Riverton Gospel Chapel: Japan is in Hillary’s heart

Japan is in Hillary’s heart!

RIVERTON GOSPEL CHAPEL, Manitoba

January 30 marked an exciting day for Hillary Timmons as she was warmly welcomed back to Winnipeg by her parents in spite of the -30 C temperature.

As part of her cross-training

Hillary Timmons

internship course Hillary spent almost a year in Hirao, Japan, with a team of church planters under Christar.

Her time there was marked by completing an ethnography assignment, teaching English class, Bible classes, developing curriculum for Friendship English camp, Friday night ministries, and building relationships. As a supporting church we were glad to welcome her back and were interested to learn of her experiences. In her final spring update from home she writes, “It’s very humbling that God has used me to help bring the light of His Son to Japan and allowed me to be a part of the work He is doing in the

news

EMC graduates from Canadian Mennonite University

Tony Friesen (Treesbank), B.A. in Peace and Conflict Transformation Studies

Pamela Amber Dueck (Morweena), BA in history

hearts of His people in Japan.

“The Lord certainly blessed me with plenty of amazing experiences, close relationships, and special members in Japan, and 2009 will always be a year that I will look back on with a lot of joy in my heart. I know that God is calling me back to Japan.”

Hillary will not be making the journey back to Japan by herself. Hillary and Bob Baden are planning a small wedding for July 10 of this year. After a year of Bible training and taking care of some immigration details, they are hoping to return to Japan together next summer or early fall.

Hillary asks that we continue to pray for her teammates continuing the work in Japan, and that the many lost souls there would turn to their Creator for salvation. Carol Kornelsen

EFC urges freedom for commissioners

Faye Sonier, legal counsel for the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, attended the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal May 13-14 with litigator Scott Kennedy to present arguments in favour of religious rights for marriage commissioners.

In July, the Justice Minister of Saskatchewan asked the Court of Appeal for an opinion on potential legislation permitting marriage commissioners to decline performing same-sex marriages if contrary to their religious beliefs. The decision in this case has the potential to affect all public service employees in Canada. EFC

Segue and Winkler Co-op celebrate partnership

Working together to break down employment barriers

WINKLER, Man.—Three years of cooperation with the mental illness—the stress from a job can be overwhelming. Winkler Co-op has resulted in 22 people having on-the-job One of Segue’s employment trainers is assigned to work training through the Segue Career Options program. closely with the individual and provides training, coaching,

Individuals who enter this unique program in Winkler, and support—both at work and often after work—to address are unemployed or under-employed due to employment barlife skills needs. As the person progresses, eventually they riers that can include a mental health diagnosis, a physical can work on their own, obtain a job within the co-operating disability, or learning challenges. Segue Career Options is business or in another business. The goal of Segue is to dea program of Eden Health Care velop job skills so that individuals can find Services that works at breaking meaningful employment. down such employment barriThe Winkler Co-op has worked cooperaers. To do this best, it is vital to tively with Segue over the past three years have an employer who is will eden to develop such a program in the Co-op ing to provide individuals with grocery store, café, and gas bar. the opportunity for on-the-job UR TESY James Friesen, Eden’s CEO, notes, “A training. CO large part of who we are is wrapped up in

Segue found such a partner our job title. A job, and the security and with the Winkler Co-op. Upon P HOTO sense of fulfillment a job provides, is a key entering the program an asbuilding block for all people. It allows us to sessment is made and a job is contribute to the communities we are part assigned that best matches the of.” Segue Career Options and its coopskills and capacity of each indiSegue and Winkler Co-op celebrated their unique erative program with the Winkler Co-op is vidual. Often for someone recovpartnership with free pie and coffee on September doing just that. It is developing good citiering from an illness—such as a 9, 2009. zens for the community.

