20 > Two MB cultures merge for unique VBS 21 > Joint VBS targets neighborhood kids
22 > Suburban church takes VBS to homeless families
24 > New energy for new frontiers
26 > usc finishes fiscal yearin the black
5 CONFERENCE CALL by Jim Holm Over the hill?
ON THE JOURNEY by Rose Buschman 'Wild"fu n
33 PH'UP SIDE by Philip Wiebe
Looking for entertainment value
FEATURES [Train up your child]
10 FAITH OF OUR CHILDREN by Abe Bergen
The faith of most u.s. teenagers is a generic and shallow kind of belief. Many can best be described as "moral therapeutic deists. " What role do parents, congregations and church-related schools play in teaching a holistic gospel to our children?
12 TELL ME A STORY by David Faber
As we raise our children, we want to pass on our faith and values. We want them to know the right thing to do and to do it. Whats the best way to help kids develop good character? Tell them stories.
15 DINING AT THE ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT ENTERTAINMENT BUFFET by Melissa Ens
Having a healthy heart isn't as easy as it sounds in todays entertainment-rich world. Helping our children make good entertainment choices is challenging when toxic elements are mixed with otherwise healthy entertainment 'Tood."
17 SEND THEM OFF WITH PRAYER by Karen Wingate
Our college students need prayer at this crucial junction of their lives. They need to know people at home love and support them and are interceding to the Father for them. Here are 10 ways you can pray for a college student.
> FiRSTWORDS
(from the editor)
READERS WILL DISCOVER THAT «INQUIRING MINDS," ONE of our standing columns, is missing this month. For 15 years Marvin Hein has solicited and answered questions from Leader readers about a Bible passage, doctrine, conference policy or a spiritual issue. In early August, Marvin was diagnosed with acute leukemia, and he notified us that the August column was his last regular submission .
Marvin began writing "Inquiring Minds" in 1992, the year afrer he retired from full-time pastoral ministry. Marvin was the perfect choice as the magazine's "answer man," given his 35 years in pastoral ministry, his years of district, national and binational conference work and his connections to the global Mennonite Brethren church and wider Anabaptist family. Over the years Marvin's willingness to candidly tackle questions has made his column a "must read" for many people, even those who disagree with him.
By my count, Marvin has answered about 300 questions over the years Marvin said one time about his column, "If someone wanted to know how and what I thought after I am gone from this earth, these answers probably reveal more of my theology than anything else I have written." For the first 10 years, Marvin answered two questions each month. More recently, the lack of inquiries prompted him to consider a single question Marvin admits that when queries are slow in coming, he has asked himself questions. In keeping with that practice, Marvin will contribute one more column in which he is the inquirer who wonders, 'What does it feel like to be dying?" At Marvin's request, this column will be published after his death. Our thanks to Marvin for his contributions to this magazine, both as a columnist and the author of numerous articles. Our prayers are with Marvin and his family.
Given the unexpected loss of a monthly column, we have no immediate plans to secure a new writer or to develop a new column. I anticipate that the results of the 2007 readership survey will help us know what new directions to take with each of our regular departments, including columns. This month a questionnaire will be mailed to the homes of 1,000 randomly selected Leader readers Given the ease of collecting data electtonically, we are also offering all readers the opportunity to complete the readership survey online at www.usmb.org. The deadline for completing the survey is Oct. 15. A summary of the results will be published in early 2008.
> QUOTABLE
'The world desires for its children that which is earthly and perishable, money, honor, fame and wealth But let it be otherwise with you, who are born of God, for it behooves you to seek something else for your children, namely, that which is heavenly and eternal so that you may bring them up in the nurture and admonition ofthe Lord, as Paul teaches."-Menno Simons, founder of the Mennonite church , in his ISS7 tract The Nurture of Children
• Oct. 11-13-Culture, Gospel and Church Study Conference, Abbotsford, BC
• Oct. 11-13- U S Conference Leadership Board meeting. Abbotsford, BC
• Nov. 2-3 - Pacific District Conference Convention, Shafter, Calif.
September 2007
Volume 70
Number 9
Connie Faber EDITOR
Myra Holmes ASSISTANT EDITOR
Elaine Ewert GRAPHIC DESIGNER
MANDATE Th e Chris tian Leader (lSSN 0009 - 5149) is publi shed mon thly by th e U S Conferen ce of Mennonite Brethren Churc he s The Christian Leader seek s to inform Mennonite Brethren members and churches of the events, activitie s, deci sion s and i ss ues of the ir denomination , and to instru ct. inspire and initiate di alogue so membe rs will aspire to be fai thfu l di sciple s of Christ as understood in the evangelicaVAnabaptist theological tradit ion
EDITORIAL POLICY The views expressed in th is publication do not nece ssarily represent the position of the Chris tian Leader the U S Conference Leaders hip Boa r d or the Mennonit e Brethren Church Scripture referen ces are from New Int ernational Version unless otherwise noted The editors invite freelance article subm issions A SASE must accompany articles.
READER PARTICIPATION The editors invite readers to share their thoughts and opinions on topics relevant to the Mennon i te Brethren Church using letters to the editor and Forum essays Letters to the edito r should be /lrief- 300 words or less - and on one subject. Letters mu st be signed and include the writer's city and state Letters will be edited for clarity, appropriateness and length Letters will be publ ished , 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 All correspondence , including change of address, should be addressed to the Christian Leader, Box 220, Hillsboro, KS 67063 Phone : 620 - 947 - 5543 Fax : 620 - 947 -3266 E- mail : christianleaderfclusmb org.
SUBSCRIPTION S $18 tor one year, $34 for two years and $50 for three years ($30 , $58, $86 in Canada ; all other countri es $50 for one year) ; $1.50 per copy
MEMBERSHIP The Christian Leader is a member of the Evangelical Press Association and Meetinghouse, an association of Mennoni te and Brethren in Chri st editors
POSTMASTER Send addre ss changes to the Chris tian L ea der , Box 220 , Hillsboro, KS 67063 Periodica ls po stage paid at Hillsboro, Kan sas.
CONNIE FABER I cc '
> CONFERENCE CALL
Over the hill?
MBBS committed to directly impacting local church
Turning 50 years of age is an important milestone for many people. When you tum 50, you realize that you are no longer the young person you remember yourself to have been, but you don't consider yourself really old either You've got a few experiences under your belt and you think you are smarter than you were at 25. At the same time, you hope that there are still many good years ahead. At 50, you realize that some of the dreams you had will probably never happen, but you have new dreams that are just as vivid and exciting Fifty can be a time for a fresh start.
Recently your seminary, MB Biblical Seminary, turned 50. The seminary has grown to maturity in that time , expanding from a small group of students training for pastoral ministry and missionary work to a program offering a variety of degrees, diplomas and certificates, spread across three locations in two countries, and training men and women not only for pastoral ministry but also for Bible teaching, church planting, marriage and family therapy and urban ministry. A lot can happen in 50 years.
At the same time, MBBS isn't over the hill. We're looking both at the past and to the future So here's what is happening. After 50 years of growing and expanding its ministry, the seminary is refocusing our central vision: to train pastors and leaders for the Mennonite Brethren churches of North America and to serve as a resource for every MB church as it carries out its ministry of kingdom work.
We also recognize that God has given us the opportunity to train leaders for other churches too, so our vision includes them as well. Here is our vision: " MB Biblical Seminary's vision is that every pastor and ministry leader from every Mennonite Brethren congregation and from any other congregation within the seminary's sphere of influence will be directly impacted by the seminary in a way that empowers and enhances their ministry."
It' s a mouthful, but it means what it says . Our intention, as God gives grace, is to touch every one of our churches in the U S. and Canada in a way that enhances their ministry and empowers them to greater kingdom work . This is partnership language, and by using it I am making several assumptions. I'm assuming that in the training of leaders there are things which can best happen in a seminary and other things which best happen in the
local church or parachurch. For example, I'm assuming that seminary can give some biblical study skills and theological backgrounds to the Scriptures that are absolutely essential for understanding and interpreting the Bible and culture in an Anabaptist/evangelical way.
I'm assuming that leaders without seminary training will not have the depth they will need for the long haul of ministry. I'm assuming that the seminary can contribute to character development and spiritual formation so that leaders are better prepared personally and spiritually to lead with grace and faithfulness. I'm assuming that the seminary can help develop various ministry skills that will be essential for the church
But I'm also assuming that there is much the church contributes to leadership training. For one thing, the church calls men and women into leadership, through praying and shoulder tapping. More than that, the church provides a practical laboratory for learning the "how to" of ministry, something the seminary could never do well The church is where people are mentored, encouraged and discipled as they grow in their leadership ability. The church is where the rubber meets the road, and where seminary students learn what it really means to bea leader.
I'm making one more assumption. That is that you, who are part of the church, believe in the importance of the seminary and its role as an essential partner in this vision of leadership training. More than that, I'm assuming that you believe not just in any seminary, though there are many very good ones , but especially in MB Biblical Seminary. I'm assuming that you will invite us to partner with you , that you will offer your resources and expertise to the seminary as we offer the same to you.
Many of you who read this know me personally. I've been involved in the leadership of the MB conference for more than 30 years, most of that time in pastoral ministry. I'm a few years beyond that magical age of 50, but I'm not over the hill either l\re chosen to give these years of my life to leadership training, through the seminary. I pray that the vision I've outlined here will become a reality throughout our churches. I invite you to this partnership too
Jim Holm is president of MB Biblical Seminary and works from the seminarys Fresno, Calif, campus
> READERS SAY
The logical conclusion
I am writing in reply to Marvin Friesen's letter, "Third view of hell," in the July issue If one understands Friesen's view of hell, one must also carry that view to its natural conclusion: God provided a second means of reconciliation and salvation for mankind by suffering through "fire and sulfur" for an "age or period of time." I cannot find any passage in the Bible that indicates such a second chance for mankind to be reconciled to God.
If God provided this second means of reconciliation and salvation for mankind, God's grace would be diminished and Christ's sacrifice would be in vain. God would be an unjust God who required his "only begotten son," Jesus, to die for no reason. Jesus said in John 14: 6, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
Jerry Schafer Rapid City, SD
A definition of «magic"
I had a call from a CL reader who took the time to gently take me to task regarding the article I wrote in the July Z007 Leader ("Ministry magic," Readers Forum). The gentleman's concern was over my use of the word "magic" in regard to the minisrry fair recently held at Heritage Bible Church. The gentleman was grieved because of the word's inference to sorcery or witchcraft. I listened to this gentleman's thoughts and agreed, at his request, to look up the word magic in my dictionary.
Webster's defines magic in several ways, and most of the definitions are decidedly witchcraft oriented. The dictionary mentions nothing resembling the "Disneyland" flavor I had in mind. I was using the word as colloquial speech without realizing that the formal definition carried such ominous implication. This definition from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary comes closest to my intended use of the word: 'J\n illusory feat; considered amazing or wonderful by naive observers."
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 .
My intent was to express that the joyous response of the people at Heritage Bible Church to Pastor Dave's sermon series was wonderful and satisfying. So many people pulling together to host such a successful event could be seen, to the common observer, as amazing and wonderful. By no means was I attempting to imply that sorcery, witchcraft or devious elements were responsible for or at the heart of a ministry event at our church.
I concluded, upon revisiting my ministry fair story, that the overall spirit of the story was more valuable than a specific, thoughtlessly chosen descriptor. My prayer is that no one else was offended or misled by my choice of words.
Michelle Welch Bakersfield, Calif.
Read to lead
I read with interest the article by Philip Wiebe regarding reading and its decline during the past Z5 years ("Reading on my mind," Philp Side, July Z007). As a pastor I generally try to find women and men who are readers before I am happy with them being called into church leadership. My simple motto is, "If you do not read, you cannot lead." Or "If you're not a reader, you're not a leader." Unfortunately, not very many read and I've had to take on such folks in leadership positions for a limited time, for they are not growing or are growing very little due to their lack of reading.
In part I wonder if this is why we see a decline in strong leadership among volunteers in our churches? Maybe this is also true of our pastors? Is this why we see a decline in outteach and evangelism? Do we really know what we are talking about, due to our ignorance of the Lord Jesus and the salvation only he offers?
I hope we will grow in reading and leading, especially new people to Jesus Christ. Thanks for the good magazine and thanks to Philip Wiebe for his call to greater reading. TamWamer Vineland, Ont.
new 5 fro m the men non
Boschman to be USC executive director
California pastor to begin new assignment in October
Ed Boschman has been appointed by the U.S. Conference Leadership Board as executive director of the conference, beginning Oct. I. Boschman is currentlyexecutive pastor of Laurelglen Bible Church of Bakersfield, Calif., a congregation for which he was the founding and senior pastor from 1978 to 1989. Boschman replaces Chuck Buller, who resigned last fall after serving for four years as the first fulltime executive director of the denomination.
"Ed has spent a lifetime serving the church in a variety of ministry roles," says the Leadership Board in its announcement of the appointment. From 1989 to 1996, Boschman was the senior pastor of Willow Park Church in Kelowna, BC. He was the moderator of the binational General Conference of MB Churches from 1995 to 1999. He served as the executive director of Mission USA from 1996 to 2002. Boschman has also served as an adjunct faculty member at Fresno Pacific University, MB Biblical Seminary and the Institute for Archeological and Biblical Studies. He acts as a coach/mentor for church planters and leaders of church renewal.
Boschman and his wife, Carol, are "excited about the opportunity to serve the U S. Conference and are grateful for the unanimous and enthusiastic confidence the Leadership Board has placed in them," says the press release. "Ed and Carol are committed to celebrating the life of God and spreading the word about the salvation that becomes a reality when people choose to follow Christ." The couple has chosen Psalm 115:1 as a foundational verse as they enter this new ministry. "Not to us, 0 Lord, but to your name be the glory."
'The future will provide great opportunities for local church, district, institutional and multiple other ministry collaborations," say the Boschmans. 'The third millennium in the U.S. will be a great canvas onto which we can effectively paint the story of our loving God and our experiences with him. Our Anabaptist core beliefs are great news for the people with whom we live and the whole planet for that matter." - USC Leadership Board
New Hope gift benefits Tabor College
The New Hope (Minn ) MB Church no longer gathers for Sunday worship, but before closing its doors in June, the congregation ensured the church's historic legacy by giving away the proceeds from the sale of its property. About $460,000 of those funds will be placed in an endowment through MB Foundation to create a "Legacy of Hope Fund" for Tabor College, an MB -owned college headquartered in Hillsboro, Kan
Under the management of the MB Foundation, proceeds from the endowment will be used by Tabor College to support the proposed Center for Scientific Research and Scholarship, where students will collaborate with faculty and staff on research projects and other scholarship activities
"While we certainly grieve the closing of a church, it gives us great satisfaction to assist the church in leaving a legacy, a testimony of their values and priorities," says Jon Wiebe, president and CEO of MB Foundation . " Of course, we are also thrilled to facilitate a ttemendous endowment to benefit Tabor for many years to come "
Robert Suderman, moderator of New Hope Church says, 'We are pleased that we can provide an endowment which will further the continuing education of faculty and professional staff If it assists Tabor in establishing the proposed Center for Scientific Research and Scholarship, that would be great."
Lawrence Ressler, vice president of academics and student development, says the congregation's gift is "an outstanding investment in the future of Tabor.... What's so
great about the Legacy of Hope Fund is that resources now will be available every year to support research and scholarship," Ressler adds . 'The name of the fund is appropriate because it provides hope to the institution, to students, to faculty and to staff."
New Hope Church held a "farewell reunion" service in June, singing hymns and reflecting on the congregation's histoty, which dates back to the South Side Mission 97 years ago. After the last hymns were sung. the hymnals themselves were sold as keepsakes, with the proceeds being donated to the Tabor College music department. Suderman says that although the church will no longer be meeting for regular Sunday worship, members will continue to maintain the "New Hope connection" through a series of monthly get-togethers for fellowship and Bible study.-TCIMBF
MBBS counseling programs celebrate anniversaries
MB Biblical Seminary will celebrate the anniversaries of the Marriage, Family and Child Counseling and On-Site Counseling programs Oct. 12-13 via a conference entitled 'The Psyche and the Spirit." Activities will include a Friday night banquet and Saturday conference on the seminary's Fresno, Calif., campus.
"For 30 years MBBS has been training women and men to heal and bless themselves and others through marriage and family therapy, pastoral counseling, and counselor education," says Delores Friesen, professor of pastoral counseling. 'We look forward to celebrating these gifts of ministry, healing and therapy."
MBBS first approved a pastoral counseling program and full-time faculty 30 years ago. Shortly after, requirements were met to become a qualifying master's degree program in marriage, family and child counseling, which enabled graduates to pursue California state licensure.
The counseling program expanded in 1998 to include a Diploma in Integration
MCC responds
Mfor professionals seeking an opportunity to integrate their faith and their professional discipline. In 2003, a Diploma in Congregational Care was designed especially for pastors and laypersons who engage in congregational and pastoral care minisrries. To date, graduates of all three programs number over 130 alumni and represent 10 different countries.
