The Messenger Vol. 51 No. 10 October 2013

The Messenger Volume 51 No. 10 October 2013

The kingdom of God and mission

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ALSO INSIDE:

PHOTO: BOM

A time to be grateful and to praise! page 9 Elmer and Elvira Warkentin honoured for service page 12 What if...? page 14

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Editorials

Gauging the Church’s health

H

ow do we assess church health? By convictions, numbers, signs, service?

In 2011, the United Church claimed 3,132 congregations and a weekly attendance of 166,936 people. By comparison, in 2011 the Christian and Missionary Alliance in Canada claimed 431 churches and a weekly Sunday morning attendance of 87,711. Despite seven times as many congregations, the United Church had only twice as many people attending worship services.

In 2011 the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada claimed a weekly attendance of 154,134 (it had 1,069 churches in 2010). With about onethird of the congregations, it almost equaled the United Church’s 2011 attendance.

Is the Evangelical church in Canada growing? I once overheard an Anglican bishop say no. He was

perhaps drawing upon earlier findings of Reginald Bibby, the University of Lethbridge sociologist. Recently, though, Bibby has said that generally evangelical churches are growing, while most mainline churches are declining (A New Day, 2012).

Menno Simons listed six “true signs” of the Church of Christ (1554): pure doctrine, a scriptural use of sacramental signs, obedience to the Word, genuine brotherly love, a bold confession of God and Christ, and “oppression and tribulation” for the sake of the Lord’s Word (Complete Writings, 739-743).

How do these “signs” fit today? If Menno was saying that if churches in his time did not contain all of these signs, they were not part of the Church of Christ, we might respectfully disagree. But, still, Menno’s “signs” remain useful and challenging measurements of church health.

– Terry M. Smith

••

How do we love today?

“A

new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men shall know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:34-35).

Menno Simons evidently saw Martin Luther as a genuine believer. When a Catholic priest, Menno was helped by Luther’s writings (Complete Writings, 8, 668n11).

John Calvin reportedly said this about Menno Simons: “Nothing can be more conceited than this donkey, nor more impudent than this dog” (cited by J. C. Wenger, Complete Writings, 405n43).

In 1542 Menno Simons had some curt words for David Joris, a man who preceded him into the Anabaptist church. By 1536 Joris was disowned because of his “unbalanced, fanatical, and unsound” views. J. C. Wenger studied Joris’s views and said such an action was proper.

2 The Messenger • October 2013

What did Menno say about Joris? “It is evidenced in that you, a dunghill of a man, ashes, and a vapor, dare to extoll your office above that of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and to put your doctrine ahead of that of the apostles” (Complete Writings, 1019).

Ashes and vapor (James 4:14) speak of the fragility of human life. A reader of the Dutch original of Menno’s letter to Joris might tell us if “dunghill” is simply another expression for being made of dust (Gen. 2:7) or if it carries a more negative meaning.

Meanwhile, how do we love each other today? We can learn from the past and, at times, try to improve upon it.

– Terry M. Smith

Meanwhile, how do we love each other today?

Table of Contents Features

Columns

6

5

The kingdom of God and mission – Dr. Timothy Geddert

9

A time to be grateful and to praise!

– Dr. Pierre Gilbert

12 Elmer and Elvira Warkentin honoured for service – Terry M. Smith

14 What if...?

– Dr. Ernie Koop

Writings Shared

16 An Education App

License to Wed and St. Augustine – Terry M. Smith

20 Further In and Higher Up

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9

Catholic: my God is so big!

– Layton Friesen

34 Here and Far Away

The joy of being offended – Jocelyn R. Plett

35 Stewardship Today

Gimme, gimme never gets!

– Kevin Davidson

Departments 2

Editorials

3

Pontius’ Puddle

36 Kids’ Corner

Too much stuff – Loreena Thiessen

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12

4 Letters 17 With Our Missionaries 21 With Our Churches 27 News 31 In Memory 32 Calendar 33 Shoulder Tapping

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21

Cover Photo: Gerald Reimer preaching in Guadalajara, Mexico

www.emconference.ca/messenger • The Messenger 3

The Messenger Volume 51 No. 10 October 2013

EDITOR TERRY M. SMITH

ASSISTANT EDITOR ANDREW WALKER

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

The Messenger is the monthly publication of the Evangelical Mennonite Conference. It is available to the general public.

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

Letters, articles, photos and poems are welcomed.

Unpublished material is not returned except by request.

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

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

Subscription rates 1 year $24 ($30 U.S., $45 foreign) 2 years $44 ($55 U.S., $85 foreign) 3 years $65 ($82 U.S., $125 foreign) Manitoba residents add 8% PST. Digital only subscriptions: $15 per year.

Single copy price: $2 Subscriptions are voluntary and optional to people within or outside of the EMC. Subscriptions are purchased by the Conference for members and adherents.

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

ISSN: 0701-3299 Publications Mail Agreement Number: 40017362 We gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Periodical Fund of the Department of Canadian Heritage for our publishing activities.

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

THE MESSENGER schedule: No. 12– December 2013 issue (copy due November 15)

4 The Messenger • October 2013

Letters Thanks for convention planning I would like to extend a warm thank you to all who planned our Convention 2013. Thank you to those who made it available on the Internet. I “attended” all sessions on line and was richly blessed in every session.

A special thanks to the speaker, Dr Timothy Geddert, who was both

inspirational and practical. And for those of us who are more visual than auditory learners, it is wonderful to read his condensed messages in The Messenger. Such good messages lend themselves well to being repeated.

Thank you.

Irene Kroeker Rosenort, Man.

Licensing Reminders

Policy on published items

CCLI license The EMC national office CCLI music license covers musical uses at regional and national events. It does not cover music use by local churches. Such congregations need to purchase their own local license from CCLI.

Guidelines for letters

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Check the website (www.acf-film. com) to see if a particular film is included. The license allows churches to use videos legally during services, children’s church, youth events, and more. Local churches should not purchase a license from ACF.

Copies now available free.

Contact info@emconf.ca or 204-326-6401.

The Messenger’s policy on originals of published items: letters to the editor are to be retained for a year.

Originals of all other categories are to be retained for four months or can be destroyed sooner at the editor’s discretion. After their respective time periods, the originals of print materials can be destroyed.

– Board of Church Ministries March 14, 2013

Letters published are generally to comment on issues raised in The Messenger. The magazine reserves the right to edit letters for length, style, legality, and taste.

Letters by regular mail and by fax must contain a handwritten signature with at least the writer’s first and last names and an address. For letters by e-mail, the writer’s name and e-mail address are deemed to be an electronic signature. The writer’s regular postal address is to be included in e-mail correspondence.

The writer’s name and general address are to be published.

In sensitive matters, names may be withheld.

Letters to the editor should be 250 words or less.

Columns • Writings Shared John, Willard M. Swartley (Harrisonburg, VA: Herald Press, 2013). 593 pp. $34.99. ISBN 9780836196672. Reviewed by Russel Doerksen (Fort Garry), BA, MDiv.

I

n his commentary John, Willard M. Swartley, professor emeritus at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary, states his purpose for writing: “Spiritual in today’s Western world often means a quick vitamin boost for thought and nurture. John goes deeper, beckoning readers to contemplation and worship” (33). This deeper purpose can be seen in how the commentary rightly seeks to show how the Gospel of John is centrally christological and evangelical (23).

Swartley writes for the educated reader, discussing thoroughly many of the debates that are applicable to his work. However, while the commentary is often academic, it is refreshing to read as it provides many insights on spiritual and pastoral levels.

The commentary begins with a short

introduction, spelling out the important characteristics within the Gospel of John. Of particular note are the sections Themes and Purpose and OT Scripture and John, which serve to spell out John’s intention and primary rhetorical method.

In the commentary of the text, each section begins with an outline of the passage followed by a detailed analysis laid out according to the needs of the passage.

After the commentary is one of my favourite parts of Swartley’s work: numerous essays covering a host of topics relating to the study of John.

I would suggest reading these essays as part of the introduction; they provide great insight into the book and world of John as well as into the commentary itself.

In summary, Swartley’s John is well written and worth the read.

••

The Narrow Road

by Dorita Kornelsen “But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life” (Matt. 7:14).

On the narrow road I walk, Living for the King of Kings.

He saved me from the destruction, And set my feet on higher ground.

There is now a hope from him, And a life with a forgivness of sin.

He’s taught me to love others, My brothers, my father and mother.

Changing my life everyday, with him I will stay.

Going to live with him someday.

Dorita Kornelsen has connections with Fish Creek Christian Fellowship (Calgary). www.emconference.ca/messenger • The Messenger 5

Convention 2013 Message four of four

The kingdom of God and mission

PHOTO: ANDREW WALKER

by Dr. Timothy Geddert

EMC Missions Booth at Convention 2013 6 The Messenger • October 2013

s

urely no text has been used more often to recruit foreign missionaries than Matt.

28:16-20, the Great Commission. I am sure that as a child I heard a hundred sermons centring on “Go!” “Go, ye into all the world!”

(Matt. 28:19).

We clearly got the impression that real missionaries were those willing to “Go,” and the farther the better. They were the really obedient Christians. All the rest of us had to settle for something farther from the centre of God’s will.

Somehow “Home Missions” always struggled to gain the same prestige (and support). After the glowing reports by the foreign missionaries, the poor home mission workers had to try to compete, even though their work seemed so much less glamorous, and their slides so much less impressive. Even the sunset pictures at the end seemed so ordinary, so Canadian.

Second or third best

“Mission” was understood as something only a small minority of the church was involved in. If it was hard to recruit qualified candidates to do “Home Missions,” how much more difficult it was to get the rest of us to do anything at all. After all, we had already turned God down on the main command: We didn’t “Go!” We admired the “real” missionaries, but most of us settled for “second best” (Home Missions) or “third best” (giving and praying). The results? Well, God really did great things. God established churches around the world. But back home, something seemed missing—the idea that we were all fully active participants in God’s great mission, that we could all participate in God’s kingdom work.

We don’t simply “go.” And when we go, we do not proclaim ourselves, but the Lordship of Jesus. “Go!” is not the opening word. Jesus’ authority is! And “Go, make disciples” is also not the final word. Jesus’ presence is the final word.

After we have heard the commission itself, we hear Jesus’ final word: “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Jesus’ authority and Jesus’ presence are worth bringing to the whole world. The church has the privilege of being God’s co-worker in this great task! That is how God’s kingdom works.

How many commands?

But now we must examine the content, and we begin with questions of grammar.

As in English, so also in the original Greek: Imperatives are used to make commands (e.g. “clean up the garage”) and participles (i.e. –ing words) are often used to explain how the commands are to be carried out (using a broom, clean up the garage). So how many imperatives are there in the Great Commission?

It is pretty hard to tell from the English translations, because they are all over the map. Clearly there are four parts, but which are imperatives? If you checked the New International Version and a host of others (e.g., KJV, NASB, NRSV, etc.) you would find two imperatives, and after them two participles: Go! Make disciples! Baptizing! Teaching!

