can work be redeemed? - canadian mennonite...2 canadian mennonite june 13, 2005 volume 9, number 12...

June 13, 2005Volume 9, Number 12

PM 40063104 R09613

Can work beredeemed?page 6

Visit with theHutteritespage 25

Canadian Mennonite June 13, 2005 Volume 9, Number 122

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Mission statement: Published by CanadianMennonite Publishing Service, Canadian Mennoniteserves primarily the people and churches ofMennonite Church Canada and its five areaconferences. Canadian Mennonite is a bi-weekly Anabaptist/ Mennoniteperiodical which seeks to promote covenantal relationships within thechurch (Hebrews 10:23-25). It provides channels for sharing accurateand fair information, faith profiles, inspirational/educational materials,news and analysis of issues facing the church.

Head office: 490 Dutton Drive, Unit C5, Waterloo, ON N2L 6H7Phone: (519) 884-3810 Toll-free: 800-378-2524 Fax: (519) 884-3331E-mail: [email protected]

Editor/Publisher: Tim Miller DyckE-mail: [email protected]

Staff: Ross W. Muir, managing editor; Lisa Jacky, admin. assistant;Tim R. Dyck, art director; Barb Draper, editorial assistant.

Advertising: Barbara Burkholder Phone : 800-316-4052Fax: (519) 884-3331 E-mail: [email protected]

National correspondent: Leona Dueck Penner, Winnipeg. Phone: (204) 888-6781, x178 E-mail: [email protected] correspondents:

Eastern Canada: Maurice Martin, Phone: (519) 662-1031E-mail: [email protected]

Manitoba: Evelyn Rempel Petkau, Phone/Fax: (204) 745-2208E-mail: [email protected]

Saskatchewan: Karin Fehderau, Phone: (306) 933-4209E-mail: [email protected]

Alberta: Donita Wiebe-Neufeld, Phone: (780) 436-3431E-mail: [email protected]

Board of directors: British Columbia: Henry Neufeld, John W. GoossenAlberta: Brenda Tiessen-Wiens, Jan Wilhelm. Saskatchewan: BernieThiessen. Manitoba: Aiden S. Enns, Bernie Wiebe, Paul Krahn.Ontario: Mary Lymburner, Brice Balmer, Ester Neufeldt, Larry Cornies.

Website: www.canadianmennonite.org

Listening tour reports

The feedback I’ve heard from Mennonites as I’ve travelled across Canada during the past nine months on listening tours has been deeply appreciated. I’ve

previously reported on feedback from British Columbia,Alberta and Ontario. I’ll do the same now for a trip toManitoba at the end of last year. I’ll report on my February2005 trip to Saskatchewan in our next issue.

In Manitoba, I met with the Winnipeg pastors cluster,with MC Manitoba’s board, young adult council and staff.We also had public gatheringsat Altona Mennonite Church,Emmanuel Mennonite Churchin Winkler and NivervilleMennonite Church (seephoto). Here are commentsrepresentative of the overallfeedback I heard:• “How much do we expect Canadian Mennonite to reflectthe centre, the core? I value dialogue, but I want to knowwhere the core is.”• “I like how Canadian Mennonite expresses the edge of thechurch in discernment and dialogue. It’s a part of learning,like a family. You don’t agree on everything, but you still talk.”• “I really enjoy biblical studies in Canadian Mennonite.”(Several people said they used it in Sunday School classes.)• “Is Canadian Mennonite a reflection of diversity or aunifying thing? After a host of 109 opinions, where do wecome out? There are many roads to Rome, but some arebetter than others, and some don’t get there [at all].”• “Being Mennonite is not about the name. For young peopleto stay, it won’t be because of their last name or because ofborscht or buns, but because of our theology, how it connectsus together and makes us different.”

• “How does this paper help us have identity? There is alonging to know who we are and what we stand for. There isa fear we are just a bunch of churches.”• “You have some wonderfully literate people in MennoniteChurch Canada Witness. Convince these people to becorrespondents. The issues they are facing are very impor-tant. It makes me feel connected in a very immediate waywith mission.”• “It should be reflective of the denomination. The denomi-national paper needs to reflect the farmer in Saskatchewan.

It is not an elitist platform forthe fringe groups.”• “We want this paper to thriveand do great things for thekingdom.”• “I read the letters first to seewhat people are talking about.”• “A paper has to speak to the

issues because they are there. But when you take the lid offa boiling pot, make sure you turn down the fire.”• “I was removed from my home church [when I moved fromhome to university]. Canadian Mennonite was somethingthat connected me to the church. I looked forward to it.”

I heard a desire for articles on worship styles, communion,faith and doctrine, our relationship to government, theConfession of Faith, Mennonite identity, economic justice,peace, personal faith stories, stewardship, learning whatother churches are doing, more on popular culture (espe-cially music and movies), and more on family life and ondeveloping healthy family relationships.

Thank you to all those who came, who offered commentsand filled in feedback forms, and to those whose organizingmade these gatherings possible.—Tim Miller Dyck

3Canadian Mennonite June 13, 2005 Volume 9, Number 12

ThisIssue

4 UpCloseNighswander ministry 4Sales skills 5

6 Faith&LifeRedeeming work 6

8 Arts&CultureComic super heroes 8Hymnody history 9

11 InConversationParents benefit 11Letters 11Creative juice 12St. Belinda 13

15 WiderChurchMC Canada survey 15Rwandan stories 20-21Aboriginal ministry 22

25 LocalChurchVisit with the Hutterites 25Windy City Spirit 27Transitions 33

34 TheChurchesEncouragement ministries 35

36 ToMorrow

Page 28

June 13, 2005Volume 9, Number 12

Web site previewGet a preview of the nextCanadian Mennonite beforeit comes in the mail.Selections are posted on ourweb site atwww.canadianmennonite.orgon the Thursday before theissue date. So you can checkout the June 27 issue byJune 23.

Page 8

Page 27

Cover: Fresh flowers are still placed in front ofskulls displayed at the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek,one site of Khmer Rouge atrocities near PhnomPenh, Cambodia. Some 1.7 million Cambodiansperished during the reign of the Khmer Rouge from1975 to 1979. Youth for Peace, an MCC partnerorganization, now encourages Cambodian studentsto learn about their history and work for peace, toensure these horrors are not repeated.MCC photo by Jenna Stoltzfus


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Winnipeg

A fter a lifelong ministry inCanada, Dan Nighswander, andhis wife Yvonne Snider-

Nighswander, will continue theirservice to the church in South Africa.

Nighswander, who recently an-nounced his resignation as generalsecretary of Mennonite ChurchCanada, has been appointed by thedenomination’s Witness ministry to bean Anabaptist resource and liaison tothe African Initiated Churches (AIC)in South Africa. He will also teachBible, theology and church leadershipin a variety of settings. Additionally,Snider-Nighswander expects tobecome involved in AIC ministriesrelating to HIV/AIDS.

“Our first choice when I resigned myposition was to serve the church inanother part of the world,”Nighswander says. “I was hoping tobring together my experiences as apastor, administrator and teacher.”

Reflecting on his ministry with MCCanada and the coming shift in roles,Nighswander says, “It has been aprivilege to be part of the decisions we[MC Canada] have made these recentyears, but I am satisfied to relinquishthe responsibilities that go with theoffice. This new assignment gives me achance to do some teaching and to becloser to congregational life. I’mdelighted to continue working withMC Canada. I love this church. Ibelieve in its vision, its values and itspeople.”

Nighswander has been a campdirector, conference youth pastor,pastor, and New Testament lecturer.Prior to his appointment as generalsecretary, he also served as denomina-tional minister for Mennonite ChurchCanada.

The couple has been attracted tointernational work since their time atseminary in 1979. Global travel in theensuing years has continued to whetan appetite for ministry in a cross-cultural setting.

“Our awareness of the Christian

Nighswander ministry to continue in South Africa

church overseas, our exposure to theglobal Anabaptist family and myexperience in ecumenical relationshave all made engagement with theinternational church more attractive,”Nighswander says.

Adds Snider-Nighswander, “Explor-ing the possibility of contributing inan area of fewer resources and work-ing alongside people with a differentperspective is an exciting and soberingprospect.”

Their decision did not come withoutconsiderable reflection and discern-ment. Among things they will miss aretheir children (they have two marrieddaughters), social circles in Winnipeg,the familiarity of their current jobsand routines (Snider-Nighswander iscurrently employed by the Archives ofManitoba), and the seasonal snowfalls.Conversations with family and friends,a prayer retreat, and their close-knitcommunity in Winnipeg all played arole in discerning and supporting theirdecision.

In the meantime, the pair are

soaking up opportunities to meetseasoned international workers,reading up on South Africa, andlearning about the story of Mennoniteinvolvement in the AICs they willwork with.

Janet Plenert leads the Interna-tional Ministries program for MCCanada Witness. She is thrilled to seethe couple put their gifts and experi-ence to use in South Africa. “Yvonne’sgifts of hospitality and listening willopen doors and build relationships,”she says. “Dan’s extensive experiencein church administration, teaching,ecumenical relationships andpastoring offer a unique combinationof gifts crucial to church in SouthAfrica.”

Their term will begin in August2006. Nighswander will be in hiscurrent position until Nov. 30, followedby a study leave to do research andwriting on a “Believers Church BibleCommentary” on I Corinthians.—MC Canada release by Dan Dyck

Dan Nighswander and Yvonne Snider-Nighswander will begin a new phase ofministry with African Initiated Churches in South Africa. Their term will beginin August, 2006.

Phot

o by

Dan

Dyc

k


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Mission, B.C.

Sales skills helpgospel preaching

The journey from Guatemala toBritish Columbia has been a longand often difficult one for Edgar

Rivera. It includes times of povertyand success, kidnapping, torture, flight,seeking and finding. Through it all,Rivera sees the grace of God in his life.

Rivera remembers the day hedecided he would no longer be poor. Itwas the day he saw a mass-producednotebook. Until then he had alwaysmade his own, from whatever paper hecould find. When he saw the newnotebooks, he decided he alwayswanted to be able to buy his own. Hewas five years old.

Economic success became his goal inlife. He attended military school anddid so well academically that he won auniversity scholarship, studyingeconomics for four years. As he studiedthe laws of economics, he becameaware of injustice in his country andsought ways to correct the inequitieshe saw.

Rivera married, started his ownfamily and became a successfulbusinessman. But Guatemala wasgoing through turbulent years ofpolitical unrest. Following a 1982military coup, Rivera was kidnappedby the government, which thought hehad information about insurgents andweapons. For seven days they torturedhim. The physical torture was difficultenough, but the mental anguishRivera experienced nearly killed him.

“At the beginning of the kidnapping,I worried about my family I thought ofothers,” he says. “But at the end, I wasonly thinking of myself. I thought, ‘Idon’t care if I die today, I only want tobe with God.’ And as I had thatthought, I came out of that darkplace.” He was released that day.

It wasn’t safe for him in Guatemalaany longer, so he fled to Honduras,alone. It was here that he experiencedGod in a unique way. Walking down acommercial district, he pawned hiswatch for money and then entered abookstore.

“I bought a book, Verdict on theShroud by Kenneth Stevenson and

Gary R. Habermas, two evangelicalChristians,” he says, getting emotional.“I read this whole book and at 3 in themorning I accepted Jesus as mypersonal Saviour.”

With his newfound faith giving himstrength, he left Honduras andentered the U.S., eventually landing inChicago in winter with $1.45 in hispocket. His wife joined him sevenmonths later, but it took another fouryears for their three children to jointhem. They first learned aboutMennonites through Chicago’s RebaPlace; there, Rivera met Mary Jude,who was helping peopleimmigrate to Canadathrough the OvergroundRailway organization.

“We didn’t know any-thing about Canada, so wewent to the library andtook out a video,” he says.“We liked Vancouverbecause of the goodweather and the boating!”

Cedar Valley Mennonite Church inMission, B.C., sponsored the Riveras,and because Edgar was alreadyworking for Minolta, the family had notrouble relocating there. They havebeen at the same church since 1989.But this was not the end of thejourney.

“Even though I was a Christian, Istill had this rage in my heart,” hesays, quietly. “But the healing processstarted with Mennonites…. I discov-ered that you become a trueMennonite when you sacrifice your lifefor peace.”

Rivera has done well in B.C. He hasalways worked in sales—and now hehas begun a new kind of sales job.

Since the beginning of this year,Rivera has been working part-time asthe director for the Evangelism andChurch Development Commission forMennonite Church British Columbia.

“The gospel is not a product, but thesame skills I used as a salesman helpme to preach the good news,” he says.He sees his role as one of encourage-ment, helping B.C. churches to grow.

“Growth has to be intentional. Wereach plateaus and then we declinebecause we are not intentional in howwe reach our communities,” he says.“People have to learn about Christ.”

He believes one of theways to be intentionalabout church growth isfor each church to have achurch growth commit-tee. He smiles as he saysthis, realizing people mayshake their heads at theidea of yet anothercommittee. But hebelieves the vision for

church growth needs to come fromwithin the congregation itself.

“The committee needs to havepeople on it who think and envisionhow this church will grow,” he says.Rivera also recognizes that this takestime, noting that even though “we areinefficient, we grow by the grace ofGod.”

It is God’s grace that has keptRivera so far on this journey and heinvites all who love the Lord to joinhim on the road. “I only trust in thegrace of God,” he says. “God hasentrusted me with skills and I want touse them to his glory.”—Angelika Dawson

‘I discovered that

you become a true

Mennonite when

you sacrifice your

life for peace.’


Faith&Life

T he writer of Ecclesiastes laments: “What do mortalsget from all the toil and strain with which they toilunder the sun? For all their days are full of pain,and their work is a vexation; even at night theirminds do not rest” (2:22,23).

In other words, for him, as for many people today, work isa pain and lacks meaning. Furthermore, he complains thatit is futile. You work all your life, only to leave everythingyou accomplish to some other person. Wise man or fool, hewill have control over all the work into which you havepoured all your effort and skill!

So we might say that the author’s got “an attitude prob-lem.” But maybe some of us do as well. Consider howhumankind has viewed work ever since then. Ever since weinvented the wheel, we have tried to find ways to reduce ourworkload, hence to reduce the amount of time spent at work.

But now, as a consequence of all our technology, we alsocreated unemployment. People who are unemployed are “outof work.” Isn’t this what we’ve all been dreaming of?

The promise of workBut as Cal Redekop said several decades ago in the

Benjamin Eby lecture “The Promise of Work”: “Now we havegot our cake, but we don’t want to eat it!” His thesis wasthat work is at the heart of meaningful human experience.It might be more accurate to say that meaningful work is atthe heart of meaningful human experience.

Redekop suggested a variety of symptoms and rootproblems to explain why work has lost its meaning. I shalladd my thoughts to his, and pose some questions for us toponder.

Work lost its meaning when it became a commodity inwhich we sell ourselves for a block of time to the highestbidder. Consequently, all too often we have learned to lovethe dollar, but hate the work we do to get it. How much lesspay would you take to do a job that you really enjoy doingand find meaningful?

Work lost its meaning because of specialization. On onelevel, that speaks of the person who fastens one nut to onepart on an assembly line day in and day out. But in a

broader sense, Redekop suggested thatspecialization reflects how work is nowdifferentiated from the rest of life. It isno longer rooted in family, home andkinship networks.

It is a relatively modern, and largelyWestern, phenomenon to see fathergoing away to work, and I say “father”advisedly because men leaving hometo work preceded women doing so. Doour children have any clear sense ofwhat their parents do when they areaway at work? What role models do weoffer them about doing meaningfulwork?

Work lost its meaning when itbecame separated from leisure andcame to define the rest of life. Now wedefine leisure as the fun time, andtake the pleasure out of work (whichall too often has become drudgery).Then, to find meaning, we “work” atdeveloping hobbies—the “work” that isfun to do!

Work as our defining characteristicOne of the first questions we often aska person we meet for the first time is,“What do you do?” Our work definesus. I am…a banker, a farmer, a nurse,a lawyer, an accountant. Then retiredpeople mutter, “I used to be…,” asthough somehow their being was tiedinextricably to their doing.

We ask our children, “What will yoube when you grow up?” But in realitywe mean to ask, “What will your jobbe?” And all too often when they gointo voluntary service, work at a camp,or get into the arts, the subliminalquestion is, “When will you get a realjob?”

Does work define you? Have youfound the balance between being anddoing?

What the Bible says about workIn Genesis 1 and 2, we see thathumanity was created in God’s image,and was invited to act in Godlike ways

“By the sweat of our brow…”Can work be

redeemed?

Work lost its

meaning when

it became a

commodity in

which we sell

ourselves for a

block of time to

the highest

bidder.


Faith&Life

towards the creation. They wereplaced in the Garden and told to “workit” and “take care of it” and “havedominion.” They were to be“earthkeepers.”

In creating the human race, Goddetermined that is was not good forthe man to be alone. He said, “I willmake him a helper as his partner.” TheKJV says “a helper fit for him.” Adamcould harness animal power—humanshave done it for centuries. The horse,the ox, the dog have all been used tomake human work easier. But don’tyou get tired of talking to the dogafter a while? And your horsedoesn’t always have the “horsesense” you give it credit for!