The On - Site Counseling Program, begun in 1992, provides pre-practicum and practicum counseling placements through an agency of the seminary. Students and graduates have served in elementary and secondary schools (providing counseling to emotionally at-risk students and their families), community Christian and nonprofit agencies and MB Biblical Seminarybased services.
The Psyche and the Spirit is open to anyone connected with the seminary, its counseling programs or services or to those who would like to learn more about them. Continuing Education Units will be available. For more information, visit www.mbseminary.edu/events. - MBBS
to flooding in South Asia
ennonite Central Committee, the peace, relief and service agency of North American Anabaptists, is providing aid to people displaced by flooding in Nepal, Bangladesh and India. In late July, seasonal floods were affecting millions of pe0ple in these South Asian countries, destroying homes, spreading waterborne diseases and claiming hundreds of lives. MCC is welcoming financial contributions to provide assistance to people affected by this disaster.
'1\.s the hours tick by, the needs are mounting," writes Jerry Shank, an MCC representative in Bangladesh, in an early August e-mail.
In Bangladesh, MCC is providing a lo-day supply of food for 5,050 families The recipients will be selected by nine MCC partner agencies in three flooded dis -
tricts-Sirajganj, Bogra and Nilphamari. The food, valued at $50,000, is MCC's initial emergency response to the floods. Staff in Bangladesh continue to assess the situation and plan for longer-term projects.
In Nepal, MCC is providing about $21,000 to the Nepal Christian Relief Services to assist about 1,650 people who have fled the flooding in Nepal's southern plains region. The project will provide food, clothing, blankets, soap, mosquito nets and other necessities
In India, MCC is assessing needs and consulting with partner agencies.
Financial contributions for MCC's response may be made at any MCC office or online at mcc.org/donate. They should be designated "South Asia Flood Response " -MCC
EDIGER RECEIVES SCHOLARSHIP
Nicole Ediger of North Oak Community Church, Hays, Kan., is among 36 recipients of a scholarship from Mennonite Mutual Aid. Ediger, a student at John Brown University, received $1500 through MMA College Scholarship, a program that encourages young people to explore the concept of biblical stewardship while helping them in their educational journey. MMA is an Anabaptist stewardship organization.-MMA
NEW EDITORS
Victor Froese, Canadian Mennonite University, Winnipeg, Manitoba, is the new editor of DIRECTION, replacing Douglas Miller, who served as editor since 1997. Richard Rawls, Fresno Pacific University, replaces Richard Kyle, Tabor College, as book review editor. DIRECTION is the semiannual journal sponsored by North American Mennonite Brethren institutions of higher education.
SUMMER VOLUNTEERS
Seventy young people participated in the Mennonite Central Committee U.S. Summer Service Program. The program enables people of diverse ethnic backgrounds to work with a church or service agency in their home communities for 10 weeks. Six Mennonite Brethren congregations or agencies participated. Denisse Ramos and Danae Ramos worked with Iglesia Casa de Oracion Hermanos Menonitas in Rio Grande City, Texas. Javier Aguilera, Fresno, Calif., and Jose Luis Beltran, Clovis, Calif., worked with Fresno Pacific University. Marisol Alvarado and Lucia Alvarado worked with Raisin City (Calif.) Community Church. Cruz Rodriguez worked with Iglesia Evangelica Los Hechos de Manteca of Manteca, Calif. Dagmawi Haile worked with Ethiopian Christian Fellowship of Sacramento, Calif. Mari (Julie) Villasenor, a student at Fresno Pacific University, worked with Community Youth Ministries of Reedley, Calif.-MCC
it," writes the wise Olle in Proyerbs 22:6. When our children are young, we often · literally taking ' thoro by ,"""",'o1i + frod
How parents and churches can help teens connect faith to life
WILL OUR CHILDREN HAVE FAITH? THIS WAS mE question posed by John Westerhof in a 1976 book by the same title. It is a question that still challenges the church today. Recent studies on teenagers in the u.s. and Canada suggest that if teens have faith at all, it is a generic, shallow kind of belief; a faith that will not enable them to deal with the challenges of our increasingly secular age.
A recent u.s. National Study on Teenagers and Religion found that teens that belong to religious groups have extremely weak spiritual understandings about their faith. The majotity do not know the basics of what their religion teaches.
As repprted by author Christian Smith in Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers, the study describes the belief system of many teens as "Moralistic Therapeutic Deism." Its basic tenets are:
• A God exists who created and orders the world and watches over human life on earth.
• God wants people to be good, nice and fair to each other, as taught in the Bible and by most world religions.
• The central goal in life is to be happy and feel good about oneself. God does not need to be involved in my life, except when I need God to resolve a problem. Good people go to heaven when they die.
How did church-going teens end up this way? The study goes on to say that the single most important influence and predictor of the religious and spiritual lives of adolescents are their parents. Far from
seeking their own spiritual paths, teenagers follow their parents' footsteps when it comes to religion. For example, in Canada about 80 percent of teens say they are highly influenced by their parents and about 70 percent want to have a home like the one they grew up in.
Passing on faith
In other words, the beliefs of the parents get passed down to their children. Children will pick up their values, attitudes and beliefs about things like God, the divinity of Jesus, life afrer death, love, sexuality, values and ethics. "Teenagers will become eventually pretty much like the rest of us," according to Reginald Bibby, the University of Lethbridge sociologist who has been surveying teenagers' attitudes towards religion since the 1970S and is the author of Canada's Teens: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow So it seems parents have passed on a watered-down faith.
The point is not to blame parents but to recognize that the supports-church, school and community-that the family once relied on to assist them in passing on the faith to their children are no longer there. Teens are constantly bombarded with unchristian messages The media saturates their minds and hearts with images, dreams and values that are often life-negating rather than life-giving.
In an increasingly secular society, adults too have lost their ability to express their beliefs in the language of faith As
families, we might have good relationships and great conversations but they may be lacking in faith content.
Another major influence in causing teens to have a shallow faith has been the teaching they have received in some churches. Wendell Loewen, Tabor College associate professor of youth, church and culture, addresses this in his article, 'Thirsty for the reign: A kingdom theology for youth minisny" in the spring 2002 issue of Direction, the journal published by Mennonite Brethren colleges and universities. Loewen suggests that many teens have been taught that "salvation is, in essence,
B Y ABE BERGEN
up with a watered-down faith, a faith that simply promotes personal well-being and teaches them to be nice to one another. It will be a faith that keeps God on retainer, just in case they run into trouble but not a faith that promotes the importance of deepening the presence of God in their lives.
Fortunately, the students I meet through my work at Canadian Mennonite University are, for the most part,
If we fail to partner together to live and t each a holi stic gospel to ou r children , th ey will end up with a watered-down f aith, a f aith t hat simply promotes personal w e ll-being and teaches them to be nice t o one another.
a one-time transaction with God to escape damnation Christians simply have to read the Bible more, pray more, and occasionally save souls."
The result, Loewen says, is a faith that is "virtually indistinguishable from its surtounding culture," that is "primarily privatized" and that "demonstrates a radical disconnect between belief and lifestyle."
Emphasizing God's reign
Loewen goes on to say that what is needed today is a "biblical presentation of the church" as an "alternative culture that invites others to participate in the reality of God's reign. Understanding this can help move students beyond a privatized faith toward a strong desire to influence the world."
For Loewen, this reign is most helpfully illustrated by the image of the kingdom of God. By emphasizing the reign of God, he says, teens will "better be able to see their way out of their individualized, privatized faith bubbles. They will be able to wrestle with tangible ways in which they can impact their world. This discovery can move students beyond an individual and personal faith emphasis toward one that seeks to tangibly impact the world."
Parents must continue to playa major role in helping their children pay attention to a God who has not only given life, but also wants to be in an ongoing relationship with them and to live out God's love in the world. The writer in Deuteronomy (6:5-8) challenges us to saturate the minds and hearts of our children with the words of God whenever we have the opportunity to share the biblical story with them-when we lie down and we rise, when we are at home and when we are away. We are to be in constant awareness of God and our need to be devoted to God alone.
Partners
This awareness must be taught and lived in the home and reinforced in our churches and Christian schools. If we fail to partner together to live and teach a holistic gospel to our children, they will end
not Moralistic Therapeutic Deists. Yet they ofren struggle with how to make their faith real and vital. For this reason, it is important to challenge even these students to think deeply about their faith, to take ownership of their beliefs and to be able to articulate them. It can be a tough experience, but through it they discover ways to grow in their relationship with God and learn how to put faith into practice through service and action.
In our homes, churches and Christian schools, our goal must be to help youth care equally about evangelism and social action; inner peace with God and peacemaking; personal spirituality and community; abundant life and simple living; serving God and serving the poor; praying and doing justice. This will help them avoid becoming Moralistic Therapeutic Deists. We should help them to learn to know the one who created them, and who watches over all of life-and help them deepen that relationship in such a way that they will constantly feel God's presence as they commit themselves to serving God in all of life.
Abe Bergen is assistant professor of practical theology at Canadian Mennonite University, specializing in youth ministry. Before coming to CMU, he was an assistant pastor at Winnipegs Bethel Mennonite and served as Director of Youth Ministry for the General Conference Mennonite Church (Canada and U.S.). CMU is a Mennonite Brethren institution located in Winnipeg, Man. This article has also been published in The Messenger. the publication of the Evangelical Mennonite Conference.
Tell me a story
Want your kid s to develop good character? Tell them st ories.
"START CHILDREN OFF ON THE WAY THEY SHOULD go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it "(Prov . 22:6 Today's NIV)
"Hear, 0 Israel : The Lord our God, the Lord is one Love the Lord your God with aU your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength . These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children . Talk about them when you sit at home and walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up" (Deut. 6 :4-7)
sees a train coming He's got to decide what to do. Immediately he jumps down on the tracks and pushes himself and the other guy down between the tracks. The train screeches to a halt, but it cannot stop in time . Five cars roll over the two guys before it stops. People on the platform are screaming and then they hear a voice. It's Wesley. 'We're OK down here, but I've got two daughters up there. Let them know their father's OK."
Son: I'd have been freaking out.
As we enter into the story and identify with the characters, we come to dwell in the story. As we dwell in the story, our moral identity is sh aped.
How do we go about staning children off on the way they should go? How do we impress God's commandments on our children? How do we keep God's commandments on our hearts? How do we talk about these commandments during our daily lives?
These are questions about moral education-both the moral education of children and our own ongoing moral education. Consider two possible conversations. Imagine that both occur while working on a household chore.
Conversation I:
Dad: Son, do you think that it is ever OK to tell a lie?
Son: No.
Dad: Well, what about a situation like this. You know the Oxlers, those missionaries to Saudi Arabia that have been going to our church? They want us to refer to them as the Olafsons when we put their names in our church newsletter. They are afraid that if anyone in Saudi Arabia found out they were missionaries, they would be kicked out of the countty. So they use a false name. Is that OK?
Son: Is it really lying?
Dad: Well, they are being deceptive.
Conversation z:
Dad: I read this really amazing thing in the newspaper today.
Son: What's that?
D ad: This guy named Wesley Autrey - he's about my agewas wait ing for a subwa y train in New York C ity with his two daughters . All of a sudden another guy, who was about 20, had a seizure and fell off the subway platform and onto the train tracks. Wesley
The right stuff
The first conversation illustrates the use of moral dilemmas, one common way we parents engage our children in moral education. Moral dilemmas focus on the development of moral reasoning.
A moral dilemma arises when there is a situation in which two or more moral principles appear to be relevant to that situation but there is no course of action that satisfies all of the principles . Discussions about these dilemmas focus on whether or not the conflict among moral principles is a genuine conflict or merely an apparent conflict that can be dissolved If the conflict is genuine, then one must decide which moral principle is more imponant than the others.
This emphasis on moral dilemmas is, however, problematic. There are genuine moral dilemmas in which two or more moral principles cannot be honored simultaneously, at least at first glance. But more often we face a second kind of moral dilemma that I call a pseudo-dilemma. These arise when a moral principle requires a person to do something that it is difficult.
For instance, the CFO of a company may be required - both morally and legally - to repon significant losses However such a repon may hun stock prices and consequently may cause top executives to fail to receive their bonuses .
Sometimes we say that the CFO faces an ethical dilemma : Should he repon the losses accurately or not? From a
moral standpoint it is obvious what he should do. There is DO clash of moral principles here In this case the issue is: Will the CFO do the right thing?
Genuine moral dilemmas are a part of life and are worthy of our attention But they are relatively t rue Pseudo-dilemmas, on the other hand. are fairly common. But they do not require good moral reasoning; they require a good character.
Good character
The primary goal of moral education should be tbe development of moral character The second tion illustrates an alternative to moral education and does not focus on the development of moral reasoning This alternative views moral education as the development of good character.
Sometimes this is referred to as the development ola moral identity, and it is widely held that stories are essential to the development of a moral identity For instance phiJoSQl)her Owen Flanagan writes. 'We are story-telling animals we make sense of things through stories. and espeaaBy when bundled together, generate grand picture ourselves and our world through stories, grand stories."
Christian novelist Walter Wangerin nofes tpat we ofien think of stories merely as pleasant diversions And initially, that is all that they are But, Wangerin Tlotes: as' we enter into the story and identify with the we to dwell in the story. As we dwell in the story, ·our moral 1&ntity is shaped.
We also need stories in which we can clearly identify with the characters. I have often told my children the story of their grandfather who in the 1950S was a police officer in Grand Rapids, Mich. While on desk duty, he-a white male in his early 40S who is a captain-looks up from his desk and says "May I help you, sir?" The civilian who has approached the desk-a neatly dressed AfricanAmerican male in his late 50S or early 60S-does not reply. My father repeats his question. "May I help you, sir?" The civilian waits, then replies: "You are the first white man who ever called me 'sir."' Police officer and civilian then conduct their business.
My kids are proud of that story. They know that their grandfather did the right thing even though it was not what the cultural norms of the day would have demanded. His action was not sacrificial or heroic-he did not risk anything in treating this man with dignity. But he did act in a way that defied local custom and expectation. Stories in which people with whom we can identify-our relatives or neighbors or friends (or enemies) - do good things that violate existing cultural expectations are especially important.
H ow n ot to act
Stories can also help to shape moral identity by showing us how not to act. Another story that I have often told my children is from my childhood. When I was in middle school there was a girl in my grade with some significant learning disabilities Several of my classmates would walk beside her in the hallway and kick her behind as they walked beside her . Walking the halls must have been torture for her. I never kicked her, but I ·never intervened to help either. I stood against the hallway wall and watched others mistreat her.
This was not exemplary moral behavior. It is a story of moral failure. It is easy to recognize that I should have gone against the cultural expectation of my school. I should have helped in some way. Stories of moral failure-by people with whom we can identify-also are ways of shaping moral identity.
So how can we go about shaping our moral identity, as individuals, as churches and as denominations? First, we should recognize that we are inundated with stories in our culture. Movies, television shows, popular songs and even advertising are usually telling stories They invite us in to see life from a certain perspective. Whether we like it or not, moral education through storytelling is happening all the time.
Secondly, we should collect and tell stories that reflect and reinforce our deepest values as followers of Jesus. Some of these stories should be hero stories that inspire us to take risks and make sacrifices as we follow our King. Others should tell of people like us who are able-and unable-to resist the values of greed, violence and selfishness that pervade our culture.
Thirdly, we should create opportunities to tell these stories in our homes and churches, in our recreation and our work. As we do so, we can both shape and express our identity as followers of Jesus.
David Faber is professor of philosophy and religious studies at Tabor College in Hillsboro, Kan. He is a member of Ebenfeld MB Church, rural Hillsboro.
Dining at the all-you-can- e at entertainment buffet
Having a healthy heart isn 't as easy as it sounds in today 's entertainment-rich world
JUST LIKE THE HEALlH OF OUR physical hearts is greatly influenced by the diet and exercise choices we make, the health of our spiritual hearts is influenced by what we feed our hearts . We all need healthy hearts and our children need to know how to make healthy choices when they're on their own. Proverbs 4:2 says, <l\bove all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." But with a never-ending. all-you-can-eat entertainment buffet knocking at our door, how do we make healthy choices?
The obvious answer is that we need to watch what we eat A multitude of entertainment and information choices are more accessible than ever, so it is more important than ever to be diligent and intentional about the choices we make . Some sources of entertainment are obviously highly toxic. On ·the Internet. it is quite easy to stumble upon videos or other sites we would never ir.tentionally expose our kids or ourselves to
But I think the most dangerous temptations aren't the most obvious ones. When toxins are mixed into otherwise healthy entertainment "food." the result is something we might assume is good for us. In the Garden of Eden, Satan convinced Eve that what God had forbidden was not deadly but was actually good for her. He uses the same logic with us today, telling us if there is enough good in something, it justifies the bad and that the bad isn't really so harmful to us anyway.
