The Messenger Vol. 52 No. 12 December 2014

The Messenger a publication of the Evangelical

Mennonite Conference

Volume 52 No. 12 December 2014

And the Word Became Flesh and Lived Among Us

page 6

DESIGNPICS

ALSO INSIDE:

Why It's Worth Waiting For Christmas page 9 What Did Christmas Used to Mean? page 12

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Editorials

‘Christ Jesus our hope’

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uring this Advent season, Christians are called to hope. Paul speaks simply of “Christ Jesus our hope” (1 Tim. 1:1).

As a period that prepares for Christmas, Advent (“coming”) is a time of hope.

It recalls the key event of history—the coming of Jesus—that shapes our individual, communal, and world’s future. It’s a season when we collectively reflect and are encouraged.

During Advent, as always, our faith in Christ reminds us of wondrous truths: Our Triune God—Father, Son, and Spirit—is Creator (we are here on purpose), Redeemer (we are held by grace), and Sanctifier (we are changing). Together we are to follow Christ in life.

In most communities in Canada various branches of the Christian Church gather for worship services. To

begin, renew, or deepen our faith in Christ, let’s follow Christ with his people.

As we gather together as a community in worshipping Christ, we show we were not intended to be alone. “Christianity means community through Jesus Christ and in Jesus Christ,” says Dietrich Bonhoeffer. “No Christian community is more or less than this.” God is recreating humanity, reflecting this within the Church, he reminds us.

As we go forward in God’s world in the light of Christ, my desire is this: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 15:13).

– Terry M. Smith

As we gather together as a community in worshipping Christ, we show we were not intended to be alone.

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Christ the Questioner

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ne question raised during the Christmas season is, “Who is Christ?”

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a Lutheran theologian killed in Germany in 1945 for his opposition to Adolf Hitler, raised that issue. He said the central question is whether Jesus is only the founder of a new religion or the Son of God. Some of the Protestant churches of Bonhoeffer’s time, it seems, were too often content to see Jesus simply as a moral leader, a teacher of ideas, or a role model. But for Bonhoeffer such views were inadequate. They missed the wonder of Christ. (The same can be said of some current views of Jesus.)

As the Eternal One who became humanity personified, Jesus presents us with God not as an idea, but in his own person, Bonhoeffer stressed. While people have their own

2 The Messenger • December 2014

ideas about God and dare to make him into their image, Jesus firmly confronts and challenges such ideas, revealing God in himself, he said.

Jesus caused trouble for the people of his time—so much so that some people decided to get rid of him. But this Word of God become flesh resisted their verdict, rising from the dead, and confronts them and us again. By his incarnation, death, and resurrection, Christ is the one who reverses the conversation so that we, in fact, are being questioned, Bonhoeffer said.

At Christmas we celebrate that in Christ we have been made new and are being made new. Hitler killed Bonhoeffer, yet Dietrich lives and so do we because of the Son of God who became also human for us.

–Terry M. Smith

Jesus caused trouble for the people of his time—so much so that some people decided to get rid of him. But this Word of God become flesh resisted their verdict, rising from the dead, and confronts them and us again.

Table of Contents Features

Columns

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And the Word Became Flesh 5 Writings Shared and Lived Among Us – Dr. Karl Koop 15 Poetry

9

Why It's Worth Waiting For Christmas – Andrew Krahn

12 What Did Christmas Used to Mean?

– Russell Doerksen

Heaven's Gift – Eleanor Lee Gustaw

16 An Education App

Let's educate on the Church!

– Terry M. Smith

page

17

19 Window on Missions

EMC Missions is on the lookout for humble people!

– Ken Zacharias and Terry M. Smith

24 Further In and Higher Up

Departments 2

Editorials

3

Pontius’ Puddle

4

Letters and Notices

17 With Our Missionaries 20 With Our Churches 25 News 32 In Memory 33 Shoulder Tapping

Jesus is the Answer – Layton Friesen

34 Here and Far Away

page

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A Theology of Yet – Jocelyn R. Plett

35 Stewardship Today That's a lot of money!

– Sherri Grosz

36 Kids’ Corner

What do you expect for Christmas?

– Loreena Thiessen

page

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www.emconference.ca/messenger • The Messenger 3

The Messenger Volume 52 No. 12 December 2014

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.

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Letters, articles, photos and poems are welcomed.

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THE MESSENGER schedule: No. 03– Mar. 2015 issue (copy due Jan 08)

4 The Messenger • December 2014

Letters and Notices May we be found on the side of truth Reading your [General Board] letter in the September issue re: [Church leaders seek peace in Israel and Gaza] Letter sent to PM, Minister of Foreign Affairs. The very same day The Messenger came, we also received this letter below from friends who live in Jerusalem. They wrote to us: “Because we pray for one another for all the needs, we can also mention what causes our heart to rejoice or sorrow. My wife and I had just returned home to Jerusalem from Poland recently. Within the next three days, we had to rush to our air-raid shelter several times. In the space of a week, over a thousand rockets were fired from Gaza—from ancient Jewish land that was entrusted to the Arabs for the sake of peace—at Israeli citizens in Jerusalem and nationwide,

Article thoughtful and insightful The [Nov.] article by Mark von Kampen (U. of M.) was very good. He talked about how Paul found common ground with his listeners “rather than starting from a place of judgment and superiority.” I also liked his statement, “As strange as it seems, quoting from the Bible might not be the most effective way to introduce the good news of our Lord to someone new.” I agree.

Also stated: “Truth can be found in

Guidelines for letters

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. It can refuse publication.

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.

causing loss of life, injuries and property damage. The wailing sirens reminded Leah and me of our war experiences in Europe decades ago.

“When Israel finally spoke the only language terrorists understand, many were surprized at Israel’s consideration of the Gaza citizens (from whose midst rockets were being fired at Israel), warning the residents and giving them the chance to rush to safety. We witnessed humanity unheard of in any other war. Jews are simply different!

But the news media twist the good into hatred, and lies into truth, even ‘light for darkness’ (Isa. 5:20).”

May we be found on the side of truth, rather on the side of the promises of God. See Psalm 105:8-12.

– Mark Gerber Fort Frances, Ont.

other traditions.” We often discard traditions of other faiths.

The author ends by saying people “challenge me to remain humble and receptive to the possibility that my own faith and understanding can be deepened and broadened through my encounters with those of other beliefs.” I thought this entire article was thoughtful and insightful.

– Janice Imrie Creighton, Sask.

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 are to be 250 words or less.

Columns • A Reader's Viewpoint Darwin’s Doubt: The Explosive Origin of Animal Life and the Case for Intelligent Design, Stephen C. Meyer. $24.99. HarperCollins, 2013. 541 pp. ISBN 9780062071484. Reviewed by Delmer Plett (Morweena), deacon.

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his book does not go into the topic of young earth versus old earth, but it does not try to refute that some fossils are millions of years old. Throughout the book he does not use the terms Bible or God, though at the end there is a bit of that. What it does say is that the fossil record does not support all that is required by non-theistic evolution and he holds that there is evidence of an Intelligent Designer.

Intelligent Design here is not arrived at through religion, but strictly from science.

Example: if the workings of a computer were researched, it would quickly lead to the conclusion that Intelligent Design is involved.

Dr. Stephen C. Meyer, a Cambridge-trained philosopher of science, quotes many scientists, not just those that share his view. I find he is not one picking fights, but rather following the rules of science, as he himself is a scientist. The

last part of the book addresses some of the new ideas that scientists who do not accept Intelligent Design are coming up with because science is not able to support Darwin’s views.

One more example: because scientists that work with the Intelligent Design perspective do their research differently, they find new stuff.

They had a major breakthrough within the past few years. Scientists in their research found no known purpose for a lot of DNA. This was to be expected from the evolution prospective.

Intelligent Design scientists believed that the DNA must have a purpose; it was designed after all. Recent research has found that to be true, thus making a major contribution to science.

With this find even the theistic evolutionists are in trouble.

This is not a book that the average person will take and read, but for students and leaders I see this as a real treasure.

MERRY CHRISTMAS M O R F C M E THE STAFF E C I F OF

www.emconference.ca/messenger • The Messenger 5

And the Word Became Flesh and Lived Among Us

ISTOCK

by Dr. Karl Koop

6 The Messenger • December 2014

Positive Terms

Yet, when it comes to the material and natural world, the Bible actually speaks in positive terms. When the biblical writers use terms like “flesh” and “world” they are not critical of nature or materiality as such.

Rather, they are disapproving of a certain kind of attitude linked to disobedience, selfishness and disregard for God. If anything, the Bible defends the inherent goodness and intrinsic value of creation, linking the created order inextricably to God the creator of heaven and earth.

Yet, when it comes to the material and natural world, the Bible actually speaks in positive terms. When the biblical writers use terms like “flesh” and “world” they are not critical of nature or materiality as such.

DESIGNPICS

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s a young person, I would sometimes hear from church leaders and from my parents that we should be separate from the world. We were in the world but not of it. Against the eroding values and illusions of our surrounding society, the Bible had called us to be a distinct people and a priesthood of believers, and this meant getting our lives in order in preparation for the heavenly realm awaiting us.

The New Testament speaks often about the world to come. For instance, in the Gospel of John, Jesus tells his disciples that in his Father’s house there are many dwelling places and he has prepared a place for them (John 14:2).

Other passages of Scripture seem to imply that believers should give sole attention to other-worldly matters. Paul writes, “To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the spirit is life and peace” (Rom. 8.6). Similarly, John’s Gospel claims that “it is the spirit that gives life; the flesh [on the other hand] is useless” (John 6: 63).

In the Book of Genesis, we read that God created the world and it is good. In his letter to Colossians, Paul sees Jesus as the first born of creation. In the first letter to the Corinthians, we read that in Christ, God created all things in heaven and on earth (1 Cor. 15-20). Moreover, the shocking conclusion that we encounter in John’s Gospel is that through the material world, God reveals himself. It is through materiality—through “the Word made flesh”(John 1:14)—that God chooses to enter into our lives.