So, while you work, you need asuitable helper, a companion, onewith whom you can communi-cate and be a co-creator. If wecould work side-by-side withpeople we love and care about,our work might be more mean-ingful.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 thinks sotoo. “Two are better than one,because they have a good rewardfor their toil. For if theyfall, one will lift up theother….”

Here, as in Gen-esis, work is de-scribed in thecontext of fellowshipand community. Work isgood and honourable. Godblessed his own work at creation,and no doubt blesses much of thework humans have done eversince, but clearly not all. Work isa loving act, just as creation wasa loving act of God.

According to Genesis, workdefines and limits our humancreatureliness. We are depend-ent on work for existence andsurvival. But in the sense thatwork defines us as co-creatorswith God, it shows also thespiritual and esthetic possibilities ofhumankind, expressed in our creative-ness.

But something went drasticallywrong. In Genesis 3, the idea of workas “sweat” is introduced along with theFall of humanity. It appears as thoughthistles and thorns are part of a fallen

created order. “By the sweat of your brow you shall eatbread,” is the judgment on humankind.

Should we read this as prescriptive of how life should be?Our Old Order Mennonite friends place great value on“honest sweat” in their work. Or should we read this assimply descriptive of how life is?

It appears almost as though sweat labour is a punishmentfor human sinfulness. However, if that is true, then we

might assume that once we learn how to work with“no sweat,” we have, in fact, redeemed work.

But that can’t be true. If we believe that withChrist the fallen state is reversed, then we shouldnot see this fallen state as ideal. Remember how

Paul declares in Romans 8 that “the creationitself is groaning for redemption.”

I believe our work will be redeemed whenwe turn it from “sweat” to “service” in theinterests of our fellow humans, to the gloryof God. In his lecture, Redekop invites us to putwork in its rightful place. Let’s not focusfirst of all on “getting a job,” as our studentsmight be anxiously pursuing when theygraduate. Think first of all about yourChristian calling or “vocation.” Then think about what “work” you mightbe called to. Is it the work of feeding people?

Of healing people? Of creating tech-nology to serve human needs? Ofcreating music or art, because werecognize that beauty and holiness

are not so far apart? Then discernwhat job you can do to fulfill your sense ofdoing important work. Jesus said, “We must work the works ofhim who sent me, while it is day; night iscoming when no one can work” (NRSVsays “we,” other versions say “I”). In thisplace where we stand between time andeternity, we have important and meaning-ful work to do. When Christopher Wren walked ontothe building site of St. Paul’s Cathedral, heasked various workers what they weredoing. “I’m laying a foundation, don’t yousee?” “I’m hewing a beam; is that not clearto you?” they variously replied. But theyoung lad who was doing the most menial

task of all, digging out the footings, declaredproudly: “Sir, I am building a cathedral to the glory of God!”—Maurice Martin

I believe our

work will be

redeemed when

we turn it from

‘sweat’ to

‘service’ in the

interests of our

fellow humans,

to the glory of

God.


Arts&Culture

Abbotsford, B.C.

The drawings are every bit as goodas what you’d find in a Marvel orDC Comic book. The heroes are

people of strength and purposeenlisted to protect the city of Avalon.But unlike many comic books, this oneisn’t simply a world of good guys andbad guys. It’s about situations inwhich characters all have to makechoices and one of the heroes alwayschooses the way of peace.

Pax Avalon is the brainchild ofReece Friesen, associate pastor atEben-Ezer Mennonite Church. “Chris-tian comics typically all follow thesame model,” he explains. “And theyare not willing to grapple with difficultissues.”

Issues like bio-terrorism andcloning, about having the ability to useforce but choosing not to, about beingpart of a team in which each memberhas a different approach to violence.These are exactly the issues thatAvalon’s emergency response team—called Pax Avalon—deals with.

When he first came up with the ideaof a Christian comic that would dealwith the complex concept of anAnabaptist response to violence,Friesen wondered if it would be“lame.” But as he thought of the real

Pax Avalon: Comic super heroes with a difference

explains. “When a young personhas memorized the verse, theyget the next card in the series.”

The trading cards haveproven to be very popular and agreat way to have kids memo-rize Scripture—somethingFriesen, the associate pastor,feels strongly about.

“If we as a congregation getinto God’s word and memorizeit, then we develop a strongfoundation as a church,” hesays.

Working on this as a whole church,intergenerationally, has been a verypositive experience at Eben-Ezer and ithas been a satisfying way for Friesen touse his artistic abilities in yet another way.

Pastor createsAnabaptist trading cards

While creating his comic PaxAvalon, Reece Friesen hasbeen putting his artistic

talents to another project at Eben-EzerMennonite. The congregation hasembarked on a two-year study of theConfession of Faith, studying the basictenets of Anabaptist beliefs throughsermons, Bible study groups andSunday school. Part of the Sundayschool program includes trading cardsthat Friesen has designed usingthemes from the Confession.

“Each card has an image on thefront, an explanation and a scripturetext to memorize on the back,” Friesen

comics, his good guys always ended upfighting the bad guys.

“You’ve got all these bulked out guysin spandex, so you gotta use theirmuscles for something,” he jokes.

But the drawing left him frustrated.He had a gift, but he was enamouredwith a genre that was always violent.The comics he read always ended inviolence and he always knew who thegood guys were and bad guys were.

Friesen wasn’t sure who to cheer forany more and a growing disillusion-ment with the art form grew withinhim.

And out of that Pax Avalon wasborn. Pax is the only civilian of a five-member team that includes a fire-fighter, police officer, doctor, and a cityengineer—all charged with theresponsibility of protecting Avalon.Each team member has a differentapproach to violence. The doctor hatesviolence, but sees it as a necessaryevil. The police officer is acompartmentalist who, although she isopposed to violence, does whatever sheis ordered to do in the line of duty. Thecity engineer, who happens to be aparaplegic hard-core gamer, seesviolence as entertainment. Thefirefighter is a fatalist; violence is

“Both [the comic bookand the trading cards]are a response to mymove from being acultural-ethnic Mennoniteto being a theological-faith Mennonite,” he says,adding that the same isappearing to be true forothers at Eben-Ezer.“Many here are people whoare culturally Mennonite,who live in a violentsociety, and what they

identify with most is control. I’mhoping that these tools help peoplethink beyond being reactive to beproactive.”—Angelika Dawson

life stories of Anabaptist history andhow exciting they are, he realized thatif the story was good, it could be a goodcomic.

Friesen grew up loving comics andstarted drawing his own at a youngage. He also grew up in a Mennonitehome where he was taught not tofight, but admits he “didn’t reallyunderstand the way of peace.” As aresult, when he went to draw his own


Arts&Culture

inevitable.Pax is the only one who opposes

violence in any form, the only one whocarries no sidearm, and the only onewho has volunteered to be on thisteam. She is also the only team mem-ber who has a super power: the abilityto absorb other’s pain and injuries.

Together, this team sets out toprotect Avalon from a host of terroristattacks, all engineered by the “bad”guy, Gerard Renner, a millionaireindustrialist…and Mennonite.

Toronto

L ike much of Mennonite cultureand faith in North America, thehistory of traditional Mennonite

hymnody is defined along national—Swiss and Russian—lines, according toAbner Martin. The founder of theMenno Singers provided a shorthistory and singing lesson to membersof the Southern Ontario Chapter ofthe Hymn Society in the United Statesand Canada last month.

“The Mennonite church in NorthAmerica is a diverse body, from theway we worship to the hymns we singand the way we sing them,” Martinexplained to the mostly non-Mennonite gathering.

Hymnody originating in the Swiss-South German tradition began in the16th century. Hymns praising martyr-dom and the belief that “sufferingleads to everlasting life” were commonduring this era, he said. They wereoften set to then contemporary folktunes—which in some Amish commu-nities have been transmitted orally fornearly five centuries, to the point that“the original tunes are unrecogniz-able.” As an example, Martin invitedthose gathered to try to sing No. 33from Hymnal: A Worship Book (“OGott Vater”), which, he admitted, “isnot sung in Mennonite churches anymore.”

Russia in 1788; German pietism beganto influence Russian Mennonitehymnody in the mid-19th century.“What Mercy and Divine Compassion”is typical from this period, he said,with its emphasis on “undeservinghumble recipients of God’s grace. It’snot sung as much as it should be,”Martin suggested.

Russian Mennonites arrived inNorth America with their hymnodyabout a century-and-a-half after theSwiss—in the later part of the 19thcentury. In North America, theseMennonites used the Frohe Botschaftin Liedern songbook that containedGerman translations of many Ameri-can gospel songs. Martin noted wrylythat such gospel songs as “Oh, HaveYou Not Heard” were originally fromthe English hymnal Sabbath SchoolGems “that doesn’t sound eitherRussian or German.”

It wasn’t until 1969 that the Rus-sian and Swiss Mennonite hymntraditions in North America weremerged into one hymnal—TheMennonite Hymnal. In 1992, it wasfollowed by Hymnal: A Worship Book.Of Hymnal, Martin said, “It’s a fairrepresentation of hymns from ourtradition and the role of the church intoday’s society.” Of the new hymnody

included in Hymnal, he particularlypraised Fred Pratt Green’s

“The Church of Christ inEvery Age,” although he

wondered if the churchpays more “lip service” tothe words than actuallyliving them out.—Ross W. Muir

“I deliberately chose to makeRenner a Mennonite,” Friesen says.“Renner’s approach to violence iscontrol, and it’s a direction I see someAnabaptist Christians taking. If wecontrol everything—government,police, etc.—we can make everythingsafe and make everyone act likeChristians.”

Pax Avalon has been years in themaking. Friesen worked on the scriptand character development for the lasttwo years, and although he has pencilled

Shaped note singing was introducedin the early 19th century to SwissMennonites in North America withHarmonia Sacra, a singing schoolbook that proved so popular is wasreprinted 25 times between 1832 and1993. In 1890, the first Englishhymnal with four-part music, Hymnsand Tunes, was released; it containedno Psalms or chorale tunes. “I Owe theLord a Morning Song” was “a modelhymn,” Martin noted, with its themethat “night is passed.” It has appearedcontinuously in Mennonite hymnalsever since.

The 1927 Church Hymnal replacedmore traditional Mennonite hymnswith other hymns and songs by suchwriters as Isaac Watts, Fanny Crosbyand Charles Wesley. Calling thishymnal “a bit Victorian,” Martinpointed out that works by “about adozen Mennonite authors and compos-ers” were featured.

In 1767, the first Prussian-NorthGerman Mennonite hymnal in Ger-man was published, entitledGeistreiches Gesangbuch; it includedno musical notations, but only thetune name, Martin explained,noting that prior to that theyhad sung Dutch hymns. TheseMennonites immigrated to

Hymn society gets Mennonite hymnody history lesson

out the different scenes, he is still work-ing at drawing out the whole comic.

His dream is for it to become ateaching tool for kids and he intendsto create a Bible study guide to gowith it. He’s hoping to find aMennonite publisher.

“I really want this to be an Anabaptistteaching tool,” Friesen says.” I don’twant to take it to mainstream publish-ers, where I risk losing that focus.”—Angelika Dawson

Andrew Donaldson, left, HymnSociety international presi-dent, and Mel Hurst, right,Southern Ontario Chapterpresident, join Menno Sing-ers’ founder Abner Martin insinging Mennonite hymns.

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Abbotsford, B.C.

The sweet sounds of DukeEllington and Chick Coreablended with the fanciful music

of John Rutter and the passionateworks of Brahms in a concert thatshowcased the talent of the staff andstudents at Columbia Bible College(CBC) and its worship arts program.

The concert, titled “The Impressionof God (Part III),” included the Colum-bia Singers under the direction of TonyFunk, the Nelson Boschman Trio, andspecial guests Charles Stolte (altosaxophone) and Joachim Segger (piano),both faculty members from King’sUniversity College in Edmonton,Alberta.

In the program notes, Funk, whoalso directs the West Coast MennoniteChamber Choir, noted the connectionbetween spring, love and reconcilia-tion. While nature is bursting withnew life, inspiring artists and poets toexpressions of love, spring also re-

minds us that “deathdoes not have thefinal word.” “Tonight, we wantto take you on ajourney that cel-ebrates spring, thesame spring God feltin the person ofJesus,” he wrote. “Incelebrating love,renewal and rebirthin this way, we cometo realize that God’sfingerprint is found

throughout the world’s cultures, rootedin thousands of customs and tradi-tions.”

“The Impression of God” was a goodexample of being invited into the storyof God’s love for all creation. After anevening of contemplating themes ofnew life and love found and lost, theconcert ended with a “New Orleanship-hop gospel blues” version of “HolyGod, We Praise Your Name” and thehaunting harmony of Craig Courtney’sSanctus, reminding the audience thatthe earth bears witness to God’sholiness.

The concert was an opportunity for

Goshen, Ind.

Steinbach choirwows them inGoshen andNew York

What do Riverside BaptistChurch in New York City andGreencroft Senior Center in

Goshen have in common?Just after Easter, they both hosted

the Steinbach Christian High SchoolChamber Choir from Steinbach, Man.

The Steinbach choir spent March 28-29 in northern Indiana, enroute to theHeritage Music Festival at Riverside.At Greencroft, audience membersresponded to their a cappella singing.Resident Abe Hallman said, “It makesyour blood tingle.” Glenn and LoisMusselman said, “They are good!”

The judges in New York agreed. Thechoir won the gold plaque in their

listeners to get a taste of the uniqueworship arts program at CBC. With nominimum requirements in terms ofartistic ability, “CBC is primarily afaith formation school and so it’sunique in its broader focus,” Funk says.

Worship arts classes include studiesin visual arts, drama and dance.Theology through the Arts, Philosophyof Worship, and Faith, Film andCulture are just as important to Funkand Boschman as the music-related

courses they teach. Worship is aholistic experience that invites wor-shippers to use all their senses.

“What we are doing [at CBC] isabsolutely essential to the health andsurvival of the church,” Boschman says.“It’s learning to live the story, not justa mental ascent to a belief system. It’sa living, breathing, active theology andwe are invited to be a part of the story.”—From CBC releaseby Angelika Dawson

category of high schools of 600 or fewerstudents!

Kristel Peters, choir director, saidmusic is a long-standing fact of lifeamong Mennonites in Manitoba. Shenoted that when the first settlersdisembarked on the banks of the RedRiver in 1873, the first thing they didwas sing, Nun danket alle Gott (“NowThank We All Our God”). “Music justhas been a tradition. When the peoplegot off the boat, they said, ‘We have togive thanks,’ and they sang,” Peterssaid.

The visit of the choir called to mindthe earliest connection betweenElkhart County, Ind., and Manitoba.Elkhartan John F. Funk helped brokerthe immigration of 18,000 Mennonitesto Manitoba and the American prairiestates from Russia between 1873-80.—John Bender

The author is the public relations directorfor Greencroft Senior Center.

Arts&Culture

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CBC concert highlights worship arts students

What we

are doing is

absolutely

essential to

the health

and survival

of the

church.


InConversation

Newly painted and tiled, theclassroom waits. On one wallhangs a map of the world and

on the other a map of Tolkien’s MiddleEarth. There’s a desk for the teacherand a desk for the student. All’s ready!

In the beginning we were all nerv-ous, but now home schooling hasbecome an important part of ourfamily’s identity. My husband Tim andI both work part-time and teach ourdaughter Annika. (Our other daughter,Lydia, can’t wait to home school, butfirst will complete her Kindergartenyear at the local Waldorf School.)

We balance each other in ourteaching styles and areas of interest.Annika learns painting and bookbind-ing from Tim, and knitting and musiclessons from me.

Although we have a structuredacademic time in the morning, teach-able moments can happen anytime!Playing Word Frisbee (spelling bees indisguise) in the car, for example, helpsto review the week’s spelling list.

Besides covering the usual subjectsthrough carefully chosen workbooks,Tim and I include stories, poems andmusic from our own and other tradi-tions.

In April, we attended the 13thannual K-W Christian Home Educa-tors Conference at RockwayMennonite Collegiate in Kitchener. Itwas refreshing to bump into formerhigh school classmates and say, “Hey,you have kids...and you home school!”

I was amazed at the number anddiversity of participants—includingOld Order Mennonites andpostmodern “fringers.” The three gymsbustled with exhibitors offering a

Letters This section is a forum for discussion and discernment. Letters express theopinion of the writer only, not necessarily the position of Canadian Mennonite, anyof the five area churches or Mennonite Church Canada. Letters should addressissues rather than criticizing individuals and include the writer’s contact informa-tion. We will send copies of letters discussing other parties to the named indi-viduals or organizations to provide the opportunity for a response. Letters can besent to [email protected] or to “Letter to the Editor,” CanadianMennonite, 490 Dutton Drive, Unit C5, Waterloo, ON N2L 6H7.

Parents benefit fromhome schooling

too

myriad of resources. I then had tochoose between 12 different workshopsgiven in each of the four sessions.Although some of the topics scared mewith their blatant patriarchy, the onesI did attend were helpful and encour-aging.

The benefits of home schoolingabound. As adults, we gain newinsights into our own strengths andweaknesses. Sometimes I get reallyexcited about my creative plans, onlyto find myself humbled by a tired,hungry and unresponsive child. I’malso reminded to keep learning andasking questions. (I even get a secondchance at my times tables!)