If you checked the New Living Bible, you would find three imperatives, and only one participle: Go! Make disciples! (baptizing) Teach!

Many other translations have four imperatives: Go! Make disciples! Baptize! Teach! (e.g. Jerusalem, NEB, NCV, CEV).

So does the original text have two, three, or four? Answer: None of the above. There is exactly one! If we mimicked the Greek grammar, it would come out like this in English: “Going, make disciples, baptizing and teaching.”—one imperative, surrounded by three participles. Of course translators are not expected to mimic the grammar of the original. But recognizing how the original grammar works sometimes helps us isolate the central concern. It does that here: Making disciples (sort of ). ➢

Can a closer look at the Great Commission help us recover the mission of all God’s people?

Jesus’ authority

Can a closer look at the Great Commission help us recover the mission of all God’s people? I think it can. But before examining the content, let’s be clear about the context. Jesus’ earthly ministry is complete. He has regathered his disciples. It is time for them to pick up the baton.

But before he says “Go!” he says, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”

www.emconference.ca/messenger • The Messenger 7

Actually the word “make” is not in the text.

We read it as the verb, and we read “disciples” as its direct object. But actually the text uses “disciple” as the verb and “all the nations” as the direct object. That is the one thing Jesus commands: Disciple all the nations.

Going is not the goal; nor is baptizing and teaching. Discipling is the goal. You cannot disciple without going, and baptizing, and teaching. The participles outline the things we need to do to accomplish the one thing commanded: Disciple the nations!

Clarifications

And now a few clarifications.

I used to think that “make disciples” meant “get conversions” and that this explained why it preceded baptizing on the list. But actually “make disciples” (or better “disciple the nations”) is not one of the steps in a list of tasks. It is the whole project! What does Jesus commission us to do? To disciple the nations! And how do we do that? By going, by baptizing, by teaching.

“Baptizing and teaching” represent the two crucial components of disciple-making. Baptizing represents a person’s initiation into the life of faith and into the believing community; teaching represents their lifetime of learning and growing and being transformed into the image of Jesus.

We disciple by getting the process started and by keeping the process going, by initiating and continuing, by conversion and a life of discipleship – or as it is worded in this text, by baptizing and teaching.

Let me paraphrase the text like this: Going – be about the business of transforming all nations into Jesus-followers: Do it by initiating people into the Christian life, and then by helping them understand and follow everything I have taught you.

All are called to go

When we see this, we realize that this is not just for apostles. It is not just for missionaries. All God’s people can help others get started on the discipleship journey. All God’s people can help people along the discipleship road.

Another clarification: Some interpreters, who have noticed that the word “Go!” is actually “Going!” (a participle) have claimed that this means

8 The Messenger • October 2013

The participles outline the things we need to do to accomplish the one thing commanded: Disciple the nations! going is optional. No, we are all called to go. We are not all called to go to foreign countries, but to go where Jesus leads us as disciple-makers.

So Jesus’ word to us is: “Going to work, make disciples!” “Going to school, make disciples!”

“Going to your neighbour, make disciples!”

Finally, of the four parts to the Great Commission, three are within our power to learn and to do: Humans can go. They can baptize (i.e., help people start the discipleship journey). They can teach (i.e., help people continue learning and growing). But only Jesus can ultimately transform a person into a disciple. He does the one thing imperative, as we do the participle work.

Tim Geddert, BA, MDiv, PhD, is professor of New Testament at Fresno Pacific Biblical Seminary, which is in California. He adapted this article from his message prepared for Sunday afternoon.

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A time to be grateful and to praise!

PHOTOS: DESIGNPICS

by Dr. Pierre Gilbert

I

suspect that for a lot of people, the Thanksgiving holiday is little more than a chance to take it easy. But for Christians, it should also be an opportunity to focus on important questions such as what it means to be grateful, why we should we grateful, or whether we can realistically, as the apostle Paul says in Ephesians, be grateful for all things.

While thanksgiving and praise can be used interchangeably (1 Chron. 25:3; 2 Chron. 5:13; Neh. 12:46; Psalm 69:30), the texts don’t always associate the act of giving thanks with a particular reason.

In some instances, they just refer to someone doing so (1 Chron. 16:41; 2 Chron. 7:3).

On other occasions, the psalmist simply exhorts the people to offer thanks to God (Psalm 50:14).

Evidently, we don’t always need a reason to give thanks. In fact, when I surf through the Psalms, I get the impression that praising God should be as natural as breathing.

Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. For the LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care (NIV).

In verse 5, the psalmist states that the “sea is his.” A trite statement for us perhaps, but how so stunning for the ancient readers. The sea symbolized chaos. Terrifying monsters and demons populated its depths.

In an age without GPS, nuclear-powered submarines, deep-sea survey equipment, the psalmist unabashedly declares God’s absolute sovereignty.

Nothing was beyond God’s reach then, and nothing is beyond his reach now. Our God is in the inner city and the richest suburbs. His footprint is in every city of the world. He was with the Jews in the Nazi camps. He is with persecuted Christians in the Middle East. We thank God, because nothing escapes him. ➢

Nothing was beyond God’s reach then, and nothing is beyond his reach now.

Plenty of hooks

The Psalms do, however, offer plenty of hooks on which to hang our praise. In Psalm 26:7, the psalmist gives thanks for God’s wondrous works.

In Psalm 95:2-7, he offers thanks for who God is and for his relationship with us:

www.emconference.ca/messenger • The Messenger 9

Our inability to process human suffering often causes us to project the cause for the world’s condition back to God and to judge his character on the basis of what we see. Honestly, how can we be expected to trust God? He must either be some type of sadist, a megalomaniac, or a cosmic judge anxiously waiting for us to slip and to render judgment swiftly and mercilessly.

Psalm 100:5 makes mince meat of these accusations: “For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.” Here the psalmist enthusiastically states that the real God is eons away from our human creations.

Three reasons, then, to praise God: He is good, his love endures forever, and his faithfulness is forever.

In Phil. 4:6, Paul exhorts his readers to present all their concerns to God “by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving.” In Col. 2:7, he states that Christians should overflow with thanks. In Eph. 5:19-20, Paul goes even further: “Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

I suspect a good number of people find Paul’s insistent exhortations to give thanks somewhat exasperating. Face it. Complaining comes a lot more naturally to most of us.

In everything?

And Paul surely goes too far in Eph. 5. Can we really give thanks to God for everything? Does God really expect us to mindlessly recite some thanksgiving mantra regardless of our circumstances? Somehow, I doubt it.

According to Scripture, there are times when superficial utterances of praise just will not do. The psalms contain countless expressions of lament that convey the sorrow, anger, and frustration of believers in distress (see Psalms 88 and 137).

Regardless of who we are, suffering will one day knock at our door. It is inherent to the human condition. Children suffer humiliation from classmates, worry over grades, despair over losing their friends.

Older folks worry over jobs, aging parents, friends who shipwreck. No one is shielded from the storms of life. They mercilessly strike us, leaving but chaos, destruction, and pain in their wake.

About 35 years ago, a friend of mine lost her youngest daughter in a car accident. The young woman was on her way home from college to visit her family over the Christmas break. A few years later, the same lady lost her husband to cancer.

A few months after that, she was attacked by ➢

Regardless of who we are, suffering will one day knock at our door.

10 The Messenger • October 2013

two men and left for dead. She survived…barely.

Later, the unthinkable happened. Her youngest son was killed in a freak boating accident, leaving two young children and a wife behind.

Can we praise God for such tragedies? Not really. There is no praise for the illness that ravages body and mind. No praise for economic upheavals and war. No praise for death, particularly the death of children. Only bitter lament.

So what are we to do with Paul’s exhortation to give thanks in all things? Are lament and thanksgiving destined to be forever separated by an impassable chasm? Let me offer a possible way forward.

In Scripture, praise is never reduced to a simple formula or articulated within a narrow cause and effect framework. Thankfulness is something that ultimately flows out of a basic orientation towards the living God. An attitude of thankfulness is more than a positive thinking technique designed to bring happiness and balance to our existence. God is not some commodity to be bought and sold.

Praising and giving thanks are first and foremost an acknowledgment of who God is.

To give thanks to God is to recognize that God is free. That he is free to be who he must be and to act accordingly. In a fallen world, the living God cannot be enrolled to serve us or some

system we have created to give us security.

Our faith in this free God, whom the Bible calls the God of the impossible (Luke 1:37) is what ultimately enables us to live with a deep attitude of thanksgiving and to reconcile us to the reality of evil.

To lament is to recognize that God exists, that he cares, and has the power to intervene in our lives. The atheist doesn’t lament. He can only despair. To lament is the humble acknowledgment that God is indeed the God of the impossible, who will act, not in keeping with what we think is possible, but in accordance with his infinite wisdom and power. In this lies the bridge from lament to praise.

When the full weight of who God truly finally dawns on us, hope will erupt. In the midst of our despair, the future will open up again.

At that moment, praise and thanksgiving will indeed rise out of our hearts and flood us with peace and joy (Phil. 4:4-7).

To give thanks to God is to recognize that God is free.

Pierre Gilbert, PhD, is associate professor of Old Testament and theology at Canadian Mennonite University, associate dean with MBBS Canada at CMU, a Mennonite Brethren minister, and author of Demons, Lies & Shadows (2008).

www.emconference.ca/messenger • The Messenger 11

PHOTOS: TERRY M. SMITH

Elmer Warkentin: Cross-cultural workers are a “link” in the chain.

Elmer and Elvira Warkentin honoured for service Representatives gather to say thank you

by Terry M. Smith

S

cripture says, “Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honour the emperor” (2 Peter 2:17).

To follow part of this injunction, active and retired cross-cultural workers, friends and family, Board of Missions members, and national office staff workers gathered on Sept. 5, 2013, at Steinbach EMC to honour Elmer and Elvira Warkentin, who are “in transition” after four decades of missionary service.

Anthony Reimer, Board of Missions chairperson, welcomed those present to the Missionary Fellowship and Recognition Supper. Elmer and Elvira Warkentins’ service of 39 years is “a testament” to their “perseverance,” he said. He led in prayer and dinner followed.

Musical selections

After dinner, Danny Plett, having returned five weeks ago to Canada after 21 years of crosscultural service in Germany, provided musical selections. Before he sang If Not For You, he said that the Holocaust during the Second World War “would have been so much worse” if God had removed his presence.

God is the one who gives meaning in these “dying days,” he said. Plett spoke of how, years ago, he had repeatedly experienced grace from businessman Burt Loewen and yet Christ is “1,000 times more gracious.”

Devotional

Ward Parkinson, EMC conference pastor, presented a devotional based on Psalm 96. We

12 The Messenger • October 2013

celebrate the faithfulness of God to his people and his Word, of God’s servants to him and his mission, the church around the world, fellowship, the gospel (“the simple yet powerful miracle of a life forever changed”) and reflect on the Warkentins’ journey, praising God “for you and with you,” he said.

God and Israel were engaged in a covenant, called a “daring dance” by Walter Brueggemann, and in Psalm 96 Israel celebrates the recapturing of the Ark from the Philistines and its entry into Jerusalem.