Shocking Conclusion

I say “shocking conclusion” because some of the original hearers of John’s Gospel would have certainly been shocked and deeply troubled by the idea that God chose to reveal himself in the flesh. In the Greco-Roman world of the first century, where a number of people in society subscribed to Gnosticism or some form of Neo-Platonism, it was common to spiritualize religion, to relegate the faith to the inner life, or to the mind, and reject all that was earthly and material.

For the Gnostics and the Platonists, the world was evil, that is, flesh was evil, and divine reality could have no part of it. Ultimate divine reality was utterly separated from the world and could only relate to the world through lesser, derivative principles. In this context, it was tempting for Christians to think of Jesus simply as an intermediary between the world and an inaccessible transcendent Father. ➢

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DREAMSTIME

Yet the Bible repeatedly tells us that the earth is the Lord’s (Ps. 24), and that we actually ought not to do as we please.

We have the responsibility to take care of the earth. The responsibility to “have dominion” over the earth (Gen. 1: 26, 28) is really an exhortation to become responsible gardeners, which means that we are ultimately accountable to God for our gardening practices.

Moving Beyond Delusion

Entered Into History

Yet when we read that the Word becomes flesh and dwelt among us, Scripture clearly challenges these gnostic and platonic conceptions of reality.

God is not only transcendent; he is immanent.

In Christ, God has entered into history, into nature, into our culture, even into materiality and the mess of everyday life.

God enters into this messy world and he enters into our situations and into our lives. It would appear that God is worldly oriented. God is not some abstract first principle, as the Greek philosophers of the first century would have it, whose perfection disallows him from experiencing the sufferings of the world. In Christ, God is personally engaged in the world because God loves the world.

Christianity then, is not, solely a “spiritual” religion that is exclusively lodged in the heart, mind or soul, untainted by history or cultural or materiality. The Christian faith is not only about the transcendent and it is not only about heaven. Orthodox faith includes these dimensions, yet is not limited by them. Authentic faith necessarily includes a materialistic outlook.

Sacredness of the Earth

That God is willing to enter human history and become flesh should remind us of the sacredness of the earth. From a modern mechanistic point of view, we may assume that we can do whatever we want with the air, water, or soil; that we are free to do as we please with the land that we have purchased with our hard-earned dollars.

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At present, we are facing human engineered environmental devastation of unprecedented proportions. From the loss of glacier fields and the visible contamination of air and water to waste dumbs and species extinction, the planet, it seems, is facing assaults from human activity as never before.

We have recognized the crisis of our planet for decades, but many of us have ignored the problem perhaps because we have somehow believed that the environmental crisis is not really a “spiritual” concern. We have deluded ourselves into thinking that it is about politics, economics or social action. This, however, is not in keeping with a biblical worldview where spirituality encompasses the whole of life, including the material world.

The world of sin, corruption, and evil should not be our home, and in keeping with Scripture, Christians should look forward to the life to come. These convictions are central to Christian faith and hope.

Yet the world—the air we breathe, the water and earth that sustains us—is sacred, and it is through this material reality that God has chosen to enter into our lives to bring salvation.

Rather than trying to escape from the world that God has created, we must learn to embrace it. This too is the wonder and message of the Christmas season that awaits us.

Karl Koop, BA, BTh, MDiv, PhD, is the director of the Graduate School of Theology and Ministry, Canadian Mennonite University.

DESIGNPICS

Why It’s Worth Waiting For Christmas

by Andrew Krahn

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have a few unpopular opinions. I think that hockey is overrated and curling is underrated. I’m not a fan of Tim Hortons. Ideally, I think Christmas, especially in the context of Christian worship, should be observed from Dec. 25 to Jan. 5 and not before. As you can imagine, this last opinion has caused me more grief than the first two.

I’m not a curmudgeon or a scrooge and I don’t hate the Christmas Season. Quite the opposite, in fact. I only wish to do what so many greeting cards, billboards and outdoor church signs urge us to do. I wish to put Christ firmly at the heart of Christmas.

I can understand the confusion people have when I say these sorts of things. Shouldn’t we embrace proclaiming Jesus’ birth as much as possible? If shopping centres are playing Christmas Carols on Nov. 1, why would I wait until Dec. 25 to sing them in church? Are we less holy than shopping malls? Why would I want to celebrate Christmas after Christmas? The season should be over because, frankly, by Boxing Day I’m nearly sick to death of it all.

Small wonder. The commercial engines that run our society increasingly dictate to us when the Christmas season begins and ends and drag us along the path of worshipping at the altar of commerce.

We Can Resist

The High Holy Days of our glutted society are Black Friday—which is becoming as much a

shopping bonanza in Canada as in the United States—and Boxing Day. Unfortunately, the notions of Christmas cheer, generosity and even our favourite carols have been commandeered into the service of making money, a lot of money.

We cannot compete with the empire of buying and selling. We cannot “put Christ back in Christmas” by singing our Christmas carols louder. The jingles of advertisements, sales, and the latest electronic wonders will always sing louder, and in the end we will only add to the noise.

We cannot compete, but we can resist. While the noise of this commercial season grows and spreads throughout our society we can practice silence. Though our society encourages us to satisfy our appetites instantly, we can assume a posture of waiting. We can stand together with the prophets and declare, “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight” (Mark 1:3).

Rather than cover our wounds with false balms like “retail therapy,” we can lament together: O Lord God of hosts, how long will you be angry with your people’s prayers?

You have fed them with the bread of tears, and given them tears to drink in full measure.

You make us the scorn of our neighbors; our enemies laugh among themselves.

Restore us, O God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved.

(Psalm 80:4-7 NRSV)

➢

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And we can rally together behind the words of Isaiah,

Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees.

Say to those who are of a fearful heart, “Be strong, do not fear!

Here is your God. He will come with vengeance, with terrible recompense.

He will come and save you.

(Isaiah 35:3-4) We cannot compete, but we can celebrate the season of Advent.

Advent, a Season of Preparation

For some, Advent is nearly synonymous with Christmas, but many Christian traditions observe Advent as a separate season of preparation for the coming of Christ, much as Lent does for Easter. It encompasses the four Sundays leading up to Christmas Day, and is marked by observing a posture of waiting with anticipation for the Lord’s coming.

They are vibrating with the anticipation of it because they know that God is at work, that he is about to break out into the world in an unprecedented way.

During Advent we come alongside the prophets like Isaiah, Jeremiah and Malachi, and New Testament figures like Mary, Joseph, Elizabeth, Zechariah and John the Baptist, and we identify with them. We stand in solidarity with these people, acknowledging that all is not well with the world.

Corruption, injustice, violence, oppression and sin abound and we are in desperate need of a saviour. But these characters are also watching and waiting for God to break through, to speak into the void, to bring light into the darkness, to come and save us.

They are vibrating with the anticipation of it because they know that God is at work, that he is about to break out into the world in an unprecedented way. Isaiah expresses this tension beautifully in Isaiah:

O that you would tear open the heavens and come down, so that the mountains would quake at your presence— as when fire kindles brushwood and the fire causes water to boil— to make your name known to your adversaries, so that the nations might tremble at your presence!

When you did awesome deeds that we did not expect, you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence.

From ages past no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who works for those who wait for him.

(Isaiah 64:1-4)

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In Advent we acknowledge that while Christ came to Bethlehem all those years ago, we are still waiting for him to come again to bring his saving act to completion.

But waiting is terrifically difficult; and to be honest, to our hard-working Mennonite sensibilities, it seems rather passive. Perhaps it even sounds useless.

No Passive Waiting

Henri Nouwen suggests that Advent waiting is not passive waiting. Of the biblical characters mentioned above he says, “There is none of this passivity in scripture.

Those who are waiting are waiting very actively… Active waiting means to be present fully to the moment, in the conviction that something is happening where you are and that you want to be present to it” (in Watch for the Light: Readings for Advent and Christmas, Orbis Books, 2001, 31).

This sort of waiting can be very uncomfortable and even painful. This sort of waiting requires space and silence so that we can attend to what God is saying and doing in the world. It is risky. We may not like what God is doing and saying.

Or, perhaps worse yet, we may not see or hear anything at all. We may experience disappointment, and question along with John the Baptist, saying to Jesus, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” (Matt.

11:3).

Advent is too difficult to observe independently. The noise of the empire is too great to withstand on our own. But I think we can stand it if we do it together as church communities.

Together We Can

Together we can lament the state of our world.

Together we can wait and long for the coming of Christ. Together we can voice our doubts, fears, concerns and hurts; and together we can look with anticipation for the saving action of God in the world.

If we as churches put this kind of effort into our preparations for Christmas we would not need to look for Christ in Christmas, but rather on Dec. 25 we would be bursting to celebrate that Christ has indeed come!

He comes not as a conqueror, not to compete with the empire, but by submitting to the form of a body and ultimately death, even death on a cross, Christ comes to subvert the Empire and overthrow it. Gloria in excelsis Deo! Andrew Krahn, BA, MDiv student, is associate pastor at Fort Garry EMC. He is married to Melissa. They have two sons, Judah and Ezra.

Weddings SIEMENS-PENNER: Mitchell and Jennifer were married on May 23, 2014. The couple is living in Steinbach.

SIEMENS-HAMM: Tracy and Garret were married on June 8, 2014. The couple is living in Winnipeg.

SIEMENS-COSS: TJ and Julie were married on June 13, 2014. The couple is living in Steinbach.

GINTER-BRANDT: Samantha and Corey Robert were married on July 12, 2014. The couple is living in Rosenort.

LOEWEN-SAKATCH: Brett and Riana were married on July 19, 2014. The couple is living in Calgary.

REMPEL-FLEMING: Joe and Nicole were married on Aug. 16, 2014. The couple is living in Rosenort.

SILVESTER-FONTAINE: Samantha and Damon Fontaine were married on Oct. 11, 2014. The couple is living in Winnipeg.

www.emconference.ca/messenger • The Messenger 11

What Did Christmas Used to Mean?

by Russell Doerksen

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ISTOCK

he Christmas season has come to represent a particular set of customs here in the West. At Christmas there are Christmas trees and decorations as far as the eye can see.

There are Christmas specials playing nonstop on every TV channel and in every elementary school gymnasium. Christmas means the gatherings and feasts with family and friends.