As primary role models, we valuethe quantity of time we spend with ourchildren, not just “quality time.” I hopethat by passing on our ideals, such aseating local food and being involved inthe community, we provide our chil-dren with tools for orienting in theirlater years.—Barbara Dyck, Durham, Ont.

Without Christ’s graceall pastors would be disqualifiedNormally I shy away from letters tothe editor because they can be tooabstract and faceless for authenticcommunication in Christian love astaught in the Bible. There is too muchrisk of criticizing and condemningothers without really understandingthem. However, I humbly offer myperspective on P.J. Rempel’s letterarguing against women being pastors(May 16, page 11).

As I understand the Bible’s heritage,all Scripture carries with it a culturalcontext. We cannot comprehend thepassages about God’s vengeful wrath ifwe don’t study the background ofIsrael as a nation and its relationshipto surrounding nations and cultures.

And since we are so accustomed towomen sharing prominantly in oursociety, we don’t realize how radical animage Jesus presented to his hearerswhen he likened the kingdom to a

woman searching her house for a lostcoin. Note that, like women in thechurch, the treasured coin was alwaysthere in the house, but had beenmislaid in the dust and clutter of dailylife. And note that this woman doesn’tjust write it off as a minor loss, toobusy to bother about, but rather sherecognizes it as a sizeable portion ofher household resources that shedesperately needs. What I love aboutScripture is that it holds such atimeless wealth of meaning beyond itsface value!

While I struggle with the ApostlePaul’s words about women being silentin the churches (I Corinthians 14:34-36), I recognize that he is addressing aconcern about order and Christian

love in the gatherings of the believers.I must weigh this passage againstcountless others, many from Paul’sown writings, that summon me toproclaim what God has done in Christ,to keep announcing “Good News” inmy community, and to be activelyinvolved with my God-given gifts inthe building up of the body of believers.

When I look out at my congregationas I preach, I find myself motivated bya deep love and longing for them toknow, love and serve God more. And Iam always leaning on my understand-ing of God as merciful and compas-sionate, because there is plenty ofclear teaching in Scripture aboutrighteousness and justification to

Continued on page 12


InConversation

NewOrderVoice

WendyDyck

judge us all, men and women alike, asdisqualified from preaching the Wordof the Lord were it not for the grace ofour Saviour Jesus Christ.

In the end, it will be those nail-piercedfeet at which I will fall, and at which Iwill lay all my hope for salvation.—Renate Dau Klaassen, BethanyMennonite Church, Virgil, Ont.

Jesus’ revelation, the clearest revela-tion of God to the world.

Another key element in reading andinterpreting the Bible is that we donot simply take a one-step approachfrom the world of the biblical text toour time. We not only ask what thetext says, but also what it meant, andthen what it might mean for us today.We must ask whether there wassomething in the situation thatprompted Paul to write the way he didto the Corinthians even though he hadwritten so clearly to the Galatians.

A third dimension of biblical inter-pretation is to ask whether a givenpractice in the early church is norma-tive for us. In I Corinthians, Paulwrites that women are to worship witha veil on their heads. Some in theMennonite family continue to see thisas prescriptive for church life today,while many have considered thatdescriptive of the early church but notnormative for us.

In Corinth, Paul had to make ajudgment—to insist on his deepest

Roaming the aislesfor creative juice

Last Sunday, the afternoon openedup before me: my two youngchildren were napping (at the

same time!) and an ingrained prohibi-tion against work on the Sabbath freedme from laundry and mowing thelawn. Into this space sprang the needto engage in some sort of creativeactivity—to sew or write or bake orplay piano. But a competing urgesurfaced as well—I could go shopping.

Reflecting on the attraction of thesetwo activities, I was struck by whatthey both promised: something new,some novel thing that treated my eyeor ear or taste buds, and stimulatedme with the change it brought.

What did it really matter, I reasoned,if it was created by me or someoneelse? Hunting for the thing, andcomparing prices and colours, seemedto parallel the process of makingsomething. And it was the easier andmore immediately gratifying choice. Ifelt my heartbeat quicken justthinking about the moment the “thing”was mine and I could carry it home,the solution to my creative impulseneatly tucked into a plastic bag.

That’s when I got suspicious.

Perhaps my God-given need to be creativewas being co-opted by an invading identityof myself as a consumer. Judging by thenumber of flyers arriving in my mailbox,there were a lot of people interested inhelping me develop this aspect of myexistence. But maybe at the end of a daydedicated to the act of consuming, a part ofme—an essential part—had been con-sumed as well.

In the spirit of more-with-less, stayinghome, making my own music instead of

buying a CD, writing a letter to a friendinstead of purchasing a card, or sewing anew tablecloth instead of buying one,promised a qualitatively different way tospend my time and fill my desire for newness.

On the “less” side of the balance sheet,making things at home used less of theearth’s resources (or re-used existingmaterials), required less time roaming theaisles of desire, and brought less worryabout conditions under which new items

are made.“More” was about more meaning

attached to the thing made, maybemore money to apply to those situa-tions I can’t personally touch half aworld away, and more opportunity forGod’s creative character to findexpression through me.

Once I start exercising my creativejuices, I realize it’s not just aboutartistic pursuits either, but a creativeresponse to life generally: creativity inproblem-solving, parenting, relation-ships and meeting daily needs. Life isenriched while my own consumption ofneedless things is necessarily curtailed.

By living more and consuming less Ihear God singing, read God’s love in aletter, and see God’s beauty and thepromise of ongoing creation in atablecloth.

So I didn’t go shopping. First, therewas all this thinking to do, and then Ihad to write it down. Before I knew it,the baby was crying and another smallperson was demanding a snack. Butsomething new had come into being,and it came from a source much closerto the creator God than the shelves atWal-Mart.

Wendy Dyck lives in Courtenay, B.C., withher husband and two young boys. She is anMCC veteran and a writer for Infocusmagazine.

Disqualified From page 11 the Fall, and not God’s intention forgender relationships.

There are passages that speak ofsubordination of women to men (ICorinthians 11:2-16, Ephesians 5:21-33) and then there are passages thatshow women in ministry and inleadership positions (Romans 16:1-7,Acts 18:26). There are also passagesthat speak for equality and mutuality(Galatians 3:26-29, II Corinthians 6:18).

One person has pointed out that it isthe Apostle Paul who has spokenboth—the most decisive word infavour of woman’s subjugation as wellas the most decisive word in favour ofwoman’s liberation. I consider Paul’sword in Galatians 3:26-28 to be themost insightful declaration of theapostle on this subject.

Second, Brother Rempel’s letterraises questions about biblical inter-pretation. In our Anabaptist-Mennonite way of interpreting Scrip-ture, we have leaned toward a Christo-centric way of reading the Bible. Weread all of Scripture in the light of

Scripture is not clearabout women pastorsRe: “Scripture is clear about womenpastors” letter by P.J. Rempel, May 16,2005, page 11.

The letter raises some interestingquestions and challenges. First, theinsistence that Scripture is clear aboutwomen pastors is not entirely accu-rate. In Genesis 1, male and femaleare created equally in the image ofGod, but in 3:16 we also read, “he willrule over you.” This must surely beseen as part of the punishment after


diminished and denied by a stubbornlyliteral—and therefore patriarchal—reading of the Scriptures, and arefusal to accept the spirit of inclusionand affirmation embodied in theperson of Jesus Christ.

In Defence of EveIn the beginning somebody decreedThat Eve should take the Fall; poor

Adam wasA mere accessory after the fact.But where’s the witness to corroborateThe one official version? Who was there?—Besides a talking serpent (yes, it’s true).

Now let us entertain a theory:Consider that the Woman, Eve, was

framed,In order that a precedent be set;A case for spiritual depravity;Subordination ever afterward.Thus on the strength of ancient man-

made myth

Is one-half of humanity made base:Misogyny hid by a holy face.—Tamara Franz-Martin, Gretna, Man.

InConversation

St. Belindasaves the day

I confess that I’m a political junkie.Each day I check online newspapersto read the same thing I heard on

the news the night before.Be encouraged, however, for I think

I’ve been cured and I have formerConservative MP Belinda Stronach tothank! When St. Belinda (Note: Not anofficial beatification, so don’t go naminga Mennonite church after her) joinedthe Liberals just days before a non-confidence vote, my shallow glee in thepolitical gamesmanship of our timessuddenly turned sour. First, hockeyfalls apart, and now this! What isbecoming of the Great White North?

That same day I was perusingsermon suggestions given by ourcongregation, and a number wanted tohear about the relationship betweenchurch and state. I was thankful to notbe alone in my quandary.

So I dug in to tackle a topic that Icould not remember hearing a sermonon. I read widely and searched theScriptures. Much of the Bible was writ-ten in politically charged times. FromEgypt to Assyria, from Babylon to Rome,the Scriptures are breathed with theunderstanding that God’s people live ina political world. The plan of God contin-ually finds itself up against the humantendency to make a god out of power.

According to Scripture, government

is established by God to maintain civilityand the common good in light of God’screated order and the reality of a fallenworld. Every political power, Jew orGentile, addressed in Scripture is re-minded that theirs is a granted power withdivine purpose and accountability (Jer-emiah 22:1-5; Romans 13:1).

The church exists to ensure that civilityis even possible. Civility flows from whatlives in our hearts. Christians wage warnot as the world does (II Corinthians 10:3-5), but with a political title—we areambassadors of Christ’s reconciling victory

over powers that keep people from civilitywith God and one another (II Corinthians5:19-21).

Five obligations of the people of God tothe state emerge: 1. Pay your taxes (Matthew 22:21). It isunbiblical to withhold tax from any state,since that power, in a mysterious way, isGod’s servant. 2. Pray (I Timothy 2:1-4). Interestingly,this prayer is not for biblical morality or aparticular theology to be adopted as publicpolicy, but for a climate that allows Christ-

centred lives to proclaim the Gospel. 3. Give honour and respect (I Peter2:13, 17). Respect those who govern, forGod put them there. 4. Be submissive and law-abiding(Romans 13:1-5). Christians are notabove the law of the land in which theyfind themselves, and to rebel againstthe law of a state granted power by Godis to rebel against God himself. 5. Live well and godly, even to thepoint of suffering (I Peter 2:13-3:17).Peter, writing to persecuted Christians,stresses the importance of being willingto suffer for good. Christians will findthemselves pitted against a state thatwill demand submission to that whichis opposed to Christ as Lord. Then weobey God rather than human authority(Acts 5:29). When the state demands tobe named lord over Christ, we continueto pay tax, pray, give honour andrespect, submit and obey as far as theScriptures allow, live well and godly,and declare allegiance to one alone byaccepting suffering at the hand of God’sservant for the sake of God’s glory—which is exactly what Jesus did.

So, thanks, Belinda, for the realitycheck. It was greatly appreciated. And,by the way, I’m praying for you andyour House of Commonfolk.

The writer, after having his dream of aprofessional hockey career ended by reality,has gone outside his box to serve Christ, nowlabouring as the leading servant (pastor) ofZurich Mennonite Church, Ont.

Outsidethe box

PhilWagler

insight on gender equality and mutu-ality, or to maintain order. In this case,he chose order rather than implemen-tation of his deepest insight. As I seeit, the practice that emerged in thechurch in Corinth is not prescriptivefor the church, but descriptive of whatwas possible in the first century.

I will continue to be blessed by theleadership and preaching of women inour congregation.—John H Neufeld, Winnipeg

Missional churchparadigm parodiedCanadian Mennonite is not generallydemanding of the reader. The materialcan mostly be covered adequatelyduring mealtime. The material re-quires little digestive effort. Dinnerconversation can cover the pointseasily, and is not likely to disturb. Thissynergy with the reader, however, isapparently not working for everyone.There are those who are intruding onthe peace, armed with dictionariesthey have apparently just written.

Some say that writing withoutbeing published is not satisfying, and Isuppose that this is also true for newvocabulary material. The inventing of

Continued on page 14

Literal reading of the Bible adenial of Christ’s inclusivenessIn response to P.J. Rempel’s May 16call for women to once again be put intheir proper “biblical” place, I wish tosubmit the following poem. I submit itas a cry on behalf of all women andgirls over the centuries whose lives,hopes and gifts have been destroyed,


new words—like “missional”—is alsosomewhat lame if no one cares orthinks that the words convey some-thing significant or assist in betterdescribing experience. So while itseems likely that these new words aredescribing an old package, and thatany new shifting paradigms to befound are really old ones, the efforts todo so should be taken in the stride oflife.

In the missional movement, the pitof verbal confusion is already half dug,so it would seem embarrassing now toclarify the story, or as a last resort, callfor help. The only thing to do iscontinue to dig as if you meant it allalong, until the bottom has beenreached.

Some might think, based on previ-ous Canadian Mennonite articlesstruggling to elaborate on beingmissional, that the bottom had beenreached. That, however, is clearly notthe case. There is now to be a courseon “missionalism,” or perhaps betterdescribed as “unessentialism” (see“Grebel to offer missional churchcourse,” April 18, 2005, page 19).

Granted, there are some interestingpossibilities. Graduation from themissional course could qualify aperson to be a “level one missional re-contextualizer,” the ideological frame-work could be an exciting new“missional re-contextualism,” andwaiting victims of subsequent coursescould be the “missionally re-contextualized in-waiting.”

Books covering critical elements oftraining, theory and practice could beanother source of activity for thosewho find life too simple, and mighteven be a boost for the Mennonitepublishing industry. I will stop herebefore my imagining over-reaches

‘Spirituality of reading’makes significant contributionI wish to thank you for including thearticle “The spirituality of reading” byDaniel Coleman in the May 2 issue ofCanadian Mennonite. I found thearticle stimulating, provocative andrefreshing.

I have spent most of my professionallife addressing the issues surroundingthe process of change. (The writer isprofessor emeritus at the University ofBritish Columbia—ed.)

Coleman states, “And in this doubleprocess there lies the potential for thereader to be changed by what he orshe reads. This change is not simply amental shift, for it involves identifica-tion with a different community orcommunities. It necessitates thereader who is willing to risk vulner-ability and openness to the unfamiliarand unknown, and it involves a liftingof the reader out of the horizons ofone’s immediate existence and anopening to other possibilities.”

In my classification of the process ofchange, this type of change is called“third order change” and fits myunderstanding of the nature of spir-itual change more generally.

“Third order change” has receivedlittle attention in the literature. Weknow that bibliotherapy has thepotential to help people as theyattempt to deal with their life issuesand relationships. Coleman makes asignificant contribution in helping ussee more clearly the meaning ofchange from this perspective.—John Friesen, Vancouver

Mennonite schools helpmaintain Mennonite identityWhy don’t more of our MCEC familieshave children at church schools? Thisis a question I struggled with duringmy tenure as director of communityrelations at Rockway MennoniteCollegiate during the ’90s.

The reasons listed in the May 16article (page 14) sound very familiar.Now, as parents of a Rockway studentwe struggle with the decision andrealize, on a personal level, the stressesand sacrifices required to make thischoice. We also struggle with theinequity of Ontario’s education systemand wonder at the silence of our churchleaders in addressing a system thatallows full funding for one denomina-tion while shutting out other faiths.

The heart of the issue is that ofidentity. Our faith community is nolonger defined by dress, geography, orby vocation. We are increasingly definedby our church institutions and theseinstitutions shape our children. We, asa people, need to celebrate and supportinstitutions that articulate our identityas a people. This cannot happen in thecontext of the congregation alone.

Why don’t more kids attend churchschools? I believe the basic answer isthat our families and churches are notconcerned enough about maintaining adistinct Mennonite identity.

Because I was an integral part ofthis admissions process, I know all toowell that Rockway or UMEI are notsuitable for all our Mennonite children.However, too often, even when therewas a fit between the student’s interestsand needs, and the programs at Rockway,it was easier to identify with the localpublic school. Often it was a hardchoice to come to Rockway, but invari-ably students enjoyed their experiencewhen they came. For those who did notattend, it seemed to me there wasinsufficient support from families,congregations and other churchnetworks to choose the church schooland the identity with our Mennonitefaith community that this represented.

More families and kids will chooseto attend when our churches trulyunderstand that our schools play anintegral role in shaping our identity asa people of faith.—Fred W. Martin, Waterloo, Ont.

InConversation

Parody From page 13 itself and becomes a conveyancevehicle for “un-missionalattitudionalization.” Or is it too late?—Roger Groening, Winnipeg


WiderChurch

Winnipeg

Mennonite Church Canada isasking 5,000 randomlyselected constituents from

across Canada to provide feedback andcounsel about the denomination byresponding to a survey. Pastors fromevery congregation will also receivethe questionnaire.

The purpose is to assess the imageof the countrywide church among thedenomination’s constituents and tofind out what constituents think ofwhen they see or hear the words“Mennonite Church Canada.”

This is the first comprehensivesurvey undertaken since the inceptionof MC Canada in 2000. KMA Consult-ants of Toronto provided professionalcounsel to the survey design andprocess. KMA specializes in workingwith church and charitable organiza-tions, and has completed similar workfor several Mennonite organizations.Lois Epp, a market research consult-ant from Calgary (Trinity MC), hasbeen contributing expertise to theproject on a voluntary basis.

Feedback from the pre-testingprocess has been very positive, notesPam Peters-Pries, executive secretary

MC Canada surveying membershipother constituents would be eager togive their feedback.”

