The Messenger November 2019

The Messenger a publication of the

Evangelical Mennonite Conference

Volume 57  No. 6 November 2019

Christmas

in the

Desert

page 6

Bloodstream Truth: The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory page 9

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The Place of Experience in the Theological Process page 15 Expectations: What Do Missionaries and Churches Say to Each Other? page 18

Reading a Hard Bible for Signs of Jesus page 12

Editorial

Advent: A Promise of Light and Freedom

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od is at work in human history even if his ways are confusing—this is one lesson of Advent.

The prophet Isaiah said that God, who had made a covenant with Israel, was at work even though the nation had sinned and would enter exile. He who had created the heavens and earth, and gave breath to people, would bring forth his Servant: “My servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him and he will bring justice to the nations” (Isaiah 42:1-5).

In the midst of its failure Israel was told of the Servant: “I will keep you and make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison, and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness” (Isaiah 42:6-7). Mentioned in several passages, the Servant is a mysterious, varied figure—partly Israel and partly faithful Israel, partly the Church and ultimately Jesus.

Light and freedom shaped Jesus’ earthly ministry (Isaiah 9:2; Matt. 4:16). Jesus said that he was the Lord’s anointed sent to preach good news, free prisoners, help the

blind, and release the oppressed (Luke 4:17-21).

Isaiah said of the Servant: “In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his law the islands will put their hope” (Isaiah 42:3-4). The servant Christian Church, drawing on the faith of Israel, has carried the message of the Servant Jesus to many islands around the world. Changes have happened (and, in the struggle with sin, sad events too).

Our 65 churches, forming one part of Christ’s Church, are engaged in many ministries in our communities, regions, provinces, Canada, and beyond. In mission work alone, about 95 EMC workers serve in about 26 countries on five continents within about 95 people groups in 45 languages. These represent the workers processed by the EMC Board of Missions. Our local churches also support dozens of other missionaries who serve locally and wider. Such acts reveal faith and hope.

Outnumbering cross-cultural workers by far, rankand-file believers in our common—not lesser—work and life form the bulk of Christ’s agents of light and freedom in his world. Pastor Ernie Koop of Steinbach EFC recently preached a series on Christians and work (see Eccl. 9:10; Col. 3:23).

There is much to be done. Justice and peace often elude us (Amos 5:11-14) and disasters both natural (fire and flooding) and unnatural (war) remind us that we are frail and broken and creation is hurting. Even as God reminds us that he is our Father, we await our bodies’ transformation and creation’s liberation (Rom. 8:15-23). Much remains to be fulfilled by Jesus. Meanwhile, we serve because of our Lord, responding even to famine, earthquake, and war (Matt. 24:7).

We await another Advent (coming): “Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him” (Rev. 1:7; Dan. 7:13-14). The Church awaits, prays, and works toward the day when “the Kingdom of the world has become the Kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever” (Rev. 11:15) “Come, Lord Jesus” (Rev. 22:20).

– Terry M. Smith

Jesus said that he was the Lord’s anointed sent to preach good news, free prisoners, help the blind, and release the oppressed (Luke 4:1721). There is much to be done.

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Table of Contents Features

Columns

6

5

When Christmas Feels Like a Barren Desert – Mark von Kampen

9

Further In and Higher Up

page

Hell and Highwater – Layton Friesen

23

Bloodstream Truth: The 34 His Light to My Path Kingdom, the Power, and Relinquishing the Impossible the Glory – Karla Hein – Pastor Randy Fehr

12 Reading a Hard Bible for Signs of Jesus – Layton Friesen

15 The Place of Experience in the Theological Process – Dr. Darryl G. Klassen

35 Stewardship Today

How to Talk about Your Will and Values with Your Children – Darren Pries-Klassen

36 Kids’ Corner

Who Do You Think You Are? – Loreena Thiessen

Departments 2 Editorial

page

24

18 With Our Missionaries 27 With Our Churches 4, 29

News

32 In Memory 33 Shoulder Tapping

page

31

page

28

www.emcmessenger.ca • The Messenger 3

Volume 57 No. 6 November 2019

EDITOR TERRY M. SMITH tsmith@emconference.ca

ASSISTANT EDITOR ANDREW WALKER awalker@emconference.ca

Submissions to The Messenger should be sent to messenger@emconference.ca.

The Messenger is the publication of the Evangelical Mennonite Conference. Its purpose is to inform concerning events and activities in the denomination, instruct in godliness and victorious living, inspire to earnestly contend for the faith.

It is published 12 times per year, six in print (also online at www.issuu.com/emcmessenger) and six in a website format at www.emcmessenger.ca. To get the most out of The Messenger, viewing both versions is encouraged.

Letters, articles, photos and poems are welcomed.

Unpublished material is not returned except by request.

Views and opinions of writers are their own and do not necessarily represent the position of the Conference or the editors. Advertising and inserts should not be considered to carry editorial endorsement.

The Messenger is published by the EMC Board of Church Ministries, 440 Main St, Steinbach, Man., and is a member of Meetinghouse and Canadian Church Press.

Subscription rates (under review) 1 year print subscription $20 ($26 U.S.) Manitoba residents add 8% PST. Single print copy price: $2 Subscriptions are voluntary and optional to people within or outside of the EMC. Subscriptions are purchased by the Conference for members and adherents.

The Messenger is available for free to all online at: www.emcmessenger.ca If you wish to sign up for our email newsletter. Pleaase contact Andrew at: awalker@emconference.ca. Digital copies are free.

Change of address and subscriptions Undelivered copies, change of address and new subscriptions should be addressed to: 440 Main St, Steinbach, MB R5G 1Z5 Phone: 204-326-6401 Fax: 204-326-1613 E-mail: messenger@emconference.ca www.emconference.ca/messenger Second-class postage paid at Steinbach, Manitoba.

ISSN: 0701-3299 Publications Mail Agreement Number: 40017362 Advertising The Messenger does not sell advertising, but provides free space (classified and display) to enhance our Conference, its churches, boards, and ministries; inter-Mennonite agencies and educational institutions; and the wider church. Ads and inquiries should be sent to messenger@emconference.ca.

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News

Quick Facts About the Mennonite World Conference Mennonite World Conference (MWC) represents the majority of the global family of Christian churches rooted in the 16th century Radical Reformation in Europe, particularly in the Anabaptist movement.

MWC membership in 2018 included one international association and 107 Mennonite and Brethren in Christ national churches from 58 countries, with around 1.47 million baptized believers in close to 10,000 congregations. About 81% of baptized believers in MWC member churches are African, Asian or Latin American, and 19% are located in Europe and North America.

Churches are asked to plan an Anabaptist World Fellowship Sunday worship service close to Jan. 21 that will help them enter more fully into fellowship, intercession and thanksgiving with and for the global faith family.

On that date in 1525, the first Anabaptist baptism took place in Zurich, Switzerland. Materials are available to help remember our common roots and celebrate our worldwide koinonia. Churches are invited to take a “one lunch” offering to support the networks and resources of our global ISTOCK

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Anabaptist church family.

Renewal 2027 is a 10-year series of events commemorating the 500th anniversary of the beginnings of the Anabaptist movement. Each year, local churches host the event in a different region of the world. One such event is Renewal 2027: Jesus Christ: Our Hope, March 28, 2020, Columbia Bible College, Abbotsford, B.C. A series of annual regional events will culminate at MWC Assembly 18 in 2027.

There are two major events ahead: Assembly Gathered, July

6-11, 2021, Semarang, Indonesia. The theme is Following Jesus together across barriers. Seguir a Jesús juntos, superando las barreras. Suivre Jésus ensemble à travers les frontiers. The Global Youth Summit is on July 2-5, 2021, Salatiga, Indonesia. The theme is Life in the Spirit: Learn. Serve.

Worship.

– Adapted from MWC website

Note on Discussion Within The Messenger Every community will have a diversity of views and opinions, which provides opportunities for us to learn from each other, being quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry (James 1:19). Our discussions are inevitably impacted by our own experiences, and the

experiences of people in our lives.

These discussions should also reflect the reality that some groups and individuals have not always felt welcome in Christian communities. We welcome your responses to articles and topics discussed in The Messenger.

Column • Further In and Higher Up

Hell and Highwater

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by Layton Friesen Conference Pastor

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n trying to understand heaven and hell, we need analogies. I spent some time this summer at a Christian adventure canoe camp where my daughter worked. I noted the adrenaline of canoeists, while I was reading G.K. Chesterton’s Orthodoxy, and I began to grasp the effect a belief in hell plays in our Christian life.

White-water canoeing is not for everyone. But it is precisely the possibility of great drama that makes canoeing so intoxicating for these rare people.

If we get this rapid right, there will be breathless laughing and back-slapping around the fireside tonight. If wrong, then a canoe wrapped around a rock and us walking out of the bush is one of the happier outcomes.

Canoeists warn each other with the tale of the legendary expedition that took these rapids back in 1954 and were never heard from again.

Leaning against the canoes watching the sunset as tales of the day are told, no one minimizes the day’s drop in elevation or the insanity of the chutes. It’s the real possibility of utter loss and thus the high demand for impeccable skill, safety awareness and river-sense that makes whitewater canoeing the heady experience it can be.

Or so I am told by braver people than me.

Hell in the Christian tradition is the real possibility that life can go badly wrong fast. It is also why we regard a Bonhoeffer or a Corrie Ten Boom with such awe. To be born is to be launched onto a treacherous river that alternates between calm, sleepy currents and the ear-blowing roar of narrow canyons. We could wish God created life to be a kiddie pool with hyper-active lifeguards clamping down whenever we did anything exciting, but apparently God disagrees.