Most importantly, Christmas means celebrating the birth of Christ.

However, Christmas has also come to mean something else to many people. Christmas has come to mean consumerism. Christmas has come to mean excess. Christmas has come to mean decadence and, worst of all, Santa. There has come to be tension in December between what many assume that Christmas was and what it may soon become.

But in saying this, in making this comparison, we should honestly ask ourselves, “What did Christmas used to be?” Not the nativity from the gospels that we look into every year at this time, but instead what are the origins of the festival itself?

And so, let us go back in time to look at the origin of the festival of Christmas, and while we are there, let us try to garner any mission and message that we can find for the Church today.

Early History

Now, we begin by stating what many people already know. Christmas celebrations are quite old, dating back to the fourth century when the Church was still quite young.

For the first several centuries of the Church, the celebration of the birth of Christ played second fiddle to the celebration of Easter. It was only when the Church leaders settled into the realization that it may be a while before Christ returns that the celebration of his birth became popular.

However, what many do not know is that celebrations of the winter solstice were already

12 The Messenger • December 2014

around when Christmas came into being and had been around for quite some time. Most civilizations throughout history have had some form of winter solstice celebration, and the Romans, Scandinavians and Germanic people who were in contact with the Early Church all had celebrations of their own.

These other festivals in December are important for us to acknowledge, because in the Early Church there were several possible dates for Christmas to be held, with only one of the dates being December 25. It was because of these other festivals that December 25 won out in the end.

An Early Skill

You see, if there was anything that the Early Church was good at, it was appropriating other

Paul claimed an altar for Christ.

cultures. This can be seen in the Bible itself.

Think of the story of Paul in Athens.

Upon seeing an altar to an Unknown God, Paul claims it to be for Christ. We read in Acts 17:23: “For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god.

So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you.”

Paul appropriates the altar to the Unknown God, using it as a sort of bridge into the hearts and minds of the local Athenians.

Time after time in the early history of the Church, the Christian missionaries take this approach to reaching local populations. Essentially, when Christianity moves into new populations, it changes to fit that population.

For example, when Christianity first moved into Ireland, we got a highly ascetic form of Christianity because that is what the religious practices of the time in that place looked like.

When Christianity moved into Scandinavia several centuries later, it produced “Christ the Conqueror,” a vision of the Son of God that was similar to the old Norse myths.

The essential story of the Gospel does not change, but the specific details adapt to make the gospel as appealing as it can be for the locals.

Often when we hear how other cultures think of God, we think that they are being heretical because they differ from us. However, as we can see from Acts 17:23, this is not always the situation. Most of the time it is simply that different cultures understand the world in different ways, and their faith reflects their outlook.

As such, to the early Irish asceticism was how to show devotion, so it makes sense that ascetic practices would be appropriated into their new faith. To the Scandinavians who greatly respected power, it makes sense that their version of Christ would be ultimately powerful.

Message and Mission

Now, with this in mind, let us come back to the early winter solstice holidays. These holidays were held on the shortest and coldest day of the year. They were held at the time of the year when everything was dead and dying; the heat and life of the summer were both long past and distant in the future.

However, these celebrations of the Romans, the Germanic people and the Scandinavians, while all for different purposes, were marked by warm fires, family and friends coming together, and unusually raucous merriment and feasting.

On the coldest and darkest day of the year, in a world that was much less forgiving then ours, there were held what were often the biggest and best parties of the year.

We must now also ask ourselves, when Christianity appropriated the winter solstice festivals, what features did it take? Also, what were the message and mission implications of taking the features that it did? Well, by many surviving accounts, the earliest forms of Christmas essentially just substituted the reason for the festivals, but kept the various practices of the celebration as is. ➢

“What did Christmas used to be?” Not the nativity from the gospels that we look into every year at this time, but instead what are the origins of the festival itself?

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So instead of seeing conflict, perhaps it is better to instead take a page from our Christian forebears. We should take cues as to why Christmas is changing in the way that it is and then use this knowledge to effectively be the good news to the cultures we are in.

In many of the early festivals, there was feasting in honour of the sun or some minor god to ensure that a good summer would come. At the same time, when the solstice festivals were appropriated, Christianity often talked of Christ as being the light of the world, and so very little changed in terms of language used.

Throughout their slow conversion, the festivals remained a celebration of the Son. However, what changed was that while before the winter solstice was to look forward to the coming sun, Christmas became instead the praise for the Son who had already come.

The festivals remained the same in almost every way; and since they were the highpoints of the lives of the people who observed them, we should think of that as a good thing. What changed was the reason for celebration. The festivals of the winter solstice became, in essence, a version of the altar to the Unknown God of Acts 17:23.

Noteworthy Traditions

Among the many noteworthy traditions that were appropriated from winter solstice festivals were the Christmas Tree, Yule Log, Christmas

A Yule Log

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carols, Christmas wreaths, use of greenery, use of lights, gift giving, and even the heavy emphasis on charity.

Often we as Christians believe that nothing is older than us and that our faith is why Christmas exists. We lash out when we see our holiday being celebrated in different ways. However, the winter solstice celebrations are older than the coming of Christ and were celebrated far before the Christian Church came into being.

So instead of seeing conflict, perhaps it is better to instead take a page from our Christian forebears. We should take cues as to why Christmas is changing in the way that it is and then use this knowledge to effectively be the good news to the cultures we are in.

As Christmas has always been a time of merriment, it can speak of wants and desires in a unique and powerful way.

But most importantly for now, let us celebrate Christmas as it was always meant to be celebrated, with good food, good company, and praise for what has happened in Christ, and for what—Whom—is yet to come.

Russell Doerksen (Fort Garry), BA, MDiv, is a member of the EMC Board of Church Ministries.

Bibliography Bowler, Gerry. The World Encyclopedia of Christmas. Toronto: McCelland & Stewart, 2000.

Buckland, Patricia. Advent to Pentecost. Wilton: Morehouse-Barlow Co. Inc., 1977.

Cahill, Thomas. How the Irish Saved Civilization.

New York: Doubleday, 1995.

Hauck, Allan. Calendar of Christianity. New York: Association Press, 1961.

Hiebert, Paul G. Transforming Worldviews. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2008.

Kraft, Charles H. Christianity in Culture. 11th edition. Maryknoll: Orbis Books, 1979.

Livermore, David A. Cultural Intelligence. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2009.

Stark, Rodney. The Rise of Christianity. New York: Harper One, 1996.

Column • Poetry

Heaven’s Gift

by Eleanor Lee Gustaw Heaven was born in a manager stall where the gift of Christmas came for all.

Wrapped in love, God gave His best where the souls of men could find peace and rest.

There were shepherds and wise men who followed a star, and journeyed for miles, not knowing quite where.

There they worshipped the child who was born on the hay, and paid homage with praises where the little boy lay.

And like them we follow the Star from of old where the story of Christmas will ever be told.

For the journey to men that God placed on the Earth, lives forever in that manger and Christ’s holy birth.

Jesus Lord, He is King, all in all, Let us worship, give thanks, and say yes to His call.

Because Christmas was born in a wee manger stall, we rejoice for the gift Heaven brought to us all.

DREAMSTIME

The triumph of God sent has lit up the world with a message that stands true and ever is gold.

For Christ is our Saviour who came from above and reins in our hearts with the purest of love.

Eleanor Lee Gustaw is connected with Riverton Gospel Chapel.

GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY AND MINISTRY The GSTM is a special place that helped me—by its faculty who care and think, students from different traditions, and subject matter that stretched the soul— to serve in the Church. The bursary for EMC students helped a lot, too.

David Kruse MA (Theological Studies), 2011 Grad

A bursary for graduate students from the Evangelical Mennonite Conference is available.

For more information contact mkrohn@cmu.ca.

cmu.ca/gstm CANADIAN MENNONITE UNIVERSITY

www.emconference.ca/messenger • The Messenger 15

Column • An Education App

Let’s educate on the Church!

“They . . . were in the habit of meeting on a certain fixed day before it was light, when they sang in alternate a hymn to Christ as to a god, and bound themselves . . . never to commit any fraud, theft, adultery, never to falsify their word, not to deny a trust when they should be called upon to deliver it up.” – Plinius Secundus, governor of Bithynia in Asia Minor (A.D. 112).

“On the first day of the week we came together to break bread.” When Paul spoke until midnight, a listener got sleepy, fell, and died. After the listener was brought back to life, Paul broke bread and continued talking until daylight – See Acts 20:7-12.

by Terry M. Smith Executive Secretary

“Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. ” – Heb. 10:25.

“Sir, you wish to serve God and go to heaven. Remember you cannot serve him alone. You must therefore find companions or make them. The Bible knows nothing of solitary religion.” – John Wesley

A

few years ago a writer in this magazine quoted Tertullian, a third-century leader who said, “One Christian is no Christian.” A reader replied that an individual can be a Christian. I agree, and as evidence would point to the Ethiopian official who became a Christian and returned to his homeland alone (Acts 8).

Yet I stand by Tertullian’s basic concern, which was shared by John Wesley. To be alone in our faith is to misunderstand it. Being a Christian is not designed to be a solo sport.

As Christians in Canada, where individualism can be over-stressed, we need to teach on the value and nature of the Church.

The Church is not an institution with structures. At its heart, the Church is people committed to Christ and to each other.

What does this mean? Denominations are earthly divisions largely ignored by Christ.

Baptism is membership. Church structures are to serve God’s people. Christians need to gather weekly for worship and education.

As Pliny, Luke, and Hebrews remind us, early Christians met for worship, education, and mutual support for life within the Roman Empire.

Gathering was so important that they met early

16 The Messenger • December 2014

DESIGNPICS

Let’s educate on the Church’s nature and value. Not to do so reflects poorly on us.

Why? Because we are the Church.

in the morning or late in the evening while slave owners slept and when labourers and employers were not required to be at work.

What is the Church? It’s the start of God’s new humanity, said Dietrich Bonhoeffer. He even wrote that Christ does not want people to be religious; he wants us to be fully human.

To be fully human, though, means to worship and follow the Triune God with others in “life together” (a title of a book by him).