The survey seeks to measurerespondents’ awareness of a variety oftopics:• What does it means to beMennonite?• What is our understanding of themission and ministry that the denomi-nation does on behalf of, or in partner-ship with, area conferences andcongregations?• Are denominational communica-tions, resources and events helpful?

“We get anecdotal information fromdelegates at the MC Canada Assembly,from churches we visit, and occasion-ally from people who send us letters,”says Dan Nighswander, MC Canadageneral secretary. “But this survey isthe most comprehensive opportunityfor us to listen to a broad spectrum ofpeople. It will help us to shape ourministries and communications.”

The 5,000 recipients have beenselected for equal representation fromeach area conference in proportion tooverall membership across Canada.The survey was to begin arriving inmailboxes during the week of June 6,with a request for a response by June30.—MC Canada release by Dan Dyck

Nyoman Klassen completes theMennonite Church Canada constitu-ency survey. Deadline for responsesis June 30.

MCC ends nearly40 years of servicein Botswana

Mennonite Central Committee(MCC) will end more thanthree decades of service in

Botswana this summer, closing itsprogram and shifting those resourcesto other MCC work in Africa. Some 279MCC workers have served in Bot-swana, which once had MCC’s largestprogram in Africa. In Botswana inApril, MCC staff, partners and friendsgathered in thanksgiving for the workthat has been done there, the partner-ships that have been forged and thefriendships that have been built.

“We have benefited more than we

have given. You have helped usto mature, grow and develop,and have allowed us to take thatjourney in Botswana,” TesfaDalellew, MCC’s Africa programco-director, told the crowd.“When we go, we are leavingGod’s people in God’s hands.”

Since the 1980s, MCC hasworked in Botswana under thename Mennonite MinistriesBotswana and in partnershipwith Africa Inter-MennoniteMission (AIMM). By mid-August, the last MCC workerwill leave Botswana, althoughAIMM will continue its workwith African IndependentChurches.—From MCC releaseby Marla Pierson Lester

of Support Services. “The constituentswho reviewed the final draft werepleased with the range of topics thatthe survey covered. They felt that

An April thanksgiving service allowed MCCworkers, friends and partners to bid theirgoodbyes and express gratitude for MCC’srelationships in Botswana over the years.

Phot

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WiderChurch

La Ceiba, Honduras

Cesar Augusto Ventura had towait for two years to bury hisnephew, Kelvin Maynor

Gonzalez, whom he had raised as hisson. At least he hopes it is his nephewhe buried.

At 18, Gonzalez was imprisoned oncharges of burglary and involvementwith Mara 18, one of Honduras’ fearedyouth gangs. Two years ago, he died ina fiery massacre of suspected gangmembers by prison guards, soldiers,police and other inmates. A total of 69people were killed.

Last month, the bodies of Gonzalezand 11 other victims were delivered byHonduran authorities to a group offamily members and laid to rest. ForVentura and other family members,

the long-awaited funeral was both atime of renewed grief and an occasionto demand justice.

Honduran Mennonites helped toorganize the ecumenical funeral andhave supported the families in theirgrieving and their search for justice.Mennonite Central Committee (MCC)supports this work through Peace andJustice Project, a HonduranMennonite organization.

Ventura and other family membersturned to Peace and Justice Project forhelp after the massacre because of a

Waterloo, Ont.

MEDA offers wayto ‘mPower’ poor

A new financial instrumentcalled mPower is beingdeveloped for investors in

Canada who want to make a globalimpact with their investmentportfolio.

The new product comes fromMicroVest, which MennoniteEconomic Development Associates(MEDA) and CARE created in 2003to raise private equity to strengthenmicrofinance banks around theworld. Within a year, MicroVest’sfirst fund placed nearly $10 millionin micro-banks across LatinAmerica, Eastern Europe and Asia.

Through the mPower InvestmentProgram, investors can purchase aCommunity Investment Note fromthe Calvert Foundation for aminimum of $1,000. This capital willbe invested by MicroVest in micro-banks, enabling them to issuethousands of additional small loans.

“The goal of MicroVest is to givepoor entrepreneurs in the develop-ing world access to private inves-tors,” says Gerhard Pries, CFO ofMEDA and vice-chair of MicroVest.“But we want to do more than justattract private investors—we wantto demonstrate to the investmentcommunity…that investing in poorpeople provides both a profitablefinancial and social return forinvestors.”

While helping poor families toexpand their businesses, mPowerinvestors realize a financial returnof their choosing: for one- and three-year notes, returns are zero to 2percent; for five-, seven- and 10-yearnotes, returns are zero to 3 percent.The lower the return, the morecapital is available to invest in abroad range of microfinanceinstitutions globally.—MEDA release

Honduran Mennonites help buryvictims of prison massacre

lack of cooperation from the Honduranauthorities. The organization wasalready known for doing evangelism atthe El Porvenir prison farm anddistributing toilet paper to prisoners.Staff members invited the families tomeet and take part in grief counsellingwith a psychologist.

“It really helped us a lot, because itwas right after it happened, and therewere a lot of emotions, a lot of bad feel-ings,” Ventura says of the counselling.

Denying access to the victims’ bodieswas one of many injustices to followthe massacre, according to Venturaand Peace and Justice Project staff.Following an official investigation,only one person—the chief of ElPorvenir—was sentenced in the

deaths. Othersimplicated in themassacre, such asthe state chief ofpolice, have kepttheir jobs. Peace andJustice Projecthelped familymembers form anorganization,called Committeeof Family Mem-bers of theMassacred. Thefamilies suc-ceeded in raisingpublic awarenessof the massacre. Ricardo Torres,an MCC conflict

resolution trainer from Bogota,Colombia, helped organize the funeralat a La Ceiba cemetery for 11 victims,whose bodies were some of the last tobe delivered by the government. Menno-nites helped to lead the brief service.

The funeral gathering sang a briefsong, recited the Lord’s Prayer andreleased 69 white helium balloons,each with the name of a massacrevictim. A longer service had beenplanned at a nearby church, butgovernment officials insisted that thebodies be buried shortly after delivery.

Ricardo Torres, centre, an MCC conflict resolution trainer,speaks to mourners at a funeral he helped organize forprison massacre victims in La Ceiba, Honduras.

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The government officials alsoinsisted that the caskets remainclosed, and Ventura says he buried thecasket that bore his nephew’s namewithout being absolutely sure itcontained his body.—MCC release by Tim Shenk


WiderChurch

Waterloo, Ont.

Encouraged by positive financialreports and promising newpublishing projects, the

Mennonite Publishing Network (MPN)board, at its April annual meeting,addressed marketing and financialchallenges.

Audited financial reports for theyear ending Jan. 31 showed a surplusof $92,500. The year included $550,000in payments (principal and interest)on the long-term debt that was $5.1million three years ago and nowstands at $3.5 million.

Management highlighted severalnew projects, in addition to Gather’Round, which will be introduced earlyin 2006 and ready for congregationaluse that fall. A new hymnal supple-ment, Sing the Journey, will be re-leased this June by Faith & LifeResources and will be featured as thesongbook for the Mennonite ChurchCanada and Mennonite Church USAAssembly in July.

A new Herald Press cookbook,Simply in Season, will also be releasedin June as the third in the successfulseries. Herald Press published 20 newtitles this past year, including twomore volumes—“Romans” and “Prov-erbs”—in the Believer’s Church BibleCommentary series. Faith & LifeResources published 10 new studyresources, including the well-receivedsummer 2005 Vacation Bible Schoolcurriculum Celebrate the Psalms! OurGod is Awesome.

While the new projects are expected

Tavistock, Ont.

Young adults plandiscussion forumfor Charlotte

A group of young adults, prima-rily students from Mennonitecolleges and universities, wants

to strengthen the ties between theirpeers and the church. As they gothrough a period of searching andquestioning in their own lives, theywant the church to know they are stillinterested in being involved in the lifeof their church.

Nicole Cober Bauman, a GoshenCollege student from Tavistock, Ont.,is one of the group’s leaders. “As youngadults, we sometimes feel forgotten,”she says. “We affirm what the churchis doing, but we want to be involved.”

When this young adult group heardthat a youth delegate session wouldreport to the adult delegates with timefor discussion at Charlotte, theywondered why there was no similaravenue for young adults.

It’s a challenge to get young adultstogether for sessions at assembly, saysBauman. “Young adults are usuallyeither delegates from their churches oryouth sponsors.”

However, this group of youngMennonites is planning a specialgathering for their peers during theassembly in Charlotte. On July 6, from9:15-10:15 p.m. in the young adultlounge, they will lead a session inwhich young adults can express theirconcerns, their ideas, and their desires.They hope to carry this discussion toMennonite church leaders in Canadaand the U.S.

She believes there is a vicious cyclethat makes the young adult relation-ship to the congregation so difficult.“Churches often put effort into youth,but not to young adults,” Baumansays. “Partly, that’s because theyassume the young adults are notinterested.”

“We feel that, as young adults, wecome with a renewed passion for thechurch,” Bauman stresses. “We want avoice, but we want to be part of thechurch; we do not want to divide it.”—Barb Draper

Mennonite Publishing Networkends year in the black

to sell well, board members expressedconcern that many of the existingbooks and resources are not as wellknown as they could be. The boardcalled for the creation of a marketingtask group to review the overall planfor communicating the ongoing storyof MPN and for promoting its re-sources and books.

Although pleased with the financialreport from last year, the board notedsignificant challenges ahead. Thefavourable bottom line last year wasachieved through careful expense andinventory control, even though overallsales revenue fell about 7 percentshort of budget.

The board reaffirmed the missionstatement developed three years agoby a church-wide publishing transfor-mation team, which asked MPN to paymore explicit attention to church-relatedness. The core mission is toprovide readily accessible resourcesthat equip the church to experienceand share the gospel from anAnabaptist perspective.

Canadian members of theMennonite Publishing Network boardinclude Laverne Brubacher, CarryDueck and Abe Bergen. Othersparticipating in the April 29-30meetings included Dan Nighswander,general secretary of MennoniteChurch Canada, and Esther Peters, amember of the General Board of MCCanada.—MPN release


WiderChurch

Nanchong, China

When Marco Polo returned toEurope after his Asianexcursions, he regaled

listeners with tales of his encounterwith a unicorn. His unicorn did have ahorn on its head, but that’s where thesimilarity ended. The unicorn hedescribed had a black horn, a buffalo’spelt, elephant’s hooves, a wild boar’shead and a spiky tongue. It was, infact, a rhinoceros.

Marco Polo wasn’t lying; he wastrying to describe something new andunusual in terms of the known andthe familiar. He thought he knew whathe was talking about, but he didn’t—an affliction that often strikes thosewho journey to other cultures.

I’ve had similar “unicorn” experi-ences during my time in China withMennonite Church Canada Witness,and these experiences often take placein my classroom. One of them plantedthe seed that grew into my thesis.When China Educational Exchange

Translating ‘forgiveness’

(CEE) teachers were piloting a cur-riculum developed by a former CEEteacher, we were all surprised at ourstudents’ negative reactions to whatwe considered an inspiring story offorgiveness.

Investigating further, I discovered aForgiveness Inventory designed in theU.S. to measure a person’s opinions,feelings, and actions toward anoffender. Available in several lan-guages, the inventory revealed thatthe Chinese are less forgiving thanwesterners. I began to wonder if it wasfair to evaluate forgiveness in Chinawith an inventory developed in theWest, by and for westerners.

The challenge lies in how onetranslates the word “forgiveness” intoMandarin. English-Chinese dictionar-ies offer many suggestions, so I askedmy senior English students for help.During our work, I learned that mystudents translated “forgiveness” mostoften as “tolerance,” two words withvery different meanings in English.After asking my students to respond to22 of the Forgiveness Inventoryquestions that were most closelylinked to forgiveness or tolerance, aslim majority identified only four ofthe questions as being indicative offorgiveness.

I learned that the developers of theinventory had assumed two things:that one has the right to resent

offenders, and that suffering anoffence absolves the victim from aresponsibility to treat the offenderwith compassion, generosity and love.

While the majority of studentsagreed with the first assumption, themajority disagreed with the second.When a westerner’s actions are atodds with his or her thoughts andfeelings, it smacks of hypocrisy. InChinese culture, harmony requiresthat people do not always put theirthoughts and feelings into action.

According to a Chinese proverb,“Two-thirds of what a person seesexists behind that person’s eyes.” Inthis case, perhaps more than four-fifths of the inventory items indicativeof forgiveness in China exist only inwestern minds. The way forgiveness ismeasured by this inventory does nottranslate well into Mandarin linguisti-cally, philosophically, practically ortheoretically.

What can we learn from this studyas we seek to model the Jesus way inother cultures? Like Marco Polo, whomust have been greatly disappointedthat his Asian “unicorn” didn’t live upto his expectations, Christians canexpect that theological concepts andteachings may be interpreted with anequal diversity in expectations. Maywe always seek to understand beforetrying to be understood.—Todd Hanson

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Todd Hanson, Mennonite Church Canada Witness worker in Nanchong, China,turns to his students for some expert advice on forgiveness.

Project brings lunchesto Thai school childrenIn Mae Sai, Thailand, children whoattend government schools but cannotafford school lunches are now receiv-ing meals through a MennoniteCentral Committee Global Familyproject. The children live at a projectrun by Development and EducationProgram for Daughters and Communi-ties (DEPDC); most are ethnic minori-ties, although the education programalso provides housing for familieswhose mothers were forcibly broughtto Thailand to work in the sex tradeand who are awaiting repatriation totheir home countries. In addition,MCC Serving and Learning Together(SALT) worker Cindy Low teachesEnglish at DEPDC and plans chil-dren’s activities. MCC is still seekingsponsors for this and other GlobalFamily projects.—MCC release

News brief


WiderChurch

Tanzania

A new national voucher systemintended to halt the spread ofmalaria in children in Tanzania

is showing early indications of com-mercial success.

The national voucher scheme,operated by Mennonite EconomicDevelopment Associates (MEDA),aims to put more insecticide-treatedmosquito nets into the hands ofpregnant women and mothers ofyoung children, thereby reducing thedevastation of mosquito-borne ma-laria. The annual toll from malaria inAfrica is 20 times greater than thenumber of people killed in the recenttsunami.

MEDA was invited to develop a newbusiness model to get mosquito nets tothe rural poor. Commercial channelswere selling nets successfully in cities,but the nets were not reaching thecountryside. Together with the GlobalFund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis andMalaria, MEDA designed a govern-ment voucher program that coverspart of the cost of the net. The vouch-ers are distributed through maternalchild health clinics and are redeem-able at rural pharmacies. MEDA ishandling the logistics for the $10million program.

Launched last fall, the program had

volunteers. Altamirano works in aMennonite youth office helping withadministration and planning events,and spends time with his mentor andweekends with a German host family.

The first 2005 exchange began inMarch with Manish Lal, a 24-year-oldfrom Bethesda Mennonite Church inChampa, India, going to Iringa,Tanzania. Lal is working in a congre-gation, Kanisa la Mennonite Iringa,and living with the family of its pastor,Rev. Ngulinzira. Lal has training as apastor and now is also able to sharehis life and experiences from Indiawith the community in Tanzania.

“I believe that the Lord has specificplans for our Mennonite churchesthrough YAMEN! and he is going touse all candidates effectively in hisvineyard,” Lal says.

The most recent exchange began inMay, with Jeremie Ngoya, a 29-year-old from Kinshasa, DemocraticRepublic of Congo, travelling toMontevideo, Uruguay. Ngoya, whosehome church is part of theCommunauté Mennonite au Congoconference, will spend time withdifferent congregations throughoutUruguay, sharing what is happeningin the Mennonite Church in Congo. Ayouth leader at home, Ngoya will focuson working with, and learning from,youth in Uruguay.

“These exchanges provide wonderfulopportunities for the young visitorsand the local communities andchurches to learn from each other’sculture,” says Derksen-Schrock.—MWC/MCC joint release

Anti-malaria campaign shows commercial promise681 retailers signed up by the end ofthe first quarter, well in excess of thetarget of 400 for that point. By the endof the quarter, 232,125 vouchers hadbeen issued to the various districts,more than 10 times the originaltarget.

MEDA expects this program to savemore than 9,000 children’s lives peryear. In addition, the voucher systemis expected to reduce costs for medica-

Strasbourg, France

Many of Juan José Altamirano’sfriends thought his getting avisa to Germany was an

answer to prayer. Altamirano, who is amember of the Vida Neuva Mennonitechurch in Portoviejo, Ecuador, had towait several months for a visa fromthe German government. Now, despitethe challenges, he is living and work-ing with German Mennonites inKarlsruhe as a member of YAMEN!,the Young Anabaptist MennoniteExchange Network.

Altamirano is one of three newparticipants in the program, which is aworldwide church-to-church exchangeof young adults from 18 to 30.YAMEN! is designed to provideopportunities for young adults andcongregations to share gifts throughpeople and experiences, and build thechurch together.

Yet the learning and joys of interna-tional exchanges may be accompaniedby challenges and travel difficulties,such as those Altamirano faced.

“To be successful in this kind ofadventure, one must be extremelypatient, persistent and, above all,faithful,” says YAMEN! coordinatorKarina Derksen-Schrock.

