From innovation to discipleship: EMC churches are flourishing!
“WHICH OF YOU read the regional [church] reports?” asked Harold Friesen (Abbeydale Christian Fellowship, Calgary) at the Conference Council meeting held June 29, 2024. A smattering of hands went up; less than 10 percent of attendees (my own hand was not raised!).
Written reports from four of EMC’s nine regions were easily available online but, since they didn’t figure in the meeting’s agenda, I had not taken time to read them. Because of that challenge, however, I have since taken a look to find out how EMC churches are doing.
Here are some highlights from churches in Regions 2, 4, 6 and 8:
Innovation/neighbourhood involvement:
• creation of a sensory room to better accommodate children with autism spectrum disorder (MacGregor EMC)
• creation of six small garden plots behind the church building (Portage Evangelical Church)
• providing a community music program (Coaldale Mennonite Church)
• involvement at a local youth drop-in centre (Prairie Grove Fellowship Church)
• incorporating monthly service projects as part of their worship gatherings (Saturday Night Church)
Diversity:
• moving increasingly toward becoming a multicultural church (EFC Steinbach)
• a refugee couple from Afghanistan joined their membership (Ridgewood Church)
Engaged laity/hospitable community:
• almost every church event of any kind is attended by almost everyone in the church (Anola Fellowship Chapel)
• people who seemed far off because of Covid are returning (Rosenort Fellowship Chapel)
• they are a church that “enjoys being together.” People from the community are being drawn to their fellowship and to Jesus (EFC Fort Frances)
• hosting EMC Festival in June 2023 provided space for members to get involved in new ways (Pleasant Valley EMC)
Partnerships:
• shares their facility with church congregations of other cultures, with occasional joint services (Abbeydale Christian Fellowship)
• a fundraiser the church hosted for a family in a difficult health situation far exceeded expectations as others participated (Kola EMC)
• four churches working together to sponsor three Afghan refugee families (Ridgewood Church, EFC Steinbach, EFC Fort Frances, Stony Brook Fellowship)
Discipleship:
• young people are encouraged to use their gifts in serving the church (Roseisle EMC, Prairie Rose EMC)
• started an initiative to read through the Old Testament as a church body in 2024 (Pansy Chapel)
• evidence of spiritual growth in youth and young adult ministries (Stony Brook Fellowship)
• youth participated in a mission trip during spring break (Steinbach EMC)
• a time of weekly prayer and worship gatherings led to starting a street ministry in Brandon and an outreach teaching English to newcomers (Ebenezer Christian Church)
I hope you find this list as encouraging as I did. And I pray you see flourishing hallmarks of the movement of the Holy Spirit as you look at your own congregation..
– Rebecca Roman, Editor
Building bridges of grace By Phil Callaway
Based on a message by Phil Callaway at EMC Festival 2024.
Reading through the Bible in under 100 days!
By Irma McKenzie
“I was observing connections I had never noticed before.”
A journey through GriefShare
By Geralyn Wichers
High Level Christian Fellowship church sees and meets a need for greater grief support. Reports on EMC Ministerial, Conference Council
Building bridges, not barriers: EMC Festival 2024 in photos
Global impact Different family situations, different challenges By Gerald Reimer
His light to my path Taking the slow road By Karla Hein
Further in and higher up Convert, how is that working for you? By Layton Friesen
Inviting faith A surprising discovery By John Bowen
Tapping
The Messenger
Volume
MANAGING EDITOR
ERICA FEHR
EDITOR
REBECCA ROMAN
PUBLICATION AND PURPOSE
The Messenger is the publication of the Evangelical Mennonite Conference, 440 Main Street, Steinbach, MB R5G 1Z5. Its purpose is to inform concerning events and activities in the denomination, instruct in godliness and victorious living, inspire to earnestly contend for the faith.
Phone: 204-326-6401
messenger@emconference.ca www.emcmessenger.ca
ISSN: 0701-3299
Publications Mail Agreement Number: 40017362
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COPYRIGHT
The articles printed in The Messenger are owned by The Messenger or by the author and may not be reprinted without permission. Unless noted, Scripture quotations taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®, Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.TM Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
SUBMISSIONS
Views and opinions of writers are their own and do not necessarily represent the position of the Conference or the editors. Advertising and inserts should not be considered to carry editorial endorsement.
Letters, articles, photos and poems are welcome. Submissions should be sent to messenger@emconference.ca
CHANGE OF ADDRESS AND SUBSCRIPTIONS
Print subscriptions are free of charge to all members and adherents of EMC churches in Canada. For those not associated with an EMC church we suggest a donation of $20.00/year.. To sign up for the email newsletter or submit an address change, email messenger@emconference.ca
ADVERTISING
The Messenger does not sell advertising, but provides free space (classified and display) to enhance our Conference, its churches, boards and ministries; inter-Mennonite agencies and educational institutions; and the wider church. Ads and inquiries can be sent to messenger@emconference.ca
Letters
and Notices
evangelical mennonite conference
Mennonite Conference
We give thanks to God for the continued strong support of EMC ministries, and we acknowledge the contributions of EMC churches and individuals who give so generously.
– The Board of Trustees
*Income includes donations and transfers from other funds (e.g., estate funds).
Predestination is a challenging topic for Christians [May/June 2024] completely God. We embrace both statements as true.
Predestination: is it an either/or, or a both/and?
Jesus was God. Jesus was man. One hundred percent each.
We leave our confessional of Jesus as Lord, and then discuss theology, select our positions, argue for them from interpretation of the text and logical deduction, with perhaps a bit of personal prejudice thrown in, each of us assuming that our viewpoint is mutually exclusive of all others.
There is little logic or reason in the confessional of Jesus as fully man and
Guidelines for letters
Letters (250 words or less) 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 mail must contain a handwritten signature with the writer’s first and last names and a mailing address.
God wishes us all to be saved. His will predestines us for glory and does so when we honour him. We can rejoice in our election. We can pursue the Great Commission in the hope that those whom God wishes to be part of his kingdom have the opportunity to join.
Praise be to God!
– Gordon Dyck Steinbach,
For letters by e-mail, the writer’s name and e-mail address are deemed to be an electronic signature. The writer’s mailing 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.
Man.
Ramones departs, Ginter to begin at EMC office
WE ARE SAD to announce that Betty Ramones, who served as EMC Church Leadership Assistant for the past year, is no longer working as part of the EMC staff team. We are however delighted for her and new husband Josh Fehr, and they embark on life together. We wish her all the best as she considers how to use her considerable gifts, love for people and heart of service in continuing work for the Lord.
THE PERSONNEL COMMITTEE
is pleased to announce that Karenna Ginter has agreed to serve as EMC Church Leadership Assistant. Karenna will begin this assignment in September 2024. She will be taking on the role previously held by Betty Ramones, who is leaving the EMC staff team.
Karenna holds a BA in Biblical Studies, Youth Ministry from Steinbach Bible College and has worked in kids and youth ministries for three years and in camp ministries for six. She has also served as an assistant youth director and assistant camp director.
Karenna has skills in graphic design and as an administrative assistant, both of which will prove valuable in her role at the EMC office.
We look forward to having Karenna as part of the EMC team starting in September.
– EMC Personnel Committee
EMC MISSIONS PROJECTS
Mexico: Benevolence
Camino de Vida, the EMC church plant in Guadalajara, provides food assistance to migrants travelling through their city. These people come from countries like Honduras, Venezuela and Ecuador and are aiming for the American border. The church purchases ingredients, prepares the food and brings packages to the migrants they find along the train tracks.
Goal: $1,500
Nicaragua: Relief
The Fraternity of Evangelical Mennonite Churches of Nicaragua—a church conference that is the result of EMC mission work that ended in the 90s—is thriving and growing, maintaining its goal of starting one new outreach every year. But Nicaragua is a very poor country that is regularly hit by natural disasters. The Nicaragua relief fund allows the Fraternity to provide aid to churches and individuals dealing with unexpected and expensive needs.
Goal: $2,500
Betty Ramones
Karenna Ginter
IT IS A privilege to speak at this EMC conference. I am not a Mennonite, but most of my best friends are, and my ancestors were Scottish, so I am cheap. I once said to my wife, “You are only getting one cup of tea from a teabag; you can do better.” So, I am an honorary Mennonite. Better yet, I am with brothers and sisters who love and serve Jesus. A little girl was lost in the city. Frightened, she ran up and down the street searching for home. A policeman picked her up and they drove around as she looked for a familiar landmark. Finally, she pointed to a church and smiled. “You can let me out now,” she said. “That’s my church. I can find my way home from here.” God only knows how many have found their way home because you are faithfully serving God.
BUILDING BRIDGES OF GRACE
By Phil Callaway
Phil Callaway, speaker at EMC Festival in 2024.
At a conference in a church, I told how my mother gave birth to me when she was almost 40. Afterward, two women were clearly disagreeing. One said to me, “I don’t think mothers should have children after 35. What do you think?” I thought about that and said, “I completely agree; 35 is a lot of children!” Despite their differences, these two went away laughing together.
Years ago, a man was bitten by a dog and rushed to the hospital where tests confirmed that he had rabies. Medical science had no cure back then. The doctor said, “Sir, we will do all we can, but you need to get your affairs in order. The dying man began writing vigorously. Later the doctor returned to find him still writing. “I’m glad you’re taking care of your will,” he said. “This ain’t no will,” said the dying man. “It’s a list of the people I’m going to bite before I die.”