During this Christmas season, let’s gather as Christ’s people mindful of our need to be the Church. As we do so, let’s remember that today in Ethiopia there are many thousands of believers who gather together—a reality that would delight Tertullian, Wesley, and the official of Acts 8.

With Our Missionaries

Teach me, please!

MEXICO

PHOTOS USED WITH PERMISSION

Living abroad can be done in one of two ways: hang on to your own culture and be constantly fighting against the one you live in, or decide it is easier to change yourself than an entire culture. Learn to embrace rather than to reject. Each culture has something to teach the others.

That said, “Among the hardest tasks in life is to divest ourselves of the culture we wear so comfortably” (Duane Elmer, Cross-Cultural Servanthood). Elmer goes on to explain that it’s like have been in a play that is wellknown to you. You know the part perfectly. Now are you in another play and it feels unnatural, even awkward at times (19).

Well, we are in this new “play” and we have asked our gang from the gym to be our tutors in how to be Mexican.

This is setting us up to be corrected and told that “this is how we do it here,” regardless of how our own culture does it.

“We generally favor our own cultural perspective and believe it to be superior to other perspectives” (52). Elmer goes on to remind us that we need to be willing to learn about, from and with the host country” (93).

I am Canadian, 100 percent. My husband Ernie might tell you that he is also, but he is not; he is more half and half. As a matter of fact, just recently a friend from the gym said, “Ernie is losing his Canadian-ness. You let him stay much longer and he’ll be all Mexican.” What a compliment to him! Nothing gives you a greater sense of well-being, while living abroad, than having someone from your host country tell you that you are becoming like them.

Carmelina and Eduardo

Juan and Claudia

Although this is not our first time in Latin America, we are constantly finding things we need to learn and change.

The city of Guadalajara in southern Mexico is quite distinct from the northern state of Chihuahua and the country of Nicaragua.

Juan and Claudia were the first to invite us to their home and introduce us to the group. Juan is the consummate people person, making sure everyone is connected.

He took our invitation (to guide us in our adapting to Mexican culture) and did something about it. As we walked into the gym one day, he noticed us and stopped us.

He gently explained to Ernie that in Mexico the men were gentlemen. Ernie should carry my gym bag for me, right to the ladies’ locker, and then I should kiss him and say thank you. He now notices when he sees the adjustment. He said he would make Ernie into a gentleman.

Eduardo and Carmen are such sweet friends. Lalo, as he is affectionately called, is the consummate jokester.

He has us in stitches half the time. He is educating us in language (explaining what people mean when they say things) as often there is a double meaning or we don’t understand. He is also helping us regarding music— which songs we need to learn. We know that if we ever have a question, he will provide an answer.

We are blessed to have such resources. It makes the adjustment that much easier.

– Diane Koop Diane and Ernie Koop (EFC Steinbach) are part of a church-planting team in the city of Guadalajara, Jalisco state, southern Mexico.

www.emconference.ca/messenger • The Messenger 17

With Our Missionaries

Building the team in Northern Manitoba NORTHERN MANITOBA

HARDERS

So why does a couple with three In May we started our training grown children, two grandchildren, for this position, which will see a nice home, a fine job and congreRoger serve as office manager while gation, and lots of social contacts we continue to live in Blumenort. and community involvements in Among his tasks will be the missouthern Manitoba lift up our eyes sion’s bookkeeping and traveling to to see spiritual needs in the provinform churches about Mid-Way’s ince’s North? It’s the call to ministry. ministry and needs.

Roger and I live in Blumenort, In July we made a quick weekMan., and attend Stony Brook Felend trip to MCL’s headquarters lowship. Roger is, at heart, a team in Thompson, Man., and were builder. He has coached volleyball promptly introduced to all the at many different levels. “flying wildlife” at Mid-Way Bible Roger and Cheryl Harder He quite enjoyed coaching the Camp. The mosquitoes and flies University of Winnipeg college men’s did not prevent us from hearing and team last winter and Team Manitoba through Manitoba feeling the passion of current director Morgan and Krista Volleyball Association age 16 this past summer. Besides Serger, as we saw them developing northern leaders at the coaching volleyball, he has also coached baseball and other camp firsthand. sports. He loves seeing kids develop in their skill, passion, It was clear to us that God was present in this ministry. and confidence.

Mid-Way Bible Camp is definitely the springboard into Coaching has also taken Roger to Pauingassi and the rest of the year of ministry as far as connecting and Tadoule Lake, in Northern Man., with Athletes in Action. developing youth to be leaders among northern people.

These weeks are definitely among his coaching highAlready we are impressed by how God is moving within lights—and these times made us more aware of needs that the ministry and are excited to hear more stories of how exist in the North.

God has and is working among people of the North.

We have been involved in various ministries and yet for We are delighted to be a part of a mission that disciples a while now we have been asking ourselves if there wasn’t and develops people to be leaders in the North. By being more we could do in the way of ministry. We were excited office managers we see ourselves helping the missionaries’ to hear of the need of office managers in our area for Midtime to be freed to work with people.

Way Christian Leadership (formerly Continental Mission).

We are pleased that God has given us this opportunity to serve with Mid-Way Christian Leadership. The fields are ready for harvest and we want to be a part of a team who are committing their lives to Jesus for the Northern communities of Manitoba.

We pray that the people of the North will grow in Jesus Christ and not be shaken, but strengthened to disciple more people to know Jesus as their personal Lord and Saviour.

In our spare time in southern Manitoba we enjoyed spending time with friends and family, camping, cycling, fishing, and some canoeing. As we assist the ministry in northern Manitoba, we suspect that some things will never change.

– Cheryl Harder Cheryl and Roger Harder (Stony Brook) are planning to serve with Mid-Way Christian Leadership.

18 The Messenger • December 2014

Column • Window on Missions

EMC Missions is on the lookout for humble people!

W

herever EMC Missions workers serve, they have much in common. They need to understand the local culture (often more than one) and to share the gospel with humility.

Many of them serve in places where few people, if any, know Christ as their Lord and Saviour. Some serve in areas where a form of Christianity is well-known, though often mixed with non-Christian beliefs and practices. Many people have nominal church links, but are weak in responding to Christ’s grace or in knowing how their faith is to be lived out in daily life.

The social settings of ministries also differ a great deal. For instance, Minga Guazú, Paraguay, is a rural area 18 kms from the Brazilian border.

Finances, education, and marriage relationships are major daily concerns for many here. How does the Lord fit into their lives?

By contrast, Guadalajara is a modern city of seven million people in southern Mexico. Its cost of living is equal to that of Calgary, Alta. The city is full of universities and medical centres. Attending university is a high priority. How does the Lord fit into their often middle-class lives?

In a still different setting, Bolivian Low German-speaking Mennonite colonies struggle with traditionalism and separation in a fastchanging world. Their forebears moved to South America generations ago to live separate lives, but retreating into the jungle does not necessarily bring the spiritual peace and holiness that they seek. How does the Lord fit into their conservative lives?

As our missionary candidates prepare, they need to study many topics, including the challenges of cross-cultural service. Of course, that’s the theory. Once their feet touch a new and different country, our workers begin to turn the theory into local reality.

Yes, missionaries serving in these locations can provide an answer to the question of how the Lord fits into people’s lives—one that is tested, affirmed or corrected by observation and experience. Yet, as their understanding of a local culture grows, how do they best communicate

by Ken Zacharias Foreign Secretary

and Terry M. Smith Executive Secretary the gospel to others within their context and the often difficult reality of their lives?

It is to be done with humility—not by North American standards, but in ways seen as properly humble within the local culture.

In his book Cross-Cultural Servanthood, Duane Elmer speaks of this need to share Christ with humility. Duane says, “Missionaries will need to learn the local cultural patterns so that their desire to serve will be seen as serving and not be misinterpreted . . . One of the great challenges for the cross-cultural missionary is to find those cultural equivalents, or cultural analogies, that express humility.”

EMC Missions is calling for EMC churches to do something quite strange: we want you to choose some humble people to serve with us.

We need individuals, couples, and families to serve cross-culturally to communicate the message of Christ with humility.

Do you know any humble people? Send them to us. And if they don’t seem humble, but are interested, send them to us anyway. You never know what the Lord will do.

As our missionary candidates prepare, they need to study many topics, including the challenges of cross-cultural service.

www.emconference.ca/messenger • The Messenger 19

With Our Churches Heartland Community Church

Youth pastor hired, fall busy

PHOTOS: HCC

We are thanking God for and proud to announce that Travis Plett, son of Larry and Elda Plett of Landmark, has agreed to be our Youth Pastor effective July 1, 2014. He is a graduate of SBC (April 2012) and has already settled into his new role planning the youth program, recruiting leaders, and mentoring young people.

Travis’s ministry also includes time spent volunteering outside of Heartland at Flatland Café (YFC Landmark). He also connects with youth sometimes at the high school. His underlying passion for God and his friendly personality makes a good combination when engaging young people in our community.

On a beautiful fall evening, Sept. 26, our missions committee held our second annual Thanksgiving Fall Supper. Danny’s Whole Hog pulled pork dinner was complemented with our own local garden produce and homemade pies. Proceeds of the supper went to furnishing the grounds of the brand new community skateboard park with needed garbage cans and benches for spectators.

The very next day, with offers of leftover pie and a chance to bask in the warm autumn sun, Ivan Giesbrecht recruited volunteers to prepare the flooring and walls for a renovated multipurpose room that will be added to the eastside of our building.

HCC’s multipurpose room was under reconstruction in Oct.

20 The Messenger • December 2014

Youth pastor Travis Plett

Then on Oct. 15 some grateful people at Heartland also planned and cooked a meal for local community volunteers from the recreation committees, LUD, and fire department just to say, “Thank you. We appreciate what you are doing for our community.”

On Oct. 23 the Heartland Moms and Tots program held a special evening event called Positive Parenting, Attachment, and Play featuring guest speaker Noreen Janzen from South Eastman Health. They explored what healthy attachment really looks like, how to discipline effectively, and why play is so important in a child’s development.

And finally, on Sunday, Oct. 26, worshipers filled their spirits at Hymn Sing Night. Coordinated by Arlene Schulz, hymn lovers came out to sing praises to God in four-part harmony and to enjoy a time of community afterward.