As Altamirano, 19, applied for avisa, the German government wasbeing criticized for granting visas toforeigners too easily. The result was animmediate crackdown on issuingadditional visas, and Altamirano wasleft waiting. In mid-April, though, hereceived his paperwork and was ableto travel. Today, he lives in Karlsruheat a retreat centre with several other

tion and time away from work due toillness, providing a real boost to poorfamilies’ income levels.

The substances used to treatmosquito nets are considered safe forhuman use. They have been widelystudied and approved by the WorldHealth Organization, which, alongwith UNICEF, is recommending theuse of insecticide-treated nets.—MEDA release

New YAMEN! exchanges begin

News brief

MCC provides foodfor displaced KenyansMennonite Central Committee (MCC)funded a distribution of corn, beans,oil and flour to 3,000 families in MaiMahiu, southern Kenya, in March.Competition for land and watersources has driven farmers andlivestock herders into conflict in MaiMahiu this year, and thousands offamilies have fled their homes. Thedistribution provided one month’ssupply of food for displaced familiesand was carried out by the MainyotoPastoralist Integrated DevelopmentOrganization and the PresbyterianChurch of East Africa with $36,000 inMCC funding.—MCC release


WiderChurch

Ruhengeri, Rwanda

Beatrice Uzanyabariyo once livedin a world where a person’sethnicity did not matter. A 43-

year-old farmer, Uzanyabariyo recallsa time in rural northwestern Rwandawhen most people didn’t care whethersomeone belonged to the Hutu ethnicmajority or the Tutsi ethnic minority.

Uzanyabariyo grew up in a Tutsifamily, got married to a Hutu man atthe age of 20 and raised eight children.“We were living in peace,” she says.

But in 1994, Rwanda convulsed inan enormous ethnic conflict. Anextremist political movement calledHutu Power mobilized tens of thou-sands of Hutus to kill the country’sTutsis, as well as any Hutu moderateswho stood in their way. This genocideclaimed nearly a million lives in 100days of killing and caused incalculablesuffering to those who survived.

For Uzanyabariyo, the pain of thattime will never go away, but she isdoing all she can to find healing. Sheis now a member of a group called

Peace House helps women to dialogue

ministry of Rwandan EvangelicalFriends churches. Additionally, anMCC worker, Joshua Bazuin of MountHope, Ont., serves with Peace House.

When the genocide began in 1994,local Hutu extremists set up road-blocks in Ruhengeri and went fromhouse to house seizing people forexecution. Uzanyabariyo was with herTutsi family when these militantscame for her father and brother. “Theytook them to the roadblock and theykilled them,” she says. “We all ranaway then, and they came to kill mybrother’s four children.”

With the help of her husband’sfamily, Uzanyabariyo and her childrenhid in the forest for three months.“Sometimes it was in a pit covered bybranches,” she recalls. “The people inthe house—my husband’s family—came and brought food at night.”

Uzanyabariyo says she began tohate all Hutus, except for her husbandand inlaws. After the genocide ended—when predominantly Tutsi rebel forcestook over the country—she wasconsumed with anger. She says shespent weeks without speaking toanyone.

Through Women in Dialogue,Uzanyabariyo has let go of her anger.She now leads a team of women from

Beatrice Uzanyabariyo, left, and Melanie Nvugebarijane aremembers of a group called Women in Dialogue, in whichpeople from different sides of the Rwandan conflict worktogether on agricultural projects and discuss ways to movebeyond the violence of the past.

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Women inDialogue,which hasabout 90members inthree loca-tions; peoplefrom differentsides of theRwandanconflict worktogether onagriculturalprojects anddiscuss waysto movebeyond theviolence of thepast.

MennoniteCentralCommittee(MCC) finan-cially supports the activities of Womenin Dialogue through Peace House, anMCC partner organization that is a


WiderChurch

Kigali, Rwanda

Young Rwandanswork togetheragainst AIDS

V iolette Mukamurara has aproblem. She has becomepregnant, and she doesn’t know

if her boyfriend has HIV. “Nothing canstop love,” Mukamurara says, but herpregnancy distresses her. On theadvice of a friend, Mukamuraradecides to go to a hospital to get testedfor HIV and to receive help in givingbirth to a healthy baby.

This is the plot of a lively skitperformed by a troupe of young adultsto educate their peers about AIDS. Theactors are members of RengeraUbuzima (Save Life), a club that givestheatrical, choral and dance perfor-mances on AIDS in schools. Their skittells a fictional story, but one thatillustrates a problem facing many whocome of age in Rwanda today.

A high rate of AIDS is one conse-quence of the Rwandan genocide,which killed nearly a million people in1994. As Rwanda struggles to distanceitself from the horrors of that time, theyoung adults of Rengera Ubuzima andother peace clubs are on a dualmission to stop the spread of AIDSand to build social unity.

“We teach the population to beunited, so we can work against AIDStogether,” says Thomas Ndizeye, the

club president.Mennonite Central Committee

(MCC) is supporting Rengera Ubuzimaand 14 other young adult clubs inpromoting AIDS awareness and peacein Rwanda. Each group is organizedand trained by Peace House, an MCCpartner organization in Kigali that isa ministry of Rwandan EvangelicalFriends churches.

Conflict between Rwanda’s ethnicHutu majority and ethnic Tutsiminority was the basis of the 1994genocide, when Hutu extremistsorganized the mass killings of Tutsisand moderate Hutus. RengeraUbuzima’s 43 members come fromboth ethnic groups. “Now we are goodfriends, even though our parents werekilled in different ways,” Ndizeye says.

Rengera Ubuzima gathers twice aweek to rehearse and sing, and theclub performs about once a month forcommunity gatherings. MCC’s fundingallowed Rengera Ubuzima to purchasetraditional dance costumes, as well assoccer balls for a women’s league. WithMCC’s support, Peace House isorganizing 10 new youth clubs topromote human rights, democracy andenvironmental protection, in additionto AIDS awareness and peace educa-tion this year.

“With the problems in Rwanda...it’sdifficult to change the minds of the oldpeople,” says N. Adock Musafiri, the

In Kigali, Rwanda, Violette Mukamurara and Thomas Ndizeye perform a skitabout AIDS and the choices young people make. The actors belong to one of15 Rwandan young adult clubs that are promoting peace and AIDS awarenesswith support from MCC.

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the group who sell cassava flour toearn money to buy soap and salt forthemselves.

In the process of working andtalking together, former enemies areoften learning to trust each other asneighbours again. “If you have needs,your neighbour can help,”Uzanyabariyo says. “And when you’reworking together, it’s really good.”

“Because we have received work-shops, which base their teaching onthe word of God, and we have seenthat having hate in Rwanda is nosolution, we decided to be together tobuild a new Rwanda,” she says.—MCC release by Tim Shenk

program coordinator. “But with theyouth, it’s not difficult.... I hope thatthe youth can change, so tomorrowthey can have a nice country.”—MCC release by Tim Shenk


WiderChurch

Winnipeg

Neill and Edith von Gunten willcontinue their work in aborigi-nal ministry in a new role this

fall. They will take on leadership ofMennonite Church Canada’s NativeMinistry program when current dir-ector Walter Franz retires on Aug. 31.

To reflect recent changes in NativeMinistry, including the formation of“ministry circles” within local congre-gations, the von Guntens will serve ina joint assignment as director andpartnership facilitator for NativeMinistry. Neill and Edith will movebetween roles as circumstancesrequire. They will relocate to Winnipegto provide national leadership to theprogram.

“We are coming to this new job withexcitement for the opportunity itpresents us to help expand our largerchurch’s vision for ministry togetherwith our native brothers and sistersacross Canada,” the von Guntens saidin a written statement. “We havemuch to learn from each other, and weask for your prayers as together westrive to discern the shape the Native

Fourth-grade girls present a traditional dance at a recent children’s arts competi-tion for children living in several camps for tsunami-displaced persons in theKreung Raya area, about an hour from the city of Banda Aceh, Indonesia. CalledRanup Lampuan, the dance enacts a ceremony of welcoming guests. Here thedancers, led by confident 11-year-old Sri Fitriana, are offering bowls of betel nutsand flowers. Events included singing, poetry reading, speech, drawing, quizzesand other performances. Sponsored by the children’s school and a number ofcommunity groups—including an MCC partner organization, Yakkum EmergencyUnit (YEU)—the day provided a needed change of pace for the children.

Von Guntens to lead MC Canada’saboriginal ministry

Ministry program will take into thefuture.”

The von Guntens have been associ-ated with MC Canada and its pre-decessor, the Conference ofMennonites in Canada, for 38 years.Their community-based ministrieshave been foundational in the Mani-toba First Nation communities ofBloodvein River, Manigotagan, HollowWater, Loon Straits, Matheson Island,Pine Dock and Riverton, their basesince 1976, and where they have madetheir home.

Current director Walter Franz said,“The von Guntens bring with themstrong connections with aboriginalpeople, decades of experience in cross-cultural ministry, a clear commitmentto Christian faith and community, andstrong roots within the Mennonite-Anabaptist community.”

Although officially retiring, Franzand his wife Hilda will provide pasto-ral leadership to the Riverton Fellow-ship Circle on a half-time volunteerbasis beginning this fall.—MC Canada release by Dan Dyck

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Edith and Neill von Gunten will buildon 38 years of hands-on ministry tonorthern Manitoba First Nationcommunities when they assume anew joint assignment as director andpartnership facilitator for NativeMinistry in October.

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Israeli security forces destroyhome MCC helped buildOn April 13, Israeli security forcesdemolished a house that a Palestinianfamily had built for itself with supportfrom MCC. The official justification forthe home demolition was the lack ofan Israeli building permit, accordingto Israeli Committee Against HouseDemolitions (ICAHD), an MCCpartner. The nine-member Yamanifamily “had tried for years to get apermit from the Israeli government tobuild a home on their land,” writesSriprakash Mayasandra, MCC’sJerusalem representative. About 30minutes after the family was evicted,two Israeli excavation drills under theguard of about 60 Israeli soldiersdemolished the family’s cement-blockhouse, according to ICAHD. Suchdemolitions of Palestinian homes are acommon occurrence in Israel and theoccupied Palestinian territories, whereAmnesty International estimates thatIsraeli security forces have destroyedmore than 3,000 Palestinian homessince 2001. The recent demolition wasnot the first time the Yamani familyhad seen its home destroyed by Israelisecurity forces; MCC provided funds tohelp the family rebuild a housedestroyed in 2002.—MCC release

News brief


WiderChurch

Saraba, Burkina Faso

When my husband, Loren, and Imoved to the village ofSaraba 20 years ago, we knew

that telling the story of Jesus as goodnews to the mostly Muslim populationwould take a lifetime.

Before encountering our family, theSamogho people who live in Sarabahad no contact with evangelicalwitnesses. Over the years, Loren and Ihave found a way to call people into arelationship with Jesus that seems tobe comfortable to us, to our Muslimneighbours, and to the evangelicalcommunity. It has taken many meet-ings and, sometimes, forceful words, towork out this culturally sensitiveapproach that respects local communi-cation patterns.

A group of believers has not yetemerged in Saraba, but the message isbeing communicated in powerful andlife-transforming ways throughcelebrating the Samogho language andarts.

Two years ago, while we were backin North America, Samogho Christiansfrom a neighbouring village,Samoghohiri, visited Saraba to play,sing and explain the meaning ofChristian songs in the language thatthese two villages share. Before theyleft, the visiting Christians prayed forthe people of Saraba.

The people of Saraba invited theChristians back for a Christmas eventthat never saw the light of day. InFebruary, I worked with a group ofSaraba youth to prepare adrama of Abraham’ssacrificial offering of Isaacfor Tabaski, a Muslimholiday celebrating thisstory that is shared byMuslims and Christians.The drama never took placeeither.

Finally, the people of

Entz familymission history

Donna Kampen Entz, alongwith her husband, Loren,began ministry in Burkina

Faso in 1978. After nearly a decadeof working to help organize theemerging Mennonite church there,the Entzes and their three childrenmoved to the village of Saraba, tobuild relationships with the mostlyMuslim Samagho people. Theyfacilitated Bible translation and thepreparation of cassette tapes of thetranslated Bible stories that areshared via solar-powered tapeplayers. Certain cassettes includestories and the Psalms set totraditional music.

Since 2002, MC Canada Witnessand Mennonite Mission Networkhave been sponsoring agencies ofthe Entzes’ ministry through AfricaInter-Mennonite Mission.

In the days following the drama,some Saraba villagers said theevent showed that all religions arethe same. However, others realizedthe complexity of their situation,having been so utterly captivated by

the music and clear gospelmessage in their ownlanguage. More of the Entz familystory is told in “FromKansas to Kenedougou ...and back again,” availablefor download atwww.mennonitemission.net/Resources/Publications/MissioDei/. Donna Entz also contrib-uted to Anabaptists MeetingMuslims, a new book oninterfaith dialogue that isavailable from HeraldPress.—Joint MC CanadaWitness/MMN release

Saraba invited the SamoghohiriChristians to attend the Tabaskidrama after Easter. That night,biblical drama premiered in Saraba.The young actors playing the parts ofAbraham and Sarah were great oldpeople, down to their palsied handsshaking as they hobbled with canes.They totally enthralled their audience,who laughed with gusto. With pride intheir voices, the actors announcedtheir names and the person theyrepresented in the drama when it wasover.

Following the drama, theSamoghohiri church people sang,danced, gave a summary of the Biblestory that had been acted out, andprayed blessings on the Saraba people.For nearly three hours, people listenedwith rapt attention, instantly silencingany child who dared to make a sound.Most of Saraba attended the event.

Fabe Traore, who is leading theWycliffe team in translating the Bibleinto the Samogho language, concludedthe evening by weaving together keyOld Testament narratives and thestory of the life, death and resurrec-tion of Jesus. Traore explained thedrama by comparing the ram thatAbraham saw as he prepared toplunge the knife into his son, Isaac, toJesus, who died in the place of our evil.Traore’s talk was powerful and tiedtogether the stories many villagershave heard on cassette tapes over theyears.

Drama brings Bible to life for Muslims

Donna Kampen Entz hasdedicated most of heradult life to living out thegood news of Jesus in thecontext of rural BurkinaFaso with her family. M

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A long-time friend, Muso Kura, said,“This is the most important event thatyou have helped to prepare since youmoved here. God will continue to workwith all of these people as we continueto pray.”—Donna Kampen EntzDonna Entz is a member of Fiske MennoniteChurch, Sask.


WiderChurch

Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo

A career in the church is the goalof Leya Muloba, a youngCongolese Mennonite woman

studying theology at the CentreUniversitaire de Missiologie (Univer-sity Missiological Centre or CUM).

“Now it is difficult [for women to bepastors], but maybe after another fiveyears the church can change,”Muloba, 26, says. “Eventuallyit will happen.”

The second of eight chil-dren and a member of theCongo Mennonite Church,Muloba dropped out ofbusiness school because oflack of funds. Pastor Begela,who had been a Mennonitemissionary in Eastern Congo,encouraged her to consider missions asa career. At first she wasn’t interested,but after talking with other people,including the president of her church,and with her father’s blessing, shebegan the difficult process of raisingfunds for studies at CUM.

After two years at CUM, Mulobaagain didn’t have the funds to con-tinue her studies, but a womantheologian in her local congregationgave her hope of scholarship support.Muloba decided to continue and is nownear the end of her third year ofstudies. She hopes to receive her BA

degree in two more years.Muloba feels a strong

call to encourage girls andyoung women within theMennonite church to buildself-esteem and to developand use their gifts. She hopesher church will use her skillsin such a role. Muloba oncethought the gospel wasspiritual, not social. Now she

sees evangelism as very broad andthat God uses many different gifts.

While CUM has no women profes-sors and women students are in theminority, male teachers have beenencouraging and supportive. Amongthe students, debates continue on

Business major switches to theology

Muloba

women’s roles. According to Muloba,Congolese men are afraid of womenwith clear and grand visions.

Muloba is one of five AfricanMennonite women recommended bythe African Anabaptist Women Theolo-gians Committee for scholarshipassistance.—MWC release from a reportby Tim Lind

Akron, Pa.

MC Canada churchesprovide MCC workers

Following orientation atMennonite Central Committee(MCC) headquarters in Akron,

six members and adherents of MCCanada churches are beginningservice assignments around the world:• John and Sandra Koop Harder ofWinnipeg are beginning a three-yearassignment in Northern Ireland,where they will work as traumacounsellors. They are members ofHope Mennonite Church, Winnipeg.• Elaine Pequegnat of Toronto isbeginning a three-year assignment asan English teacher in Egypt. Sheattends Warden Woods MennoniteChurch, Scarborough, Ont.• Gerry Baechler of New Hamburg,Ont., is beginning a one-year assign-ment as general manager at Furnitureand More Thrift Shop, New Hamburg.He is a member of SteinmannMennonite Church, Baden, Ont.•Sandra Elgersma of Ottawa started athree-year assignment in Ottawa as adomestic policy analyst. She attendsOttawa Mennonite Church.• Allison Peters of Winnipeg started atwo-year assignment in Winnipeg as acommunications coordinator. Sheattends Hope Mennonite Church,Winnipeg.

