“The shape of worship” MB Herald Summer 2019

SUMMER 2019

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VOLUME 58 , NO. 3

The shape of worship N O R T H E R N L I G H T S A L I T T L E M O R E L I G H T COURAGEOU S CON V E RSAT I ON S M O V I N G I N N E W D I R E C T I O N S

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Mennonite Brethren Herald is published quarterly by the Canadian Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches, primarily for the use of its members, to build a Canadian MB community of faith. We seek to 1) share the life and story of the church by nurturing relationships among members and engaging in dialogue and reflection; 2) teach and equip for ministry by reflecting MB theology, values, and heritage, and by sharing the good news; 3) enable communication by serving conference ministries and informing our members about the church and the world. However, the opinions expressed here are not necessarily those of the church as a whole. Advertising and inserts should not be considered to carry editorial endorsement.

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The Mennonite Brethren Herald is a publication of

WORSHIP TAKES SHAPE

Angeline Schellenberg NORTHERN LIGHTS

Tony Schellenberg ARTICLE 17: CHRISTIANITY AND OTHER FAITHS/ LE CHRISTIANISME ET LES AUTRES RELIGIONS

Paul Doerksen

14 15 16 17 18 20

21 22 32

HOOKED ON LIFE

Angelika Dawson A REFRESHING IDEA

Brianna Janz MOVING IN NEW DIRECTIONS

Karla Braun

Departments

TREASURE HUNTING

James Toews A LITTLE MORE LIGHT

Henk Stenvers FOUR PS FOR TRANSTITION

2 3 4 24

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EDITORIAL READER RESPONSE HOMEPAGE FAMILY NEWS: TRANSITIONS, BIRTHS, WEDDINGS FINISH LINES

Elton DaSilva

Connect

WHO IS THE NMT?

FACEBOOK.COM/MBHERALD TWITTER.COM/MB_HERALD SOUNDCLOUD.COM/MBHERALD MBHERALD.COM

PROVINCIAL CONVENTION REPORTS CREATING COURAGEOUS CONVERSATIONS IN CONGREGATIONS

Carolyn Klassen

ON THE COVER Winner of Canadian Church Press and Evangelical Press Association awards for Writing, Design, and Illustration: 1996–2018.

Ascension service at FaithWorks, Winnipeg.

PHOTO by Tony Schellenberg

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Just worship here’s a lot of ugliness in the world. I’m sure each reader could make their own list of injustices and personal tragedies. Here are several that were current as we were preparing this issue.

The report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls was released June 3, 2019 – an indictment of Canadian society for acts of genocide. We have at best stood by as violence destroyed both men and women in Indigenous communities already ravaged by colonialism and cultural genocide; at worst, we were the actors who treated other human beings as disposable. The church must listen to the report’s 231 calls for justice. (Read more on pages 5, 10–11.)

Also in June, Mennonite churches in Manitoba collaborated on a #ChurchToo conference (following the example of Columbia Bible College in B.C. last year), to name, mourn, and work to prevent sexual abuse in churches. A culture of secrecy, hasty forgiveness, and victim blaming has made churches a safe place for abusers and a heartbreaking, re-traumatizing place for victims. Equally or more hurtful than the abuse itself is when the church has silenced or ignored victims. (Read more on page 20.)

Last fall, climate scientists warned that in 12 years, changes to climate patterns will be irreversible, causing ocean level rise, more droughts, more floods, and more extreme weather events. In the months since this announcement, we’ve paid closer attention to the increased incidence of weather disasters in North America and other parts of the world. There’s ugliness in the destruction of environment, livelihood, and lives – especially when those least able to cope and less responsible for the cause are the most affected.

Yet, here we’re talking about worship (pages 6–9).

Are we just burying our heads in the sand, ignoring the troubles of this world for the promise of the next?

Not necessarily.

Worship has the power to confront injustice.

The Old Testament prophets often condemned the rituals of Israelite worship – not because the rituals were inherently wrong, but because ignoring the needs of their neighbours while giving lip service to God fails to honour the Creator. The people were not in tune with the Love that powers the world. They were using the form of

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worship to perpetuate injustice instead of demonstrate humility and equality before the Maker.

As a church community, we gather for a purpose that transcends us. Worship is not about meeting our needs, but putting our lives in perspective and surrendering ourselves to something beyond us.

In the weeks following the 30th anniversary of Tiananmen Square (June 4), members of our Chinese MB family have been standing in solidarity with protestors in Hong Kong concerned about human rights violations stemming from a new extradition agreement with China. The chorus “Sing Alleluia to the Lord” has become the unofficial anthem of the nonviolent protestors in Hong Kong. This act of worship shifts the focus and introduces a spirit of peace in a volatile situation.

In worship, we can quiet our souls to receive perspective on our failures and successes and the grace to face the disjunction between our expectations and the reality we encounter.

Although worship calls us to be co-labourers with Jesus in transforming structures and seeking justice, it also reminds us that it’s not our burden to bear.

Worship is a refuge for justice crusaders: it is God who dismantles power, wounds, and hate with truth, healing, and love.

Worship calls us to resist injustice, and equips us to be present with the wounded, while reassuring us that no matter our success or failure, the ugliness doesn’t win.

Karla

K ARLA BRAUN

Managing Editor

Reader response – Summer 2019 MB Herald welcomes your letters of 150–200 words on issues relevant to the Mennonite Brethren church, especially in response to material published in the Herald. The reader response column is a free forum for discussion; letters represent the position of the respondent, not necessarily the position of the Herald or the Mennonite Brethren church.

Intergenerational relationships

As a student in Grade 12 at MBCI, I believe that gender and age representation is very important in the church.

When I was young, my family switched churches. My parents wanted us to develop relationships in the church setting that we would take home and outside of the church.

At our new church, there were many children and young families.

This created endless opportunities to engage in the church both directly and indirectly through girls and boys club, vacation Bible school, motherand-daughter crafting classes, and mission opportunities.