Though we had a busy and full fall season here at Heartland, we are still feeling the loss of two of our senior members, Bob Koop and Henry Penner, who are now present with the Lord. We will miss them.

– Brigitte Toews

With Our Churches Kleefeld EMC

KLEEFELD, Man.—This is a story of God’s moving in my life to change my occupation. After serving 38 years with Providence Bookstore, I took on a full-time missions position with Advancing Indigenous Missions as of June 1, 2014.

I am not new to AIM. I first helped with email and then computers, then served on the board, and have served two terms as board chair. During that time, on two separate occasions, I travelled to SE Asia to help with leadership seminars.

I had developed an early affinity for missionaries and, later, for international students. My parents would invite visiting missionaries to our home and I read mission books.

At a missionary’s urging, as a child I prayed for direction on where I could fit into the Church’s job of witnessing and training disciples. I received a vision with a person on one side and a voice on the other asking, “Will you help this man?” How could I do anything but answer yes as Samuel did?

In 2006 I met an international college student at Providence, we became friends, and I learned of how he had started a mission in his home country. Because that mission met the direction that AIM had, by 2010 he became a mission partner and a year later I was in his country encouraging over 1,000 of his countrymen with Scripture. I told him of my earlier vision and said the Lord would confirm if I was correct. I have been closely involved with this young man ever since.

PETERS

Bruce Peters makes a career change

Elaine and Bruce Peters

About this same time Kleefeld EMC talked of adding two younger missionaries from our congregation. I warned Ken Zacharias, a church member, that I might be one of them. Two years later the missions committee confirmed my direction, adding me, as well as my friend and his wife, to their support list.

God taught me how to do a bigger job as I assisted the couple in their vision of reaching their country for Christ: putting on small information suppers for EMC members, taking a cross prairie introduction trip, and helping them develop proposals for AIM to consider.

Now I advocate across Canada for other indigenous partners, and assist links between these partners and Canadian churches and individuals. This included bringing EMCers, such as Pastor Glenn Loewen of Portage and Art Koop of Anola, to enable leaders to better reach their people groups. I am building relationships between Canadians and indigenous mission leaders through prayer, ministry, and financial support.

Through these relationships, I hope to bring energy to outreach and revival in Canada as well. Indigenous missionaries that I have met both in Canada and in SE Asia are bold. We catch that when we are with them.

My wife Elaine will join me on most trips. This fall I will go to India for two seminars and then to SE Asia for two seminars and road trip. During the winter we will minister together at three locations in India, including at Calcutta Bible College.

– Bruce Peters

www.emconference.ca/messenger • The Messenger 21

With Our Churches Steinbach EMC

New associate pastor welcomed taking his turn in the pulpit.

Any spare time he may have will be spent either coaching Garth and Carly Koop with their sons Tysen and Rylen or playing hockey or some other sport, reading, listening to music— his interest is in ’80s rock—and drinking coffee. “I look forward to seeing and being a part of what God will do at SEMC in years to come,” says Koop.

Garth Koop officially took up his duties on Sept. 4 and was installed on Sept. 28.

– Doris Penner KOOPS

STEINBACH, Man.—Garth Koop has come full circle in accepting the position of associate pastor at Steinbach EMC. He spent his childhood and teenage years in Steinbach before moving on to attend Briercrest Bible College in Saskatchewan.

“The church has been fantastic in welcoming us and helping us get settled,” says Koop. “It’s great being back and serving at SEMC.” Koop moved to Steinbach from Calgary at the beginning of summer with his wife Carly and two sons, Tysen and Rylen. Since graduating from Bible college with a BA in Youth and Family Ministry in 1996, he has been engaged in full-time church ministry.

As associate pastor at SEMC, he will work closely with lead pastor Garry Koop in connecting to small Bible study and prayer groups, overseeing the deacon ministry and

••

Kleefeld EMC

Members received, dedication held KLEEFELD, Man.— Edna and Don Russell were accepted into the membership of the Kleefeld EMC on Oct. 5, 2014.

They have been attending for several years, and we wish them the Lord’s blessings as they continue to worship and serve with us.

A parent/child dedication was held on Nov. 9, 2014, for three couples and their children. As a church family, we dedicate ourselves to helping these parents raise their children for the Lord.

– Louella Friesen

KEMC

Dedicated: Kelly and Geraldine Wiens with daughter (missing from photo), Caleb and Jenn Friesen with Emry, Will and Traci Naylor with Ezra.

Edna and Don Russell

22 The Messenger • December 2014

With Our Churches Community Bible Fellowship

CBF

Local and regional events held during summer and fall SWAN RIVER, Man.—Our congregation has had a busy summer and fall. On Sept. 13, 2014, CBF church ladies took part in their second annual Beth Moore Simulcast. Of course, a lot of planning took place before that day.

Invitations went out to all the EMC churches in our region and churches in our valley, as well as to those who came last year. We put up posters and handed invitations to friends, co-workers, and neighbours. It was advertised on the local radio and TV channel.

We prayed that people who should be here, would be here. Although our attendance was down from last year, a good group of ladies took part and received encouragement from the music and message and shared in the food and fellowship provided by the CBF ladies.

Thank you to Kevin Penner who took care of the technology and Jedzea Scales and Tianna Liske who set out the lunch and snacks and cleared them away. We know God’s presence was there and He blessed the day’s events. Praise Him. When Pastor Ron Thiessen drove past our Legion Park in Swan River and saw the new gazebo there, he began to dream. The gazebo is at the bottom of the winter sliding hill. In summer the hill becomes an amphitheater where people can sit and listen.

Pastor Ron dreams of that area being used for God’s glory. One Sunday evening, on our way to a prayer walk in the park, he stopped the car and asked those of us with him to pray to that end. Then on Sunday, Aug. 17, Pastor Ron, with help from the congregation, held a morning church service from that gazebo.

As people walked and jogged by, they heard music and the Word of God. Only a few people came to listen, but that was a beginning. After the service, lunch was shared in the park, then face painting and games. It was a good day.

On Oct. 26, our Region 3 Conference was held at Speaker Wes Dobson

Community Bible Fellowship in Swan River. The weather had turned cold, cloudy, and windy, but the fellowship inside was warm and friendly. The music team, lead by Rita Thiessen, helped prepare our hearts to worship God and Brenda and Carl Ens listen to his Word.

Different people from the various Region Three churches read Scripture and sang songs that directed our thoughts to the theme of Wes Dobson’s sermons.

Dobson’s messages were entitled “The Church Vertically Connected” and “The Church Horizontally Connected,” based on Eph.1:1-2:10 and 2:11-4:6.

The Church is Community, he has made the two one, and “we are the prototype of the new creation,” he said.

Be completely humble. Exercise that humility. Be gentle and patient. Bear with one another in love. “Make every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bonds of love.” Heed what Jesus prayed in John 17:24. “Live out the reconciliation that Christ has accomplished.” “Be slow to speak and quick to listen.”

We as individuals need the Church, the fellowship of believers. We need relationships. “Bless God for the blessing of relationship.” “The Church has this incredibly great power. Bless God for resurrection power.” “Just talk to people. Live in the resurrection power.” “Bless God for the blessing of grace. Grace changes everything.” These are the teachings of our Father to us through Wes Dobson.

Reviewing my notes blesses me all over again. What practical messages!

Carl and Brenda Ens were similarly used of God to speak to the children who attended the conference with their parents. Our own Tracy Burick held an event for youth at the Pentecostal College during the afternoon session.

Thank you to all who worked to make this a successful conference.

– Betty Warkentin

www.emconference.ca/messenger • The Messenger 23

Column • Further In and Higher Up

Jesus is the Answer

G Through the centuries God looks like an inventor defeated by his own invention, but at Christmas we see the elegant way God escapes from this hopeless dilemma.

To God be endless praise.

24 The Messenger • December 2014

DESIGNPICS

by Layton Friesen

od seems to find a Houdini-like delight in escaping from what look like crazy dilemmas. Here’s the pickle. First, God creates and allows his name to be associated with creation. He is the Creator of this world.

Because God’s name is attached to creation, his reputation is at stake in whether it arrives at its glorious destination. God will not simply give up on creation if things go wrong. God does not start things he cannot finish. The dilemma comes because creation is also given a scary amount of freedom to go where it wills.

But it gets scarier when God says “let us make humankind in our image…and let them have dominion” (Gen. 1:26). “Let them have dominion” means more than just herding sheep.

God is tossing Adam and Eve the keys, saying, “Here, you drive. I’ll take the passenger seat.

Take this creation home.”

Again, God has his name attached to that decision—he won’t suddenly jump in and tell Adam to move over, like some stressed out parent. When they sin, Eve is told “you made the mess, now you clean it up.” Her offspring will run the serpent down (Gen. 3:15). Humans must now be the saviours of the world. That’s risky.

The car is not out the driveway before it’s in the ditch. First Adam and Eve, then Cain, then Lamech seventy-seven fold—the failure spreads exponentially. By Genesis 11, God looks like a fool for giving these incompetents the keys.

Then it gets worse. In the middle of this farce God points at Abram and boasts: “in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen. 12:3). So now the whole venture dangles on this one man and his children’s ability to stay the course.

“Ah,” you say, “but was that not an unconditional covenant? You know, God keeping his

end even if Abram’s tribe crashes?” It’s not an unconditional covenant. Moses bluntly says to Abraham’s children: you listen, you live. You rebel, you die (Deut. 6).

Our stomachs should be sick here. God appears to be trapped in a car heading off a cliff.

God is looking like an inventor defeated by his own invention. The centuries swerve from one fiasco to another and God does get exasperated.

But looking back now we can see that God never wrung his hands in desperation as Israel careened from ditch to on-coming traffic. God played his part with the assurance of someone with an ace up his sleeve. God never yanked the steering wheel from Adam, and that composure gave humans hope, even joy.

The reputation of God is attached to a creation with a fierce mind of its own. God leaves the fate of the world in the hands of his deputies.

But all have sinned, there is none righteous (Rom. 3:23). An impossible dilemma?

