The Messenger September/October 2024

The Messenger

INVOLUNTARY: TERMINATED MCC WORKERS CALL FOR ACCOUNTABILITY AND CHANGE P. 6

THE UNTOLD STORIES OF RETURNED MISSIONARIES P. 12

STORIES OF TRAGEDY AND TRUST: HONOURING THE LEGACY WE STARTED WITH P. 16

MCC association doesn’t mean we discount allegations

IN THIS ISSUE, we are including an investigative article covering allegations made by former Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) staff about unjust terminations by MCC. It is unlike anything we normally print, and this may raise questions about our reason for including it.

MCC is deeply ingrained in the psyche of North American Mennonites, particularly those with memories or stories of its early days. It was formed more than 100 years ago in response to fellow Mennonites starving in Russia (now Ukraine) during the Russian Revolution. MCC has been rooted in values we’ve shared—feeding the hungry, responding to disasters, working to alleviate poverty, working for peace, and generally thinking and acting at a grass-roots level. Its past is earthy, communal and agricultural.

In the past decades, MCC has increasingly fallen out of favour in conservative Mennonite circles over its approach to social and cultural issues and its move in a liberal direction. The Sommerfeld Church and Christian Mennonite Conference ended their formal association with MCC in 2012 and 2019 respectively. Several EMC churches have also disconnected from MCC. Trust between conservative churches and MCC at the organizational level is low. However, there is continuing support at the individual level for MCC thrift shops, for example, and for specific projects. Excellent cooperation continues between EMC missions and MCC Nicaragua where MCC staff on the ground have been essential.

“Involuntary: Terminated MCC workers call for accountability and change,” our lead article in

Correction: “Ministerial: strengthening churches” (p. 17, July/ August 2024 issue) incorrectly identified La Crete Christian Fellowship Church’s associate pastor as Peter Fehr. Their associate pastor is Peter Rempel. Our apologies for the error.

this issue, is written by Will Braun, editor of Canadian Mennonite. It responds to an open letter sent by former MCC workers on May 3, 2024, and was published when their investigation supported the claims. In later issues, Canadian Mennonite published a response from the executive directors of MCC Canada and MCC U.S. (reprinted on p. 30 of this issue), along with multiple letters from constituents who care deeply about MCC but are calling for change.

The article focuses primarily on the accounts of four people willing to be named. Since the open letter, additional people have come forward with their own stories of mistreatment for a total of 43 at the time of this writing. The additional information is of such a nature that investigation is called for.

A knowledgeable HR person we spoke to, and a supporter of MCC, expressed disappointment that MCC has not acknowledged the harm or expressed willingness to be held accountable.

Back to the original question—why publish this? EMC is one of MCC Canada’s four sponsoring conferences and we have been associated with MCC for decades. We publish stories from MCC in almost every issue of The Messenger and lean on them when we need help with sponsorship initiatives such as the most recent Afghan Christian sponsorship program. People of EMC have served on MCC boards, served locally and overseas with them and supported fund-raising efforts. Our association is not one to take lightly.

Although EMC has been rethinking our relationship with MCC, at this point we’re at the table; it is important that we are informed.

– The Editors

Updated link to the open letter: https://online.fliphtml5.com/rcyuu/lcvv/ and petition: https://www. change.org/p/mcc-stop-harming-your-workersand-partners-now

Involuntary: Terminated MCC workers call for accountability and change By Will Braun

The concerns of terminated workers raise questions about how MCC deals with internal conflicts.

The untold stories of returned missionaries By Anna Glenn

When overseas workers aren’t “happy to be home.”

Stories of tragedy and trust: honouring the legacy we started with By Gary Dyck

Celebrating the 150th anniversary of when Mennonites first arrived in Canada.

Global impact Missions committees: thinking outside the box By Gerald Reimer

His light to my path Half-finished projects By Karla Hein

Further in and higher up Can God fit in you? By Layton Friesen

Inviting faith My little thief By Phil Callaway

The Messenger

Volume 62 No. 5 September/October 2024

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

Second-class postage paid at Steinbach, MB

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

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). evangelical mennonite conference

Where did suspicion of MCC originate?

Recently we were made aware of a rumour that the General Board was beginning a review process for evaluating conference affiliations with other agencies. Specifically mentioned to be at the centre of this discussion was Mennonite Central Committee. Upon reading the Conference Council minutes of June 29, 2024, the rumour was validated. As a matter of fact, the “position of MCC was a driver to begin this review process,” the minutes state. Furthermore, later in the question and answer period, it was stated the reason for this review was to “determine how we connect with organizations drifting theologically and we are no longer comfortable being closely aligned with them.”

Our question is: Where did this suspicion of MCC originate and who is driving it? From our reading of Scripture, (e.g. Matthew 25 and the gospel’s clear teaching on love for all people), the work of MCC is central to the mandate of our master Jesus Christ. If the EMC would ever consider cutting ties with MCC, whose work is clearly done

“in the name of Christ,” it would be our opinion that the conference was theologically adrift. Additionally, the EMC would be distancing itself from our global Anabaptist community which is closely aligned with MCC. Some of us members would need to ask the question of how closely we would want to be aligned with this conference.

– Ron and Ruth Penner Winnipeg, Man.

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 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.

Writingthat Matters Awriter’smini-conference

sponsoredbyEMC, EMMC and SBC

NovemberSaturday,2,2024 9:00 - 2:00 CDT SteinbachBibleCollege and online

Speakers

Will Braun, editor of Canadian Mennonite Geralyn Wichers, agricultural journalist Luann Hiebert, adjunct faculty at SBC

Registration Fees

In-Person ~ $50

Lunch Included Online ~ $25

In-Person SBC Students ~ $25

Registration deadline: October 25

www.emconference.ca/writers-conference

EMC MISSIONS PROJECTS

Spain: Benevolence

Algeciras, Spain is a port city within view of Morocco, and sees many Moroccan migrants come through the city, many of whom depend on food banks. EMC missionaries in Algeciras, along with a local church, provide a few basic food items on a regular basis.

Goal: $5,000

Paraguay: Stories that Change

Stories that Change are audio recordings that teach biblical values and are distributed throughout Paraguay, including in their school system. They are working on the layout and governmental approval of the text of four different books of ten stories each, and plan to print 1,000 copies of each book. Each book costs just over $4 to print.

availableatemcmessenger.ca oryourfavouritepodcastapp Messenger

Goal: $4,000

INVOLUNTARY

Terminated MCC workers call for accountability and change

By Will Braun

Editor’s note: This is a shortened version of an article published by Canadian Mennonite magazine (July 2024 issue). See p. 30 for a response from MCC’s executive directors.

JOHN CLARKE

“I STILL

USE IT,” Anicka Fast says of the brownish knitted potholder she received at Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) orientation in Akron, Pennsylvania, in 2009. Fast and her husband John Clarke were en route to their first MCC assignment at the time.

Fast is grateful to the women who, for many years, offered those hand-crafted gestures of community support to participants in MCC orientations. She’s grateful even though she and Clarke were terminated without cause by MCC last year.

The abrupt end came while Fast and her family were in a time of crisis following nearly three years in conflict-ridden Burkina Faso. Fast had just received a preliminary diagnosis of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

The couple are among seven people involuntarily terminated by MCC who wrote a June 11 open letter to “the global MCC constituency” calling for the organization to be held accountable to its peacebuilding principles in relation to treatment of its own workers (tinyurl.com/ stopmccabuse-full-letter).

Organizational culture

Letter to constituents

The nine-page letter to MCC constituents details the experiences of the seven former workers and their serious allegations. They say they are speaking up because they care about MCC and believe constituents should know of their experiences.

The letter is linked to an online petition (tinyurl.com/stopmccabuse-petition) that had been signed by 1408 people* when this article was published.

Canadian Mennonite interviewed all seven people behind the letter, reviewed numerous related documents and spoke with two other people,

They were left feeling confused and ultimately betrayed by an organization they believed in and had sacrificed much for.

both of whom were terminated without cause by MCC. The seven people interviewed served in five countries on two continents and were terminated—some with cause—between 2009 and 2024.

MCC is among the most prominent and storied Mennonite institutions. Many of its North American supporters volunteer in MCC thrift stores, faithfully attend relief sales, hang MCC calendars on their walls and entrust donations to the international relief, development and peacebuilding organization. Last year, MCC Canada and MCC U.S., which operate in tandem, reported combined revenue of more than CDN$160 million.

The concerns of the terminated workers raise questions about how MCC, and, by implication, other organizations, deal with internal conflicts and how the influence of human resources (HR) practices affects organizational culture.

Several people who have held leadership positions with MCC or related organizations are also raising concerns about MCC culture and/or the termination of Fast and Clarke.

One common element among them was the feeling that when conflict arose within MCC, and when they asked questions, MCC did not respond with the degree of openness and care they expected. They were left feeling confused and ultimately betrayed by an organization they believed in and had sacrificed much for. Still, they express an enduring desire for the good of MCC.

Three of the people did not publish their names for fear of jeopardizing relationships or employment.

The other side

MCC did not make anyone available for an interview but provided a written statement it had previously sent to constituents who expressed concern about the termination of Fast and Clarke. The full statement is available at canadianmennonite.org/involuntary

The statement says, “MCC seeks to ensure the physical and mental health of all staff and partners, making it our highest priority.”

Following release of the June 11 open letter, MCC spokesperson Laura Kalmar expanded on MCC’s earlier statement, writing in an email to Canadian Mennonite, “MCC may hold a different view of the circumstances outlined by John and Anicka—as well as the others who signed the open letter—while, at the same time, endeavouring to be a listening, learning and growing organization.”