A church that has a plan to incorporate both direct and indirect relationships – meeting the members’ desires to meet people and support the church – is the best way, in my opinion to have a congregation that is passionate for a very long time. A congregation that will encourage members to remain in the church and also welcome to new members. We need to feel like we all own it, love it, have a say, and want to pass it down to our offspring.

Although it is easier not to change things up, the value of innovation and long-lasting relationships and friendships inspired by different people, both young and old, leads to better overall engagement and lasting congregations.

A LLI PAU L S WINNIPEG

Ethics in practice Re “Peace by Piece: a ministry of sewing” (online only)

I really enjoyed reading about the impact Mennonite Association for Peace and Development (MAPD) has on people, especially women.

After our Bible class at MBCI did a unit on ethics and morals, we were told to do research on some company’s ethical issues. I was horrified reading what some companies do: from child labour, to horrible working conditions – I couldn’t take reading about it anymore.

While reading about the work MAPD has been doing for women, my mind went back to the other articles, and it made me happy to see that there are groups trying to change.

Organizations like MAPD need more exposure, so that we can all help them with the good work they’ve been doing. We should also be supporting organizations like MCC who practise fair trade. Ethically sourced products should be sold in bigger stores so that we have more opportunity to support the workers.

This article inspired me. I hope that I can read more like it, and also help to strengthen organizations like MAPD. Giving opportunity for healing to those who need it most is so important. We have to become more selfless and be more willing to help the people around us.

VICTORIA DUESTER WINNIPEG

Appreciation

Many thanks for the MB Herald. I grew up reading it as a young girl with my parents. Today, I still savour it over a couple of evenings when it comes. Of course, I read it backwards, as many others do – obituaries first.

I get the emails and read it on Facebook – but it’s not the same as holding it up in my hands!

Thanks for all you do. Blessings to all the staff at the Herald.

2019 Annual General Meeting Notice of Motion to Rescind Date: October 23, 2019 Location: WMB Church, Waterloo, Ont. Motion to Rescind: At Gathering 2018, the BFL presented a motion “to make a typographical correction in the 1999 edition of the MB Confession of Faith Article 4 (Sin and Evil) and all related editions to remove the reference to Psalm 52:1–7 and replace it with Psalm 51:1–7.”

This was seconded and carried by the delegates.

Afterward, however, the BFL learned that those who wrote the 1999 Confession intended that Psalm 52:1–7 be included in the Article because this passage “names powers of evil that must be defeated by God, who breaks down those who trust lies, violence, and wealth.”

Therefore, and because no action has yet been taken on the 2018 decision, the BFL is proposing a motion to rescind the 2018 decision at the 2019 AGM.

RUTH ISA AC MORDEN, MAN.

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Canadian Mennonite University, Winnipeg • 78 undergraduates • 15 masters degrees

HOMEPAGE

Class of 2019

Columbia Bible College, Abbotsford, B.C. • 84 graduates from certificate, diploma, and bachelor of arts programs

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École de Théologie Évangélique du Québec, Montreal • 13 certificates in pastoral studies • 1 certificate in theology • 6 bachelors of theology • 4 masters in theology (*new degree) • 3 masters in theology – pastoral studies (*new degree)

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Steinbach Bible College, Steinbach, Man. • 30 associate of arts and bachelor of arts graduates • 14 certificate of biblical studies graduates • 5 Pursuit Experiential Leadership certificate graduates

MB Seminary recognized its 2019 graduates during a commencement ceremony at Central Heights Church, Abbotsford, B.C., April 13, 2019.

President Mark Wessner conferred six degrees during the ceremony carried out by the four seminaries that work in partnership at ACTS Seminaries, Langley, B.C. •

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Yeon Chul Baek, Master of Arts — Christian Worldview Studies (Korean), returned to his home in Korea and is continuing in his previous position as a police officer. He is eagerly serving the people around him with the Christian perspective and servant leadership skills that he learned during his studies.

Pierre Bissonnette, Master of Arts in Christian Studies, is currently serving in a street-level chaplaincy ministry to people struggling with addictions. Having come from this background himself, he is passionate about helping people overcome their addictions through the transformational work of Jesus Christ.

Jacqueline Boschman, Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy, is currently serving as a mental health therapist within two schools in Edmonton.

Spencer Epp, Master of Divinity (pictured to the right), is serving as middle school director at North Langley Community Church.

Suwit Raocharoenphorn, Master of Divinity (pictured above), is working in his home country of Thailand with Campus Crusade for Christ.

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Stephen Roukema, Master of Arts in Christian Studies, and his family have been living and serving at the Matthew Training Centre in Guadalajara with Multiply (MB Mission).

“[Seminary has] been a really challenging experience for me and I feel like I’ve grown a lot. Growth and change can be really challenging, but when you come through it, you’re glad that you had the opportunity,” says Boschman.

MB SEMINARY is the national seminary of the MB churches of Canada.

Sometimes you need someone else’s help to form a prayer.

Without words?

MB Herald is seeking lay liturgists to send a prayer to share with the MB family.

Visit mbherald.com to find a new prayer posted weekly.

Send us your short, written prayers – topical, Scripture-based, or seasonal.

Write mbherald@mbchurches.ca for more information.

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HOMEPAGE

Songs that shape us

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We asked worship pastors what music inspires them on their discipleship path.

#MBThrowback

See God through the body

A beautiful modern hymn that tells the story of the gospel with a simple melody.

“The physical part of you is not some piece of property belonging to the spiritual part of you.

God owns the whole works. So let people see God in and through your body” (1 Corinthians 6:19– 20, The Message).

“A Little Bit of Faith” Kings Kaleidoscope Zeal Songwriter: Chad Gardner

Every three years from 1971–95, MB youth from across Canada gathered in Banff, Alta., for worship, teaching, friendship, and outdoor winter fun.

Sometimes we can find assurance in the most elementary places. Chad Gardner of Kings Kaleidoscope helps us find it.