Life is dangerous, it takes the best of what we have, and to live as a fool is to court real disaster according the wisdom literature of the Bible (see Proverbs 5:5). Hell is not an arbitrary punishment God contrives, the stick to God’s carrot. It is the one real hazard down the dangerous river called life. No one sleepwalks into Eternal Life.

But getting it right makes the heart soar.

Salvation demands patient learning from the old-timers who have run these falls before (the saints who have gone before us). We better be reading the best guidebook, because some rocks cannot be seen before it’s too late (the Bible).

We better take seriously the lessons learned in a class 2 rapid (childhood) so we have a chance at surviving the class 4 smoker coming downstream (adulthood). We better know when to portage Temptation Canyon rather than running it. We better choose our fellow canoeist carefully because our lives depend on them (Christian marriage).

But this is also how Christianity has brought an unparalleled dignity and value to the individual. In no other thought has the person had such a fierce and awful freedom—in no other philosophy can one go so wrong, or so right.

Hebrews 12:1-2 claims this river of life was considered completely unpassable until one glorious expedition in AD 33 when a Master Waterman miraculously shot his lone kayak through Hell’s Gate. Others have done it since, but his path is the only one anyone has ever survived.

Hell is the infinite loss that finally cannot compare to any earthly disaster. But no one at camp apologizes to the campers for the danger of the canoe trip. They only apologize for sloppy preparation.

Hell in the Christian tradition is the real possibility that life can go badly wrong fast.

Hell is the infinite loss that finally cannot compare to any earthly disaster.

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When Christmas Feels Like a Barren Desert

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By Mark von Kampen

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ack in the early 1990s, when I began serving as a youth and young adult minister, a young woman from the congregation told me that she was dreading the approaching Christmas season. All the glitter, all the songs of joy and peace, all the smiling faces—she just couldn’t get into it. “I hate Christmas,” she said.

I can’t remember how I responded to her— hopefully with compassion and empathy. I remember, however, having a difficult time grasping what she was talking about because personally I was so excited about the coming of Christmas that year.

It wasn’t until a few years later that I really came to have a deeper appreciation for where she had been coming from. Due to some very difficult circumstances in my own life, I remember several Advent seasons that I found to be pretty tough sledding.

One night shortly before Christmas, a neighbour, who knew my difficult circumstances that year, showed up on my doorstep and said, “Hey Mark, I found the perfect tree for you.” Sure enough, it was a big blackish, gnarly looking branch that had broken off of a tree. It may have been the most thoughtful gift I’d ever gotten for Christmas—a dead branch.

I rummaged around in the basement for the Christmas tree stand, brought it to the living room and placed the tree in it. I even poured water in the stand. Ha. Take that, Christmas, I thought. Then I strung up a few white lights on it and sparsely hung a few little ornaments. It was perfect! The tree reflected, with honesty, the barrenness of my Christmas spirit that year. In its integrity there was even a strange kind of simple, elegant beauty. “Maybe I could ‘do’ Christmas after all,” I thought. “I just had to do it on my own terms.”

Nothing ‘Evergreen’ About My Feelings

An Unexpected Part

There was nothing “evergreen” about my feelings and spirit that year.

One year in particular I had decided there was no way I could bear going by myself to get a Christmas tree and unpack a bunch of ornaments that would just trigger painful memories of loss and disappointment. There was nothing “evergreen” about my feelings and spirit that year. Truth be told, I was feeling rather barren, bleak and dead inside. If I would have chosen a tree for that year, it would have been a dead, shriveled branch off of a deciduous tree—something with no green on it.

If you think my tree was kind of odd, the strangest and most unexpected part of the story is that, as Christmas got closer, the tree began to develop buds, which every day grew larger and larger. I decided to keep watering that branch and by Christmas Eve that tree had little leaves!

In the bleak mid-winter all of a sudden there was spring. That little tree had become a metaphor in more ways than one.

The prophet Isaiah foretold the coming of the Messiah using the image of a flowering shoot springing forth from a dead stump: A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.

The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord.

(Isaiah 11:1-2)

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This image is captured beautifully in the German Christmas carol Es ist ein Ros entsprungen (Lo, how a rose e’re blooming). Isaiah also foretold that when the Messiah comes, even the desert will bloom: The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.

Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.

(Isaiah 35:1-2)

To What Does Isaiah Refer?

To what was Isaiah referring to when he talked about dead stumps or barren deserts? I suspect that most of us probably have some sense of this. We hear about hopelessness and despair on the news most every day—injustice, senseless violence, abuse, drugs, terrorism and so on.

We’ve all probably wondered from time to time about the human condition, and we may have found a barren wasteland or a lifeless stump as a fitting metaphor.

Some know this gnawing sense of emptiness or purposelessness more intimately. Some have lost loved ones. Some have experienced a significant decline in their health or the health of a loved one. Some know the pain that comes from a broken relationship. Some know the heartache caused by addictions and abuse.

Some of us have made unfortunate personal choices that have led us to places that seem hopeless. And some of us, through no choice or consequences of our own, have found ourselves in what feels like nothing less than a barren desert.

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Hope Has Shown Its Face

The significance of Christmas is that God knows our struggles and our gnawing questions. God knows the pain and hopelessness in the world out there and God also knows the struggles and questions in our own lives.

The significance of Christmas is that, in Jesus, God has come to meet us in our human condition and show us a way forward. Into our despair, hope has shown its face. Into our questioning, an answer has emerged. Even from our barren stumps, the possibility of new life has emerged. Even from the barren wastelands in which we sometimes find ourselves, a flower has blossomed: O Flower, whose fragrance tender With sweetness fills the air, Dispel with glorious splendour The darkness everywhere; Truely human, yet very God, From Sin and death now save us, And share our every load.

(Friedrich Layriz, trans. Theodore Baker) Mark von Kampen is a chaplain with Inter-Mennonite Chaplaincy Association (IMCA), which serves students, faculty and staff from the Menno Office located at the University of Manitoba.

IMCA is partnership of the EMC, EMMC and MCM. Mark also serves as associate minster of worship at First Mennonite Church in Winnipeg.

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The Lord’s Prayer

Bloodstream Truth: The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory

by Pastor Randy Fehr

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his prayer was what Jesus gave his disciples when they asked Him to teach them to pray.

It has to be special; it was from Jesus, of course! It was something that was meant to bring about change in those who made it part of their daily lives. This last section is no exception.

‘Thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory,” a sort of benediction, was not included in the earliest manuscripts. The theological truth and the practical impact of this ending are such that it should change us as we incorporate it into our bloodstreams. I am quite certain that the Holy Spirit authored its truth.

Moses never prayed this prayer, but his story is a great example of how these truths take shape.

our personal lives and into the world around us.

We have been okay to relegate God’s rule to the surrounding world and to the coming kingdom rule and reign of Jesus, but God had in mind our internal spiritual life and our physical kingdoms as well. He is the rightful King of all.

As a young man Moses thought he was building God’s kingdom in God’s way. Moses could see Egypt and being Pharaoh as attainable goals. Surely even God had his hand in this.

He was allowed to live when all Hebrew boys were being killed. He was rescued from the Nile by Pharaoh’s own daughter; he was moved into Pharaoh’s household as one of the family who was taught and trained in Egyptian leadership.

When Moses killed the Egyptian he hadn’t only made a judgment error; he revealed he was building his kingdom his way. Too often we are preoccupied with building our own kingdoms. We plan and organize our lives so that we can get a certain education, get a certain job, buy a certain vehicle, a house, take a certain vacation.

Yet there is a voice from the Lord’s Prayer telling us that this place where we have set ourselves up as king is something or somewhere

When Moses killed the Egyptian he hadn’t only made a judgment error; he revealed he was building his kingdom his way. Too often we are preoccupied with building our own kingdoms.

Thine is the Kingdom

What is a kingdom? A kingdom is the place where the will and way of one king holds sway.

The first part of this triad should jolt us out of our self-built kingdom thinking and set our kingdom compass to Jesus and help us begin the transition of kingship from us to Him. We have already told God in this prayer that we would like His kingdom to come both into

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that isn’t really ours. Even our physical aspirations are God’s kingdom. James says, “Now listen you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes” (James 4:13-14). The Apostle Paul says, “You are not your own; you were bought with a price. Therefore honor God with your body” (1 Cor. 6:19-20).

We need to be reminded again and again that Jesus really is king. He has our best interests at heart. He can do a better job of ruling than we can. Our physical lives should be submitted to His kingship as well. They are part of His Kingdom.

Thine is the Power

The reminder that teaches us how God’s kingdom work is accomplished comes from these

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words. It was Moses’ kingdom and Moses’ power that justified killing an Egyptian. It is a very disheartened Moses who sinks to the ground in Midian. He had lost his passion and purpose. God continued the process of training for the ensuing 40 years.

It was only then that God brought him to the burning bush at Mount Horeb. Of all the theological imagery that God could have used to speak to Moses through, He chose a burning bush that did not burn up. God was clearly teaching Moses again and the symbolism was absolutely intentional. We had better not miss the message.

God had seen His people suffering and heard their cries for help. He would act. Sometimes we act independently using our strength to accomplish our will as Moses did. We often independently interpret circumstances of our lives and place ourselves in the King’s position.

We act and then are surprised when things don’t turn out the way we think they should.

Still, the burning bush? It is the fuel for the fire that is not consumed. God is telling Moses that by obeying this call you will be fuel, but at the same time you will never be all used up. That is quite different from Moses’ perception that he had 40 years earlier.