Kalmar further noted MCC’s “inability to discuss details of confidential HR matters, especially those currently under litigation.” Fast and Clarke are pursuing their concerns via the Quebec labour board, known as the Commission des Normes, de L’équité, de la Santé et de la Sécurité du Travail.

In a June 18 statement (mcc.org/our-stories/ mcc-statement-response-open-letter-and-petition), MCC said, in relation to legal action and public discussion, “We will share the facts as we know them in a court of law at the appropriate time.”

MCC said, in relation to legal action and public discussion, “We will share the facts as we know them in a court of law at the appropriate time.”

Anicka Fast and John Clarke

Fast and Clarke, along with their two children, began an assignment with MCC in Burkina Faso in July 2020. They oversaw programming there, with a team of approximately 12. For part of the term, Fast was seconded on a part-time basis to Mennonite Mission Network and Mennonite World Conference in addition to her MCC duties.

The couple had served with MCC in the Democratic Republic of Congo from 2009 to 2012. Fast’s 2020 PhD dissertation focused on the history of Mennonite churches in DR Congo.

Speaking by video call from the Netherlands, where they now live, Fast and Clarke said they’re speaking up less for themselves than out of a broader concern for the organization.

Questions raised

The couple said that part way through their term in Burkina Faso, they raised questions with MCC HR staff in the U.S. Clarke was concerned about the process by which job openings were designated as open to either local or international applicants. These were sensitive decisions and a “known issue” within MCC, according to Clarke.

“I named the problem and asked for guidance,” he said. Clarke had the impression his questions were unwelcome. Responses from HR staff were inadequate and unreasonably delayed in his view.

Tensions escalated in March 2023 when a particular HR process was handled in a way Clarke described as heavy-handed and non-restorative. Privacy policies prevent him from discussing specifics.

Fast and Clarke said they contacted HR directors hoping for resolution, but repeated efforts proved frustrating.

It felt to Clarke that HR staff were “deflecting.”

The MCC area directors were supportive, but Fast and Clarke said HR staff cut the area directors out of the process leaving the couple feeling “isolated.”

Turmoil in Burkina Faso

Meanwhile, two coup d’etats took place in the country in 2022. At staff devotional times, local colleagues shared stories of villages burned and family members forced to flee. The MCC team responded to an attempted abduction of a staff member’s child, the death of a project participant and people disappearing.

Facing turmoil in the country as well as what they experienced as the resistance of HR staff to address conflict, the couple brought their complaints in writing to the executive directors (EDs) of MCC Canada and MCC U.S.—Rick Cober Bauman and Ann Graber Hershberger, respectively—in accordance with MCC policy.

Three weeks later, though the EDs had not met with the couple, Graber Hershberger replied, saying the EDs had full confidence in the HR directors.

The EDs refused a second request to meet.

“This can’t be happening.” Fast recalled thinking. “We’ll find another person who will understand. We’ll wake up from this.”

Deterioration

Conflict in the country worsened. “We had been hearing stories about genocide, ethnic cleansings, atrocities,” Clarke recalled. They prepared for the possibility of evacuating MCC personnel.

In July 2023, they went to the Netherlands, where Fast holds citizenship, for combined vacation time and stress leave.

There, psychological symptoms surfaced. “I became dysfunctional,” Fast said. “I could not think about going back …. I had hoped I would

“They didn’t even ask how we were doing,” Fast recalled.

rest and recover and be able to go back to work, but something had shifted.”

A psychologist said Fast appeared to have PTSD, which was formally diagnosed thereafter. “I had trouble accepting that,” Fast said.

The psychologist recommended Fast not return to Burkina Faso for at least six months.

“At that point, I still believed that MCC would be there for us,” Fast said.

The couple informed their supervisors and suggested a medical leave plan that would see them stay in the Netherlands, with Clarke working remotely and via travel to Burkina Faso. MCC wanted Fast and Clarke to relocate to another African country instead.

At the same time, the couple was trying to pursue the conflict resolution process related to earlier actions of HR staff.

Next level

Fast and Clarke wrote to Ron Ratzlaff, chair of the MCC Canada board, whom they knew and appreciated.

“We feel like we are isolated and have no one we can talk to for help,” they wrote. “We are in

a very difficult situation and are reaching out in desperation for your guidance and assistance, in as much as you can provide as chair of MCC Canada board.”

According to the couple, Ratzlaff’s reply was short and business-like. Policy, they were told, prevented board involvement. They were pointed back to the staff who were the source of their concerns.

While board members of an organization do not generally involve themselves in personnel matters, it is often within the purview of a board to ensure neutral third-party avenues for resolving serious conflicts. MCC policies are not public.

Ratzlaff copied his email reply, which included the couple’s detailed concerns with the ED, to the ED. Fast and Clarke had considered it confidential.

It felt to the couple like another dead end—like the process kept turning against them.

The day after Ratzlaff’s email–August 25, 2023–a previously arranged call with senior MCC U.S. staff took place. Fast and Clarke understood the purpose was to discuss relocation and sick leave.

Instead, Fast and Clarke were terminated without cause, effective immediately.

“They didn’t even ask how we were doing,” Fast recalled.

‘Separation package’

MCC staff paused during the call to verify Fast and Clarke’s personal email addresses because the couple were immediately disconnected from MCC’s electronic system and WhatsApp groups. They say they were asked not to talk with any MCC staff.

In the midst of a debilitating mental health crisis—Clarke was subsequently diagnosed with PTSD as well—with no home and two children dealing with their own stresses, Fast and Clarke were without a job and feeling a profound sense of “institutional betrayal,” as Clarke put it.

“MCC knew we were in a real crisis,” Fast said.

During the call, MCC emailed the couple a financial “separation package.” They were offered approximately $160,000 plus unspecified moving and medical expenses if they signed a legal

document by which they would give up all rights to recourse, grievance or complaint and would commit to never disclose details of the agreement or speak negatively about MCC.

Such agreements are common in the business world and some church organizations.

The agreement stated that if Fast and Clarke did not sign it, they would receive approximately $118,000 less.

The couple said this felt like MCC was trying to pay them to be quiet instead of seeking to understand and work through the couple’s serious concerns. They felt that a confidential settlement was not the path to peace.

They did not sign.

Public recourse

On November 3, 2023, Fast and Clarke sent a letter of grievance to the MCC Canada and U.S. boards, copied to various church contacts, including Canadian Mennonite.

Ron Ratzlaff and Gilberto Perez, chairs of the MCC Canada and U.S. boards, respectively, responded, expressing a willingness to engage in mediation and saying MCC would initiate a third-party investigation.

“Our heart is to engage with you in a spirit of reconciliation,” Perez and Ratzlaff wrote. “We commit to holding this process prayerfully and with care.”

Ratzlaff and Perez declined to comment for this article.

Labour board

In October 2023, Fast and Clarke each filed a formal complaint with the provincial labour board in Quebec, their home jurisdiction. Quebec labour law says a person can file a complaint if they have served two uninterrupted years and “[believe] they have not been dismissed for a good and sufficient cause.”

“We [had] been asking [MCC] since April [2023] to just sit down and talk with us, always assuming that things could easily be straightened out, and it was only after multiple failed attempts to get a hearing, and being fired, that we considered this legal channel,” Fast wrote in a December 7, 2023, email to Canadian Mennonite.

The couple informed MCC of this step, emphasizing that they still preferred to find resolution outside legal channels.

The labour board process includes a mediation option. MCC agreed to this, but when Fast and Clarke discovered that process would require them to commit not to speak publicly of the situation, they opted out.

“We do not think that secrecy about these events serves MCC, us, MCC’s partners or the broader Mennonite community, and [we] are determined to preserve our right to speak freely,” they said in an email.

A Quebec tribunal is expected to hear the couple’s case within eight to 14 months.

Fast and Clarke said they are seeking a measure of justice, not a significant financial award, the latter of which they say is highly unlikely in the labour board process.

Investigation

Three months after Fast and Clark requested an independent investigation, a firm hired by MCC informed the couple they would investigate their complaints and send the report to MCC’s HR department. It is common practice for third-party reports of this nature to go to the HR department of a business or organization.

After back-and-forth with the investigator, Fast and Clarke declined to participate because they felt the firm MCC selected was not focused on institutional accountability and justice for complainants, and because the investigator’s report would go to the people at the centre of the couple’s complaints—the HR department.

The investigation has proceeded without them.

MCC response

In response to impacts on families cited in the open letter, MCC said in an email to Canadian Mennonite, “We do acknowledge the hurt expressed by these former MCC staff members and their families.” In the June 18 statement, MCC says, “We want to respond with humility and compassion.”

The statement says, “MCC takes all reports of complaints from employees seriously,” noting its

Speak Up service by which employees or others can file complaints. “All reports are confidential,” the statement reads. “[C]omplaints are received by a third party on their secure servers. The reports are then handed over to trained MCC HR staff and may be investigated by a neutral third party where appropriate.”

In reference to cases in which staff on the ground disagree with MCC decisions, the statement says, “MCC seeks to find a resolution that is consistent with our policies and offers compassion to those engaged.”

At the time of publishing, Fast and Clarke said MCC EDs were in conversation with them about a possible mediated meeting, something the couple have been seeking since their initial complaint to EDs nearly a year ago.

Clarke said he knows the couple’s story will be hard for many MCC supporters to hear.