MBs and GCs celebrate 150 years

Two conferences ponder past, futures

WINNIPEG, Man.—This year marks the 150 th anniversary of the founding of two major Anabaptist bodies, the Mennonite

Brethren Church in Ukraine, and the General Conference

Mennonite Church in the USA. To help celebrate this important landmark, Canadian Mennonite University hosted an all day story-telling session on MennoniteJune 5, 2010, on campus, followed Anabaptist churches by an evening worship service, open to all, at Winnipeg’s Portage worldwide have Avenue Church. approximately 1.5 The stories of these two churches began in 1860, when two million baptized renewal movements, separated by members in 51 the Atlantic Ocean, led to the formation of two different Mennonite countries on six denominations. In that year, one continents. group seeking emphasis on discipline, prayer, and Bible study Eden left the larger Mennonite church in Ukraine to form the Mennonite Brethren Church.

Simultaneously in North America, congregations in Iowa invited other Mennonites to join together to pursue common goals in mission work, service, and higher education, thereby forming the General Conference Mennonite Church, which later merged with the Mennonite Church to form Mennonite Church Canada and Mennonite Church USA.

Known as peace churches for their commitment to nonviolence, Mennonite-Anabaptist churches worldwide have approximately 1.5 million baptized members in 51 countries on six continents. Both the Mennonite Brethren and Mennonite Church Canada, along with Mennonite Church USA, are member churches of a broader Mennonite World Conference.

The EMC began in 1812 in Ukraine (then Russia) and moved to Canada and the U.S. in 1874. It will celebrate its 200 th anniversary in 2012. It, too, is a member of MWC. CMU and EMC

Nasreen is grateful for MEDA

A story from Afghanistan

When Nasreen talks, she looks very confident and you do not realize the hardships and difficulties she has previously experienced.

Before the war, she says she and her family had a good life. “When war came, our life became terrible and my children grew up knowing only war, bombs, rockets, smoke and fires.”

Nasreen and family

ABBOTSFORD, B.C.—Participants at the recent national MCC thrift shop conference were reminded that teamwork makes the impossible possible.

MCC has 55 thrift shops in Canada, with more than 5,000 volunteers. The shops are on target to contribute $6 million to MCC this year.

“We have dedicated volunteers right now but what do we have to do to recruit new volunteers?” wondered Patty Ollies, MCC thrift shop coordinator for Ontario.

More than 150 people gathered at Columbia Bible College on May 12-15. Keynote speakers, workshops, activities and tours focused on how a team makes a thrift shop thrive.

Patty Ollies, coordinator for Ontario, said that the most

Nasreen and her family had been displaced, but then decided to “go back to our home and start from nothing.”

They tried very hard to rebuild everything, but it was extremely difficult. They could harvest only enough to have something to eat and survive.

“We could not buy medicine, meat, fruits, or buy any new dresses,” she said. “I felt so helpless and I just cried.”

But one day MEDA staff came to her village and invited people to join the agriculture program. “When I heard the benefits, I didn’t sleep the whole night as I was just thinking about our future.”

Now, Nasreen says she has achieved “my dreams.” She and her husband, with their six children, work on the land using techniques learned from MEDA.

“I have learned how to prepare our land, how to water our plants, how to cultivate and control the weeds, and how to harvest and store our produce.

“I can make jam, pickles, and dried vegetables. By selling my excess produce, I am able to buy the things that I need.”

When she sees her children go to school, Nasreen feels good because she has fulfilled her obligations to give them an education.

She is thankful to MEDA.

MCC thrift shop meeting focuses on teamwork

55 thrift shops, more than 5,000 volunteers

Adapted from MEDA publications important message she heard is that people need to be willing to change and adapt.

“We have dedicated volunteers right now but what do we have to do to recruit new volunteers?” she wondered.

“In Ontario, we’ve considered things like doing pricing and sorting in the evening to make it possible for people who work or go to school during the day to still volunteer,” she said. “It means we need to be willing to adapt.”

Workshops gave participants opportunities to explore topics on workplace safety, boards and managers, policy writing, and finding and keeping employees.

The event included a trade show with items from thrift shops across the country, and tours to local thrift shops and attractions.

Thrift Shops support MCC’s worldwide ministry, responding to basic human need and working for peace and justice for all. Angelika Dawson, MCC BC