The Psalm reminds us every day is a good day to proclaim the Lord, only one God occupies the throne (idols are nothing), the world needs to know God, and the Lord is coming to judge the nations with truth, said Parkinson. While some might consider serving in missions a poor use of time, the Lord’s return turns such discussion on its head.

History and tributes

Tributes for Elmer and Elvira came through Dan Screpnek of SIM and Tim Dyck of EMC, each outlining the Warkentins’ history of service. This description also draws upon the Warkentins’ own summary (“It’s Time,” The Messenger, May 2013).

Elmer and Elvira Warkentin applied for service with SIM and in late 1974 went to Nigeria to teach Bible in the government’s high schools and colleges. Early missions reports were positive.

When a riot closed the school, Elmer and Elvira continued to minister. In 1980 they returned to Canada on furlough, but then went back to ➢

Dan and Wanda Screpnek of SIM, Elvira and Elmer Warkentin, and Tim Dyck of EMC

Nigeria to serve the 150 missionaries there.

In 1987 they relocated to Canada for their children’s sake and served as SIM representatives in Canada. In 1992 they moved to work in SIM’s Toronto office, displaying teamwork and complementary talents. While there, they were involved in SIM’s centenary celebration and at one point Elmer served as SIM’s acting Canadian director.

When Elmer briefly taught English in China, a burden grew for this work. In 2003, Elmer and Elvira moved to Thailand to establish a SIM Asia office. What began with only two workers now has a team of 39 adults because, in part, Elmer had faith and vision to lead the way.

In 2008 they returned to Canada and in 2010 began to focus on mobilizing English teachers for Asia. Elmer was seconded to a language institute in China.

On May 31, 2013, they retired from active status with SIM. Elmer recently went to Vietnam and when he told his family that this might be his final trip, a grandson had laughed in disbelief.

Their service in several countries was “rounded up” to 40 years by Dan Screpnek, who said that he and his wife Wanda were recruited by the Warkentins. Tim Dyck said that the Warkentins’ faithful service showed that they had sought to run in such a way as to win the prize (1 Cor. 9:24).

Responses

After being presented with a gift of a Scripturebased plaque, the Warkentins responded. Elmer said that the real missionaries were the ones who had preceded and inspired him, sometimes paying a high price; he and Elvira did not bury a child on the mission field.

John the Baptist and Ho Chi Minh, a leader who sought to “free” Vietnam, both died before seeing their efforts fulfilled. Like them,

cross-cultural workers plant “seeds” without seeing “the full fruit”; they are a “link” in the chain, Elmer said. He encouraged people in various stages of service to be faithful.

Elvira expressed repeated gratitude to the people and churches that had allowed them, by their prayers, giving and sacrifice, the privilege of going into service. She was thankful to those assembled who represented their supporting churches; it was these churches whom they had represented overseas.

Even being expected to visit 20 churches in two months while Elmer was studying full-time at seminary had linked them to churches, she said. She closed by expressing gratitude to their personal families.

As for their future, Elmer highlighted the themes from the Power to Change campaign: explore Jesus, discover his power, and inspire others. This was his prayer for their future service, whether in Vietnam or Canada.

Prayer Time

Danny Plett sang again, including For All Our Sorrow. Ken Zacharias, EMC foreign secretary, then introduced a small group prayer time, saying that most could identify with a missionary’s recent request: to pray for three people in a church plant.

Two other needs were identified by those assembled: for a worker dealing with illness and for believers rejected by their families. Dinner guests were encouraged to share about needy people and to pray together for them.

After the prayer time, Ken mentioned three couples who are, or soon will be, beginning to serve in Uganda, Mexico, and Bolivia; they need grace to make changes. Zacharias closed in prayer, remembering these workers, and the event was over. Yet perhaps another trip to Vietnam, Thailand, Nigeria, China, or elsewhere is in the works—and not by Ken Zacharias.

www.emconference.ca/messenger • The Messenger 13

PHOTOS: DESIGNPICS

What if…?

by Dr. Ernie Koop

W

hat if the local church would intentionally work at discovering each member’s giftedness and calling? What if the local church would engage in prayer and fasting, recognizing the Holy Spirit’s central role in calling, initiating, and sending?

What if the local church would recognize and embrace their responsibility in God’s missional purposes? What if the Holy Spirit and the community of faith would work together to set apart some Christians for leadership?

in a partnership that reflected a singular vision for the growth of God’s kingdom in the world?

What if we were able to move away from individualism and volunteerism, and have workers called or “drafted” by the church as directed by the Holy Spirit?

Local churches should be intimately and directly involved in sending the missionaries, whatever the structures that are used.

Confirming

What if the local church embraced its role in confirming, if not explicitly articulating, the will of God that a person enter missionary service?

What if one of the priorities of church leadership was helping the local membership discover and develop their gifts and sense of calling?

What if every Christian was passionately committed to the creation and expansion of kingdom communities locally and globally, and the application of their gifts to that end? What if ”missions” was not what the church did for the missionary, but what the church did through the missionary?

What if the EMC Board of Missions was the “enabler” and the local church the “initiator”

14 The Messenger • October 2013

Discerning

What if the church truly became a “discerning community” with a clear understanding of its role as a mission outpost and as a mission initiator? What if the church would stress missions and the importance of vocational service for the Lord, would program for it, pray for workers, involve themselves in the process of training them, and then value the results?

Certainly the experience of Abraham, Israel, and the disciples, suggests that God does not only choose the most gifted. He frequently chooses the weak and insignificant. Paul, in his letter to the church at Ephesus, underlines the importance of local church leadership involvement in gift and calling discernment in the lives of all of the members of the community of faith (Eph. 4:11-12).

It would seem that the intention is to have the laity serve the church and the world, and the clergy serve the laity. Instead of monopolizing ministry himself, the pastor “multiplies” ministry through his people. ➢

Volunteers?

There is no precedent for “volunteerism” in the New Testament. Rather than volunteering, leaders were singled out from the larger community of faith, either called directly by Christ or personally appointed by Holy Spirit-led leaders and churches.

Local churches should be intimately and directly involved in sending the missionaries, whatever the structures that are used. God has chosen both the local church and the mission agency (EMC Board of Missions, in our case) to be interdependent partners in fulfilling Christ’s commission to make disciples to the ends of the earth.

There is no precedent for “volunteerism” in the New Testament.

Ernie Koop (EFC Steinbach).

BRS, MDiv, DMin, is professor of mission and Bible at Steinbach Bible College. He has experience in cross-cultural ministry in Nicaragua and Mexico.

2014 EMC Prayer Teams

Improper separation

We must work to avoid an improper separation of the sacred and the secular, which assigns all other careers (other than pastors, church planters and missionaries) to a non-call, non-spiritual status. While career outcomes may be different, for a committed follower of Christ, and in the context of a community of faith, these decisions require prayer, self-examination, a thorough study of alternatives, and a careful assessment of God-given abilities and talents.

What if the Anabaptist belief in the “priesthood of all believers” and its embrace of “interpretation in community” would naturally and intentionally develop into a Spirit-led community of discernment, where gifts and calling were discovered in the context of mutual support and accountability?

What if…?

“Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart” (Col. 4:2)

Paraguay (March 6-13 pending) Guadalajara: (March 19- April 4) For details including costs, please email dpeters@emconf.ca or call 204-326-6401 www.emconference.ca/messenger • The Messenger 15

Columns • An Education App

License to Wed and St. Augustine

by Terry M. Smith

What should be our chief aim in this life? To live in God’s fellowship, enjoy his favour, and obtain eternal happiness hereafter (Catechism, Anabaptist, 1783; reprinted by EMC, 1964).

What is the chief end [purpose] of man? Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever (Shorter Catechism, Church of Scotland, 1648).

“And we are in him who is true—even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life” (1 John 5:20).

E

ternal life, the elder John instructs us, does not start when we die, but is a quality of life graciously given in and through Jesus Christ.

In the 2007 film comedy License to Wed, Rev. Frank, a Roman Catholic priest played by Robin Williams, takes a young couple, Sadie and Ben, through an intensive three-week marriage preparation course as a prerequisite for being wed in St. Augustine’s Church.

Sadie’s family is linked to St. Augustine’s by rites of passage, but shows scant evidence that faith in Christ makes an important or daily difference in life. Ben has no discernible faith. Sadie apologizes (sort of ) to the priest for not having been to a worship service for 10 years because, she says, she needed time to establish her career.

As a master of contrived chaos, Rev. Frank insightfully helps the couple to examine their relationship; and, while the road becomes rocky, predictably Ben and Sadie ultimately wed—though in Jamaica, far from St.

The bishop, and our EMC pastors, would want Sadie and Ben’s real-life counterparts to stick around to discover what it really means to have life in Christ.

16 The Messenger • October 2013

PHOTO: DESIGNPICS

Why did God make us? God made us to show forth His goodness and to share with us His everlasting happiness in heaven (Baltimore Catechism, Roman Catholic, 1891).

Augustine’s, but with the priest officiating.

True to the underlying beliefs and values of Evangelist Hollywood, the Christian Church—its people and buildings—is depicted as a useful backdrop so long as its positive call to life in Christ is not taken seriously.

Neither Sadie nor Ben are genuinely confronted with their need to reflect on their relationship with Christ, to see the “rule” of sex only within marriage as divinely intended for our well-being, or challenged to remain within St. Augustine’s as active parishioners.

While Sadie is puzzled at times about Ben’s delay in writing his wedding vows, she does not face up to her own vows made earlier to Christ during confirmation. The movie seems content to leave Christ hanging, with no real appreciation for what his incarnation and sacrifice signify.

Having loaned his name to the movie, what might St. Augustine (AD 354-430) say about this film’s lack of response to Christ? Actually, it’s no puzzle; we know by both the life and words of this Bishop of Hippo, North Africa.

Augustine, himself converted to Christ from errors in both philosophy and sexual lifestyle, said, “You have made us for yourself, O God, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in You.” The bishop, and our EMC pastors, would want Sadie and Ben’s real-life counterparts to stick around to discover what it really means to have life in Christ.

PHOTO: OPERATION MOBILIZATION

With Our Missionaries

Business as an agent of change EUROPE

Business is as central to our world as eating is to being human. For many people, doing business and doing ministry don’t have much in common. Yet, in addition to creating wealth for the business owner and investors, business has the capacity to be much more.

In the words of, Umara Musa Yar’Adua, the former Nigerian president, “I think people should know that you derive the greatest satisfaction from serving others rather than serving yourself.” i4c-b4t (invest for change, doing business for transformation) is about business: real, profitable, sustainable and holistic business. B4t businesses are not only profitable, but also intentional about seeing social, economic, environmental and spiritual (SEES) transformation occur in their communities.

Last fall a group of Ethiopian Christian business people asked for help in making their businesses transformational.

In June we held one and a half days of training for about

Christians want their buisnesses to make a difference.

45 influential and community leaders, consisting of factory owners, lawyers, bank directors and more.

In addition to technical and practical aspects of business, we also explored the secular/sacred divide, working through Scripture to discover what it really means to us personally.