Other accounts

The accounts of the other five people behind the open letter are reflected to a considerable extent by the comment of a terminated worker who said that in his experience, MCC lacked a spirit of trying to work through difficulties. In the cases of these people, when tensions, conflicts and crosscultural misunderstandings arose, the ultimate result was that people in positions of less power were terminated.

Three themes were the sense that superiors did not “have the backs” of these workers, the avenues for recourse did not serve these workers well and that MCC did not adequately live up to its peacemaking principles in these situations.

Accountability is needed

Clarke said he knows the couple’s story will be hard for many MCC supporters to hear. He and Fast said repeatedly that they don’t want their story to make people feel bad. Still, while noting

that people spend lifetimes volunteering for MCC and donating, Clarke said he does not want a sense of the “unquestioned sacredness” of MCC to prevent people from requiring accountability of MCC leaders. He does not want the “beloved” organization to be turned into an “idol” that cannot be questioned.

The couple recalled an instance when MCC colleagues in Africa simply vanished from the MCC scene. They said no one, including themselves, said anything. That’s the culture, Clarke said: “We don’t ask. We don’t talk about it.” They recall thinking that the people who were gone “must have done something terrible.”

“There seems to be something deeply Mennonite about not questioning authority.” Clarke said.

For Fast, speaking out feels like “touching this sacred, untouchable thing.”

Rod Hollinger-Janzen served as executive coordinator of Africa Inter-Mennonite Mission for 15 years and was involved with Fast’s PhD work, calling it “brilliant” and adding that she was loved by the people. During a video interview, Hollinger-Janzen said there is much he does not know about Fast and Clarke’s termination, but he is perplexed and troubled by what he does know. He questioned how people of the “calibre” of Fast and Clarke, who gave so much of themselves in a high-stress setting, could end up being terminated at a time when they most needed support.

He acknowledged that “organizations have to defend themselves; that just goes with the territory. At the same time, if an organization is not comfortable calling itself into question, that’s also problematic.”

Speaking about the concerns raised by Fast and Clarke, and echoing the sentiment of most of the people Canadian Mennonite interviewed for this article, Hollinger-Janzen said, “we want these problems to be dealt with in a good way so we can have a stronger MCC.”

Will Braun is editor of Canadian Mennonite magazine.

untold stories

The of returned missionaries

By Anna Glenn

YOU’VE BEEN BACK in this country for a little less than three months and you’re just wrapping up another talk at one of your sponsoring churches. People walk up to you after the service and shake your hand to welcome you. “You must be so happy to be home!” they proclaim earnestly as they insert words into your mouth before you can even open it in protest.

Wait, protest? Protest and say what? How do you say all you need to say while standing awkwardly against the wall five minutes following the service? No, that’s not going to happen. The truth is, you know that now is not the time for such conversation, and so you force the edges of your mouth upward and nod in agreement as they rain down accolades on you for a “job well

done” and tell you how relieved and proud you must feel now that it’s over.

But what if it doesn’t feel like a job well done? What if you never got to see much of what you expected, hoped and prayed to see? What if you came back a little sooner than you were planning?

What if the PowerPoint slides full of pictures from your last seven years don’t tell the whole story? What if instead of relief there is pain, and instead of pride there is shame? What if instead of joy there is anger, and instead of lightness in your heart there is a heaviness that is just too hard to explain?

I’ve been back in my passport country for six months now and this is my story; unfortunately, I know I’m not alone. Missionaries come back for many reasons other than a “successful

ISTOCK

mission completed,” and all too often, those stories never see the light of day in the wider church community.

There is fear of being looked at like a failure, fear of not being tough enough, holy enough, dedicated enough. There is fear of being misunderstood or labelled as “not a team player” or overly dramatic or charismatic or alarmist. There is guilt about those left behind and all the work left unfinished. Also, because some things can’t be talked about easily in front of a crowded congregation, they never get talked about at all.

And because they are never talked about, the church at large keeps moving forward, thinking their returned missionaries are okay, even when they aren’t. But the church can’t be okay with this. If we are going to put so much time and effort into sending missionaries well, we need to do the same when it comes to receiving them well when they return.

If you’re a sending church, here’s a sampling of some of the things your returned missionary might be dealing with that they probably aren’t exactly comfortable sharing from a pulpit:

Doubt

While there is increased openness in our Christian culture for people to express and explore their doubts related to faith and God, I’m not sure the same can be said for those in full-time ministry, such as pastors and missionaries.

How would it look when your missionary comes home and writes a blog or presents a sermon on all the ways they doubt God and the way he is working in their ministry? How will donors respond to that?

Culture

While they may fill their newsletters and PowerPoints with pictures of colorful dresses, tropical fruits, and exotic-looking cities and creatures that make the culture look beautiful and inviting, there are probably aspects of the culture that wear on them more than they say.

Perhaps the way women or children are treated day in and day out has worn down your missionary’s spirits. Perhaps a lack of privacy or a

Perhaps a lack of privacy or a culture of secrecy and corruption has exhausted them to their core.

culture of secrecy and corruption has exhausted them to their core.

Culture shock isn’t just for the first couple of months or years; it can grate on you five, 10, 15 years into your life abroad and cause continual cycles of shock and pain, which can add up significantly over time.

Trauma

For many missionaries who are serving in underdeveloped nations where hunger, disease, and violence run rampant, the horrors they have witnessed may have grown to be too much.

We all know that death and pain are a part of life, but when you see people, people you know and love, dying from easily preventable causes nearly every single week and you see bodies on the side of the road mangled to the point of being unrecognizable, your psyche is forever impacted and sometimes there are just no words.

Physical sickness

When you become a missionary and you say yes to living abroad, you know there will be many sacrifices, your health being one of them. Unfortunately, sometimes injuries, illness, or even the climate can do irreparable damage to your body.

You may be left with the choice of using unreliable health care locally, which could lead to more serious or more permanent damage, or returning to your passport country for higher-quality treatment.

Some sicknesses can’t be easily seen just by looking at a person in a church service, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t suffering.

Spiritual abuse

Spiritual abuse can take many forms, but it often looks like someone in authority using scripture or beliefs to embarrass or humiliate, pressure, or obligate, coerce or control the behaviour or words of someone else. This spiritual abuse can come from teammates, board members, sending churches, or even partnering churches on the ground.

Oftentimes when victims try to speak up or question what is going on, they are ignored, dismissed, ridiculed, or made to think they are the ones with the spiritual problem, not the abuser. I’ve heard this story of spiritual abuse on the mission field far too often, and I hope it’s something more people start asking about, writing about, and calling out because missionaries can’t end this culture of abuse on their own.

Loneliness

Guess what? You can still experience loneliness even when you are married, even when you have a whole flock of kids around you. Why? Because we were made for relationships beyond just our spouses and our families.

Loneliness is associated with increased chances of high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, a weakened immune system, anxiety, depression, cognitive decline, Alzheimer’s disease, and even death.

But can missionaries really tell their congregation they came home because they were lonely? What if that loneliness continues or gets worse even after you are back as no one can quite understand what you’ve experienced?

Marriage stress

This is one you’ll probably never hear a missionary admit to in their blogs or from the pulpit, but it’s one I can almost guarantee you that your missionary couple is undergoing if they’ve been living abroad for anything more than a month.

Moving abroad is hard for individuals, but for married couples, it sometimes also means adjusting to a whole new dynamic—particularly if one spouse who used to be working is now staying at home full-time or if the cultural gender role

expectations of your host country are the complete opposite of what you’ve been practicing.

Children’s health

You might hear missionaries talk about how their children’s health has been affected by the move abroad as they ask for prayers in their monthly updates.

Sometimes it’s easier to talk about them than it is about yourself and your own struggles. However, if the reason a family moved home was for a child’s physical or mental well-being, you might not hear that mentioned at all. Parents might not want that child to feel a burden of guilt or shame for being one of the reasons their family left the mission field earlier than planned.

Hidden sin

Missionaries struggle with sin, just like everyone else. And while they may have been good at keeping that sin hidden from their spouse or their mission board for a very long time, the mission field has a way of bringing those things to light. A missionary and his/her family might make the decision to leave the field to seek help and healing for that sin, or a missionary might be asked to go home by their board without having a say in the matter.

Finances

Finances, or lack thereof, are another big reason missionaries come back home, though they might not ever talk about it. Why didn’t the church give more? Why didn’t God provide for us when he provided for those other workers? Were we not worth it? Was the mission not valuable enough? Did we mishear our calling? Did we disappoint God?

Finances, or lack thereof, are another big reason

missionares come back home.

Sometimes God uses a lack of finances to bring people home, not because the mission and the missionaries weren’t effective, but because he has other reasons for wanting them home. Still, finances can be hard to talk about.

False accusations

Depending on the country your missionary lived in, they might have been dealing with some false accusations from the community that in the end became too much to handle.

Foreigners can be an easy target for communities to blame when something goes wrong, and their lives may easily become at risk. Also, in very corrupt societies, foreigners are seen as a great source of extra funds. The relentless requests for bribes, threats of going to jail, or unwarranted searches can wear an individual down.

Spiritual warfare

For many churches in the West spiritual warfare is just one of those weird things the Bible talks about, but we don’t really understand it or want to discuss it. Yet, many areas where missionaries serve are full of overt spiritual warfare, demonic worship, and wickedness beyond what many of us can fathom, and this can take a toll on the soul that is hard to articulate or share with friends, let alone strangers.

