The Messenger Vol. 44 No. 10 May 24, 2006

Messenger The

EVANGELICAL MENNONITE CONFERENCE VOLUME 44 NUMBER 10 MAY 24, 2006

Will the Church be

Replaced?

The parable of the wicked tenants

The

Messenger

editorials

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Being a believers church

his Shepherd who sacrificed His life for a precious refuge, this Bishop of our souls, Christ Jesus, has borne our sins, the Righteous for the unrighteous, so that He might offer us to God.”

“ EDITOR Terry M. Smith ASSISTANT EDITOR Rebecca Buhler THE MESSENGER is the publication of the Evangelical Mennonite Conference.

It is available to the general public.

Its purpose is to inform, instruct and inspire: inform concerning events and activities in the denomination; instruct in godliness and victorious living; inspire to earnestly contend for the faith.

Letters, articles, photos and poems are welcomed. Unpublished material is not returned except by request. The views and opinions expressed by the writers are their own and do not necessarily represent the position of the Conference or the editors.

THE MESSENGER is published twice a month (once a month in July and August) by the Board of Church Ministries of the Evangelical Mennonite Conference, 440 Main Street, Steinbach, Manitoba.

Subscriptions: $12 per year (Manitoba residents add 7% PST, total: $12.84).

Subscriptions are voluntary and optional to people within or outside of the EMC. In cooperation with the EMC Conference Council, members and adherents pay through their church.

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MESSENGER SCHEDULE: No. 12 – June 21 (copy due June 9)

We see in Acts 2 a “believers church. Not a racial church. Not only a formal church. But a church that was founded on the basis of personal commitment unto God.” “Without Him the entire human race lay subjected to the bondage of death, and would have remained so into all eternity, had He—as our substitute—remained therein; but He is arisen.”

Peter P. Toews said this in South Russia during a lengthy Easter message on April 16, 1867. Canada became a nation that year, and seven years later Toews along with many more German Mennonites moved here.

Historian J. B. Toews spoke in 1974 at a centenary celebration in Steinbach, Man. He said the concern of Klaas Reimer

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and early EMCers was “to return to the character of the apostolic church” within Acts.

Toews said early EMCers were people “of the Word. Not only did they believe in it as the inspired Word of God, they believed in it as a directive for life…they did not believe in the Bible only as a way that we can get into heaven. For our fathers it was an issue of life. Does our life correspond to the Bible?”

Toews said we see in Acts 2 a “believers church. Not a racial church. Not only a formal church. But a church that was founded on the basis of personal commitment unto God.” Recently Janine Wieler highlighted Toews’ message during a congregational meeting at Steinbach EFC, reminding us (including me) to be a people of faith rooted in Scripture.

Yes, each generation chooses how it responds to Christ’s call, to Scripture, and to its church history.

May today’s EMC be rooted in what Christ has done, in Scripture, a believers’ T church and “not a racial church”! M Terry M. Smith

Our need for the church

ever underestimate our need for the people of God. In Acts 2 members sold what they had and laid it at the apostles’ feet so that those with needs would have them met. Now as then, the Christian Church is a group of people committed to Christ and each other.

The Early Church in Acts 2 did not own a church building; the Church didn’t have church buildings until the third century. It met in homes, in meeting halls, and (when persecuted) in secret locations.

Do our new churches sometimes become too focused on constructing a building? A building doesn’t guarantee stability. There are many wonderful buildings formerly used by congregations that are now disbanded! Our foundation is

Christ, not cement.

Our conference needs to plant more churches than we can afford to provide buildings for. It might mean changing our mentality. None of the early apostles ever saw the inside of a church building and we are none the worse for it.

But even when we properly focus on the Church as people, at times we will be disappointed. As part of the imperfect inner workings of the people of Christ, together we see and exhibit many flaws.

However, there’s so much more than flaws. In my experience, as Jesus promised, the Church is a family much larger than we’ve ever experienced before. It’s a wonderful family rooted in eternity (Luke T 18:29–30). M Terry M. Smith THE MESSENGER

letters

coming events

Letters provide feedback, which is helpful to the conference. They are generally to comment on issues raised in the magazine; the focus is to be on issues, not personalities. Views and opinions expressed are that of the writers. A handwritten or electronic signature and an address are needed. Letters are edited for length, style, legality, and taste. Letters will not be published that show a need for pastoral care, are unsigned or obscene, or that involve a legal matter (libel). Letters are published at the discretion of editorial staff, with counsel sought where needed, and can be refused publication. The policy of the BCM is available upon request.

The maximum length for a letter is 500 words.

Accurate definitions are vital to communication I have followed the dialogue in The Messenger with consuming interest. It is good to see vibrant interaction from a wide range of viewpoints. It becomes clear that definition of terms is vital to effective communication of ideas.

Concepts denoted by terms like evangelical, Anabaptist, postmodern, modernism and enlightenment are too easily employed in an oversimplified manner, resulting in unclear communication and even disinformation. Prooftexting in this context becomes a distortion of Scripture under the guise of maintaining Scriptural truth.

Postmodernism is not the abandonment of the search for truth. It is a search for truth which is broader than the rationally delimited truth of modernism. Postmodernism opens space for truth in relationships and Persons, the kind of truth invoked by Jesus in His declaration that “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.”

I am not unaware of the dangers inherent in some strains of what is called postmodernism, but I also see, in a robust postmodernism, a new hope for the church of tomorrow.

Henry Friesen Arborg, Man.

Let’s not repeat a past mistake It was interesting to see the response elicited by Michael Zwaagstra’s article on the Emerging Church [April 5].

I would like to address some of the concerns that have been raised.

The letters expressing opposition seem to be based on the false premise that post-modern theology is inevitable in the church. It is easy to see that to embrace post-modernism is to cast oneself into a serious intellectual and

May 24, 2006

spiritual no-man’s land.

The underlying belief of postmodernism is that we cannot get outside of language and our cultural location to understand truth. Therefore, even if truth exists we cannot know it.

Language does not represent reality, it creates it, or so the argument goes.

Because we create meaning and reality with language, we must each, in our own communities, form our own truth.

The assumptions are self-refuting for this reason. Whoever says these things either a) belongs to a language community of which I am clearly not a member, so therefore it doesn’t apply to me, or b) the people who say these things are in fact saying something that they believe is objectively true and real.

In their attempt to disprove objectivity, they must invoke the very thing they try to deny.

The message of Jesus Christ is powerful because it is real. It is true.

Our man-made ideas about Jesus have no power to change lives. The power lies in the fact that the biblical account of Jesus is real. Christianity will not survive a subjective approach any more than it survived a naturalistic approach.

If we truly cannot get out of our cultural and linguistic barriers, then we are not left with a real Jesus. We are left only with our own ideas about Jesus.

We make God in the image of man, and become little more than idolaters with fancy labels.

The assertion is also made that the Evangelical church is under the control of modernism. This is ironic. Any person who cares to study church history will soon see that the fundamental doctrines that we take for granted today were preserved for us because of a rejection of liberal modernist theologizing.

Examples include the Virgin Birth, the continued page 7

May 29–31 Approaching Another Culture Camp Moose Lake Plus 55 Retreat Sprague, Man. Speakers: Henry and Elna Neufeld 204-895-2267 June 2–3 Wild at Heart: Live in Canada Centre Street Church Calgary, Alta. www.wildatheartcanada.com June 5–7 Rooted in the Centre, Living on the Edge Camp Koinonia Plus 55 Retreat Boissevain, Man. Speaker: Pam Driedger 204-895-2267 June 10–11 Bike the Interlake MCC Canada Birds Hill to Hecla Island, Man. 204-261-6381 or pmf@mennonitecc.ca www.mcc.org/bike June 11 Eden Foundation golf tournament Winkler Golf Course Winkler, Man. 204-325-5355 or 866-895-2919 or edenfdn@valleycable.com June 13 EMC Golf Classic Steinbach Fly-In Golf Course Steinbach, Man. 204-255-8062 June 15–17 Write! Canada Canada’s Largest Christian Writers’ Conference Speaker: N. J. Lindquist Guelph, Ont. 905-294-6482 www.thewordguild.com June 16–17 MCC Relief Sale Didsbury Sportsplex Didsbury, Alta.