A core group of these business people committed themselves to “being stewards of the generation,” bringing genuine change and SEES transformation to their communities through their businesses. Follow up training for this group is planned for Oct. 2013.

– John Rempel John Rempel (Blumenort) serves with Operation Mobilization.

••

Celebrating 33 years of MAF in Lesotho Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) has been working in Lesotho since 1980 when it was invited by the Ministry of Health to become the wings for the Lesotho Flying Doctor Service.

Since that time MAF has enjoyed a good working relationship with various government departments to serve the Basotho living in isolated mountain areas. The Irish government was involved in funding the Flying Doctor Service in the early years, even purchasing a new aircraft for MAF when one was lost in a crash in 1997.

Our presence has allowed mission organizations to place missionaries in these remote areas knowing that MAF is available for transportation needs particularly in emergency situations, and we have been in a position to give assistance to the national church as they seek to reach out to their own.

In March of this year, MAF Lesotho held a celebration event that was long overdue. As a team we felt the need to honour those who have been instrumental to our presence in Lesotho and to those who use our services regularly.

It is our hope that as we strengthen the relationships

PHOTO: MAF

LESOTHO

The Irish ambassador and other guests visit after their complimentary sunset flight over Maseru.

with those we serve that we will have a better understanding of who God is and how He wants to work through us to reach the lost for Him. All praise and glory belong to Him! – Kari Peters Kari Peters (La Crete) serves with Mission Aviation Fellowship in southern Africa.

www.emconference.ca/messenger • The Messenger 17

With Our Missionaries

How are we adjusting?

PHOTO: ABERDEEN EMC

CANADA/ETHIOPIA

“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes, and the boasting of what he has and does comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever” (1 John 2:15-17).

It’s a strange thing really. The convenience of sending news has never been easier and our email communication has never been harder. There are several reasons behind this. One, we are rarely at home.

Two, entering back into our home culture brings an array of emotions and it becomes difficult to know how to share. Three, we get to see so many of you face to face and that is much more satisfying.

We get asked a lot about how we are adjusting and how the children are doing. They are naturals. They welcome all luxuries with excitement. Toilets that flush, ice cream cones, apples, a dozen varieties of cereal, drinkable tap water, friends, and lots of bike rides (just to name a few).

Our re-entry couldn’t have been better. We had a house waiting for us to move into, a Dodge caravan

So why is it so hard to leave Gesses and re-enter our comfortable Canadian culture?

LIVE OUT YOUR FAITH

Open your home or workplace to an international volunteer ivep.mcc.org International Volunteer Exchange Program

Commit a year to serve alongside others in Africa, Asia, Europe, Middle East and Latin America salt.mcc.org Serving And Learning Together

Programs of Mennonite Central Committee

18 The Messenger • October 2013

Rolf and Angela Kruse and family

provided for us, groceries in our cupboards, and friends and family welcoming us.

So why is it so hard to leave Gesses and re-enter our comfortable Canadian culture? Why is it so hard to settle into a suburban neighbourhood? Why do we battle feelings of guilt at recreation and delicious food? Why can basic conversation be so difficult?

Because in Gesses, topics of conversation never include landscaping, home improvements, and holidays. Because food is not so easy to come by and there is rarely time for rest or recreation. Our experience and lifestyle has changed our worldview.

Fixing our eyes on God’s kingdom and His treasures becomes difficult surrounded by so much stuff. Yet, we are reminded that as believers, none of us are to actually love this world. We should be growing more Christ-like everyday so that every aspect of our lives is touched by his presence and will.

Our home assignment was greatly needed and it is a time to do what we are rarely able to do while on the field. It is a time to be renewed. A time to study. A time to reconnect. A time to encourage and be encouraged. A time to celebrate.

A time to reflect on God’s faithfulness.

– Rolf and Angela Kruse Rolf and Angela Kruse (Kola/Rosenort Fellowship) are with Serving In Mission. They were on home assignment, but returned to Ethiopia on Oct 4.

With Our Missionaries

Poco a Poco with a little humour thrown in

PHOTO: BOM

MEXICO

This week one of our teachers said that we’re supposed to note our progress as we journey through these months of language learning, because we can use all the encouragement that we can get.

Okay, that’s not exactly how she said it. What she was getting at was the importance of taking notice of when things click and we remember how to conjugate a certain verb in the right tense or when that word miraculously comes to mind at the right time, or that day when we go to a restaurant and actually get what we ordered because we used the right words. You get the idea.

She was encouraging us to mark our milestones, to note our progress, to celebrate those small victories as ways of encouraging ourselves and our classmates to not give up ever—all the while remembering that language learning is a labour of love.

So, today I’m marking a milestone.

When I arrived in Mexico, I knew one Spanish word: the universal Hola!

When people would ask me if I spoke or understood Spanish, my go to answer was an emphatic shaking of my head followed by a clear, “No. No Español.”

But I have been faithfully attending classes for three months (even though the temptation to play hooky has crossed my mind once or twice; there’s a really great ice cream place not to far from our house) and so I had to answer honestly today when someone asked me if I knew Español.

I smiled (and this time nodded, rather then shook my head) and answered with these words: “Un poco” (a little).

Anthony and Karlene Thiessen and family

As I reflected on this later, I became excited that my “no” answer had changed to “a little” answer and I realized this was a “take note and mark it as a milestone occasion.”

And now that you are all celebrating with me, maybe it’s not a good time to tell you that after I gave my “un poco” answer, the man started to talk to me in Spanish, and although I smiled and nodded my head and said, “Gracias,” I understood absolutely nothing that he said to me.

Sigh. Talk about taking the wind out of my sails and the joy out of my “take note and mark it as a milestone occasion.”

Oh well, as my husband’s sister so kindly told me, “It takes seven years to become a proficient speaker of another language.” Great, I have three months down and 81 to go.

So I will keep plugging away, reminding myself daily that this is a labour of love and that word by word, verb by verb, phrase by phrase, and poco a poco (little by little) my Spanish will come...eventually.

– Karlene Thiessen Karlene and Anthony Thiessen (La Crete) serve with TEAM. The article was written in April.

Births DYCK—to Jesse and Robyn of Winnipeg, twin boys, Eli Terrence and Quinten Darcy, on Aug. 15, 2013.

IDOWU—to Yinka and Florence of Winnipeg, a daughter, Aderonke Grace Zhi, on Aug. 14, 2013.

KLASSEN GARCIA—to Paul Klassen and Mari Garcia of Winnipeg, a son, Nicolas Henry, on Sept. 5, 2013.

KOOP—to Scott and Angela Koop of Calgary, a son, Seth William, on May 21, 2013.

KRAHN—to Andrew and Melissa of Winnipeg, a son, Ezra Nathaniel, on Aug. 26, 2013.

REIMER—to Cody and Rachel of Rosenort, a son, Hudson Leo, on June 4, 2013.

Weddings THIESSEN-LOEPKY: Michael Thiessen and Mary Loepky were married on April 13, 2013, at Sommerfeld Mennonite Church in Mount Salem, Ont. The couple lives near Aylmer, Ont.

www.emconference.ca/messenger • The Messenger 19

Columns • Further In and Higher Up

Catholic: my God is so big!

Layton Friesen

It makes us much easier to sell to, which is why advertisers love these boxes.

20 The Messenger • October 2013

PHOTO: DESIGNPICS

A

re you a NASCAR fan? Then I predict you will not stage a vigil against homophobia. Do you buy local organics at the farmer’s market? I bet you’re for legalizing marijuana. Are you opposed to the Keystone Pipeline? You thereby prefer Starbucks to Tim Hortons.

I’m not putting you in a box; I am saying we often put ourselves in boxes. It’s a sign that ideology rather than theology is taking over. It makes us much easier to sell to, which is why advertisers love these boxes.

The world offers bundles like a cable company. The church is tempted left and right.

Ideology tilts a church away from being both pro-evangelism and anti-poverty, though no rational person can explain why the two should be opposed.

If I know your church speaks in tongues, there’s probably not much teaching on racism going on there, oddly enough. Why is it so hard to be both devotedly feminist, seeking the mutual empowerment of the genders, and viscerally opposed to linking this empowerment with the “right” to abort unborn women? The world says, stick with your tribe; a catholic congregation replies, but we believe in God the Father, creator of heaven and earth.

To become catholic is to become proportioned in soul to the breadth of the actions and concerns of God. Let us make humankind in our image (Gen. 1:26). The body is not meant for fornication, but for the Lord and the Lord for the body (1 Cor. 6:13).

Forgive as God has forgiven you (Col. 3:13).

Your life is hidden with Christ in God (Col. 3:1).

Biblical statements like this assure us that as we adore, contemplate and serve God together, our lives take on his largesse, and largeness, the form of God. The Church fails often, but I would predict that the little congregation down your street still

encompasses more of the human community and its concerns than any social service organization. Of course, each church will chose a grove of the vineyard to tend.

Funding a homeless shelter for LGBT youth means less money for a Low German 12-Step program. No one is called to be and do everything. But on Sunday, we all gather to bow our knee before the firstborn of all creation, who is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

My father, who grew up in the Kleine Gemeinde (early EMC), once explained to me why he and his spiritual ancestors chose not to vote in government elections. The logic was catholic, though they would not have used the term.

A person signing on to a political platform was entrapped. Immediately, being for, say, a party’s economic policy demanded being for its position on war. They refused to be that small (kleine) and so would not vote. We may understand the meaning of voting differently, but our instincts should be just as catholic.

May our soul be enlarged by the vision of Christ before us. Let’s be the small church that’s bigger on the inside than on the outside.

With Our Churches Aberdeen EMC

WINNIPEG, Man.—We came home on Aug. 25, when Trinity Lutheran Church handed over the deed to Good Shepherd Place to us in a service of remembrance and thanksgiving. It was also the last service of the Trinity congregation and of retiring pastor, Rev. Ron Nelson, who has shepherded this small but stalwart Lutheran flock for the past 10 years.

Trinity Lutheran Church has been a presence on the corner of Flora and King Streets in Winnipeg’s north end for 125 years. Originally built by German immigrants, the congregation has struggled in recent years as its traditional membership base has moved out of the neighbourhood and established new congregations.

With a rapidly declining and aging population, the congregation decided some years ago to sell their building.

Meanwhile, the Aberdeen congregation needed a more accessible worship space. We visited Trinity and decided quickly that, while it met our accessibility needs, it was too big a facility.

But we needed to go somewhere, so in the fall 2006 we rented space from the Lutheran congregation for a winter season. Spring came and brought the realization that we were settling in and seeing opportunities for new ministry.

This resulted in the birth of the Aberdeen Food Pantry, which provides bi-weekly food support to 15 neighbourhood families.

For the past five years the Aberdeen congregation and the Aberdeen Food Pantry have been co-tenants with First Nations Community Church, Secret Place Ministries, Trinity Food Pantry, House of Prayer, and Healthy Start for Mom & Me. Collectively, we became Good Shepherd Place, owned by Trinity Lutheran Church, but inhabited and well used by a diverse collection of worship and outreach services.