Missionaries know that God is protecting them and providing for them in these situations, though sometimes coming home is still where God is leading them. But will others really understand?

Teammate conflict

Like it or not, this is one of the most common reasons missionaries come home, but you probably won’t ever hear them talk about it. To leave a mission field early because of personal conflict or differences with teammates may seem trivial to some, but when you feel unheard, disrespected, undervalued, silenced, or diminished, this is not only damaging and degrading to you as an individual; it can also be confusing and disorienting to the community.

When some missionaries are sent by and return to churches or organizations that still have

people on the ground there, how do you openly discuss it? How do you mention or get help without going into details about those people or making it sound like you are just being petty or immature?

Burnout

Burnout is a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. Missionary fields are environments of prolonged stress.

Sometimes burnout looks like a mental breakdown, sometimes it looks like anxiety, sometimes it looks like depression, and sometimes it looks like an internal hollowness that cannot be measured. Whatever it looks like, sometimes your missionary might not even be able to realize it or acknowledge it until they are on the other end of it. And even if they do recognize it, they probably aren’t speaking about it to the congregation on Sunday morning.

ARE THESE ALL the untold stories of our returned missionaries? Definitely not. But hopefully, this list can get the church started thinking about how we can better receive and support missionaries once their time abroad has ended, no matter the reason they find themselves back on this side of the world.

Just because a missionary leaves the field doesn’t mean they leave their struggles and pains there. Some of these hidden pains and stories know no borders. As senders, it is our responsibility to care for our missionaries long after they come back from the field, to listen closely to the stories that they choose to share, and to pray for ways to support them even in the stories that they choose to keep close to their hearts for now.

Anna Glenn served as an agricultural missionary with her husband in Liberia, West Africa from 2016–2022. She now works back in her home state of Maryland doing agriculture education and youth development while staying involved with local and international missions. This article was originally published at A Life Overseas (alifeoverseas.com).

Stories of tragedy and trust: honouring the legacy we started with

By Gary Dyck

E CAME IN 1875,” my father tells me. Dad is 94, and a trip to the ER is giving him a sense of urgency to pass on the stories his mother shared.

“On the way, the baby dies. They find a box to put her in, and the ocean between their old home and their new land becomes her resting place. Still on the ship, their other child, a two, maybe three-year-old daughter gets sick. ‘Do not put me in the water’ she defiantly demands. They wait, quietly. When they reach Halifax, they bury her in the sand.” My mind races, “Why the sand?” Did they need to bury as quickly as possible? Sand shifts, though not as much as water. How many more die on this journey of hope that has become a death march?

When they reach Fort Dufferin, the Red River entrance to Manitoba, they wait again, quietly. Six weeks until their “farmland” is confirmed. Almost 1,000 Mennonites squat in barracks built for 300. Six weeks—every day another child, another funeral.

How dare my family forget? To forget what we went through, to cast aside the hard lessons

and not appreciate what was sacrificed for the goodness we enjoy today—to think that we’re independent and self-made.

Mennonite settlement in Manitoba

From 1874–76, 7,000 Mennonites arrived in Manitoba. It was the largest immigration of a people group in Western Canada at that time. To set this migration in history, Canada was only formed as a formal Confederation in the summer of 1867. In the early summer of 1870, Louis Riel pushed Metis land rights with the Federal government which inspired the creation of Canada’s fifth province, Manitoba.

Treaty 1 with the Anishinaabe and Cree nations of the area was signed the summer of 1871. These original nations “believed it was a way for them to survive and adjust into a new way of living with the drastic changes that they could see coming to their land and that were already beginning to take shape. They believed a treaty with the Crown would help give them security when the large groups of settlers would make their way into the land” (Wikipedia, Treaty 1). How would it be for them within a few short years to see lines of people dressed in black clothes streaming across the land that had been theirs alone for centuries and centuries?

In 1874 the first Mennonite immigrants were Kleine Gemeinde (EMC) who arrived via a paddlewheel river boat up the Red River from the U.S.

If it were not for these two agreements, every Mennonite emigrating from Imperial Russia would have ended up in the USA. There would have been no other suitable option. We were able to settle in Manitoba because Louis Riel and Treaty 1 made it possible. Treaties are beneficial to all people in Western Canada as they are considered to be mutual arrangements that guarantee a co-existence between the treaty parties.

There are misconceptions that only Indigenous peoples are part of the treaties, but that’s not the case. “We are all treaty people,” all of us who live and work in this land are treaty people, especially the Mennonites who have benefited so much from this precious land. The treaties are about having good relations and are to last “as long as the sun shines, the grass grows, and the rivers flow.” We have worked hard to benefit from the land and kept our hand to the plow, but now it is time to work hard for truth and reconciliation: to learn our neighbours’ perspectives, speak truth about our history and restore relationships we did not protect or honour.

Kleine Gemeinde (EMC) migration

In 1874 the first Mennonite immigrants were Kleine Gemeinde (EMC) who arrived via a paddlewheel river boat up the Red River from the U.S. disembarking where the Rat River empties into the Red River (near Niverville). The peak of immigration was in 1875, when nearly half of the Mennonite immigrants arrived, including groups such as the Bergthaler.

Settlers quickly crowded Fort Dufferin, near Emerson, Manitoba. The East reserve was already full, and a new “West reserve” was being established.

Aeltester (elder) Johan Wiebe called a meeting for church organization and colony administration. This was not a time to be divided over the doctrines and practices of the different colonies and churches of Russia. It was time to come together into a single church community.

Wiebe emphasized that the blending process should begin immediately. “From 16 to 30 families were organized into groups and assigned village sites. By mid-August 1876, sixteen villages had been started and most families were at their village sites” ( Heritage Posting, February 2024). Local administration was established, churches and schools were built, and community loans/ insurance were established. This is the legacy we started with in Canada.

Why recollecting is important

These next three years are the 150th anniversary of the 1874–1876 mass Mennonite immigration from Imperial Russia to Western Canada with the Kleine Gemeinde (EMC) being the first to arrive. On top of that 2025 is the 500th anniversary of the Anabaptist movement. It certainly is a time to recollect and commemorate, but why and how?

When I was executive director at Mennonite Heritage Village (MHV), I had two types of people asking me about leaving a legacy. “What is the best way to leave a legacy?” asked the first camp, while others asked, “Should we even try to leave a legacy? Isn’t that prideful?”

If it is about our individual efforts and heroics, then I would agree that sounds prideful. Further, it is extremely rare that a person carves out a legacy that lasts beyond one or two generations (why even try so hard, for something so fleeting). However, if we build into a communal legacy, it becomes much more certain to last as it will then be carried by the group to the next generation. Finally, if the focus of the legacy is on how God has helped our family, clan and people in the recent past and over the centuries while

If the focus of the legacy is on how God has helped us in the recent past and over the centuries while acknowledging our human shortfalls, if fulfills what we see written throughout the Scriptures.

acknowledging our human shortfalls it fulfills what we see written throughout the Scriptures (see sidebar).

Done well, there are several benefits in recollecting and commemorating our past:

1. It brings glory to God.

2. It inspires our faith; it comforts us in our personal challenges (we are not alone!).

3. It honours our predecessors and elders.

4. It provides positive identity and social cohesion to our family and community.

5. In a world of chaos, it provides grounding, well-being and direction for the future.

6. It humbles us and keeps us from being ignorant and proud.

We need to be intentional about the important work of remembering, recollecting, pondering and passing on. When the Israelites did this well, it went well for their offspring. When they forgot, they quickly lost their way. As Christians and Mennonites, not only do we have the amazing story of the Israelites, but we also have our own recent history to help us recollect and know God.

These next years are a good time to do the work of recollection and commemoration. When I was at MHV, I found the secret the heritage volunteers held: learn as you go, dig into what attracts you and then make it yours so you can help others make it theirs. At MHV there are genealogists who are willing to sit down with you and track your personal family history and a shopkeeper who can recommend books just for you. We should all know what year we arrived, from where, and the context of our arrival (including Truth and

Reconciliation). Google “50 questions to ask a living relative” and do it before it is too late. Take a trip, whether it be to Europe, MHV, or the original family village in Canada.

Former Manitoban and now Duke Divinity professor Kate Bowler says: “North America culture values choice above all. People who choose are masters of their own destiny. They are the greatest of all mythical creatures: self-made. By contrast, people with fewer choices—less independence, more dependence—might begin to feel the sting of distinct kind of shame … The hard truth is that the most basic aspect of our humanity is not our determination, our talents, or whatever we accomplished during last year’s resolutions. We are united by our fragility. We all need shelter because we are soft and mushy and irritable in the elements—and we will need so much more than a bank loan because, sooner or later, we are left exposed. Time and chance, says the author of Ecclesiastes, happen to us all.”

Maria Dyck arrived in Canada on board the SS Sardinian with her third husband Johan Dyck, but she died on the riverboat journey from Minnesota to Manitoba. She was buried in a village in the Mennonite East Reserve. She is depicted here with two of her daughters in Imperial Russia.

The stories of the past remind us of our fragility, dependence, and how God helps us all.

The stories of the past remind us of our fragility, dependence, and how God helps us all.

As you recollect, ponder and commemorate you will be transformed by God and others. You will be inspired to keep your community going and humbled by it. We have started with an amazing legacy. The question is, how will we leave it?

The biblical foundation for recollecting history

Exodus 13:3 NLT: So Moses said to the people, “This is a day to remember forever —the day you left Egypt, the place of your slavery. Today the Lord has brought you out by the power of his mighty hand.