403-932-3848 or hiltonmierau@hotmail.com June 16–17 MCC Relief Sale Canadian Mennonite University Winnipeg, Man. 204-222-0468 or gpbt@mts.net www.mccwpgsale.com July 7–9 EMC Annual Convention Speaker: Ron Sider Winnipeg, Man. 204-326-6401 July 8–14 VERTICAL: Providence Arts Camp Providence College Otterburne, Man. artscamp@prov.ca prov.ca/artscamp

Will the Church be

Replaced?

Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?

THE MESSENGER

The parable of the wicked tenants Professor Ernie Koop

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e read the ugly story in Matthew 21:33–46. A landowner develops a vineyard, trusts others, and wants to collect the fruit. But his servants are terrorized and his son is killed.

“Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” Jesus asked his listeners. “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,” they replied, “and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.”

It was an answer more chilling than people realized at that moment.

The Parable of the Tenants is a rare parable because it’s found in Matthew, Mark and Luke. It’s an allegory, a story in which each element has a hidden or symbolic meaning: The landowner is God, the vineyard is the nation Israel, the tenants are Israel’s leaders, the servants are the prophets, the son is Jesus, and the “other tenants” (Matthew 21:41–43) refers to the Christian Church.

The story is rooted in agriculture common in Galilee during the time of Christ. A landowner plants a vineyard, puts a wall around it to protect it from animals and thieves, digs a winepress to harvest and process the fruit, and built a watchtower to provide storage for the harvest and a place for surveillance.

He rents the vineyard to others, with the agreement or understanding that he will return to collect his share of the fruit at harvest time. However, when he sends his servants to collect his due they are mistreated (from beatings to murder).

Finally the landowner sends his own son, thinking that they will respect his son.

In a further, unthinkably barbaric act, the tenants kill the son, seeking to possess the vineyard as their own.

It’s a story of extreme contrast, conflict and contradiction. The tenants’ unthinkable evil is only matched by the landlord’s extreme tolerance and suffering patience.

May 24, 2006

The indictment still stings Jesus tells this parable as an indictment of the religious establishment in Jerusalem (E. J. Schnabel, Jesus and the Twelve, IVP, 2004). It’s a sharp prophetic criticism of the Temple establishment and a warning that its days are ending (Craig A. Evans, Jesus and His Contemporaries, Brill Academic, 2001, p. 406).

The parable points to the failure of Israel’s leaders and those who blindly follow them. Matthew stresses three points about Israel: God’s ownership of it, its responsibility to bear fruit, and its leaders’ guilt (David L. Turner, Matthew 21:43 and the Future of Israel, Bibliotheca Sacra, January–March 2002).

The Kingdom of God will be taken away from unbelieving Jewish religious leaders and Israel and be given to “a nation” that will provide the Kingdom’s fruits. The Church will not be made of believing Gentiles or believing Jews, but a “third race” that transcends old distinctions (D. R. A. Hare, Matthew: Interpretation: A Biblical Commentary for Teaching and Preaching, John Knox, 1993, pp. 248–249).

Israel as God’s elect “light to the Gentiles” is decommissioned, and God’s purposes in salvation history are taken over by the church.

Yet, as Amy-Jill Levine cautions us, we must not interpret “nation” as a reference to Gentiles, as opposed to Jews, and conclude that Jews have been rejected.

There is no reason here to suggest that Jews cannot be part of this new nation.

This parable does, however, speak of transferring the vineyard from the original tenants to new ones, with the emergence of a new entity, a Jewish-Gentile church, the new Israel (Donald A. Hagner, Matthew 14–18, Word, 1995, p. 624).

A search for fruit Behind these leaders stands a rebellious Israel that has always persecuted the prophets (God’s servants). However, the “others” (vs. 41, 43) are also accountable to

the owner. Why would God treat the unfaithful any differently today?

For Matthew the ethnos that receives the Kingdom is an ethical entity, not an ethnic entity (so we need to rethink an identity where Mennonite faith is confused with a particular culture). Those who produce fruit, or practice kingdom ethics, will replace stubborn farmers who reject the landowner (Turner, p. 58).

We’d have to admit that the Christian Church, and many of its leaders, have often repeated Israel’s frequent disobedience in history—and do so even today. Many ministers regard the Church as “their” field of ministry, instead of remembering who their Lord is (Craig S. Keener, A Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew, Eerdmans, 1999, p. 511).

The Church carries on the history and presence of ancient Israel. Israel’s struggles and sins become our own. Even her exile can speak eloquently of our often contemporary powerlessness to influence wider society.

The allegory helps each church generation to see themselves in the sacred text; in this communitybuilding act Christians of any present are bonded with those of the past (Craig Bartholomew and others, Behind the Text: History and Biblical Interpretation, Zondervan, 2003, p. 509).

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s a Christian Church, we need to avoid interpreting Scripture to simply support the status quo and bolster a dangerous sense of superiority or exclusiveness. We always risk fossilizing interpretations and becoming deaf to the challenge of Jesus for us (Bartholomew and others, pp. 509–510).

If the Christian Church—the nation to whom the kingdom is now given—similarly fails to bear fruit, why should we think that our end will be any less wretched than that of the tenants in our story? So asks Amy-Jill Levine and others.

The fruit God is looking for is faith in his Son and the obedience that flows out of that faith. All who give this fruit, inside and outside Israel, take the place of the rebellious farmers as workers on God’s field and so form the new people of God (Jeremiah 3:15; 23:1–4).

Matthew’s emphasis on fruit in these verses reflects an emphasis throughout his Gospel. The criticism directed at the chief priests and Pharisees is therefore, in principle, applied to all groups. It warns unproductive disciples of Jesus and continues as a warning to us today (W. J. C. Weren).

Those who produce fruit, or practice kingdom ethics, will replace stubborn farmers who reject the landowner.

The “others” to whom the vineyard is given over are also accountable to the owner. They too are charged with the heavy responsibility of producing the fruits of the kingdom.

Douglas Hare reminds us, “Unless the new tenants bear fruit the vineyard may again be transferred. The owner of the vineyard still expects righteous living, human caring, and courageous witnessing, these three being Matthew’s understanding of ‘fruit’” (pp.

250–251).

After the religious leaders pronounce their own sentence (Matthew 21:41), Jesus dialogues with them.

It dawns on the chief priests and Pharisees that the parable is about them and their disobedience. The kingdom “will be taken away” from them and “will be given” to others, reflecting God’s active involvement and initiative.

A mission to the world Let’s notice God’s expanding mission to the world.

The recipients of Jesus’ messianic salvation become his new nation of witnesses to the Kingdom’s reality (Michael J. Wilkins, Matthew, Zondervan, 2004, p. 706).

The mission now becomes outward, rather than inward. Jesus’ disciples represent the partial fulfillment of the promises to Israel. They now perform Israel’s role, but they do not replace or become Israel (Wilkins, p. 706).

The Parable of the Tenants forces us to ask ourselves whether we have faithfully embraced God’s purposes and mission. Have we been fruitful in light of those purposes?

We sometimes say that the Great Commission depends on the Church—that “God has no other plan.”

The Church needs to be careful. This parable warns us that we—as the EMC, evangelical church or Christian Church—can be replaced.

Do we, as professing evangelicals, continue as this generation’s witnesses? Do we really recognize the authority of Christ and seek to obey his requests for fruitfulness?

Are we good and faithful servants (Luke 17:10; Matthew 25:21), or have we been sidelined by our own T agendas and selfish designs? M

Ernie Koop, D.Miss. (cand.), is professor of missions at Steinbach Bible College. Here he smiles in Nicaragua.

THE MESSENGER

letters continued from page 3

miracles of Jesus, the Resurrection, substitutionary atonement, and the authority of the Scriptures.

As modernism took hold in the 19th century, many churches, in a sincere desire to be relevant, did take a modernist approach by affirming the scientific over against the unexplainable, and have suffered the consequences.

The Evangelical church resisted, and has preserved the message of Christ for us.

To accept post-modern doctrine is to make the same mistake as the churches of yesteryear who did sell out to modernism. Jesus Christ and His Word don’t fit the categories of modernism or post-modernism as both views focus on the all-powerful “me.”