Do you know the names of the dancers in this photo from Banff ’92? Help CMBS identify them by emailing information to

ANDREW GEDDERT

pastor of worship, Northview Community Church, Abbotsford, B.C.

Tell us, what songs shape you? mbherald@mbchurches.ca

RESOURCING MINISTRY

“Come Behold the Wondrous Mystery” Michael Bleecker, The Village Church [Single] Songwriters: Matt Boswell, Matt Papa, Michael Bleecker

archives@mbchurches.ca.

This photo from the Centre for MB Studies (NP149-01-347) is available to the public in collaboration with MAID: the Mennonite Archival Image Database. Research or purchase images from Mennonite churches and organizations at archives.mhsc.ca.

To promote healing, reconciliation with Indigenous Canadians How do you repair a disaster 142 years in the making? For Mennonite Disaster Service Canada and Mennonite Central Committee, it will happen one desk, one table, and one bench at a time.

This summer, the two organizations will work together with Woodland Cultural Centre to help in the restoration of the former Mohawk Residential School in Brantford, Ont. “It’s not a typical MDS disaster response,” says Nick Hamm, Ontario Unit chair, MDS. “But Residential Schools were a disaster for Canada’s Indigenous people.” Along with the work, volunteers will participate in cultural and historical orientations, and meet survivors.

“They are hard stories to hear, but so important if we are to move forward together,” says Carley Gallant-Jenkins, outreach coordinator, Woodland.

Pictured (l–r): John Head, executive director, MCC Ontario; Hamm, Gallant-Jenkins. MCC Photo/

A joint release from MCC, MDS Canada, Woodland Cultural Centre (WCC)

Jesse Bergen

Read more: mbherald.com/reconciliation-Indigenous-Canadians

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Worship Takes Shape

learned young that church was for sitting still. Since then, I’ve relearned that worship can mean dancing, eating – even bubble-blowing.

“Liturgy is the shape worship takes when people gather,” says Christine Longhurst, worship professor at Canadian Mennonite University, “and every church has one.”

Mennonite Brethren liturgy was shaped primarily by 20th-century revivalism and charismatic worship movements; the first focused on the sermon, the second on music.

Both have the potential pitfall of leaving the primary work of worship in the hands of a few on a stage. “Mennonite Brethren value community, but I worry that we are losing sight of the role of the community in worship,” says Longhurst.

The church has both a rich heritage and a Spirit who continually makes things new. Here are some ways that MB churches are simultaneously drawing from tradition and forging fresh paths to engage the whole community – body and soul – in worship.

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In him we live and move (Acts 17:28)

“We’re all different; God created us this way for a purpose. This is our expression,” says Rafiqua Masih of Behta Darya. Photo by Tabish Gill

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“It’s natural for us to be moving during worship,” says pastor Rafiqua Masih of Behta Darya, Toronto. “Dance is part of who Punjabi and Pakistani people are.”

Masih has enjoyed watching children who shied away from their culture grow up to own their identity as Punjabi believers

My eyes have seen your salvation (Luke 2:30)

Between All Saints Sunday and Advent, Highland displays pictures of faithful Jesus followers – from Francis of Assisi to victims advocate Wilma Doerksen – “as a way of showing, not just telling, that we are part of a much larger story and community of faith,” says Janzen.

“The images invite us to join the company of God’s people who have pursued peace at great cost, endured suffering for Christ’s sake, and joyfully blessed the world in the power of the Spirit,” says Janzen. “In short, to inspire Highlanders to look for ways in which the Kingdom might come on earth as it is in heaven.”

When many churches use modern praise music and technology such as PowerPoint, The Gathering at Broadway, Saskatoon, is reaching a younger generation drawn to silence, contemplation, and premodern signs and symbols. “Ancient liturgy connects well with those who need rootedness,” says executive pastor Dale Dirksen.

Though they meet in various rental venues, The Gathering is intentional about what their space communicates, down to their seating arrangement – facing one another, with leaders to the side.

“It says we’re all participants, and we’re on a journey from different places toward the centre, Jesus,” says pastor Brian Wiens.

At the centre of the circle are signs: a cross, communion table, basin, candle. They are explained every week, but not always the same way. One meaning for the candle is that “it is warm, but also dangerous,” says Dirksen, “the way God is both welcoming and transcendent.”

“The Enlightenment took Scripture and made it cognitive,” says Wiens. “But the symbols of the church can speak to us about what we believe in ways words can’t.”

BUILDING COMMUNITY

through the bhangra dance and dholkee and dhol music they experience at church.

Through movement, Artisan Church, Vancouver, “deconstructs the sense that church is somewhere I go to be entertained,” says pastor of spiritual formation Nelson Boschman.

During Advent, Artisan gives children each an electric tealight to place on the centre table, reminding the gathering that our light comes from Christ. And on Christmas Eve, they put strips of cloth on everybody’s chair and invite them to lay the cloth in the manger as a way of saying, “I’m available to incarnate Jesus’ life in mine.”

“The Christian calendar (Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, Ascension, Pentecost) was simply the way in which early believers tried to live out the gospel story in real time,” says Longhurst.

Heritage Mountain Community Church, Port Moody, B.C., portrays the seasons of the Christian year as refreshing beaches they return to year after year, an image they also take literally – they walk around White Pine Beach every Good Friday, enacting Jesus’ journey to the cross.

Baptisms at Highland Community Church, Abbotsford, B.C., begin with a congregation-wide procession. “Everyone brings a container that represents themselves,” says pastor J Janzen: “a mug for the coffee lover, bowl for the baker, oil can for the mechanic, water bottle for the marathoner, teapot for the preschooler – filled with water. Everyone walks past the baptismal tank and pours their water as a sign that each individual is baptized into the community.”