It is God’s power that accomplishes His work! The apostle Paul says, “Likewise we are weak in Him, yet by God’s power we will live with Him to serve you” (2 Cor. 13:4).

We are like Moses. We believe that it is our power to accomplish our perception of God’s will and we soon become used up. We try too hard. We have our own agendas. We are too strong.

It takes a long time to recognize that it’s His kingdom and it’s His power that will accomplish His tasks, and we

are called to live life with God. We might be surprised to find that it’s by God’s power that we live with Him and serve others.

Thine is the Glory

We have had our eyes opened to the fact that it’s His power at work in us that accomplishes what really needs to get done. It is natural and important that we would give that recognition and praise to Him. “I am the Lord; that is My name! I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols” (Isaiah 42:8).

There is more. When Moses developed and used his abilities and talents and followed through on God’s call, it became a beautiful yet messy affair. God loves when people develop and use the gifts they have been given in Goddirected ways. God is glorified. He shines with glory and becomes attractive when we align our lives with His life. Still we need to see His glory.

Moses has learned that he could not lead the people on his own. In Exodus 33 He explained that he didn’t know who would go with him and he wouldn’t budge without “God’s Presence.”

When God reveals that He is with Moses on this

journey, Moses boldly asks God to show him His glory! What is Moses asking for and what does he want to see?

Hebrews 1:3 tells us, “The son is the radiance of God’s glory.”

Jesus is the shininess of God, and Moses knew he wanted Jesus to go with him and he needed to see Him. We often relegate seeing God’s glory to seeing His handy work in nature. We desperately need to meet with Jesus!

Moses shone because of his interaction with the beauty of Jesus. He was transformed every time. Paul believes that our relationship with the Holy Spirit in this new covenant should produce more glory than even Moses experienced. (2 Cor. 3:7-17). This should be happening in us because we are brave enough to engage these words, “Thine is the glory”!

The triad reminds us that we need to recognize where God has been involved.

He has given us the gifting and ability from the start, yet we need to be faithful in growing our abilities and using them. Yes, we need to see God’s beauty in creation, yet more important is the need to be changed continuously by the beauty of Jesus.

Praying this benediction should not only remind us that it’s really His kingdom, His power and His glory; it should help us submit to its truth and transition into making it life- changing.

Submitting daily to His kingship is a better way to live. It doesn’t simply recognize His power as the power to accomplish, but it transforms us. What a wonderful ending to this prayer. Thank you, Holy Spirit, for your work of getting this to us!

Randy Fehr, MDiv, is the pastor of Grace Community Church in Aylmer, Ont., where he and his wife Gloria live.

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Two of Four

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Reading a Hard Bible for Signs of Jesus

By Layton Friesen

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raise God for the Bible, the very Word and words of God! At the core of being simply Christian is the ancient Christian experience that in the Bible we meet our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. All the Church wants to do, ever, is see Jesus.

How Jesus loved the Scriptures! His Bible, the Old Testament, was what he used to think with, pray with, and teach with. On the Cross, Jesus shouts in white-hot pain and out spills Psalm 22 and Psalm 31. Jesus had said these psalms so often they became his instinctive cry of pain and grief to the Father.

There is no better example of this than Hebrews 4. The plain message there is that by obeying the powerful Word of God we enter God’s Sabbath rest. Obey the Word of God and by it God will guide you to the country of His Sabbath rest. In this passage that is where a lamb might wade.

But Hebrews 4 is also a river where elephants can swim.

Hebrews 4 is in the middle of a mysterious argument that starts at least in chapter 2 where the writer has placed God’s seventh-day rest in Genesis 2, God’s deliverance of Israel in Exodus, the conquest of Canaan in the book of Joshua, and Psalm 95 alongside each other. In placing these texts alongside each other, the writer discovers a delightful dilemma that resolves beautifully when Jesus is seen within them.

Jesus had said these psalms so often they became his instinctive cry of pain and grief to the Father.

A Lamb and an Elephant

But, of course, the Bible can be a difficult book.

Gregory the Great in the 6th century wrote a beautiful line when he said the Bible “is surely like a river, if I may say so, which is wide and deep, in which a lamb may walk and an elephant swim.” Some things in the Bible can be grasped by a child—but that child can spend the rest of her life mining down into mystery beyond mystery in the words of God.

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Rest—God’s and Ours

The question has to do with God’s rest, both His own rest and the rest He gives the people. In Genesis 2 we are told that God rested. The seventh day, as we know, had no end, no morning

Convention 2019 and evening, an eternal rest. But then we see God back at work in the exodus and the conquest, struggling with his stubborn people who refuse to listen to his Word. In Psalm 95, centuries later, we find again the opportunity held open for the people to yet enter God’s rest. So how can God’s eternal, seventh-day rest be happening when he still seems to be sweating and struggling with getting his people their rest?

Then the figure of Jesus emerges in these scriptures. Now in Christ all these “rests” come together: the eternal Genesis 2 rest of God, the rest God struggled to give his exodus people in the Promised Land, and the rest still open for those who hear in Psalm 95. All are coming together and coming true, really happening. Jesus is the new Moses, Joshua, and David bringing his people into the Sabbath of God’s rest. By joining Jesus we find God’s eternal seventh-day rest.

But even now, ironically, we still need to work hard to have this rest. Work hard at resting, Hebrews says. Work hard by listening to the Word of God and allowing God to reduce and shape you. Jesus speaking in the Bible is a powerful, living, active force, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing right inside of us, laying us bare (Heb. 4:12-13). And in this hard work of hearing Jesus, we ironically enter God’s rest.

Or something like that. Elephants swim in that river, but I am not sure I can swim all that well myself!

Thrilled by Its Difficulty

Here is the big point I want us to consider: the writer of Hebrews is thrilled by how difficult the Old Testament is to read. He is energized by the tensions and apparent contradictions he discovers between Genesis 2, Exodus, Joshua and Psalm 95. These difficulties have been placed there by God to frustrate us, to cause us to struggle to understand, to show us that we still have cataracts that prevent us from seeing the spiritual reality of Jesus.

Yet as we struggle with the Old Testament, gradually we see Jesus standing in the middle of it. In this struggle to see Jesus in the Old Testament we gain a hard-won Christian wisdom. But when it happens, wow, do we ever fall in love with Jesus!

Jesus Emerges in All of the Bible

The apostles came to believe that, though, at first the Old Testament might look like an ornery set of texts that don’t have a common meaning, as we get to know Jesus, as we become more like Jesus himself, suddenly his figure emerges in all the Bible.

As we begin to see Jesus unifying apparently unrelated stories and texts across the centuries of God’s saving work in both the Old and New Testament, we are getting a first glimpse of Jesus as we will see him in Heaven—the Lord unifying all time and history.

We are glimpsing Jesus as Lord of creation, God of Abraham, contender for Israel,

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Convention 2019

the true King David, the truly wise Solomon. He is the prophet, sage, priest and king. All of history is coming under the lordship of Jesus. And as this Lordship is inscribed through our reading eyes into our souls and minds and bodies, as we consent to it with all our lives—we come to a place of rest, peacefully ready for life in Heaven with God.

To Train Us to See Jesus

No wonder the Bible is so hard to understand.

Today we think the Bible is hard to understand because it was written 2,000 years ago to a different culture. Yet that is not what the writer of Hebrews would say. He would say the Bible is hard to read because we are not yet ready for Heaven. We don’t yet have the eyes to see Jesus.

We don’t have the eyes to see Jesus in Leviticus and so we think it’s so hard and boring. We don’t have the eyes to see Jesus in the conquest of Canaan and so we think it’s crude and violent. But those difficulties are there to train us to become more Jesus-sensitive, to perceive Him in almost impossible places.

The Bible forces me to swim with elephants and that exposes the fact that I can’t really swim.

But as I submit to the Spirit and confess my sin; as I wrestle with the Bible, memorize it, learning to be present to the God within the Bible; I am being shaped from one degree of glory to another into the image of Jesus. I am being trained to enter the Sabbath rest of God—I am being prepared for Heaven because I am being prepared to see Christ as Lord over every stage of history.

14 The Messenger • November 2019

To Meet Jesus

There is nothing we need in life, finally, but to meet Jesus. That is to be simply Christian. In the Bible we see Jesus reigning at Babel, reigning in Egypt, reigning at Sinai, reigning in Bethel, and reigning in Babylon. Jesus, the one whom the Queen of Sheba really set out to see. Jesus, the one who made Jeremiah weep. Jesus, the one who goaded Amos into rage. Jesus, the one who set David singing. We see him in Galilee teaching and healing. We see him on the cross, in the grave, and on the road to Emmaus.

On the road to Emmaus our minds begin to burn as beginning with Moses and the prophets he interprets for us the things about himself in all the scriptures. Our eyes are opened, we recognize the Lord of history, and come to God’s Sunday rest.

Every day will be Sunday, Lord, on the other side!

Layton Friesen, PhD, is the EMC’s conference pastor and was the 2019 convention speaker in Picture Butte, Alta.

This series is based on his convention sermons. Layton lives in Winnipeg, Man., with his wife Glenda and their two young adult children.

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Discussion and Discernment

THE PLACE OF EXPERIENCE IN THE THEOLOGICAL PROCESS by Dr. Darryl G. Klassen

W

hen we read the Bible, we come to the Scriptures with predetermined lenses. What we discern to be foundational truths are based on how we read Scripture. In other words, how we come to know Jesus Christ and how we live out the truths of his life in our own lives is a process of receiving truth and thinking about what it means.

You and I have a predominant lens or set of lenses.