The one category that the message of Jesus will fit into is “transcendent.”

So the question is not if we need to protect God from post-modernism, but rather, whether we will let Him protect us from its consequences.

While we need to understand the culture, our style may have to be adjusted in order to reach people, but any act to rework the message of Christ to fit a fatally flawed philosophy that will inevitably pass on is a serious act of unfaithfulness.

Matthew Plett Landmark, Man.

In defence of the term Mennonite Surely Jack Heppner can’t be serious in his prediction concerning the demise of the name Mennonite (Letter, April 19, 2006). If so, then I would like to come to its defence.

Let me come up with some reasons why we should think twice about abandoning the Mennonite name.

Firstly, we have inherited a heritage which has stood the test of time. “The inclination in our day is to look upon our lives only from the standpoint of the present,” said Dr. J. B. Toews at our annual conference in 1974. “It is a very narrow outlook when we proceed only from the present. Because thereby we justify our limitation that we have forgotten that we are a product of the past and that you can never separate

May 24, 2006

the past from the present.”

I think one of the problems we have with the name Mennonite is that we are not aware of the larger world perspective that the name has, now maybe more than ever before. One reason could be that with the advent of our missionary enlightenment we have come to be more aware that the gospel is to be preached to all nations. And more and more people of various backgrounds are entering our churches.

Maybe sometimes we need an outsider’s evaluation to remind us of the worth of our inheritance. I’m thinking of what Tony Campolo said about the Mennonite church: “In many respects the Mennonite church has not understood its own attractiveness.

Young people, youth culture is hungry for an alternative church that holds as one of its highest values the Sermon on the Mount.”

Sherwood Wirt in his book The Social Conscience of the Evangelical could say in 1967 that, “A sense of social responsibility, buried too long, perhaps, under the wrong kind of conservative instincts is rising to the surface and is demanding a place in the sun…This development is part of the new life that is flooding through the whole evangelical movement.” I would like to think that maybe the Mennonites have had a small part in this what he calls “new life.”

The name Mennonite comes, of course, from Menno Simons who lived over 400 years ago. I am thinking of a statement in his Complete Writings, where he says the following, among others, concerning true evangelical faith: “…It clothes the naked; it feeds the hungry; it comforts the sorrowful; it returns good for evil…” (p. 307).

Mennonite Central Committee is a prime example of how Mennonites went to the aid of the starving in Ukraine.

MCC was organized in 1920. By 1921 they did food distribution in Mennonite populated parts of Ukraine.

“For three years MCC operated an extensive food distribution system there, feeding seventy-five thousand people (about 80 per cent were Mennonites). The program probably saved as many as 9,000 individuals from

starvation” (Through Fire and Water, p.

275). Of course, by now MCC reaches out to many other needy areas of the world.

The late Frank C. Peters relates that he has found the following about the Mennonite association with MCC: “I have found that other evangelical groups envy us for the possibilities which are open to our congregations through MCC. This avenue must be strengthened and utilized as our presence where world needs demand” (The Messenger, Feb. 6, 1976, p. 3). What I hear him say is that we in Mennonite churches have avenues of service which others envy.

I have tried in a small way to champion the cause of the Mennonite name and hope that here or there it will serve a useful purpose.

Rev. Dave K. Schellenberg Steinbach, Man.

Pharoahs’ tombs and an empty tomb I just wanted to let you know that I appreciated your article entitled Our Dirty Jesus [April 19]. Your perspective is a great reminder of what Jesus actually did for us.

Your comment “Does a rich man’s grave make death look any better?” caught my attention. My immediate thought was that the pharaohs of ancient Egypt must have believed so.

They spent most of their reigning years preparing their tombs with all their riches. Yet where did it get them?

If my study of history is correct, the only tomb that was ever found intact was that of King Tutankhamen, a king who, because of his untimely death, was also buried in a borrowed tomb like Jesus. While the find of King Tut was significant because the tomb was full of magnificent riches, it seems nothing compared to the empty tomb of Jesus.

The magnificence of the pharaohs’ tombs does nothing for the state of humanity while the lowliness that Jesus allowed himself to take shows how much God cares and gives us hope.

Debbie Funk Assistant Editor The Chronicle

with our missionaries Stories from Nicaragua

A huge dream and a bigger God

Have you ever had a dream that was so huge you thought God couldn’t make it a reality? That’s the kind of dream I had. I thought it could never happen because it was just too huge. God chose not only to grant me my dream, but also to show me just how big He was.

My dream was to return to Nicaragua.

You may not think that was a huge dream, but it wasn’t just that I wanted to go. My dream was to return to Nicaragua and take my family. I wanted to show my oldest son where he was born, plus show my kids why their Dad talked about Nicaragua so much.

Last October the dream became a reality. God provided the way: Mission Exposure through Steinbach Bible College. He orchestrated it that of the 11 students, eight were guys. And not just any guys, but eight of the coolest guys (this would be important to my adolescent boys).

He then worked it out so that I could pull both boys out of school for three weeks. And last but not least, He worked out the financing. God is huge! I cannot sing His praises enough.

God chose to teach me during those three weeks. I would like to share some of it. First, he reminded me in startling ways that the work is and always was His. Ernie and I were the last full-time EMC missionaries in Nicaragua. We left 15 years ago. Not only are the churches growing in numbers but in depth as well.

It was humbling to see the leadership, their visions and dreams, their faithfulness, their desire to be obedient to the calling. In 1 Corinthians 3:6 Paul says, “I planted, Apollos watered, but

God was causing the growth.” Thank you, Jesus, for allowing me the blessing of watering for a short time.

During our three weeks we took the gruelling hike into the mountains to meet the mountain churches. Ask any of the eleven students for details of that trip and the thought that would be most prominent in their minds will be Ronaldo.

Ronaldo lives in Llano Grande but pastors in Las Lajas. He makes the trek over the mountain three times a week.

This is nothing like living in Steinbach and working in Winnipeg. You cannot even imagine that journey from one village to the next. He often does it in the dark.

I piously sit in church and sing “I surrender all,” but Ronaldo showed me that isn’t even remotely true. When we

Ronaldo lives in Llano Grande but pastors in Las Lajas. He says, “Anyone can do what’s easy; it’s the hard stuff where you are blessed.”

Ernie Koop, Gerardo Chavarria, Diane Koop, Elizabeth Vado, Maria de los Santos, and Margarita Martinez visit together at the Fraternity office.

asked him about why he did it, he said, “Anyone can do what’s easy; it’s the hard stuff where you are blessed.” He encouraged students to be faithful in serving God whatever the cost.

One thought that came to me during our three weeks there was, what do the people there think of us coming? The many groups that go to “help” speak no Spanish and much of their “ministry” must be interpreted. How would we receive groups if they came to minister to us in the same fashion?

Would we extend our tables, open our homes, show them around, and listen to their broken English? Would we be as gracious and open as they were to us?

Often they were willing to share their last tortilla.

I often think that we view these travels as mission trips to the country we go to.

We went, but I feel we received more than we gave. Our eyes were opened and are hearts were touched.

There were so many blessings during Mission Exposure that I couldn’t begin to list them all. I praise my God for answering my prayers bigger than they were uttered. I thank SBC for letting my family go along. A million thanks to the eleven students who included our family in the trip and every experience therein for three weeks. I also thank the many who gave financially and prayerfully to this trip. God is good all the time.

Diane Koop Diane Koop (Steinbach EFC) recently briefly returned to Nicaragua, where she and her husband served as EMC missionaries.

Ernie Koop is now professor of missions at Steinbach Bible College.

The MissionX group rides a boat on Lake Nicaragua in Granada, the only fresh water lake in the world with sharks in it.

THE MESSENGER

Making history on the Lord’s Day At the base of Mombacho Volcano, in full view of the tropical islands, the Granada Mennonite church has a church plant.

These tropical islands were formed when Mombacho Volcano exploded many years ago. Today they are covered with lush tropical growth.

On Sunday, April 9, EMC foreign secretary Ken Zacharias, my husband Lester Olfert and I drove to Granada, picked up pastor and Mrs. Francisco Cano and Zulma Días. We then made our way across town to the port where our mode of transportation waited.