As our friends at Trinity Lutheran considered their options, they realized that their time of ministry in this location was ending. Their final wish was that the work of their hands and prayers would continue to be a place of worship and service in the Pastor Sunnie Friessen serves communion.

PHOTOS: ABERDEEN EMC

Aberdeen congregation is home

The congregation worships at the transfer service.

north end community, so they invited Aberdeen to assume ownership of the building for a token price of $35,000.

In his final homily, Rev. Nelson gave thanks for the faithful service of the many people who built and ministered to and through the Trinity Lutheran congregation, and recognized the ministers of the Aberdeen congregation who supported him in his final years of ministry—Adam Robinson, Ruth and Ron Penner, and Sunnie Friesen.

Nelson challenged the joint assembly of Lutherans, Mennonites and guests to take seriously the challenge of Jesus in Matt. 13:24-30 to go into the world and invite everyone to the banquet table, to make sure that no one is excluded, to be a place of welcome and nourishment for all.

The service ended with a joint communion service, lead by Rev. Nelson; Rev. Larry Ulrich, representing the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada; and Rev. Sunnie Friesen of Aberdeen.

So Aberdeen Mennonite has a home—a bit bigger than we need, a bit of a ”fixer upper,” but we believe that a gracious and generous God has invited us to this space.

We recognize the faithfulness of the Trinity Lutheran congregation throughout many generations, and their final vision that God’s work continue on this corner, in this space. We are grateful for their trust in our small group and their final act of generosity.

We pray that we will use the space we’ve been given faithfully, that we will welcome all who want to come to the table, and that God’s ministry will continue on the corner of King and Flora for another season.

– Sol Janzen

www.emconference.ca/messenger • The Messenger 21

With Our Churches Heartland EMC

Heartland sends first missionary family overseas LANDMARK, Man.—Join us in celebrating our first missionary family to be sent overseas. We at Heartland Community Church are extremely proud of Doug and Christal Barkman who have heard and answered the call to serve the Lord overseas. On Aug. 7, 2013, the Barkmans left family, friends, and familiar surroundings for a chance to be a part of the TeachBeyond team (formerly Janz Team Ministries) at the Black Forest Academy (BFA) in Kandern, Germany.

Doug grew up in a missionsoriented family. His parents, Len and Faye Barkman, were teachers in the Bahamas and later in Belize, where Doug was born. Doug was raised in Landmark, spent a year at Columbia Bible College, and met and married Christal Giesbrecht. They have two children Keegan (7) and Nadia (4).

Doug and Christal completed their B.A.s at the University of Manitoba (U of M). Doug also worked as the Communications Coordinator for Graduate

Studies at the U of M. Christal was born and raised in Altona, Man., and she also spent a year at Providence University College. She worked at the U of M until Nadia was born. At BFA, Doug is a graphics designer in the communication office, and Christal is a part-time administrative assistant at the school.

The past six months have been a whirlwind for the Barkman family.

They were officially accepted as EM Conference missionaries in April. In May and June they did a fundraising blitz, Doug wrapped up his job, and they were sent to Wheaton, Illinois for their TeachBeyond orientation. In July, they got their home in order and in early August, our church officially commissioned them for their journey.

During the commissioning service, Tim Dyck (EMC), Pastor David Thiessen, and Teach Beyond colleague and friend, Howard Dueck, all gave meaningful advice, warnings, and encouragement to the family as they embark on their new adventure in

••

Germany. Afterward, selected family and friends gathered around them and prayed. Doug also gave a moving response to the service and thanked the church and other supporters for their generosity.

Along with trying to learn German, Doug and Christal said they were “adjusting to life in Germany, to life in Riedlingen, and to life in a North American community within that context. It’s all new, and we’re excited about our respective roles within these realms.”

To keep in touch with Doug and Christal Barkman check their blog at www.thebarkmans.com or join their Facebook page.

Their current prayer requests are: wisdom as we continue to refine our level of involvement, on and off campus; health as they adapt to new modes of transportation, schedules, and dietary habits; and patience as they seek to grow in their understanding of both God’s call for them and the German language.

– Brigitte Toews

Blumenort EMC

BLUMENORT, Man.— Eight senior youth, along with youth pastoral couple Vince and Mavis Kehler, went to Thompson, Man., during Spring Break on their fifth annual missions trip. Together they served on three different native reserves, did work projects at the Thompson Bible Chapel, and helped out wherever needed. Some of the highlights were having a wiener roast with the locals from Thicket Portage and hanging out with some of the few faithful Christians in Thompson.

– Ebony Kampen

22 The Messenger • October 2013

PHOTO: BLUMENORT EMC

Youth group serves in Thompson

Members of the missions group: Mark Brandt, Landon Plett, Davis Loewen, Myka Plett, Katrina Reimer, Shaelyn Wiebe, Robyn Kampen, Ebony Kampen, Mavis Kehler, and youth pastor Vince Kehler.

With Our Churches Kleefeld EMC

Parent-child dedication: Mark and Bonnie Klassen with Sophia, Kerri and Sheldon Schroeder with Lacey, Daisy and Lian with Judson.

in the world...can you vo ere lun Wh tee rw it

hM

DS ?

KLEEFELD, Man.—We have appreciated and enjoyed becoming acquainted with Lian and Daisy and their little son Judson during the time that Lian was studying at Providence University College and Theological Seminary.

This summer the time came for us to say goodbye to them and to wish them well as they return to Southeast Asia.

A special commissioning service was held for them on July 21. Coming to participate in the commissioning service was David Robbins, president of Advancing Indigenous Missions. We wish Lian and Daisy God’s richest blessings as they establish a leadership training school and orphanage in their home country.

Three sets of parents dedicated themselves to raising their children for the Lord, and the church family acknowledged their responsibility in this task as well. These children are precious in the sight of God and we pray a special blessing on them.

The speaker that Sunday morning was Abe Bergen, and his topic was “It’s a Family Thing.” Having just returned from the EMC convention in La Crete, Abe appropriately tied together the events of that morning—missionary commissioning, parent/child dedication and church conference report—to demonstrate that we all belong to the Body of Christ, to one household of faith.

Here is a VBS report from Alyssa Toews: This summer we had the wonderful opportunity to travel through Athens in Apostle Paul’s time within KEMC. We got to experience the thrill of arena games, the bustle of the

marketplace, and the marvel of Paul’s adventures.

As VBS program coordinator, I walked through these activities as the kids and leaders were participating; and I’m sure everyone would agree that I was grinning from ear to ear the entire time. There is something magical about watching children and adults alike become absorbed in stories from the Bible.

Never could we have pulled off such an extraordinary adventure without the help of some great volunteers.

Our “Paul” was especially convincing as he led our eager children away from crazy mobs and into his tent to share his stories of preaching God’s Word.

Our marketplace shopkeepers were dressed up in tunics and tried to sell their crafts as the kids walked by, and our arena games leaders were showing the kids how to throw javelins and discus.

At the end of each night you saw kids hugging their leaders goodbye and promising that they would be back the next night to hear more of Paul’s stories and spend time with friends and mentors. By the time our week was finished, we had kids asking if we were going to do it all again the following week. Unfortunately, the kids had completely tuckered us adults out by then and we were looking forward to a quiet week.

A month later we still had kids recognizing us around town and stopping to hug us whenever they could. It brings a smile to our faces to see the connection we forged in just one week of sharing God’s Word.

– Louella Friesen

photo by Duane Steiner

PHOTO: KLEEFELD EMC

July 21 special at Kleefeld

These Canadian volunteers are helping their neighbours in Minot, ND. The experience is out of this world.

Call or write 1-866-261-1274 mdscn@mds.mennonite.net to discover what is needed where and when.

www.emconference.ca/messenger • The Messenger 23

With Our Churches Picture Butte Mennonite Church

Summer activities at PBMC

PHOTO: PICTURE BUTTE

PICTURE BUTTE, Alta.—In our church, there are some activities that get put on hold during the summer months as many people plan to take advantage of the fact that school is out for a couple of months and do things like camp and At VBS children are educated in the Christian faith. travel. However, there are a few special things that happen only and their parents came out to enjoy during the summer months and never the music, games, and Bible stories of at any other time of the year.

Kingdom Rock: a medieval-themed Vacation Bible School is one of VBS where kids learn to stand strong those special activities and it was our for God. first big event of the summer. From Not only did the children learn July 15 to 19 more than fifty children that God’s love helps them stand

strong, but trusting Him, praying, reading the Bible, and even family and friends can help strengthen them too. It was a great lesson and good reminder for both young and old.

As the summer rolled on, our church family held a church camp-out at the end of July and even a few weddings along the way. In all that we do, we pray that our fellowship will help us grow stronger together.

– Desiree Krahn

•• Prairie Rose EMC

LANDMARK, Man.—In March, 14 people from Prairie Rose flew to Bolivia to join missionaries Wilfred and Shirley Hiebert at Casa Mariposa. The group spent two weeks working on a variety of projects at Casa Mariposa, Casa Elizabeth, and the Bridge, including assembly of play structures, drywall taping, painting, lots of painting and some mechanical and welding.

– Lisa Friesen

24 The Messenger • October 2013

PHOTO: PRAIRIE ROSE EMC

Work team serves in Bolivia

The work team

With Our Churches Braeside EMC

Dedications held

PHOTO:: BRAESIDE EMC

WINNIPEG, Man.—A parent-child dedication ceremony was held on Jan. 20, 2013. The proud parents were Ashley and Donavon Giesbrecht with twin girls Noa Claire and Arlo Everley, Kayla and Brent Doerksen with daughter Haddie Elisabeth, and Mandi and David Jacobson with son Liam Joshua. Pastor Kim Stoesz stands with them.

– Caroline Loewen

•• Anola Fellowship Chapel

Anola holds community barbecue ANOLA, Man.—On Aug. 24 the Anola congregation held its third annual community appreciation barbecue and free garage sale from noon till 4 p.m. The event included a free pig roast, a bouncer for children, and a yard sale with everything from vegetables to furniture free for the taking.

While the weather was hot, the attendance was good and many donated belongings went to new homes. Only about a quarter of what was contributed was still stored in the chapel foyer on Aug. 25; it was to go to an MCC Thrift Store.

Pastor Jack Cosens, who has served within Anola since 1988 (with a break of two years) took some holidays and bi-vocational work time as a carpenter in part of July and in August.

Internal and guest speakers served on Sunday mornings. In August the speakers were listed as Derek Kroeker, Brad Dowler, Corey Herlevsen, and Terry Smith. The congregation appreciated the perspective and variety of topics brought by the guest speakers.

– Jessica Wichers and Terry Smith

Join with Christ in shaping our

WORLD

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

www.emconference.ca/messenger • The Messenger 25

With Our Churches Roseisle EMC

ROSEISLE, Man.—A parent/child dedication was held on April 21. Among those involved were Scott and April Bickford with their children Emily and Riley. They publicly expressed their desire to train and nurture their children so they would come to know and love Jesus as their personal Saviour.