MCC is the service, developmentand relief agency of North AmericanMennonite and Brethren in Christchurches. Currently, 867 board-appointed MCC workers serve inassignments in community develop-ment, education, health, food produc-tion, emergency response and adminis-tration.—MCC release

The partners of Dueck, Sauer, Jutzi & Noll are pleasedto announce that

Thomas Jutzihas become a member of the firm. Tom joins ourbusiness and estates practice group from a nationalfirm, and prior to that acted as General Counsel withMercedes Corporation and related companies.

Tom brings to our firm his valuable business lawexperience and a broad, entrepreneurial perspectiveon client legal and business concerns.

Tom has served on numerous local boards including as Board Chair of MennoniteSavings and Credit Union Inc., and founding director of both Leadership Water-loo Region and Meritas Financial Inc., a socially responsible mutual fund com-pany.

Dueck, Sauer, Jutzi & Noll, a multi-service law firm, has served this communityfor over 20 years and is located at Albert Street Waterloo. The firm welcomesTom and looks forward to serving the growing needs of our business community.

Contact Tom at: e-mail: [email protected]: (519) 884-2620; fax: (519) 884-0254


LocalChurch

Viking, Alta.

As part of the Mennonite Histori-cal Society of Alberta’s annualgeneral meeting last month, the

group paid a visit to the Hutteritecolony in Viking, Alta. Upon ourarrival, we were greeted by BishopPaul Wipf and Michael Wipf, who ledthe two tour groups.

The colony’s men dress in blackcaps, pants and jackets, with lightercoloured shirts; married men arerecognized by their beards. The womenwear dark print dresses, black apronsand black polka-dot kerchiefs. Theyoung girls dress the same, except forthe little black bonnets tied undertheir chin. They speak among them-selves in German.

Work is segregated at the colony,with the men working in the variousshops and in the fields. The farmmachinery and the repair shop aremodern and first class; the fields andfarmlands bear witness to this and areoutstanding in the community. At thecarpenter shop we visited the mastercarpenter was in the process ofmaking a king-size oak bed frame. Allfurniture for the colony is made in thisshop and when a girl marries, a fullset of furniture is given to her.

Although it was Saturday, a group ofchildren showed us their school.Classes from Kindergarten to Grade 9are taught in English by a qualifiedteacher from outside the colony. Afterschool, German is also taught—by oneof the colony’s own members. We saw astrap on the teacher’s desk, and oneyoung boy admitted he had had it usedon him. Children up to age three arein daycare in a separate house, whereteenaged girls work for a week at atime.

Chickens and cattle are raised forfood, and what is not used by thecolony is sold to the city in specialtyshops. The milk house featuresstainless steel milking equipment.

Laundry facilities are also quitemodern, with stainless steel washersand dryers. The women take their

Historical society visits Viking Hutterite colony

turns doing the laundry. AlthoughSaturday was not laundry day, severalwomen were busy washing new fabricso it would be ready for sewing. Thewomen sew all their clothes using thesame pattern, but may choose fromsome basic dark flowered fabric.

Each family lives separately buteveryone eats in the commondiningroom, where members areseated according to seniority, with themen and women on opposite sides ofthe room. All meals are prepared in acommon kitchen. The kitchen has allmodern conveniences and the womenfollow a schedule of baking, cooking,canning and meal planning; uponturning 17, each woman must take herturn in the kitchen a week at a time.

As we were finishing dinner, theyoung daughter of our tour leadercame in to sit with her dad on themen’s side, making me wonder howmuch longer this segregation can last.

A power plant, fueled by coal fromthe nearby Ryley Mine, provides waterheating throughout the colony. Noradios or televisions were visible, butmembers use two-way radios to

communicate with each other withinthe colony.

At the close of our tour we gatheredat the meeting house (church), andwere given a PowerPoint presentationof the history of the Hutterites. Wenoticed many similarities with theMennonites. There are three maindivisions of Hutterites—Lehrerleut,Dariusleut and Schmiedleut—fromvery conservative to more progressive.The Viking colony belongs to theDariusleut branch.

Although the colony is operatedwith very modern equipment, theirpersonal lifestyle is very simple. Welearned of their Christian faith, theirtraditions, culture and way of life,courtship and weddings. Divorce isstill unheard of!

When a colony grows to about 120members, it establishes a daughtercolony. Since the Viking colony is fairlyyoung, having been established in1985 as a daughter of the Warburgcolony, there are still only five gravesin the cemetery—two infants andthree elders.—Irene Klassen

Hutterite children eat separately as MHSA members look on.


LocalChurch

Edmonton

Dealing withdisasterin Pittsburgh

When you mention the word“flood” these days, mostCanadians immediately think

of the tsunami that struck southernAsia on Boxing Day, flattening villagesand sweeping thousands out to sea totheir death. But flooding often hitscloser to home, as Bert and DorisHamm of Edmonton can attest.

The Hamms recently returned homeafter spending three months—Januaryto March—with Mennonite DisasterService in Pittsburgh, Pa. They spenttheir time helping clean up in thewake of Hurricane Ivan that dumpednine inches of rain on the city on Sept.17 of last year. A rainstorm this pastJanuary only made matters worse forPittsburgh residents still recoveringfrom Ivan.

“We were dealing with people whohad gone through a disaster and hadlost everything,” said Bert, back in thecomfort of the couple’s Edmontonhome. “They are living in a state ofshock and are frustrated and chal-lenged beyond their capabilities.”

In a news report, the Hamms heardthat 30,000 homes in the Pittsburgharea had been damaged. Consideredlong-term disaster relief volunteersbecause they were available for morethan a month, the Hamms wereassigned to work as crew leaders,supervising numerous job sites andshort-term volunteers. Many mileswere driven up and down Pittsburgh’snarrow, hilly streets commuting fromtheir accommodations at a northsideconvent to job sites north and south ofthe city centre.

“We had no idea what kind of thingswe’d run into when we’d get there [to anew site],” said Bert.

“The challenge was to keep an openmind,” added Doris.

One couple, whose home had majorflood damage, was living in unsafeconditions in one upstairs bedroom.The husband worked as a janitor. Hiswife, who suffered from migraines andother health issues, stayed in the

bedroom. Initially, they would notinteract with the work crew.

“These people have developed a lackof trust toward people who offer tohelp them,” Bert explained. “WhenMDS offered help, they had to gothrough a period of time before theycould trust us. At first, I couldn’t getthe man to talk. I made a point ofalways introducing him to the peopleworking in the house. We made surewe talked to him every day. After acouple of weeks we had drywalled, andit looked like a house again. When hecame home, he would sit and havecoffee and talk with us.”

Likewise, Doris worked to makecontact with the man’s wife. “I had togo upstairs to use the washroom [so]that gave me a chance to say hello,”Doris said. “She started talking, andfinally would even come down to seethe work. By the end, she was a totallydifferent person. It’s really nice to seethat these people could come out oftheir shells because we were workingthere. Those are the rewards of thework.”

Another highlight of the Hamms’experience was the opportunity towork with a great variety of volun-teers. Catholics, Presbyterians,

Lutherans, Methodists and peoplefrom non-church backgrounds allpitched in to repair homes.

“We all had the same common goal.It didn’t matter where we came from,we all believed in the same God andhad the same goal of wanting to give,”the Hamms agreed.

They were particularly impressedwith the work ethic of the Old OrderMennonite volunteers. “They did lotsof work in a short time,” Bert recalled.“They were incredibly fast and hard-working, and were willing to tackleanything.”

When a truck delivered drywall toone job, Bert went to find help tounload it. Upon his return, he foundthe truck nearly unloaded by two ofthe young Mennonite women. “Theygrabbed two sheets at a time andcarried it right in, no questions asked.They weren’t afraid to try anything,”he said.

Currently, the Hamms are back athome in Edmonton, resting a bit andcatching up with friends and familybefore they head off on anotherassignment for MDS.

When asked what they would tellpeople who are considering volunteer-ing, their response was immediate.

Now back home in Edmonton, Bert and Doris Hamm spent three months earlierthis year with Mennonite Disaster Service helping people in Pittsburgh, Pa.,recover from the aftermath of Hurricane Ivan. Pictured with a map of Pitts-burgh, the Hamms recalled some of their uplifting experiences there betweenJanuary and March.


LocalChurch

Chicago

S itting in a circle of chairs in thechoir room at LeamingtonUnited Mennonite Church, Ont.,

the 12 of us gathered and listened tothe story of Pentecost from Acts 2. Itwas an exercise of preparation for theMCEC Young Adult trip to Chicagoentitled, “The blowing of the Spirit inthe Windy City.”

The four-day trip took us to fourdifferent ministry locations in theChicago area.

We visited the Jesus People USA, anintentional Christian communitybirthed during the late ’60s and early’70s and living in a historic multi-floorformer hotel in uptown Chicago. Herewe were immediately fascinated andrefreshed by the counter-culturalconcept of shared communalliving.

In the diverse Rogers Parkneighbourhood, we served inthe Good News CommunityKitchen, a ministry meetingthe physical needs of theunderprivileged.

A few blocks away weworshipped withLiving Water Com-munity Church, amember congrega-tion of MennoniteChurch USA thatis seeking to builda Christiancommunityamid variedethnic back-grounds andeconomic strata.Members of LivingWater so believe in

Edmonton

$35 dinner rollsaid MCC reliefsale cause

There’s a place in Edmontonwhere a meal for four can costover $300 and the dinner rolls

to go with it are $35 per dozen.Instead of complaining about prices,though, patrons actually cheerwhen one of their number offers topay more.

Mennonite Central Committeeholds a number of fundraisers inthe province to help pay for thecosts of holding its annual reliefsale. On May 14, First MennoniteChurch hosted an evening ofentertainment, desserts and anauction, resulting in $5,240 beingraised for this year’s sale inSherwood Park. Items for auctionincluded a handmade Frenchrolling pin, a turned wooden vase,fresh buns, a ceramic vase, hand-made greeting cards, a dinner forfour, origami swans, and barbecuetools.

The evening’s entertainment waslively and varied, ranging from thethrumming beat and vibrantcolours of Sudanese and Chinesedance groups, to violin, voice andpiano solos, an “Andrews Sisters”style women’s trio, and a wackycomedy fashion show that kepteveryone in stitches.

The largest applause was earnedby a group of children from theChinese Mennonite Church. Duringtheir recent spring break, thechildren held a 25-hour fast andraised just over $1,000 for the workof MCC.—Donita Wiebe-Neufeld

community that they have intention-ally moved closer to one another inorder to truly be a family to oneanother and a force in their commu-nity. Last year, several youths beganweekly prayer vigils on a particularstreet corner after a drive-by shootingthere.

Lastly, what would a trip to Chicagobe without visiting the Willow Creekmegachurch? We were “blown away”by their singular purpose and passionfor reaching the unchurched with highquality music, drama and videography.

While the church landscapes couldnot have been more diverse, theblowing of the Spirit across them

seemed to be in the same direction:towards community and

witness. These churches weretaking their call seriously tolove and serve one anotherand be the family of God.

It is with these samespiritual currents that ourgroup seeks to be aligned,as we came home asking

questions like, “Howcan we be moreintentionalabout commu-nity?” and,“How can wecommunicatethe gospelwith rel-evance andboldness?”—RonWeber

The author was aparticipant on the

learning trip and is apastor at CommunityMennonite in Drayton,Ont.

Stephanie Dueckserves food atthe Good NewsCommunityKitchen inChicago.

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Learning how the Spirit blowsin the Windy City

“Absolutely go,” Bert said emphati-cally. “No hesitation,” Doris concurred.“Go and experience the warmth of thepeople you are helping.”

Anyone interested in volunteeringfor MDS can call toll-free 866-261-1274 or email:[email protected].—Donita Wiebe-Neufeld


LocalChurch

Rosthern, Sask.

The idea of turning swords intoplowshares has taken on addedvisual significance for students of

Rosthern Junior College (RJC). At 5a.m. on May 25, two six-person teamsbegan the task of pulling an old plowfrom First Mennonite Church inSaskatoon all the way to Rosthern, adistance of about 70 kilometres. In all,13 teams (a total of 78 students) tookpart in the plow pull. The studentshad a police escort through the cityand, once on the highway, wereaccompanied by two vehicles from theschool.

The idea for the event came fromRyan Wood, a teacher at RJC, and itinvolved more than just raising moneyfor the school. “There are threeconnections: one with the pacifiststance endorsed by the school, one iswith the land, and one is to celebratethe centennial,” explained Wood.Because the plow is so strongly linkedto the Mennonite constituency, itserves as a reminder to commemorate“a century of living close to the land, acentury of beating swords intoplowshares, and a century of Christianeducation at RJC.”

Believed to be about 70 years old,the single-bottom steel plow wasdiscovered over a decade ago on an oldEpp farm while bush was beingcleared. The former owners had longsince moved off the land. RickLehmann inherited the old plow fromhis father, who was there when thefind occurred.

“For a long time, it was just a lawnornament at his home in Saskatoon,”said Lehmann. When his father movedaway, the plow ended up in Lehmann’syard close to Rosthern. Lehmannrestored the implement and painted itin school colours. He added rubber tothe original wheels to make it easierto pull, and raised the blade.

“Most people, when they came intothe area in the ’20s and ’30s, onlywould have had a single bottom plow,”he pointed out. Later, during the ’40s,three- and four-bottom plows wereused.

David Guenther, a Grade 11 studentdressed in a pink housecoat, began

RJC students pull plow for peace

pulling at 5 a.m. “I got involvedbecause it sounded like a fun thing todo and a good way to raise money for

After pulling the plow 70 kilometres from Saskatoon to Rosthern, the partici-pating students and staff knelt in prayer, dedicating the college to God foranother 100 years and thanking him for safety during their trip.

RJC

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the school,” he said.—Karin Fehderau


Waterloo, Ont.

ParkwoodMennonite Homeon solid ground

A t the grand opening of the newParkwood Mennonite Home onMay 15 it was clear that the

new long-term care facility is on solidground—literally. Omer Bauman, pastchair of the Parkwood board, notedthat was in doubt for a while, as theydiscovered quicksand in one corner ofthe building lot! However, piles driven33 feet deep resolved that issue.

Ken Frey, fundraising chair, alsonoted that the $30 million ParkwoodHome project is on solid groundfinancially, thanks to the 518 peoplewho together contributed $2.54million. A creative fundraising initia-tive by Gloria Dirks sold quilt patchesthat were sewn into the quilt hangingin the facility.

The overall financing is coveredthree ways: one-third each byParkwood Home operations, FairviewMennonite Home operations, and agovernment grant spread over 20years.

Parkwood Manor was founded in1963 by United Church of Canada andEvangelical United Brethren Churchcongregations. It originally housed 52residents in an independent living-style setting.

As the needs of the residentschanged, so did the home. By the late1980s, Parkwood had become a long-term care home. The board dreamed ofproviding a complete continuum ofcare at Parkwood, but it was not

possible to increase facilities at theCardinal Crescent location, so anadditional eight acres were purchasedat New Hampshire Street and Univer-sity Avenue across from RIM Park.This idyllic setting allows residents towalk in the park or observe sportsactivities there.

In 1994, Fairview Mennonite Homeof Cambridge acquired ParkwoodHome and pledged to continue theoutstanding care the foundingchurches had offered; Fairview alsopledged to build a new home with theextra beds allotted it by the govern-ment of the day.

The new Parkwood MennoniteHome houses 96 people in its long-term care facility at 726 New Hamp-shire St. In addition, 18 garden homesare undergoing completion for inde-pendent retirement living. Ten of these

are yet to be sold.A six-storey combined independent

living and assisted living complex is inthe planning stages, at a projected costof $2 million—to which Frey quipped:“We have the money we need; thetrouble is, it’s still in your pockets!”

Parkwood Mennonite Home islocated on land that was originallyfarmed by Mennonites who had settledin the area almost 200 years ago. Thusthe three wings of the home arenamed Bauman, Snyder and Weber.

Dennis Dueck, chair of ParkwoodHome Board, led the worship service,assisted by chaplain Bev Suderman-Gladwell. Deb Dueck, Parkwood Homeadministrator, led the dedicatorylitany.

MPP Elizabeth Witmer and Water-loo mayor Herb Epp held one end ofthe long ribbon alongside formeradministrator Gloria Dirks, past chairOmer Bauman, and past vice-chairPauline Nickel. The current manage-ment team held the other end.

For the ribbon cutting, nine pairs ofscissors were wielded by four residentsand two staff, chair Dennis Dueck,volunteer Marlene Wolfe and familyrepresentative Betty Shantz.

To bring the service to a close, andto fittingly bring full-circle the legacyof Parkwood Home from its roots inthe United Church, former chaplainHarold Steed offered the benediction.—Maurice Martin

Residents of the new Parkwood Mennonite Home helped cut the ribbon toofficially open the long-term care facility in Waterloo, Ont.

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LocalChurch


LocalChurch

Abbotsford, B.C.

A gala dinner event at ColumbiaBible College (CBC) early lastmonth attracted 200 guests,

who responded to an inspiring mix ofgood food, great music and entertain-ing speakers with more than $100,000in donations for the ministry of CBC.

The evening was an opportunity forCBC supporters to hear from collegestaff and students as well as alumniwho are involved in various work. TheLeft, a band comprised of four youngmen, three of them CBC alumni,kicked off the evening with a songfrom their first CD called “All I Need.”Joel Stobbe, an alumnus and cellistwith the Borealis String Quartet, wasaccompanied by his mother, LindaStobbe, another alumnus, on a selec-tion of classical music including“Elegy” by Gabriel Faure.