Note: Some translations use the word “commemorate.” Also note the strong emphasis of “forever,” some translations use “always.”

Deuteronomy 32:7 NLT: Remember the days of long ago; think about the generations past. Ask your father, and he will inform you. Inquire of your elders, and they will tell you.

Note: When is the last time you asked your parents, grandparents, and other elders about the past and kept track of it to recollect later? It is the elders that should have a godly perspective on life as they can see the times God worked for their good throughout their life.

Psalm 143:5 NLT: I remember the days of old. I ponder all your great works and think about what you have done.

Note: To ponder means to go deeper than just listening. It means to dwell on a matter and let yourself be changed by it.

Gary Dyck is the former executive director of Mennonite Heritage Village and currently the Spiritual Care Provider for Bethesda Regional Health Centre in Steinbach, Man.

2 Thessalonians 2:15 ESV: So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter.

Note: “Tradition” in the Greek original has the meaning of “a giving over, passing on, which is done by word of mouth or in writing.” Spoken word could also include personal conversations and not just formal teaching.

MENNONITE HERITAGE ARCHIVES

Global

impact • By

Gerald Reimer

Missions committees: thinking outside the box

ACCORDING TO THE information we have from our churches across Canada, approximately half our congregations have a missions committee of some sort—though how they function varies. Why is it so important that a local church has a missional focus, and why is a committee approach so valuable? Let me encourage you with some ways to strengthen your existing role in the church, or even launch a new committee if your church doesn’t have one.

that directs every growing believer into specific areas of ministry. It’s like the human resources department of your church, year after year guiding people into ministries that make use of their gifts.

Which leads into the second purpose of the missions committee, and that is to be the mechanism to help individuals identify their calling into service, both within and beyond the church walls. For a church to embrace

Every one of us benefits greatly from knowing we have a sending body behind us that affirms us, supports us, that is praying for us, and that is carrying us through the ups and downs of not only focused ministry but the daily grind of living in a broken world.

To begin with, the beauty of discipleship is that it seeks to produce maturing and equipped followers of Jesus to faithfully serve as Christ’s ambassadors in a broken and needy world. While many programs and relationships within the church, formal and informal, do the actual work of discipleship, a case could be made that the missions committee is the body

its role of being missional, it needs to be intentional in calling and empowering men and women, young and old, into ministries that utilize their God-given gifts. As one woman in my church told me, she was praying for God to give wisdom to our young adults to discover the assignment God has placed on their lives. The missions committee can be the key group of mature, godly

As EMC Director of Global Outreach, Gerald Reimer supports EMC missionaries all over the world.

women and men who serve in this role of discernment.

Once the church has done the work of discipleship, and calling is determined, the missions committee becomes the advocate for each believer in sending them into these ministry opportunities. These opportunities may be within the church itself or out to the work of evangelism and discipleship in the community and cross-culturally around the world. Every one of us benefits greatly from knowing we have a sending body behind us that affirms us, supports us, that is praying for us, and that is carrying us through the ups and downs of not only focused ministry but the daily grind of living in a broken world.

Finally, the support from the committee for those who are sent needs to be tangible. This can be through offering professional development to workers, developing monthly prayer groups for specific ministries, sharing finances to help overseas workers, and so much more. And in the midst of all of this, the missions committee helps the local church keep its perspective on the bigger picture of what God is doing around the world.

What other areas of responsibility could the missions committee have in your church? The needs vary in every community, but how intentional we are to address those needs determines if we are being faithful to what God has assigned to every church collectively and individually to members within. May the Lord direct your church in the privilege of these ministries.

Dead trees and dead heroes

By an EMC worker Middle East

IF YOU GO to the place where the Tigris and Euphrates rivers meet and converge, you won’t find the Garden of Eden anymore. You will, however, find a nicely manicured park with a large tree at the center. The base of the tree is encased in a marble slab, and surrounded by a chain fence so you can’t get too close.

Some believe it’s the original Tree of Knowledge. I’ve also heard a story about Abraham (who’s considered a prophet in Islam) visiting the tree and making a prophecy about it. Whatever the case, it’s a special, sacred tree. And it’s very, very dead.

The land I call home is known for pilgrimage. Every year, over 20 million people journey on foot, some from very far away, to visit the tomb of one of their most revered spiritual heroes. He was a man specially favoured by God, they say, a holy man whose shining example of virtue puts him on a different level than ordinary people could ever hope to attain. But by making the journey to his shrine, some of that favour may rub off on them.

So many stories, so many pilgrims; searching, maybe, for what we lost when we left Eden. Echoes of that original exile still resonate through the ground, through the lives of the people around me, through my own life as a foreigner and sojourner. Drive a few hours from the rivers and the dead tree, and you’ll reach the birthplace of Abraham, the place he and his family set out from on their own sojourn. A few more hours, and you can visit the

I’m just here to invite people to a tree of life whose leaves will heal the nations.

palace where Daniel and his friends lived as exiles in Babylon.

Biblical history is all around me, but sometimes it’s hard to believe God is still at work here. I live in a city of about 1.5 million people, but the number of Christians here would not fill up a typical EMC church building. Do my small efforts really accomplish anything? Quite far from a legendary spiritual hero, I’m an ordinary person living an ordinary life. I go to work, I do errands, I try to meet people and share stories about Jesus. I fumble around in a language I haven’t mastered yet. I pray. I plant little seeds and hope the soil is good.

But thankfully I don’t have to be a hero, because I serve a God who is alive. I’m not here to be legendary. I’m just here to invite people on a journey. Not to the shrine of a dead hero, not to a vanished paradise we can never return to, but to another home, another city, another river. A tree of life whose leaves will heal the nations. A kingdom ruled by a Saviour who speaks, who heals, who saves, who does all these things in the present tense, because he is alive.

This worker is unidentified due to security concerns.

With Our Missionaries

We don’t live for this world

By Teah Goossen

“DURING HER CANCER journey, I would often tell her that I’m jealous; jealous that she gets to be with Jesus before me.”

Sitting and hearing Ernie’s story reminded me of a foundational truth that I so often forget; eternity with Jesus is the hope that we cling to. It’s an easy Sunday school lesson, but in trials, eternity can seem forever away, hope can be displaced, and pain can leave us grasping. As I sat at the kitchen table over a cup of tea, I saw the faith of a man who knew where his hope rested.

Ernie, now living in Oregon, has been a missionary with Greater Europe Mission (GEM) for 30-plus years. He was serving in Austria as a church planter when he met and fell in love with Suzy at a GEM annual conference. They soon wed and continued serving with GEM, mainly in Kosovo and with the refugee crisis in Greece. Many exciting opportunities came their way, including Suzy becoming the vice president of GEM and adopting two children (the first

children with disabilities in Kosovo to be adopted by foreigners!). The family’s ministry was diverse and changed as needed. “[We were] committed to doing what God has asked us to do. What did he ask? To reach the world for Christ.”

Ernie and Suzy returned to North America in July 2017 to better care for their disabled adult children as programs in Kosovo were nonexistent. GEM offered ministry opportunities in the U.S. office before Suzy was diagnosed with cancer in August 2019. Suzy battled cancer and passed away on September 16, 2020.

“God’s goal is that people are with him for eternity. Eternity with Jesus. That is the hope,” Ernie said, “So when Suzy was dying, we grieved together, but we also talked about the hope of us living with Christ. Suzy lived out her hope. And now she’s with Jesus.”

Eternity with Jesus is a life-changing hope. For Ernie and Suzy, it led them to serve abroad, to adopt, and to train others going into the mission field. It’s also the kind of hope that shows a grander perspective to Ernie in the midst of tragedy.

Follow the thread of Christ-followers throughout the centuries and it’s remarkably easy to find the narrative of ordinary people who held onto this hope. These were men and women who saw hunger, war, and death, while at the same time knowing that this world is not their home.

Ernie continues to serve with GEM. You can find him on his computer or over the phone accepting new GEM applicants; discipling, encouraging, and coaching new appointees in their fund-raising efforts; and mentoring Kosovo field leaders.

As I sat at that kitchen table with him, I saw a mature hope in Christ, marked by grief, being lived out.

“God’s goal is that people are with him for eternity. Eternity with Jesus. That is the hope,” Ernie said.

Teah Goossen is on a mission to live purposely and authentically for the kingdom. In this season of life, one might find Teah slowly cruising across North America in her Honda Odyssey while gathering stories, painting pictures, and fellowshipping with nomadic folk.

Ernie with his children.

PHOTO SUPPLIED

Mental health, presence and prayer

By Andrew Reimer ICYA, Winnipeg

THE MINISTRY STAFF I work with at Inner City Youth Alive (ICYA) walk closely with many people experiencing anxiety, depression, trauma, addictions and other challenges. We are not mental health professionals, but we encourage our staff not to underestimate our role as “boots on the ground” ministers.

Research shows that small actions make a long-term difference. As we form secure attachments with youth, they will have greater resilience, feel safe to process what they are experiencing and have a healthier sense of identity. As trust is built, we are often able to encourage and help them to seek out other mental health supports.

troubled and distressed” and he didn’t want to be alone. He said to his closest friends, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch” (Mark 14:33–34).

Stay here : Presence. Keep watch: Prayer. Presence and prayer are two forms of spiritual care that we are uniquely positioned for in our ministry.

Presence

Taking time to be with and listen to someone who is overwhelmed with painful feelings and confusing thoughts makes a real difference. They feel less alone. And our presence becomes a tangible sign of God’s loving presence with them.