Things from of old we have heard (Psalm 78:2–3)

“A critique of reading ancient prayers is that you can go on autopilot and your heart isn’t engaged,” says Boschman. “But if we infuse liturgy with a sense of expectancy, knowing the Spirit is still here and has guided us in shaping these verbal responses, liturgy can help to involve the whole person.”

“Those of us who believe we pray spontaneously may be surprised how repetitive our prayers are,” says Longhurst.

Thoughtfully crafted prayers “are not meant to replace spontaneous prayer but enrich it.” Like poems, their beauty can bypass cognitive defences, as Richard Rohr writes, to create “the heart leap, the gasp of breath, inspiring you to go further and deeper.”

“People often tell me they long to see and hear God at work in their midst,” says Longhurst. They may sense God’s presence in traditions such as “the words of assurance following a time of confession, in God’s words of blessing at the close of worship, or in times of silent prayer and reflection.”

“Heaps of silence,” especially during Prayers of the People, is one of the ways Vancouver’s Killarney Park MB Church worships, “alongside music and Scripture reading in our mother tongues (English, Mandarin, Korean, French, Spanish, Japanese, Swahili, and Kirundi),” says pastor David Chow.

Another valuable ancient practice is following the lectionary, which designates a Psalm, Old Testament, Gospel, and Epistle passage for each Sunday. This both “forces us to encounter a broader cross-section of Scripture readings,” says Longhurst, “and encourages congregations to read multiple passages in each service.”

The Gathering uses the Psalm and Gospel readings most Sundays and includes all four passages throughout Advent and Lent. To the old words, they add something new: during the teaching time every Sunday, they “ask a question and hand the mic around,” says Dirksen.

“If I am having a hard time believing some aspect of this story, then, being in the community, someone else can carry me

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Bhangra dancers at Behta Darya, an MB church in Toronto. Photo by Tabish Gill

along,” says Boschman. “When we read aloud together, I’m sustained by the fact that I’m joining with these people in this Spirit. Liturgy at its best serves that purpose.”

Come to the banquet (Matthew 22:4)

“You can smell the food in the background,” says Masih about Behta Darya, where a Punjabi meal of samosas or tandoori chicken follows every worship service. “This is another form of worship: coming together for a meal, honouring God, enjoying the same cultural experience.”

At their home prayer meetings, “everyone sits on the floor, talking and drinking tea, with the kids running around us, until 2 am: just the way they’d do it in their home country of India or Pakistan.”

“We eat together a lot!” says Chow. Killarney Park enjoys a mix of Korean and Chinese dishes at their holiday celebrations, such as Lunar New Year, when they connect the Chinese animal signs to the Creation story. (In the Year of the Rooster, they celebrated the God “who rules the roost.”)

More MB churches are celebrating the Lord’s Table weekly, such as Heritage Mountain does from Advent to Easter. “When we take communion, people volunteer to serve on the spot,” says pastor Paul Truman, “as a sign of how we participate in church life with each other, serving and being served.”

Reach out your hand and believe (John 20:27)

“It was a way of experiencing something we only ever talk about.”

At Crossroads MB Church’s Ash Wednesday service, in addition to placing ashes on worshippers’ foreheads, “we poured different colours of sand to represent each deadly sin,” says youth pastor Stefan Klassen, Winnipeg. Worshippers were invited to “wash” their hands in the bowl of sand, to feel “sin” fall from their fingers.

“Touch is powerful,” says Klassen. “And there’s a craving for closeness that the church can meet.”

At Behta Darya, those who come forward to request prayer for healing or respond to an altar call are anointed with oil. Highland anoints worshippers with oil as well, “to show they are commissioned as regents of the King,” and after each Sunday’s time of silence and confession, Highlanders grasp one another’s hand while offering a blessing, such as you are forgiven, be at peace.

Highland dedicates the five weeks after baptism to themes of the baptized life: stewardship, gifts, disciplines, peacemaking, and proclamation. And on the final Sunday, those who participated in baptism classes (whether or not they chose baptism) receive a wooden bowl “as a sign that they are sent as servants in the world,” says Janzen. Then these graduates lead in a footwashing service, a practice the

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Taste and see (Psalm 34:8)

When worship is more than what we think or sing, when it touches our whole body – the way we taste, touch, speak, move, and see – people of all ages, learning styles, and disabilities are invited to respond.

“If Mennonite communities are going to practice an Anabaptist discipleship where faith produces a flesh-and-blood life,” writes Michelle Ferguson in the MB journal, Direction, “there will have to be a reunion of body and spirit.”

Jesus is the Word…made flesh. Experiencing his birth, ministry, death, resurrection, ascension, and gift of the Spirit “through our whole being reminds us what story we’re part of and embodies it in us,” says Boschman.

“There’s a sense in which we need to participate to connect,” says Boschman, quoting Erin S. Lane: “We are agents in our own belonging.”

—ANGELINE SCHELLENBERG

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Confession of Faith calls “a meaningful reminder of humility, loving service, and personal cleansing.”

To touch another’s feet in this way, said L’Arche founder Jean Vanier, is “to recognize that their body is precious.”

References: Michelle Ferguson, “Anabaptist Liturgy: An Oxymoron?”

Direction Journal (Spring 2007 Vol. 36 No. 1) 5–19.

Erin S. Lane, Lessons in Belonging from a Church-going Commitment Phobe

(Westmont, Ill: IVP Books, 2015).

Richard Rohr, “Poetry, Tuesday, May 22, 2018,” Centre for Action and Contemplation, cac.org .

Jean Vanier, “Jean Vanier on the meaning of washing feet,” zenit.org

Children blew bubbles at the Ascension service at FaithWorks, Winnipeg.

Photo by Tony Schellenberg

Questions for reflection: To what extent is our worship engaging the people who come?

Have we come to see worship as a program, prepared by a few for the benefit of others?

Have we become to reliant on certain aspects of worship to the exclusion of others?

Are we consciously making room for the Holy Spirit to move among us?

