment, net
Total Assets
Liabilities and Net Assets
Accounts Payable
Total Liabilities
Net Assets
Unrestricted
Temporarily Restricted
Permanently Restricted
Total Net Assets
Total Liabilities and Net Assets
Statement of Activities:
Support, Revenue, and other Revenue
Tuition & Fees
Church & Individual Giving
Other
Total Income
Expenses
General Administrative
Development & public relations
General Institutional
Instructional
Library
Maintenance
Recruitment and admissions
/ student services
BC/ACTS
Winnipeg/Canada
Auxiliary (apartments)
Other
Total Expenses
Change in Net Assets (decrease)
Beginning of Year Net Assets, End of Year
W y MBBS M TTERS
"The Seminary provided a safe yet '-U':Ui '"'U5,LU5 learning environment where doubts and were welcomed . As a result my ethic of counseling became strongly rooted in the acceptance that Christ offers and that was mc>aelea by faculty members."
Evangeline Willms Thiessen, 1990 Master of Marrillge, Family and Child Counseling, graduate in L;OtLpsellnJ! Clinical Coordinator and AAMFT Approved in Langley, British Columbia, Canada
in college I sensed a calling into ministry, though I was unsure about what hn "nic' ' to pursue. I received an invitation Fresno for four days, free of charge, for a featuring several MB Biblical Seminary called 'Hearing the Call' (a precursor Quest). During that retreat and in my MB Biblical Seminary, I was able to spend Onl-OI1le time with professors and mentors who my understanding of ministry, faith, and life." 2007 MDiv graduate (Fresno, CA campus) and church Missouri
"Serving on the Seminary Board reintc>rc(!s1 passion for the greater Mennonite It connects me to people on the same - to those who hold similar concerns and about sustaining our theological values; interested in what it means to follow relationships I have made are pricelessworking with students on grounds and sitting in with a professor and life concerns to sitting around the Board issues in this shared community. These v rl n t\ LL'I! ""'L lllJ" shape the ways I continue to work for the MB Biblical Seminary Board member since 2002 2007
By David Bruce Rose, PhD, M Div
When it happens, it is wonderful. When counseling goes well, there comes a point where the clients open up, uncovering their soul to the therapist saying, "Please help me hold this." Clients don't use those words, yet there comes a point when trust deepens so that clients can explore a portion of themselves that previously was too frightening to even acknowledge. In their vulnerability the clients are open to growth. But in that vulnerability they can be deeply wounded as well. Though I bring all of the knowledge and skill I can to this interaction, it is my awareness that Jesus is present that gives me the courage to counsel others.
In 1976, MB Biblical Seminary began preparing men and women to serve as, what the Board of Directors
then called, "professional counselors with a Christian orientation". This was well before 'Christian Counseling' became popular. Increasing numbers of students want to prepare for ministry as counselors. New programs to train Christian counselors are popping up all over North
other places, we interact with other students who are also preparing to serve our Lord. It is in those informal conversations as much or more than in the classroom that we grow from each other.
This integration in the seminary community is reflected in our integration of biblical theology with our counseling. Unlike other programs that teach courses in psychology, courses in theology, and
"(When counseling- g-oes well, there comes a point where the clients open up uncovenitgtheir soul to the therapist
Strplitg; "?2lcase help me hold this. 1/
America. While we are fully accredited, the program at MB Biblical Seminary has a strong commitment to fully integrating training in counseling into the wider seminary community.
As a Counseling program at MB Biblical Seminary, we are neither a stand-alone school nor a department within a larger traditional graduate school. We study, serve, and live alongside students who are preparing to become pastors, missionaries, and biblical scholars. In addition to studying in many of the same classes with faculty in Bible, missions, and theology, we are part of the community of MB Biblical Seminary. In chapel, common meal, coffee break, in the halls, and in many
then require courses in integration of theology and psychotherapy, we teach what Al Dueck called "integrated courses" (personal conversation, 1998). That is, as much as possible, all our courses incorporate elements of counseling and biblical theology. We are helping people become what Wylie calls "God besotted," (2000 p.60) people who faithfully bring the tools of counseling and practical theology together in a thoughtful, ethical, and consistent manner in their
ministry.
This deep love for God and commitment to become faithful disciples of Jesus, serving within and beyond the Christian community, is reflected in the statements made by recent graduates from our Marriage, Family and Child degree program in the following article.
David Bruce Rose is Associate Professor of Marriage, Family and Child Counseling at MB Biblical Seminary's Fresno, CA campus
The therapist as minister
Bringing faith into the counseling session
This interview grew out of a semestedong course and conversation about the integration of stu, dents' faith with their training in the field of psychology. Participating students include Brooke Denni, Danny Gray, Jennifer Brazil, Robyn Vogel, Stephanie Zimmerman, Vikki Tucker, and Katherine Enns.
How would you describe the personal transformation you experienced as a Christian pursuing the field of psychology through MB Biblical Seminary?
DANNY: It was at MBBS where I fell in love with God again and began to see that theology and psychology are not at odds with each other. They can work in tandem to help in the growth and healing of an individual.
VIKKI: The progression of learning how to be an ethical, effective and informed counselor has radically changed me. There was a season during this process that I doubted whether I could talk about the things of God with a client, but I have learned there are ways of integrating one's faith as a therapist.
JENNIFER: Life is sometimes easier if I don't look at it too closely! The same could be said of integration - it takes work to search my own soul and the Bible for a view of my clients, techniques and to find an appropriate framework for God's love to bless others.