We are Anabaptist. We are Evangelical. We are North American. We are Canadian.

Even the times we live in have shaded our lenses. The 21st century has already seen major shifts in how the Church approaches social issues. Culture tints our glasses through our constant exposure to technology and media. Our varied occupations stimulate different experiences so that we see life from different angles.

discuss hypothetical situations with ease, but when someone has a personal experience with an issue, everything changes. Experience has become the standard for interpretation, and with experience, emotion. Emotion is difficult to debate.

How can we come to a common theology about God that informs how we live? How can we affirm experience while still doing justice to our biblical interpretation? How should experience relate to our understanding of Scripture, as well as to tradition and reason?

How can we come to a common theology about God that informs how we live?

Experience

Experience is the key word. Our experiences are different from our forebears. They did not have to face some of the controversies we do today. And our experiences differ from each other so that how we interpret Scripture becomes a messy task. Congregations can

Wesleyan Quadrilateral

For our purposes, the Wesleyan Quadrilateral will be especially helpful. John Wesley used four different elements when he came to his theological conclusions. He himself did not specifically outline them this way and he did not coin the term. Rather, Albert C. Outler in 1964 extracted this method from Wesley’s writings and came up with the term.

The four elements were Scripture, tradition, reason, and experience. Scripture refers to the written Word of God, the 66 books of the Bible.

With these readings, the Church has formed traditions that have been passed on and refined (or

www.emcmessenger.ca • The Messenger 15

Discussion and Discernment

reformed) over the past two millennia. These traditions were formed by the early Church Fathers like Augustine, Irenaeus, Origen and Tertullian.

Some of these traditions were challenged by Peter Waldo, John Hus, Martin Luther and Menno Simons. What we believe today about Christ and the Church has been undeniably influenced by those that have gone before us.

Reason is a gift from God whereby we are able to ask questions and use logic to interpret Scripture. By reason we seek to understand Scripture.

By reason we see how our lives line up or stray from the Christian witness. By reason we test our consistency with what we believe the Bible teaches.

And by experience we mean especially the new life in Christ by which we have new eyes to see the living truth in Scripture. It can also include the broader experiences of life with our joys, hurts, and desires. We understand the Bible with our combined experiences; and we understand life through the light of the biblical message.

that people would understand “quadrilateral” as “equilateral,” seeing all four elements as equal in authority for interpreting and establishing doctrine. That was not his intent, but it has become our problem.

Not Just Any Experience

Outler was insightful in recognizing the danger of overemphasizing a particular kind of experience. He would qualify this by saying that it is not just any experience that we have, even those of good or decent people. The experience he was speaking of was “Christian” experience, and not just any “Christian experience,” but that of one who is conscious of their sins being forgiven.

Contrast Outler’s definition of experience with a general experiential context. If something makes us feel good or if it seems right, a person may be led by that feeling to conclude that it is an affirmation of what they are doing. This may be called “experientialism,” where experience alone is the source of knowledge or truth. Wesley would strongly reject the role of experience in doing theology.

We cannot deny that our experiences have a profound effect on how we view God and life. However, we must confess that Christian

We cannot deny that our experiences have a profound effect on how we view God and life.

Not Equal

One regret Outler shared years after naming this process was that he wished he never entitled it the Wesleyan Quadrilateral. He soon anticipated

16 The Messenger • November 2019

Discussion and Discernment experience adds nothing to the truth of Christ. The role of experience is to energize the heart and empower the believer to speak and live the truth in love. In this respect, we will be wise to remember that Wesley viewed Scripture as the centrepiece on which the other elements depended.

In Perspective

T. Wright used a word picture that puts the elements of the quadrilateral in proper perspective: …Scripture, tradition and reason are not like three different bookshelves, each of which can be ransacked for answers to key questions.

Rather, Scripture is the bookshelf; tradition is the memory of what people in the house have read and understood (or perhaps misunderstood) from that shelf; and reason is the set of spectacles that people wear in order to make sense of what they read—though, worryingly, the spectacles have varied over time, and there are signs that some readers, using the “reason” available to them, have severely distorted the texts they were reading. “Experience” is something different again, referring to the effect on readers of what they have read, and/ or the worldview, the life experience, the political circumstances, and so on, within which that reading takes place (The Last Word).

He goes on to say, “‘Experience’ is far too slippery for the concept to stand any chance of providing a stable basis sufficient to serve as an ‘authority,’ unless what is meant is that, as the book of Judges wryly puts it, everyone should simply do what is right in their own eyes” (21:25).

Experience has value, as do tradition and reason. However, like the Radical Reformers, we need to return again and again to the Scriptures as the bedrock of our faith and doctrine. Tradition informs our current theology, whether we know it or not, shaping our understanding of historic faith. Reason provides the questions we need to ask continually of how we understand tradition. Experience helps us to “feel” what we

believe to be true. But Scripture is the immovable anchor by which we test the other elements and remain steadfast in turbulent waters.

Questions

What are the questions, then, that we need to ask when we come together to form a common theology about God? Here are a few suggestions: Scripture: What does the Bible say about this issue? Does it say anything at all?

Tradition: What does your community of faith say about the testimony of Scripture on this matter?

Reason: If Scripture is silent on the matter (or vague), what does our overall understanding of the character of God teach us about what we are facing?

Experience: What have I witnessed the living God do in these areas? What is my testimony?

How does this matter shape the Church or even my own thoughts about God? Darryl G. Klassen, DMin, has served as an EMC pastor at Kleefeld EMC and at Crestview Fellowship Church (Winnipeg). He continues to preach, teach, and write. He lives in Blumenort, Man.

www.emcmessenger.ca • The Messenger 17

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With Our Missionaries

Expectations: What Do Missionaries and Churches Say to Each Other?

A

missionary and their sending church need a strong family bond, and yet, like a family, can suffer from misunderstood needs and expectations. Each needs to communicate expectations and serve their partner well. Even a supporting church should clarify its expectations and might need to assume a

Topic

Pastoral care

Missionary care

Ministry assessment

larger role. If your church is welcoming a missionary for home assignment (HA) or sending a new worker, be open about your expectations.

Circulate your commitments. Perhaps these examples will help.

MISSIONARY EXPECTATION

CHURCH EXPECTATION

Even though far away, I need my sending church to continue to be my spiritual home, providing nurture and accountability. Please continue to pastor me.

We recognize our responsibility to be your spiritual shepherds. Spiritual care in a local church and from your agency does not replace our role. Please seek and respect our leadership in your life and ministry.

Please send someone to the field to provide spiritual care and assess how well I am flourishing as a person, a family, and a cross-cultural worker.

Please do this at least every two years.

We embrace our role as care givers and want to strengthen our care for you.

We will send a pastor (and wife), others with pastoral gifts, and, if needed, a professional counselor to assist you.

Please be open about your needs so that we can serve you well.

Tell me how you assess the value and success of my ministry. While holding me accountable, please know I am also accountable to my agency and local leaders who have cross-cultural expertise and proximity to the work.

Balancing expectations is challenging. I need to know that to admit a weakness or failure will not jeopardize our relationship or my support.

Please complete a simple report at least every six months. Your answers shape how we pray and partner with you. Admitting weaknesses or failures will not affect our relationship or support unless a moral issue is involved.

We are God’s stewards of your efforts and our resources and seek to ensure all is done well. We depend on your agency and local leaders to help set goals; we will look at how you work to achieve those goals.

18 The Messenger • November 2019

With Our Missionaries Topic

MISSIONARY EXPECTATION

Prayer

I need your friendship and financial support, yet even more need your passionate intercession. Please help people to regularly pray to tear down spiritual strongholds and transform people and communities. I need to hear regularly you are praying—even hear your prayer through the Internet if possible.

We want to pray more for you and your work. We need regular, specific prayer requests and regular reports about what God has done through our prayers. Help us to know how to intercede in what you are doing and wrestling with now.

Communication

I need to regularly hear from you, my church family. Sometimes this will be form letters, but will you write a personal note or call me at least monthly?

It’s hard to remember what you don’t know and awkward to “blow my own horn.” Could you help capture and tell my story?

We need consistent, quality communication from you. At least monthly, email us prayer requests for next month and an update on how God answered our prayers about last month. Quarterly we need a longer update or a simple video.

Inform me of changes in our church— don’t assume someone has told me! I need to know there is a shift in theology or policy, a change of key staff leaders, missions-team changes, and changes in your expectations of me. Annually please resend a list of missions team members, contact info for my liaison, and your expectations of me. Each year let me know how you think I’m doing at serving for and with you.

Our church is committed to you and the purpose for which we sent you.

Help us to become a better sending church. Be honest about how we communicate and what we could do to better support and encourage you.

Please involve us early if you consider making a major change in your ministry focus, field assignment, or agency relationship. Because we send you and care deeply, we want to pray with you and have a voice in its outcome.

Thank you for recognizing the need for me to have an advocate team—people dedicated to representing me to our Advocate team church and our church to me. Please train my advocate team in their role and encourage and support them in functioning well.

We believe an advocate team is essential and ask you to recruit a leader and at least four or five members who care deeply about you and your ministry.

Please maintain contact with them and take responsibility to aid their work as your representatives.

Please let me know at least six months before my home assignment how much time, and any specific dates, you want me to spend with the church. Please talk to me about my housing needs.

Sometimes we need privacy and our routine, so staying with a host family, even a parent, adds stress. Will you help fund a place to stay? Usually I must continue to pay for housing on the field and do not have funds to cover a rental near my sending church.

Please share your plans at least six months before you return for home assignment. Because healthy relationships require time, we expect you to spend X% of your time with us. We will work with you to find and fund a housing option and best use your time here.