Recently, I met with a man I’ve been walking with for many years. He broke

Humans are created with bodies, minds, emotions and spirits; the brokenness, sin and evil present in our world have a complex impact on all these areas.

We should not assume that mental health struggles are simply the result of someone’s sin or lack of faith. Rather, spiritual care and mental health care are both necessary and should be complementary. Humans are created with bodies, minds, emotions and spirits; the brokenness, sin and evil present in our world have a complex impact on all these areas.

As we walk with people who are suffering, it’s helpful to remember that Jesus also experienced mental anguish. In Gethsemane, Jesus became “deeply

down as he talked about some of the recent hurts and challenges he’s faced and the ways he is trying to keep growing and be there for his family. Later that day, in a text message, he thanked me for always being in his corner and showing compassion to him regardless of how he has acted.

Prayer

Prayer is something truly valuable and powerful we can offer people who are facing mental health challenges. In prayer we come with our suffering

friends to the One who understands our weakness and groans with us (Hebrews 4:15–16, Romans 8:26). God meets them in their anguish, and they often experience peace, hope, strength or courage. Guilt is forgiven and shame is lifted. Lies are silenced and God opens peoples’ eyes to the truth of their identity and value.

Prayer and presence sometimes lead our friends to concrete steps towards health, such as seeking out mental health or addictions treatment, making a safety plan, or steps towards spiritual freedom. A man who often has thoughts of suicide once gave me his knife and asked me to destroy it so that he would no longer fantasize about using it on himself. Later that day I sent him pictures of the broken blade as a visible sign that he is breaking his agreement with death.

But even when there isn’t healing or relief, we can believe for our friends that, in Jesus, God comes into their deepest darkness. I once heard a man in addiction recovery talk about the difference it had made when a ministry worker was present with him in the middle of his addiction: “He had faith that God was for me before I did … until I could believe it for myself.”

Andrew and his wife Amie have been living, serving, learning and building relationships in Winnipeg’s North End for over 20 years. Andrew is ICYA’s director of leadership development.

Teaching women’s value and health in a male-dominated culture

By an EMC worker Middle East

IN THE AREA where we serve, the culture is male-dominated, and women believe they have no value. Without marriage they are nothing; whether never married or widowed. Without a husband, they have no value and are a burden to their relatives. Even just being born a girl, they become a burden to their family. They think that they’d be loved more if they were a boy.

But in Genesis 1:27, we learn that God also created women in his image, not just men. Women don’t have any less value or purpose in life than men.

Many here believe that a woman is “unclean” and sick when her monthly

cycle comes. She is taught that she is not allowed to cook or enter the kitchen on these days, she is not allowed to offer prayers, read or even touch religious scripts, or enter the places of worship, because she is unclean. Many women don’t even know why they bleed every month. It is not talked about openly and they can’t ask questions to those around them out of fear and shame. We teach women why we bleed every month—it is not a sickness, but is part of the way we are created by God, and he doesn’t make mistakes. One day when they become pregnant, there will be a “safe nest” for their baby to grow and develop inside of them. God created even that part of a woman in a

In Genesis 1:27, we learn that God also created women in his image, not just men. Women don’t have any less value or purpose in life than men.

special way and with a unique purpose.

During our health teachings, we share the story of the woman who bled for 12 years (Matthew 9:20–22; Mark 5:25–34; Luke 8: 43–48). This story shows these women a picture of our God. Even though these women haven’t bled continuously for 12 years, this is a context they understand and can relate to. They see a woman who is “unclean” come into the presence of Jesus and even touch Jesus. Jesus searches for her until he finds her. He looks at her, he refers to her lovingly as “daughter” and blesses her. He doesn’t scold her; he is not made unclean by her touching him. He shows compassion and love for her. She is healed and blessed because of her faith.

Our hope and prayer is that every single woman who comes would learn and see our God, who loves them and calls them to himself. We pray they will see that—just like with the bleeding woman—he loves and has compassion on them. They can come to him any time, and through coming to Jesus they are made clean, not only of the “physical uncleanness,” but also from their sins and the shame that they carry. We want them to see that God created them beautiful and not of any less worth than men. And we pray they can find life—eternal life—through him.

Heather (not her real name) serves as part of a small medical team in South Asia. Her current focus is on home visits and women’s health teaching in her city and surrounding villages.

Pre-dedication at the core

Pansy Chapel

Pansy, Manitoba

THIS YEAR HAS held so many beautiful and heart-warming blessings to praise God for. The parent/child dedications. The multiple baptisms. The member acceptances. The involvement and leadership in a huge communitywide children’s VBS program. Seeing progress in the expansion-build, where the west-end new office space and new washrooms are already utilized and appreciated.

One thing that stood out in July was the monthly prayer, worship and communion night. As usual it was a highlight for those attending, but this time there was a unique twist. In the middle of the evening everyone was invited to go to and remain in the new just-barely-started east-end build-on and pre-dedicate it all to God.

Based on Deuteronomy 6:4–9, we were instructed to write thoughts,

prayers or Bible verses onto the bare studs or unfinished walls. After receiving ample time to finish this, the whole bunch of us, of all ages, gathered in the dusty, by now dusky new space and participated in our standing only, first ever communion in it. These were heart-stirring moments; may they merely be a beginning of many more good things to come.

– Betty Barkman

Based on Deuteronomy 6:4–9, we were instructed to write thoughts, prayers or Bible verses onto the bare studs or unfinished walls.

Two examples of the “writings in the wall” of Pansy’s new expansion.

Playing for fun and connection With Our Churches

Stony Brook Fellowship Steinbach, Manitoba

SBF’S SEASON OF Sunday school ended with an outdoor service, followed by lunch outdoors. After lunch, attendees made some teams and played interactive games with people of all ages. It was a beautiful day!

We’ve had quite a few new people join our congregation and it’s been wonderful getting to know them. Church camp is a great place for us to have conversations that often feel rushed on a Sunday morning. Church softball has started up again and we play to have fun, as winning hasn’t been occurring just yet. Our spectators are the best cheerleaders. We are so grateful for our body of believers with whom we can share life!

Our young adults group really love hanging out together. They are led by Dean and Jo Poirier biweekly. Throughout the year they have many Bible studies and fun events. One of their event highlights is a LEGO building

Young adults participate in a LEGO building contest.

contest where they are given LEGO sets to assemble in the least amount of time possible. There is always a healthy competition and prizes to be won.

We are praising God and thankful for all he has done this past year and how he will continue to work in and through us!

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. … Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind, for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things” (Psalm 107:1, 8–9).

– Lisa Bergen

Stony Brook Fellowship congregants stand for a photo during the outdoor service held June 2, 2024.

Relying on his power!

La Crete Christian Fellowship Church La Crete, Alberta

WE WERE IN the dark, quite literally. Due to an accident and damage to a transformer on the Saturday evening before our planned deacon commissioning service, we experienced a widespread power outage in our area. By Sunday morning, the electricity had still not been restored and there was no cell or wi-fi service, so communication was almost non-existent.

Deacon couples commissioned September 1: Benj and Matilda Friesen, Frieda and George Boehlig, Judy and Peter Derksen, Judy and Henry Harms, and Emily and Justin Harder.

However, God had a plan that would not be derailed, and La Crete Christian Fellowship had the joyful honour of commissioning five new deacon couples during our service on Sunday, September 1, 2024.

People came together to set up chairs outside in our parking lot in front of the church, a generator was set up to run our sound equipment and the coffee maker. Nearly 300 people gathered to sing and praise the Lord together, under a beautiful blue sky. We had EMC Western Ambassador Peter Doerksen here to bring us an inspiring message about serving in community. What a wonderful example of serving others we had already witnessed in preparation for this impromptu outdoor service. It was a such a blessing and time of celebration for our church.

Please join us in welcoming and praying for our new deacon couples: Benj and Matilda Friesen, George and Frieda Boehlig, Peter and Judy Derksen, Henry and Judy Harms, and Justin and Emily Harder.

– Eva Friesen

A power outage required a quick shift to an outdoor service.

Timbits and the sea With Our Churches

Abbeydale Christian Fellowship Calgary, Alberta

JUNE 23, 2024, Multicultural Sunday, was celebrated at Abbeydale Christian Fellowship by recognizing the diversity of believers in our church family in a number of ways. About 20 languages were represented either in Scripture reading or song. The children were introduced to this special day through our “blue box” containing a carton of Timbits.

The point being: one doughnut maker created a variety of doughnuts; our Maker created a multitude of ethnicities, cultures, languages and people groups, each single person different from the rest.

The Timbits were an appropriate appetizer for the post-worship service picnic in the park and baptism at the river. Six individuals shared their testimonies and joined our fellowship during the morning worship service, three by membership transfer and three by baptism in the frigid waters of the Bow River. (Their individual testimonies can be heard on ACF’s June 23 streamed service via YouTubeYouTube).

Brenda Smit and Raymond and Viola Fehr joined our church family through membership transfers.

Emma Cure is baptized on June 23, 2024, by pastors Davies Mpinga and Chris Hughes.

Solveig Peters, Emma Cure and Alex Fehr braved the Bow River’s icy mountain water to make a public declaration of their commitment to serve Christ and his church.

Each of the new members had already dipped their toes in the waters of volunteerism alongside Abbeydale’s family of believers in one ministry or another.