Christine Longhurst, creator of Re-Worship.blogspot.com

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NORTHERN LIGHTS Believers in northern communities, where the only way in is seasonal ice road, twice-weekly train, or private plane, often feel isolated from the rest of the church.

Indigenous ambassador Paul Winter (far left) and his co-pastor at Living Word Temple, Winnipeg, Katherine Thomas (right image) are regularly invited to communities in Northern Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Ontario to encourage and pray with the believers there.

Apr. 8–12, 2019, I joined them and a group from Kitchener, Ontario, on their visit to the Matias Colomb First Nation community of Pukatawagan, Man., to lead a worship service and support the church however we could.

It was amazing how God orchestrated things. The plan was to fly from The Pas, Man., to Pukatawagan, but due to weather, our whole team took the train, along with several Pukatawagan families travelling home. We learned the train was also transporting three deceased residents home to be buried.

Our team pulled out a guitar and started singing worship songs.

Children gathered around.

Some of the women from Ontario and I took pictures of the children and let them use our cameras to photograph us.

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At the burial the following day, an eagle circled overhead – a sign of the Creator’s presence.

God timed the trip. Most of the local church leaders were away for a conference all week. The congregation was grateful we were there to help with setup, music, and moral support at the three funerals.

DEVELOPING LEADERS

When we arrived, we joined the funeral procession through town.

One of the funerals was for the father of children who were with us on the train. Because of the trust and friendship built as we travelled together, they welcomed us to sit with them in their grief.

Paul always brings boxes of food as a thank-you gift to the community for hosting him. On our last night, we had lots left over, so we drove through town inviting people to the church to share a meal.

Between the unexpected blessing of a cancelled flight, the timing of our trip when the church needed us, the eagle circling the graveside service, and an awe-inspiring display of northern lights, by the end of the week, we got used to saying, “God, now you’re just showing off!”

TONY SCHELLENBERG

Our denomination is encouraging MB churches to engage with our Indigenous brothers and sisters. Learn more at mennonitebrethren.ca/ministry-resources/stories-of-friendship and mbherald.com/mb-indigenous-reading-list

is a photographer (anthonymarkphotography.net) who serves the Canadian Conference of MB Churches as IT support. He attends Crossroads MB Church, Winnipeg, with his wife Angeline and their teenaged son and daughter.

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ARTICLE

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CHRISTIANITY AND OTHER FAITHS What does Mennonite Brethren theology have in common with that of other Christian denominations? And what are the distinctive emphases of Mennonite Brethren theology? Informed by Scripture, our Confession of Faith names the perspectives through which we read God’s Word in order to live as Christ’s followers. This series by the National Faith and Life Team explores the 18 articles of this formative document.

reflection on Christianity and Other Faiths in the Mennonite Brethren Confession of Faith rightly begins with an emphasis on the God whom Christians worship.

Such an emphasis highlights who God is and what God has done in and for this created world.

A

CALLED TO BEAR WITNESS

God’s provision of sovereign grace in Jesus Christ, the divine work of reconciliation, the gift of witness given to all the world, the offering of the kind of love and judgment that are expressions of God’s “being,” along with an eternal commitment to communicating all of these perfections (and more, of course) – it is this to which Christians are called to bear witness to a waiting world.

This call might also be understood as an invitation to participate in the work of the triune God who is already at work in the world, breaking down the walls of hostility (Ephesians 2), healing broken relationships, and bearing witness to what Jesus Christ has accomplished by his incarnation, life, teachings, death, resurrection, ascension, and his eternal presence in his body, the church.

Everything Jesus has done for the world in the power of the Holy Spirit is available to all, asserts Article 17, and therefore the Christian is called to make known this good news, trusting that God will continue to communicate that news “in ways that are beyond human comprehension.” It is important to acknowledge that latter kind of communication is for Christians too: we need those messages from God as much as, or more than, anyone else.

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A MARGINALIZED FAITH

The society in which we participate in God’s work today does not readily find the Christian message plausible.

In past times, Western society functioned as a Christian society, by which I do not mean that everyone believed the gospel; rather, as Robert Jenson puts it, “the gospel was what one believed if he or she believed anything at all.”

However, living in a pluralistic society as a marginalized faith is nothing new for Christians – at least the first couple hundred years of our existence was like that. The implications for us then are that we ought to work hard to resist postures of triumphalism, superiority, distorted exclusiveness, or the flattening of all faiths into one amorphous category that leaves them all as generic versions of all the others.

Rather, our faith in God, our dependence on the work of Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit, motivates us in a multi-faith context to pursue the mission of our calling with humility, trust, and joy.

THE MODEL OF JESUS

We rely on the model of Jesus to shape our incarnational mission of loving God, being friends with our neighbours (recognizing that our conventional understanding of who is our neighbour is itself shaped by Jesus’s teaching; see Luke 10:25–37, for example), loving our enemies, pursuing inter-faith dialogue – as Christians, because we are Christians – working in solidarity with other faiths for the common good, as we seek the peace of the city in which we find ourselves (see Jeremiah 29).

Article 17 – the three subtitles of which confess that Jesus is the only way, that God expresses a universal witness,

and that God is sovereign – is not a call for Christians to sort out and draw conclusions about the eternal destinies of specific individuals or groups of people.

To affirm that Jesus is the only way is inextricably linked to the belief that God has not left anyone without God’s own witness and all of this is in God’s hands.

JOYOUS CHRISTIAN FREEDOM

To confess these truths is to open up a joyous Christian freedom – freedom that begins its expression in worship, carries forward its mission in declaring God’s love for the world, and lives in that world. We live in joyous Christian freedom as a witness to the love, peace, and reconciliation always being offered to us as God’s gracious gift, for which we give thanks.

The Liturgical Readings for Article 17 of the MB Confession of Faith include the following lines, which serve as a prayer for our conference of churches: Open our ears, that we might listen

and learn from all the human family.

In the same way, open our mouths, that we also might humbly share what we have seen and heard and touched.

PAU L D O ER KS EN

is associate professor of theology and Anabaptist studies.