Many of us have been bitten by longfaced Christians who don’t make the good news look so good. But here are three things those who build bridges of grace remember:
1The fruit of the Spirit is not prunes.
A man wrote me a letter saying, “There is no record of Jesus laughing. Why do you do this comedy thing?” Evidently, this guy had not spent much time camping with 12 other men, as our Lord did. Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
Sadly, many of us aren’t known for our good cheer. I remember sitting in church as a kid thinking, I don’t want to spend eternity with some of these people. For some, joyful Christian is an oxymoron. Like jumbo shrimp. Microsoft Works. And Vancouver Sun.
JOYCE
In response to our radio program Laugh Again, many tell us how God has used humour and hope to encourage them. A teen said, “I listen to you every day. So, I guess I listen to you more than I listen to my mother.” A single mom in New Brunswick told me how she and her son heard me laughing on the radio. “I didn’t know Christians laughed,” she said. They kept listening, heard the gospel, and later placed their faith in Jesus. Psalm 126:2 talks about what happened when God freed the captives: “Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, ‘The Lord has done great things for them.’”
Some consider Christians unpleasant people, but I’ve seen humour put them at ease and make them willing to listen. Chuck Colson said, “I’ve known many people who were turned off by Christians who were just too serious, but I’ve never known one who refused to listen to someone who first made them laugh.”
In our cranky, hurting world, may our churches be joy-filled havens.
watched my brothers-in-law faithfully nurse my wife’s sisters through this awful disease. Their faithfulness has yanked me from complacency and complaint and coaxed me forward.
One study claims that 82% of non-religious people would be willing to have a conversation with a Christian about faith if they would do five things that build bridges of grace.
Joy and perseverance amid difficulty are powerful magnets to the kingdom of God.
2Don’t jump from the train when you’re in a tunnel.
Years ago a gentleman called me. “I don’t like your sense of humour,” he said. “We’re in the last days here. This is hardly a time for laughter.” What would you say? I said, “Is that you, Dad?” He didn’t find that funny. I told him that my wife had lost five immediate family members in one year, thanks to Huntington’s Disease and cancer. “I don’t know where we would be without the joy of Christ and the hope of Heaven,” I said.
Joy and perseverance amid difficulty are powerful magnets to the kingdom of God. I have
1. Just be present and listen. There’s a guy on our street who holds the world record for concussions. Sixty-seven! He lives just a stone’s throw away. Bad joke. But some would rather throw stones than be there and listen. People are lonely. You can now rent a walking buddy for $30 an hour. Instead, buy a pie and deliver it. Who says “no” to a pie? Humans are funny people. Our favourite topic is usually ourselves. So, ask compelling questions and you’ll catch your legal limit in friends. In fact, you’ll make more friends in a week by being interested than in a year of being interesting. Don’t just ask, “What’s your name?” say, “Is there a story behind your name?” Get them talking about what floats their boat.
2. Walk in their shoes. Allow them to tell their story without jumping in or defending your point of view. If your neighbours aren’t interested in spiritual things, no problem. They’re not your project; they’re people in process. Love them. They are created in God’s image with incredible dignity worth and value.
3. Identify common ground. Relationships are forged around food and sports,
kids and grandkids. Go looking for common ground.
4. Talk like a real person. Don’t slip into Christianese. Explain your terms.
5. Be real. During a flight, my seatmate discovered that I was a Christian. He said, “I’ve had bad experiences with Christians.” I said, “Really? Me too.” He laughed. And we enjoyed a four-hour conversation about Jesus. I didn’t “lead him to Christ.” Or did I? In admitting my own struggles, a bridge was built. In asking him what he loved about his work, I discovered he counselled people suffering with Huntington’s Disease. I couldn’t provide all the answers to his questions, nor could he explain away my faithfulness and commitment.
This is a time when deconstruction and exvangelical are major hashtags.
Any path is valid except the historic Christian one. “Just live your truth,” is the mantra. We’re self-oriented, not truth-oriented. Interestingly, a crisis is almost always the fuse that ignites this departure from our churches. How we deal with life’s difficulties speaks volumes. People want to know if faith makes a difference in our marriage, our singleness, our parenting, infertility, pain and doubts.
In our lonely, disoriented world, may we be known for our warmth and steadfast commitment.
3Live so the preacher won’t have to lie at your funeral.
My Dad was an ordained minister with the Evangelical Free Church. I think we liked that denomination because there was no tithe, it was free! But I know enough about ministry to know that, outside of being a mother, you have the highest calling. Chuck Swindoll was once introduced as a suppository preacher. I asked him, “What did you do?” He said, “I got up and supposited the word, Brother.”
How we deal with life’s difficulties speaks volumes. People want to know if faith makes a difference in our marriage, our singleness, our parenting, infertility, pain and doubts.
When he died, my father didn’t leave much behind. Or did he? John Lennon, the famous exBeatle, was worth $530 million when he died. But biographers paint him as a lonely, frightened man, fearful of the future, unable to sleep with the lights off. His son Julian said, “My father was a hypocrite Dad could talk about peace and love out loud to the world, but he could never show it to the people who supposedly meant the most to him: his wife and son … the only thing he taught me was how not to be a father.”
My father was several postal codes from perfect. For one thing, he always started songs too high. But he sang my mom’s praises for 62 years. And he never seemed to get over the fact that God had redeemed him, a sinner, saved by grace alone. I don’t recall a day when he missed praying or gazing at an open Bible. He didn’t chase money or notoriety, he chased after God. I first heard him say “I love you,” when he was 77. I never doubted that he did, but it was nice to hear those words.
As I reflect on those who have impacted my life, five words come to mind that form an acrostic for grace.
Grateful. She was six weeks old when a doctor misdiagnosed her illness and put a poultice on her eyes, robbing her sight. She would never see the faces of friends, flowers, or the magnificence of the stars. But when she was older, her mother told her that “two of the world’s great poets were blind and that sometimes Providence deprived persons of some physical faculty so the spiritual insight might more fully awake.” And did it ever.
Fanny Crosby went on to write over 8,000 hymns including one of my favorites, “All the Way My Saviour Leads Me.” At the age of eight, she wrote, “Oh, what a happy soul am I, although I cannot see. I am resolved that in this world contented I will be. How many blessings I enjoy that other people don’t. To weep and sigh because I’m blind, I cannot and I won’t.” Gratitude is the great secret of the joy-filled life.
True service for Christ is always rooted in thankful hearts.
Rustproof. At my age, I don’t even know what to wear. “Do I wear boxers or briefs?” I asked my wife. She said, “Well depends.” A 93-yearold friend was asked, “Do you like the loud music in your church?” He said, “I like the people who like that music.” When I grow up, I want to be like him. I want to die young as old as I can.
Amazed. My mother caught me smoking when I was ten. My older brother told me what would happen. “She’ll cut your lips off!” But she didn’t. Mom merely said, “Smoking won’t send you to hell. It will just make you smell like you’ve been there.” May we never cease being amazed by God’s grace. He constantly uses the most underqualified to do his work. Because we know we can’t do it without him. And when good things happen, we know exactly who gets the credit.
The message of the cross reaches our hearts and clear down to our wallets. We don’t hold money in our hearts, but in our open hands.
Compassionate. I grew up below the poverty line but witnessed outrageous generosity and hospitality. The message of the cross reaches our hearts and clear down to our wallets. We don’t hold money in our hearts, but in our open hands. We know there’s pain in every pew, so we reach out with compassion.
Expectant.
After teaching about heaven, a Sunday School teacher tested her students: “If I sold my house and car and gave all my money to the church, would that get me into heaven? “No!” the kids answered. “What would get me into heaven?” she asked. A little boy said, “You gotta be dead!”
Those who think most of the next world make the greatest difference in this one. We expect God to do great things. He has throughout history; he’s not about to stop now.
When I turned 35, my son said, “Dad, you’re half dead.” So, I tucked him into bed. And removed him from the will. Actually, I started thinking about what I wanted on my tombstone. There are funny ones: “See, I told you I was sick.” The wife of a man known as a womanizer put up this epitaph: “Frank. At least I know where you’re sleeping tonight.”
I thank God that this will not speak of any of our lives. What do I want on my tombstone? “He found God’s grace too amazing to keep to himself.”
That is you, my friends. Keep it up. God bless you as you live with joy, perseverance, and integrity—all the way Home.
Phil Callaway is the best-selling author of thirty books and the host of Laugh Again Radio. Visit him at philcallaway.com. This message is based on one of Phil’s presentations at EMC Festival 2024 in La Crete, Alta., held June 28–30. Find the video at www.emconference.ca/festival.
Reading through the Bible in under 100 days!
By Irma McKenzie
YOU MAY THINK this is a bit of an exaggeration—but let me assure you, reading through the Bible in under 100 days was seriously fun! Trust me, I was just as surprised as you might be. Let me take you through my adventure.
During a memorable trip to Guadalajara where my husband Cameron and I had the pleasure of visiting with EMC missionaries Angel and Blanca Infantes and their family, I was inspired to read through the Bible. During our visit, Blanca shared how she meets with three groups of women each week for Bible study. This got me reflecting on how well I know the Bible. It ignited a desire in me to deepen my understanding of the Bible.