Caring for our heans
God knows that repeated ingestion of spiritual poison causes spiritual fatigue, desensitization, and blindness. Just as we become like people we spend time with, we are prone to adopt the behavior, language. beliefs and values of the characters we spend time with on TV; in movies. on the Web or in books. 2 Corinthians 7 :1 says. "Dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and
spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God." God calls us to holiness because he loves us and cares about the health of our hearts. I am learning to care for my spiritual heart the same way I care for my physical heart.
Get a regular physical. Like a physician who can help us make the best health choices. God knows what is good for our hearts and what is best for each of us. If God shows me I'm growing discontented with my marriage or home because I'm watching too many romantic dramas or home improvement shows, I need to follow his orders and change my habits. Our hearts will be healthy when we obey God. As we grow and mature in our relationship with Christ, our media habits should be growing more holy rather than more tolerant.
Make choices before temptation arrives. Daniel and his friends purposed in their hearts not to sin against God and were victorious in resisting the temptation of the King's banquet. Like them, we must decide what is acceptable and what is not before it is in front of us. Ten years ago my husband and I decided to not watch R-rated movies. While it means we have fewer options, we have never regretted it. We also are cautious about PG-13 and lV-14 ratings, and see the ratings as an indication that there is probably something poisonous inside.
Check the label and do the research. Just like a health-conscious person carefully checks the nutrition listing on packaged food, we can find out in advance what is contained in books, television shows and movies.
Pluggedinonline.com, a publication of Focus on the Family, has a great deal of information about making good decisions regarding our families' media diets. Pay attention. Like people with allergies or heart conditions have to be aware of what they eat, I need to pay attention to what my heart consumes. The Holy Spirit can give me wisdom about the entertainment buffet we encounter every day. Why do we want to watchllisten tolplay/read this? What kind of fruit will it produce in us? Do we want our family to imitate these characters? Are we giving in to our children because we don't want to argue with them? Will this undermine the
Many of us were first exposed to entertaining toxins in the form of "harmless" cartoons. Magic started with Cinderella's fairy godmother and violence started with superheroes fighting villains. So it can be tempting to let cartoon magic and violence slide. But we don't want our children shooting people or practicing any sort of magic in real life so we teach them to honor God and people with their television and video game choices. We pray that they will understand and make good choices when they are not with us.
Smorgasbord struggles
When I struggle with entertainment choices, fasting helps me renew my self-control and perspective. Survivor and The Amazing Race are two of my favorite "junk food" TV shows. One year for Lent I fasted from
But I think the most dangerous temptations aren't the most obvio us ones. When toxins are mixed into otherwi se healthy entertainment "food," the re sult is something we might assume is good for us.
values (modesty, purity, honesty, obedience, etc.) we're teaching our kids? Do we want these images/attitudes invading our prayers, Bible study or dreams? Are we likely to regret watchingllooking atllistening to/reading this? As we answer these questions, it ofren becomes .apparent what the wise choice would be.
The trouble with magic
Some may think the decisions my husband and I have made about entertainment are extreme, but we've discussed it with our spiritual Physician and we feel we are doing what is best for our family's hearts. At the same time, I admit that I don't always know what to do. Maintaining a healthy diet isn't as easy as it sounds.
For example, I am concerned about the tolerance for magic among Christians. The recent release of another Harry Potter movie and book highlights this concern. We were all created to be powerful spiritual beings, but our power is to come from being filled with the Holy Spirit. Any other form of spirituality is detestable to God (Deut. 18:9-13). Yet, parents who would never dream of allowing their kids to be trained in witchcrafr tolerate their reading thousands of pages about Harry Potter's life as a young sorcerer
Harry Potter is not part of my family's diet, but there are some books/movies that aren't as easy to pass by. I know the Lord of the Rings movies aren't appropriate for my young kids, but are they okay for me as an adult? What about fairy tales? Many fairy tales embrace magic and supernatural power apart from God that should not be a source of entertainment. So we have not read certain fairy tales to our children .
prime time TV because I was finding it harder and harder to resist reality shows. When Lent was over, I found I had more self-control.
Just like a fresh cookie or bag of chips tempts me when I'm hungry, I am most tempted to watch TV when I'm tired Jesus says, "Come unto me and I will give you rest." Though it takes more effort, taking a few minutes to pray before I watch TV or surf the Web is helpful and so much more satisfying. I have found that if I'm not more satisfied by Jesus than anything else, there's something wrong with my heart.
I was recently reminded of the impact entertainment choicesincluding the ones I made years ago-have on my spiritual health. One morning I was contemplating Psalm 23 and enjoying the presence of Jesus. It was peaceful and beautiful-until a particular song from the movie Grease jumped out of my memory and into the scene. It was a vulgar song, and I was disgusted. I listened to the Grease soundtrack ofren in college, a time when I thought I had fairly high standards regarding appropriate entertainment. But now, like grease in my arteries, this song had poisoned my quiet time.
God is challenging me to exercise my self-control more and consume less TV, movies and computer time. Hebrews 12:11 says, ''No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." It won't be easy but I want that righteousness and peace to permeate my life and my family so that when we walk with Christ a pleasing aroma of praise and worship-rather than "grease"-will be found in our healthy hearts.
Melissa Ens, along with her husband Lowell and children Mikaela and Tobiah, is part of the new Grove Community Church in Fresno, Calif She left the teaching profession to be a stay-at-home mom and can often be found watching Veggie Tales with her kids or blogging online at www.musingmelissa blogspot com.
Send them off with prayer
A mother suggests how to pray for college students attending secuLar institutions
I FONDLY REMEMBER MY COLLEGE EXPERIENC E AS some of the most exciting-and most stressful-years of my life As I moved from the cloistered halls of high school and home to the wide-open spaces of campus life where any philosophy and beh avior was acceptable, I was challenged to define my faith , my friends and my future.
Now as the parent of a college student, I watch my daughter encounter the same challenges of college life. It didn't take long for separation anxiety to set in. For the first time in 18 years , I didn't know where she was every moment, much less how she was coping. I wasn't there to console or to be consulted, to snatch her from bad choices or what I thought were undesirable influences It took only a few weeks to realize the best thing I could do for her was to pray
Even the best-prepared student will experience culture shock upon entering the secular college campus. On their own, our children must choose how to balance study and social relationships . They learn to manage their time and energy on campuses that present more options than a Chinese buffet.
Secular college settings can make or break students' faith as professors and other students question everything they've ever believed. Students face the dilemma of determining the fine balance of tolerating other lifestyles without participating or becoming indifferent. Lacking the maturity and experience to make wise decisions , new college students will confront tough moral choices such as how to handle pickup lines from the opposite sex or whether to fulfill a class requirement to attend an event that goes against their beliefs
Any college student needs prayer at this crucial junction of their lives. Those attending secular colleges desperately need our prayer support, that they will grow stronger in their faith in spite of the challenges to their faith They need to know people at home love and support them and are interceding to the Father for them. If you know a young person heading toward college, here are 10 ways you can pray for a college student.
I. Managing resources. Often for the first time, college students must decide how to spend their money, when and how much to study and when to go to bed at night. Moreover campu ses offer an amazing assortment of academic and social opportunities . Finding a balance between academics, social life and personal needs is especially daunting for first year students Pray they find a balance and learn to manage their time and money wisely.
z. Managing relationships. Students will make deep and lasting friendships in college. Pray that those relationships will be encouraging and constructive and that time spent with friends will not detract from their greater purposes.
3. Connection with other Christians. A large secular campus can be a lonely place, especially for a Christian. Pray that your student finds other believers in the dorm and major field, and that they connect with a local church or student ministry organization.
4. Opportunities to witness and minister. While we think of secular campuses as largely non-Christian environments, college students are also most open to new ideas, including Christianity. Pray that Christian students will find and take advantage of opportunities to share their faith. Pray that they will be willing to set aside their own desires in order to show the love of Christ to those around them.
5. Safety and health. A serous health issue or accident can severely jeopardize an entire semester. Students live in close proximity to others, becoming more susceptible to contagious diseases. I was made all too aware of the need to pray for my daughter's constant safety when a friend's daughter was raped through the use of a rape drug, causing her to miss nearly a month of school because she was afraid to walk to classes.
6. Developing a sound mind. College is the marketplace of ideas, yet a young adult is inexperienced in selecting truth from opinion and twisted facts. Pray that God will help students analyze what they are taught, that they will discern the difference between truth and propaganda, and that they will stand up for the truth in the appropriate venue.
7. Alertness to temptation. Participating in worldly behaviors seems like the foremost temptation for college students. Yet when I talked with several college students, their major concern was the sttuggle with apathy. This induded being lazy in their study and class attendance and being drawn into an ambivalent tolerance of the immoral behavior around them. Pray that students stay strong and that God enables them to guard their minds and behaviors.
8. Defining a clear purpose. As students are exposed to new topics of study and become bored or discouraged with their chosen major, it is tempting to switch majors. Pray that they are able to stay the course and that they seek after God, inviting him to be a part of their decisions about their life work.
9. Spiritual growth. Too often, we think of college as a time when our young people lose their faith. Actually, college can be the place
where students' faith is strengthened because it becomes their own faith, not just the faith of their parents. Pray for opportunities for students to grow in their knowledge of God and in their trust in him.
10. Wisdom in decision making. From how to handle a lab partner who wants to cheat on a chemistry lab to how to deal with an overly friendly roommate's boyfriend in the dorm room. the daily decisions a student must make on his or her own can be overwhelming. Chris "Poppy" Popadich. a campus minister at Kent State, observes that he often finds students are unprepared to make those decisions and cope with the consequences of their decision. Pray daily that God will grant your student wisdom in decision making and help in growing to accept him as the source of wisdom.
These 10 tips are only a starting point in your prayer partnership with your student. Ask the students you are praying for how you can specifically pray for them. At first I thought I knew what college students needed and faced. But as I talked to my daughter and other students. their comments surprised me. Our young people know what is right. They do desire to strengthen their connection with God and other Christians. They want to trust God to stay pure. to stand strong and to serve others. They sttuggle with the wisdom and the courage to do what is right and what will honor God.
Stay in touch often with college students through email. an Internet chat room or the phone. End your conversations with. can I pray for you this week?" When they mention a struggle or a decision they must make, assure them of your prayer support instead of giving advice.
James 5:16 says. 'The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." You may never know the impact your prayer partnership will have on the life of your college student. yet your prayer support may be the glue that keeps their faith and service to God strong and intact.
Karen Wingate is a freelance writer from East Sparta, Ohio. She and her husband have two teenage daughters. one who is attending Kent State University.
Your Mennonite Brethren
Vacation Bible school remix
Familiar summer children's programs with a new twist
Vacation Bible school has long been a fixture for summer children's ministry in many Mennonite Brethren congregations. Adult volunteers pour countless hours into providing an experience for kids that is appealing and spiritually challenging, and kids flock to churches for fun and age-appropriate Bible teaching.
As we read bulletins and newsletters from our U S. congregations, patterns emerge: Many churches, for example, draw upon similar curriculum. This summer, favorites included Group Publishing's 'l\valanche Ranch" and Standard Publishing's ''Take the Plunge."
A newer trend is a day camp approach to summer children's ministry, with sports camps, art camps or music camps. Several churches, including Neighborhood Church, Visalia, Calif., Good News Fellowship, Ferndale, Wash., and Heritage Bible Church, Bakersfield, Calif., followed this pattern. Each summer there are also congregations that try something new, rethinking all or a portion of their traditional approach to summer children's programs. We've chosen to highlight three Denver area Mennonite Brethren congregations that did some things different this summer The stories that follow tell of a cross-cultural VBS partnership between an immigrant church and a Kansas congregation, a community VBS that drew upon the strengths of 14 different churches, and an adventure that was more like a mission experience than a VBS. - the editors
A VBS session is led by (left to right) U.P. the Penguin, UMBC volunteers Erin Gift, Sara Gift and Elizabeth Anderson and Surra and Stan Lawson of EEC.
Two MB cultures merge for unique VBS
Ethiopian youth provide workers for Kansas congregation
The unique summer partnership between Ethiopian Evangelical Church in Aurora, Colo., and Ulysses (Kan.) MB Church can be traced to a passing comment UMBC pastor Nate Gift made to EEC's Stan Lawson.
When Stan Lawson became pastor of families at Ethiopian Evangelical Church in Aurora, Colo., seven years ago, he encountered challenges most Anglo Mennonite Brethren churches don't face. Most church members don't need to acclimate to a new culture, language or set of job possibilities. Most churches have had children's ministries in place, along with adult and youth programs, for many years. And most churches already have some sort of annual "our-church -is-knownaround-the-town-for-this" outreach program .
Ethiopian Evangelical Church is not most churches. With around 550 attendees of first- to third-generation Ethiopian immigrants, all of these challenges race to the forefront. Add in a language barrier, and "it makes life interesting," Lawson says.
As one of a handful of Anglo members in an immigrant church, Lawson came to the congregation with very little experience in children's ministry. "It was a great opportunity for me and for the church . I brought a different perspective." Lawson says, 'l\mong the challenges faced are culture, language and knowledge, but the people are willing to make changes."
Knowing the tendency of immigrant groups to form their own community and keep inside their own ranks, Lawson wants to see EEC's members become a missional and active part of the MB's long
history of evangelism and outreach To do so would be to emulate the MB model of a hundred years ago, when German/Russian immigrants were committed to reaching their new neighbors.
Lawson wants to incorporate this attitude of service into the youth he oversees, which includes anyone from "cradle to college."
EEC has actively drawn on resources and poured into others including sending senior pastor Endashaw Kelkele to speak at a Sunday morning worship service at Ulysses (Kan.) MB Church for their Mid-Winter Bible Conference. In tum, UMBC pastor Nate Gift visited EEC that spring to challenge the EEC youth.
Gift and Lawson became acquainted through the interchange, and in June when Lawson was looking for a summer outreach experience for his youth, he thought of Gift's reference to his congregation's nonexistent VBS program in recent years
Lawson contacted Gift. and the two began working on a plan. UMBC would host a VBS while EEC youth would supply some workers. In the evenings. the ECC youth would gather with UMBC youth for Bible study, which would provide the ECC youth with some elements of their annual summer camp experience. Lawson and Gift would take took turns leading the combined group meetings.
Last month. four EEC youth helped lead "Take the Plunge" vacation Bible school Aug. 6-10 for 32 children. 10 from UMBC and 22 others from the community.
Even though the number of EEC participants was lower than hoped, the ratio of total children to helpers gelled nicely. If more youth had come. says Lawson, there wouldn't have been enough to keep them busy "God provided the numbers from both sides." he says.
The VBS in Ulysses was a good avenue for service for two reasons, Lawson says First. the Ethopian youth were comfortable working with children but were also stretched
Above: Yabets oversees the "Oceans of Motion" station . Left: The EEC team of Yabets, Rache l , Surra and Emily get a taste of Kansas farm life
by being in a new environment. Second, he believes immigrants are in a good position to share the gospel because it is unexpected from an immigrant group.
UMBC children's ministry leader, Jeannette Leigh, says the EEC youth were very enthusiastic to do the job. The material was handed to them the night before the first session and they "just jumped right in and did it."
"It changed my idea of how VBS should be done," she says. 'Three months prep time is not needed. The key is total dedication."
The youth also brought new ideas to the process and worked at the children's level, Leigh says. That may have been because they felt a certain sense of ease around the children. 'They feel at home," says Lawson of his team.
During the EEC group's free time, they experienced authentic Southwest Kansas by learning the "smell of money" at a local feed yard, touring a fann and its equipment, and visiting Grant County Museum. As a service project, the group spent a morning cleaning out debris from a congregant's rental home
The EEC youth enjoyed their stay, calling this experience, "better than camp," referring to their normal camp experience in Ponderosa, Colo.
"This was a huge step for both churches," Lawson says. It filled the need of EEC to keep looking outside of themselves for service, he says and also gave Ulysses MB a new beginning in an area of need, he says
It was a "rare and humbling experience" to work with the EEC team, Leigh says. 'They were eager to do it, and every one of them treated the children with respect and tenderness "
When Lawson looks to the future, he says , 'This is the first trip of this type for the youth and one that we will look to repeat " - Melissa Nickel, UMBC summer intern
Small urban churches join for VBS
Denver MB church organizes community VBS
For years - at least a decade, maybe two-Garden Park Church didn't have traditional vacation Bible school. The Mennonite Brethren congregation in southwest Denver is small, with about 40 members and only a handful of childrentoo few to justify a full-blown VBS. But this summer, for the second time, GPC found a way not only to offer VBS for their children but also to reflect the unity of the body of Christ by cooperating with other small churches in the area for a community VBS.
The churches already had a connection through Community Ministries, a ministry in which 28 churches cooperate to provide a food bank and clothing bank, which happen to be housed in the Garden Park gym. Many of the churches face similar demographics and challenges : small numbers, an aging population and few families with young children.