– Eleanor Friesen

PHOTO: ROSEISLE EMC

Dedication

Scott and April Bickford with Emily and Riley

••

Congregation raises its profile in the community

PHOTO: STRAFFORDVILLE EMC

Straffordville EMC

STRAFFORDVILLE, Ont.—Our congregation has had a busy spring and summer. On April 21 we had a service in our church where four young people—Christina Krahn, Lisa Peters, Jennifer Klassen and Jonathan Froese—were Straffordville EMC had a float in the community’s Watermelon Fest Parade. baptized, and Pete and Tina Braun were received into membership. After the service we invited our many guests over to the Straffordville Community Centre for a potluck building a new church building. This summer we finalized lunch, where the fellowship continued. the purchase of a property in Straffordville.

On May 19 we enjoyed the graduation of seven indiThe rezoning has been completed, and the lot is paid viduals from the SEAN course. The SEAN course is a study for, so on August 11 we met at the lot to hold a brief dediof the life of Christ from the book of Matthew. It consists cation service. The celebrating continued on at the church of six books, each of which takes thirteen weeks to comwith a light supper (faspa) and an evening of praise and plete, so these seven individuals have truly achieved quite worship. an accomplishment.

Each year Straffordville has a Watermelon Fest. We July 15 to 18 was the week of our annual VBS. Linda Wall have begun to place a float in the parade, and again this capably led the week’s activities, which were held at Camp year, on Aug. 24, many of us got participated in the parade, Barnabas. The curriculum they studied was Pandamania riding on the float, walking along beside it, and handing (Where God is Wild About You). Up to 78 children enjoyed out candy. This is just one small way in which we try to their evenings tremendously, and also learned a lot. make our church’s presence known in Straffordville.

We have been a on a long road towards someday – Katherine Klassen

26 The Messenger • October 2013

News

Groundbreaking held for CMU’s $13.9M expansion Features library, learning commons, and Bridge WINNIPEG, Man.- On July 8 CMU broke ground on the university’s new $13.9-million expansion project, joined by local and federal government officials, along with over 100 friends and supporters from the university and broader community.

“What is being done today really sets the pace for the future,” said MP Rod Bruinooge, who chairs the federal government’s post-secondary education caucus. “I’ve seen many different schools across Canada and I know that the people here care at such a deep level—it brings such life to our community.”

CMU President Pauls stated, “The range of activities being planned for this Library and Learning Commons will make it the hub of the campus—linking the learning of the classroom with cutting edge research techniques that cross people and books and e-resources with invigorating forms of collaborative engagement.”

City councilor Paula Havixbeck affirmed this vision, stating this project “goes beyond bricks and mortar as education is the life blood of our community. I am excited about this project.”

Planned for the heart of the CMU’s Shaftesbury campus in South Winnipeg, the Library and Learning Commons will generate vital resources and services, study and collaborative spaces, and welcome the constituency and wider community into the life of the university. Meanwhile, the new pedestrian bridge will connect CMU’s Shaftesbury Campus, which is currently separated by Grant Avenue.

To date, roughly $10 million has been raised. This funding comprises donations from private donors and foundations, as well as the Winnipeg Foundation, the Richardson Foundation, and the C.P. Loewen Family Foundation. The target for the project’s completion is September 2014.

– CMU

••

Mid-Way Bible Camp has successful summer 333 hearts heard the gospel

PHOTO: MID-WAY

THOMPSON, Man.—Our focus at Midon the dock with me and we just looked out Way Bible Camp this summer was to share onto the water. the love of Jesus. We had prayed for the After a long silence, he asked, “Why are desire and opportunities to do so, and the you here?” As I asked myself the question, Lord provided those opportunities.

I took some time to think. He didn’t unGod prepared 333 hearts to hear the derstand that I cared enough to stop him gospel this summer. That number does from hurting himself and that I would ofnot just include campers—it includes the fer to be up all night with him if I needed. maintenance team, speakers and counselThe lies that he believed told him that lors, directors and support staff. he wasn’t worth anybody’s trouble. With If you ask any individual who volunGod’s wisdom, I explained to him the gosteered at camp this summer, they would pel and how he was created for a purpose. let you know that God worked in their This is one way we share the love of Campers enjoying their time. heart more than they had expected. God works Jesus. There are many more stories and, more in the hearts of those who are willing to let Him. importantly, more opportunities everyday for us to shine God also is active in the lives of campers. After an God’s light into the darkness. evening chapel, I talked with a teenager who had seemingly – Cohle Bergen lost hope. After outbursts of anger and hostility, he sat down Director, Mid-Way Bible Camp

www.emconference.ca/messenger • The Messenger 27

News

MCC BC celebrations ABBOTSFORD, BC – It was a busy weekend in June as MCC BC celebrated 40 years of MCC Thrift Shops, their annual gathering, and a barbecue and groundbreaking event for a new centre.

Over a thousand people attended a Brian Doerksen/Ambassadors concert on Friday night at Central Heights MB Church, which featured video vignettes from MCC BC’s 10 thrift shops.

Doug Willms, provincial Thrift Store coordinator, reminded the audience that the network exists because of volunteers. There are 999 volunteers who serve in BC’s 10 shops, which last year raised $1.5 million for MCC’s work worldwide.

Willms said more than 100 volunteers have served in the BC network for 20 or 35 years, even longer. “It is so remarkable that we have such a faithful, dedicated group of volunteers,” he said.

PHOTOS: ANGELIKA DAWSON

Fundraising goal is $15 million

On Saturday morning, delegates returned to Central Heights for the annual gathering, which included stories from MCC’s work in Africa, Colombia, and BC. The day culminated with a barbecue and groundbreaking ceremony at the site of the new MCC Centre. The building will house an MCC Thrift Shop, the MCC material resource centre, program and administrative offices, Ten Thousand Villages, a quilting centre, a café and the Mennonite Foundation office as well.

Special guests included mayor Bruce Banman and several city councillors, Don Peters of MCC Canada, and representatives from the Mennonite Brethren and Mennonite Church conferences.

Siegfried Bartel, 97, offered a prayer of blessing; doves were released as a symbol of prayers reaching the

Jennifer Forbes and Tim Kroeker

heavens. Then everyone was invited to participate in the groundbreaking with their shovels, garden spades, hand-trowels, and toy trucks.

The total fundraising goal for the MCC centre is $15 million, of which more than $10 million in donations and pledges has already been raised.

“We were so honoured to have so many people come and share this special day with us,” said Wayne Bremner, executive director for MCC BC. “We’re looking forward to continuing to be a part of this community and increasing our ability to serve to those in need all around the world.”

– MCC BC

••

CFGB ‘recipe’ campaign ends well 35,000 postcards sent to Prime Minister WINNIPEG, Man.—What’s a recipe for ending global hunger?

For Canadian Foodgrains Bank (CFGB), one answer is to mix together the following ingredients: thirty-two denominations and 15 churches and church-based agencies working through CFGB, hundreds of partner agencies around the world, one supportive Canadian government— and over 35,000 Canadians who asked the Prime Minister to keep the needs of hungry people in mind when deciding how to allocate Canada’s resources.

That’s how many people signed and mailed in Recipe for Ending Global Hunger postcards to the Prime Minister’s office over the past ten months.

“We found that Canadians of all stripes were more than happy to mail in the postcard,” says CFGB’s James Kornelsen. “And

28 The Messenger • October 2013

we were told by government officials in Ottawa that these campaigns really do make a difference.”

The postcard campaign—CFGB’s most successful to date—is now over. The cards were signed by individuals, at churches, youth groups, schools, growing project harvests, CFGB events, and concerts.

Canadians are now being invited to write a personal letter or e-mail to their Member of Parliament—this time encouraging Canada to help developing countries address climate change.

“We want to send a message that Canadians care about how Canada can play a role in addressing the impact of climate change, which is closely linked with global hunger,” says Kornelsen. The campaign is described at www. foodgrainsbank.ca/letters.

– CFGB

News

SBC youth survey has three key findings More young people opt for work than study an overall dip in population or does it point to a disengagement of the youth?

Based on some information coming from the Hemorrhaging Faith report produced by the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, it would seem to point to students leaving a youth group before they leave high school.

Another significant finding: half of the youth groups participated in a short-term missions trip in 2012.

In fact, 72 percent of youth groups went on such a trip in the past five years. Many youths leave high school having been exposed to other cultures through short-term experience.

Perhaps most significant for SBC was to get a clearer picture of where

students go in the year after graduation: most choose to stay home Patrick Friesen and work rather than pursue education.

As a college, we seek to understand what young people need during the first couple of years out of high school. While this data is helpful to us, church leaders and parents could consider how the church would be strengthened going forward if more high school graduates were to attend Christian colleges.

– Patrick Friesen, SBC PHOTO: SBC

STEINBACH, Man.—Fewer grade 12 students are involved in a church, most youth groups have gone on a short-term missions trip, and more high school graduates choose to work than to study—those are the key findings of a survey by Steinbach Bible College within its constituency earlier this year.

Hunches are good, but data is better. What we wanted was a clearer picture of what was happening in the youth groups of our churches. For about two months, SBC collected data (a full report is at www.SBCollege.ca).

No matter the church size, there is a noticeable drop in the number of grade 12 students involved. Is there is

••

Ever wondered what MWC and MCC believe?

A statement of Shared Convictions By the grace of God, we seek to live and proclaim the good news of reconciliation in Jesus Christ. As part of the one body of Christ at all times and places, we hold the following to be central to our belief and practice: God is known to us as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the Creator who seeks to restore fallen humanity by calling a people to be faithful in fellowship, worship, service and witness.

Jesus is the Son of God. Through his life and teachings, his cross and resurrection, he showed us how to be faithful disciples, redeemed the world, and offers eternal life.

As a church, we are a community of those whom God’s Spirit calls to turn from sin,acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord, receive baptism upon

confession of faith, and follow Christ in life.

As a faith community, we accept the Bible as our authority for faith and life, interpreting it together under Holy Spirit guidance, in the light of Jesus Christ to discern God’s will for our obedience.

The Spirit of Jesus empowers us to trust God in all areas of life so we become peacemakers who renounce violence, love our enemies, seek justice, and share our possessions with those in need.

We gather regularly to worship, to celebrate the Lord’s Supper, and to hear the Word of God in a spirit of mutual accountability.

As a world-wide community of faith and life we transcend boundaries

of nationality, race, class, gender and language. We seek to live in the world without conforming to the powers of evil, witnessing to God’s grace by serving others, caring for creation, and inviting all people to know Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord.

In these convictions we draw inspiration from Anabaptist forebears of the 16th century, who modeled radical discipleship to Jesus Christ.

We seek to walk in his name by the power of the Holy Spirit, as we confidently await Christ’s return and the final fulfillment of God’s kingdom.

Mennonite World Conference’s General Council adopted this statement on March 15, 2006. Mennonite Central Committee has also adopted it.

www.emconference.ca/messenger • The Messenger 29

News

SBC opens new dorm STEINBACH, Man.—On Tuesday, Aug. 27, sweltering temperatures didn’t deter the numerous supporters from celebrating SBC’s grand opening of the new dorm building. Current, new, and former students and local dignitaries were among the diverse crowd taking the tour, seeing firsthand the hard work of so many people.