Storytelling was a highlight of theevening and Chris Dyck, the directorfor CBC’s Outdoor Leadership pro-gram, had the crowd in stitches as heshared his story of “The Adventures ofDiver Dave.” Walter Bergen, vice-

Twenty-five Saskatchewan pastors and church leaders recently took in a five-session Exploring Anabaptist-Mennonite Theology course taught by Karl Koop,associate professor of historical theology at Canadian Mennonite University.Seventeen of the 36 Mennonite Church Saskatchewan churches were repre-sented in the Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary course, which took placeat First Mennonite in Saskatoon, in early May.

CBC gala mixes music and message

Jake

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president of development, shared thestory of A.R. Kauffman, who changedthe course of Mennonite history in Can-ada by paying their debts with CP rail.

“This is a remarkable day,” Bergensaid. “It’s a remarkable day because somany people live in a world where fearis a part of their everyday life. This iswhat our forebears lived with day inand day out. But you and I live inplenty…. [They] made a donation thatenabled us to live here in peace. We atColumbia are about telling that storyand raising another generation ofleaders who will make the samecontributions to our world.”

With their generous donations toCBC’s operating budget, those at thegala are helping to take the college towhat Paul Wartman, college president,described as the next level, as theyinvested in the church’s future leaders.

The evening ended with prayer byJohn Wiens, pastor at PanoramaCommunity Church.—CBC release by Angelika Dawson

New Hamburg, Ont.

Land bought fornew Thrift Centre

The General Board of the two MCCThrift Shops in New Hamburg,along with their parent organiza-

tion, Mennonite Central Committee(MCC) Ontario, have signed a pur-chase agreement to acquire a 3.1-acreproperty for a much anticipated ThriftCentre.

The property—fronting on BleamsRoad—is located to the south of thepresent Ten Thousand Villages(Canada) Warehouse and RetailOutlet.

The new centre will incorporate thebusiness of the Clothing and More andFurniture and More shops presentlyoperating in separate locations in NewHamburg. The new facility willaccommodate a much needed enlarge-ment for retail and shopping space,work rooms and receiving areas.

It will also provide for convenientone-stop shopping, an accessible one-stop drop-off for goods and merchan-dise, more efficient use of staff andvolunteer time, and enhanced opportu-nities to tell the MCC story. It willserve as a model for energy conserva-tion and environmental responsibility.

The New Hamburg Thrift Shops arepart of a network of MCC Thrift Shopsthroughout Canada and the UnitedStates. Presently, Ontario has 15 suchshops that raised almost $1.2 millionfor MCC in 2003; the New Hamburgshops alone contributed approximately$235,000 in 2004. About 1,000 volun-teers serve in these shops, “whereevery purchase and donation is…givenin the name of Christ.”

The board anticipates beginningconstruction of the new Thrift Centrethis fall.—Gerald Schwartzentruber

For Advertising informationcontact:

Barbara [email protected]


LocalChurch

Elkhart, Ind.

The 2005 graduates of AssociatedMennonite Biblical Seminary—almost a third of whom are

Canadian—and the congregants whogathered to celebrate with them atcommencement on May 20 sang “IHave Decided to Follow Jesus,”responding to the challenge from Rev.Dr. Yvonne Delk to follow Jesus’ call.

Using the story of the disciples’encounter with Jesus at the seashoreafter his resurrection and his requestto Peter to “feed my sheep,” Delk notedthat graduates also are in a time oftransition. Because of seminarystudies, she said to the graduates, “Youknow Jesus a little better as he invitesyou to follow him, sometimes whereyou may not want to go.

“Will you face boldly into theinvitation to ‘follow me’? When the callfrom God is specific and personal andit’s got your name on it, you belong—body and soul—to God,” Delk said.“When you know you are loved uncon-ditionally, you are called to love othersunconditionally. All you have to do issimply follow.”

Pictured from left to right in theaccompanying photo are the 13Canadian AMBS graduates whodeclared their desire to follow Jesusthis year:• Marla Langelotz, master of arts inChristian formation. She will serve asassistant pastor of education andfamily ministry at Sargent Avenue

The 2005 Canadian Mennonite University graduating class.

Canadians make up a third of 2005 AMBS graduating class

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Mennonite Church, Winnipeg.• Paula Snyder, master of divinity. Amember of Bloomingdale MennoniteChurch, Ont., she will become associ-ate pastor of Prairie Street MennoniteChurch, Elkhart, Ind., in September.• Julie K. Rempel, master of divinity.A member of Hope Mennonite Church,Winnipeg, she is pursuing a clinicalpastoral education and pastoralministry assignment.• Kevin Drudge, master of divinity. Amember of Emmanuel MennoniteChurch, Winkler, Man., he is discern-ing future ministry opportunitieswhile returning to Winkler.• Melody Steinman, master of artsin Christian formation. A member ofSteinmann Mennonite Church, Baden,Ont., she will provide spiritual forma-tion and worship activities for peoplewith developmental disabilities.

• Amy Marie Epp, master of divinity.A member of Aberdeen EvangelicalMennonite Church, Winnipeg, she ispursuing a pastoral ministry assign-ment.• Brent Kipfer, master of divinity. Hewill continue as pastor of BrusselsMennonite Church, Ont.• Dianne Hildebrand Schlegel,master of arts in Christian formation.She will serve as pastor of Christianformation at Morden MennoniteChurch, Man., with her husband,Harold.• Lois Unrau, master of divinity. Amember of Steinbach EvangelicalMennonite Church, Man., she willteach for one year in North Korea withMennonite Central Committee.• Jonathan Neufeld, master ofdivinity. A member of BethelMennonite Church, Winnipeg, he isanticipating serving with MennoniteChurch Canada in an urban setting.• Twilla Epp, master of divinity. Amember of Eigenheim MennoniteChurch, Rosthern, Sask., she will do aclinical pastoral education placementat Prairie Street Mennonite Church,Elkhart, Ind., from September 2005 toMay 2006.• Melanie Neufeld, master ofdivinity. A member of BethelMennonite Church, Winnipeg, she isexploring a community developmentassignment in Winnipeg.• Melissa Miller, master of divinity. Amember of Charleswood MennoniteChurch, Winnipeg, she is pursuing apastoral ministry assignment.—AMBS release by Mary E. Klassen

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LocalChurch

Schools directory

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Winnipeg

Muscular Christianitygets workout

A century-old church in Winni-peg, slammed by decliningmembership, has come up with

an innovative way to update its image:Christian-themed wrestling matches.

St. Philip’s Anglican Church hostedits first post-service match last month,hoping to attract new members with amore hip program that included a two-match show with six local wrestlers,most of them Christians.

The colourfully clad wrestlerspresented a WWE-style programcomplete with smackdowns andheadlocks. Many in the congregationof about 40 regular members findwrestling a natural fit with religionbecause of the theme of good versus evil.

“When you go to church, you want tostrengthen what’s right, you want topush away what’s wrong,” said DarcyBerrington, who stayed to watch thematch with his daughter.

Wrestling promoter Louis Hendrick-son, who helped organize the firstdemonstration match, also finds thecombination appropriate. “Wrestlingand God mix because everybody isstruggling within themselves—goodand evil—and we all know in thewrestling business there is a good guyand a bad guy.”

The event was the brainchild ofchurch outreach worker David Bain.“Our congregations are aging,” he said.“Do we want the Anglican Church todie with them?”—From www.cbc.ca


LocalChurch

Transitions

Births/Adoptions

Dueck—to Vivian andRichard, Rosenfeld BergthalerMennonite, Man., a daughter,Aliana Jane, May 19.Friesen—to Tanya and Tim,Morden Mennonite, Man., adaughter, Christina Helen,Feb. 4.Gillis—to Carolyn Siemensand Clint, Fiske Mennonite,Sask., a daughter, SadieCatherine, May 6.Hildebrandt—adopted byChristine (nee Janzen) andErwin, Peace Mennonite,Richmond, B.C., a daughter,Naomi Xin (b. Oct. 2, 2003),Feb. 15 (corrected adoptiondate).Hollemans—to Cindy(Warkentine) and Rudy,Bethany Mennonite, Virgil,Ont., twin daughters, AmeliaAnne and Megan Faith, April29.Klassen—to Natalie andDaryl, Vineland UnitedMennonite, Ont., a daughter,Vanessa Nicole, March 23.Konkle—to Jennifer andScott, of Kitchener, VinelandUnited Mennonite, Ont., a son,Eben James, March 18.Martens—to Yvonne andDale, Waterloo-KitchenerUnited Mennonite, Ont., adaughter, Sidney Charlotte,April 27.

Deaths

Dueck—Abram, 81, WinklerBergthaler Mennonite, Man.,Jan. 3.Rempel— John, 87 (b. April27, 1928), Waterloo-KitchenerUnited Mennonite, Ont., May10.Retzlaff—Helena Elizabeth(Baergen), 76, CoaldaleMennonite, Alta, May 3.Rosher—Isabelle, 80, ZoarMennonite, Langham, Sask,May 4.Sawatzky—Margaretha, 95,Blumenort Mennonite, Gretna,Man., March 19.Wall—Peter K., 75, WinklerBergthaler Mennonite, Man.,May 2.

Baptisms

Arnaud Mennonite, Man.—Eric Boschmann, ChristopherEnns, Kristin Janzen, BrentKathler, May 15.Coaldale Mennonite, Alta.—Megan Dyck, Tessa Janzen,Kelsey Janzen, Robert Janzen,Beth Quinn.Community Mennonite,Drayton, Ont.—AlyssaBrown, Lauren Cressman,Stephanie Nunn, KristenSchiedel, Scott Schiedel,May 15.First Mennonite, Kitchener,Ont.—Stephanie Martin, JoelGerber, Peter Jutzi, DavidNeufeld, Michelle Bowman,

Aaron Woolner, May 15.Foothills Mennonite,Calgary—Curtis Doell, KlaraDueck, Erika Harder, AmandaHeidebrecht, Jaymie Schmidt,May 1.Grace Mennonite, Regina—Kailey Retzlaff, Phoebe Xu,Alex Logan, Jason Penner,May 29.Home Street Mennonite,Winnipeg—Andrew HenryRedekopp, Candice MarieRuhl, Tanya Joy Suderman,May 15.Morden Mennonite, Man.—Alex Martens, Amy Klassen,Cara Friesen, Derek Peters,Kyle Peters, Michael Fehr,Louis Hoeppner, ChristineHoeppner, May 29.Peace Mennonite, Rich-mond, B.C.— Shahla Mafi,Jenna McAlary, AaronSportack, April 17.Pleasant Point Mennonite,Clavet, Sask.—Jodie Smith,Eric Smith, May 15.Rosenfeld BergthalerMennonite, Man.—RonSchellenberg, John Wall, TracyWall, May 15.Sargent Avenue Mennonite,Winnipeg, Man.—JulieDaniels, May 15.Shantz Mennonite, Baden,Ont.—Rachel Jantzi,Katharine Oja, Jeff Cressman,May 15.The Gathering, Kitchener,Ont.—Eric Scott, AshleyMcCorriston, March 27.Valleyview Mennonite,London, Ont.—Dan Baerg,Monica Shank, BryanLetkemann, Sarah Good,May 15.Vineland UnitedMennonite, Ont.—NickBless, Melissa Friesen, KelseyGossen, Jillian Henry, MattJanzen, Sarah Janzen,Suzanne Janzen, BrianTeichgraf, May 15.

Canadian Mennonite welcomesTransitions announcements withinfour months of the event. Pleasesend all Transitions announce-ments by e-mail [email protected],including the congregation nameand location. When sending deathnotices, please include birth dateand last name at birth if available.

Members ofHouse of Docperform cutsfrom their soon-to-be-releasedPrairiegrass CDalong with oldfavouritesduring two sold-out shows atthe ChurchTheatre in St.Jacobs, Ont.,last month. Theband is slatedto play atAssembly ’05 inCharlotte, N.C.,in July.

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Penner—adopted by Lindaand Larry, BlumenortMennonite, Gretna, Man., adaughter, Ravin Lin, March 21(b. April 7, 2004).Strickland—to Rita andRichard, Vineland UnitedMennonite, Ont., a son,Samuel Gerhard Leslie, April20.

Marriages

Gerber-Albrecht—John andElizabeth, Poole Mennonite,Milverton, Ont., May 6.Hartman-Buller—Adrianand Lori, Foothills Mennonite,Calgary, April 16.Kuepfer-Mitchell—Dannyand Amanda, RiverdaleMennonite, Millbank, Ont.,May 28.Perigny-Prior—Paul andTracy, Hunta Mennonite,Driftwood, Ont.Sawatzky-Reimer—Tim andAndrea, Steinbach Mennonite,Man., May 28.Schemann-Hammond—Hans and Edna (neeGiesbrecht), Oak LakeMennonite, Man., April 30.Toews-Klassen—Dale (BethelBergthaler Mennonite) andCandace, Winkler BergthalerMennonite, Man., May 14.Wall-Friesen—John andTracy, Rosenfeld BergthalerMennonite, Man., Feb. 26.


TheChurches

Mennonite ChurchCanada

Mennonite ChurchManitoba

Mennonite ChurchSaskatchewan

Mennonite ChurchEastern Canada

Praise andprayer itemsPraise God for the work ofNative Ministry PartnershipCircles and their encourage-ment to diverse congregationsin developing greater opennessand closer relationships withone another. The Riverton AreaMinistry Circle recentlyenjoyed two days of exchang-ing ideas, inspiration andgetting to know each otherbetter through a Quilt Tourinvolving three congregations,MC Canada and the MCCMaterial Resource Centre.

Pray for safe travels and thejoy of active participation forthe many delegates andattendees who are planning togo to Assembly in Charlotte,N.C., July 4-9.

Pray for new MC CanadaWitness interns:• Tim Friesen of CalgaryInter-Mennonite Fellowship,who is beginning a one-yearassignment in Korea mid-June; he will be teachingEnglish in Connexus, at theKorea Anabaptist Center.• Iliana Norio of the HispanicEvangelical Church of Medi-cine Hat, North West Confer-ence, presently in Dunmore,Alta., who is going to Boliviathis summer.• Rebecca Bartel of BethelMennonite Church in Winni-peg, who is serving inMencoldes in Bogotá, Colom-bia.

Pray also for Pat and RadHoumphan, Mennonite ChurchCanada Witness workers whohave just learned about acollision that has taken thelives of five people in thevillage of Ban Daeng, Thai-land. Pray for God’s mercy onthe families who are experi-encing the loss of their lovedones and for those who haveinjured family members in thehospital.

Pastoral transitionsSunny Lee began a pastoralassignment at Agape Fellow-ship, London, on June 1. Leereceived her B.Th. at CMBCand her M.Div. at the Univer-sity of Winnipeg. She has beenan MCC volunteer andvolunteer coordinator inWinnipeg. Her husband HunLee continues as pastor of theVision Mennonite Church thatmeets at ValleyviewMennonite Church, London.

Herb Sawatzky is leavinghis youth pastor assignment atNiagara United MennoniteChurch on Aug. 1 to becomelead pastor at Avon MennoniteChurch, Stratford. He is agraduate of Regent College,where he received his B.Th.and master of Christianstudies (N.T.).

Jonathan Emerson-Piercewill begin a ministry assign-ment at Hagerman MennoniteChurch, Markham, in mid-September. He is currentlypastor at the East AtlantaChristian Fellowship, Atlanta,Ga. He has an M.Div. fromClairemont School of Theologyin California, and is presentlytaking counselling courses atTurner School of Theology inMontgomery, Ala.

Steve Schumn will begin hisassignment as pastor of theHamilton Mennonite Churchon Aug. 15. He studied brieflyat AMBS and completed hisM.Div. at Princeton. He hashad several pastoral intern-ship placements, one of whichwas as associate pastor.

Mary Derksen began anassignment as youth ministryworker at Faith MennoniteChurch, Leamington. She hasbeen called to this work fromwithin the congregation.

Fundraising banquetThe Ralph and Eileen LeboldEndowment for LeadershipTraining Fundraising Banquetwill be held in the ConradGrebel University Collegedining hall on June 23, 6.30p.m. Guest speaker will beJim Lapp, FranconiaMennonite Conference pastor,speaking on the theme of“Equipping leaders for today’schurch.”

Several master of theologi-cal studies students will addtheir reflections at this event,hosted by Mennonite ChurchEastern Canada and thecollege. Dinner host is TomYoder Neufeld, GraduateTheological Studies Programdirector.

For tickets, call 519-885-0220 ext. 381.

Pastoral changesWalter and Hilda Franz haveaccepted a half-time voluntaryservice assignment as pastorsof the Riverton FellowshipCircle. They will begin inSeptember.

Albert Cheang, a foundingmember of the WinnipegChinese Mennonite Church,has been called to pastor thiscongregation beginning in July.He will follow John Wang, whohas been pastor for the pastfive years.

Marv and Tanell Wirzbahave resigned their positionsat Steinbach MennoniteChurch. The church will spendsome time discerning futureneeds before beginning apastoral search.

David Peters has resignedfrom his part-time youthpastor position at Sargent. Hewill be entering a one-yearchaplaincy residency programat Riverview in the fall.