For some months prior to this trip, I had been reflecting on the notion that my spiritual
life holds greater significance than my everyday existence. Thinking more about this and my new longing to deepen my general knowledge and understanding of the Bible, I resolved to take action and to adjust my priorities accordingly. Reading and becoming more familiar with the Bible seemed like an important step on that journey.
Though I grew up in the church and possessed a general knowledge of the Bible, much remained to explore—and there was a lot more to know. One thing I have learned from Cameron is that the Bible tells a cohesive and connected story. In my past practise of reading the Bible, I have focused more on individual books and passages and hadn’t made many of the connections. I’ve only more recently come to appreciate the presence of the remarkable storyline and unifying threads that exist in the Bible from Genesis
to Revelation. It’s these threads and storyline that help reveal the larger story being told about God’s relationship with the world and with humans.
Flying home from Guadalajara, I found myself wondering how quickly I could read through the Bible to understand better the overarching storyline—and how the various books of the Bible, stories and characters fit into the whole story of the Bible. I discovered a plan to read through the Bible in 100 days and wondered if I could achieve that—if I could make time in my busy life to read through the Bible in 100 days.
As I began reading, I had no idea how captivating the exercise would become. My work is such that I spend 30–40 minutes in my car on both sides of the day. Typically, I have listened to CBC or to some music on the way to/from work. I started using this time to listen to the Bible. Biblica, Inc., which publishes the NIV Bible, has an audio version narrated by actor David Suchet (whom some may know as “Agatha Christie’s Poirot”). The entire audio version is available for purchase at Audible.com, or can be accessed free from the Bible Gateway website or the YouVersion Bible app.
I quickly got engrossed in the story and found myself reading (and sometimes reading while listening) at home in the evening. Each day, I found myself excavating layers of wisdom and insight previously unnoticed. The seemingly familiar stories took on new dimensions. At times, I thought I was repeating what I had read earlier only to discover it wasn’t a repeat of the story—just a similar story told in another book or chapter. In other cases, I realized it was a repeat of the story being told from a different perspective. This led to many
new discoveries about how and perhaps why the story is told the way it is, and how this telling reveals meaning and promotes understanding. Over the weeks, I noticed a sense of peace and decreased anxiety permeating my life. I felt more attuned to God’s presence in every facet of my daily experiences.
I began seeing repeated themes and stories and was observing connections I had never noticed before. Cameron would hear me exclaim, “I didn’t know that!” or “I’ve never seen that before!”
As an example, I don’t recall previously taking note of the following story in the Old Testament (2 Kings 4:42–44) which reads a lot like the feeding of the five thousand.
A man came from Baal Shalishah, bringing the man of God twenty loaves of barley bread baked from the first ripe grain, along with some heads of new grain. “Give it to the people to eat,” Elisha said. “How can I set this before a hundred men?” his servant asked. But Elisha answered, “Give it to the people to eat. For this is what the L ord says: ‘They will eat and have some left over.’” Then he set it before them, and they ate and had some left over, according to the word of the L ord
I had also never noticed that (at least in one example) a parable is used in the Old Testament. The Parable of Two Eagles and a Vine in Ezekiel 17 tells of the demise of the king for “despising my oath and breaking my covenant” (v. 19).
Repetition evokes memory (for the people involved in the story and for us, the readers of
I discovered a plan to read through the Bible in 100 days and wondered if I could achieve that—if I could make time in my busy life to read through the Bible in 100 days.
I was profoundly moved as I moved through Ezekiel to read of the extravagant and loyal love God offered to restore his people.
the story) and recalls or reinforces earlier teachings or concepts. For example, clouds are used in many stories to represent God’s presence:
• “Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind” (Genesis 9:14–15);
• “By day the L ord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way” (Exodus 13:21);
• “Then the L ord came down in the cloud and spoke with him” (Numbers 11:25)
• “A bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, ‘this is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!’” (Matthew 17:5; see also Luke 9:35);
• “Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars” (Revelation 10:1).
These literary tools, which consist of repeated themes and stories, highlight and help communicate the overarching theme running through the Bible, namely, the contrast between God’s faithfulness and humans’ (the people of Israel’s) faithlessness (disobedience).
Ezekiel, a book that I don’t recall reading much of in the past, was perhaps the biggest surprise. It landed as a powerful and very moving book. I felt quite emotional reading it after reading through the very depressing history of the kings of Israel and Judah vacillating between following God and following idols—then returning to God only to be led by another king who did what was evil in the sight of the Lord.
I felt overwhelmed by the persistent evil of humans and the resulting judgment their rebellion created. I was profoundly moved as I moved
through Ezekiel to read of the extravagant and loyal love God offered to restore his people, and to have mercy on his people in order to protect his holy name (39:25). I recognized the parallel to the merciful act of God in sending his son, Jesus, to take on the sin of humans in order that we can be reconciled to God.
After reading through the history of the Israel and Judah, Psalms also felt especially emotional and personal—often retelling and helping me better understand stories I had just read in the earlier books of the Old Testament. The recurring themes of salvation and redemption—of God’s commitment and promise to his people—and of his deep and loyal love for his people was the resounding message and hope that gripped me as I continued reading to the concluding chapters of Revelation.
I completed the project in less than 100 days! Although I was almost disappointed to come to the end, the experience profoundly impacted me.
I’m on another journey through the Bible— this one will take a bit longer—but I expect I will again challenge myself to read through the Bible in three months and by doing so make more discoveries about this remarkable story that is so old and remarkably relevant and applicable today!
Irma McKenzie actively contributes to the Fort Garry EMC community alongside her husband, Cameron, who serves as lead pastor. Irma’s professional journey within the not-for-profit sector has revolved around administration, human resources, and more recently, fund development. Currently, she holds the role of Director of Gift Planning and Human Resources at the HSC Foundation.
A journey through GriefShare
In a ‘grief-illiterate’ society, the bereaved can struggle to find the support they need
By Geralyn Wichers
Gwen Peters and Dwylla Zacharias, co-leaders of the GriefShare program at High Level Christian Fellowship.
DWYLLA ZACHARIAS’S LIFE was upended in a moment.
It was early 2021. She, husband Jared, and their four children had recently returned from the mission field of Hungary and were sorting out how to report to supporting churches despite pandemic restrictions.
“Jared didn’t have any health issues that we knew of,” Dwylla said.
Then a massive heart attack left her a widow. She wondered—where did she go from there? And how?
She came across a GriefShare support group at the Evangelical Free Church in Lethbridge, where she was staying with her family. It seemed like a good place to start.
She described the program as “discovering truths about what grief is and what it’s not, who God is in the midst of our grief, and what we can do about it.”
Dwylla remembers thinking, “Wow, this is what I needed.”
She realized, “What I’m thinking, what I’m feeling ... this is normal,” she said. “This is a natural part of grief.”
What is GriefShare?
GriefShare is a Bible-based support group curriculum for anyone who has lost a loved one, whether the loss has been recent or many years ago.
Over 13 weeks, GriefShare participants meet and watch a video on grief-related topics that feature Christian counsellors, grief experts, and helpful stories from people who’ve experienced loss. Participants then discuss what has been shared in the video.
“Since there are no neat, orderly stages of grief, you’ll learn helpful ways of coping with grief, in all its unpredictability,” GriefShare’s website says.
The program is specifically for churches and is designed to be run by volunteers.
“We are just there to facilitate the group,” Dwylla said. “The experts are all in the videos.”
After encountering GriefShare in Lethbridge, Dwylla and her children moved to High Level in northern Alberta. Dwylla grew up in that
community, and she and Jared had previously lived there as a pastoral couple for the Evangelical Free Church. They still owned a home there, which had been rented out while they were on the mission field.
Dwylla and her kids settled in and returned to her childhood church, High Level Christian Fellowship (EMC). Elders in the church asked her about the GriefShare program and if she’d be open to starting a group. By fall of 2021, Dwylla and co-leader, Gwen Peters, had begun the first 13-week program.
Why does it matter?
Elders at High Level Christian Fellowship saw a need for greater grief support for people in the area. Participants in subsequent groups have come from within the church and in the wider community.
Dwylla realized, “What I’m thinking, what I’m feeling ... this is normal. This is a natural part of grief.”
Grieving people may often struggle with feeling misunderstood and alone in what they are experiencing.
A 2021 survey by researchers from the University of Arizona showed that while most respondents were satisfied with the support they received, friends and family scored fairly low on the satisfaction scale. A bit more than 50 percent said they were satisfied with care their friends provided, and 40 percent reported satisfaction with their families’ support.
Forty-one percent said they were dissatisfied with the support provided by faith leaders.
While the survey has limited accuracy (the 372 respondents skewed heavily female, white and married/partnered), the responses provide a window into the grievers’ experiences.
They reported feeling like people were tired of hearing about their grief, irritated or annoyed with them. They felt like people wanted to them
to be their “old selves.” They were hurt when people acted like their dead loved one never existed.
The highest rated “caregivers” among those surveyed were pets.
“I think just having that soul there who can’t say anything so it’s like you know they’re not saying the right or wrong thing, they’re just there,” a respondent said.