Go to church this Christmas to see the elegant way God escapes from his hopeless dilemma. A child of Adam and Eve, the Son of Abraham is born who will drive over the serpent, draw the venom from creation and fetch the whole cosmos home.

Jesus will drive the whole road, out the far side of hell with the faithfulness of one who can only be God. Today, God still has not grabbed the wheel. To God be endless praise.

News

Region Two hosts Discover Your Ministry Potential weekend Shifted among regions, third event in past 14 months

PHOTOS: KEN ZACHARIAS

TABER, Alta.—There was a robust mix of languages in the air as over 50 people from our southern Alberta and Saskatchewan churches gathered at Taber, Alta., on Oct. 24-25, 2014, for a Discover Your Ministry Potential (DYMP) workshop.

Spanish, Low German, and English conversations all swirled around the registration tables at Taber EMC. It was a reminder of the cultural diversity we enjoy in our conference right here in Canada.

These DYMP events (three in the past 14 months) are designed to help churches with leadership development and to invite participants to consider God’s call on their lives for career ministry in church leadership both in Canada and in international settings. They are moved among regions to engage a wider range of participants.

Beginning with a session on spiritual gift discernment, the topics ranged from the biblical priorities and qualities we are called to in ministry to the realities of family life in the ministry and on the mission field.

Particularly stimulating were the question and answer times with a panel: missionary Verna Doerksen, Pastor Bryon Bezanson, Pastor David Wiebe, and missionaries Benny and Esther Goertzen. Also stimulating were roundtable discussions where each church group represented

Frank Reimer and Abe Bueckert

could talk about the call to ministry in their own context.

The weekend was a great opportunity for EM Conference staff to connect with local leaders and potential leaders and offer encouragement in the work. Church planting coordinator Charles Koop, foreign secretary Ken Zacharias, conference youth minister Gerald Reimer, Board of Missions administrative assistant Diana Peters, and myself were in attendance.

Calling forth leadership from within remains the constant task of today’s Church.

Scripture calls us to this ongoing process of discipleship.

As the Lord shapes and refines us to serve Him and gifts us for certain callings, Jesus will continue to build his Church through faithful and obedient servants. The gates of hell don’t stand a chance.

– Ward Parkinson Conference Pastor

Diana Peters assists with a spiritual gifts test.

www.emconference.ca/messenger • The Messenger 25

News

Free 2014 Peace and Discipleship sermon booklet available Sixteen EMC sermons to stimulate as pastors preach STEINBACH, Man.—The 2014 Peace and Discipleship Sermons by EMCers will soon be available for free downloading from the conference’s website or in CD booklet format for ordering and pickup. If the CD is mailed by request, postal costs apply.

The booklet, produced occasionally by the Board of Church Ministries, contains 16 sermons, the second highest total since the project began. The booklet was previously produced in 2007, 2008, and 2011. All editions are available on the conference website.

Why publish a booklet on peace and discipleship sermons? Discipleship is reflected within Scripture and our EMC Statement of Faith and, according to the 2005 EMC survey, pacifism is a neglected topic. The booklet is to assist pastors and preachers—and, through them, all churches.

– EMC

••

The Christian Life booklet now available Interim edition contains an updated EMC history STEINBACH, Man.—Need copies of The Christian Life: a practical study guide? We have just received a fresh shipment. The cost is $5 each plus shipping.

The EMC recently ordered 400 copies of the 2014 interim edition, which contains updated information on the EMC and EMMC. Some outdated appendixes were removed.

Enjoy this guide while you can. By March 2016, a shortened, rewritten edition will be available—produced jointly by the EMC, EMMC, and Chortitzer Mennonite Conference.

The purpose of The Christian Life guide is to help inquirers, young Christians, and people transferring in to explore the basic teachings and practices of our faith. There are more materials in each lesson than can be included in class time. How students and teachers use the materials is

26 The Messenger • December 2014

only limited by their creativity, time, and interest.

What a wonderful privilege it is to be a Christian. To know meaning in life, the grace of wrongs forgiven, to have hope on earth and life after death—that is our delight through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

– EMC

News

Church of the Brethren calls for international attention to crisis in Nigeria Elgin, IL—The world has followed the tragic abduction of more than 200 schoolgirls from Chibok, Nigeria. Yet that tragedy is just one incident in an increasingly bloody attempt by Boko Haram insurgents to make northeast Nigeria into an Islamic caliphate.

Caught in the middle is Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN, the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria), the largest Christian denomination in the area of northeast Nigeria where Boko Haram is taking territory.

This year EYN has seen many of its churches and congregations destroyed, as thousands of church members have been killed, and pastors and their families have been among the hundreds more people abducted since the Chibok schoolgirls were taken. Most of the schoolgirls were from EYN. Estimates are that more than 90,000 EYN church members have been displaced by the fighting this year.

Now the situation of EYN is dire as its headquarters property and Kulp Bible College have been taken by Boko Haram. The attack on the headquarters on Oct. 29 occurred as Boko Haram fighters were on their way to attack and take the nearby city of Mubi, near the Cameroon border.

People living at the EYN headquarters fled for their lives, including families of denominational staff and Bible college students. It is believed most of those at the EYN headquarters escaped alive, but many people in Mubi and surrounding villages were killed and others are now trapped in the control of Boko Haram.

The EYN staff is now displaced, and the church leadership is working to regroup. They are faced with the prospect of having to rebuild church offices and relocate staff and their families, at the same time the church continues to aid thousands of members who have been displaced.

In addition, hundreds of pastors who were serving churches in the conflict zone also are displaced without jobs or means to provide for families. These are crucial issues for the church’s survival.

The Rev. Dr. Samuel Dante Dali, the president of EYN, is calling for urgent help from the international community.

“Our hearts are broken about what’s happening in Nigeria,” said Stanley J. Noffsinger, general secretary of the

DESIGNPICS

Nigerian Brethren church headquarters overrun by Islamist insurgents

The Flag of Nigeria

Church of the Brethren in the U. S. Up to $1.5 million has been committed to relief work in Nigeria.

The American church also is beginning a more concerted advocacy effort to bring international attention to the crisis in northeast Nigeria. The effort encourages nonviolent solutions, such as an international effort to cut off Boko Haram’s weaponry and funding, and international humanitarian aid for the hundreds of thousands of Nigerians who are internally displaced or are refugees in Cameroon and Niger.

In 1923, Church of the Brethren members from the United States began the mission effort that led to the emergence of EYN as an indigenous African Christian church that—up until recent destruction wrought by the insurgency—was estimated to have an attendance of close to one million in Nigeria, and has mission efforts in neighbouring countries (www.brethren.org/nigeria).

The Church of the Brethren is based in the Anabaptist and Pietist faith traditions and is an historic peace church. It celebrated its 300th anniversary in 2008. It counts some 115,000 members across the United States and Puerto Rico, and has sister churches and missions in Nigeria, the Dominican Republic, Brazil, Haiti, India, and Spain.

– Church of the Brethren

www.emconference.ca/messenger • The Messenger 27

News

World Fellowship Sunday set for Jan. 18 General Secretary encourages wider Anabaptist unity in God’s household. Each local congregation belongs to a global community of faith that transcends language, nationality, and culture.

César Garcia “We are here to support each other, to uphold those who are suffering and being persecuted, and to learn from each other. On this one Sunday a year we encourage each congregational member to become aware of our global Anabaptist family of faith, where we come together around Shared Convictions, a shared history, and shared ways of following Jesus.”

Resources, prayer requests, and worship materials can be found on MWC’s website.

– MWC MWC

BOGOTA, COLOMBIA—Mennonite World Conference’s general secretary, Cesar Garcia, invites Anabaptist congregations from around the world to celebrate our unity in Jesus Christ on Jan. 18, 2015.

Because of the prayers of MWC-related churches, he says that MWC has been able in 2014 to walk with those who suffer, support the ministry of its four commissions, and encourage global interdependency so that Lord Jesus may be glorified.

World Fellowship Sunday is typically set for the Sunday closest to Jan. 21—when, in 1525, the first Anabaptist baptisms occurred—though some congregations choose another date.

Garcia says, “World Fellowship Sunday reminds our people that we belong to each other as sisters and brothers

••

Anabaptists help Catholics repair church Former Mennonite church has been claimed

MWC

KITCHENER, Ont.—In Ukraine a former Mennonite church building is being restored and transformed, with the help of Canadian Mennonites, into a Greek Catholic church. This development, according to observers, is an example of AnabaptistCatholic collaboration.

The church in the village of Schoensee (now Snegurovka) was built in 1909. During the Soviet era, when Mennonites were forced to leave, the church building was used for storage and fell into disrepair.

Recently the Greek Catholic Church in Ukraine secured its ownership and a retired priest from the Czech Republic, Peter Trenzky, is leading the restoration and the congregation that worships in the building.

Learning about the project, Anabaptists offered to help—a move described as a “mutual embrace of returning Mennonites with their former fellow villagers.”

28 The Messenger • December 2014

There is “a parallel of sorts” between the experiences of Ukrainian Catholics and Russian Anabaptists, says one observer. The former lost their churches, had no legal protection, and survived as an underground church during the Soviet era. Russian Anabaptists were not officially recognized and assimilated with the Baptists.

“Both churches faced repression under similar circumstances from the same oppressor,” commented one observer, “and had to make costly choices to keep faithful.”

– MWC

News

Making a difference with EMC Project Builders Seeing changes happen one project at a time Want to feel good about being involved in the lives of underprivileged people around the world? Do you want to help those who cannot read, or those who need a place to live, or those who need a place safe from their abusers?

Are you interested in going to a foreign country to work with a team to improve the conditions of people there?

Then Project Builders is the place for you.

Joining is as easy as writing a cheque for $250 and coming to an Annual General Meeting to listen to the stories of how the old funds were disbursed and where the new ones are going, and having input through the discussions.

Work teams head out to some country almost every year and give opportunity for increased involvement.

Besides funding the usual assortment of building projects, literacy programs and camp improvements, there is an increased need for money by entrepreneurs and so we support micro-finance organizations and also Business as Missions models as well.

On our conference website can be found a new promotional video to hear some personal stories from people and ministries with whom Project Builders has partnered.

We welcome young and old and invite you to join this affordable venture to build up people in other parts of the world.