As Garden Park member Shara Schroeder heard similar concerns from these churches, she remembered her childhood in a small town, where many small churches banded together for a community VBS. Why couldn't these churches do the same?
Others quickly caught the vision. In 2006, Schroeder directed a community VBS that involved 10 area churches and enabled about 60 children to participate in VBS. The experience was positive enough that the churches wanted to do it again, so Schroeder again served as director this summer. Some 14 churches from southwest Denver worked together for this year's VBS at Garden Park, which ran from June 10-14 and served a total of 70 children.
Of the kids who attended, about 30 were from the neighborhood; the rest were from area churches. Schroeder says that both churched kids and neighborhood kids responded enthusiastically to the VBS. 'They love to be in that situation where everyone around is loving Jesus and learning about Jesus and excited about Jesus," she says.
Volunteers from 14 Denver congregations worked together to host VBS at Garden Park Church for their own children as well as neighborhood families.
For those children who have little peer interaction in their churches, the VBS provided an opportunity to rub shoulders and build friendships with other church children. Schroeder talks about «an energy" that kids generate when they are together that can be a powerful benefit to kids as well as adults. Children weren't the only ones who benefited from the peer interaction; some adult volunteers likewise found joy in working shoulder to shoulder with others who have chosen to selVe in small congregations in this community.
Schroeder says that sense of camaraderie is being strengthened as those who were involved in VBS now serve together through Community Ministries and see each other at various community events. Her own children, for example, are more eager to attend Community Ministries events, because they know they1l bump into children they've befriended through VBS.
Of course, the logistics of pulling together different generations, denominations and financial backgrounds for a single event presented a challenge. "You can't just put an announcement in the bulletin and have people show up," Schroeder says. Planning and training meetings were streamlined and kept to a minimum, and one Garden Park member, who Schroeder says is «gifted in making phone calls," was key to making it work.
Another key was choosing a curriculum that all could agree upon. Group Publishing's 'l\valanche Ranch" was chosen because it is recognized and widely respected in many evangelical denominations. 'We wanted the purpose to be focused on evangelism and training children to know God ," Schroeder says, not on denominational nuances.
In spite of differences, the churches were eager to work together, Schroeder says Each offered resources according to their abilities and strengths Some offered leadership or volunteers; others offered finances, food or other resources . While this church had an excellent musician, that one offered good cooks. This church had no children, but gave finances to purchase supplies. That church offered volunteers with a love for children. Somehow, it all came together. Schroeder says that while «there are always places where you end up praying extra hard," there were no major gaps or unmet needs. As a bonus, when churches and individuals were free to offer their strengths, they were able to selVe joyfully.
And when it all came together, the very diversity that made it a challenge was also one of the rewards «One of the coolest things was to see people from different generations, different denominations, different financial backgrounds all coming together to celebrate who God is," Schroeder says . In some small way, she says, that unity reflects heaven .- Myra Holmes
Denver
Suburban church takes VBS to homeless families
Denver congregation finds a mission field at home
The children's summer Bible school program at Belleview Community Church, Littleton, Colo., is called 'Vacation Bible Adventure." This year the word "adventure" was especially fitting since the suburban congregation packed up volunteers, children and supplies and took their VBA to homeless families in the heart of Denver.
Located in a renovated motel beside one of the city's busiest freeways, Joshua Station is a faith-based transitional community for families that provides affordable housing and help with spiritual, emotional and physical needs for up to 18 months
Although not overseas, Joshua Station represented a cross-cultural experience for Belleview's predominately white, middle-class congregation, crossing both ethnic and economic lines, according to children's pastor Tamara Glessner.
«It stretched us," she says. 'We were out of our comfort zone." When participants reported on their experience dur-
ing a worship service following VBA, many mentioned inconvenience and discomfort. It was hot. It smelled funny The children were at times undisciplined. But participants were also quick to say it was well worth the effort, likening it to a mission experience.
The adventure began with the prayets of one church member and "spread like wildfire" throughout the congregation, says Glessner. The idea coincided with both an expressed desire for family-oriented service for Belleview families and a need for family modeling and mentoring at Joshua Station. As if to confirm the direction, a seties of rather amazing "coincidences" led Belleview to Wheatfield Fellowship, a church in eastern Denver, that donated the bulk of the decorations, costumes and craft supplies. "God has been so faithful to open the doors to allow us this opportunity," Glessner says.
The adventure transformed a large room at Joshua Station into a Galilean village, where families from Belleview partnered with residents from Joshua Station to form "tribes." Together they learned Bible stories, participated in crafts, played games and built relationships. The curriculum, Group Publishing's "Galilee by the Sea," encouraged discussion and relationship building. About 60 Belleview adults and children and roughly 25 Joshua Station residents participated in the Aug. 6-10 event.
One of the hopes was that as Belleview membets interacted with Joshua Station families, they could model healthy family relationships. Because few Joshua Station parents atrended, the focus shifted to simply loving the children. Glessner says that in general the needs and behaviors of the children were different-and more difficult-tha n those of the children who usually atrend Belleview's VBA. One Belle-,riew family who participated describes the Joshua Station children as hungry for love: 'We were really struck by how much we can have an impact just by loving them."
Belleview participants hope their adventure made a difference for the Joshua Station residents. Glessner believes that all the Joshua Station participants saw a picture of Jesus both through the VBA activities and through the actions of the Belleview families. Two children from Joshua Station made commitments to Christ. Participants tell of resistant children who softened, difficult children who were shown loving boundaries and hurting children who were told about a Savior who protects and heals One girl from Joshua Station expressed her appreciation at the end of the week by giving everyone a hug.
"I think we made a difference," Glessner says.
The adventure also transformed many members of Belleview, although exactly how may best be seen over time. At minimum, Glessner says that this year's VBA "opened the eyes" of both adults and children to the needs of other families. She says it was significant that Belleview children
Left & Above:
had an opportunity to put their faith into practice, even through small gestures like addressing the Joshua Station children respectfully, by name. And she hopes that Belleview families will be more open to other opportunities for service because of this experience. "It opened our perspective on what God can do," Glessner says.
Belleview families are already talking about continued contact with Joshua Station. Glessner says, "'There will be many opportunities for ministry at Joshua Station in the future. We look forward to seeing how God paves the way for that to happen." Possibilities already being discussed include serving meals, providing makeovers for women, mentoring individual children or teaching a parenting class.
"The adventure is not done," Glessner says .Myra Holmes
Volunteers from Belleview Community Church brought their VBS to homeless families in Denver.
New energy for new frontiers
soc convention celebrates church plants, unveils vision statement
The slogan, "Exploring new frontiers," provided more than a visual aid and format theme at the Southern District Conference biennial convention Aug. 3-5 in Hays, Kan The sense that this group of 40 churches in four states has a fresh energy was reinforced by testimonies from pastors and members of two church plants in the district- one in Oklahoma City and the other in Denver-that weren't in the works at the 2005 convention . And, the unveiling of a new SDC vision statement contributed to a sense of renewed vigor.
District leaders also used a new convention format that emphasized inspiration rather than reports, and all church members rather than just delegates were invited to attend the weekend. In keeping with the convention's unofficial byline-'This ain't your daddy's convention" -there was no opening roll call because there were no official delegates among the 202 attendees. Business sessions were short, and oral reports from district commissions were virtually nonexistent. Some 68 volunteers from the host congregation, North Oak Community Church , worked throughout the weekend and provided childcare and youth activities.
'We have spent the last two years thinking about this weekend," said Steve Fast, the SDC executive committee member-at-Iarge, in closing the Saturday afternoon session. 'We believe God wanted us to refocus on inspiration and celebration."
Key to this emphasis were three messages by speaker Kevin Marsico, a church planter in a suburb of Washington, D.C., and evening programs that concluded with performances by comedian Kenn Kington on Friday and singer Danny Oertli on Saturday. Both performances were enhanced by the personal testimonies the two men shared: Kington's story of his three-year-old daughter's current battle with cancer and Oertli's telling of his first wife's bout with cancer and eventual death, leaving him as the single parent of two young children.
Marsico, a trainer with Dynamic Church Planting International, was also the resource speaker for the pastors' gathering held one day prior to the convention. He spoke twice on Saturday and again Sunday at the concluding convention session, two identical sessions that were also the regular Sunday morning worship services for the North Oak congregation.
Marsico's sermons were peppered with personal stories and incorporated music videos and visual aids. Using the book of Jonah as his text, Marsico challenged convention goers to spread the news of God's love, to experience and share God's grace and to remember that God desires to use his followers to reach people . ' The world is asking questions and we aren't giving very good answers," he said.
While the convention was billed as a time for spiritual renewal, the opening session highlighted the work of the district and the Mennonite Brethren denomination. Thanking the host congregation for their hospitality, district minister Tim Sullivan said that 25 years ago North Oak Community Church was a church plant. Using the challenge of church planting to make his transition, Sullivan talked about the importance of local congregations depending on one another and working together
'The district helps the local church achieve its goals of ministty that it can't accomplish alone," he said. The many denominational and inter- Mennonite agency staff members who were representing their ministries at the convention were present because of this "outgrowth of what the local church can't do alone," he said
Sullivan then introduced the new district vision statement, a statement 18 months in the making that Sullivan said "is nothing new" but represents the disttict's ongoing priorities. The vision statement calls on SDC churches to work together to cultivate vital congregations, ignite church planting partnerships and mobilize world-engaging generations. Supporting statements follow the three main points.
That evening, attendees also heard from Jason Gilbow, the church planting pastor at Providence Fellowship in Edmond, Okla.
Above: Representatives of the SOC church planting committee gather around members of two new church plants as Nate Gift (far right) leads in a prayer of blessing at the Saturday evening banquet. Left: Kevin Marsico preached from the book of Jonah.
Gilbow traced the new church's history, from opening Sunday in November 2006 to June when 140 people signed the church charter. He reported that more than a dozen people have been saved. Providence Fellowship, said Gilbow, emphasizes intimacy with God, inner integrity and outward involvement. He expressed his gratitude for the district's willingness to nurture him and his family
The focus on church planting was picked up again Saturday evening during the dinner and program held on the Fort Hays University campus The Church Extension and Evangelism Commission provided the first part of the program and a concert by Danny Oertli, who had also served as the convention worship leader, closed the evening. CEEC chair Loren Balzer moderated the opening portion that included testimonies and a video introduction to Providence Fellowship and Trailhead Church in Centennial, Colo.
Claudia and Jeff Hartwig of Providence shared how their congregation is working together to serve one another and to encourage outreach ministry. David Dodge of Trailhead Church said that he and his wife are attracted to this emerging congregation because of the intentionality with which the church is being planted. Trailhead pastor Jeff Nikkel told the audience that he sees himself as a missionary pastor who "takes his cues from mission folks rather than the church plant folks ." In Denver, said Nikkel, "church is the last place people imagine themselves." This portion of the program concluded with a prayer of blessing on the Oklahoma and Colorado church plants.
In business sessions earlier Saturday, delegates were given the opportunity to ask questions about the six wrirten SDC commission and staff reports distributed in the registration packet. No questions were raised.
The registration packet also included wrirten reports from nine Mennonite Brethren and inter-Mennonite agencies; some agencies supplied brief video updates that were played prior to many sessions Saturday morning attendees could go to one of the six workshops provided by MB Biblical Seminary, MB Foundation, MBMS International, the U.S . Conference and Mission USA, Tabor College and the SDC Stewardship Commission.
Stewardship Commission chair Archie Eutsler presented the new budget in terms of the three components of the new vision statements. Budgets of $322,821 for 2008 and $336,169 for 2009 were accepted . It was reported that several years ago disttict leaders "wrestled with the financial future of the disttict." The recent increase in investtnent income and church giving has provided a "huge lift off our shoulders," said SDC chair Jon Wiebe, and he thanked the churches for their financial conttibutions . The only other action that attendees took was to affirm the slate of nominees as presented.
Other than the finance committee, the Youth Commission was the only other disttict committee that reported during the business session. "In the Southern Disttict we are doing things that the other distticts look on with envy," said disttict youth minister Wendell Loewen He reported that the fall youth convention typically draws more than 650 high school students and the three summer camps are attended by a total of 800 to 900 students, grades four through 12. Loewen also reported on the national youth
convention held last spring in Anaheim, Calif., saying the SDC was the district with the most people in attendance.
While artendance at the 2007 SDC convention was lower than hoped for, comments from attendees indicate the convention was well received. In an e-mail interview following the convention, district minister Sullivan says, "In preliminary planning, we were hoping to have around 350 registered guests. That would have been the highest artendance in recent years for an SDCconvention."
Sullivan notes several changes made to the convention 'We worked hard at creating more personally inspiring content and eliminating lengthy business and reporting sessions. This is a request at almost every convention We felt that we achieved our goal this year and the evaluation reflects that." Holding the convention at a church instead of a hotel was another change in 2007. While some missed the vacation location, Sullivan says some of the credit for the success of the 2007 convention goes to the hard work and gracious hospitality of the North Oak congregation.-Connie Faber
USC finishes fiscal year in the black
CEP funds make up income shortfall
The u.s . Conference finished the 2006-07 fiscal year in the black thanks to the ongoing support of churches and the monies the conference received from Mennonite Mutual Aid following the termination of the Congregational Employee Plan (CEP) health insurance plan due to lack of participation.
With the CEP funds, total income for the 2006-07 fiscal year was $726,949, just slightly over the budget of $723,34°.
tenure, church giving to the U.S. Conference slowly but steadily increased, from $445,798 in 2002-03 to a record-high $487,886 in 2005-06.
Given the strong income reports at the time of Buller's resignation midway through the 2006-07 fiscal year, conference leaders were hopeful. Church giving for the first half of the fiscal year (June through November) was ahead of the previous year-$192,070 versus $186,766. While church giving in
2006-07 fiscal year but fell short of the $500,000 budget by $41,013. If there is a silver lining to the shortfall it's that just three years ago, church giving of $458,987 would , have been something to celebrate. The average annual church giving over the past six years is $452,891, putting the 2006-07 total in line with the average.
In other income areas, the MB Foundation grant totaled $57,717 and Mission USA fundraising netted $66,315. General fund-
:: ,. I am ple;;lsed to report that th<lllks to th e ge ne rou5 giving of ;;1 numher of our churches, we were able 10 hmd the hudget a nd finish the year in the hI3Ck:' ,· , - fo e Johns , Le;'ldership Board c hair raising appeals raised $25,035. The CEP fund balance totaled $128,000.
Disbursements were budgeted at $723,340, which was just over the actual expenses of $689,741. The U.S. Conference ended the fiscal year with an operating fund baiance of $231,680. Year-end unrestricted net assets were $377,627.
The largest portion of the income budget (typically $5°0,000) comes through church contributions. For the 2006-07 fiscal year, the U.S. Conference executive director was responsible for raising $116,340 through "special fund-raising appeals," and the director of Mission USA, the church planting and renewal ministry of the national conference, was charged with raising $50,000. Other income includes a MB Foundation grant of at least $50,000, interest income and endowment earnings.
Conference leaders were concerned about meeting the 2006-07 income budget of $723,340 given that the national conference was without an executive director for almost half of the fiscal year Not only is the executive director responsible for raising a significant portion of the income, the presence of an executive director seems to have a positive effect on church giving.
Chuck Buller, the conference's first full-time executive director, resigned in November 2006 . During Buller's four-year
January and February exceeded the previous year, USC Leadership Board and staff members became concerned when church giving in March and April dropped significantly. The fiscal year, however, ended on an encouraging note with church giving of more than $61,000 in May. Church giving for 2006-07 averaged $38,249 a month; the budgeted monthly goal is $41,666.
'With the resignation of our executive director. an early concern of the Board was how we would keep the U.S. Conference before our constituents for them to remember the conference and its value to the local church and district," says Leadership Board chair Joe Johns in an e-mail inrerview. 'There was also concern that with the executive director's chair empty, financial support for the Conference would wane. I am pleased to report that thanks to the generous giving of a number of our churches, we were able to fund the budget and finish the year in the black.
'We are very grateful to those who have shown support, and I want to challenge each church to support the U.S. Conference in the coming year," says Johns. 'We are also very grateful for the support that has been designated to Mission USA for church renewal, church planting and Integrated Ministries."
Church giving totaled $458,987 for the
With the executive director's position still vacant in Spring 2007, the U.S. Conference Leadership Board worked to minimize budget increases for 2007-08. In April the Leadership Board approved a 2007-08 budget of $813,761, an increase of $90,421 over the budget total reported in the June issue of the Leader. The increase includes new line items supporting the national MB youth convention and an increase in the line item for the 200S U.S. Conference convention. The Leadership Board approved increased support of Mennonite World Conference, Kindred Productions and a cost of living increase for USC staff. Following the April meeting a line item of $20,000 was added to the budget to help fund Ministry Quest, a MB Biblical Seminary program targeting high school students.