After speeches from board chair Darrell Dyck and president Rob Reimer, the ribbon was cut and the doors were flooded with eager observers. A free barbecue helped to refresh everyone.

This $1.5 million project provides SBC with 40 beds used this fall for students and available for rentals in

PHOTO: SBC

$1.5M project will aid students

Officials pose for ribbon cutting ceremony.

spring and summer for events such as family reunions and retreats.

Many thanks go to everyone who supported or helped in any way to make this project such a success.

– SBC

••

Central American youth explore their Anabaptist identity First time for hosting by Costa Rica members

PHOTO: MWC

HEREDIA, Costa Rica – Anabaptist young people from a from different socio-economic and cultural contexts, it is variety of countries came together for the annual Central essential to interpret scripture in community to enrich the American Mennonite Youth Conference in Costa Rica on experiences in the body of Christ.

March 27-30, 2013.

The youth shared the Lord’s Supper, prayed for and One hundred and twenty youth representatives from ministered to each other. “Despite borders and national Guatemala, Honduras, differences, Christ has Nicaragua, Costa Rica, made us one,” said Rodrigo Panama, Puerto Rico, Pedroza. “We closed with and Mexico shared about a hug, as a sign of love and “Mennonite Identity.” the fraternal ties that the Several North Americans Lord formed during this who work with MCC in event.”

Central America joined There was an afternoon them. This is the third rally, numerous games, year that Costa Rica has team building activities, participated in the cona cultural night, and—on ference and the first time the final night—a time of One hundred and twenty youth gathered together. they have hosted it. fellowship around a fireThe devotionals, workshops, and group reflection times side, sharing, telling jokes, singing, and playing games. all connected with the theme of “Mennonite Identity.”

The Central American Mennonite Youth Conference There were other workshops: Identity and Gender Relabegan 19 years ago with a retreat between young people tions, Culture of Peace and Conflict Resolution, and Bible of the Iglesia Casa Horeb of Guatemala and the Iglesia Reading in Community.

Menonita Aurora of Honduras.

The last examined the importance of developing a – Kristina Toews and Karoline Mora, MWC community hermeneutic. As every text can be interpreted

30 The Messenger • October 2013

In Memory

Henry Arthur Boehlig 1951-2013

Henry Arthur Boehlig, beloved husband of Anne Boehlig, passed away peacefully surrounded by the love of his family at 5:37 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 15, 2013, at the age of 61 years, only six days short of his 62nd birthday.

Henry was baptized on the confession of his faith in Jesus Christ on May 17, 1970. He married his young sweetheart on May 2, 1971. Henry and Anne were blessed by God with 41 years, nine months, and 13 days of marriage.

Henry’s deep commitment to his Saviour, Jesus Christ, was evident in every part of his life; his daily devotional time; his love for family and friends; and in his everyday life interactions.

Henry had a deep love for his family, for Anne his wife; for his children, Sharon and Dave, Mike and LaDawne, and Jen and Kevin; and for his eight grandchildren, Adam, Clayton, Jolene, Josee, Bennett, Jed, Gracie and Ethan.

Spending time with his family was always a highlight for Henry, including traveling, working together, tinkering on bicycles with his grandsons, building a treehouse, camping, hiking, or playing Rook. Time with family was always precious. Our Dad has left our family an amazing legacy.

Henry has always spoken very fondly and with deep respect for his parents and his parents-in-law, and

also for his brothers and sisters, and their spouses and extended family, and thoroughly enjoyed family gettogethers. Spending time with friends was also a highlight for him, and he had many, many friends. Also important was his church membership at Fish Creek Christian Fellowship in Calgary.

He appreciated his growing up years in Manitoba and highly valued his 25 years living in La Crete, Alta.

Moving to Calgary in 1992 brought more enjoyable years working with young people, either as a church youth leader or with the troubled teens at Youth for Christ.

He also really enjoyed connecting with clients through his Clarity Glass business. It was more than just work to him; it was something he loved to do. Henry’s work ethic always showed his integrity.

Ten years ago Henry was diagnosed with cancer. He lived life well even with that diagnosis and enjoyed eight relatively healthy years for which he was extremely grateful.

In the last two and a half years, Henry suffered much.

Chemotherapy, pain, nausea and difficulty

eating were his constant companions.

But he was not one to complain; yes, he would become very quiet and not communicate a lot, but he continued to live life as well as he possibly could.

He continued to run the race and finished well. We all love Henry and will miss him more than we can express. Yet we are thankful that he is now free of pain and is celebrating eternity with our Heavenly Father.

– His Family

www.emconference.ca/messenger • The Messenger 31

In Memory

Pastor Donald Richard Brynteson 1940-2013

Don entered eternity peacefully on Aug. 14, 2013, at his home in Riverton, Man., only three weeks after being diagnosed with bile duct cancer at to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

Left behind are his loving wife Bonnie and their four children, Richard, Randall, Ruth (Dyck) and Rachel (Audagnotti); 10 grandchildren: Nathan, Jeremy, Joel, Jessica and Curtis Dyck; Eythan and Emilie Brynteson; Ginger and Gus Lovestrand and Chloe Brynteson.

He was preceded in death by his father and mother, Pastor Harold and Evelyn (Doosvand) Brynteson of Fergus Falls, Minn.

Don was born on July 31, 1940, in Chicago, Ill. He graduated in 1958 from the Montevideo High School in Montevideo, Minn., and apprenticed as a carpenter/bricklayer for a couple of years under his father, who was also a pastor.

Answering the call of God on his life, Don moved to Bloomington, Minn., to attend the Bethany School of Missions. This is where, in 1960, he met his wife to be, Bonnie Nelson.

They were married on Aug. 17, 1963, and began their church ministry one month later in western South Dakota.

32 The Messenger • October 2013

In 1972 God led the family to move to Federal Dam, Minn., where they joined Daystar Ministries and became part of the staff at Zion Harbor, a Christian camp on Leach Lake.

In 1974 they moved to Mercedes, Texas, to join the ministry staff at Harmony Hill, an affiliate of Daystar Ministries just north of town.

In August of 1975, Don received an invitation to pastor the Mercedes Christian Church where he ministered for nearly 33 years until March 2008.

Don and Bonnie moved to Riverton, Man., in Spring of 2008 to be the pastors of the Riverton Gospel Chapel. “It was like being on a vacation,” he said, “but don’t tell anyone!”

He loved the opportunity of being pastor here and living close to the Dyck family. Always a family man and a friend to folks who came across his path in life, he had a passion to know his Lord and Saviour in a deep way and to share God’s love with everyone he met.

Although mixed with sadness, we are celebrating Don’s life and rejoicing with him because he is now in the presence of his Creator.

“Well done, good and faithful servant...Come and share your master’s happiness!” (Matt. 25:23). “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints” (Psalm 116:15).

Don’s memorial service was held on Sunday, Aug. 25, 2013, 4 p.m. at Riverton Gospel Chapel. Ministry was his life and love, and he supported Steinbach Bible College’s vision of training servant leaders. In honour of

Don Brynteson, donations can be made to SBC. Thank you so much to all our friends and extended family; to the medical staff who cared for him in Gimli, Selkirk, Winnipeg, and Rochester, his family doctor, and palliative care staff.

These last eight weeks would have been very different had we not had this overwhelming support and excellent care. We have felt so supported by the prayers and many different expressions of love and kindness throughout this difficult time.

– His Family

Calendar Manitoba November 25 Project Builders Annual General Meeting Open to members and guests Rosenort EMC

November 29 Training Seminar on Legal Obligations for Pastors

November 30 – December 2 Conference Council Prarie Rose EMC Landmark Ministerial Retreat Wilderness Edge Retreat & Conference Centre Pinawa

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

Taber EMC is seeking a full-time youth/associate pastor. Candidate should have the ability to plan and oversee a comprehensive youth ministry and oversee associate pastor ministries as arranged by the church leadership. Valuable assets would be skills in sports and music. Contact church board chair Abe Klassen at 403-223-0588 or 403-331-9563. Send resumes to Taber EMC, Box 4348, Taber, AB T1G 2C7 or taberemc@ yahoo.ca.

Vanderhoof Christian Fellowship, an evangelical and friendly Christ-centred church with approximately 100 regular attendees, is looking for a senior pastor who is especially gifted in preaching, teaching, and biblical guidance. Located in a vibrant forestry and mining community, one hour’s drive from Prince George, BC, we are looking for someone who can fulfill such pastoral duties as conducting weddings, baptisms, baby dedications, and funerals.

With an ability to minister to all age groups, the applicant should be committed to a personal Christian faith and be a disciple of Jesus Christ. He should be a willing and teachable leader, and a person whose love for the Lord is reflected in his ability to work well with others. Feel free to check out our website at www.vcfemc.com for information.

If the Holy Spirit seems to be inviting you to pursue this further, please contact Marcy Giesbrecht at mikegiesbrecht@msn.com., with your résumé and cover letter attached.

Steinbach Evangelical Mennonite Church is seeking an energetic director of worship arts to function in a half-time capacity within a team environment together with a lead pastor, associate pastor, youth pastor, community pastor, and support staff.

Responsibilities and qualifications include the following: provide leadership in programs such as coordination of worship services, overseeing music related groups within the church, strong administrative support. other responsibilities may include overseeing Toddler Time and Kidz Kamp programs and responsibility for music and equipment purchases.

Submit resumes and cover letters to chair of search committee, 422 Main St. Steinbach, MB R5G 1Z5; or semcsearchcomm@gmail.com.

Kola EMC is looking for a full-time pastor, but would also consider an intern position. Previous experience is preferred and housing is available.

Kola, in southwest Manitoba, is a small but aggressive little town in the middle of the oil patch with a lot of construction and farming in the surrounding area. We currently have approximately 100 people attending on a regular basis. For information, call 204-556-2037 or e-mail at kolaemc@gmail.com.

Other opportunities La Crete Christian Fellowship is seeking candidates to fill the role of senior pastor. LCCF is located in a beautiful, prosperous farming and logging community in northern Alberta. We are a multi-generational congregation with a strong commitment to missions. Our average Sunday attendance is 450.

The senior pastor would be a team member working with and providing general oversight to the associate pastor, youth pastor, office staff, lay minister and a large, supportive ministerial. He would have appropriate Bible college education and preferably a number of years of pastoral experience.

He would agree with the EMC Statement of Faith and Church Practices. Duties include, but are not limited to, preaching, teaching, some administration and officiating at various church functions.

Information can be found at www.lccfc.ca.

Please contact Darryl Olson at darrylwolson@gmail. com or 780-841-0287 if you can serve together with us in this capacity.