We mounted the large tourist boat and were quickly whisked off to one of the tiny islands. The fauna and flora was breathtaking, and certainly set the mood for a time of praising God. The resident island owners were excited to see us arrive and eagerly helped us off the boat. Lay worker Juan Días had traveled to this location much earlier to invite the people and to make preparations for the worship service. His wife Zulma had traveled with us.

Soon wooden hand-hewn canoes began arriving. Their main mode of transportation is a canoe or a small motor boat. Children travel to and from school each day the same way.

Services are usually held on land in La Montañita (the little mountain), as they lovingly name their housing settlement.

Today, however, to accommodate us and reduce travel time the service was held on an island.

Juan and Zulma Días visit La Montañita every other week for several days at a time. It takes them four hours to walk,

one and a half hours by bicycle, or just 20 minutes by boat. Unless they are able to hitch a ride with someone, boat costs are prohibitive. They say they don’t mind the travel time because it gives them opportunities en route to witness to people of God’s goodness.

This couple ministers with a heart of love, dedication and joy.

The service was evidence of that enthusiasm and commitment.

Pastor Francisco Cano delighted many children present by teaching them numerous action songs.

Young men of the island had spent several hours fishing early that morning so that we could enjoy a fresh fish fry for lunch. The small Guapote, rainbow bass fried whole and smothered in tomato and onion sauce, was delicious.

We were just finishing our coffee when we saw the boat returning to take us back to the port.

Together, with the church in La Montañita, we had made history. It was their first time celebrating the Lord’s Day on a tropical island in Lake Nicaragua. All glory to God. Darlene Olfert Lester and Darlene Olfert are on an EMC short-term assignment in Nicaragua.

Ken Zacharias, EMC Foreign Secratary, and Pastor Francisco Cano leave for visitation on a neighbouring island.

The congregation gathered to celebrate the Lord’s Day on a tropical island in Lake Nicaragua.

There are 350 small islands near the Port of Granada. The service was held on this one.

May 24, 2006

The trip was eye-opening During February 12 to 25, 2006, two families from La Crete Christian Fellowship went to Nicaragua to serve.

Here’s their report.

Wow! On our trip to Diriamba, Nicaragua, our lives were hugely affected by the people we encountered. They were very poor and yet so very happy.

We met a woman named Marisol.

She told us how she used to live with her stepmother on the streets. Her children had been taken away from her since she could not provide for them.

Approximately one and a half years ago the government donated a 30x30foot piece of land with four posts and a

and adults alike. Good relationships were built as we did these various jobs. We love these people and their hospitality.

We started a game called Duck Duck Goose with the children. We had played this before with village kids, but now we were going to play this with a different group. Instead of saying “Pato Pato Ganzo,” we were saying “Plata Plato Ganzo”; the translation would be “Plate Plate Goose.” Darlene Olfert, EMC missionary in Nicaragua, had a good laugh over us. The kids knew no better; they just enjoyed the interaction.

“It really touched me how all the poor people were so giving. When we visited

We realized this will be a real challenge in the type of society we live in. May God help us.

We are very thankful to the Lord for Lester and Darlene Olfert. They were very cheerful and selfless in giving of their time and resources. They were constantly translating for us and very accommodating to our requests. We had a wonderful experience and would do it again.

Henry, Martha, Miranda, Jayden, and Candace Froese, Jake and Agnes Martens

Houses are put together with tin scraps, rusty metal sheets, wood and plastic.

piece of plastic to each homeless family.

She was a recipient of that gift. Marisol told us, “Now I am complete. I have my children and I have a home.”

The houses these people live in wouldn’t meet the standards of our sheds. The houses are put together with tin scraps, rusty metal sheets, wood, and plastic.

Another man named Warner, who also lived in this village, was an inspiration to us. We felt a common bond with this brother in Christ. The joy of the Lord was clearly evident in his life. He sang of thanksgiving and praise from the depths of his heart, despite his circumstances.

Besides construction work and painting, one of our assignments was to have craft and story time with the children. It was interesting to note how involved the Moms were. They were thrilled to do the activities and listened intently to the Bible stories. Miranda also kept very busy giving haircuts to children

10

the Nicaraguan churches every person gave what they could during offering time,” said Jayden Froese.

“I was blessed by how those kids were so clingy, even though the only way you could communicate was by doing actions. The children didn’t have nearly the things that we have, but the joy, smiles, and excitement that came from these kids was amazing. We have a lot to learn from them,” said Candace Froese.

We visited quite a few EMC churches and were impressed with their dedication to the Lord. The church buildings were very simple. However, this did not deter them from meeting together several times a week. One particular church only had walls and a roof. Because there were no doors and floor, the general public would use it as a washroom. This really disturbed us.

This trip has caused us to see how richly blessed we really are. Our prayer is that we would make a lifestyle change.

Holiday Travel Clearspring Centre, 23-178 PTH 12N Steinbach, MB R5G 1T7 now booking tours to: South America Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina November 1–18, 2006 Eastern Europe Heritage Ukraine and Crimea Kiev, Mennonite Colonies, Yalta, Odessa May 14–31, 2007 Heritage Ukraine/Historical Russia July 9–27,2007 For tour information contact tour host Len Loeppky 204-326-2613, aloeppky@mts.net 14 Springwood Bay Steinbach, MB R5G 2E8 Registration/payment deadline 60 days prior to departure

THE MESSENGER

The Netherlands

From serving in the South Pacific to serving Europe’s Roma people

It is quite common for people to make a career change during the course of a lifetime. For us such a time is now.

Having lived and worked in Papua New Guinea for most of our adult lives, the decision to move to another assignment elsewhere in the world has been marked for us by uncertainty and various levels of anxiety.

Besides feeling our way into our new job and the challenge of living as a family in western Europe, we are also thinking often of the people with whom we used to spend so much of our time in PNG. We may not actually want to call it grieving, but we recognize the similar traits.

Our career change entails moving to Europe and becoming involved in serving Roma peoples through language work, primarily Bible translation and literacy. There are several million Roma people living in Europe, residing in most of its present political entities (Romania, Hungary and the Czech Republic are some of the countries with relatively large populations).

The Roma probably originated from India and migrated to Europe centuries ago. The languages they speak are known as Romani (Indo-Aryan languages within the Indo-European family).

In many cases Roma have not integrated into the societies of the countries in which they live. Their children often do not do well in the education systems and in places they are the poorest of the poor.

They have been severely mistreated by different regimes (often used as slaves), including the horrendous deportations and exterminations under Nazi rule. The term holocaust is mostly used in reference to the suffering of Jews, but it is not so well known that great numbers of Roma were murdered in the same ways.

Today Roma are sadly viewed by many people as a lower class or as a problem people and stereotypical, denigrating views of “Gypsies” are quite common.

We recognize that many Roma lack facilities that Europeans and North Americans consider very basic and that much more could be done to alleviate this suffering. At the same time some Roma would like to see development of their languages in the areas of literacy and education. Further, some believers

May 24, 2006

among the Roma are expressing interest in having scripture in their mother tongue and are asking for assistance.

Given our background and experience we feel that we can make a contribution in these latter areas, and we hope that what we do will be helpful for the growth of the church and the well-being of Roma people. Our main role will be that of team-leaders for the group of SIL workers that are currently engaged in Romani language projects, mentoring and encouraging them in the various aspects of their work.

We hope we will be able to provide practical assistance in the areas of literacy and Bible translation through training of mother-tongue translators and literacy workers and development of materials. This fits in quite well with the experience we have gained in PNG, but we are keenly aware that the context of European minority peoples will require adjustment and a willingness to learn on our part.

We would like to express appreciation

to EMC as a conference and individual supporters who read The Messenger for standing behind us in this change of assignment.

Marianne and Lesley Fast

Marianne and Lesley Fast (Blumenort) are members of Wycliffe Bible Translators (Canada/Netherlands). They live in the Netherlands with two of their children, Hans and Ingrid. They welcome correspondence.

Two web addresses of possible interest for readers: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roma_people www.ethnologue.com, search for “Romani.”

with our churches

John and Doreen Peters recognized Steinbach, Man.: For John and Doreen Peters it was very likely an eventful occasion last Sunday morning at the EM Church on Main Street in Steinbach.

Doreen expressed it as the “coming to an end of an era.”