– Project Builders

••

Gingerich hired as MFC consultant in Ont. ST. CATHERINES, Ont.—Mennonite Foundation of Canada (MFC) welcomes Marlow Gingerich as a stewardship consultant in Ontario. Gingerich has a background in agribusiness sales, customer service, and church leadership.

He will work alongside Sherri Grosz and Mike Strathdee providing services to Ontario and the Eastern Provinces. In his role at MFC, Gingerich will provide consultations with clients, deliver presentations on biblical stewardship and faithful generosity, and conduct workshops on faith and finance.

He and his wife Janice attend East Zorra Mennonite Church in Tavistock, Ont. They have two sons.

– MFC

MFC

Attends East Zorra Mennonite Church

Marlow Gingerich

www.emconference.ca/messenger • The Messenger 29

News

Ofori, Klassen hired as CFGB policy advisors WINNIPEG, Man.—Benjamin Ofori has been appointed senior policy advisor at the Canadian Foodgrains Bank (CFGB). Ofori, originally from Ghana, holds a BA in business administration, a master’s degree in development administration and planning, and a PhD in food systems.

Jared Klassen has been appointed as a public policy advisor. Klassen holds a certificate in monitoring and evaluation practice, and a bachelor’s degree in community development and biblical studies from Columbia Bible College.

CFGB is a partnership of 15 churches and church agencies, including MCC, working to end hunger.

– CFGB

CFGB

CFGB works to end hunger

Benjamin Ofori

Jared Klassen

Join our Prayer Team in Paraguay to pray for EMC ministries!

d.

mite i l s i e c Spa

kly. c i u q y l 3, 2015 h c r App a M o

ry 19 t Februa ,200 Cost: $2 Contact: info@emconf.ca (204) 326-6401

30 The Messenger • December 2014

News

‘Hearing God’s Call’ chosen as VBS 2015 theme Newest summer VBS curriculum ready for orders WATERLOO, Ont.—Message Received: Hearing God’s Call is the new MennoMedia Vacation Bible School material for 2015. It features five Bible stories that highlight biblical characters who heard God call them—Samuel, Esther, Mary, Jesus’ disciples, and Lydia. They responded to God’s call, changing their lives forever.

MennoMedia VBS is designed on a rotation model, with all children and teachers first meeting in a large group session for a time of worship and music, including a drama presentation of the Bible story.

Following the time of worship and drama, children are divided into groups that rotate among different activities related to the Bible story. “It is much easier to find response leaders when they only have to prepare one or

2015 Board of Missions Approved Special Projects $8,500 Paraguay: P1 - AMAR HIV / AIDS Milk and Medicine

$5,000 Paraguay:

P1 - MBN radio follow-up

$800 Mexico:

M1 - Guadalajara Outreach

$1,600 Mexico:

M1 – Steinreich Bible School (John and Joyce Dyck Health Care, teachers at SBS)

two lessons each day and then teach it three times,” says Gretchen Yoder. She notes that the amount of resources available for leaders allow for something that fits each age level.

Yoder also likes the dramas because they can allow a variety of people to be involved in VBS, including children and older members who might not be able to do actual teaching.

The VBS 2015 curriculum materials were written by educators in Ohio. Writing rotates among Mennonite communities across the U. S. and Canada.

Message Received: Hearing God’s Call may be ordered in an all-in-one boxed set that includes everything needed for planning and preparation. All items are also available separately. Information is at www.MennoMedia.org/vbs.

– MennoMedia

$3,500 Nicaragua:

N1 - Pastoral food hampers

$2,000 Nicaragua:

N1 - Pastoral medical fund

$6,000 Nicaragua:

N1 - Nutrition stations

$1,800 Nicaragua:

N1 - Bible School Scholarships

$800 Nicaragua:

N1 - Internet communication If you want more information on these projects, please contact Ken Zacharias. kzacharias@emconf.ca 204-326-6401

www.emconference.ca/messenger • The Messenger 31

In Memory

Betty Reimer 1930-2014

Betty Reimer, 83, of Morweena, Man., passed from this life to be with her Lord on Aug. 23, 2014, at Arborg Hospital.

Betty was born to Jacob W. and Maria Friesen on Dec. 5, 1930, in Kleefeld, Man. Betty was deeply committed to her faith. At age 15 she turned her life over to Christ and was baptized. She described this experience as the most exciting day of her life: “I’ll never forget the day in January 1946 when I laid down my rebellious spirit and decided to accept Jesus as my Saviour and Lord. God has been very merciful to me and I have felt his forgiveness!”

On Aug. 28, 1949, at the age of 18, Betty married her childhood sweetheart, Abe B. Reimer. Abe and Betty started their married life in Heuboden, then moved their house and home to Steinbach in 1955. In 1961, they moved their family to Morweena and participated actively in building the church, school, and community.

Abe and Betty were married for nearly 48 years when Abe passed away on May 17, 1997, after a two-year battle with cancer.

As a mother, Betty poured her energy into meeting the family’s daily needs. She carried out this work with

32 The Messenger • December 2014

a quiet perseverance and a remarkable commitment to excellence.

Betty’s impact also extended outside of her home. Despite her busy household, she consistently participated in the local bi-weekly sewing circle, which made blankets for MCC relief projects. When her children were older, Betty spent extra time at home sewing blanket tops for the sewing circle and volunteering at the local MCC thrift store.

She will be dearly missed by her children, grandchildren, and greatgrandchildren. Her children (listed in italics) and their families are: Harold and Marlene, Christy and Jake Dyck (Christian, Natasha, Nia), Amanda and James Plett (Ethan, Autumn, Gabriella, Miles), Mark and Raelynn (Deklan), James and April; Syd; Rose and Allan Dueck, Steven, Wanita, Bryan and Desirae, Cam; Janice and Delmer Plett, Connie and Pete Loewen (Rhianna, Damien, Kaishaun), Joanna and Larry Enns, Jeannette and Kevin Gross (Tyrell), Donna, Ryan; Tim and Alvina, Earl, Jason and Lonita, Lisa, Mikaela; Cliff and Lucille, Angela, Jeremy, Alison, Jeffrey; Ted and Irene, Joshua, Zachery; Bruce and Evalina, A.J., Dale, Ashley, Jordan; Rick and Elaine, Sandra, Michael, Savannah, Robyn; Lyn and Vi, Andrea, Nicole, Cheyenne, Brendan, Damian, Jayce.

Also left to mourn Betty’s passing are sister Helen and Dave Loewen; brothers Jake (and Helen) Friesen, Abe (and Mary) Friesen, Harvey (and Doris) Friesen; sisters-in-law Elizabeth Friesen, Annie Reimer, Elizabeth Reimer, Helen Reimer (Nick), and Helen Reimer (Corny).

Betty was predeceased by her husband, Abe Reimer; parents, Jacob and Maria Friesen; three brothers, Frank and Adina, Peter, and Albert and first

wife, Annie; five sisters, Annie and Jake Reimer, Lieza, Mary and Jacob Penner, Dora and Lillian; sister-in-law Mary Friesen; granddaughter-in-law Ramona Reimer; and by Abe’s parents, six brothers, and two sisters.

“Now also when I am old and greyheaded, O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed thy strength unto this generation, and thy power to everyone that is to come” (Ps. 71:18).

Calendar Canada and Beyond January 11

EMC Day of Prayer For Missionaries and Church Planters Your Church!

Contact Your Pastor

Manitoba January 24

Leading Well: A Workshop for Song Leaders and Worship Leaders 9:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.

Canadian Mennonite University Winnipeg, Man. www.cmu.ca/leadingwell

January 31

Leading Well: A Workshop for Song Leaders and Worship Leaders 9:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.

Covenant Mennonite Church Winkler, Man. www.cmu.ca/leadingwell

February 1-2

SBC Discovery Days Steinbach Bible College www.sbcollege.ca

March 20-21

SBC Leadership Conference with author Mark Buchanan Steinbach Bible College www.sbcollege.ca

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

EMC Positions* The ConneXion church in Arborg, Man, a community of one thousand, is currently seeking a half-time pastor. Arborg is in the heart of Manitoba’s Interlake, one hour north of Winnipeg’s perimeter. The church of 25 to 50 adherents is affiliated with the EMC. We practice the values of “BELLS” as we build our community; we seek to bless, eat, listen, learn and send.

There is significant opportunity for other part-time employment in the community.

Interested applicants should contact the pastoral search committee chair or submit a resume to peter.dueck@vidir.com. We are seeking a faithful Jesus follower with proven leadership skills.

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.

Please contact Darryl Olson at darrylwolson@gmail. com or 780-821-0287 if you can serve together with us in this capacity.

Roseisle EMC is currently in search of a full-time pastor with a supportive and involved family. Located 100 kms southwest of Winnipeg in a small, rural town, we are a church with many young families and an average attendance of 75. We are looking for a pastor that is passionate about his faith and has lots of energy and contagious excitement to work within the church and the local community of Roseisle.

Responsibilities would include practical Bible based preaching/teaching, visitation, local community visibility/involvement, and encouraging the spiritual growth of the church. We are seeking a dynamic leader who loves Jesus, and embraces small church and small town living. Housing is provided.

Interested applicants should contact the pastoral search committee chair, Pam Dyck, at 204435-2778 or through email. Please send resumes to Pastoral Search Committee, Roseisle EMC, Box 29, Roseisle MB R0G 1V0 or remcsearch@gmailc.om

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.

The Church of Living Water in Tillsonburg, Ont., is seeking a full-time senior pastor. We are a young church with attendance ranging from 70-100. We have a growing children and youth ministry. CLW is seeking a pastoral couple who will live among us to guide and direct the church to deeper and greater ministry in our community.

We believe the senior pastor role to be that of a shepherd who guides his congregation, needs to be a strong encourager and a pastor who has passion for God and his people. This is best accomplished by studying and teaching, praying and preaching, and visiting and visioning, all based on God’s Word. Previous pastoral experience is preferred, and candidate must be in agreement with our EMC Constitution and Statement of Faith.

Applications or resumes should be sent to the CLW Board of Elders: Abe Neufeld (chair) abeneufeld@bell.net and David Dyck (vice chair) daviddyck@hotmail.com.