New Life Christian Fellowship seeking a senior pastor who has a heart for people and loves the Lord. We are an evangelical church located in Stevenson, Ont. The Church is mostly young families with average attendance between 80 to 100 people. The majority of the people attending have a Low German-speaking background. We seek a pastor who has the heart of a shepherd and a desire to see our church grow. He should have strong preaching and teaching skills and ability to develop leaders. Pastoral experience is preferred. He must be in agreement with our constitution and statement of faith. Anyone who possesses these qualifications and is interested in this position can forward their resume to nlcf@ciaccess.com Crestview Fellowship (www.crestviewfellowship. ca), an EMC church located in Winnipeg, Man., is prayerfully seeking applications for a half-time youth pastor or director. If you feel God calling you to this position, or if you have any questions about the position, please call Pastor Darrel Guenther at 204-837-9490 or Scott Groen, board chairman, at 204-885-0233 or send questions and/or resume to sgroen@shaw.ca or by mail to Scott Groen, c/o Crestview Fellowship, 271 Hamilton Ave, Winnipeg, MB R2Y 0H3. Those nearing graduation and new graduates are welcome to apply. Salary and hours are negotiable.

Hillside Christian Fellowship is looking for a fulltime or interim pastor. Previous experience is preferred and housing is available. Hillside Christian Fellowship is a rural church located on Highway 697 in the Buffalo Head Prairie area, about 25 kms from La Crete in northern Alberta. The industries that drive our community are farming and logging. We have about 50 to 60 people attending on average each Sunday. For information contact Jim Friesen at valley@sis.net or call (work) 780-928-3880 or (cell) 780-926-7717

Mid-Way Christian Leadership, based in Thompson, Man., is looking for an adult life coach, youth life coach and office manager. Please email generaldirector.mcl@gmail.com for full job descriptions or inquiries.

Inner City Youth Alive seeks a full-time administrative assistant to provide reception services for all ICYA staff and programs, and to provide assistance to administration staff. Contact Dory Richards, dory@ icya.ca. Further description at www.icya.ca.

Mennonite Community Services is looking to hire a radio marketing and administration manager.

Core duties: find sponsors, sell ads, supervise staff, facilitate schedules, train volunteers, ensure appropriate equipment is available and functioning, and provide overall administration and support.

Please send cover letter and resume to Mennonite Community Services at 16 Talbot Street East, Aylmer, ON N5H 1H4 or email to annab@mcson.org First Mennonite Church, Burns Lake, in northern BC, is looking for a part-time or full-time servant leader pastor. The desired person should share our vision and will work with us to fulfill it. The candidate will have ability to inspire discipleship, outreach, and a desire to embrace our community, while holding firm to sound biblical doctrine. Our candidate will agree with the Confession of Faith in the Mennonite Perspective. Send your resume to FMC c/o Wilf Dueck wedueck@telus.net, (phone) 250-692-3455 (cell) 250-692-6454.

Mennonite Foundation of Canada has an opening for an administrative assistant in its Winnipeg Office.

This individual should have strong organizational and computer skills, verbal and written communication skills, a high degree of professionalsim and ability to travel. Responsibilities include support to MFC’s governance groups, support to MFC staff re: group insurance and CRM software, and client support for the MFC/MSCU retirement fund program. A complete job description is available. Please submit resumes to Rick Braum-Janzen: rbjanzen@mennofoundation.ca or call 204-488-1985 by Oct. 25. more info at Mennofoundation.ca.

Where are position ads to be sent?

Ministry-related position ads are welcome. Please send all position ads, including pastoral search ads, to messenger@emconf.ca. All ads are to be 150 words or less. Space is provided without charge. All ads are subject to editing and can be removed after two appearances unless prior arrangements are made to have them appear longer. Please notify The Messenger as soon as possible when an ad is no longer needed. Thank you.

May the Lord bless your search.

www.emconference.ca/messenger • The Messenger 33

Columns • here and far away

The joy of being offended

O Have we adopted the idea that giving offense or admonishment is the greatest sin?

34 The Messenger • October 2013

PHOTO: DESIGNPICS

by Jocelyn R. Plett www.writewhatyousee. wordpress.com

ffend: to cause difficulty, discomfort, or injury We’ve gone home from church offended on many occasions in the past three years because of something the pastor has said from the pulpit.

Fortunately for us, there aren’t other English-speaking church families to run to should we want to divorce our current one. We’re “stuck” with what we’ve got, and that is a blessing I’ve come to appreciate.

This forces us to face head-on what our Spirit-led pastor teaches, examining what it is that offends or makes us uncomfortable and why. The words of a Truthteaching preacher, no matter how offensive that Truth can sound to a worldly ear, can spark the spirit within us, bringing spiritual change and blessing in its very unsettling wake.

Have our churches adopted a donot-turn-the-tables kind of mentality?

Have we adopted the idea that giving offense or admonishment is the greatest sin? Are we more afraid of offending than of truth?

How can we adopt a practice of tiptoeing around challenging life issues if the One we purport to follow was a table-turner himself?

Jesus said, “I did not come into the world to bring peace, but a sword”(Matt. 10:34-39). This does not, by any means, lie cozily with the North American philosophy of bring-no-offense. It is, indeed, part of the Kingdom Culture that is counter-cultural.

I’m not suggesting we seek ways of offending people. What I am challenging us to do is be open and mature enough to hear an uncomfortable Word from Scripture.

Allow the Word to speak to our hearts and ruffle our feathers. Acknowledge the possibility that we might be like the Pharisees sometimes and, subsequently, allow the Spirit to rub off the tarnish of Religion to expose the gleam of true repentance and humility underneath.

Let us encourage our leaders to teach us with sermons that make us squirm in our seats, sending us home with our conscience pricked.

The leaders of our churches are mandated to shepherd us.

If we pray for them and they are committed to following the leading of the Spirit as they teach and guide us, then we need to trust them to lead us through uncomfortable yet scriptural change. The prophets of the Old Testament give us a clear picture of what it means to speak an unpopular, yet True message to a people who were often too stubborn to hear. Let’s not be that kind of audience.

Do we encourage our teachers to speak challenging messages rather than feel-good devotionals that send us home to Sunday lunch with a glowing feeling in our hearts? Let’s not forget that the Scriptures are meant for teaching and admonishing, as well as encouragement (1 Thess. 5:12-22).

Let us encourage them after a particularly conscience-pricking, scriptural preach, because to step out into the dangerous waters of countercultural truth-saying is scary business! Let’s not be afraid of the Truth, even if it hurts us to be refined.

Let us honour a difficult admonishment rather than run from it.

Columns • stewardship today

Gimme, gimme never gets!

PHOTO: DESIGNPICS

M

y son takes after his father. He’s a picky eater. It’s no surprise that our family isn’t adventurous when it comes to menus and cultural cuisine.

Recently, we visited Grandma’s house for dinner—a wonderful, authentic Mexican meal.

As we were served, my son boldly stated, “I don’t like this food.” I was embarrassed by his lack of appreciation. This awkward situation opened the door for a life-lesson.

Grandma had worked hard and lovingly prepared a meal she thought we would enjoy. At the very least, we needed to show her some respect and appreciation for what she had prepared. I reminded my son that being thankful involves more than just saying grace.

A similar scene often plays out at a child’s birthday party. Surrounded by brightly coloured packages and bags, many children dive in, one bag after another, without taking the time to read the card or to recognize the generosity and thoughtfulness of the giver.

What is it that we want kids to recognize when receiving a gift?

• God ultimately provides and He is worthy of our thanks.

• Without the giver, there is no gift. Honour both in that order.

• See the giver’s heart apart from the gift (even if the gift is something they don’t care for).

• Realize the gift is a gift of grace. No one made the giver give it.

• There are no strings attached, no requirement to repay the giver.

As parents we are charged with teaching our children some difficult lessons. But the Bible promises it’s a worthwhile investment. “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it” (Pro. 22: 6).

Some practical methods for teaching graciousness are to involve the child in: • apologizing to the giver whenever necessary.

Not easy at any age.

• role playing—practice how to respond to disappointment and distaste beforehand.

by Kevin Davidson

•

seeing us in action. It happens more often than we think. Do we practice what we preach?

Do we model gracious receiving ourselves?

What do children hear and see in us when we as adults receive a gift? Sarcasm, ungratefulness, whiny attitude, payback? Prayer—asking God to empower us to be gracious receivers.

The fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5) provides us with godly characteristics that show us how to be good gift receivers. Love, goodness and faithfulness help us to show love and appreciation towards the other person for whom they are and the spirit with which the gift was given.

Joy allows us to demonstrate contentment for what we have rather than envy for what we don’t have. Patience and gentleness give us grace to kindly accept even those gifts that we may not like. Peace, kindness and self-control provide the good judgment to avoid making sarcastic or rude comments.

Teaching kids to be gracious receivers is a two-way street. The receiver extends sincere appreciation to the giver for their thoughtfulness and generosity. When you see it, affirm it—then try to model it.

God ultimately provides and He is worthy of our thanks.

Kevin Davidson is a stewardship consultant in the Calgary, Alta., office of Mennonite Foundation of Canada. For information on impulsive generosity, stewardship education, and estate and charitable gift planning, contact your nearest MFC office or visit Mennofoundation.ca.

www.emconference.ca/messenger • The Messenger 35

Columns • kids’ corner

Too much stuff

D

niz o you have too much stuff? Are e you thankful or do you just Do: Sort through your clothes want more stuff? and school supplies.

Fall is a good time to get something new. It’s a time of new beginnings. New things fill the store Organize them into three groups: shelves.

--Keep it because I’ll use it.

You need new things. Last --Give it away because I don’t need it year’s notebooks are filled and

won’t use it, or don’t like it. pencils are worn down. You have --Throw it out because it’s broken or grown and you need new jeans,

worn out. tops, socks and shoes. The store owner knows this so he fills his shelves with new supplies you will Caution: Check with your parents need and new styles and colours for before doing this. Do it only if they you to choose from. agree and help by supervision.

All of these new things may make you feel good. But what about all the things you already have?

Take a look in your closet. Do you still like the clothes from last year? Do they still fit you?

Are they comfortable? Some may be your favou- it’s not your favourite after all. Maybe you don’t rite. You want to wear them all the time. even like it as much as last year’s similar item.

What about supplies? Are You have an amazing brain. You are able to they useable, unused think things through, consider a thing’s value notebooks, good and purpose. There are two ways to think about pencils, pens and new things. crayons?

One is to evaluate the items you already have What hapright now. Does it fit? Do you like it? Will you pens to new wear it or use it? If the answer is yes, you keep it. things? In If the answer is no, you can give it away or if it’s time they too not useable, throw it out. become old.

Then carefully consider any new item. Do If you have you need it? Will it help you do your work? Will too much it keep you warm or help you walk or run better? stuff even the Too much stuff clutters up your space, and if new one may it’s not used a lot becomes a wasted item. get overlooked Too much stuff can distract you from someand unused. Maybe thing important. You may think about it too much, or even all the time.

This happened to a young man who loved PHOTO: DESIGNPICS Jesus and wanted to follow him. But he had too much stuff. He wanted it more than he wanted Jesus. Read the story in Matthew 19:16–24.

d

r you th wi

parents’ help.

by Loreena Thiessen

Activity: Get orga

Too much stuff clutters up your space.

36 The Messenger • October 2013

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