“We’re not made to go this world alone,” Dwylla said. “There’s something about being together with other people that you know understand ... about realizing that you’re not the only one going through this. Somebody else gets it.”
“Every time we go through the videos, I’m in a different spot in my journey,” Dwylla said. “Something different will catch my attention each time or be more meaningful to me.”
“We are often so uncomfortable with death’s inevitability that we find ways to avoid discussing it, or even thinking about it,” wrote grief expert David Kessler in a 2021 Quartz article.
“Then, having had so little practice, we often simply don’t know what to say.”
On the flipside, people who’ve recently lost a loved one often don’t understand grief, which can prolong the grieving process, Kessler wrote. They can struggle with intense emotional reactions and not realize these are common and even productive elements of grief.
“We live in a grief-illiterate society,” he said.
The concept of a grief support group didn’t go without opposition in Dwylla’s community. She said she was surprised to be told that it wasn’t right to allow people to get together and “mope.”
“Unfortunately, some people get the message that they’re ‘unspiritual’ or not a ‘good Christian’ if they’re struggling, that grief is a sign of weakness or a lack of faith,” Dwylla said.
In response, Dwylla sometimes answers with John 11:35: “Jesus wept.”
In a GriefShare video, pastor and counsellor Stehen Viars puts it this way: “It’s a very Christlike thing to do, to weep, to grieve. That’s exactly how Jesus felt. The Creator of the world, the One who knew he was about to raise Lazarus from the dead, yet Jesus wept.”
“How wonderful it is that our Saviour truly knows how we feel, and that we can freely follow his example, even in our grief,” Dwylla said. “There’s no need to put on a happy face with God.”
The journey
Dwylla has co-led three 13-week cycles of the GriefShare program so far. In the process, she’s noticed progress along her own grief journey.
“Every time we go through the videos, I’m in a different spot in my journey,” she said. “Something different will catch my attention each time or be more meaningful to me.”
“It’s also healing in a way for me too, to be able to help facilitate this program … to know that somebody else is able to better understand their grief and can discover ways to process it for their journey,” she said.
“Grief is not something that ever goes away, but we can learn to continue living and growing with it as part of our stories. Our Father is truly able to turn mourning to joy.”
“GriefShare has been a tremendously helpful tool in my grief journey, and I’m glad to be able to share it.”
Geralyn Wichers is an agricultural journalist from Steinbach, Man., where she writes for publications such as the Manitoba Co-operator and Western Producer. Geralyn is a member of Steinbach EFC and a recent addition to the EMC’s Board of Church Ministries.
Ministerial: strengthening churches
“We do this because we want to better understand who we are so that we can make the necessary adjustments to better serve in our appointed roles within the kingdom of God and advance his work.”
THIS IS THE reason Conference Pastor Andy Woodworth gave for the State of the Church address he presented. It also served as a fitting theme for the entire Ministerial Day held at La Crete Christian Fellowship Church (LCCFC) on June 28, 2024.
Peter Fehr, associate pastor at LCCFC, opened the meeting with a devotional, reminding participants of our separation from God and the reconciliation we have in Jesus.
The business of the day was next as Board of Leadership and Outreach (BLO) chair Cameron McKenzie reported back to the ministerial, two changes that had been made in the Pastoral Ethics Commitment in response to ministerial feedback. Essentially, the covenant which holds pastors accountable was expanded to hold the congregation accountable as well. The two new sections ask the congregation to covenant to uphold the pastor, abide by the same standards they expect of the pastor, and to treat the pastor and each other in ways that honour God and each other. No decision was called for at this meeting.
EMC Executive Director Emery Plett then explained proposals being made by the General Board—a set of guidelines to help determine whether or not an organization is a good fit to affiliate with EMC. The first guideline is the scope of the organization—we would no longer be responsible to or for those that serve only a local region but would consider provincial or national groups. The second set of criteria is whether an organization is theologically and missionally aligned with EMC.
Conference Pastor Andy Woodworth described the updated ministerial credentialing process. The revised version would have five stages instead of only one and allow pastors who have relevant education and experience to skip over one or more of the stages.
He then went on to talk about the state of the EMC. He asked what it means to be EMC and what our priorities are. The ministerial spent most of this time in small groups discussing questions he proposed—about our distinctives, our culture, our experiences outside the “EMC camp” and “some areas of biblical understanding or practice that our ministerial should be intentional about exploring or discussing.”
Waldie Neufeld opened the afternoon by talking about disciple-making, first pointing out ways we often misunderstand the term to mean something “out there,” and then urging participants to think about what “go and make disciples” means.
Gerald Reimer, Director of Global Outreach, spoke about how missions can change to meet the challenge of immigration, with tips for how to do that well and an explanation of how the Board of Missions is being guided by their updated vision statement and strategic objectives.
Emery Plett followed with information on how the Church Planting Task Force, which has been without a director since Jan 1, 2024, is moving forward. They are considering a combination of church planting support and congregational vitality as part of the new director job description.
Jared Schroeder (BLO member and pastor of the Westpointe Community Church in Grande Prairie) pointed ministerial to Psalm 27 and looking to the Lord as those gathered moved into a time of sharing and prayer before closing the meeting for the day.
–
Erica Fehr
Erica Fehr is managing editor of The Messenger as well as the Director of Communications and Administration at the Evangelical Mennonite Conference.
Conference proposes changes to EMC gatherings, affiliations
DELEGATES GATHERED ON June 29, 2024, in person at La Crete (Alta.) Christian Fellowship Church (LCCFC) and virtually over Zoom to hear of proposed changes to EMC gatherings and affiliations.
Gatherings Committee recommendations
EMC Executive Director Emery Plett presented the recommendations from the EMC Gatherings Committee. One of the recommendations is to move national gatherings from an annual event in June to an event every five years that would happen at the end of October, with the first to take place in 2027/2028. Between national gatherings, regional events with a focus on equipping would take place.
The committee also recommends shifting in-person Conference Council meetings to once a year (November), with a second online-only meeting to be held in April. Other recommendations covered how ministerial events would take place.
EMC external partnerships
Plett also presented a proposal from the General Board on EMC external partnerships. Currently, the EMC provides board members and reporting opportunities to several external organizations. However, as the proposal states, “It is important that the EMC be thoughtful about which organizations it connects with.” The proposal includes three levels of affiliation based on how theologically aligned the organization is to EMC’s doctrinal statement and the scope of an outside
organization’s presence (whether it is national, provincial or local).
Board of Missions
BOM chairman Anthony Reimer asked delegates to be on the lookout for Board of Missions members, saying “we’re looking for at least three more people to join our board.” He also presented an opportunity to be “a champion for Nicaragua.” With project funds for Nicaragua coming in short of their goals, the BOM is looking for someone to promote the needs in the country and “help raise a minimum of about $35,000 to $50,000 each year.”
Board of Leadership and Outreach
Cameron McKenzie, BLO chairman, said the BLO is working at “strengthening the role of pastors and ministers currently in our conference, but also working to raise up the next generation of pastoral leadership.” In relation to these goals, the BLO is looking at a proposal from the National Youth Committee to move their overseeing board to the BLO from the Board of Church Ministries, as it is currently.
Board of Church Ministries
Director Erica Fehr highlighted several BCM projects. A kids’ ministry team has formed to create a resource package for churches, with information on how to implement/maintain a child protection policy and other helpful materials. The team is also working alongside the Winnipeg-based Awesome KidMin Community to create
ELECTION RESULTS
Moderator
Abe Bergen (Kleefeld EMC)
Board of Church Ministries
Karla Hein (Westpointe Community Church)
Rob Wiebe (Blumenort Community Church)
1 vacancy
Board of Leadership and Outreach
Andrea Dyck (Steinbach EMC)
Jared Schroeder (Westpointe Community Church)
Board of Missions
Anthony Reimer (Blumenort Community Church)
3 vacancies
Board of Trustees
Harold Friesen (Abbeydale Christian Fellowship)
Brad Penner (Pleasant Valley EMC)
1 vacancy
Nominating Committee
Alvin Plett (Heartland Community Church)
To assist with filling listed vacancies, please contact the EMC office at 204326-6401 or info@emconference.ca.
a kids’ ministry equipping event in Alberta.
The BCM is also in the process of creating an audio version of The Messenger Some selections are currently available at www.emcmessenger.ca (click on the “listen” tab), with more to come.
The event closed at noon local time, with workshops taking place in the afternoon.
– Rebecca Roman, Editor
Building bridges, not barriers EMC FESTIVAL 2024
June 28–30, 2024, EMCers from across Canada gathered in La Crete, Alta., to worship and learn.
Right: Ruth Konrad, EMC Outreach Assistant at registration and information desk.
Below, middle: Venus Cote and Elvira Cote share about their respective ministries in a workshop.
Bottom: Festival speaker Phil Callaway uses humour to show how to build bridges, not barriers.
Photos by Joyce Wieler unless unless otherwise specified.
The totally amazing kitchen team!
Bottom: Workshop with Jared Schroeder (pictured) and Richard
on navigating controversial topics.
Left: Workshop on discipleship with Travis and Rosey Zacharias (pictured bottom left).
Krahn
Top right: Festival guests pose for a photo during a short bus tour organized by the hosting region.