Information and decisions

Home assignment

CHURCH EXPECTATION

www.emcmessenger.ca • The Messenger 19

With Our Missionaries Topic

Short-term teams and individuals

Invest in improvement

Financial support

Burnout

Cross-cultural ministry at home

MISSIONARY EXPECTATION

CHURCH EXPECTATION

I am excited about people from my sending church coming to help, but please carefully screen participants and preparve them well before they arrive.

Please respect my guidelines regarding team ministry, size, and timing.

Hosting people takes a lot of time, and it’s a lot of effort to navigate the cultural gaps between people here and the church’s team. I want this to be a win for everyone.

We believe that involving our people and their gifts with you on the field benefits all of us. Please don’t just host a team because you think it is expected.

We want to send only those who can contribute well and with particular gifts or expertise. We can’t meet every need, but please let us know needs and we will try to meet some of them.

Please invest in learning opportunities to increase my ministry skills and ability to thrive in this cross-cultural setting.

Training conferences and courses are costly and usually are not funded from my support. Despite efforts to stay updated, I feel reverse culture shock when I come home from the field and am unprepared for the changes in my church. My first reaction may be criticism. Help me to understand societal and church changes.

Please invest time and energy to see our church grow in its global vision and cross-cultural ministry passion and skills. Missionaries used to assume the pastor and missions leaders could maintain global passion here. Today we need you to take an active role here, mostly one-on-one interaction. It isn’t enough to connect with those already committed to missions and your work.

Help our church build a greater passion for missions.

The constant challenge to maintain enough financial support is emotionally draining. Please ask me about financial needs; it’s awkward for me to bring it up. Assigning a missions team member to help and encourage me finances and support-raising would be great.

Help us understand what your support package covers and doesn’t. If you have major, unfunded expenses such as a vehicle or children’s education, please tell us in advance. If you have other sources of income, such as a part-time job or Social Security benefits, talk to us about how these affect your financial situation.

Most missionaries return on home assignment with some burnout. It is difficult to hit the ground running at home and to be unrelentingly optimistic about my time on the field. Help me to balance rest/renewal time and ministry time. Help me to get counselling and cover the cost, if necessary.

Talk to us honestly about your spiritual and emotional state, especially as you prepare for home assignment. If we believe you need professional help, please cooperate with us. It’s not a mark of failure, even if some extended time at home is needed to return to a state of wellbeing.

It would be encouraging to see people in my home church stretching outside their comfort zone to reach cross-cultural neighbours. Let’s talk about ways I can help you reach out to peoples in your community who have similar cultures as those I serve on the field.

We would like to benefit from your expertise in reaching people from different backgrounds. Would you invest some time to help us strategize, train for, and implement cross-cultural relationships here?

20 The Messenger • November 2019

With Our Missionaries

Topic

Third-culture kids and older parents

MISSIONARY EXPECTATION

CHURCH EXPECTATION

Please care about my children. There’s nothing more important and I often battle guilt for taking them away from home and extended family. Support my choice of whatever education option seems best for them. Ask me how you could help my kids to enjoy home assignment (in a place they don’t consider “home”).

We want to consider your entire family’s needs. It’s easy for our congregation to assume how your children feel on the field and with us. Help us know what we can do to help them flourish. We also want to help you care for your parents, especially if they are older and live in our area. Let’s discuss how we can serve you by serving them.

I envision projects that could have major impact on my ministry, yet they can’t be funded through my support income. Could you consider a major Special projects gift to assist what I believe God wants to do here?

Giving patterns are changing with younger generations, who are more eager to give to a special project than to make a monthly donation to a general or missions fund. Help us to create attractive ways for younger generations to support you, especially through a project.

If I decide to leave the field, please don’t make me feel like a failure or Don’t judge too hint I’ve abandoned God’s call. You don’t know what it’s like until you have quickly walked in my shoes. Please extend grace and help the congregation to do so. Help me and my family make a difficult transition.

If our church determines that we can no longer support you because of a change in our ministry focus, do not judge us doing what we believe God is calling us to embrace. We will try not to make a sudden support cut that doesn’t allow time for you to raise the lost finances elsewhere.

This article is shortened, adapted and reprinted with permission of Catalyst Services 2019. Ken Zacharias, Director of Global Outreach, encouraged its publicaiton.

www.emcmessenger.ca • The Messenger 21

With Our Missionaries

‘Chosen’: Joanne Martens Honoured at Recognition Supper A sense that God had ‘chosen’ her helped during 39 years Winnipeg, Man.—Joanne Martens, a longserving missionary in Paraguay and Germany, was the centre of attention on Sept. 6, 2019, at Fort Garry EMC as friends and family, retired and active missionaries, and Board of Missions (BOM) members and national office staff gathered in her honour.

Gerald Reimer, director of youth and discipleship, welcomed people. Layton Friesen, conference pastor, spoke of how Joanne was an adopted missionary of Fort Garry and led in prayer. Dinner followed: salad, chicken, noodles, vegetables, and dessert. People later clapped in appreciation of the meal.

After dinner Glenda Friesen led in singing Holy, Holy, Holy; Great is Thy Faithfulness; and How Great is Our God. Gerald Reimer introduced Board of Missions members and national staff members.

TERRY M. SMITH

Devotional

Brad Brandt, BOM chair, led in a devotional based on how he and the EMC have sometimes suffered from low selfesteem. We are made in God’s image (Gen. 1:27) and his workmanship (Eph. 2:10). We can trust that He who began a good work in us (Phil.

1:6), and is not ashamed to call us family (Heb. 2:11-12), will say, “Well done!”

(Matt. 25:21).

We are far from perfect, yet faithful. What is God calling us to do?

Let’s be faithful in doing what God calls us to do, he said.

Joanne: “I just want to thank everyone.”

22 The Messenger • November 2019

Tributes

Tributes to Joanne Martens were given by Ken Zacharias, Director of Global Outreach, and Richard Klassen, a former pastor of Joanne’s home church, Kola EMC. Both spoke of how upon her return to Canada, Joanne has continued serving. Her current involvements include assisting theological education within a Spanish-speaking church in Brandon, serving as a newly elected member of the Board of Missions, and being Kola’s first female deacon.

Ken Zacharias

Joanne Martens has served since 1980, displaying flexibility and openness, he said. She served in Paraguay for two years among Indigenous people in the Chaco, then transferred to Germany to work in two years in nursing at Black Forest Academy; she stayed for 11, mostly as a dorm assistant. She then transferred to Paraguay to work with national Paraguayans. She went to RGBI to learn Spanish and later learned an appreciation for Guarani.

Joanne worked in church planting in Asunción with Dave and Judy Schmidt, enjoying teaching SEAN in more than one setting, and covered when needed at the HIV/ AIDS ministry, Ken said. It seemed like each year Ken visited, her house had been broken into, and yet he never sensed she was fearful. She worked alongside local church leadership, never taking it over. In 2007 she moved five hours away with other planters to start a church in Minga Gauzú, again showing flexibility.

With Our Missionaries

Richard Klassen

Richard Klassen, a former pastor at both Maryfield and Kola, said he has known Joanne since she was a child.

Impressed that a young woman would serve in a far-off country, he described her as part of an earlier generation who were dedicated to the mission of Christ.

Later serving as a pastor at Kola EMC, he, with his wife Kathy, visited Joanne in Paraguay where he observed her concern for people and positive relationships. He recalled her counsel not to count how often a nearby rooster crowed at night—advice that helps him deal with a noisy neighbour in Canada. He suggested, though, that people not go to her if they need help with a computer or a car. He prayed God’s rich blessing upon her.

Trish Reimer, a BOM member acting on behalf of the entire EMC, presented to Joanne a bouquet of flowers and a glass plaque engraved with a favourite verse.

Response by Joanne

Joanne said she hardly recognized herself in the tributes. In an earlier time when she was in between places of service, Isaiah 41:9-10 was used to reassure that God had chosen and not rejected her. She drew upon this sense of calling when she felt useless and yet was in the place where God wanted her.

While recently going through letters from friends and family, and remembering financial records, Joanne said she was reminded of how she was not alone. People were standing with her, encouraging her, praying for her through the years.

“I just want to thank everyone,” she said. She could not have gotten to this point without such help. Joanne was grateful for God’s strength.

Richard Klassen: Joanne’s commitment to the mission of Christ impressed him.

Prayer Time

Tim Dyck, executive director, said that prayer was valued as the Board of Missions would met the next day to deal with significant matters: expansion plans, the development of Home Teams for EMC-administered workers, and a staff transition. When Diana Peters began 10-plus years ago, he thought she had a lot to learn; yet she proved to be a fast learner and he wondered how she would be replaced. He welcomed prayer for interviews that will happen and for direction for Diana in a time of change.

Other needs were mentioned and prayed about: for Charles Koop, Director of Church Planting, who recently retired because of a health concern; and for a young adult.

Wayne Herrod, a retired missionary, spoke of how God spoke to people and had provided during 24 years in Africa. Upon request, missionaries present were introduced. Time was then spent praying for needs identified within small groups.

Glenda Friesen led in a final song and then Gerald Reimer dismissed people.

– Terry M. Smith

Join with Christ in shaping our

WORLD

Evangelical Mennonite Conference Board of Missions 204-326-6401 info@emconference.ca www.emconference.ca

www.emcmessenger.ca • The Messenger 23

With Our Missionaries

Athletes in Action Camp 2019 POPLAR HILL, ONTARIO

ALBERT MARTENS

Poplar Hill was our first camp of the summer, and it was the eighth time we were in this community. Team members were Chris Lerm, Muriel LeClerc, Katherine Enns, Don Wiebe, Albert Martens, Taylor Bergen and Jordyn Bergen.