On April 17, Lynne Martin,pastor of the Arnaud

Mennonite Church, wasordained.

Jarrod Chamberlin has beencalled to pastor ElimMennonite Church inGrunthal. He will begin inAugust. Chamberlin has beenassociate pastor at CarmanMennonite Church for the pastfive years.

Kathy Giesbrecht hasresigned from her half-timeposition as associate/youthpastor at SpringsteinMennonite Church.

Camps gearing upfor fun-packed summerWith just a few weeks to gobefore campers begin stream-ing to their favourite locationsacross the province, the threeMennonite camps are gearingup for another fun-packedsummer.

Youth Farm Bible Camp,located close to Rosthern,begins with its Adult SpecialNeeds camp on June 20. Thesecamps are run every summerand are already full.

“The teen camps are 90percent filled as well,” sayscamp director Mark Wurtz.

Registrations for thechildren’s camps have beenlagging somewhat because ofthe cool spring weather, butare expected to fill up. “Thereis room if people still want tosend their kids,” says Wurtz.

The finishing touches for 14new bunk beds have beenapplied and the beds are readyfor installing in the cabins.Most of the supplies for thebeds were donated and thecamp is now planning topurchase new mattresses. Theproject to replace the old metalbeds began last summer.

Camp Shekinah, locatednear Waldheim, is looking for anew camp administrator. CarlWiens will be finished at theend of the summer and the


Mennonite ChurchAlberta

Ministry ofencouragementshould be nurturedAccording to Luke’s account, there wasplenty of chaos at the first Pentecost.However, wind and fire and chaos inthemselves are not evidence of theSpirit’s presence. We need only watchthe “sandbox-style politics” in theHouse of Commons in Ottawa thesedays to confirm that! Yet all too oftenwe see similar patterns of relatingamong Christians, especially when wedisagree.

On the one hand, we are trying todevelop a “culture of call” in ourcongregations to attract young peopleto be pastors and leaders in the church.On the other hand, why would weencourage our children to prepare forleadership in the church? Not only arethere other careers in which theywould have a more financially securefuture, but they wouldn’t have to worryabout measuring up to the invisiblereport cards of each individualmember.

Calling leaders is only the begin-ning. We need to go a step further. Weneed to develop a culture of encourage-ment—encouragement for people totest ideas, explore questions, use theirgifts, and even fail—and to continue

loving them through it all. In hisbook Becoming Barnabas: TheMinistry of Encouragement, PaulMoots advocates for churches to develop “acore of ‘encouragers’” who will stand byothers to guide, counsel, inspire andconsole them as they try to live out God’swill and calling. Such a core, he maintains,both adds to the pool of leaders and alsogenerates creativity and shared commit-ment to the ministries of the church.

Nurturing a “ministry of encourage-ment” won’t necessarily make things easierfor leaders. In fact, complexity increaseswhen more people exercise their gifts andtest their ideas in worship, biblicalinterpretation and mission. Encourage-ment moves pastors out of the centre of achurch’s ministry and requires newqualities of them. They, too, will need ourencouragement as they make the neces-sary changes. Moots describes fourqualities of an encouraging leader:1. Humility—Encouraging leaders will notsuccumb to a false modesty or overvaluingof their own gifts, but will strive for a trueknowing and accepting of both ourstrengths and our limitations.2. The ability to deal with conflict—Encouraging leaders need to be able toaccept and deal creatively with the conflictthat is inevitable as the winds of the Spiritcall new people into leadership and blowunexpected turns into their path.3. Vulnerability—Encouraging leaders willsometimes need to give up their traditional

roles, to step aside andexpand the circle of ministersbeyond the select few. It will

sometimes require saying “no” whereonce they said “yes,” which is sure todisrupt patterns that have beencomfortable for them and others.4. Integrity—Encouraging leaders needto both trust and be trustworthy. InPaul Moots’ words, “If we are going tofollow the Spirit, we must genuinely letgo of control.” They dare not give lipservice to the concept and undermine itby their actions behind the scenes.

What if all members of theMennonite Church embraced the“ministry of encouragement” andadopted Paul’s message to thePhilippian Christians as our motto?

“Finally, beloved, whatever is true,whatever is honourable, whatever isjust, whatever is pure, whatever ispleasing, whatever is commendable, ifthere is any excellence and if there isanything worthy of praise, think aboutthese things. Keep on doing the thingsthat you have learned and received andheard and seen in me, and the God ofpeace will be with you” (Philippians4:8-9).

What a fresh wind of the Spirit thatwould be!

Muriel Bechtel, MC EasternCanada minister of pastoralservices

From our leaders

new position will begin this fall.“Camp numbers are really

on track with last year’sregistrations,” notes Wiens.“And last year was a recordhigh.”

Camp Elim, a half-hourdrive south of Swift Current, iscelebrating its 60th anniver-sary on June 25 and 26. Campdirectors for the summer areReg Wiebe and Kaylyn Wiebe.The focus of Camp Elim isteaching conservation andstewardship through thenature centre that was justcompleted this year. Locatedon Lac Pelletier, the camppromotes activities thatrevolve around water sports.Distinctives of the Elimprogram include day camp andfamily camp.

“Registrations are proceed-ing at par,” says Reg Wiebe.Registrations are needed for

the teen, children’s and familyprograms, but the day campsuse the drop-in system.

Camp Valaqua readiesfacilities for summerCamp Valaqua held its annualspring work day on May 7.Although the day started outrainy and cool, the sunappeared at midday and ahard-working crew of about 25volunteers made good use of it.

To prepare for summercamp, volunteers cleanedcabins, cleared dead brush,split wood, and cleaned insidethe main lodge building. Anoon wiener roast provided agood time for food and fun.

Camp Valaqua staffingneeds are almost in place and

the first summer staff havebegun to arrive. JenniferLoewen has begun work asassistant director and KerryGoerzen has begun as officeassistant. The problem offinding a qualified out-tripdirector was solved throughthe hiring of Nahanni Wilder-ness Adventures to act asplanners and guides. A fewadult kitchen help volunteersare still needed.

Tractor, tools stolenfrom First MennoniteEdmonton’s First MennoniteChurch was the victim of thefton the May long weekend,when the maintenance garagebehind the church had itsbolted door broken open.

A tractor used for snowremoval and mowing lawns,and various other tools weretaken. The tractor was driven

from the property, across avacant lot, and through afence. At this point, it has notbeen found and the police areinvestigating.

The garage area has beenvandalized in the past, as FirstMennonite is located in anindustrial area that is rela-tively deserted at night. Lastyear, after vandals started afire near the garage, a numberof trees were removed toimprove sight lines onto theproperty.

Unless otherwise credited, thearticles in TheChurches pages werewritten by: Leona Dueck Penner(MC Canada), Maurice Martin(Eastern Canada), Evelyn RempelPetkau (Manitoba), KarinFehderau (Saskatchewan), DonitaWiebe-Neufeld (Alberta). See page2 for contact information.

TheChurches


ToMorrow

Calendar

British Columbia

Aug. 14-21: MCC B.C. quiltshow and demonstration atClearbrook Public Library.Aug. 20: Camp Squeah alumnievent. Fundraising memora-bilia auction. To register or formore information, visit:www.squeah.com/alumni.Sept. 16-17: MCC AbbotsfordFestival at the Tradex.Sept. 18: MCC Festival ofPraise at Central Heights MBChurch, Abbotsford, 2:30 p.m.Sept. 24: MCC Fall Fair at

Prince George Civic Centre.Alberta

Alberta

July 6-8: “Passing on theComfort” quilt exhibit atFoothills Mennonite Church.July 15-16: MCC AlbertaRelief Sale in Sherwood Park,Edmonton. Call April Hauck at403-275-3711 or Ernie Wiensat 780-431-2134 for moreinformation. Includes “Passingon the Comfort” quilt exhibit.

Saskatchewan

July 23-24: 50th anniversary

celebrations at GraceMennonite Church, Regina.For more information, or toregister, call the church at 306-584-2555 or e-mail:[email protected] 29-31: Centennialcelebrations at RosthernJunior College.Aug. 8-12: Bethany sportscamp—basketball; on campus.Aug. 15-19: Bethany sportscamp—volleyball; on campus.

Manitoba

June 25: Camp Koinonia golftournament, Winkler GolfClub. Contact Matthew at 204-534-2504 for more information.June 25-26: Bike theWhiteshell (MCC fundraiserfor water projects in Hondurasand Brazil). For onlineregistration, visit:www.mcc.org/manitoba/bike.June 27: Westgate MennoniteCollegiate Senior 4 graduationat Bethel Mennonite Church,Winnipeg.July 2: Cycle Clear Lake tosupport MCC health educationprojects in Laos and Sudan.For online registration, visit:www.mcc.org/manitoba/bike.July 2-3: Heritage reunionpicnic with book dedicationand monument unveiling atHalbstadt community centre.Includes former schooldistricts of Halbstadt,Strassberg and Blumenthal(Houston).July 2-3: Lowe FarmBergthaler Mennonite Churchcentennial celebrations.July 3-9: Camp staff trainingweek.July 7: Eden Foundation “IronMan Golf Marathon,” Winkler.For information or to register,call 866-895-2919.July 20: MCC fundraising golftournament at Quarry Oaks.For online registration, visit:www.mcc.org/manitoba/golf/form.Sept. 10: Eden Foundation“Head for the Hills” bicyclingfundraiser, Lake Minnewasta,Morden.

Sept. 30-Oct. 2: Camp MooseLake workathon.Oct. 1: “Equipping the Congre-gation” conference at WinklerBergthaler Mennonite Church.

Ontario

June 17: Rockway Grade 8graduation, 7:30 p.m.June 17-19: BrusselsMennonite Fellowship 25thanniversary. Youth groupreunion (17, 7 p.m.); outdoormusic concert (18, 7 p.m.);worship celebration with DougZehr followed by potluck meal(19, 10 a.m.).June 22: Fairview MennoniteHome Strawberry Social.Program by choir and bellringers begins at 2 p.m. and 7p.m.June 23: MEDA breakfastmeeting at St. Jacobs StoneCrock. Speaker: Dr. JamesSnider.June 23: Fundraising banquetfor the Lebold Endowment forLeadership Training at ConradGrebel University College, 6:30p.m. Speaker: Jim Lapp,Franconia Conference minis-ter. For tickets, call 519-885-0220 ext. 223.June 25: Rockway seniorgraduation, 3:30 p.m.June 25: UMEI graduationbanquet, 6:30 p.m.June 26: UMEI graduationservices at North LeamingtonUnited Mennonite Church,2:30 p.m.July 1-3: Hidden AcresMennonite Camp annualfamily camping weekend. Call519-625-8602 for moreinformation or to reserve acampsite or cabin.July 3: Truckers Sunday withTransport for Christ atMilverton Mennonite Fellow-ship. For details, call 519-595-8762.Aug. 7: Benin Festival atSteinmann Mennonite Church.MC Canada Witness outdoorcelebration of ministries inBenin, West Africa.Aug. 14: Annual Reesor picnicat Backus Mill HeritageConservation Area, Port


ToMorrow

Simply in SeasonRecipes that celebrate fresh,local foods in the spirit ofMore-with-LessThrough stories and simple “whole foods”recipes, Mary Beth Lind and CathleenHockman-Wert explore how the food we puton our tables impacts our local and globalneighbors. They show the importance of eat-ing local, seasonal food—and fairly tradedfood—and invite readers to make choicesthat offer security and health for our commu-nities, for the land, for body and spirit.

“This cookbook reflects . . . a commitment

1 800 245-7894 • www.heraldpress.com

to eat what is fresh and best in season. Here you will read about howreal people grow and use the natural bounty of the lands they call home.Enjoy the flavors of this book.”—From the Foreword by Graham KerrPaper, 336 pages, $17.49Spiral, 336 pages, $24.99

Rowan, 11 a.m. worship. AllReesorites welcome.Aug. 19: MEDA summerbarbecue at Strom’s Farm.Details to follow.Sept. 30-Oct. 2: Young AdultFellowship annual retreat atHidden Acres Camp. Theme:“Morality: Learning at themountain.” For more informa-tion, e-mail:[email protected] [email protected].

United States

July 4-9: Charlotte 2005, MCCanada and MC USA assem-bly and youth convention inCharlotte, N.C.

Please send Calendar events bye-mail to:[email protected]


Advertising

Employment opportunities


Advertising

CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER___________________________________________________________________

A new position with outstanding potential___________________________________________________________________

The Organization:Mennonite Savings and Credit Union is a progressive and visionary organization foundedon values of stewardship, compassion, and mutual aid. From our modest beginnings asa 'shoe-box' operation in 1964, we have grown in size to rank 7th among credit unionsin Ontario and 30th in Canada.With the experience and momentum we have gained,the organization is well positioned for continued growth. We provide a full range ofservices to our members and have taken a leading-edge role as a founding partner ofMeritas Mutual Funds.

The Opportunity:As CFO, you will have strategic responsibility for capital and profitability levels, sourcesof liquidity and all financial matters. Applying your values-based leadership behaviour,you will engage with management, staff, directors, members and other key stakeholderson a regular basis. Your financial and managerial influence will extend beyond seniormanagement to the Board and across the entire organization. This is a pivotal positionwherein your creativity, judgment and strategic thinking will directly affect the financialdirection and success of the Credit Union and its members.

The Candidate:Based on a relevant post-secondary education,professional qualifications and experience,you will have demonstrated the ability to accept and succeed in progressively moresenior financial management positions. Based on an understanding and commitment tocooperative values and principles, your leadership style will engender confidencethrough an open and collaborative approach to people and ideas. As a strategist, youwill have a solid track record in conceptual thinking that has led to successfullyimplemented financial advice and decisions.

The Community:Our credit union has grown up in Southwestern Ontario and its head office resides in arecently constructed and well-equipped facility in Kitchener-Waterloo. Employees liveand work in a region that boasts a strong economy renowned for high tech research andinnovation. The region has two universities and a community college, and is served bytwo major hospitals. In addition the area is home to an abundance of diverse culturaland sporting events and facilities.

Your Next Step:This position has a comprehensive compensation package and relocation support asneeded. Our search process will be thorough in an effort not only to ensure that we haveselected the ‘right’ candidate but also provided the selected candidate with enoughinformation about us to make an informed career decision.

Our website www.mscu.com has considerable background information about who weare, what services we provide and the values that govern our credit union. If you wouldlike to discuss this opportunity further, please contact Nick Driedger, CEO, in strict andprofessional confidence at 519-772-5219 or [email protected].

Please forward your resume to: Pam McCartney, Human Resources ManagerMennonite Savings and Credit Union

1265 Strasburg Road • Kitchener, Ontario, N2R 1S6Telephone: (519) 772-5228 • Fax: (519) 746-1045 • E-mail: [email protected]

ELMIRA • KITCHENER • LEAMINGTON • MILVERTON • NEW HAMBURG • WATERLOO • www.mscu.com

A tradition of trust.

Announcement Housing wanted

Housing

MC Canada offers summer worship resourcesThe Worship/Education Guide that accompanies Jubileesummer curriculum. Available for preview from the ResourceCentre, or order copies from Faith & Life Resources at 1-800-245-7894. This summer’s recommended guide: God’s People:Surprised and Changed.

Messages from the Prophets or Spirit Fruit. Two summerthemes developed by Sargent Ave. Mennonite Church,Winnipeg, for congregational worship, accompanying at-home resources for family worship and response.

Roadside Stories from Family Vacations: Planning a Spir-itual Trip. Thirteen summer themes and a worship templatedeveloped by Shalom Mennonite Fellowship. Download fromthe Leader website: www.leaderonline.org/supplment.htm.

Leader worship resources. The summer 2005 issue includesworship resources on the Psalms. Can be integrated with thesummer VBS material Celebrate the Psalms.

Celebrate the Psalms: Our God is Awesome! New VBScurriculum. For sample materials or to order, visitwww.mph.org/vbs, or preview it from the Resource Centre.

Jonah and God’s Big Love: A Learning Experience for Adultsand Children. This study is designed for adults and childrento learn together. Flexible for small groups, cell churches, avacation setting, or individual families.—Compiled by Arlyn Friesen Epp

The resources listed above can be acquired through the individualwebsites or phone numbers, or by contacting the MC Canada ResourceCentre (by phone: 1-866-888-6785, e-mail: [email protected],or on the web: www.mennonitechurch.ca/resourcecentre).

It was only appropriate thatflowers should have played animportant role in the releaseof Solace: A Correspondence ofGardening, Friendship andHealing, the latest book byAvon Mennonite Churchmember Diane Sims of Strat-ford, Ont. Co-authored by MarlaFletcher, an Ottawa-basedwriter and editor, Solace tellsthe story of two friends whoshare their difficulties, theircomplicated lives and theirhealth crises over greatdistances and through manyyears. Along with their letters,they exchange seeds, plantsand gardening information.Sims and Fletcher experiencehealing in friendship as gar-dening becomes a richlyfulfilling way to find solace insoothing the soul. Solace ispublished by Novalis Publish-ing of Toronto. Sims’ proceedsfrom the sale of the book go tothe local chapter of theMultiple Sclerosis Society,which she credits for makingher life with MS so mucheasier. Hence the carnations.

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growing friendship

can work be redeemed? - canadian mennonite...2 canadian mennonite june 13, 2005 volume 9, number 12...

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