Donna Sullivan, U.S. Conference administrative secretary, says that as of Aug. I, receipts for the current fiscal year continued to lag behind budgeted giving and that in June expenses exceeded income by almost $40,000. In her monthly financial report, Sullvian also notes that giving is typically slow during the summer and that giving in June. while below budget, was higher than in the previous six years .-Connie Faber
We welcome and appreciate your generous support of Mission USA.
Please send your donation to: Mission USA U.S. Conference PO Box 220 Hillsboro, KS 67063
Note ''Mission USA" on the memo line
To see more••• come to know HIM!
> Dozens of people and families did not have a church home
> At least 30 people hadn't yet been bapdzed
> Many didn't known Jesus as Savior
> Hundreds hadn't been touched by a serving church
> COMMON MUS N G S
Evasive maneuvers
by Scott Key
Avoiding unwanted military recruitment of high schoolers
D on't let them get a lock! Evasive maneuvers! Right! No, left! They're still on our tail! Hold on!" Sound like the frantic conversation in the cockpit of an F-16D fighter? Nope, this should be dinner conversation as summer fades, school begins anew and the military goes hunting for new recruits
Troop surge. President Bush calls for 21,500 troops for Iraq. Defense Secretary Gates calls for 92,000 more soldiers and marines. The pressure is mounting as the death toll climbs and the war becomes more unpopular. The Pentagon is ratcheting up its efforts with a recruitment budget over $3 billion. While some money is spent on media advertising to peak interest, selling the military
Section 9528, 'i\rmed Forces Recruiter Access to Students and Student Recruitment Information" requires school districts that receive federal funds to provide military recruiters with high school student contact information (i.e , name, address and phone number) unless the student or parent opts out of releasing this information. With this information, recruiters mail materials to students, call them at home and even make home visits. Simply saying no is not enough. Students or parents need to opt out of releasing student contact information.
LJ Rc g..udl css of wheth e r yo ur di strict has ..1n op t out form. all distri cts
must comrly with the law by inform ing rJrc n ts and students of their rights Jnd honoring o pt out re qu es ts.
NCLB also requires school districts to inform students and parents of their right to opt out and to honor all opt out requests. The school district where I live has sent forms out in the preschool package, placed the forms on their Web site in five languages and made the forms available at each high school. Other districts lag behind. Regardless of whether your district has an opt out form, all districts must comply with the law by informing parents and students of their rights and honoring opt out requests.
Evasive maneuver *3: Do not take the ASVAB and demand an alternative. is mainly entrusted to thousands of military recruiters who entice students to enlist with promises of money for college, job training and enlistment bonuses.
Military recruiters are well-trained and adept at targeting high school juniors and seniors. Recruiters acquire their targets, lock on and move in for the kill. Just like most precision targeting systems, once locked on, it is very difficult for students to escape. Evasive maneuvers are needed to prevent target acquisition.
Evasive maneuver *1: Do not give military recruiters your contact information.
Recruiters go where their targets are: high schools, shopping malls, community events and wherever young people gather. Humvees, tanks and helicopters attract attention and draw potential targets. Chin-up and pushup competitions are used. Free drawings for Xboxes and CD players are held. Of course, in order to qualify for the prizes, students must fill out registration cards which give name, address and phone numbers. The targets have now been acquired and locked on.
Evasive maneuver *2.: Opt out of releasing student contact information.
Even if you avoid military recruiters, you can still be targeted. As part of the Bush administration's preparations for war, the government deepened the connection between schools and the military through the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001. Buried deep inside
Essays published as part of Common Musings are submitted by Mennonite Brethren or inter- Mennonite agencies.
If you decide to opt out, remember not to freely give contact information to military recruiters. The Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) provides military recruiters with student contact information and aptitude scores, which means that recruiters can hone their messages to individual students.
Since the military pays for this aptitude test, many school districts give it to their high school students. Often students are told that they must take the test, but this is not true. Students can refuse to take this test, and the district must provide an alternative. But if students feel compelled to take the test, they can still protect their privacy by selecting "Option 8 No release to recruiters" and asking their schools to do the same.
If you do not want to evade recruiters . students and parents need to understand that the promises do not have to be met. According to Section 9b of the enlistment contract. the military can change an enlistee's status, pay, allowances, benefits and responsibilities without notice. Remember to read the contract, ask questions and take time to make your decision There are other options to help pay for college: state grants, Pell Grants, work-study and many more programs. Students can receive better job training through apprenticeships and state-sponsored programs like the California Conservation Corps and Regional Opportunity programs.
If you do want to evade recruiters, you need to fill out an opt out form, refuse to take the ASVAB and avoid competitions and free drawings run by military recruiters or JROTC units.
Scott Key is a faculty member at Fresno Pacific University His doctorate in public policy analysis is from the University of IUinois At FPU he teaches in the School of Education and the School of Humanities, Religion and Social Sciences.
fun
This summer was filled with wildlife encounters
We have a patio area in our backyard that we call our "outdoor room." It is a sheltered comer near the garage with plenty of trees surrounding it to provide shade and the feeling of quiet space. Looking to have a time of reading and reflection, I took my cup of coffee and several books and went out to spend a pleasant hour there.
It soon became apparent, however, that my quiet time was not really quiet at all. A cacophony of sounds shattered the hoped-for stillness. Police sirens wailed their warnings along a highway two miles to the west. To the south a train whistle warned of approaching danger at a railroad crossing From the notth came the sound of a crop dusting plane as it swooped over a nearby field. From a fanner's field, a motor running a center-pivot irrigation system suddenly kicked into noisy action.
As if to drown out this man-made racket, the birds in the trees overhead chirped in a noisy chorus. I counted at least six different songs. From these same trees several cicadas chimed in while the wind rustled leaves all around me. Somewhere in the distance a cow bellowed-a most surprising sound. I didn't know there were any cows in our area. Ginger, our dog, thought this bellowing was grounds for a barking spell.
And then the unexpected happened: A young robin decided to check me out. As he hopped closer and closer towards my chair on the patio, I forgot about my noisy environment and just focused on him. He got within five feet of me before he decided to fly off, even though I sat very still. A shott while later he appeared again. This time he came even closer to me before he flew away. I didn't see him again until I walked to the house and entered through our back door. Just as I closed the door I noticed this robin landing on the cement nearby and looking at me through the door window.
"So you're checking up on me, Mr Robin, are you? " I asked. He nodded-at least I thought he did-and then flew away.
This has been the summer of fun experiences with wild animals.
On a visit to Rocky Mountain National Park in northern Colorado with our grandchildren , we saw herds of elk grazing on some mountain meadows. From a scenic viewpoint we watched a wolf stalk some prey but couldn't tell what the prey was. By far the most exciting find was coming up on two mountain sheep
standing within 10 feet of the highway. We pulled over onto the shoulder, slowly inched our way past them, took photographs and looked at them. These majestic animals just stood there and stared right back at us. We drove further down the road and did aU-tum so we could come back for some more observations However, this time we couldn't find the sheep along the side of the road
We slowed down because the cars ahead of us were moving at a slow crawl. We soon noticed that cars coming from the other direction were actually stopping It was then that we realized what was happening. The two sheep were walking down the road in our lane leading the parade of cars as we inched along behind them! After a few minutes they had had enough of their parade and sprinted off into the woods. We drove on, thrilled by the experience.
On another outi ng with our grandchildren we visited a zoo We found the elephants in their inside quarters since the outside areas were under renovation. There were two elephants, one in each cage with a large central space separating the two cages We were allowed to watch from a visitors' area at one end of this space . We watched as two elephant keepers cleaned one of the cages. As one keeper scooped the other one used a special stick to control the movements of the elephant so that the cleaning could occur. Both elephants were quiet and reasonably docile during this process. However, as soon as the zookeepers disappeared, these two put on a spectacular show. Both hooted and hollered at the top of their lungs, jumping around in their cages. One elephant actually stood on his hind legs, did a wild dance and tossed his trunk up to the ceiling. Their keepers were gone and now they could do as they pleased! And did they ever!
We, the visitors, stood there with our mouths open, not daring to move , gazing and listening to this unexpected display. As we left, we met crowds of people wanting to get into the building. 'That must have been some show," one man commented. Yes, it was.
God has created the world and all the creatures in it for us to appreciate. This summer it was our privilege to enjoy some of the wild animals he has put on our earth.
BAPTISM/MEMBERSHIP
Clovis, Calif. (College Communityl-Sarah Hiebert was baptized and received as a member Aug 5 John Heidebrecht was also rece ived as a member.
Littleton, Colo. (Belleviewl-Ryan Roth and Regina Vea l were rece ived as members July 22
Dinuba, Calif.-Stephen Kodur and Lu cita Galut ira were baptized and received as members July 15.
David Prendez was also received as a member
Hillsboro, Kan.-Mason McCarty, Nathan Vogel, Dan iel Dick, Tay lor Carlson, Nick Carlson, Jake Wiebe, Jarod Hamm and Mega n McCarty were baptized and rece ived as members July 15 Taylor Hagen, Amy Neufe ld, Candace Ediger, Samantha Heinrichs, Tyler Ediger, Jandi Nikkel and Becky Steketee were baptized and received as members July 8
Bakersfield, Calif. (Laurelglenl-Annette Bazze ll, Nick Onaindia and Kev in Scott were baptized the weekend of July 14-15
Corn, Okla.-Concepcion Salcido was baptized and rece ived as a member July 8.
Topeka, Kan. (Cornerstonel-Janet Kennedy was received as a member May 6.
FELLOWSHIP
Rapid City, SO (Bible Fellawshipl-Saturday Night Alive Singles, a singles ministry founded by the church, will hold their annual retreat for sing les Oct. 5-7 Nationally-known speaker Denn is Franck will be the guest speaker. More information is available at www SaturdayNightAliveSingles com
Reedley, Calif.-Women were invited Sept. 8 to "Fashionable Ladies of Christ, " featuring a seminar and fashion show with a certified image consu ltant.
Sanger, Calif. (Grace Commu ni tyl -Separate men 's and wome n's brea kfasts we re he l d Sep t. 8.
Manhattan, Kan. (Manhattan Mennonitel-The congregation welcomed new and retum ing college students Aug 26 with a potlu ck after the morning service
Ferndale, Wash. (Good Newsl-Men participated in a go l f tou rn ament Aug 25, while wo men walked around Lumm i Island and ate ice cream Youth and ad ults co mpeted aga inst each other in a softball ga me July 29.
Shafter, Calif.-S ing les planned an ATV trail ride t rip Aug. 19
Buhler, Kan.- The chu rch hosted the seco nd annual "Back to Schoo l Coffee " Aug 16 at a local retailer. The commu nity-wide eve nt marked th e end of summer and beginning of school.
Hillsboro, Kan.- The ch urc h hosted an app reciat ion luncheon Aug 13 for the facu lty and staff of the loca l schoo l district as an expression of grat itude for allowing the church to use their schoo l s ove r the last few years.
Wichita, Kan. (Firstl-Seniors hosted a watenmelon feed Aug 12. Church member Katie Funk Wiebe told her aunt's story of forced labo r in Siberia Fam ili es we re encouraged to bring blankets and pillows to a family movie nig ht featuring "Charlotte's Web " July 27.
Fresno, Calif,(The Grovel-Women brought projects suc h as sc rapbooking or knitting to a fe llowship night Aug. 10
Yale, SO (Bethell- Th e church he l d its annual Sunday school picnic at a l oca l park and poo l Aug. 5
Olathe, Kan. (Community Biblel- The chu rc h's sem iannual business meeting July 29 was preceded by a noon mea l of hamb urgers and ho t dogs, served by the Ministry Cou ncil.
Kingsburg, Calif.-July 28 was a family Bingo night. Omaha, Neb. (Shadow Lakel-Men participated in a day of paintball July 21.
Visalia, Calif. (Neighborhoodl-Friday nights in July were "Summer suppers on the lawn, " free meals at the church with themes such as all-American, fiesta and beach party.
Fresno, Calif. (North Fresnol-Pastoral staff hosted an appreciation dinner for members of ministry teams June 6. The evening was called "hats off to you," and featured games using hats made out of newspaper and a devotional using a bike helmet as a metaphor.
MINISTRY
Fresno, Calif. (Mountain View Communityl- The church scheduled its second annual Missions Car Show for Sept. 15. In addition to the car show, plans included food, music, awards, raffles, vendor booths and a bounce house for kids.
Bakersfield, Calif. (Heritagel-Church volunteers helped serve refreshments to parents and students of Heritage Christian Schools at the back-to-school night Aug. 17.
Henderson, Neb.-The church collected items for care packages to be sent to family members in the military.
Capitola, Calif. (Shorelifel-Members helped with a cleanup day at a l ocal middle school Aug 18. A BBO at the church followed
Fresno, Calif. (The Grovel-Members filled and distributed backpacks to students at a local elementary school Aug. 18. The packs included an invitation to upcoming movie nights.
Visalia, Calif. (Neighborhoodl-For the second school year, the congregation provided backpacks
Congregations forth" with summer mission trips
Many MB congregations sent out individuals or teams on short - term mission assignments this summer Although the list is not exhaustive, here 's a sampling of those churches that sent teams
Hesston, Kan - A te am of youth and spon sors tra veled to the Dom inican Repub lic June 23 -30 They l ed a vacation Bible sc hool and helped wi t h work projects at a loca l school.
Fresno, Calif (Bethanyl - A team of 12 people wen t to Guatem ala July 22 -Aug 4
Sioux Falls, SO (Lincoln Hills Biblel - A team of fi ve people t ra veled to Brazil Sept. 1- 10 The chu rch hopes t his will become an an nu al t r ip to supp ort MBMS Inte rn ationa l worker s Jim and Mar ilou Nigh t inga le.
Papillan, Neb (Shadow Lakel - Memb ers pa rt icipate d in an " ur ba n pl un ge" ex per ienc e in Lincoln , Neb , July 27 - 29
Wichita , Kan (Firstl - A tea m of 24 peo ple traveled to Thai land in July The gro up led several Kids Clubs, taugh t Eng l ish at local high scho ols, built a playground an d helped with outre ac h
Kingsburg , Calif - A team of five ad ult s inclu ding pa sto r Ron Penner. traveled to Thailand Jun e 18July 3
Reedley, Ca li f. - A tea m of eight you ng me n traveled to the Ph ilip pines fo r a sport s minist ry with DC Internati onal July 11-2 6
Huron, SO (Bet hesda l-Seven peop l e travele d to Roman ia July 5- 17 Eight served lo cally at Byron Bible Cam p
Bakersfield, Calif. (LaurelglenJ - A total of 55 people served in various short -term mission assignments thi s summer
Garden City, Kan (Garden YalleyJ - A team of five women went to Mexico June 30 -July 8 A team of youth served in Mexico July 22 - 29
Shafter (Calif I - A team traveled to Romania in June to work with orphan s Fresno, Calif (Mountai n View Communityl - A total of 43 people , including children , youth and adult s, served t hree young churches in UtahShadow Mounta in in West Jordan , Daybreak in Draper and De sert Spri ngs in St. George - for a short - ter m mis sion t ri p July 2- 14 The teams helped with vacatio n Bible schools, participated in carnival - like events and built relationships
filled with school supplies for students at a local elementary school.
Sanger, Calif. (Grace Communityl- The congregation collected supplies for about 60 school kits The kits will be distributed to needy children in several countries through Mennonite Central Committee. The church now hosts weekly Celebrate Recovery meetings.
Dinuba, Calif.-The church reports that 157 children attended vacation Bible school July 23-27 and 30 made commitments to receive Christ. Four people received Christ at a picnic in the park July 29.
Wolf Point, Mont. (Gospel Fellowshipl- The congregation hosted a team of young people July 27who were bicycling across the country. This has become a tradition. with the church providing overnight lodging, internet access and breakfast.
Blaine, Wash. (Birch Bayl- The church had a carnival booth and float at "Birch Bay Days, " a July 21 community event.
Minot, ND (Bible Fellowshipl- Tabor College's worship team, i268, provided a concert in the park July 1. Guests received water bottles with promot ional labels
Reedley, Calif,-Church deacons have two wheelchairs available for checkout by members. Deacons also help coordinate rides to medical appointments.
PROCLAMATION
Rapid City, SD (Bible Fellowshipl-Phil and Carol Bergen, MBMS International missionaries from Burkina Faso, West Africa , were the guest speakers July 29. They were also guest speakers at Grace Bible Church, Gettysburg, SO, July 15 and at Bethel MB Church , Yale, SO , July 22.
Edmond, Okla. (Memorial Roadl-Jason and Andrea Edwards, missionaries to Brazil with MBMS International, were guests July 22.
Fresno, Calif. (Bethanyl-Charles Buller, representing Palm Village Retirement Center, was the guest speaker July 15
TEACHING!NURTURE
Hays, Kan. (North Oak Communityl- The church offered a four-week small group, called "Square One," in late August and early September to help newcomers get acquainted with the church Bakersfield, Calif, (Laurelglenl-A fall series Aug. 25 -Sept. 30, called "Words to live by, " includes sermons, daily devotionals, small groups and a community service project.