For Peters it meant a leave taking from the church where they had fellowshipped and been sent out as missionaries to a foreign land.

“It’s been a privilege for me to be a member of this church,” said Mr. Peters.

He recalled how this church had been in the forefront of Sunday school in the 1950s. Their missionary call dates back to 1957, first with Back to the Bible in Germany for four years and then under Janz Team. Heartfelt thanks were expressed to the Steinbach church.

“We have been a part of this fellowship since the ‘40s,” said Mrs. Peters. She thanks the church family for what it has meant to her. Now, she said, it’s time to downsize and that God had arranged

the move to Winnipeg. She closed with a solo, For a spirit of willingness I pray by Danny Plett, who accompanied her on the piano.

John Peters had an active involvement in the church prior to their going to continued next page

Rev. John Dyck (left) led in the closing prayer after a presentation to Doreen and John Peters during the April 23 morning service at Steinbach EMC.

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continued from page 11

Germany. He took over the Sunday school in 1949 and, before they left for missionary service in 1957, saw it grow from around 200 in attendance to around 500. With this he saw the Sunday school grow to 51 classes and 128 workers.

In his involvement with the Sunday school he also introduced the National Sunday school Convention. He thinks he may have been responsible for introducing the first musical instrument to the church—a converted pump organ in the Sunday school.

The search for a new lead pastor for our church continues. In the meantime, in the absence of a lead pastor, a Pastoral Resource Team has been created.

Dave Schellenberg

Region 8 Women’s Day

Uncluttering our lives: The call to simplicity October 28, 2006 Ridgewood EMC

A day for worship in music and listening to guest speaker Deanna Treadway. The day will also include a fashion show, MCC Thrift Store style. Plan to attend this special day and prepare yourself for the challenge of simplifying your life.

39 head to New Orleans Kleefeld, Man.: On February 19 we welcomed Karen Reimer as a member of our church, transferring from Ridgewood EMC. Karen is married to Dave Reimer, one of our lay ministers, and was also affirmed as a member of the Kleefeld EMC ministerial. We wish you the Lord’s blessings as you minister in this capacity.

Girls’ Club and Christian Service Brigade have drawn to a close and our Christian Service director, Val Zacharias, reported a good year for both of these groups. Congratulations to Bruce Peters for completing 25 years of service in CSB leadership. Bruce was presented with an engraved hunting knife at the annual Parent/Son Banquet.

After six months of intense preparation, prayer, and fundraising, a group of 39 Kleefelders set out during Spring Break for a week of disaster relief work in the New Orleans area.

The travel day (27 hours) to the site contained quiet conversation, praise and worship singing, disrupted sleep, some first-flight experience, practical jokes and real Christian fellowship.

Karen Reimer, membership transfer

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Monday to Friday we were divvied into groups of four to eight and sent out to a variety of Mennonite Disaster Service job sites. Work included new MDS construction in Pass Christian, finishing work in a new church, gutting and disinfecting house trailers and older homes, installing or painting siding, and installing roofing on a number of homes.

The work was intense, but capably coordinated by long-term MBS volunteers at our home base. These retired couples exemplified Spirit-filled, unselfish service as they cooked for us, provided taxi services, prayed for us, and encouraged us daily. And what a lot of fun they were, too, when they took us to a live Cajun band performance on Friday night.

Interaction with homeowners was the highlight of the week for us. Time and again individual work groups heard stories of physical loss, emotional despair, financial hardship, and then sometimes a return to hope when they

realized the extent of help MDS was able to provide. Many of these neighbours will occupy our thoughts and prayers for months to come.

At the end of the week, we spent two days touring the area. A shrimping boat ride through 25 miles of bayou swampland to get to the open water of the Gulf of Mexico was a highlight. A bus tour brought us to the most devastated areas of New Orleans and was truly awe inspiring.

A trip of this type has amazing benefits.

New close friendships with church family and youth group members is a huge one.

Another is a new appreciation for the larger Family of God (we forgave them for being Baptists and not Anabaptists!) as we worshipped with our hosts. Also we need to encourage and pray for the long-term volunteers that run MDS. This is a most worthwhile work.

Dennis Friesen

Shingling a roof and gutting the inside of a home worked by on Kleefelders.

THE MESSENGER

Renovations, a vote, and change Taber, Alta.: We’re only a few months into the New Year and we haven’t had a lot of time to relax. And the summer looks like it will be just as busy. We had a wonderful Easter Sunrise service at our local park which had a great turnout, followed by a pancake breakfast at the church. Those that were brave enough to get out of bed early were truly blessed that morning.

A sunrise service was held Easter Sunday.

Right now our church is going through some very exciting renovations. We are in the midst of rotating the inside of our sanctuary to face southeast instead of southwest. This gives us more room and it is visually more appealing. We are also putting in new carpet, something that a lot of us have eagerly been waiting for.

The first Sunday worship was almost comical—people were not sure where they should sit. Everyone was trying to find their own little spot once again. Previously we had two sections of pews; now there are three. But I think we would all agree that the hard work was well worth it.

At our last membership meeting we voted for our new pastoral couple David Wiebe and his wife Audrey. We are A group of men came out to help with renovations at Taber EMC: (back) excited to have them come Pastor Edwin Plett, Abe Dyck, George Sawatzky, (front) Ben Dyck, David work with us, but, at the same Klassen, Henry Klassen, Pete Wiebe, Peter Klassen, David Dyck. time, we are sad. We’re sad that we will lose the pastor that we have come to know and love. Edwin Plett and his wife Lillian have been such a blessing to our church. Pastor Edwin has helped us grow by leaps and bounds and will wish them only the best when it is time for them to leave.

On May long weekend, we celebrate our church’s 10th anniversary. It’s a weekend we are all looking forward to.

We have tons of children’s activities, a concert, slideshow, speakers, and (let’s not forget) great food.

Ben Dyck and his three children help with the Tina Dyck garbage.

Shine, Jesus, Shine!

Tillsonburg, Ont.: On February 5 we gathered to celebrate the love of God— which He has shown to us through another year, as we have learned to trust in Him fully. It was an exciting morning service, with worshipping in singing, sharing, and a power-point presentation.

In closure we were reminded how our daily light as a Christian is so important.

Every person in the audience brought a

New members received by baptism: Nancy and Jake Neufeld, Wayne Reimer and Aaron Dyck.

May 24, 2006

candle from home and they placed them in a box up front, resembling how every one of us is a light in this world.

It was a gorgeous sight seeing them glowing in light—all of them, all different, all unique, one bright light. Just as the Lord shines through us. Together or one alone, we shine enough for the lost to see!

Potluck lunch was served after the

service and the fellowship was a true blessing, especially when we saw new faces and the room was full. Tina Friesen and Audrey Wiebe made ice cream cakes for dessert. No one left hungry.

Again we were encouraged to keep praying and to have faith that our church walls were to come up yet in God’s own time. The building committee is still continued next page

Baby dedication (above): Jake and Marge Sawatzky with Ryan, Abe and Susie Neufeld with Silas, John and Tina Redekop with Alyssa, Tony and Kathy Suderman with Emma, Audrey and Pastor Dave Wiebe. Right, John and Helen Neufeld with son Nolan.

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continued from page 13

Here in Ontario in my little window I am gonna let my light shine!

working on it. New challenges have come (funding needs), and with God on our side we will move forward.

March 19 was baptism day and we received four new members into the church. We wish them God’s blessing in their Christian walk in the Lord. And may we be there for each other as God is our true guide.

We ask for your support through prayer as we continue in growing as a church and also for our building project. Pray for the leaders—trustees and elders—that we will be able to be effective in our work.

Youth leaders need prayer to stay strong and steadfast as the youth group is growing. We praise God for the new people who come to get to know him.

We truly appreciate listening to “grandpa sided” messages. Pastor Dave and Audrey are proud new grandparents.

God bless you in this exciting chapter of life!

Audrey may be “wild at heart,” but she also gives TLC in everyway that matters.

We love ya!

Marge Sawatzky

Relationship cure for cancers of materialism, poverty Messages of two Congolese Mennonite pastors, Adolphe Komuesa Kalunga and Matthieu Shimatu Kapia, have preoccupied Elkhart pastor David Moser since he met them in Goshen, Indiana, on March 26.