Resources: Confession of Faith; Liturgical Resources; Pastoral Application Jenson, Robert. Theology in Outline: Can These Bones Live?

CMU professor Harry Huebner’s ongoing work with Mennonite/Muslim dialogue

ARTICLE

Quels aspects de la théologie des frères mennonites rejoignent la théologie d’autres familles d’Église ? Quels sont les points saillants de la théologie des frères mennonites ? Éclairée par les Écritures, notre Confession de foi énumère les perspectives à travers desquelles nous lisons la Parole de Dieu afin de vivre en tant que disciples de Christ. Cette série présentée par le Comité foi et vie examine les 18 articles de ce document formateur.

ne réflexion sur le christianisme et les autres religions dans la Confession de foi des frères mennonites commence, de préférence, par la considération du Dieu que les chrétiens adorent.

Un tel point de départ fait ressortir la personne de Dieu et ce qu’il a accompli en et pour ce monde créé.

U

APPELÉS À ÊTRE TÉMOINS

La grâce souveraine de Dieu dispensée en Jésus-Christ, l’œuvre divine de la réconciliation, le témoignage offert comme un don au monde, l’amour et le jugement en tant qu’expressions de la nature de Dieu ainsi que l’engagement éternel de Dieu à communiquer toutes ces perfections (et bien plus encore) – c’est de ceci que les chrétiens sont appelés à témoigner à un monde en attente.

Cet appel peut aussi être pris dans le sens d’une invitation à participer à l’activité d’un Dieu trinitaire qui ne cesse d’œuvrer dans le monde, à renverser les murs d’inimité (Éphésiens 2), à guérir les relations brisées, et à témoigner de ce que Jésus-Christ a accompli par son incarnation, sa vie, ses enseignements, sa mort et sa résurrection, son ascension, et sa présence perpétuelle dans son corps, l’Église.

L’article 17 affirme que tout ce que Jésus a accompli pour le monde par la puissance du Saint-Esprit est accessible à tous et, de ce fait, le chrétien est appelé à faire connaître la bonne nouvelle, confiant que Dieu continuera à communiquer cette nouvelle « par des moyens qui dépassent notre compréhension humaine. » Il est essentiel d’admettre que les chrétiens ont également besoin de cette dernière forme de communication : nous avons besoin de ces messages de Dieu autant, sinon plus que quiconque.

UNE FOI MARGINALISÉE

La société dans laquelle nous participons aujourd’hui trouve le message

chrétien peu convaincant.

Par le passé, la société occidentale fonctionnait comme une société chrétienne, même si je n’entends pas par cela que tous croyaient en l’Évangile ; plutôt, comme disait Robert Jenson : « l’Évangile était ce qu’une personne croyait si elle croyait en quelque chose. » Toutefois, vivre une foi marginalisée dans une société pluraliste n’a rien de nouveau pour les chrétiens – c’était le cas pendant au moins les deux cents premières années de notre existence. Par conséquent, cela sous-entend que nous devrions travailler dur pour résister aux attitudes de triomphalisme, de supériorité, d’exclusivité déformée et éviter d’aplanir toutes les religions pour en faire une catégorie informe qui réduit chacune à une version générique de toutes les autres.

Notre foi en Dieu, notre dépendance sur l’œuvre de Jésus-Christ et sur la puissance du Saint-Esprit devrait plutôt nous motiver à poursuivre notre mission avec humilité, confiance et joie dans un contexte multi religieux.

LE MODÈLE DE JÉSUS

Nous nous fions au modèle de Jésus pour façonner notre mission d’incarner un Dieu d’amour, de nous lier d’amitié avec nos prochains (tout en reconnaissant que notre compréhension du sens du mot « prochain » se base sur l’enseignement de Jésus, voir par exemple Luc10.25-37), d’aimer nos ennemis, de poursuivre un dialogue inter religieux – en tant que chrétiens, parce que nous sommes chrétiens – de travailler en solidarité avec d’autres religions pour le bien commun, alors que nous recherchons la paix de la ville dans laquelle nous résidons (voir Jérémie 29).

L’article 17 – les trois sous-titres qui confessent que Jésus est le seul chemin, le témoin universel de Dieu et la souveraineté de Dieu n’appellent pas le chrétien à examiner des cas de personnes

ou de groupes ni à statuer sur leurs destinées éternelles.

Proclamer que Jésus est le seul chemin est inextricablement lié à la croyance que Dieu n’a laissé personne sans un témoignage de Lui et que tout cela repose entre les mains de Dieu.

BUILDING COMMUNITY

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LE CHRISTIANISME ET LES AUTRES RELIGIONS

LA JOYEUSE LIBERTÉ DU CHRÉTIEN

Confesser ces vérités ouvre la voie à une joyeuse liberté chrétienne – une liberté qui commence son expression dans la louange, qui poursuit sa mission en déclarant l’amour de Dieu pour le monde et qui incarne cet amour dans ce monde. Cette joyeuse liberté chrétienne témoigne de l’amour, de la paix et de la réconciliation que Dieu nous offre en permanence comme un don et pour lequel nous rendons grâce.

Le texte suivant est tiré des lectures liturgiques de l’article 17 qui se trouvent dans la version anglaise de la Confession de foi des frères mennonites et sert de prière pour notre Conférence des Églises : Ouvre nos oreilles, que nous puissions écouter et apprendre de toute la famille humaine.

De même, ouvre nos bouches, que nous puissions partager en toute humilité ce que nous avons contemplé, entendu et touché.

PAU L D O ER KS EN

est professeur adjoint de théologie et d’études anabaptistes Ressources : La Confession de foi ; les ressources liturgiques ; l’application pastorale.

Jenson, Robert : Theology in Outline: Can These Bones Live?

Le travail en cours sur le dialogue entre mennonites et musulmans de Harry Huebner, professeur à l’Université mennonite du Canada (CMU).