Fresno, Calif. (North Fresnol-The church's art council encouraged members to consider how God is working through history, in the local church and in their personal lives through a series of three empty frames displayed in the lobby. Members then were invited to submit their own creative responses for a future display
Weatherford, Okla, (Pine Acresl-An evening question and answer time was offered July 22 and 29 to address questions ra i sed during a se r mon se r ies on the end times. The sessions included pizza
Blaine, Wash. (Birch Bayl - This sum mer the congregat ion had an inte rge nerat io nal Sun day sc hoo l class fo r grade four t hrough ad ult th at studied "O ur Fragrance " and "Our Heritage " throug h Foc us on the Fami ly
Bakersfield, Cali f (Laurel glenl-Women who have l os t a spo use to death or divorce meet mo nt hly for 'Wome n of Wo rth " Fa cil itato rs, special speakers and soc ial eve nts help th e wo men find support and enco urage ment
WORKERS
Yale, SD (Bethell-Ernie Lambright has re signed as pastor. His last Sunday was Aug. 26
Harvey, ND-Cody Wec ker ly served as a youth intern this summer.
Visalia , Calif. (Neighborhoodl-Ke lly Tho mas. forme r youth pas tor. is t he new ly appointed execut ive pastor. Grayson Piepg rass, fo rm er executive pastor, is the new ad ult and fam ily pas tor Scott Bosler, fo rmer adu lt and fam ily pas tor, is the newly appo inted commun ity and globa l outreach pas tor
Hays, Kan (North Oak Com munityl-Pastor Ken Ed iger is on sabba tica l th rough Nov 4.
Freeman, SD (Salemi-Pastor Wilfre d Fa de nrec ht has announced his res ignat ion and ret ire ment. effective Oct. 7 He hopes to continue in minist ry as int erim and pulp it supp ly opportun it ies beco me ava il ab le.
Capitola, Calif (Shorelifel-D rew Lew is, wo rship pastor, has resigned to teac h mu sic f Ull - tim e
Hillsboro , Kan. (Ebenfeldl-Pas tor Gay l ord Goertzen is on sa bbatical t hrough December and is serving as the MB Bib li ca l Sem inary campus pastor.
YOUTH
Bakersfield, Calif (Heritagel-D ur in g the sum mer, youth pa rt icipate d in weekly "Aqua Devos," wh ich included devotional s and sw imming at pools of church members
Weatherford, Okla. (Pi ne Ac resl-Sen ior high you th brought brown bag lunc hes to chu rch for a weekly Bible study in July
Ferndale, Wash. (Good Newsl - The church offered a parents' discussion forum durin g a sports camp for kids July 30-Aug. 3. Topics included healthy competition , success, mon itoring media, cultivating friendships and setting boundar ies
Hillsboro, Kan.-Students who rece ntly graduated from high school and are now headed to college went on a "hideout" July 19-22. The retreat was an opportunity for them to pray for thei r futures, ta lk about obstacles and bu ild support
Kingsburg, Calif.- Ten-year- old girls gat hered for a 10-themed party July 18, featuring 10 act ivities, such as a 10-pin game, a 10-yard dash and a 10question Bible drill.
Edmond, Okla. (Providencel-Church plant pas tor Jason Gi l bow met with youth weekly during t he summer at a local restaurant fo r pizza and conversat ion.
Sanger, Calif. (Grace Communityl- To encourage childre n to be involved in Sunday morning worship, pastor Sam Estes sends a box home wit h one child each week, then gives a spiritual object lesson about the object the child brings back Estes also prov ided prizes during the 5-Day Club, held June 25-29 ; pr izes included a r ide in his airplane and fis hing tr ips with Estes.
Fresno, Calif. (Bethanyl-Yo uth spent ti me paint in g. cleaning and fixing facilities at Central Ca l iforn ia Mennonite Res idential Service in June
DEATHS
BARKMAN, ANNA HIEBERT, Reedley, Calif , a member of Reedley MB Church, was born March 17,1915, in Hillsboro, Kan., and died Jan. 24, 2007, at the age of 91. In 1935, she married Dav id Ba r kman, who predeceased her in 1982. She is survived by three da ughters, Lola and husband Marvin Penner of Visalia, Calif., Glenna and husband John Lundberg of Visalia, and Margor ie Sellers of Portland, Ore eight grandchi l dren and 10 great-grandchildren.
CROISSANT, LORETTA, Reedley, Calif., a membe r of Reedley MB Church. was born May 23,1946, to Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Gunther in Ki ngsburg, Calif., and died Jan.
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CHURCH news ·"·
29,2007, at the age of 60. On Sept. 30,1967, she married Edwin Croissant, who survives She is also survived by one son, Todd and wife Leslie; one daugh ter, Deniele and husband Todd, and two grandchildren
FRIESEN, LEONARD K., Hillsboro, Kan ., a member of Parkview MB Church , Hillsboro, was born Oct 8, 1926, to Harry and Helen Klassen Friesen at Garden City, Kan , and died July 23, 2007, at the age of 80. On April 10, 1949, he married Merlie Ra tzlaff, who su rvives He is also survived by one so n, Ly le of Phoenix , Ariz.; two daughters, Ly nett e and husband David Derstine of Pe r kasie, Pa , and Da r la and husband Max Flickinger of McP herson, Kan ; two brothers, Elmer of Hillsboro , and Herman of Be lla Vista, Ark ; one sister, Gladys Buller of Hillsboro, eig ht grandchildren and six great-grandc hil dre n
GOERTZEN, EDDIE, Reed ley, Ca li f , a me mbe r of Reedley MB Church, was born May 8, 19 15, to Johann and Helj!na Goertzen at York, Neb., and died June 25, 2007, at the age of 92 On Aug. 21, 1938, he married Roselyn Warkentin, who predeceased him March 22 , 2007 He is survived by many nieces and nephews
GOERTZEN, ROSELYN K., Reedley, Calif , a member of Reedley MB Church, was born Sept. 24, 1918, to John and Ida Warkentin in Reedley, and died March 22, 2007, at the age of 88. On Aug. 21, 1938, she married Eddie Goertzen, who died June 25 , 2007 She is survived by one siste r , Betty and husband Tony Bush of Reedley; one sister-in-law, Doris Warkentin of Reedley, and many nieces and nephews
GOSSEN, SAMUEL; Corn, Ok la., a member of Corn MB Church, was born Aug. 29, 1924, to J.C and Annie Gossen at Corn and died June 30 , 2007, at the age of 82 On Feb 27, 1947, he married Naemi Bergmann, who survives. He is also survived by four sons, Stanley and wife Geri of Cordell, Okla , Gary and wife Norma of Cordell, Alden and wife Karen of Corn, and Melvin and wife Laura of Corn; one daughter, Roseanne and husband Kevin Schmidt of Cordell ; two brothers, Jacob Jr of Corn, and Joel of Corn; three sisters, Edna Duerksen of Corn, Miriam Sallaska of Corn, and Annie Lee Graf of Cordell, 19 grandchildren and six great-grandch ildren
JUST, MARY, Hillsboro, Kan , a member of Hillsboro MB Church, was born March 23, 1926, near Marion, Kan , to Peter and Mary Goentzel and died July 30, 2007, at the age of 81. On Aug 10, 1955, she married Harold Just, who survives She is also survived by two sons, Dennis and wife Sara of Moundridge, Kan , and Leroy and wife Jill of Hillsboro; two daughters, Shirley of Denver, Colo., and Dorothy Deckert of Wichita, Kan.; brothers Vernon of Marion and Ben of Hillsboro; sister Ruth Goentzel of Hillsboro, and six grandchildren
KARBER, EDWIN "EDDY," Fairview, Okla , a member of Fairview MB Church, was born March 21, 1926, to J.D. and Justena Cornelsen Karber in Fairview, and died Aug 8, 2007, at the age of 81 On May 13, 1947, he married Edna Hiebert, who survives He is also survived by one son, Royce and wife Grace of Fairview; two daughters, Susan and husba nd Dan Janzen of Hil l sboro, Kan , and Barbara and husband Danny Ewbank of Fairv iew, 12 grandchildren and four great - grandchildren
KROEKER, HULDA LOEWEN, Fresno, Calif , a member of College Community Church, Clovis, Calif., was born Oct. 27,1915, to Peter and Katherina Penner Loewen near Hillsboro, Kan , and died Dec 25, 2006, at the age of 91. On June 16, 1940, she married John Kroeker , who predeceased her in 1997. She is survived by three daughters, Nancy and husband Reg Boothe of Wichita, Kan , Linda and husband Pakisa Tshimika of Fresno, and Ellen Kroeker and husband Gil Zemansky of Lawrence, Kan ., and Lake Taupo, New Zealand, eight grandchi ldren and four great-grandchildren
NIKKEL, MARJORIE ELMA KNAAK, Reedley, Calif., of Reedley MB Church, was born June 27, 1920, to Sa m and Elma Kliewer Knaak in Reedley and died Ju ne 7, 2007, at th e age of 86 On March 16, 1939, she mar r ied Her b Nikke l, who predeceased her. She is surv ived by one so n, Ke nnet h and wife Beverly, three daughte rs, Sharon and husband Larry Gaede, Carol and husband Gary Thompson, and Marilyn and husband Richard Adams; one sister, Barbara Flaming; one siste r- in-law, Ruby and husband Leo Warkentin, seven grandc hil dren and eigh t great-grandchildren
PARBST, DAVID, Orosi, Calif , of Reedley MB Church, was born Oct. 29, 1950, to Ray and Lina Parbst in Breckinridge, Minn , and died June 6, 2007, at the age of 56. In 1976, he married Janice Orlopp, who survives He is also surv ived by two sons, Jon and wife Kelsey, and Mike, both of Oros i, Calif.; one siste r , Carole Boyter of Visa li a, Calif ; and one brother, Bruce of Porterville, Calif.
PENNER, GUSTAV N., Reedley, Calif , of Reedley MB Church , was born Jan. 11, 1927, to Cornelius Jaco b and Helen Nickel Penner near Buhler, Kan , and died June 17, 2007, at the age of 80 In 1956, he married Leona Brown, who predeceased him Aug. 7, 1977. He also married Margaret, who also survives. He is survived by six children, Daniel and wife Hollie of Sacramento, Calif., Donna and husband Conrad Clay of Squaw Va lley, Calif., Bob and Jane Klassen, Don and Sharon Klassen, Ron and Betty Reimer of Dinuba, Calif , Eldora and Harold Kroeker of Reedley; one brother, Harvey Penne r of Kansas; two sisters, Doris of Roseville, Calif and Lorena of Texas; two sisters-in-law, Ellen and Marie, of Kansas, 18 grandchildren and 30 great-grandchildren
REGIER, MARY ANN, Henderson, Neb., a member of Henderson MB Church, was born June 17, 1930, to John J and Elizabeth Quiring Ediger at Hampton, Neb , and died July 8,2007, at the age of 77. On March 24, 1950, she married Arthur Regier, who survives She is also survived by one son, Steven of Utah; one daughter, Debra and husband Scott Shepherd of Hampton, Neb ; three brothers, John and wife Joan of Aurora, Neb , Larry and wife Joyce of Aurora, and Donald !Jim! and wife Lois of Lincoln, Neb.; one sister, Janice and husband Bob Simonson of Omaha, Neb ; one sister-in-law, Esther Ediger of Hampton, three grandchi l dren and five great -grandchildren.
SAWATZKY, ELIZABETH MARIE TOEWS, North Newton, Kan , of Corn MB Church, was born Nov 2, 1912, to Abraham A and Agnes Benke Toews in rural North Enid, Okla ., and died June 28, 2007, at the age of 94 On March 21, 1937, she married Pete Sawatzky, who predeceased her She is survived by one daugh -
ter, Ruth and husband Roland Miller of Newton, Kan ; one daughter-in-law, Gail of Valleybrook, Okla ; one sister, Anne Summons of Sonoma, Calif ; one brother Bill and wife Helena of Enid ; sisters- and brothers-inlaw, Gladys and Benn ie Regehr of Inman, Kan. , Agnes Schm idt and Ed and Bea Sawatzky of Corn, Okla., seven grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren
WIENS, ESTHER, Reedley, Calif., a member of Shafter ICalif.) MB Church , was born Nov. 12, 1919, to David and Pauline Wittenburg in Shafter and died Jan 4, 2007, at the age of 87 On Feb 9,1941, she married Irvin Wiens , who survives. She is also survived by three sons, Richard and wife Diana, Timothy and wife Maribeth, and Steven and wife Karleen, eight grandchildren and one great-grandchild
WIENS, FRANK J , Hillsboro, Kan , a member of Hillsboro MB Church, was born Feb 23, 1913, to Frank J. and Maria Warkentin Wiens in Nalgonda, India, and died July 12, 2007, at the age of 94 On Aug. 30, 1946, he married Marie Klassen, who survives He is also survived by one son, Glenn of Wichita, Kan.; three daughters, Rebecca Penner of Wichita, Marcia Lajeunesse of Boulder, Colo., and Miriam Holmes of Louisville, Colo. , 10 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren
CORRECTED: KLIEWER, LINDA MAE THIESSEN, Fresno, Calif., a member of Bethany MB Church, Fresno, was born Dec. 29, 1920, to Henry H and Anna Wiens Thiessen near Henderson, Neb., and died May 19, 2007, at the age of 86 She was married to Leonard Kliewer, who predeceased her in 1997 She is survived by two brothers, Melvin of Fresno, and Wilmer of Hillsboro, Kan ; two sisters, Bernice Nachtigal of Fresno, and Martha Regier of Henderson, and many nieces and nephews
!II PClearing HOU5E IIII
ION
Anniversary Celebration: Butler Church of Fresno, Calif., is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. A celebration service and luncheon will take place Sunday. Nov 11. All present and former members and attendees are invited. Please provide your current contact information to the church office so additional information can be sent to you : 559-252-3741 or inforabutlerchurch.org 11/1)
tALl
" Paul and Politics, " the 2008 Janzen Lectureship & Symposium celebrating the work of John E. Toews, was announced for March 28-29, 2008 The correct dates are March 27-28,2008. This lectureship is held on the Fresno Pacific University and MB Biblical Seminary campuses, Fresno, Calif
I )4JfLOYJot-ur-cHOlft H
Worship Pastor: Laurelglen Bible Church of Bakersfield , CA is seeking a worship pastor to assist in worship team ministry and music leadership This ind ividual will lead , encourage and support worship leaders and personally lead the worship in at least one of the weekend services Check out our website at www.laurelglenb ible.org. Please send your resumes to Lindsay Vercammen lindsay vercammenralaurelglenbible org
Looking for entertainment value
What we can learn from the YouTube world
On my way to work recently, I heard a radio piece about political themes showing up on the popular YouTube Web site. During this past summer, for instance, YouTube users posted videos with questions for debate among Democratic presidential candidates. This is scheduled to happen again in fall for Republican hopefuls.
The radio commentator also recalled a 2006 YouTube video catching a senator using an awkward racial slur. The resulting negative attention was credited with derailing the senator's presidential aspirations. Finally, there was mention of a parody appearing on YouTube that depicted democratic hopeful and $400 haircut guy John Edwards combing his hair to the tune of "I Feel Pretty."
The radio report concluded with a line about this being the way it is in a YouTube world. You get every-
accepted by "them?" Most of the parables seem earthy and accessible. But maybe the deal was that "them," meaning Jesus' ultra-pious critics, were just too serious and selfimportant to relate with simple, real-life stuff. For "them" it was all about rules and duties and dry theologizing on hypothetical religion. I can almost hear the frown-faced naysayer complaining about Jesus: 'What's with the lively teaching and flashy miracles and people going nuts for the guy? It's just not dignified!"
Longtime Christians like myself can get into a pious mode where we quote Bible verses and make sober pro-
Any candidate who cbims to he " a man of th e pe o pl e" whil e plunking Jo\vn per salon vi sit
thing from serious intent to complete farce, sometimes all at once. The commentator added that this looks like the future of political discourse, whether we like it or not.
My first tendency is not to like it. Our culture is already obsessed enough with amusing itself. Do we also need to tum politics and other serious matters into entertainment fodder? I wish the populace would give important issues the respect they deserve, and care about weightier things than a presidential candidate's hair.
While I go on thinking these highbrow thoughts, though, my neck starts to get stiff from holding my nose in the air Really, I'm probably more critical of this entertainment age than necessary. There's a lot to be said for lightening up and making fun of all the weirdness out there. And I'd better say that since I've done plenty of fun-making myself in countless columns and humor pieces
So maybe the age of YouTube politics won't be so bad. Any candidate who claims to be "a man of the people" while plunking down $400 per salon visit probably deserves some gleeful ridicule . Anyway, the underlying intent is somewhat serious. When shadiness and fakery are exposed in humorous ways, people take notice.