BROOKE: When I began, I did not think I would consider myself a "minister." Now, I do not think that I can divorce what I do from the word "ministry." My
the same love, respect, challenge, confrontation, and care that I presume Jesus would give them.
KATHERINE: As a therapist committed to truly helping people, I will see the person in my office as Jesus sees them -a human being who is in need of hope and healing; a person who has value. I, too, will encounter "untouchables" in my work - people whom our society and our churches want nothing to do with. The way I interact with those whom Jesus refers to as "the least of these" will reveal more about my character and ultimately about my work as a therapist than many other fine Christian attributes.
2009 Marriage, Family and Child Counseling graduate Danny Gray and his wife Beth, an MA Theology and MFCC student, talk with Professor of
VIKKI: I believe that Christ is Lord over psychology. As a Christian therapist I see my clients as God's beloved children who are in pain. I believe that God, as revealed in His Word, "desires to avoid judgment and desires to bring his ew Testament Tim Geddert .
clients are learning a new way of relating to others and to themselves, and that is Kingdom work.
Can you describe what happens behind the closed doors of a counseling session and how the presence of Jesus Christ makes a difference in the counseling room and in the way you relate to your clients?
DANNY: I have discovered that when I am with a client my aim is to see them as Christ sees them and offer them
rebellious subjects back to sanity, submission, love and forgiveness" Oohnson, 2007). Being a therapist has offered me an ideal opportunity to extend the same love, grace, and relationship to clients that Christ Jesus extends to us all.
BROOKE: Through his death and resurrection, Jesus releases us from the power of shame. Most of my clients feel intense shame about their abuse, their anxiety, their depression. They feel like they are the "only ones," and so they hide. I am learning how to step into the darkness
of this world knowing that Jesus goes with me into that therapy room, and that somehow through me He heals people. When my clients are vulnerable with me and I still accept them, the power of shame is broken. When they regress and hold a stuffed animal as they cry and I still regard them as fully human, the shame of being weak is broken. When they can tell me the words their rapist said as he raped them, the shame of being raped is broken. When they tell me the names their
(C W\r..e V\ I O-VV\. wit\r.. 0- d i eV\t O- i VV\. is to see t\r..eVV\. o-s C\r..rist sees t\r..eVV\..))
called them, the shame of being abused is broken. It is sacred.
JENNIFER: Everything we do as counselors flows out of who we are. I believe that God is in control, and I try to daily surrender the control of my life to Him. I pray for my clients, for His will to be done in their lives, and for healing and wholeness to come into their lives. Thinking of the ways that Jesus viewed and treated the outcasts in the gospels, and thinking of the way that He views and treats me as a sinful person, how can I not carry that into the session with me?
How is MB Biblical Seminary's integration of counseling classes with pastoral and theological classes important to you, and why should it be valuable to those who support the seminary?
STEPHANIE: There is so much about theology and psychology to sort through, study and prayerfully review, which is why it must be done in the community of a seminary.
ROBYN: My choice to receive this education in therapy from a seminary was intentional, just as my choice to receive my undergraduate education from a Christian college was intentional. The purpose of both choices was that the integration of my faith would receive the amount of attention it deserved.
KATHERINE: We as therapists need to remember that we cannot do it on our own. We need the help and support of colleagues, continuing education, supervisors and most of all, the Holy Spirit.
JENNIFER: Three years here at the seminary has made me acutely aware of the integration of my faith and role as a counselor, and what I want that to look like. To me, it is about letting God soften my heart towards others and actually having compassion on them.
VIKKI: Seminary challenged me to my core.
MB Biblical Seminary Degree Programs
Master of Divinity-90 units
Master of Arts degrees-60 units - Christian Studies (Langley campus) - Christian Ministry - Marriage, Family, and Child Counseling - Old Testament - New Testament - Theology - Intercultural Mission
Diploma Programs-30 units - Christian Studies - Evangelism and Church Planting - Integration - Congregational Care - Women in Ministry - Anglican Studies - Presbyterian Studies
Certi cate Programs-1S units.
The dealine to enroll for Spring 2010 term is Fresno Campus: December 1
Langley Campus: November 1
Winnipeg Campus: August 1
To learn more, visit www.mbseminary.edu
Seminary Board of Trustees
Jack Falk, Chair BC
Steve Goossen, CA
Don Eskes, Treasurer, Property/Finance Committee Chair CA
Ron Penner, Secretary BC
John Unger, Academic Committee Chair MB
Mike Aaron OK
Steve Berg BC
Ed Boschman CA
Willard Dick MN
Doug Enns MB
Russ Isaac KS
David Wiebe MB
Lynn Jost CA
Administrative Team and Faculty Members
Lynn Jost, PhD President; Associate Professor of Old Testament
Tim Geddert, PhD Academic Dean; Professor of New Testament
Valerie Rempel, PhD Dean of Students (Fresno Campus); Associate Professor of History and Theology
Linda Bowman, BS Chief Financial Officer
Mark Isaac, MDiv Director of Advancement & Constituency Relations
Mark Baker, PhD Associate Professor of Mission and Theology
Doug Berg, PhD Associate Professor of Leadership Studies; Associate Dean,
Delores Friesen, PhD Professor of Pastoral Counseling
Pierre Gilbert, PhD Associate Professor of Old Testament; Program Coordinator,
Bruce Guenther; PhD Associate Professor of Church History; Associate Dean,
Jon Isaak, PhD Associate Professor of New Testament
David Bruce Rose, PhD Associate Professor of Marriage, Family and Child Counseling
Cory Seibel, PhD Assistant Professor of Pastoral Ministries
Mary Shamshoian, MA Director of Counseling Program