National, regional and local church leaders explored new models for relationships between African and North American congregations, part of Mennonite Church USA’s emphasis on global connections.

Adolphe Komuesa Kalunga and Matthieu Shimatu Kapia, church leaders from the Democratic Republic of Congo, challenged American Mennonites from California, Indiana, Kansas and Ohio during their March visit.

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Educational Journal being developed Feel the need for a little more in-depth dialogue on educational theological concerns? Want to express your convictions in a format geared for the scholastic writer inside of you?

The EMC, through its Board of Church Ministries, is establishing a journal to provide a forum for educational theological essays, book reviews, and articles written by you, the EMC minister, leader, member or adherent.

Our goal is to publish this first journal in late fall of 2006. Neither the editor nor the contributors get any payment beyond the pleasure of seeing EMC discussion in print.

Publication of individual material, sadly, cannot be guaranteed.

You are encouraged to contact the journal editor, Rev. Darryl Klassen, about publication requirements and are welcome to submit your work to him at Box 344, Kleefeld, MB R0A 0V0 or kemc@mts.net.

“I heard North American pastors speak of a cancer called materialism that has metastasized and is tearing their congregations apart,” Moser said. “I heard the Congolese pastors share the challenges of surviving the cancer of ‘screaming poverty.’ We are two cancer patients who need each other.”

An obvious solution presents itself, the practice of the first-century church where goods were distributed to anyone who had need. Yet, a gulf separates the churches on either side of the Atlantic Ocean and Moser sometimes wakes up thinking, What first steps can we take?

J. Ron Byler, associate executive director of Mennonite Church USA, says while mission agencies will be involved, “it will take all parts of the church in the Congo and in the United States working together to develop new healthy relationships.”

Moser believes North American congregations desperately need the spiritual nurturing offered by congregations from the Democratic Republic of Congo. “They know what it is like to have nothing left but God. We would do well to embrace this richness,” he said.

Komuesa and Shimatu endured a demanding three-week itinerary, being involved at MWC’s General Council in

THE MESSENGER

California, then with congregations and Mennonite institutions in Kansas, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio.

“We want to develop a new relationship between Mennonite churches in the Congo and the United States that is not built on old assumptions,” said Jim Schrag, executive director of Mennonite Church USA. “A new church-to-church relationship of the 21st century will begin between church leaders in both countries and then between congregations.”

Mutual sharing about issues led Byler to say that challenges were “remarkably similar” with the great exception of the imbalance between materialism and extreme poverty. Both are concerned with maintaining an Anabaptist identity; working for the unity of the body of Christ; building a culture of peace in our churches, communities and nations; equipping and training church leaders.

Komuesa and Shiamatu expressed sorrow about how the North American Mennonite Church has abandoned them.

Currently, there are no mission workers from the United States or Canada serving the three Congo Mennonite conferences whose membership totals more than 200,000.

“In Ohio, a woman said, ‘I didn’t even know there was a Mennonite church in Congo,’” Shimatu said. “How can she not know about us? Congo has one of the largest Mennonite populations of any country in the world. It seems that North American Mennonites are asleep.”

While insisting that they didn’t want to judge North American Mennonite congregations, Komuesa and Shimatu did point out the discrepancy between the magnificent buildings that house congregations on one continent and Mennonites who die of hunger on another continent.

The Congolese pastors asked North Americans to become more aware of current events in their country to help them put pressure on their government and to be more informed in prayer.

MWC There are three Mennonite conferences in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Adolphe Komuesa Kalunga is the national president and legal representative of the Congo Mennonite Community (100,000 members). Matthieu Shimatu Kapia is national vice president of the Evangelical Mennonite Community (21,000 members).

The Community of Mennonite Brethren Churches in Congo has 95,000 members.

May 24, 2006

War and the CO During the Second World War, 10,000 Canadians sought alternatives to military service. Their story remains largely untold.

On October 21–22, 2006, a history conference will highlight their experience, when about 60 percent of Mennonite men called to military service sought alternative service.

Though the experience reflects Mennonite church teachings, many people know little about the story and significance of COs, even within the Mennonite community.

This conference takes a critical look at the COs’ experience in the Second World War and interprets it for today, when war is widely offered as a way to peace and democracy.

War and the Conscientious Objector features speakers from B.C. to Quebec, various Mennonite denominations, the

Jehovah’s Witnesses, Doukhobors and Quakers. Experts on pacifism in Canada, university students, peace activists and Second World War COs will be involved.

The 65-year-old story offers one model of dealing with war in today’s world and forces people to ask, “What is the right response today to war and violence?”

The Chair of Mennonite Studies hosts the lectures at the University of Winnipeg’s Eckardt Gramatte Hall. The public is invited to attend all sessions for free. Selected lectures will be published in the peer-evaluated Journal of Mennonite Studies.

The conference is sponsored by the Chair in Mennonite Studies, Mennonite Historical Society of Canada, Manitoba Mennonite Historical Society, D. F. Plett Historical Foundation, and MCC Canada.

Royden Loewen can be contacted at r.loewen@unwinnipeg.ca or 204786-9391. The CO website is www. alternativeservice.ca.

Mennonite Heritage Centre

Gritter named head of national ministry to gays and lesbians New Directions Canada, a Canadian ministry dedicated to assisting persons struggling with sexual and gender identity questions, has named Wendy Gritter of Toronto its first national director. The appointment becomes effective later this spring. NDC currently has offices in Winnipeg and Toronto. Southern Ontario is being explored for further offices.

In New Direction Ministries people have experienced understanding in their struggle, found biblical insights, and frequently experienced genuine redemption and healing. Serving on the front lines through counseling and support groups, the ministry also focuses on resourcing and equipping the church to minister effectively.

Gritter’s church background is Christian Reformed. She grew up in Ontario and has held ministry roles in area churches. She has a Masters of Divinity and a Physical Education degree.

Since assuming the Toronto office’s leadership in 2001, she has often spoken at seminars and conferences and worked for the growth of New Direction’s ministries.

A core message in evangelical circles is this: “We have failed to sit and have dinner, to listen to stories of pain, fear and confusion. We have failed to be Jesus

with skin on.” She wants the evangelical church in Canada to become a safe place, more welcoming, and a much richer and stronger source of healing for struggling people.

Gritter will work out of Toronto where she, her husband Carl and their children live. Contact: New Direction Ministries, Box 1078, Stn F, Toronto, ON M4Y 2T7; phone: 416-921-6557; website: www. newdirection.ca.

New Direction

June 13, 2006 Steinbach Fly-in Golf Course 204-255-8062

15

Hearing the call of God

Record number of degrees awarded at SBC grad Steinbach EMC hosted the SBC 2006 graduation ceremonies on April 30. The excitement and expectation could be felt among the 40 graduates, the largest class of degree graduates in the 70-year history of SBC. Out-going President Abe Bergen welcomed the graduates, family members and guests. “They have walked with God,” he said. “They have studied hard and we are pleased to celebrate together with them this afternoon.” President Bergen prayed a prayer of thanks and blessing.

Graduating Class Valedictorian Wayne “Pops” Friesen reflected on his three years of college. Two basic truths left an impression on him: Jesus loves us and God is faithful. After completing his time

Dr. Terry Hiebert, commencement speaker

at SBC, the questions will still be there, but he and fellow classmates know where to begin the search for the answers, he said.

Friesen compared our lives to an irrigation system. God is using us to bring water to a dry and thirsty land. We are being fashioned into something God can use. “Countless possibilities await us as we are chosen, assembled and powered by the love of Jesus. Let’s let the living water flow.”

Kimberley Plett addressed the class on behalf of the undergraduates. The thanked them for allowing God to work through their weaknesses, being vulnerable to those around, and reflecting Christ in practical ways. Kimberley noted “if you

Kimberley Plett, undergraduate response

Follow Me is here!

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$2.50 per book for EMCers

A 13-lesson study booklet that explores our wider task as Christians, with a striving for social justice as a biblical task.

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grads could make it through college, so can the rest of us.” Plett encouraged the grads to continue to grow in their faith.

She left them with the blessing “God be with you till we meet again.”