I suppose entertainment has always been used to uncover hidden truths and get across life lessons. Even Jesus told stories (commonly known as parables) to emphasize his teachings One of the more puzzling Bible passages I've come across is Jesus' reply to the disciples who asked him, "Why do you speak to the people in parables?" Jesus answered, 'The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them" (Matt. IpO-ll).
The thing I always wondered was why did Jesus say his stories wouldn't be understood or
deserves som e gl eeful ridi cu le .
nouncements on the way everyone should think and believe and live. Snore. Meanwhile a lighthearted movie such as Bruce Almighty can throw in some surprisingly substantial spiritual insights and get a lot of people buzzing.
Even the media frenzy over rehabbing celebrities and lawbreaking sports stars often motivates cultural debates about morality, decadence, narcissism and other important issues of our time. When someone like Dr. Phil begins to philosophize about the latest psychological travails of Lindsay Lohan my initial response is to launch a big eyeroll. But is it really so bad? Say I want to converse about deeper things than "nice weather" with an unbelieving friend. Will I say, "Did you watch that thing where Dr. Phil was analyzing Lindsay Lohan?" or will I ask, "Hey, can I read you some Bible verses?" It's kind of a no-brainer.
Despite my tendency toward negative feelings about today's entertainment environment, it isn't all frivolous. And there are times when it offers some convenient discussion value.
But we do need to use discernment about how much time and energy we give to our media devices. They can easily suck up more hours than we realize. I get worried when Christians tell me about great movies they've seen and cool Web sites they've found, yet when I ask what they're reading in the Bible they look at me blankly In those cases entertainment may have gained too much value in their lives.
So we need to be careful. While I can be too hard on taday's entertainment, others can be way too easy. They let the stuff walk right in and take over the house, and before long there's hardly room for anything else
Convention comments
What's a family gathering without the "family"
This summer the Central District Conference and the Southern District Conference, two of the three largest U.S. Mennonite Brethren regional conferences, held their regular conventions. Leaders in both districts want to involve the current generation of local church leaders in the work of the district conference, a goal that the other three district conferences no doubt also share Since the district convention provides an excellent overview of the work of the district, attracting new faces-and younger faces-to the district convention is important.
Both the CDC and SDC have held summer, family-friendly conventions in the past and so the 2007 conventions were building on pre-
nition That we need to downplay reports and updates about denominational efforts because they are not all that interesting or inspiring The stories of what we do better together are the things that draw us together.
I served on the planning team for two national MB youth conventions. We weighed the pros and cons of "famous" speakers and music groups and tried different approaches In the end I concluded that high school kids didn't decide whether or not to attend the national convention because of who the speaker and performers were. They
[J \Ve should talk ahout the thin gs wc J\1 en nol1i1 e Breth re n ar c d o in g to ge ther ·--·- not th e administr;.1liv c det a ils can bc borin g bu t wha t it means to be a follower of Jesus in th e conte mp o rary world .
viously successful events. The CDC met at a campground in the Black Hills while the SDC promoted the weekend as a time of spiritual refreshment for the family. CDC leaders were very pleased with their attendance and SDC leaders were affirmed for the changes they made to the convention focus and format.
Passing the vision for shared ministry from the regional-and national-level to the local level is critical to the future of our denomination. Its good to hear that people are responding to recent efforts by districts to increase participation at district conventions. What can we do to continue this ttend? I do not have a suggestion that I am convinced will help us tum the comer on this. But I do have an observation that could be a starting point.
This past July our family had the opportunity to attend two family gatherings-one in Michigan to celebrate my father-in-Iaw's 95th birthday and the other in Kansas that was a reunion of the descendents of my great grandpa and grandma Loewen. Given that both gatherings were on the same weekend, we couldn't do both. So we went to Michigan for Dad's party and missed the Loewen reunion.
I'm probably stating the obvious, but when the Fabers and the Loewens got together this summer we celebrated '''The Family." The Fabers didn't reminisce about the many dads, grandpas and great-grandfathers we know; we talked about Harry Faber and the things that make his family distinctive-the experiences, quirks and values that are unique to us. The Loewens didn't review the stories of just any pioneer family and their offspring The Loewens celebrated the Jacob and Justina Loewen family. What's a family gathering without the family?
What happens if we apply family reunion logic to our Mennonite Brethren gatherings? Our regional and national gatherings would be about '''The Family." The things that make us Mennonite Brethren would be highlighted. We don't need to give in to the temptation of thinking that if we want to draw a new crowd to denominational gatherings, then we need to build our event around a speaker with name recog-
came because they were Mennonite Brethren youth and this event was for them.
The Anaheim '07 co-chairs capitalized on
this reality. Christian youth events are a dime a dozen. But there is only one national Mennonite Brethren youth event and that fact was central to the activities that were planned at Anaheim '07. The gathering reflected the values of our denominationthings like incarnational ministry, spiritual nurture and formation in community, engaging the world with the gospel and every believer's call to be a minister.
Mennonite Brethren conventions should reflect those things that make our spiritual family different from other groups . Our denominational events shouldn't feel like Baptist, Evangelical Free or Methodist gatherings. They should be uniquely Mennonite Brethren events We should talk about the things we Mennonite Brethren are doing together-not the administrative details that can be boring but what it means to be a follower of Jesus in the contemporary world
When we Mennonite Brethren get together, let's focus on the things that make us who we are. If we build denominational events around our shared values and talk about our individual and corporate efforts to be disciples of Jesus Christ, I think well see new faces at these events. The personal and congregational stories I hear at denominational gatherings impact me in a way that guest speakers seldom do. These are real people talking-people who go to churches like mine.
There is only one group that is going to offer us Mennonite Brethren the opportunity to wrestle with the implications of what it means to be an evangelical Anabaptist as expressed in the Mennonite Brethren tradition. If we don't offer ourselves the opportunity to think together about the things that make us MBs, who will?Connie Faber
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Keys to pastoral success?
LYNN JOST REFLECTS ON THE STATE OF THE PASTORATE, OVERSEAS AND AT HOME
Sharing the load
MAR Y REIMER AND DON HARMS DISCUSS THE BENEFITS AND CHALLENGES OF COPASTORING
Shelf life
FIVE BOOKS TO HELP DEVELOP LEADERS
Walking in the shadow
DAWN PENNER DISCUSSES THE UNIQUE CHALLENGE OF BEING A PASTOR'S SPOUSE
BY DAWN PENNER
family in conflict
THE TRUE STORY OF A CHURCH AND ITS PASTOR
How CAN A PASTOR FIT STUDY INTO A BUSY LIFE?
"The most beautiful emotion we can experience is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion that stands at the cradle of all true art and science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead, a snuffedout candle. To sense that behind anything that can be experienced there is something that our minds cannot grasp, whose beauty and sublimity reaches us only indirectly: this is religiousness."
Albert Einstein, quoted in Time Magazine April 16, 2007
"Every (worship) service must open congregational space so that people may join in at their own pace; every worship ritual must tell every worshiper that the place and the ritual are open to all. It must pronounce clearly that the conditions of participation are set by the gospel itself, not by the unwritten rules of a family of insiders."
Patrick R. Keifert, in Welcoming the Stranger (Augsburg Fortress, 1992)
"The call of Oohn 20:19-31) is to be people on the lookout for reasons to believe, to be people who allow ourselves to be changed when those reasons come, to be people ready to share our experiences credibly with others who are still seeking reasons to believe. Next time we might be the ones who need the believable testimony of others to help build our faith. In this way we can walk together on the road of faith, on a road where we sometimes 'see' but sometimes don't."
Timothy J. Geddert, in Double Take: New Meanings from Old Stories (Kindred Books, 2007)
In Touch is a twice-annual publication of MB Biblical Seminary. MB Biblical Seminary heartily embraces the goal of inspiring and equipping men and women to be disciples of Christ, and to serve and lead in the church and the world. As a part of that vision, In Touch strives to help bring faith to life.
Editor, design and layout: Brad Thiessen
e ys to pastoral of MB Biblical Seminary
I'm back at my desk after a week at the ICOMB (International Committee of Mennonite Brethren) Consultation on Higher Education. Forty-five MB educators from around the world gathered in Fresno
to think about how we prepare God's people to serve in God's world. We listened, shared, and prayed together. We learned what God is doing through us to fulfill the Great Commission.
I asked a church leader from India about Augusteen, who studied at the MB Centenary Bible College in Shamshabad, India, then entered a pastoral position three years ago Eighteen months ago I visited his village church. Yesterday I learned that Augusteen had just left his pastoral position. Hardship (MB village pastors in India earn between $30 and $100 a month) and slow advancement to education opportunities discouraged Augusteen.
MB church leaders in North America are also concerned with pastoral attrition. Why are pastors leaving churches? To find out, MB Biblical Seminary joined forces with the Canadian MB Church to study pastoral retention and attrition, with funding from the Lilly Foundation grant to Ministry Quest. In February, 2007, a group of thirty educators and church leaders met to discuss the key findings of the survey, which included the following information:
1. MB pastors, especially senior pastors, tend to stay in a pastorate for a relatively long tenure, and when they leave a church, they tend to move into another pastoral position. According to the study, the mean (average) tenure was about five years.
"If Jesus had been the keynote speaker, what would he have told the church about training pastors?"
2. Successful pastors tend to have mentors, seek professional development, and learn to balance personal, family, and church responsibilities.
3. Successful congregations support pastors through encouraging mentors, congregational leadership, active congregational ministry, and sensitivity to pastors' needs.
4. Successful pastoral training develops competency in leadership development, delegating responsibility, conflict management, and balancing ministry with personal needs.
5. The church encourages ministry by providing overseers who will serve as mentors, advocates, resources, guides, and congregational liaisons.
Both the ICOMBConsultation and the February meeting concluded with future commitments. International theological educators discussed ways to continue sharing and serving together. The North American gathering ended with time of committing to support pastors and to train prospective pastors with sensitivity.
As I reflect on the two recent gatherings, I ask myself, "If Jesus had been the keynote speaker at our meetings, what would he have told the church about training pastors?" For guidance in answering this question, I tum to Marva Dawn and her book The Sense of the Call: A Sabbath Way of Life for Those Who Serve God, the Church, and the World (Eerdmans, 2006). Dawn calls us away from the techniques and values of the dominant culture She calls us away from pursuing successful pastorates, congregations, and training institutions. She calls us, through the words of Scripture, to faithfulness to the biblical tradition. Consider these words of counsel:
One large reason for ministerial dis-ease arises because the church marketing gurus keep telling pastors that they must fulfill functions that are not part of their true call. Clergy persons are advised that they must be technologically literate, that they must see themselves as managers, that the growth of the congregation depends upon their charisma, that following certain procedures will enable them to be successful . . . . As a result, clergy in our postmodern culture become CEOs instead of pastors, devoted to entertaining spectacle instead of to the Word and prayer and God's people. For everyone's wholeness it is imperative that the Church reiterate the biblical call to fulfill their true theological vocation (page 165).
So, what is our mission as we train pastors? Again, I am indebted to Marva Dawn as I consider developing pastoral imagination. We are here to equip God's people. May God bless us as we seek to prepare pastors who will equip the saints with a vision of the kingdom, saints who will center themselves in Jesus, saints who will be theologians, saints who will be subversive (living with kingdom values in a world with self-centered aims) j in sum, as we equip saints who live out of the Trinity's mission. God bless us all!
Mary Reimer and MB Biblical Seminary alumnus Don Harms are co-pastors of FaithWorks, a Mennonite Brethren community of faith in Winnipeg, Manitoba. They recently discussed with me some of what their leadership model entails.
Tell me a little about how co-pastoring works. How do you decide who takes the lead in a given situation or a given decision?
Don: Some is based on giftedness and interest. We may look at an event coming up, and Mary might say she's interested in planning it. Some is based on pragmatics. Because I'm there more often (Don works full-time and Mary's is a .6 position), I have more time to put into studying and preparing a teaching time (somewhat different than the traditional preaching time during the worship service).
Mary: I spend a lot of time one-on-one with people who are on the edge of entering into church life, or have bounced in and out of church, or have made a connection and have left. It means I invest a lot of time during the week. I feel freedom to do that because we as a body have stated that the life of the church is what happens in between our Saturday meetings.
What do you appreciate about co-pastoring?
Mary: The first word that jumps into my mind is safety. Because of our different personalities and genders, there's safety in the decision making process and public face of our pastoral team. Because Don and I sometimes have to do a fair bit of work to reach a place of commonality, we can also have confidence in our decisions when it's time to move forward. I also like the company, having a friend to work with.
Don: This being my first pastoral experience, the co-pastoring model has given me on-the-job training - there's a co-worker there all the time. It can also be stressful at times, because while Mary and I have a lot of the same values and perspectives, we also look at things differently. While that can be challenging, I know I'm better for it. Having someone there to bounce ideas off of is very helpful. The end result is I probably make
fewer harmful mistakes, and the ones I do make I try to see as learning opportunities.
How does your teamwork differ from other pastoral teams?
Don: It's more than just a team where the pastors have different roles and report once a week. It's talking as much as we can, enough to know what each other's thoughts are on a given subject and
figure out if it's a decision that needs to be made together or if it's something one of us can run with but know the other's perspective.
Mary: It's a covenant. We're doing this as service to God, and it's joint service to God. That perspective takes it up a notch in terms of having to make it work - how do we work through frustrations when things get tough? Seeing ourselves as a team grows a loyalty to each another. There's a sense in both of us that part of our job is to make the other person look really good. It's mutual cheerleading.
Don: The cheerleading is important. As a pastor, I sometimes wonder if what I'm doing is making a difference. Having someone else there to lend a word of encouragement and remind me of the good things that are going on is really important.
What are some of the challenges of a co-pastoring model? How do you work through those challenges?
Mary: An ongoing challenge is how to lead when there are two of us, without confusing the congregation. We may never have a full answer. One important bit is that when one of us makes a statement about FaithWorks, it's something we're agreed on If we aren't prepared in a meeting and haven't talked about a common statement, it shows We're learning the importance of having our issues talked through before they get to the leadership team.
Don: It's also challenging to work together and have a "we" mentality, but at the same time not duplicate efforts. It's difficult to strike the balance between enough communication and also going out to do the work.
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
Mary: Having been on my own for a year before Don came to FaithWorks, I really have a sense of what it's like to be a solo pastor. There's just no way I'd want to go back to doing it on my own. Having a pastor team is better for a church. It's better for me, too - I'm less likely to bum out. Don and I are pretty aware when the other reaches that point, and we also know that we aren't indispensable. That makes for a healthier pastor and a healthier church.
"Because Don and I sometimes have to do a fair bit of work to reach a place of commonality, we can also have confidence in our decisions when it's time to move forward."
Don: We sure don' t have it all figured out. We believe in the model and in each other and in sharing some of these things. For me, it's a continual learning process .
Two books by Thomas G. Bandy were helpful in developing FaithWorks ' model: Kicking Habits: Welcome Relief for Addicted Churches (Abingdon Press, 2001) and Christian Chaos: Revolutionizing the Congregation (Abingdon Press, 1999). Learn more about FaithWorks at www. efaithworks ca
Recommended Reading for Leadership Development from Anne Friesen. Anne is Associate Director of Ministry Quest, a program that helps young adults nurture their call to leadership.
Summoned to Lead, by LeonaId Sweet (Zondervan, 20(4).
Sweet asserts that leaders are neither born nor made. Leaders are summoned. They are called into existence by circumstances. Those who rise to the occasion are leaders. This book explores the dynamics of providing leadership by bring together the voice of God and voices of the people. Sweet weaves examples of Ernest Shackleton's leadership style into each chapter.
The Godbearing IJie: The Art of Soul 'Ilmding for Youth .Ministry, by Kenda Creasy Dean and Ron Fbster (Upper Room Books, 1998).
This is a great guide for any youth worker or pastor who wants to do more with youth ministry than entertain students. Through the lens of spiritual practices, this book addresses issues of personal spiritual care, team building and ministry to youth.
Engaging the Soul of Youth Culture: Bridging Then Worldviews and Christian 7hlth, by Walt Mueller (IVP Books, 2006).
This book is a great start for understanding current youth culture and postmodernism. Mueller's insights into the realities of youth culture have helped me navigate the troubling and confusing terrain of youth worldviews. Understanding our youth is key to communicating the gospel.
'llansfonning Discip1esbip, by Gmg Ogden (Jnt.erVarsity Pless, 2003).
Ogden addresses the pressing need in the Church for intentional disciple making. He points out that Jesus invested in a few disciples and then commanded them to continue the work of making more disciples. This book lays out a strong argument for mentoring with a leadership deve lopment component The result is 3-4 able leaders ready to mentor others every 12-18 months. The accompanying mentoring guide, Discipleship Essentials, is currently used as the mentoring curriculum for the Ministry Quest program.