Traduit par Suzanne Dunant Brown

MENNONITE BRETHREN HERALD

SUMMER 2019

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BUILDING COMMUNITY |

TREASURE HUNTING

ICOMB

“The Kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field” (Matthew 13:44).

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love adventures.

In 2016, I went to Panama City as a guest at the annual ICOMB summit. After several days of meetings in a hotel, we stepped into an open boat and headed out into the open Pacific, then up a river to a remote Wounaan village to be guests of our brother and sisters in the jungle.

What an adventure!

A worldwide family

But exotic experiences are not “treasures.”

In Panama, the treasure I found was a worldwide family I knew, until then mostly by an acronym – the International Community of Mennonite Brethren (ICOMB).

In 2017, I joined ICOMB in Thailand. This was a much larger gathering. Again, in meeting rooms and hallway conversations I began to catch glimmers of something very special: brothers and sisters from around the world joined by the bonds of peace and community.

But this year, at the ICOMB Summit in Guadalajara (May 28–June 3), I found the “treasure hidden in a field.”

What made up this treasure? It came in a series of contrasts.

Three contrasts

First, distance and touch.

The most practical feature of this family is the physical distance between us. Joining hands in prayer with brothers and sisters from the ends of the earth is deeply moving. Modern families are familiar with the challenge of distance and longing for touch.

Second, diversity and unity.

The most visible ICOMB diversities are language and culture. Across these divides, we struggle to communicate simple thoughts. We rely on translators.

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But ICOMB’s diversity runs beyond language and culture. Here, dogged fundamentalists and passionate liberals pray together. Mennonites who trace their lineages to the very beginning and Mennonites who only discovered Anabaptism recently sit and wrestle passionately with each other – in love.

Unity and love across great divides is a thing of deep beauty.

I had marvelled at that in Thailand.

But in Guadalajara, even beyond ICOMB’s beautiful diversity, it was in the confluence of joy and pain, of failures and victories that the gleam of the “treasure” shone from the earth. It was through heart-felt and heart-wrenching sharing of both joy and pain.

A costly treasure

Victories are easy to share, but honestly sharing failure and defeat takes love to another level.

Kingdom people “rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn” (Romans 12:15). Actually doing that, however, is rare and precious.

Being a family that loves each other in joy and pain, across distance and diversity is profoundly costly. This is a treasure that exacts a price – a price that is no less than everything we have to give.

The treasure of the ICOMB family is there before us. It cries out for treasure hunters.

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it” (Matthew 13:45–46).

JAMES TOEWS

is pastor of Neighbourhood Church, Nanaimo, B.C.

BUILDING COMMUNITY

From where I was sitting next to the wall, I could just see into the pitch-black forest. To my surprise, I saw dancing lights approaching. At first, I did not have a clue as to what this was, but as they came nearer, I understood. These were the other church members. They came back when they heard that we had arrived.

Slowly, one by one, they entered the building, each with his or her own little flashlight. With the arrival of each member, there was a little more light. Finally, the church was full and there was enough light to celebrate.

For me, this experience is a wonderful image of what it means to be an Anabaptist church, where the congregation of believers is a focal point. People who have committed themselves to Jesus through their baptism come together in the congregation to learn, worship, serve, witness, and experience a glimpse of the kingdom of God in being together in peace.

Every member brings a little bit more light in the church when he or she is there.

And when you are not there, the church is

MWC

The arrival of each member

a little bit darker. Therefore, each and every one is needed for the church to be fully lit.

Each one is equally important because each one carries a light.

|

t was already dark when we turned off the main road onto a bumpy track through the forest.

A delegation of the Mennonite World Conference Deacons Commission was visiting brothers and sisters in Ghana in 2010.

Our plan was to visit a little congregation in Pimpimsu in the morning. However, due to unforeseen circumstances, we were only able to reach it late in the day.

After a 10-minute ride, we arrived at the church. A small group of people was waiting for us at the humble building. We heard that they had been waiting all day. Many others had gone home. Yet, they welcomed us with singing, drumming, and praying.

There was no electricity. The only light came from a few flashlights.

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Fuel for your light

Maybe in certain times your own light is not very strong. You may go through difficulties in life and start to doubt or even feel you are losing your faith. Then the light of others can help you go on and find new fuel for your light.

Conversely, when everything is going well, and you think you don’t need others, your light is still necessary to shine on others. We share with those who are in need.

That is what being a congregation is about on a local level; that is what Mennonite World Conference is about on a global level.

During the times of persecution and migration in Anabaptist history, but also very much today, we need each other to keep the light shining.

In a sense, the Deacons Commission brings light to churches in need. In times of celebration, the Deacons may also receive the light to share with the global family of faith.

In this way, the Deacons Commission shares the stories of the different Anabaptist churches, so that despite being spread out across the world through migration and mission, and despite our sometimes very different expressions of faith, we can be one in the Spirit as the body of Christ.

HENK STENVERS

is secretary of the Mennonite World Conference Deacons Commission. He lives in the Netherlands. MWC is a community of Anabaptist-related churches; the Canadian Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches is a member. This article first appeared at mwc-cmm.org/content/little-more-light.

MENNONITE BRETHREN HERALD

SUMMER 2019

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RESOURCING MINISTRY

FOUR PS FOR TRANSITION et’s be up front. By now, you probably realize that we are reshaping all parts of Canadian MB ministry. Some of this is driven by financial realities.

Other alterations result from a change in strategic direction. Regardless of the factors, these changes can produce uncertainty and at times anxiety.

From the crafting of a new Collaborative Model of governance for the Canadian MB family, to the establishment of CCMBC Legacy Fund Inc. out of Stewardship Ministries, to the financial struggles of MB Seminary, the diminished financial capacity of the Canadian Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches, and the restructuring of Multiply, all of our ministries are in flux.

These are humbling and challenging times. Times such as these require faith in a God who is not surprised by any of our present circumstances.