Joel Jolly joined us for the last two days of the camp.

Flying out of Steinbach with Wings Over Kississing, we had to leave some boxes behind because the pilot needs to stay within the limits of the payload. Upon arrival in PH, there were three trucks (drivers Bobby Moose, Tom Woodward and James Suggashi) waiting for us at the airport. I usually bring 100 pieces of chicken. Sobeys had given us a great deal and it was a joy to give the chicken to the Chief Jacob Strang.

Unfortunately, we had to reside in two different location, two rooms in the hotel downtown and two teacher units near the new school. Fortunately, we were able to rent a truck and Don was our chauffeur during the week.

We fetched the keys to the apartments and they were the wrong ones. James had to unscrew the metal grill and plywood sheets in front of the doors. The keys we were given did not fit. Eventually all had rooms and beds; accommodations were very good. I walked to get Chris, Don and Muriel, Jordan and Taylor for supper, taking a shortcut to the hotel and met up with a big grey wolf in the woods. Fortunately, he ran away.

Next we planned our schedule of events and went to a long tent meeting. There were many big black flies and many little “no see-ems.” During the tent meeting I was asked to help with prayer and anointing. The community was again affected by heavy duty forest fire smoke.

We were able to sing and speak a lot on their Band radio. On July 9 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. we were singing, sharing on the radio. It was very special to share Psalm 23

The band radio was used to share of Jesus.

24 The Messenger • November 2019

The team poses during the first camp of the summer.

and Isaiah 40:28-31 in respect to the Donald Moose family who had just experienced a loss of a family member.

I prayed for the Donald Moose family. Donald Moose’s father-in-law passed away, and his body could not be transported to Pauingassi for the burial because the people were being evacuated again due to forest fires.

Don and Chris, Catherin, Taylor and Jordyn sang many songs. Several other Poplar Hill ladies came to sing as well.

The children’s Bible lessons were well attended. I organized a two-km run for the 35 runners with the help of the police, which is always greatly appreciated.

We had to be careful walking near the teacher units because Joey had seen a big black bear walk through their camp near us. There were at least nine black bears at the dump.

The fireworks were really great. We usually boat across to a rock island where it is 100 percent safe. Gilmour helped us with the boat and Bobby Moose gave us many more fireworks. He wanted us to use them to make it an even nicer show.

During the last day we usually do a barbecue as well. I also hand out several thank you gifts and say farewell One Poplar Hill person remarked that the children really appreciate us and love the attention they get from us. The Lord provided wonderfully for us and the community really appreciates our coming. We are already thinking how to improve on the work for next year. Relationships are growing deeper and deeper. This year we really connected well with Pastor Moose, praying for him and encouraging him in his difficult time.

– Albert Martens Albert Martens (Steinbach EMC) serves with Athletes in Action.

With Our Missionaries

Asking Questions of a Missionary THE WORLD Proper questions to ask? That I wish people would ask?

All questions are okay. If for some reason I can’t answer them, for example, due to security concerns, I would simply say so. They should ask questions about things they are interested in knowing about.

If you were to interview yourself, what would you ask?

I’m doing? Why did I start? Was it worth it? Some audiences won’t give a whit about these things. I would hope not to leave the reader/listener in the same place. I’d like to leave at least some of them wondering: How might this apply to me? Could I do something similar?

– A Worker

How has missions changed from when you began?

This worker prefers not to be identified for security reasons.

ISTOCK

This is kind of hard for me to answer. It all depends on the audience and purpose that I’m interviewing for. If I’m wanting to reach an audience from 20 to 40 to encourage them to engage, the questions would be different from an interview informing a church audience for prayer support. Some audiences want more personal information, others a greater focus on what is God doing, or what is God doing through you, or what do you need, or how can we help, why should we help, what should our help look like. Some questions could include:

Where do you see missions going in the future?

What are some challenges facing missions and missionaries from the West (developing world)?

What are some questions a church could/should be asking as it considers its involvement in especially foreign missions?

What is and where is “foreign missions,” anyway?

What are some factors for successful collaboration between a church and a missionary/team overseas?

So, the answer for me is to put myself into the shoes of my audience and ask questions that will be relevant to them, respond to questions they might have (or possibly should have), and also encourage them, stay the course on something, motivate or inspire or involve them in some way.

What would you want others to know?

If it were relevant to the topic or audience, I think I’d like others to know what makes me tick. Why am I doing what

www.emcmessenger.ca • The Messenger 25

With Our Missionaries

EMC BOARD OF MISSIONS PROJECTS DECEMBER 2019 purchased each month for patients who come to Alto Refugio (High Refuge).

Project cost: $8,500 per year Code: P1-AR

BOM

EMC Missions gives to specials projects each year that are in addition to the annual budget. As a family or church group, here are some opportunities that you may consider donating towards in this Christmas season.

NICARAGUA

MEXICO

2. Scholarships – Study and travel scholarships are given to adults in the local conference to attend bible school classes.

Project cost: $1,800 per year Code: N1-SCH

2. Guadalajara Outreach Events – The Guadalajara church hosts outreach events in order to reach out to those who are looking for God. This includes youth activities, marriage courses and other special programs throughout the year.

Project goal: $5,000

1. Nutrition Program –The local conference’s Social Action Committee gives undernourished children one meal three times a week.

Project cost: $6,000 per year Code: N1-NP

3. Pastoral Medical – To provide medical assistance to pastors and their families, many of the pastors do not receive any government medical assistance.

Project cost: $2,000 Code: N1-PM

PARAGUAY

1. Benevolence – With your gift, you can help and encourage an individual going through a health or family need emergency, expressing the love of God in a tangible way.

Project goal: $2,000 per year Code: P1-Benevolence 2. Alto Refugio HIV/AIDS Ministry – Medication and milk (items not covered by the government) are

26 The Messenger • November 2019

1. Study Scholarships – Adults from the German and Spanish Conferences in Northern Mexico receive scholarships to attend Bible school.

Project goal: $7,000

GENERAL

1. Missionary Care – Missionaries attend Focus on the Family retreat centres in Kerith Creek (AB) or Kerith Pines (MB) for one-week sessions to receive care and guidance.

Project cost: $700 per couple Designated gifts will be used as directed with the understanding that Conference boards may apply designated funds to other programs if the designated program or project has been fully funded or cannot be carried out for any reason. Priority will be given to a similar program or project.

For a more detailed description of the project you are interested in contact: Ken Zacharias, Director of Global Outreach, at 204326-6401 or kzacharias@emconference.ca

With Our Churches MacGregor EMC

Remembering Summer Mode in 2013 by the local ministerial, is open two days a week, serving people who, for various reasons need a helping hand. In addition to providing food and household supplies, Julie Friesen, the CRC coordinator, offers help with obtaining identification documents, birth certificates, social insurance numbers. She also Valorie and Wayne Unrau assists in preparing resumes, job applications, emails and appointments. The community garden provides fresh vegetables during the summer months.

And what does the summer mode look like at MacGregor EMC? During July and August the Sunday services began at 10:30 a.m. and we sat in small groups at round tables instead of straight rows of chairs. After the usual preliminaries, we listened to a shorter sermon or lecture on a particular theme or social issue. Our groups discussed the topic, and a brief sum-up and closing song concluded the service.

– Menno Hamm MACGREGOR EMC

MACGREGOR, Man.– How does your congregation transition into the summer mode? At MacGregor EMC, three special events on successive Sundays in June marked the change. On the second Sunday our annual picnic concluded the Sunday school year. A colourful display of balloons, prepared by Chi and Bo Sae-Phan, provided a festive air for the morning service in the multi-purpose area. Pastor Russell Doerksen’s sermon consisted of five short segments of “Cuttings From the Editing Floor,” material that was valuable, but had not fit into his sermons during the year.

Since the Lord had graciously provided pleasant weather, we enjoyed our lunch of hot dogs, hamburgers and chips outside behind the church, concluding with a delectable assortment of desserts provided by each family.

We visited together, and Dan and Sandra Sawatzky guided us in entertaining activities, ending our time together savouring cones of ice cream.

On the third Sunday Wayne and Valorie Unrau provided a special service of music and sharing, a sample of the type of service they have provided in other churches during the past year. Having survived deep valleys of trial, they offer a message of comfort, hope and restoration.

Wayne’s own moving composition expresses his experience: Sometimes I get discouraged, I live in doubt each day; I feel so lonely, I can’t find time to pray. Then Jesus softly whispers, I hear Him softly say, “Rest in me, take my hand, rest in me.”

On the fourth Sunday, people from six area churches meet in the Mark Brown Auditorium for the annual Community Service. This year a team from the Grace Fellowship Church provided the worship music and Pastor Mike Fehr of the Bagot Community Chapel based his sermon on the parable of the Good Samaritan, with applications to our local Community Resource Centre.

The CRC, formed

www.emcmessenger.ca • The Messenger 27

With Our Churches Evangelical Fellowship Church

Alain Reimer Installed as Pastor in Fort Frances

EFC

FORT FRANCES, Ont.—Alain Reimer was installed as pastor at the Evangelical Fellowship Church here in Fort Frances on Sunday, July 21, 2019. Pictured are Alain with his wife Emily.

Bernie Martens and Ike Friesen stand behind Alain, our new pastor, and Mark Gerber stands to the left. It was a good Sunday morning, sort of a new beginning here for us. Both sets of parents of the young pastoral couple were in attendance: Dan and Shirley Reimer of Blumenort and David and Junia Plett of Mitchell. Alain is a degree graduate of SBC and has served as a minister in Blumenort.