Spiritual Mentoring: a guide for seeking and giving direction, by Keith R Anderson &: Randy D. Reese (lnterVarsity Press, 1999).
This is a great book for mentor and protege alike. Anderson & Reese have done a fine job of outlining what is needed for effective life-on-life transformation.
in the shadow
The unique challenge of being a pastor's spouse
The life of a ministry couple is complex. Even the term "ministry couple" is politically loaded. Are you a ministry couple, or is one of you in ministry and one of you not in ministry, or do you each have separate ministries?
And then there are "important" matters like the dress code.
"You don't dress like a typical pastor's wife," she said. I think pastor's spouses are a bit of an enigma to parishioners.
I suppose she meant it as a backhanded compliment. What does a typical pastor's wife dress like, I wondered? Perhaps they are supposed to have the dowdy dress of the poor woman who has sacrificed her sense of beauty for service. Perhaps their dress is immaculate like the "perfect pastor's wife". Are there denominational differences? Is there a similar code for husbands of ministers?
If we as pastor's partners, whether male or female, are judged by our attire, what hope do any of us have? Am I just a flower on my minister husband's lapel or am I a person in my own right?
"What does a typical pastor's wife dress like? Is there a similar code for husbands of ministers?"
In my young adult days, when I was angrily demanding that everyone acknowledge my personhood, I had some sanctimonious words for women who lost their identity to their husbands. It seemed to me that these women had stopped living in their own bodies and only lived vicariously through their husbands. They had moved out of their own homes and into someone else's; if you would ask them what they thought, they would quote their husbands.
by Dawn Penner
Indeed, the vocation of minister may be a risk factor for this tendency. After all, the minister is often a public figure. People assume that who the minister is in public, is also who he or she is in private; they assume the minister is always "on" and ergo that the spouse is always an appendage or a shadow.
When I was a student at seminary, I had a startling experience -a type of epiphany, I suppose. I was comfortable in my vocation as a counsellor and I was quite content to let my husband develop ministry skills. While walking the campus one day, I sensed God walking with me. "Why are you not using your gifts?" God asked me. Startled, I took pains to explain to God that I was being faithful with my gifts as a mental health counsellor. But God had something different in mind. He asked me, "Why are you hiding behind your husband? I have gifted you and called you to use your gifts in the church as well." God was calling me ... not my pastor or husband, but me. I did not know for what end, but I knew I had to stop running like Jonah to Tarsus, and return to Nineveh to fulfill my call.
Now that I have become more comfortable with who I am, I have moved into the role of curious listener or in research terms, appreciative inquirer. What makes you tick? Who are you when you are not the "minister's partner"? My thesis is that God has created each one of us to uniquely reflect his glory, his personality, his image on earth. Do you know your uniqueness? Are you "quietly confident" in your identity as an image-bearer? Are you in step with God's call on your life or do you hide behind your partner's call?
Dawn Penner is Executive Director of Healing Streams, a counselling, spiritual direction and leadership consulting agency in Kitchener, Ontario. In January 2008 she will teach the course "Married to Ministry," on MB Biblical Seminary's Fresno, California campus.
T he word uincarnate"
It starts with dreams and vision and great hopes for the future
byDawnPenner
But his wife is a little fat
She does not hear, and others say Hush
The pastor preaches and the little wife beams and they pray and love their congregation
He preached too long
This time he hears-through an elder- "People are complaining."
He laughs and says, "I can fix that" and shortens his next message. Time goes on and he grows content and his wife grows fat but they give and give and fall into bed exhausted but fulfilled, thanking God that he would use them. "God, stretch me, I want to be like Christ," he prays.
He feels called to preach on Jonah and calls the story myth carefully explaining that myth does not mean true or false but to look beyond that to the meaning.
Myth, myth, myth, they whisper. They have not heard.
Myth, myth, myth, they grumble. They say they've heard.
Heresy, heresy, heresy, they complain.
A meeting is called. Men and a woman gather with furrowed brows and anxious hearts about the heavy responsibility of leading a church.
What can we do, pastor? Could you tone it down?
People are leaving.
Oh, and why haven't you visited Old Sarah (every day)? And your wife is getting a little fat.
The pastor laughs - although a little uneasily - the feeling of being betrayed like tiny tendrils working their way into his brain.
"Honey, I'd like to eat more salads," he says, hoping to influence her. Why are people leaving? What's happening at that church? Is whispered in concern. Liberal, liberal, liberal! they proclaim.
"Do you think I'm fat?" she asks. "No," he lies, and prays for forgiveness - the point of a knife piercing the oneness they had known
People are complaining, the elders intone.
Pressure starts to build-unnoticeable at first, but present-even as the tendrils of betrayal wind their roots so microscopically as to be almost imperceptible.
"Honey, your preaching is not as good as it used to be and Old Joe complained to so and so that you haven't visited Old Sarah" - and the knife point becomes a dagger as a wall comes up where once there was trust.
"What, you too?" he cries - but only in his soul. The roots of betrayal thicken as fear builds a wall of protection around his heart. "I won't let them hurt me," he vows, but only to himself. Betrayal now rules his mind, fear rules his heart, isolation builds a wall that cuts him off from support.
"I'm all alone," he cries from the belly of the whale. "Why me?" he complains, as a worm cuts the vine. "I was your servant, God. Why have you abandoned me?" he cries from the cross.
ill family in conflict
The true story of a church and its pastor (Names have been changed to protect identities.)
Pastor Leonard slipped into the choir room of the Grandview Church, as was his custom just minutes before the morning worship service was to begin, to greet, exchange some light conversation and pray with the choir members. He had been doing this with the choir each Sunday for the last year or so, ever since he had come to serve as Lead Pastor with the distinct call to help the church renew itself after a fractious, soul-breaking, scattering and regrettable period in its history.
While the choir members agreed in principle that something needed to be done to create a "new day" for their church, which they themselves had built and so much loved, it was hard for them to absorb the many changes being proposed and already being implemented in the music and worship style, the teaching and preaching methods, the shift to casual dress on Sunday morning by many (including the pastors), and even the change in decor of the church sanctuary. They just wanted their church to be the way it was before things had all blown up so badly - like it was when it was good.
As Pastor Leonard completed his greetings and his light exchanges of humor with various choir members this particular Sunday morning and was about to suggest that they pray together, a man spoke up. It was David, an early retiree fighting cancer and the disappointment of his children being wayward, and a long time Deacon of a ministry now disbanded. It was clear from the quiver in his voice and its rapidly increasing volume that he was upset.
"Do we have to take a collection to buy our pastor a tie and a shirt that isn't sinfully black?" he shouted. His face was red and the veins on his neck were bulging by the time he got to the end of his sentence.
Pastor Leonard and the choir members froze. The volume and passion, and even the sight of David fuming, stunned everyone. Eyes went down to the floor; hands shuffled through sheet music already in order. The choir leader knew she needed to say, to do something; a bomb had just gone off in the room.
by Dan Unrau
It was as if shards of flying emotions and feelings and distress and horror were flying in the air and falling down on the victims in the room. Everyone was being hit.
Pastor Leonard, coming out of his stunned silence after an endless few seconds, said, "Let's pray!" In prayerful tones, his voice now shaking with emotion, he acknowledged the awkwardness of the room and the anger and the frustration of changes and losses. Then he invoked God's Spirit to get them, somehow, through this morning service.
The shell-shocked choir members filed into the sanctuary. Pastor Leonard followed them. David, stepping past Pastor Leonard asked, seemingly in some sudden tum of mood, if the pastor would forgive him.
"I can and will, yes, David," Pastor Leonard stammered, "soon, but not yet, not today. There's too much we need to talk about and clear up before quick words are said over words that have already come too quickly." Then he too walked into the Sanctuary filling up with people ready to enter into worship.
"Do we have to take a collection to buy our pastor a tie and a shirt that isn't sinfully black?" he shouted.
The next morning, a knock sounded on Pastor Leonard's door, too sharp to be from a friendly visitor. An elderly church member, Bible school trained but a longshoreman by trade, entered and immediately began shouting denunciations and even expletives describing what he felt was becoming of the worship in this church of his. He graphically blamed Pastor Leonard in no uncertain terms.
Pastor Leonard came out from behind his desk and moved toward his accuser, and asked him, "Where's your son, Mr. Rogalsky, where's your son? I don't see
him here on Sunday mornings I don't hear of him being any part of this community or one like it any more. Can we talk about that? I think that's what your anger at the church is about. Lost children. Not music. Not worship."
Handling the Conflict
Years earlier, a wise church member had advised Leonard, "Don't forget that people do church the way they do family. If they don't open their homes to other people to come and go, to visit, to share meals, they won't invite people to their church; nor will they appear to be very friendly to newcomers and visitors."
Years earlier, a wise church member had advised Leonard, "Don't forget that people do church the way they do family."
When Leonard had first become a pastor, he had no idea of the huge overlap between what was happening emotionally in the lives of his parishioners and their families, and between all the parties in the church; how much personal dynamics manifested themselves in virtually everything church members perceived, articulated and acted out in their church life.
To survive the negative bombardment of these members' deeply felt losses and fiery emotions, all wrapped up, to be sure, in a deep love and concern for their Church, Pastor Leonard would have to live out what he some years later told a group of young emerging church leaders: "Church leadership that makes a difference requires a prayerful spirit, a compassionate heart, a thick skin, and political savvy. "
He would be incredibly helped along the way by several concepts that come out of Family Systems Theory: learning and applying the personal need for differentiation (self-definition of goals and values) in leadership, understanding the power of the urge for homeostasis (balance) in church and family, knowing the trouble with triangulation (getting caught functioning between two opposing persons or positions), and being non-anxious yet staying in touch and even playful sometimes as a pastor. *
The Outcome
Grandview entered into a new day of health and self-awareness as a community, it became missional again, instead of being ineffective, self-recriminating
and insecure. Its pastors moved into new adventures in pastoral imagination. Parishioners began again to like themselves and their church; some families who were separated by rigidity came back together again with new freedom in relationship. Many previously un-churched folk began to wander in hearing of Grandview's newfound exuberance and concern for its wider community.
David succumbed to his cancer and other health issues and suddenly passed away, too soon after the disturbing encounter in the choir room for Pastor Leonard and he to reconcile.
The yelling Bible-trained longshoreman kept dropping in to Pastor Leonard's office most Mondays; one day, he good-naturedly groused that Pastor Leonard had bet'ter stay around until he died. "I want you to speak at my funeral. No one else!" Pastor Leonard spoke at that funeral in his fourteenth year of serving Grandview. He wept at the death of this curmudgeon who had become a good friend, something of a father figure, even - albeit a loud and opinionated one - but a saint, sadly missed, who freely flashed thumbs up and/or thumbs down to how he perceived Pastor Leonard's performance throughout the Sunday services until just two weeks before his death.
Life in individuals and life in churches can be transformed by the unique workings of a creative Spirit who loves to breathe new life in all directions.
Dr. Dan Unrau is pastor of Fraserview MB Church in Richmond, B. C. He taught a course on church health and family systems theory on MB Biblical Seminary's Fresno, CA campus in Summer 2007.
*For an explanation and understanding of these terms and concepts, read Edwin H Friedman's Generation to Generation; Family Process in Church and Synagogue, and Ronald W. Richardson's Creating a Healthier Church; Family Systems Theory, Leadership and Congregational Life.
ill fine balance
How can a pastor fit study into a busy life?
Iremember as a child going to see the original Cirque du Soleil. Under the circus tent on Venice Beach I watched a man balance himself on top a large stack of wooden chairs. Sitting there I felt a mix of excitement and the awe at how a person was able to accomplish such a feat.
Currently fifteen percent of students at MB Biblical Seminary's three campuses are working on a balancing act of their own. In addition to pursuing a seminary degree they also hold part-time or full-time lead ministry positions. Combined with their roles as husbands, wives, friends and parents-you are looking at a tall stack of chairs.
What exactly does this balancing act look like? Here are stories from three who have taken on such a task.
Associate Pastor, Husband, Father 2007 Certificate in Christian Ministry graduate
Terrance Sawatsky was a social worker before answering a persistent fifteen-year call on his life, to attend seminary. He graduated in the spring of 2007 with a Certificate in Christian Ministry from the Winnipeg Centre for Ministry Studies, a campus of MB Biblical Seminary.
In 2006, Terrance took on the role of Associate Pastor at Elmwood MB Church in Winnipeg. During his time of study Sawatsky found encouragement by talking with professors like Pierre Gilbert about everyday aspects of ministry and bringing seminary to those in his church who have not had the opportunity to go themselves. In doing so, he
by Megan E. Richard
discovered the challenge of taking lessons from seminary and people in the congregation at the same level - for Sawatsky, both are necessary in the learning process.
A husband and father of an eleven year-old daughter, Terrance and his wife decided to stay with one car during his studies. The result was quality time and numerous conversations on the way to work, school, or ballet about many things, including what Terrance was learning at seminary.
God became very personal to Terrance during his studies. He says the challenge he faces now is making time to be with and listen to God - a surprising statement for someone who has balanced so much at once. For Sawatsky ministry is about people; and that means post-seminary, he must learn to balance time with others and time with God when spaces for study are no longer there.
Dave Ellis, in his second year in the Master of Arts in Christian Studies program at the Seminary's Langley campus, is married, the father of three children (ages ten, eight and five), and Pastor of Connections at Gracepoint Community Church in Surrey, Be.
It was during a leadership conference in the summer of 2006, following fourteen years as a youth pastor, that Ellis felt God directing him to continue on in ministry. It was at the conference that Dave met two MB Biblical Seminary professors who urged him to apply to seminary in the remaining two weeks before the start of the semester. Ellis was accepted on the first day of classes. In his first months of studies Dave added the position at Gracepoint to his balancing act. His ministry role includes, among other duties, overseeing and
Dave Ellis
Pastor of Connections, Husband, Father MA in Christian Studies student
Terrance Sawatsky
Jeff Harrington
Senior Pastor, Husband, Father, DMin Student 2004 MA in Christian Ministry graduate
developing small group ministries and integrating new people into the church.
Since entering seminary Dave has had to learn how to be a student again in a more technologically advanced world. He struggles with not being able to start or finish all the things he would like in his ministry role and continually balances meeting study deadlines with meeting the needs of people.
On the positive end, Ellis is realizing the joy of being able to directly apply what he is learning in the classroom to what he is doing as a pastor. The close proximity to the Langley campus, combined with a flexible seminary program and financial aid, has allowed Dave to spend quality time with his family.
"You put being a dad, husband, pastor and student together and it is only possible with God in the equation," says Ellis.
"You put being a dad, husband, pastor and student together and it is only possible with God in the equation."
Jeff Harrington has been Senior Pastor of Central Community Church (a cross-cultural congregation) in Fresno, California, for over ten years. He began attending the seminary's Fresno campus four and a half years into planting the church, and completed a Master of Arts in Christian Ministry in 2004.
"I believe seminary offers the best environment when we are in active ministry," says Harrington. He found that studying while in ministry allowed him to apply, test and discern which teachings fit best in the context of holistic ministry. He was able to help younger students without much ministry experience see how the teachings were not "theoretical pie in the sky or ivory tower idealism, but practical and applicable to ministry." He says that with the tools he gained in his studies, it was the perfect time to move towards a team approach to ministry and away from his autocratic leadership style.
Early on in his studies, Jeff, a life-long "expert" in time management, balanced his time in percentages that more or less remained the same throughout his three years at seminary. He never missed an event for one of his four children and even did his homework while they did theirs.
Since graduation, Jeff has enrolled in a Doctorate of Ministry program through the Bakke Graduate University of Ministry, a program he says MB Biblical Seminary prepared him for. Professor Jim Westgate and Seminary president Jim Holm's mentorship of Jeff during seminary has continued through the present, something Harrington credits to the school's size and his ability to attend courses on campus.
Similar acts
Surprisingly, all three agreed that they would not change a thing about their experience of balancing seminary and ministry life. Perhaps this is due to the fact that all three had strong support from their families and churches, making it possible to balance the multiple demands on their time. For those ministering in small churches with few or no other staff members, this venture might prove more of a challenge.
In hearing these stories I again felt that sense of awe. It is an enormous task to balance ministry with any other major facet of life. The men and women studying at MB Biblical Seminary who have chosen to add seminary studies to the mix, show that it is possible to add one more chair to the stack and stay balanced-a much more important feat than any circus act.
To read more from the interviews used in this article visit www. mbseminary.edu lresources.
"The Christian Leadership training I got at Seminary was fantastic. You can only give away what you've been given, and Seminary provided knowledge, guidance and understanding in ministry, theology and Biblical studies so I'll be better equipped to do my work."
Luke Haidle, Master of Divinity student at the Langley, B.c. campus and Spring 2007 graduate
seminary, there's always a connection between what we're studying and ministry in the Church. We're really taught to engage the Bible and understand the world and our faith from a Biblical perspective."
Adam Penner, Master of Arts New Testament student at the Fresno, California campus and Spring 2007 graduate