Middle right: Steven Driedger (foreground), who also led worship, manages some of the tech for Festival together with Lanna-Marie Enns (background)..
Bottom right: Peter Doerksen hosts Zoom participants for conference meetings.
Global impact: equipped for missional living
• By Gerald Reimer
Different family situations, different challenges
IN 1 CORINTHIANS 7:32–34, Paul writes that for both the unmarried man and woman, they are freer to be “concerned about the Lord’s affairs—how [they] can please the Lord.” He adds, “her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit.”
Being a missionary living in a culture different than one’s own has many challenges, and whether you are single or married, or married with children, or grandparents with adult kids and grandkids—each of these realities brings with it additional unique challenges. At the time of this writing, here is a breakdown of our current EMC missions workers’ status:
• Single men (widowed) – 2
• Single women – 9
• Married (no kids) – 1
• Married (with dependents) – 17
• Married (no longer dependents) – 8
• Grandparents – 15
As you can see, the largest demographic is married couples with at least some children still living with them. Interestingly there are 15 couples in our workforce who are grandparents, meaning that they are not close to their grandkids on a regular basis. And finally, notice how there are nine women who are serving in their singleness.
My few years (1992–1996) living and serving in Chihuahua, Mexico as a single young man had numerous advantages, and no doubt some clear challenges as well. I only had to “worry” about my own wellbeing, not that of my wife and children. Therefore, when being caught in the crossfire of a gang shooting one afternoon at a local park,
I simply hunkered down for those 15 seconds, and then made my way home after it was done. No harm, no foul.
Being a single also meant that I had a flexible schedule to participate in many different ministries and bible studies and door-to-door evangelism that didn’t affect any personal “family” schedules. I could spend my summers serving at the Bible camp with all my energy focussed on the kids. I was able to devote my body and spirit to the Lord’s work.
if only women showed up—which are often the first ones to respond to the gospel.
Currently we have nine single women living and serving in six different countries, with each location having its own set of challenges for them, including their physical, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing. They depend on the Lord for their protection in these areas.
The families need wisdom to parent their children in these situations. The
Currently we have nine single women living and serving in six different countries, with each location having its own set of challenges. They depend on the Lord for their protection.
However, being a single man meant I also faced regular sexual temptations, living within a very touchy/feely culture, surrounded by beautiful people who could easily spot this “gringo” from miles away. It also meant that I did not have anyone to go home to at the end of each day, which led to a lot of loneliness. And what about the ministry itself—I was not able to hold Bible studies in the homes of my neighbours
widowers need the Lord’s discernment in their own ministries and purity. Those couples who have adult children or grandchildren certainly miss their families and are torn each day with the reality of their calling which takes them away from their loved ones.
Let’s take our workers to the Lord in prayer, trusting that by God’s grace their daily needs will be met!
As
EMC Director of Global Outreach, Gerald Reimer supports EMC missionaries all over the world.
With Our Missionaries
When being the ‘expert’ creates a barrier
By Lesley Fast Wycliffe/SIL, Netherlands
IN RECENT YEARS, SIL has felt it necessary to shift our approach in serving minority peoples. In the past we focused on languages; we now want to put “people before language.” This is a very welcome turn. I reflect briefly on my experience of these two approaches as I look back on my career with SIL (see sil.org/about).
In SIL’s training in the 1980s we learned that the world’s minority languages were being “discovered” and classified. Missionary linguists had analyzed many unreached languages, but there were many more to go. We learned how to reduce any language to writing, develop alphabets, teach literacy, and translate the New Testament. We saw our focus on language as scientific work critical for reaching minority peoples.
In April 1986 my family and I stepped out of the boat at Tengelik, Matvung, on Lovangai Island (Papua New Guinea). I felt excited at meeting the speakers of Tungag, a language on the list of translation needs, and wanted to begin language analysis. But the encounter between missionary-linguist and his language group did not materialize. Instead, a young family was welcomed by a community of persons! In particular, we got to know our host family, Papa Voivoi, Nana Naomi, Moses and Gertruth, Gaye, Ellie and little Laisi. They were a hospitable, serious, hard-working, humorous, sometimes concerned, always generous family. They did speak their
I experienced a tension between what I ought to be doing according to my training and SIL’s ethos and the people I was getting to know in their setting.
home-language, of course, as well as a trade language, but my focus on language faded out of the picture as we all smiled, shook hands and made practical living arrangements on that first afternoon together.
But still, I experienced a tension between what I ought to be doing according to my training and SIL’s ethos and the people I was getting to know in their setting. My linguistic fieldwork was supposed to establish, for example, which of the four dialects of Tungag was the best one to have God’s word in it. I was concerned how that would pan out because we had, after all, committed heavily to settling in Matvung! At the same time, Matvungs had already developed a preliminary alphabet which some people were using proficiently. Gospel stories were known, people were singing Christian songs that had been translated into Matvung. My assignment, my “expertise,” began to feel like a barrier preventing me from engaging unreservedly with what these Matvungs were already doing.
SIL’s recent change in approach (currently expressed as vision and aspiration), prioritizing personal community relationships over language as focal point, is not an either-or dilemma. It is about the way we do
language work, because language work is SIL’s area of knowledge and experience. As we become better at offering that experience and knowledge as a contribution to local initiatives, from within relationships of mutual trust, we will experience jointly a freedom to serve, co-create and enrich one another. God has created us as persons, meant to commune with him and with one another as persons. In essence we are not ethnic groupings or speakers of languages. May we be diligent to carry out the vision that is before us, making this explicit shift become a joyous working reality.
Lesley and Marianne Fast have served with EMC Missions since 1982, partnering with Wycliffe Bible Translators Canada and assigned to work with SIL International. They will be retiring in August.
A tragic loss: Belen is now in heaven
By Travis and Rosey Zacharias EMC Missions, Paraguay
ON THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2024, Kiara Belen was crossing the highway on her bike five blocks from our home as she was coming home from school at 5:30 in the afternoon, when she was hit by a pickup truck and immediately was in the arms of her Savior.
Kiara Belen Gonzalez Ojeda was born on July 15, 2004, exactly 9 months and 4 days after we were married. We called her our honeymoon baby, only she wasn’t born to us.
She grew up in some of the most difficult circumstances for a child and spent seven years of what should have been her childhood caring for her mother who battled cancer. When her mother passed away on May 13, 2020, she lived with us as our daughter in our home for most of the four years after that.
Belen loved Jesus and had a sincere faith. That is our greatest comfort.
Our hearts are so broken and hurting, it feels so unreal, but we have a peace that is so deep.
When I (Rosey) arrived at the highway and looked for my daughter in the ditch, she was no longer there; her body was there, but her soul was gone. God put the words “Lord I need you, oh, I need you, every hour I need you” in my heart. He has spoken to me every day telling me to worship him, to worship him, and to worship him! I will sing with all my strength of God’s love and power all the days of my life.
We had planned a missionary retreat for the coming weekend. It is in the countryside at a camp that is one of our favorite places to relax. We have come as a family before and spent a few days here by ourselves before returning home. Fernando (Belen’s biological brother, who is also our heart son) stayed with us for a week before returning to his Bible school.
Please pray for us that we will be able to be a family held together with love and unity. That we can support and love one another. That God’s grace will uphold us and that we can worship him.
Please pray for our church family. This is so hard, pray that God will uphold us as we grieve as a church. Belen was very loved by everyone. She had such a charisma and a great smile.
Travis and Rosey Zacharias have served in Paraguay since 2007. They are involved in evangelism, discipleship and camp work.
Kiara Belen Gonzalez Ojeda
The Zacharias family: Moises, Fernando, Travis, Rosey, Zipporah, Belen, Paloma (front)
EFC Steinbach receives 11 members
Evangelical Fellowship Church
Steinbach, Manitoba
On June 2, 2024, lead pastor Ernie Koop (far right) welcomes into membership (left to right): Mike and Tamara Klassen, Aloysius Sesay and wife Diana (absent), Andrew and Amanda Rempel, Trevor and Jamie Fleming, Bertha Toews Dyck, Geralyn Wichers and Jack Fleming.
– Ernie Koop
A youth’s journey of faith and baptism
Mennville EMC
Mennville, Manitoba
ONE OF THE youth in Mennville EMC’s joint youth ministry with Riverton Gospel Chapel recently asked to be baptized in our church. Upon her confession of faith, we baptized and welcomed Susan Marks into membership on May 19, 2024.
– Michael Vanderzwaag
with
Susan Marks
her celebratory cake (above) on the day of her baptism by Mennville EMC’s pastor Michael Vanderzwaag (right).
EMC Project Builders golf tournaments: putting the fun in fundraiser
WANT TO HAVE a fun way of raising some funds for a good cause? Come on out and participate in the Project Builders golf fundraisers! This year’s annual Steinbach Project Builders golf event had over 130 participants come on June 13, 2024, and out do just that. The event raised $36,800 toward Project Builders funded projects.
It was a beautiful day with a comfortable breeze at the Steinbach Fly-In golf course. Muffins and coffee started the day as golfers headed out for the shotgun start of the Texas scramble at 9 a.m. After the round of fun golf, golfers retired to clubhouse for lunch and an encouraging reminder from Kent Dueck (Inner City Youth Alive) about the impact of Project Builders, as it supports mission work through funding projects.