– Mark Gerber

28 The Messenger • November 2019

News

Snowbirds Escape Winter, Help Others Through Mennonite Disaster Service

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Each year, over a million Canadians seek warmer temperatures in the southern U.S.—snowbirds. But some who go south aren’t just searching for beaches and lazy days; they go south to build houses with Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS).

Getting away from the snow for a bit is a bonus. That was the case last February, when a number of Canadians went to Texas to help rebuild houses damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Harvey in 2017.

Among them was Kevin Shantz of Drayton, Ont., a roofing contractor who takes off several months each winter when work is slow. For him, the A scene from Texas after Hurricane Harvey reveals the damage. idea of escaping winter is welcome. But sitting on a beach isn’t a priority. “I have hands. I can work. MDS has urgent need for volunteers in Florida, Texas, I can help my neighbours,” he says. “I don’t want to sit on North Carolina and California. For more information a beach when people are in bad shape and need help. The about how to vacation with a purpose this winter, call least I can do is help them.”

1-800-241-8111 or visit https://mds.mennonite.net.

– MDS

He asked me about a homeless man he saw on our way to a hockey game. I thought I’d use the moment to teach him about generosity, but what he did next brought tears to my eyes.

JOIN US as individuals or groups for a week or more to help others in need. Serve with a positive and Christ-like heart, using your trade skills or learning new skills on the job.

VOLUNTEER WITH MDS! 800-241-8111

To read the rest of the story, visit Abundance.ca

mds.mennonite.net 1.800.772.3257

www.emcmessenger.ca • The Messenger 29

News

Providence Graduates

Savannah Brandt BA, Interdisciplinary Arts Pleasant Valley EMC

Kathryn Klassen BA, Humanities Blumenort EMC

Caleb Sawatzky BA (Adv.), Ethnomusicology Kleefeld EMC

Dylaen Thiessen Mile Two Certificate of Discipleship Portage Evangelical Church

Peter Ascough MA, Counselling Kleefeld EMC

James Driedger MDiv, Biblical Languages Blumenort EMC

Stephanie Penner MA, Counselling Stony Brook Fellowship

Randi Rempel MA, Counselling Kleefeld EMC

Evangelical Mennonite Conference

Year to Date Financial Report From January – October

Lois Thiessen MA, Counselling Blumenort EMC

Income* Expenses Excess/Shortfall

General Fund 2019 1,334,720 1,521,590 -186,870

General Fund 2018 1,275,656 1,500,545 -224,889

We give thanks to God for the continued strong support of EMC ministries, and we acknowledge the contributions of EMC churches and individuals who give so generously.

- The Board of Trustees *Income includes donations and transfers from other funds (e.g., estate funds).

30 The Messenger • November 2019

News

Block, Reimer Begin New Roles on October 1

STEINBACH, Man.— The EMC National office is pleased to announce that Ruth Block has joined the EMC National staff team. Ruth, who is from Steinbach, is the new Missions and Finance Assistant beginning in October.

Ruth is a recent graduate of SBC (BA, focus on Children’s Education and missions). She has extensive experience in the Awana program and administrative support, and is eager to put her skills and training to use as part of the EMC National staff team. Ruth has attended the Emmanuel Evangelical Free Church in Steinbach, and understands the importance of attending an EMC congregation in this role. She will be seeking to join an EMC congregation in the near future.

If you call the EMC office after October 1, you might hear a new voice at the other end. Please take the opportunity to encourage Ruth Block and welcome her to her new role in the EMC office.

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Diana Peters, who left at the end of September. Diana provided many years of gracious service in the role of Missions and Finance Assistant. She is well known for her ability to take on many tasks and do them with proficiency and a joyful spirit, and we will definitely miss her.

The EMC National Office is also pleased to announce that Gerald D. Reimer has been selected as the Director of Canadian Church Planting and began serving in this role on October 1.

Gerald has significant experience with Church Planting cross-culturally. For four years he trained and served in Mexico as a missionary youth worker among churches, including in church planting situations, in Chihuahua. For the past two decades Gerald has served the wider EMC as Conference Youth Minister and, more recently, as the Director of Youth and Discipleship, mostly linked to both the Board of Church Ministries and Board of Missions.

While his major role is to focus on assisting in church planting, Gerald will continue to provide support to the National Youth Committee on a part-time basis.

In looking at national office staffing and wider patterns of giving, it was thought prudent to reduce overall national office staffing and the Personnel Committee was open to looking within the office as a shift occurred.

Gerald is delighted with his new role. An ordained EMC minister, he is a people person, passionate about evangelism, and practical. The Church Planting Task Force is enthused and delighted to work with Gerald in this new role. Gerald has a BA (WBC, now Providence), a Certificate in Intercultural Studies (RGBI), and an MA (Providence). He is married to Sandy. They have three children, two in post-secondary education.

We are grateful for the years of service provided by Charles Koop as the outgoing Director of Canadian Church Planting. Charles had intended to retire at the end of 2019, but a medical situation moved his retirement earlier. Under his leadership, a number of new church starts have been initiated across Canada. We wish Charles and Lorraine Koop a wonderful transition to retirement.

Tim Dyck Executive Director

www.emcmessenger.ca • The Messenger 31

In Memory

Lillian Warkentin Kroeker Jan. 1, 1928 – July 15, 2019

Lil was born the eldest of 11 children to John and Aganetha Warkentin of the Steinbach, Man., area. In her early years the family moved around a lot and finally settled in Rosenort, Man.

It was while they were living in Morris, Man., that she accepted Christ as her personal Saviour and as a teenager was baptized on her faith in the Rosenort EMC. This faith was evident throughout her life as she experienced life’s challenges.

In 1948 she met and married the love of her life, Levi L Kroeker, also from Rosenort. Although the first years of marriage were difficult and rocky largely due to abuse of alcohol, Lil stood by her man with faith that God would see her through.

In 1961 she saw the answer to her prayers when Levi let God take His rightful place in his life. In 1965 they decided to take a leap of faith and put their home on the market and trust God to direct them. God opened doors in Chase, BC; their home sold in record time; and, together with their belongings and family of seven, they packed

up and moved to a new adventure.

In 1974 they moved to Armstrong, BC, to be closer to Levi’s trucking job. Here Lil began working at the Willowdale seniors home and was there until retirement. Shortly after Levi passed away in 2012 she sold their home and moved into Vernon rest home to be closer to her two daughters who lived there.

On July 15, 2019, Lil was hospitalized for pneumonia and two weeks later moved one last time to her Heavenly home to be with Jesus and her many loved ones. She is survived by her seven children and their families as well as nine siblings.

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil for You are with me” (Psalm 23:4).

– Her Family

Looking for a Low German or an English Discipleship Guide?

These are available: Christian Life: a Practical Study Guide

University

Daut Christliche Läwen: En Praktischet Lia Buak Living in God’s Kingdom Holy Wanderings: A Guide to Deeper Discipleship

Contact the national office. info@emconference.ca or 204-326-6401

A TRI-CONFERENCE STUDY GUIDE

Follow Me: Exploring More of our Calling as Christians

HOLY WANDERINGS A Guide to Deeper Discipleship

Holy Wanderings cover concepts.indd 4

32 The Messenger • November 2019

2018-10-18 12:57 PM

CANADIAN MENNONITE UNIVERSITY

Shoulder Tapping With any applications for EMC church pastoral positions, candidates are expected to also register a Ministry Information Profile with the EMC Board of Leadership and Outreach, which can be obtained through Erica Fehr, BLO Administrative Assistant, at efehr@emconference.ca or 204-326-6401.

Additional EMC Openings Often there are more churches looking for senior, associate, youth, and interim pastors than are identified on this page. For information on additional openings, contact Conference Pastor Layton Friesen (lfriesen@emconference.ca) and Director of Youth and Discipleship Gerald D. Reimer (greimer@emconference.ca). The national office phone number is 204-326-6401. Talk with Erica Fehr, Church leadership assistant to the BLO, to request a cell number for a particular person.

EMC Positions* Picture Butte Mennonite Church, a Low Germanand English-speaking church with 200-plus people attending dual Sunday morning services, is seeking an associate pastor. The ideal candidate should be characterized by an attitude of servant leadership and personal integrity in a close walk with Jesus. The candidate needs to have an openness and sensitivity to the diverse cultural differences within our Mennonite church. This position would primarily focus on the English ministry. This candidate needs to be a team player as he will be working alongside the existing leadership team as well as the senior pastor. For information, contact Isaac Thiessen, 403-308-5093 or isaact@genicadev. com

by Anabaptist tradition. Submit queries and résumés to the Pastoral Search Committee at fgemcpastoral2018@gmail.com. Further info: fortgarryemc. radiantwebtools.com/about/careers/ Pineridge Fellowship Chapel of Hudson Bay, Sask., a logging and farming community, seeks a full-time senior pastor. PFC, linked to the EMC, is the evangelical community church, stable and with a good reputation, that serves the community of about 1,300 people and surrounding rural area. With an attendance of 40 to 50, PFC has a mix of people of various backgrounds and nationalities. The congregation is largely older yet has several younger families and a good foundation to build on. Outreach is welcomed. Our current pastor is retiring this summer after 20 years. Hudson Bay has basic services, yet is somewhat isolated from a larger centre and travelling is involved to connect to the wider community.

We ask that you prayerfully consider whether this might be a place of ministry to which you are called.