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.

Mennville EMC, a rural congregation with an attendance about 90, located in Manitoba's Interlake region, seeks a full- or part-time pastor. The pastor will work within a ministerial team as the church seeks to renew and grow.

College or seminary training and pastoral experience are definite assets.

Starting date is flexible and salary will reflect EMC guidelines. A candidate should be a collaborative leader (team player), comfortable in the pulpit and in pastoral care, familiar with the EMC Statement of Faith, and respectful of various cultures and rural living.

Contact minister Terry Dueck at frontier104@hotmail.com.

Heartland Community Church is seeking a full-time lead pastor for our congregation of 150-plus in Landmark, Man. In addition to meeting the pastoral and preaching needs of our congregation, we are looking for a pastor with an outward focus and a passion for relational community involvement.

For information and a full job description, visit our website at www.heartlandcommunitychurch.ca.

Please send resumes to pastorsearchcommittee@ heartlandcommunitychurch.ca.

Abbeydale Christian Fellowship (Calgary, Alberta) is seeking a full-time pastor to work alongside our current pastor and our congregational leadership team.

We would expect the successful candidate to have the following characteristics: previous pastoral experience, very relational, a good communicator and preacher, and comfortable working with all age groups. This person would have post-secondary education, would be able to work in a team setting, and be able to mentor others.

This pastor's focus of ministry would be on the discipleship of the congregation through preaching, teaching, the encouragement of small groups, and prayer. This pastor will also lead in caring for the congregation.

We are an urban congregation of 100 attendees with an informal atmosphere. ACF is Anabaptist in its theological roots, congregational in its governance, and committed to love through service to one another and to our community. Email your resume to: Pastoralcommittee@abbeydale.org

Where are position ads to be sent?

Please send all position ads, including pastoral search ads, to messenger@emconf.ca. All ads are to be 150 words or less. All ads can be edited.

Please advise us when it is no longer needed.

Rio Grande Bible Institute Tour Feb. 19 to March 2, 2015

Enjoy some winter sun and participate in the ministry of RGBI. Experience the history of San Antonio and the south Texas culture, and meet students and staff at RGBI. Contact Frieda Johnson at 204-254-3639 or fjohnson@riogrande.edu for details.

www.emconference.ca/messenger • The Messenger 33

Column • Here and Far Away

A Theology of Yet

W

DESIGNPICS

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

e’ve been through a very difficult period this last year, trials and frustrations at every turn. I’m sure we all experience challenging times throughout our lives when the world seems to be against us and it’s difficult to lift our voice in praise.

Despite the darkness, we can hold onto the truth that God is good, that He is great in power, and that He is for us.

There is truly nothing that can keep us defeated. That is the best news there is.

This dichotomy between the dark trials of life and faith in God to deliver us for our ultimate good (for His name’s sake!) is what I’ve recently come to refer to as a Theology of Yet. In Habakkuk chapter 3 there is a passage describing what must have been a terrible situation for the writer. He lists many things having to do with lack of provision: the fig tree not flowering, no fruit on the vines, no olives, no food in the fields, and no herd in the stalls.

It is a dismal circumstance that would undoubtedly cause much stress. But the author doesn’t stop at listing his problems; he continues with a word of defiance against that which could hold him down: “Yet.” “Yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. God, the LORD, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer’s; he makes me tread on my high places” (Hab. 3:17-19).

When life’s circumstances lead us through “trials of many kinds,” it is often difficult to be joyful, to sing praises to our God. Yet despite what is happening at our eye-level, we can trust and know that God is good. All the time!

If we believe that with our whole being we can write our own psalms that start with “Though” and continue joyfully with “yet.” It is, in my mind, an act of defiance against the world, this knowledge that God will bring me through, that I can praise Him even before help happens.

Praise Him from within the trial.

34 The Messenger • December 2014

Though war, famine, poverty, broken marriage, death, defeat, failure, sin, yet will I praise Him, for He is my strength and my salvation, He will not let us be put to shame for trusting in Him (Isa. 50:6-8, 54:3-5; Rom. 5:4-6). God will save us for His own name’s sake. Not for anything we have done to deserve it (Ps. 106:8).

But He will surely do it in His best timing, for His best reasons, which we cannot always understand. Yet we can hope in the Lord for He is Good and we know that He loves us.

“Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him” (Job 13:15). Though God does not save us from this trial, yet we will worship God (Dan. 3:17-18).

Yet, a declaration of hope in Almighty God who will save us in due time. Though the time seems dark, yet I will praise Him. RESPONDING REBUILDING RESTORING

To find out how you can help bring people home: call

1-866 866--261 261--1274 or go online

mds.mennonite.net

Column • stewardship today

That’s a lot of money!

I

by Sherri Grosz Stewardship Consultant

DESIGNPICS

remember a special gift from my Grandpa— a $20 bill in a Christmas card. It came with one instruction: Grandpa had to see my purchase. It was a lot of money for a 10-year old! It was the first time I’d had that much money, and I was a little concerned about using it wisely.

It took a few weeks to decide, but eventually Grandpa was shown a sweater and a few books.

Although what we consider a lot of money will vary with age, stage of life, and experience, receiving a sizeable gift of cash can cause headaches and stress not only for individuals, but also for churches. Bequests, which are a gift given through a person’s will, are the most common way for churches to receive large or unexpected amounts of money.

An undesignated bequest is a gift with no strings attached or detailed instructions in the donor’s will. Churches should have a bequest policy which will govern how undesignated bequests will be handled. By having a bequest policy, decisions are made in advance and there is a set process in place. In addition, having a bequest policy can lead to further bequests as people may feel more comfortable leaving gifts to the church since they know how these gifts will be handled. Churches without policies are sometimes faced with trying to make decisions while a large amount of money is waiting. This can lead to a rushed process, poor decisions, and has even caused battles in some churches when agreement can’t be reached over how to use the legacy gift.

Bequest policies should indicate which council, board, or committee can accept the bequest.

Who makes the decision may vary depending on the size of the gift—perhaps the finance committee can accept a smaller bequest while the board or council may need to approve larger gifts. The policy should also indicate types of gifts the church will not accept and who will have the final decision to refuse a bequest.

Designated bequests are gifts with strings attached. Generally the gift comes with instructions in the will and indicates the gift must

be used for a specific purpose. If the church cannot or decides not to meet the designation requirements, it must refuse the gift. Neither the estate trustees, nor surviving family, nor the church members can change a designation in a will. As the donor is deceased, only the courts can authorize an alternate use. If you wish to leave a designated gift, you should ensure that the church will be able to meet the designation requirements both now and in the future.

MFC has a bequest discussion paper available on our website (MennoFoundation.ca/ downloads/bequests.pdf ) and our consultants are available to meet with churches that wish to create, update, or review a bequest policy. Individuals, couples, or families wishing to explore gifts to the church or other charities can also benefit from meeting with MFC to discuss their wishes and receive free counsel regarding the best way to make the gift.

While receiving a lot of money unexpectedly—whatever that number may be—can cause stress, it can also bring opportunities, allow us to cast new visions, and begin conversations.

Receiving a lot of money unexpectedly can cause stress and bring opportunities.

Sherri Grosz is a stewardship consultant in the Kitchener, Ontario, office of Mennonite Foundation of Canada. For more 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

Column • kids’ corner

What do you expect for Christmas?

36 The Messenger • December 2014

DREAMSTIME

W

hat are some things you expect at Christmas time?

Shops are filled with new toys, and clothes, and the latest gadgets. Everyone is busy shopping. The aroma of cookies and cakes baked especially for Christmas fills the kitchen.

For Christmas dinner there’s turkey and nothing beats the smell of turkey roasting in the oven.

Coloured lights brighten rooftops and trees

by Loreena and outline the shapes of deer on the front lawn.

Thiessen Snow covers fields and roads and forests with a sparkling white blanket.

You may be excited about spending extra time with cousins and grandparents, and having days off to play. You expect new things, delicious food and good holiday visits.

There were great expectations at the time of the first Christmas too. Mary, chosen by Joseph to be his wife, was expecting to celebrate a joyful wedding. Joseph was looking forward to caring for Mary as his wife.

The shepherds’ job was to keep their herd safe. They expected a quiet night. They expected to relax.

Activity: make a string bird feeder.

Things were a little different Need: for the Magi.

String of yarn about a meter long They were alPlastic needle ways looking up Fruit: cranberries raisins, orange pieces, into the sky for popcorn, apple pieces, bread cubes something new.

That’s just what Do: happened. They Thread yarn through the eye of plastic needle. saw a new star Pull the yarn so you have a double strand; it and they folwill be stronger. lowed it. Their Cut the yarn and tie a knot near the end. goal was to see String popcorn, cranberries, raisins, apple, where it would orange, along the strand of yarn. lead. And that’s Leave 5 centimeters at the end; tie another when they were knot to keep the fruit from slipping off. surprised.

Hang the string on a tree branch or along deck The Magi railing. knew a new star Watch birds enjoy your feeder. meant a new king had been

born and that’s what they expected. When they did not find the new king in a palace their plans changed. They listened to God’s voice and found the king they were looking for, not in a palace, but in a stable. There they honoured him with their gifts.

The shepherds’ night was far from relaxing.

Suddenly in the darkness an angel in a piercing light lit up the black sky. The shepherds were very afraid. But they listened to the angel and did as they were instructed. Now, instead of being afraid they were excited and told everyone the good news.

Mary and Joseph’s plans changed too. Instead of a celebration the angel told Mary she would give birth to God’s son. At first they did not understand. They were troubled.

The long journey to Bethlehem was unexpected and difficult and when they arrived there was no room for them, only a stable. Soon after Jesus was born his life was threatened by Caesar Augustus. He was jealous and did not want to hear about a new king. Mary and Joseph had to leave secretly to get away.

These were difficult times for Mary and Joseph. But they listened to God’s voice and followed his instructions. Their plans had to change and God kept them safe.

Read the story in Luke 2:1-18.

The Messenger Evangelical Mennonite Conference 440 Main St., Steinbach, MB R5G 1Z5 Publications Mail Agreement #40017362