A few weeks later, all hands were on deck as Ship ACF’s crew of over 30 prepared to dive into VBS Scuba week. Head to the wind, they assisted the captains in transforming the entire church

into a sea where living water was made available to all 66 attendees. They set sail on July 15 and stayed the course till journey’s end on July 19. Once underway, the week went swimmingly; effective advertising methods resulted in an attendance of more than three times Abbeydale’s average children’s church attendance. The prayer is that in the wake of the voyage, each child will be encouraged to dive deeper into friendship with God as their anchor as they navigate the stormy seas of life.

– Ivy Plett

Abbeydale’s sanctuary is transformed for VBS held July 15–19, 2024, which was built on the theme Scuba: diving into friendship with God.

Steinbach Bible College moving to new campus in 2026

STEINBACH BIBLE COLLEGE (SBC) and Steinbach Christian School (SCS) are announcing today that SCS has acquired the SBC campus, and SBC will be moving into a new campus in 2026.

SBC and SCS have been operating together out of one building for 75 years, educating students in the way of Christ. The schools both have a mission to pursue Truth and prepare men and women for lives of service, but each have a unique focus: grade school and college. Over the years the schools have become separate organizations, each serving their focus group.

In 2019, the schools subdivided the property, with Steinbach Christian School agreeing to purchase the classroom buildings. When growth allowed for it, the schools would move into separate buildings.

That time has now come!

“We are excited about beginning a new chapter on a fresh campus to continue our mission as a Bible College,” SBC President Dave Reimer said, “Steinbach Bible College has been training servant leaders to follow Jesus, serve the Church, and engage the world, with our alumni serving in churches, ministries, and businesses around the world. The message of Scripture is a foundation for the life of individuals and communities, a much-needed foundation in our quickly changing times.”

“I’ve worked in Hanover School Division and around the world at a variety of international schools, and I am honoured to serve this community by preparing their children to

be competent and courageous,” SCS Principal Thor Barkman said. “SCS presents an opportunity for students to integrate faith into the menu of academics, athletics, and performing arts that are familiar to schools. Our goal is to increase the margins of opportunity for students to develop a worldview predicated by the pursuit of truth. Our Christian faith is our unifying principle.”

SCS’ student body has grown to 436 K–12 students and purchasing the SBC parcel provides opportunity for expansion.

SBC will be moving into a new renovated campus at the former Steinbach Family Medical building on 333 Loewen Boulevard in the heart of Steinbach. Renovations have already begun, with the aim being that SBC will move its operations to the new campus in 2026.

“We are excited about the mission and the growth of SCS at this moment in time,” Reimer expressed. “It has been our privilege to share a campus with them over the years. We wish them God’s blessing and success as they grow in their influence in Christian education in the community.”

“SBC and SCS have been strengthened by each other over the years. We are grateful to have grown alongside them and will continue to maintain relationship,” Barkman added. “Organizational independence is important for us now in order to grow our capacity to serve the community.”

SBC and SCS believe these changes are exciting new opportunities, a blessing to the Steinbach community directly, and to the broader Christian community around the world.

– SBC/SCS

SBC President Dave Reimer holds the keys for the former Steinbach Family Medical building.

MCC executive directors respond to concerns of former workers

By Rick Cober Bauman and Anne Graber Hershberger

AS THE EXECUTIVE directors of Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) Canada and MCC U.S., we want you to know that we are listening to the concerns recently raised by alumni, staff and others, and are holding them with humility and compassion. We are practicing prayerful discernment that will allow us to work with wisdom and grace toward resolution and healing.

MCC is an organization made up of people of faith, committed to sharing God’s love and compassion with all in the name of Christ. We seek to build an internal culture that reflects our faith and mission. We want to learn where MCC can, and must, make some important changes.

As we have read and reviewed the materials online, we know MCC can do better in our ongoing work. In the past decades, we have grown more complex in our efforts to meet urgent needs and work for peace and justice, all in an ever-changing world reeling under the weight of war, conflict and heart-wrenching disaster.

We acknowledge that our processes and systems have not always kept pace with our own growth and the increasing complexities of service across 40 countries. Even before the online petition and open letter were posted, MCC had identified three areas that need attention:

MCC will continue to expand our Human Resources (HR) capacity as part

“When employee transitions occur, MCC does not, as a matter of practice, use non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) or non-disparagement clauses.”

of what it means to be a faith-based organization living out our values and ensuring we meet legal requirements and best practices. We recognize the growing needs of the organization, especially internationally. We are committed to moving more fully toward racial equity and inclusion; we are building processes to ensure that every MCC worker is treated equitably and fairly. We are strengthening our reporting and safeguarding requirements; increasing training around anti-bias and safety; and improving worker care.

MCC will continue to explore ways to integrate additional restorative justice principles into our HR processes, including terminations.

MCC will conduct a deeper review of our policies around conflict, harassment, grievance and abuse of power.

We want to ensure that our services and responses around reporting, such as how we conduct case management, are stream-lined and easier to engage. This includes a review of the Speak Up Service, which was launched in spring 2023.

People have asked why we haven’t replied to concerns on social media. Please do not interpret our online silence to mean we do not care or want to engage. When it comes to social media, there are legal limits to what an employer can say, particularly when there is active litigation. No matter how strong the calls, we do not believe it is right or appropriate for MCC to engage in public discussions related to confidential personnel matters.

Yes, there is work to be done. We also believe there is a difference between workplace abuse and

PHOTOS

Rick Cober

Bauman and Anne Graber Hershberger

organizational conflict. Individuals citing organizational abuse may not have all the facts and can easily make assumptions without all the evidence. Conflict, by nature, is multifaceted and includes more than one perspective.

We do want you to know that, when employee transitions occur, MCC does not, as a matter of practice, use nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) or non-disparagement clauses. In almost all cases, these types of agreements are unnecessary. In the rare occasion when there is potential for a lawsuit, our legal counsel provides us with templated agreements in which both sides agree to not pursue further litigation or disparage the other side.

MCC does engage mediators or legal counsel to reach a settlement when disagreements cannot be resolved through shared problem-solving.

When MCC staff who serve outside their home countries complete their terms, or if they separate early from MCC, it’s common practice for MCC to provide a financial amount to help them transition back to their home country. This is a monetary amount offered with care, compassion and generosity. We want to help them reestablish themselves in new settings.

Having placed thousands of people of all ages in often difficult and complex situations, MCC has a good overall track record for success. MCC’s annual turnover rate is 14 percent, which is below the U.S. nonprofit national average of 19 percent (based upon 2022 data).

MCC cares about its workforce. We invest deeply in preparing workers as they enter a new context. We engage in vigorous and ongoing support throughout a worker’s service term.

Risk and uncertainty are inherent to MCC’s work. In the challenging and changing locations in which we serve, nothing any organization or individual can do will guarantee that an assignment, context or country is or will remain the right fit for a particular person or family. In some cases, there will be situations in which staff disagree with decisions made by supervisors or leaders—especially when staff are working in contexts of volatility or crisis. Our goal is to work through disagreements in a fashion that respects all individuals involved.

Yes, there is work to be done. As an organization, MCC is composed of imperfect people trying to do difficult and compassionate work. We must

listen. We must learn. We must do better. We will continue to seek healing and resolution with those who have experienced situations where MCC has not lived up to our values and mission.

At the same time, our commitment to the mission of sharing God’s love and compassion for all in the name of Christ will not waver. Thank you for your continued prayers and ongoing support as we walk this journey together.

Ann Graber Hershberger is executive director for MCC U.S., and Rick Cober Bauman is executive director for MCC Canada. For more, see mcc.org/ our-stories/journey-service-mennonitecentral-committee

Prayer needed for conflict in Burkina Faso

JOIN US IN prayer for Burkina Faso.

Siaka Traoré, a leader in the Evangelical Mennonite Church of Burkina Faso and Regional Representative for Mennonite World Conference, is asking for prayers as the country continues to face terrorist attacks. He shares the following:

Burkina Faso has gone through a dark period in the second half of August. On

Siaka Traoré

August 24, 2024, while the people of the village of Barsalogho, some 150 km from the capital Ouagadougou, were working together, they were attacked by terrorist assailants. Over 100 civilians and soldiers were killed. Around 150 were wounded.

The following day, Sunday, August 25, while the country was mourning its dead, another attack took place in a village called Kounla in the north-west of the country. This massacre took place in a church. After ordering the women and children out of the church, the terrorists executed 26 men. The pastor of this church, who had studied with one of our pastors at the Maranatha Institute in Bobo-Dioulasso, was killed.

These cruel acts have a profoundly traumatic effect on women, children and many others. Let us pray for healing.

– AIMM/MWC

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

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.

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

Associate Pastor: Steinbach (Man.)

Evangelical Mennonite Church

Steinbach Evangelical Mennonite Church is seeking a full-time associate pastor with a love for Christ and a desire to care for his body. Located in Steinbach, Man., a small city with an ethnically diverse population, SEMC is a community of Christ-followers with an average Sunday morning attendance of 275 and a wider congregation of 460 that calls SEMC their home church. It is a member church of the Evangelical Mennonite Conference.

As part of SEMC’s vision to gather, grow and go, the associate pastor will provide leadership to existing congregational care ministries as well as equip and assist lay leaders to develop and implement ministries that will positively impact the congregation and broader community to follow Jesus. Other responsibilities include counselling, visitation and some preaching. For more details see the full job description at https://semconline.com/news-highlights/

Applications will be accepted until a suitable candidate is found.

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.

Lead

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.

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.