As you may have noted in the opening paragraph, the word “fundraisers” is plural. This year was the first year
Above: Eight of the 55 golfers who teed off at La Crete Golf Course to raise over $25,000.
for the—hopefully—annual Project Builders golf event in La Crete, Alta. Since Region 1 hosted the 2024 EMC Festival in La Crete (June 28–30), the golf event was planned for Wednesday, June 26, prior to Festival kicking off.
The weather could not have been better as tee time temperature was 22 degrees with no wind and no mosquitoes! The modified Texas scramble saw 55 golfers enjoying the weather and delightful nine-hole layout of La Crete Golf Course. The event raised over $25,000 for Project Builders. To close off the day Ken Zacharias shared information about
some of the projects Project Builders has approved. If you weren’t able to attend the event this year, be sure to keep an eye out for information about next year’s event. If you would like to give to Project Builders, you can do so online at www.emconference.ca/give or by calling the EMC office at 204-326-6401.
Though the reason for the gathering was golf, the winner was Project Builders as these funds will bless and move the ability of our missionaries to share the gospel. Be sure to get involved next year!
– Emery Plett EMC Executive Director
“Brothers from different mothers” Gord Penner and Dave Reimer pose for a photo at the Steinbach event.
Leaders gather to learn how to pass on the faith
STEINBACH BIBLE COLLEGE was pleased to host Dr. Joel Thiessen on March 15–16, 2024, at the annual SBC Leadership Conference. The topic was “Passing the baton: How faith gets passed to the next generation … or not.” Thiessen, who is Professor of Sociology and Social Sciences Department Chair at Ambrose University in Calgary, as well as Director of the Flourishing Congregations Institute, brought a unique perspective and passion for the process of discipleship in Canada.
With 100 on-site attendees, five online church groups, and multiple online viewers gathered for the SBC Leadership Conference, Thiessen tackled the topic of how an increasing number of people are claiming the identity of “nones” (those who say they have no religion).
With the growth of this trend in Canada, church leaders may be asking the question “How do we see growth in the church today?” or “Why are so many young people leaving the church?” Luckily, Thiessen’s love for numbers, statistics, and diagrams gave a clearer picture of what we may be seeing in Canada both today and in the future and how we can be equipped for the culture at hand.
Session one, “Why do more people say they have no religion?” served as a preamble for what was to come. Thiessen urged church leaders to not be data-reliant or data-reluctant, but to be appropriately “data-informed.”
Thiessen provided statistics on religion in Canada, Manitoba, and Steinbach, with data from the 2021 Canadian Census. Steinbach has a
Thiessen urged church leaders
to not be datareliant or datareluctant, but to be appropriately “data-informed.”
considerably higher percentage of people who identify as Christian (76 percent) while, in contrast, the averages in Winnipeg, Manitoba and Canada sit at roughly 50 percent Christian. In the past 20 years, there has been a “significant decline” in Christianity, Thiessen said, noting that “76 percent of Canadians identified as Christian in 2001; [in] 2021 that number is 53 percent.”
Thiessen explained why the drop of Christianity is occurring and how it is a concern for the modern church. The first factor, according to Thiessen, is social acceptance, as the stigma around being non-religious dissipates. The second factor he described as a “reaction to the Christian right,” a movement in our modern-day culture that mixes religion and politics. Thirdly, parents are increasingly giving choices to their children—allowing children to choose whether they want
to go to church or not. Fourthly, people walk away from religion because of intellectual disagreements (for example, on the afterlife, miracles, gender and sexuality, science). Fifth, Thiessen described social influences as a factor. While parents have the greatest influence (as Thiessen spoke on in a later session), social groups, friends, and outside influences still affect whether or not a person pursues religion. Lastly, Thiessen referred to the factor of life transitions. A large event or change in one’s life such as moving away from family, dealing with a death, or going to university can play a role in someone choosing whether to remain within the church or not.
Session two asked “How do next gen Canadians view and experience the world and their faith?” Having established a better understanding on the trends of religion in Canada in the
Dr. Joel Thiessen
HANNAH
first session, Thiessen led us into further understanding the worldview of Canada’s youth and young adults. Millennials (whom Thiessen categorized as those born from 1986 to 2005)1 are now the largest demographic in Canada, and this is shaping the culture.
Thiessen described the “social location” that shapes the millennial generation: living in a digital age, extreme individualism, advanced urbanism (heightened city dwelling), and overwhelming choices, among others. For millennials, choices make up every aspect of life, whether it be where to live, where to get an education, what career to get in to, and choices regarding who or even whether to marry.
Historically, Thiessen said, religion has played a “master status role” for those who attend religious services, explaining that “a master status is something that impacts all aspects of your life.” An emerging shift among younger generations is that “religion no longer plays a master status,” he said.
In session three, Thiessen explored “What is needed to pass on the faith well from one generation to the next?” Building on the previous session, Thiessen noted that, if distance is growing between young people and their understanding of God, something is needed to close the gap and equip the next generation.
“Parents,” Thiessen said, “are the most influential over the faith
1 This statistic includes overlap with a portion of what is typically considered Gen Z. Thiessen noted that in “any kind of generational group … these are arbitrary cut-off points.” According to the Pew Research Center millennials are those born from 1981 to 1996, and Gen Z are those born from 1997 to 2012.
Thiessen encouraged churches to incorporate youth into programs and leadership experiences, making allowance for mistakes and providing opportunities to grow with the congregation.
transmission process.” While other influences matter, “the home base … create[s] the strongest predictive possibility for Christian belief and practice to continue on into the adult years.”
It’s vitally important to have “parents who model, instruct, dialogue,” Thiessen said. This means that, for the parents, religion is personally important, they are active in church community, and they talk about Christian faith within the home. Thiessen gave the caveat: “You may have done all of these things. It doesn’t guarantee that this will be a successful transmission [but that] when transmission is successfully in play, these are the kinds of variables that we see time and again.”
“Here’s what we know,” Thiessen said, “Faith transmission does not happen via osmosis. Unless you intentionally do it, it will not happen accidentally within the home.” Thiessen also stressed the importance of being surrounded by others who are “modelling and demonstrating … so that, as a child, you can learn to observe, you can imitate, and you can practice.”
In the final session, Thiessen addressed the question, “How can congregations flourish and support faith transmission in Canada?” The church, as suggested in the previous session, must be involved in some capacity. Beyond parental desires for
congregations to provide youth and children’s programming, a positive social environment and moral training, Thiessen urged churches to also prioritize multigenerational worship, spiritual practices (worship, prayer), and service opportunities rather than just entertainment opportunities. Most importantly, Thiessen said, direct mentorship is vital to a church’s goal in making disciples. “Young people, contrary to our perceptions, actually desire for older adult influences in their life who are not their parents,” Thiessen said.
Thiessen encouraged churches to incorporate youth into programs and leadership experiences, making allowance for mistakes and providing opportunities to grow with the congregation. “Different surveys [tell us] that young people…get involved or remain involved in ministry activities or in church-based contexts when their voices are heard and when they’re included,” Thiessen said. When we allow young people to take the lead “do sometimes things fall through the cracks? Absolutely,” Thiessen said, but if we insist on perfection, we miss out on faith transmission.
– Logan Friesen
Logan Friesen is a third-year student at Steinbach Bible College pursuing a BA in Ministry Leadership.
Mennonite World Conference commemorates birth of Anabaptism in 2025
ON MAY 29, 2025, Mennonite World Conference (MWC) will welcome guests from around the world to The Courage to Love: Anabaptism@500. The day-long celebration commemorates the birth of the Anabaptist movement in Zurich, Switzerland. Following workshops, concerts, a panel discussion and self-guided historical walking tours, participants will gather for an ecumenical worship service at the Grossmünster cathedral.
The symbolic beginnings of the Anabaptist movement date to January 1525, when a group of young people gathered in Felix Manz’s home to commit a subversive act: adult baptism. Conrad Grebel baptized George Blaurock, who baptized several others on confession of their faith.
Their reading of the Bible convinced these early reformers that baptism was
a symbol of a conscious decision to submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ only adults can make. Their radical act put them at odds with the established church, which had been baptizing infants for a millennium.
As an act of peacebuilding and a testimony to recent reconciliation, MWC is inviting leaders of world communions (e.g., Catholic, Lutheran and Reformed) that were once sharply at odds with the Anabaptist movement. “On this day, Anabaptists will become visible in the streets of Zurich,” says Liesa Unger, MWC Chief International Events Officer. All events are within walking distance, and the worship service will be conducted in English and translated into French, Spanish and German.
“The event will have a strong historical component that makes it clear
Workers ask constituency to hold MCC accountable
THE EMC OFFICE and The Messenger received a letter from our missionaries Lesley and Marianne Fast pointing us to an investigative piece by Canadian Mennonite about allegations made by Fast’s daughter and son-in-law. Though they care deeply about MCC and the work they do around the world, Anicka Fast and husband John Clarke are asking the MCC constituency to hold the relief organization accountable to treat their workers with the same compassion and justice they wish to show the world.
For a full report, see https://canadianmennonite.org/ issue/volume-28-issue-9. To understand how and why this reporting decision was made see https://canadianmennonite.org/stories/involuntary-behind-scenes.