The College Chorale under the direction of Luann Hiebert contributed four musical selections as part of the celebration. A dedicatory prayer was offered by librarian LeRoy Barkman.

Organ music throughout the afternoon was provided by Ernie Klassen.

Dr. Terry Hiebert, professor at SBC, addressed the class. With daughter Kristin and son-in-law Peter Serger as part of the graduating class, Terry indicated that this was not a job that a father should have to do at a moment like this.

“The call of God” theme wound throughout his talk. The many distractions and interruptions of life make

Wayne Friesen, valedictorian

it a challenge to carry on. “Perseverance and joy–God will carry you” was brought forward in the lives of influential individuals in the history of SBC. Hiebert reflected on past college presidents and referred specifically to Dr. Harvey Plett, whose 50 years of ministry were marked this year.

“Building projects and budgets are important and we can become dulous (servants) to those activities. We are dulous for the upward calling of God.” Dr. Hiebert’s talk was interrupted by the ringing of a cell phone. He retrieved the phone from the podium, said “hello,” paused and extended the phone to the grads: “It’s for you.”

Steinbach Bible College is an Evangelical Anabaptist college co-owned

by Evangelical Mennonite Conference, Evangelical Mennonite Mission Conference, and Chortitzer Mennonite Conference.

Lil Goertzen, Editor EMMC Recorder

THE MESSENGER

SBC Leadership Conference Church Planting Relevant in Canada In Steinbach, with more than 20 churches in a community of approximately 10,000 people, the theme for this year’s SBC Leadership Conference—Church Planting in Canada—does not come across as an obvious need.

However, when you consider that more than 80 per cent of Canadians do not go to church, it becomes relevant.

This was brought out by our main speaker, Ewald Unruh, Director of Leadership Development and Evangelism Canada in the Canadian Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches.

Fred Stoesz led a workshop on inner city outreach.

In session one, he developed the theme by using an analogy of an ocean of people swimming, debating whether they should get into a boat even though there is no land in sight. Those in the boat are sometimes more concerned about repairing their boat than bringing drowning people in. Ewald discussed the Biblical foundations of church planting within a world where the harvest is plenty, diverse, and ready.

The theme for session two was A Vision for Multiplication. Ewald emphasized the importance of churches planting churches. He used an analogy of how nature is designed by God to reproduce itself and so a healthy church should by nature reproduce itself as well. Often

the main hurdle keeping churches from multiplying is fear, including leadership, congregational and financial fears.

With the theme of Responding to the Harvest, session three emphasized the importance of daily feeding on God’s Word. Ewald discussed how personal transformation should precede community transformation. We need to go where we have never gone before, go in spite of our fears, and be willing to fail.

He ended by emphasizing that prayer needs to be the highest priority.

During each session a story was shared by someone involved in church planting. In session one, Andrew and Amie Reimer shared of their experience planting a church in the inner city of north Winnipeg, Man. Session two featured David Wiebe who led in a church plant in Tillsonburg, Ont. Though Mike Giesbrecht could not be there in person, Allen Kehler shared Mike’s story of planting a church in Brandon, Man. Although each had different experiences, all faced both trials and joys in their endeavours.

The highlight of the weekend was the panel discussion held Saturday morning.

The panel was well chosen, with leaders serving a diverse group of people in various settings.

On the panel were Hans Hiebert, who works primarily with Low German people; Travis Unger, who leads a house church in Winnipeg; Antonio Pitta who leads a church among Spanish people of Brandon, Man.; Ken Stoesz is in an established church, but is involved in outreach to the inner city people of Winnipeg, Man.; and church planters David Wiebe and Andrew and Amie Reimer.

The facilitator was Allen Kehler, EMMC Conference Pastor, who led in questions that showed the uniqueness of each church plant. There is no one formula for starting a church. Each one needs to be treated according to the background and culture of people being reached.

Also included in the weekend were various workshops that began Friday afternoon. One highlighted the history of Mennonites. The other, geared towards administrative assistants, featured ways of using computers for designing bulletins and developing websites and worship service presentations.

More workshops were held Saturday afternoon to detail areas of church planting. Participants could attend workshops led by Fred Stoesz (Inner City), Peter and Trudy Dueck (Identifying a Church Planter), Ewald Unruh (Ready to Plant? What Next?), and David Thiessen (When is a Church Ready to Plant?).

With plenty of time to fellowship during lunch and coffee breaks, together with the excellent sessions, this was a well worthwhile conference. Hopefully the challenges will become reality and we will soon see many new churches established throughout Canada.

Debbie Funk The Chronicle

Ewald Unruh, Conference speaker

Panelists Allen Kehler, Hans Hiebert, Travis Unger, David Wiebe, Antonio Pitta, Ken Stoesz, and Andrew and Amie Reimer.

May 24, 2006

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MCC Bits Ploughshares Project Ploughshares (MCC Canada is a member organization) has joined with Oxfam and Amnesty to press for international controls on the sale of small arms and light weapons around the world. Their campaign, lasting from mid-March to early June, is called 100 Days of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons.

The campaign will culminate in a special United Nations summit in June to discuss an international treaty for the control of small arms.

Many countries have already come on board but Canada has not.

Ploughshares urges Canadians to press government to say yes to an initiative that will be a major step in stemming violence around the world. There are excellent actions suggestions on the campaign website (www.ploughshares.ca/ control/OneHundredDays.htm).

Columbia Justapaz, the justice and peace arm of the Colombian Mennonite churches, held Days of Action and Prayer for Colombia on May 21–22. These dates are significant because they occur just prior the U.S. Congress decision-making on funding for Colombia. In the past Congress has approved large

amounts of military funding to help fund counter-insurgency activity; Colombian Mennonites insist that these funds serve to fuel the decades-long conflict and make the prospect of peace with justice more remote than ever. The website offers suggestions for prayer and for action (www.peaceincolombia.org).

Resources MCC has produced several new DVDs on peace issues. One is called We Should Talk Peace. It features stories of grass-roots peacemakers in Kenya, Nigeria and Uganda.

Another is Children of the Nakba.

It tells the story of Palestinian refugees displaced from their homes during the 1948–49 war that followed the establishment of the state of Israel. These videos can be ordered or borrowed through the online resource catalogue (www. thenovgroup.com/MCC/catalog).

An older resource, but still available and still very relevant, is Piecework: A Women’s Peace Theology. This is a project undertaken

by MCC Canada in the mid-1990s. It is a collection of letters, conversation and reflections about peace from the perspective of women. Copies of the resource are available by contacting ResourcesCanada@mennonitecc.ca.

MCC

Hugh Owens decision overturned The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada is pleased that the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal overturned both the tribunal and lower court decisions in the Hugh Owens case. Earlier rulings implied that Bible verses can be interpreted as hate speech. The EFC intervened in the Court of Appeal as part of the Canadian Religious Freedom Alliance. The Court of Appeal, in its April 13 ruling, said that Courts should exercise care when dealing with foundational religious writings.

The EFC intervened in the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal in the case of Owens v. Saskatchewan (Human Rights Commission) as part of the

18

Canadian Religious Freedom Alliance.

The Alliance argued that Scriptures should be protected by the Charter guarantee of religious freedom and cannot be banned or censored. The hearing was in Regina on September 15, 2005.

Hugh Owens published an ad in the Saskatoon Star-Phoenix newspaper in 1997 with reference to four Bible verses. This was followed by an equals sign and then a diagram with two men holding hands with a circle around them and a line through it. Three gay men made complaints to the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission.

EFC

births LOEWEN – to Abe and Leona Loewen of Aylmer, Ont., a son, Jefferson LaRay, on April 9, 2006.

GIESBRECHT – to Ed and Sabrina Giesbrecht of Grunthal, Man., a son, Ethan Will, on December 9, 2005.

THIESSEN – to Randall and Daphne Thiessen of Winnipeg, Man., a son, Samuel Finn Penner, on April 10, 2006.

weddings NEUFELD – ZACHARIAS: Jake Neufeld and Nancy Zacharias were married on September 3, 2005, with Pastor Dave Wiebe of Tillsonburg, Ont., officiating.

FRIESEN – FUNK: Charles, son of Jac and Florence Friesen of Rosenort, Man., and Julie, daughter of Helen Funk of Landmark, Man., were married on November 5, 2005, with Pastor Mike Plett of Landmark officiating. The couple lives in Rosenort.