Other Positions

Executive Director: MCC Canada

The MCC Canada board is searching for a new executive director (ED). This position is responsible to the MCC Canada board through the board chair for the overall leadership of the relief, development and peacebuilding work of the service agency of the Mennonite and Be In Christ churches in Canada. The ED works collaboratively with the MCC U.S. executive director to provide leadership for the shared MCC International Program and is the face and voice of MCC Canada, speaking on behalf of MCC Canada and building understanding and support for the mission of MCC among its increasingly diverse constituency. The ED encourages

Pastor: St. Vital EMC (Winnipeg, Man.)

and engages provincial MCC executive directors and MCC Canada senior leadership team in their efforts to accomplish MCC’s mission and uses strong interpersonal skills to help resolve differences within the organization.

Interested candidates should apply at: https://mcc.org/careers.

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

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

ASSOCIATE PASTOR OF ADMINISTRATION

ANDREW KAMPEN and his wife Tess Blumenort Community Church

ASSOCIATE PASTOR

TREVOR FLEMMING and his wife Jamie Evangelical Felllowship Church (Steinbach)

PASTOR JORDAN

SZEPONSKI and his wife Victoria Prairie Grove Fellowship Church

PASTOR QUENTIN

UNGER and his wife

Christina Taber Evangelical Church

His light to my path • By

Karla Hein

Half-finished projects

I WAS THINKING about Adam and Eve while I pushed my wheelbarrow full of dirt and weeds to my discard pile. What was tending the garden like for them? A majority of my gardening endeavours centre around pulling out ginormous, stubborn weeds that always mysteriously prosper where the planted seeds will not. I imagine the curse “by the sweat of your brow” would’ve been a jarring reality after the perfection of very good.

As I push the wheelbarrow past my flowerbed, I notice again the quackgrass that boldly sways in the wind taller than the struggling flowers and higher than my seven-year-old. “Ornamental grass” is how I refer to it in my generous moments.

I’m reminded of a quiet Sunday evening not long ago when I sank down into my chair and felt the force of my frustration hit. That day was a special occasion where people sentimentalize on social media about their good lives and express their admiration for each other. But all I could see was my garden seedlings sitting on my window sill. They were partially thriving. Tall and green with their outstretched arms toward the great outdoors. “Let us out into the garden,” was their desperate, brainless plea. They were half-grown.

Like my half-clean house, my halfraised children, and my half-weeded flowerbed. My half-finished laundry. Half-finished french vanilla drink.

Tears sprang to my eyes as the list of my unaccomplished chaos lengthened. Yet surprisingly I didn’t feel defeated. What kept me from despair

every morning (Lamentations 3:22–23).

As I struggle along with my wheelbarrow, I’m struck by my act of defiance. Yes, the serpent deceived, and humans fell. The curse still weighs down the beauty of the earth, and yet my halffinished flowerbed is a declaration that “no more let sin and sorrows grow, nor

Tears sprang to my eyes as the list of my unaccomplished chaos lengthened. Yet surprisingly, I didn’t feel defeated. What kept me from despair over my glaring inadequacies of being a well-managed, organized, conquering individual?

over my glaring inadequacies of being a well-managed, organized, conquering individual? The promises of God. That one day the work he started in me will be complete (Philippians 1:6). One day soon (in the context of history) I will fade away like the grass withers, and I will be in the never-ending home of my Saviour.

The tasks today are undone. I did not love my Lord or my family with as pure of heart and motives as I wished, yet the mercies of the Lord are new

Karla Hein (Westpointe, Grande Prairie) is the wife of one and mother of two.

thorns infest the ground” because our Redeemer has come and he is making all things new!

“I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name,” Jesus says to the church at Philadelphia in Revelation 3:8. “I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown” (3:11).

Sure, it’s just a garden full of weeds, but it reveals a lesson that trains my soul to take up the full armour of God, to withstand the darts of the evil one— because even though my strength is small, his strength is made perfect. And in these little things, I’m shaped by the Master to be fit for his use.

Further in and higher up • By

Layton Friesen

Can God fit in you?

A PRAYER FROM the African pastor Augustine in the 4th century has stirred my thought for some time: God, “you were closer to me than I am to myself.” If you place that prayer alongside Paul’s prayer that the Ephesians be “filled [with] … all the fulness of God” (Ephesians 3:19), you quickly find yourself in a bottomless sea of wonder and prayer.

Join me in this wonder for a minute: God is closer to me than I am to myself. If I go down inside myself, sinking to my deepest consciousness, descending into the dark quiet pool that seems to be my purest, untouchable inner being, I am still only knocking on the door, waiting to be allowed into my true self. I am still shut out of myself. This is why we cannot fully become the people God created us to be unless we are reconciled to the God who wants to be in us.

Christ as me. So, when God enters and unites with me, it’s not as if I am now made of two parts, like a salad with both lettuce and tomatoes—some parts me and some parts God. No, God and I are one.

All of this happens without God, for one second, being anyone else than the Holy One, whom no eye can see. Let us

or overwhelming me. I don’t become less like myself with God in me. I become more gloriously unique, free to be myself. I become a more real, thicker substance rather than wispy and superficial.

Isn’t our God glorious in his humility! To appear in you as you! The Lord who made the northern lights, who cut the Red Sea, and wrote the book of Revelation is fully present, burning within you as you. And the bush was not consumed.

The stunning reality conveyed by Augustine’s prayer is that this Triune God can abide in me in such a way that he becomes my deepest, most authentic, inner self.

How do I come closer? How do I finally touch the subterranean bedrock, the “I” from which comes all my instincts, assumptions, and unspoken, unnamable desires? To go through that door into who I truly am, in faith I must leave behind the “self” I can make and access on my own and enter into God within me.

In this place within me that I cannot reach on my own, abides the transcendent, holy, exalted and almighty One—the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Father lives in me through the Spirit of his Son, Jesus

never confuse ourselves with God! God is God and we are not. Further, it is not some fraction of God that is in me. Paul prays that we would have the fullness of God in us—the whole living, loving fierceness that is God himself—in us.

But the stunning reality conveyed by Augustine’s prayer is that this Triune God can abide in me in such a way that he becomes my deepest, most authentic, inner self, all without trampling

Now you know why you sometimes experience the urge to shout for happiness in the congregation! Now you know why you feel little flickers of home when we stand together and sing praises to the Lord. Now you know why evil makes you feel so yucky and empty. Now you know how you were able to crawl through that black pit of suffering last winter. Now you know why people find you so fascinating and mysterious! This God has filled you with his whole self and is closer to you than you are to yourself.

Layton Friesen is academic dean at Steinbach Bible College. He lives in Winnipeg, Man.

Inviting faith • Phil Callaway

My little thief

DO YOU REMEMBER the good old days? When we could walk to the corner store, pick up milk, chocolate bars, maybe a new bike? You can’t get away with that anymore. They have surveillance cameras now. Well, theft is no laughing matter.

One Sunday morning I sat beside an eight-year-old that I love more than my own life. “Honey,” I said, “is there something you did in the bookstore that you need to tell Grandpa?”

“No,” she said, looking thoroughly confused and innocent. The girl reminded me of me. It was a frightening thing.

“Ah, Sweetie, did you take something that wasn’t yours?”

More confusion and innocence.

“Did you steal some gum and candy?”

She looked down and shook her head less convincingly than before. I was thinking of consequences and the hardness of her

heart and wondering what it will be like visiting her in prison. My granddaughter. The kleptomaniac. The gum thief who couldn’t stop. Began with small stuff. And was soon stealing cars.

But she was cornered like a mouse now. “Yes,” she sobbed as tears raced down her face. “I took it, Grandpa.”

Is this remorse or the shame of being caught?

“Stealing is wrong,” I said. “How do we know?”

She looked up. “God says that.”

The tears were a torrent now, landing Splat! on the red dress she just put on to wear to church. So I told her of my own sins. “I was nine when I stole quarters from my brothers,” I began. “A quarter could buy enough candy to fill a bathtub. I stashed it under my bed.”

She was listening intently.

“You did?”

“Yes. My mother cleaned under my bed once a year. This was that once. I told her it was my friend’s candy.

RESO URCE COR NER

I Used to Have Answers, Now I Have

Kids by Phil Callaway

From the early daze of parenthood through the white knuckle teenage years, these humorous stories impart wisdom to parents and anyone hoping to leave behind a godly legacy in a changing world.

I was saving it for him.” Her eyes grew wider with each sentence. “My mom caught me stealing and lying all in one day. She made me pay back my brothers with some money I’d been saving.”

“Oh.”

“Do you want me taking things that are yours?”

“No.”

“Uh…are you sorry?”

“Yes.”

“Let’s talk to Jesus about it. He loves you very much, you know. And so do we.”

After she prayed, I said, “Tomorrow you can say sorry to the bookstore owner and pay him back.” She looked relieved then terrified.

Phil Callaway is the best-selling author of thirty books and the host of Laugh Again Radio. Visit him at philcallaway.com.

“Okay,” she said. The next day the store owner was more than gracious. My precious former thief couldn’t stop smiling for a week. And warning her brother about theft.

Four months passed. Today she FaceTimed me. “Grandpa,” she said, “I memorized Psalm 1 like you asked me to.” She didn’t skip a word as she repeated it to me.

I think it helped that I offered her $20 to memorize that psalm. It’s money well spent. God bless you, my darlin’ granddaughter. Now, you can go to the bookstore. Buy a good book and, if you memorize a few more chapters, enough gum and candy to fill the bathtub.

Article credit (c) 2024 by Phil Callaway. Used by permission of philcallaway.com