– EMC
why we are gathering in Zurich. But an even stronger emphasis will focus on the future,” says historian and MWC Renewal 2025 coordinator John D. Roth.
Today, about 2.13 million believers in more than 80 countries identify as Anabaptists. MWC is preparing to receive hundreds of guests on May 29, including from the five regions it serves: Latin America, Europe, Africa, Asia and North America. Musical ensembles from each region will perform, as well as an international ensemble—just like at MWC’s Assembly Gathered events.
– MWC
Abbeydale Dr SE, Calgary, Alta. September 22, 2024 more information at https://abbeydale.org
KARLA BRAUN
In Memory
PETER DUECK
1930–2023
Our dad Peter Dueck was born June 24, 1930, to John and Elizabeth Dueck in Rosenhof, Man. He died peacefully at the Arborg Personal Care Home on December 27, 2023, age 93 years, with his daughter Sylvia and his granddaughter Lorelei by his side.
Dad spent his early years in the Rosenort area and attended school there up to Grade 7. He was baptized on the confession of his faith in Jesus Christ.
After his dad passed away the family moved to Mexico. Dad was 18 years old at the time. There he met Mary Kornelsen and married her on May 15, 1955. Two sons were born to them in Mexico. In 1958 they moved back to Canada, to Carman, Man. Three daughters were born while they lived in Carman. Dad worked at building RTMs (ready-tomove houses). In 1963 they moved to Riverton (Howardville), Man., and settled there. The family attended the Mennville EM Church where dad was a member until his passing.
Our dad worked many jobs, selfemployed carpentry, Vidir Lumber, Dueck Builder Mart, Co-op Lumber Yard, Parks Canada (Hecla Provincial Park). He treasured the years he was able to work with his two sons.
Our dad served on many committees: Riverton Credit Union, Riverton
Co-op, Mennville EM Church, Mennville Christian School, Beaver Creek Bible Camp and the Riverton Thrift Shop.
In looking back at our busy hardworking dad, others might not have seen the adventurous side of him the way we did. He loved everything that said family. We remember well our family road trips and we all have wonderful memories of those times.
Our dad had planned to “retire” early from his work, to serve together with Mom under a mission that could utilize his carpentry/leadership skills and Mom’s love of cooking. Mom and Dad had one such adventure together in the USA. Such long-term serving together was not meant to be, as they received devastating news of our mother’s poor health and, too soon, she passed away on July 15, 1984.
Our dad then, with his loss, stepped into the volunteer life as a widower. That winter he went to Barneveld, Wisconsin, with MDS to help with tornado cleanup. He spent many years heading south for the winter working in different states and projects. As full and
meaningful as his “retirement” was, we always sensed how deeply he missed our mother.
From early on in his life our dad/ grandpa experienced trials but his faith in God motivated him to live the way he did. It was not about being perfect but about being forgiven. We noticed many times where his faith was renewed and strengthened through people and experiences.
As we watched our dad’s exceptionally active life slowly fade in these last years, and now in his passing, we choose to turn from our sadness and be inspired by his life, to enjoy work but also to grow in our own faith and be a bit adventurous as well.
Our dad was predeceased by his wife Mary, his parents, two sisters and numerous other close family members.
Left to cherish his memory are his two sons Elmer (Valerie), Gerald (Laura) and his three daughters Sylvia (Ron Plett), Luella (Stan Brandt) and Carol (Glenn Barkman), 33 grandchildren and 31 great-grandchildren. We will miss you but have the hope of seeing you again!
– The Family
Shoulder Tapping
Please send all position ads (150 words or less), including pastoral search ads, to messenger@emconference.ca. Ads may be edited. Please advise us when it is no longer needed.
Additional EMC Openings
Often there are more churches looking for staff than are identified on this page. For information on additional openings, contact Conference Pastor Andy Woodworth (awoodworth@emconference.ca or phone 204-326-6401).
EMC Positions
Administrative Pastor: Blumenort (Man.)
Community Church
Blumenort Community Church (BCC) is seeking an administrative pastor to join our ministry team. If you have excellent skills in administration and organizational leadership, and a pastoral care and concern for the church, we invite you to consider joining our church community.
As part of the ministry team, the role of the administrative pastor is to support the ministry of BCC by assisting the other pastors, Leadership Team, office staff, and volunteers with the day-to-day administrative responsibilities of the church in areas of operations, finances, human resources, and facilities. The administrative pastor would also take on some other pastoral duties in our church family as time and giftedness allow (e.g., preaching, visitation, etc.).
For more information, or to apply for the position, please submit your resume and cover letter by email to Pastor James Driedger at james@blumenortcc.ca. We are accepting resumes until the position is filled. Ideal candidates will be contacted for an initial interview, followed by a more in-depth assessment.
Pastor: Hillside Christian Fellowship (near La Crete, Alta.)
Hillside Christian Fellowship is seeking a pastor. HCF is an EMC affiliated congregation located in a beautiful farming/logging community near La Crete, Alberta. We are a small rural multi-generational church with average Sunday attendance of 50; about 15 of this number are young children.
The pastor would be working with a lay minister and a small ministerial. He would have appropriate Bible college education. Some pastoral experience would be an asset. He would agree with the EMC Statement of Faith and Church Practices.
Besides preaching, teaching, and administrative duties, he would be expected to do visitation.
For more information or an expression of interest please contact Henry Driedger (Board Chair) at 780-502-3272, Peter Janzen 780-841-9762 ( ptjanzen@ yahoo.com ) or Peter Doerksen (EMC Western Ambassador) at 250-570-2969 or pdoerksen@emconference.ca.
Pastor:
Anola (Man.) Fellowship Chapel
Anola Fellowship Chapel is in the RM of Springfield at 58006 Monominto Road, 5 miles southeast of the community of Anola and 35 minutes east of Winnipeg. Our mission is to love God, love our neighbours, and make disciples. We have a full Sunday program and both children and youth programs. We are active in various community events. We are actively seeking a full-time pastor. We are looking for a spiritually mature man with a deep personal walk with Jesus, an engaging, enthusiastic individual who demonstrates sound biblical teaching and in-depth preaching as well as vision. Contact Landon Elhard at afcpastorsearch@ gmail.com for more information and/or full job description. Check out our website at anolachapel.com.
Lead Pastor: St. Vital EMC (Winnipeg, Man.)
St. Vital EMC is looking for a lead pastor beginning summer of 2024. Our church is located at 2005 St. Mary’s Rd in Winnipeg, Man., with an average Sunday attendance of 100. We are looking for a leader who is guided by the Holy Spirit and exhibits the qualities in 1 Timothy 3:1–7 and Titus 1:5–9. Our church works as a team where the board and pastor(s) set the agenda, but major decisions are made by members. The lead pastor does most of the preaching but shares the pulpit with other leaders. The lead pastor would be part of a paid team with the associate pastor and secretary. Job ministry descriptions are available upon request. Education, experience and agreement to the EMC Statement of Faith will be considered. Interested applicants are encouraged to contact Mike Hopcraft at pastoralsearch@svemc.org in addition to submitting your cover letter and resume.
Pastor: Morris (Man.) Fellowship Chapel
Morris Fellowship Chapel is a Christfollowing, Bible-believing, family-friendly church of around 130 people in the small rural town of Morris, Manitoba. People of all ages are a part of Morris Fellowship, including children, young adults, adults and seniors. We are looking for a pastor to help with preaching, teaching, and building community in our church. This would include preaching on Sundays, teaching midweek Bible studies, personal visits and church community events. Contact Cliff Reimer, Pastoral Search Committee Chairman: cliff0955@gmail.com.
Shoulder Tapping
Other Positions
Lead Pastor: Gospel Fellowship Church, (Steinbach, Man.)
Gospel Fellowship Church is seeking a fulltime lead pastor. We are a congregation with an average attendance of 75; our church is a part of the Evangelical Mennonite Mission Conference (EMMC). GFC is a faith community in a broken world, sharing the hope of freedom in Christ. We are searching for an individual who passionately loves God and loves people, one who is able to provide vision and direction for our church, and willing to compassionately lead our congregation with sound biblical teaching.
For a full position description, please visit our website (www.gospelfellowshipchurch.ca) or contact us at applications@ gopselfellowshipchurch.ca
Pastor: Carman Mennonite Church (Carman, Man.)
Carman Mennonite Church invites applications for a full-time lead pastor. We are a congregation of 60–70 active members with regular adult and children’s Sunday school. We are looking for someone who models a sincere Christian faith, exhibits strong relational skills and community mindedness.
Duties include preaching, teaching, pastoral care, visitation with those in care homes, connecting with the community and area ministerial, working with the worship committee, fostering a love for and
nurturing disciples of Jesus the Christ. This would be done with the support of lay leadership. For more information see carmanmennonite.ca. Forward inquiries and/or resumes with two references to: cmcpastoralsearchcommittee@gmail.com
Lead Pastor: Morrow Gospel Church (Winnipeg, Man.)