LOEWEN – VISNOSKI: Darryl, son of Rudy and Grace Loewen of Rosenort, Man., and Donna Visnoski, daughter of George Olson and late Sadie Olson of Abbotsford, B.C., were married on December 30, 2005, at Pleasant Valley EMC with Darren Plett of Rosenort officiating. The couple lives in Abbotsford.

DUECK – REMPEL: Blaine, son of Clarence and Marlene Dueck of Rosenort, Man., and Melissa, daughter of Jake and Anna Rempel of Blue Creek, Belize, were married on January 2, 2006, at Klassen’s Park in Blue Creek with Darren Plett of Rosenort officiating. The couple lives in Rosenort.

THE MESSENGER

shoulder tapping La Crete Christian Fellowship in La Crete, Alberta, seeks a youth pastor for a new position as part of our pastoral team. LCCF is a forwardlooking church of about 400 regular attendees. The youth pastor will have a primary role in developing programs and working closely with youth and youth leaders. LCCF’s service to God is based on the core values of a commitment to teaching God’s Word and outreach to the community.

Send a resume with references to lccfc@telus. net or LCCFC, Box 385, La Crete, AB T0H 2H0 Attention: Pastor Frank Winsor.

Abbeydale Christian Fellowship in Calgary, Alta., seeks a full-time young life pastor who is passionate about reaching out to and discipling children and youth. The position would involve initiating and running programs as well as facilitating congregational involvement in programs and mentoring leaders. Send your resume to Susan Thiessen at thiesses@telus.net or to her attention at ACF, 1352 Abbeydale Dr. SE, Calgary, AB T2A 7L8. Closing date is May 23, 2006.

Fish Creek Christian Fellowship (EMC) seeks a full-time pastor, with position open May 2006.

Experience and education expected are flexible.

The church, started in south Calgary in 1998, is currently meeting in a rural setting outside of Calgary; it hopes to return to Calgary shortly.

Fish Creek has about 50 people attending. Contact Garry Kornelsen, board chair, at 403-281-3747; or 55 Woodford Cres., SW, Calgary AB T2W 4C6; email: gskornelsen@shaw.ca.

Inner City Youth Alive, a Christian ministry in the North End of Winnipeg, Man., seeks a workshop program director (full-time, permanent with support raising required). Fax resume to 204-5824729; mail to ICYA, 418 Aberdeen Ave., Winnipeg, MB R2W 1V7; or e-mail icya@mts.net. Pastoral reference required.

The congregation of the Evangelical Mennonite Church at 422 Main St., Steinbach, Man., seeks a lead pastor. This opportunity includes ministering alongside a passionate youth pastor and a creative minister of music and worship in a “team caring” environment and is available immediately. Our church offers active programming for all ages and supports a blended style of worship service.

If you have a passion for God and His people, are self-motivated with administrative skills, are gifted in preaching and teaching, desire to lead a strong ministry team, and are willing to embrace our church vision and direction, then we invite you to consider this opportunity.

For a detailed job description or to forward your resume, contact Henry Klassen, 63 Donald Ave., Steinbach, MB R5G 2B5. Phone 204-3266068; henryk2@mts.net.

Mennville Church (EMC) seeks a part- or full-time pastor. Experience and education expectations are flexible. Mennville Church is a congregation of about 100, located in

May 24, 2006

the Interlake area of Manitoba and close to Hecla Island, in a predominantly agricultural area. Contact Wes Barkman at 204-378-2778 (wbbarkmn@mts.net) or Roland Friesen at 204378-2907 (rfriesen@riv.mb.ca). Conference pastor David Thiessen can also be contacted at the EMC national office (204-326-6401).

The Burkina Faso Partnership Council is looking for a short-term worker (6 to 12 months) with a strong technical background to create computerized wave files for the Somogho scripture translation. Other church-related work could be included in this assignment. French language ability is recommended. Contact Len Barkman at emclen@mts.net.

Endeavour Fellowship Chapel in east-central Saskatchewan, with a congregation of about 50, is currently looking for a pastor. Contact Tom Treen (Elders’ Chairman) at 306-547-3383 or tdpromise@sasktel.net.

Steinbach Bible College seeks a president. SBC is an Evangelical Anabaptist college drawing students from Canada, USA, Mexico, Belize and overseas. The college is operated by a board of directors called from the constituencies of the EMC, EMMC, and CMC. We seek a candidate who has a passion for equipping leaders for ministry and can help our institution move to the next level of excellence in post-secondary Christian education.

The president is responsible to the board of directors for implementation of institutional objectives through executive direction and leadership. Key areas of responsibility include: Oversight of the ministry, communication with constituency, long-term strategic planning, budget preparation, coordination of donor development.

A suitable candidate will also have opportunities for classroom instruction.

Qualities: Demonstrated excellence in educational or ministry leadership; graduate degree in a relevant ministry, theological, or educational field; strong commitment to an Evangelical Anabaptist understanding; mature faith and excellent spiritual character; exceptional communication and organizational skills; proven ability in effective teamwork.

Position to begin prior to 2006–2007 school year. Forward applications to Presidential Search Committee, Steinbach Bible College, 50 PTH 12 N, Steinbach, MB R5G 1T4.

Mennonite Disaster Service seeks a fulltime administrator coordinator, located in its bi-national extension office in Winnipeg, Man. The coordinator will manage Region V and binational office in Canada, including accounting, database, and office systems management, and supervision of office staff; recruitment, training, dispatching and support of long-term project leaders (about 50% of effort); promotion and publicity of MDS work in Region V; and support boards to help develop the MDS network within Canada.

Required: Experience and training in above skills and attributes; active membership in and deep commitment to Anabaptist faith community and beliefs; moderate travel. Reporting to Director of Finance and Administration and Director of HR in Akron, this person works with MDS boards, constituent churches and other binational staff.

Send resume by June 15, 2006, to Lois Nickel, Director of Programs and Region Relations, 306– 2265 Pembina Highway, Winnipeg, MB R3T 5J3 or e-mail to mdscn@mds.mennonite.net. Position description available at www.mds.mennonite. net.

Reserve Fellowship Chapel (EMC), located in Sioux Valley (west-central Man.), seeks a fulltime pastoral couple to serve the church and to develop long-term relationships with people of the community.

The smaller 50-year-old congregation is part of Sioux Valley Dakota Nation, a community that has a Christian history going back to 1879. The congregation is located about 45 minutes from Virden and Brandon.

A strong sense of God’s call and a love for people are required. Direct inquiries to David Pashe, 204-730-0409, e-mail: pashed@westman. wave.ca; or to Len Barkman, 204-326-6401, email: emclen@mts.net.

Blumenort EMC, in Blumenort, Man., is actively looking for a youth pastor. We are open to receiving resumes from anyone with a love and passion for youth ministry. Former experience is not required, but simply a deep reliance on what God can do through a yielded servant, willing to lead youth in a deep prayer-centred walk with Him. For information, contact Dale Loewen at 204-326-5119 or email at dalecori@mts.net.

Vanderhoof Christian Fellowship (EMC) in north-central British Columbia seeks a halftime associate pastor of youth with a love for God and heart for youth. The leader will give mature leadership, work with church in moulding youth, guide them into becoming faithful followers of Jesus Christ, and work within the EMC statement of faith. Our Sunday morning attendance is 100.

Our youth group (without a youth pastor for some time) is rebuilding, currently 12 to 20 people, with an average age of 14. There is potential for growth.

Contact VCF, Box 377, Vanderhoof, BC V0J 3A0; phone 250-567-9198; fax 250-567-2064; vcfemc@ telus.net.

EMC Missions is in need of church planters to work alongside national church leaders in Mexico and Paraguay.

In Mexico, the Oasis Church School is in need of an English and music teacher to begin August 1, 2006.

In Paraguay, a nurse is required for Lucero Clinic.

Contact Ken Zacharias, EMC foreign secretary, at 204-326-6401 or emcken@mts.net.

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THE MESSENGER Evangelical Mennonite Conference 440 Main Street Steinbach, MB R5G 1Z5 Publications Mail Agreement #40017 6 PAP Registration #9914