Contact PFC at: Dennis Reimer, church board chair, 1-306-865-3618 or dreamer@xplornet.ca; or PFC, Box 13, Hudson Bay, SK S0E 0Y0, pfch@sasktel.net, 306-865-2623.

Other Positions Westwood Community Church in Winnipeg, Man., seeks a full-time lead pastor. The church was founded in 1979 with a current attendance of about 150.

Westwood serves all ages, has a blended worship style, is raising up young people, and hosts many community events. The lead pastor will be responsible to facilitate the development of WCC’s vision and lead the church toward the vision. The pastor will do this primarily by setting the spiritual tone, by biblically oriented preaching and teaching, and by equipping the church toward maturity in Christ.

The pastor should be committed to the Mennonite Brethren Confession of Faith and to living a lifestyle consistent with that confession. For information, please visit our website at www.westwood.mb.ca Interested applicants should submit a resume with references to wccpastorsearch2019@gmail.com. We are looking to start processing applications at the beginning of 2020.

Where are position ads to be sent?

Please send all position ads, including pastoral search ads, to messenger@emconference.ca. All ads are to be 150 words or less. All ads can be edited. Please advise us when it is no longer needed.

Fort Garry EMC is seeking a full-time senior pastor for an established, dynamic congregation. We are an intergenerational, ethnically diverse congregation, located in Winnipeg, Man., near the University of Manitoba, with a strong ministry to English-language learners. Working out of their own commitment to the Lordship of Christ, the ideal candidate is a gifted speaker who would lead and collaborate with the pastoral team, discerning and pursuing God’s purpose in our church.

They possess a reputable theological education at the graduate level and are committed to a theology shaped

www.emcmessenger.ca • The Messenger 33

Column • His Light to My Path

Relinquishing the Impossible

by Karla Hein

“Far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you; but I will instruct you in the good and right way” (1 Sam. 12:23).

34 The Messenger • November 2019

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D

uring this Advent season, I never thought Mary and I had much in common. In one supernatural encounter, she accepts the honour of bearing the Messiah (Luke 1:29-38). I relate better to someone like Gideon putting out a fleece or two, making certain of God’s calling (Judges 6:36-40).

“We mothers must take care of the possible and trust God for the impossible” (Ruth Bell Graham). I remember Gabriel’s response to Mary’s practicality: “For nothing will be impossible with God” (Lk. 1:37). Maybe Mary and I have something in common after all. The commonality of something that we view as an obstacle transforming to nothing with God; the impossible we cannot control becoming possible by “the power of the Most High” (Lk. 1:35).

The other night, I pattered through our dark house to my little son’s bedroom. I knelt beside his bed, hearing his precious breath. I thought of all the terrible what-ifs that could crush his body and his spirit. I thought of my relationship with Christ and how I desire my son to experience this as his own.

I cried for God’s help. He answered through Samuel’s words when the Israelites demanded a king: “Far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you; but I will instruct you in the good and right way” (1 Sam. 12:23).

“We cannot convict of sin, create hunger and thirst after God, or convert. These are miracles, and miracles are not in our department” (Ruth Bell Graham).

Notice the similarity between Gabriel and Mary’s dialogue and Jesus’ and the disciples’ conversation about salvation. The disciples “were very astonished and said, ‘Then who can be saved?’ And looking at them Jesus said to them, ‘With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible’” (Matt. 19:25-26).

What is my role? Not ceasing in prayer.

Always ready to instruct and “to give an account for the hope that is in [me]” (1 Pet. 3:15).

Lately, I’ve allowed the cares of this world to distract me from this great mission. The still,

small voice whispers, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things” (Lk. 10:41). I don’t want to be a Martha, Lord! I’d rather be known as a Mary—the one who chose the good part or the one who believed there would be a fulfillment of God’s promise (Lk. 1:45; 10:42).

Like He saw Hagar in the wilderness, God is the One Who sees me weary in the desert of my obligations (Gen. 16:13). I finally stop “seated at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word” (Lk.10:39).

I hear my name softly spoken now: “Karla, Karla, your Heavenly Father knows what you need.

Your days are written in His book; you need not fear” (Lk. 10:39; 12:30-32; Ps. 139:16).

“Only fear the Lord. Serve Him with all your heart. And remember what great things He has done for you” (I Sam. 12:24). I relinquish the impossible to where it belongs and where it has always been and will always be—with Him Who receives all glory from my service.

Editor’s Note: We welcome Karla Hein as a regular columnist. She grew up as a pastor’s kid and is a graduate of PRBI. She and her family are involved in Westpointe Community Church (Grande Prairie, Alta.).

Column • Stewardship Today

How to Talk about Your Will and Values with Your Children

I

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t is time to update our wills. When we last made them our kids were in junior high and elementary school; now, they both have university degrees and their own careers. But our kids aren’t the only ones who have changed. My wife and I are in a different space now too.

We find ourselves much closer to retirement.

We have more money than we once did, and we have more stuff too. Our priorities have changed as well. Instead of worrying about who will care for our kids if something happens to us, we wonder what they might do with an inheritance.

Years of working with clients has given me ample evidence of how important will planning is, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. It means some tough conversations, and no one likes to contemplate their own death. Will planning means talking about who gets what when you die but it is also a conversation about values. What is important to you? What legacy do you want to leave?

And what, beyond money and stuff, do you want to leave to your kids and grand-kids? It’s heavy stuff, and like any other big project, it might be best to break the task into smaller pieces.

We started the conversation with our kids this past October. Thankfully, they welcomed

the chance to talk about it. We talked about death, money, estate trustees, and more. At times, it got a little heavy, and so we took breaks.

We didn’t finish the conversation. We plan to chat more in the future, but we got started, and that is a critical first step.

Maybe more important than the actual decisions about who does what and who gets what when we die, my wife and I had a chance to talk about our values with our kids. The conversation gave us a chance to talk about what we think is important and why.

Neither of us have any interest in dying rich, only to leave our kids a large inheritance. We would much rather help them now, even if it means they get a smaller inheritance, when they are in the early stages of becoming independent and can really use our help. Besides, we also want to make sure that our charitable giving continues. In fact, we would like to increase it as time goes on.

This idea was the backdrop of our first conversation with our kids. Of course, we want to help them in the event something happens to us, but we also want our generosity to continue.

Our plans would include leaving assets to our kids in the event of our death, but the more established they become, the less we plan to leave them and the more we plan to give to charity. Thankfully, that idea was not completely foreign to our kids. I guess the times we tried to model living generously had some affect.

Talking about wills is likely not a “one and done” conversation. It can be heavy stuff, so take your time as you wade into the conversation. Just be sure to start the dialogue. The conversation is much too important to avoid.

By Darren Pries-Klassen CEO, Abundance Canada

Talking about wills is likely not a “one and done” conversation.

It can be heavy stuff, so take your time as you wade into the conversation.

Darren Pries-Klassen is the CEO of Abundance Canada, a CRA registered foundation that helps people realize their philanthropy and giving potential in their lifetime and beyond.

Learn more at www.abundance.ca.

www.emcmessenger.ca • The Messenger 35

Column • Kids’ Corner

Who Do You Think You Are?

W

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hen someone asks, “Who are you?” what do you say? You tell them your name, of course.

Your name identifies you. It was chosen especially for you. It sets you apart. It may also show something of your personality.

Your name has meaning. Your name may have been chosen for its meaning. A parent may wish their child to be or become what the

by Loreena name means.

Thiessen Your last name, or surname, is about family and history. It tells which family you are a part of and where you came from. For example, a German name has German roots, a French name has its origins in France, a Russian name is from Russia, and so on.

Activity: Explore your name.

All names have meaning. Many places in Canada Need: pencil, note paper, recording have names that are rooted device, your parents or grandparents in their Indigenous lanto interview. guage. The name Winnipeg means muddy water in Do: Interview your parents or the Cree language and grandparents. describes the murky water of Lake Winnipeg. The Red Questions about your first or given River is named for the red name: earth of its river banks.

Who named you?

Canada means settlement What does your name mean? in the Huron-Iroquois lanWhy did they choose this particular guage. Steinbach means name for you? stony creek in German. The name Ottawa is from the Questions about your family or Algonquin word adawe, surname: which means to trade.

Who are the people in your family King Henry VII of with your family name?

England first called NewHow many are they? foundland, the new found Where does your family name have land, when John Cabot first its roots? discovered it in 1497, and it stuck.

Take notes or record the answers.

Names are important.

Share with your family members.

By naming something we understand the world and each other better.

36 The Messenger • November 2019

Names are important in the Bible too. The name Adam means from the earth. God created him from the earth and thereafter he is called Adam. You can read that in Genesis 1:27.

Adam’s first job was to name all the animals God placed in his care.

The name Abraham means the father of many nations. This was God’s promise to him.

The name Sarah means happy. It is the joy she experienced in becoming a mother. David means beloved; David was Israel’s favourite king. Esther means star; she starred as a heroine when she saved her people’s lives by risking her own. Job means persecuted. Job suffered the loss of all his possessions and his entire family just to see if he would still believe in God. Jesus has many different names. Each one tells us who he is. Long before he was born he was promised to be the people’s Messiah or rescuer.

You can read that in Daniel 9:25. Isaiah 9:6 says he is the Mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. He is also called Immanuel, meaning God with us (Isaiah 7:14). The angels told the shepherds he is a Saviour, and Christ the Lord.

The wise men said he was King of the Jews and a Governor, who will rule Israel. His followers called him Rabbi or teacher.

Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father but by me.” He is our Messiah too. He came for you, also. He wants to be your Shepherd and to rescue you from all evil. Read Psalm 23.

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