Morrow Gospel Church is pleased to announce that we are now accepting applications to fill the role of lead pastor. We are a part of the EMM Conference and are looking for someone who subscribes to our statement of faith. If you or someone you know whom you feel would be a good fit for this position, we encourage you to reach out to them and encourage them to apply! To request more information please visit www.morrowgospel.ca
Welcome to recently hired pastors and directors
PASTOR PIETER VAN EWIJK and his wife April Coaldale Mennonite Church
YOUTH DIRECTOR
KIARA KOSTA Evangelical Fellowship Church (Steinbach)
ASSOCIATE PASTORS DION AND BRYN PLETT Pleasant Valley EMC
PASTOR OF FAMILY DISCIPLESHIP JONAH CHITTY and his wife Valorie Leamington EMC
PASTORAL COUPLE
MURRAY AND DEVON FINCK The Church of LIving Water
GERMAN MINISTRY PASTOR WILLY MARTENS and his wife Linda
Picture Butte Mennonite Church
ASSOCIATE PASTOR PAUL PENELTON and his wife Cathy Straffordville EMC
His light to my path • By
Karla Hein
Taking the slow road
THE SNOW HAD slowly melted, the sun shone, and the yesteryear’s leaves were brown and crispy, ready to be dislodged from the soon-to-be green lawn. We incentivized the children and sent them off as small conquerors of leafy kingdoms. The first day went well. The second also could be considered a mild success. By the third, the young workers were climbing trees and playing in the storage shed.
matters. Yet the lesson lingered beyond the last wheelbarrow load. The best way to teach a lesson is by getting up close.
I’ve thought about this in my recent experience with Sunday school. Midway through the past Sunday school term, I became the Sunday school coordinator. Occasionally on a Sunday morning, as I descended the basement stairs, a pesky doubt would lurk in my mind. What if the volun-
Each week, I saw classroom doors open with smiling volunteers, ready to welcome the children. It was a delight to witness adults who understood the importance of discipling the youngsters. “One generation commends your works to another; they tell of your mighty acts” (Psalm 145:4).
Reluctantly, I dropped my gardening shovel and left my serene flowerbed. It was time to engage alongside the faltering rakers. I now led them in their raking duties because I knew they needed my example, encouragement, and direction. It’s a big yard to rid of leaves! The output increased; the kids fatigued. I too was eager to complete the task and move on to other urgent
teers didn’t show up that day? A shabby lack of trust on my part, but a splendid example of faithfulness by my fellow brothers and sisters. Each week, I saw classroom doors open with smiling volunteers, ready to welcome the children. It was a delight to witness adults who understood the importance of discipling the youngsters. “One generation commends your works to another; they
Karla Hein (Westpointe, Grande Prairie) is the wife of one and mother of two.
tell of your mighty acts” (Psalm 145:4).
The passing on of our faith is an intentional (and often, self-denying) action. The talking of our faith as we go along the road (Deuteronomy 6:7) means we need to be on the same road! I need to be willing to slow my steps and my many, busy thoughts to walk alongside the weaker, slower pilgrims. Apostle John said he had no greater joy than his children walking in the truth (3 John 4). It’s a sweet sentiment, but the reality is often messier.
Paul refers to labouring in the pains of childbirth “until Christ is formed in you” (Galatians 4:19). The sweat, tears, and sacrifices of instructing children in the ways of the Lord reach beyond the individual homes to the entire church community. The cups of water delivered to the children are rewarded by the Saviour, how much more the living water announced by ready feet of Sunday school teachers and Christian mentors?
And we are not left to our own devices. The Lord’s word never returns void (Isaiah 55:11), and “breaks a rock in pieces” (Jeremiah 23:29). The Spirit breathes life on dead bones. The Son walked the road to Calvary for our redemption into his family. The hard work of discipling our spiritual children is known by our Father. And in a wonderfully mysterious way, these children who come to know the Lord become alongside us “a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit … until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 2:22; 4:13).
Further
in and higher up • By
Layton Friesen
Convert, how is that working for you?
HAVE YOU DISCOVERED an exciting new theology or even joined a new church and then become an evangelist sharing your news with friends near and on Facebook? As a church leader who has studied some theology, converts often seek me out, looking to test their new discovery. And I often learn a lot of good from these conversations; they are usually on to something. In addition to the basic “Is this biblical?” there is a further important question: “How is that working for you?” Is that new charismatic/Calvinist/liturgical/ Messianic/contemplative/progressive/ Orthodox/Roman way of thinking working ? For example:
1. Has this view opened Scripture for you, making the whole of it alive and cross-fertilized with itself? Do creation, law, exodus, tabernacle, wisdom, exile, remnant, incarnation, Pentecost, witness, kingdom, community, cross, reconciliation, and heaven now sing a simpler, more elegant harmony because of your new view? If so, proceed.
2. Has your new theology given you a contagious love of grace? Do you now bask in God’s astonishing forgiveness, making you more forgiving of your enemies, more accepting of yourself, and more constantly grateful to God? If so, proceed.
3. Has your new philosophy made you more eager to sell everything you have and give it to the poor? Does moving your family to Uganda to help refugees now seem more in your orbit, something you might now do? Or even, would you be more willing to give up your weekend to chaperone the junior high band trip? If so, proceed.
4. Has this view caused you to fall in love with God’s creation? Does your new theology give you more joy driving through Banff? Do species extinction, climate change and abused animals now make you angrier in the name of your living Maker? Are your pigs happier now? If so, proceed.
you a better handle on depression? Do you whistle more now? If so, proceed.
8. Has this new framework already helped you decrease your craving for porn? Does this new truth soothe some painful wound that previously was dulled by drink? Your need to gossip has faded? If so, proceed.
Would you be more willing to give up your weekend to chaperone the junior high band trip? If so, proceed.
5. Has your doctrine given you a more resilient, big-hearted love for your local church? Try this on: because of my new view, there are now more churches, with more variety, that I could imagine happily belonging to and serving. Or are you fussier now about where you worship, and harder to please? Has the treasurer of your local church noticed the benefits of your new theology? If so, proceed.
6. So, you found an exciting new church? Would this be a better place to live out the three months your oncologist has given you? Why? If so, proceed.
7. Does your new philosophy make you happier? Has it helped you face anxiety and fear? Does it seem to give
9. Are your spouse, children, parents, and co-workers grateful for how things have improved now that you adopted this view? Who around you is happy you converted?
I am not being cynical about your new discovery, only pointing out what’s involved in progress toward godliness. The Word of God is not magic, and its leaven works over years, but it is finally supposed to give us a more abundant life.
Disciples expect persecution, but if your beliefs are not a blessing to your spouse, your church, your dog, and your neighbours, it may be you still need more new theology, or a fresh take on the old doctrine.
Layton Friesen is academic dean at Steinbach Bible College. He lives in Winnipeg, Man.
Inviting faith • John Bowen
A surprising discovery
I WAS WRONG. Embarrassingly so. I had been working with leaders in training at a Christian camp every summer for 20 years, and I gave the wrong answer to the most basic question of all.
By now I was teaching at Wycliffe College in Toronto, with an occasional sabbatical in which to do research. I decided to track down as many of the young leaders I had known at camp as I could and find out how they were doing in their faith.
Through the internet, I tracked down 600 of the 1,200 we had worked with and sent them a questionnaire. Over 300 responded. The results produced a book, Growing Up Christian: Why Young People Stay in Church, Leave Church, and (Sometimes) Come Back to Church. Which leads to my embarrassing mistake. The first question of the questionnaire asked people to self-identify as either (a) Christians still involved in church; or (b) Christians
but not involved in church; or (c) not Christians and not involved in church. I then asked the first two groups what had kept them in the faith; 17 possibilities from which they could choose as many as they liked.
Before I tell you what I assumed I would find, let me ask you what you would guess. I bet you would choose the same answers I did—good Christian friends and older Christian mentors. Did I mention I was wrong?
So, what was the main factor inspiring people to stay with the faith? “My personal relationship with God.” Why did I think human factors would be the most important? Friends and mentors came a close second (83 percent) and third (82 percent) choice. But God came first (89 percent).
This made me think. What had we taught the teenagers at camp? We had taught them the Bible; we had mentored them; we had worshipped together. But
RESO URCE COR NER
The Unfolding Gospel by
John Bowen
“This books asks, ‘If we strip away everything that’s secondary and optional about church, what are we left with?’ For young people trying to decide whether Christian faith is (still) for them, this book can be decisive in clarifying the issues.”
had we taught them to listen to God? Had we helped them experience the reality of God’s presence?
If I were leading a youth program now, what are some ways I might open doors for them to experience God? Here are a few:
In Bible studies, I would spend more time teaching an Ignatian approach (where you imagine yourself as a character in a Bible story) or in lectio divina (where you simply look for a word or phrase that speaks to you).
I would explain to them “the divine game of Pinzatski,” as author Murray
For nearly 50 years, John Bowen has worked with students and young leaders—and he has loved it. He is Emeritus Professor of Evangelism, Wycliffe College, Toronto.
Pura calls it—finding the character of God revealed in an aspect of creation.
I would want them to try the examen, the Ignatian idea that at the end of the day, you pause and review the “consolations” (times when God seemed near) and “desolations” (times when God seemed absent).
There are so many other things. I know, for myself, I have been helped by journaling, the eucharist, corporate worship, listening to my conscience, seeing answers to prayer, silence, and spiritual direction. And you can probably think of more.
How do young people continue as Christians? Yes, mentors and friends are indispensable. But let’s not forget the most important thing of all: learning skills for dwelling in a living relationship with God. Isn’t that why Jesus came?