It may sound simplistic to say that God is in control, but that, in reality, is the pinnacle of our hope. That the ministry pains we suffer now have the potential to bring us back to a renewed confidence in God is most reassuring.

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In times such as these...

In times of transition, distress, or uncertainty, I’m convinced that our behaviour and attitude contribute greatly toward a healthy resolution. So, what do we do in times such as these?

Our first necessity is prayer. As doers, our tendency is to move toward planning and action. Starting with prayer instead will centre us in God’s will.

Secondly, we must take the right posture. We can easily blame, take sides, and even withdraw from relationships. But the right postures for us to take are engagement, reflection, and humility. Putting aside passive aggressive behaviour, we speak truth in love to one another.

Next, we need preparation. Here, we apply planning informed by good listening. Here, we write things down, count the cost, empower the right people, and set goals.

Here, we look at our past mistakes and make the necessary course corrections.

Further to this, we will require perseverance. Our plans, goals, and systems must accommodate a long-term view. “Keep on keeping on” even when the results are not immediately apparent.

I truly believe God is preparing us for far greater things than our imagination can conceive.

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Growing unity

One of the ways God is doing that is through this unprecedent unity that we see taking shape across the country.

There is a strong movement toward collaboration and a willingness to build things together.

There is also a clear realization that the church is the holder of the mission, and that conferences and agencies exist in support of that mission.

These are humbling and challenging times. Times such as these require faith in a God who is not surprised by any of our present circumstances.

These shifts in thinking will generate a vastly different strategy: one that propels the church to the forefront of mission.

To that end, let’s lift one another in prayer and uphold the bond of peace and love that is Christ’s trademark in us. Through that, we will be recognized as his disciples.

E LT O N D A S I LVA

is the national director of the Canadian Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches.

He and Ana live in Winnipeg.

They have three children.

Who is the NMT? RESOURCING MINISTRY

The National Ministry Team is a strategic group of senior staff who work collaboratively to accomplish national vision within the Mennonite Brethren family in Canada. It is comprised of provincial conference leaders, the seminary president, church planting and global mission directors from Multiply, the national faith and life director, and the national director of the Canadian Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches. The NMT casts vision for Canadian MB churches, and prepares a budget and strategic plan for presentation at provincial assemblies.

CAM PRIEBE

Provincial Director, Mennonite Brethren Church of Manitoba

On the local church: My primary involvement in local community has been coaching and mentoring young leaders. Shauna and I are a part of leading and hosting a supper and Scripture group that meets weekly in our neighbourhood, and each March we’ve participated in SOAR Heartland as speakers and pastoral care support volunteers.

Favourite theologian: I have appreciated Bruxy Cavey, especially his latest book Reunion: he gives an invitation to continue learning, living, and giving the good news of Jesus.

Personal goal for 2019: John 13:3–5 invites me to posture myself in a similar way as Jesus.

As we are together aware of our belonging in God, it frees us to love and serve others. (Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal…and began to wash his disciples’ feet.)

R ANDY FRIESEN

President, Multiply (mission agency of the Mennonite Brethren)

On the local church: Marjorie and I attend Central Heights Church, Abbotsford, B.C., where together we serve on the prayer team. I also serve as an elder at CHC and occasionally preach.

Best advice you’ve gotten from a mentor? Be faithful with a little and the Lord will give you more to do. Each day remember you are serving the Lord. While your assignments might change, your Leader doesn’t.

The National Ministry Team exists to inspire, equip, and encourage the church for effective ministry and mission in Canada and beyond.

We’ve got more to share than room to spare.

Visit mbherald.com for exclusive stories, updates from agency partners and churches – and more.

“WE HOPE…”: VENEZUELAN MIGRANTS R EC E I V E D W I T H C A R E A N D C O M PA S S I O N

“The church must do its job, offering people charity and spiritual

P E AC E B Y P I E C E : A M I N I S T RY O F S E W I N G

As political turmoil in Venezuela continues, and economic

teaching, so that a person may be transformed,” says Safari

inflation soars past one million percent, MCC remains

Mutabesha Bahati. Mennonite Association for Peace and

committed to assist those who seek refuge.

Development in Malawi supports both in Dzaleka refugee camp.

mbherald.com/we-hope

mbherald.com/peace-by-piece-a-ministry-of-sewing

JU BILEE MEN N ON I TE C EL EB R ATES

M O V I N G F O R WA R D T O G E T H E R

“If an alien ship were to come take our church away, would anyone

Have you ever made a decision when you were for the idea and the

notice?” This is the question that members of Jubilee Mennonite

other person was against it? Or, been on a board when a vote went

Church asked themselves more than a decade ago. They dedicated

five in favour and four against? It’s not fun to move ahead that way,

themselves to being an active presence in their community.

is it? What if there were a different way to make decisions?

mbherald.com/rooted-community

mbherald.com/forward-together

MENNONITE BRETHREN HERALD

SUMMER 2019

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Provincial conventions M U LT I P LY I N G C H U R C H E S

HELP US TO BE REAL BCMB worships with Metro

At the end of the BCMB convention in Kelowna, B.C, Apr. 26–27, 2019, attenders were invited to eat burgers, sing praise, and hear testimonies in Metro Community’s newly acquired warehouseturned-worship-space beside their Monday–Friday drop-in, Metro Central.

Metro’s Community Prayer May the God who is community Be with us as we seek to be a community May God bless our dreams And may God shatter our dreams May God help us to be real And to find depth in weakness and brokenness May God help us to face and grow through conflict Rather than pretend by being nice May we look at each other through the soft eyes of

respect and compassion Rather than the hard eyes of criticism and condemnation

“I went from being homeless to being part of something,” says pastor Geoff Haney, who oversees Metro Central, offering the community coffee, friendship, counselling services, computers, laundry facilities, a courtyard, and a place to display their artwork. “I came to B.C. eight years ago with an empty knapsack; now, I have a Harley, two dogs, and a job,” Haney said. “I’m not selling drugs anymore: I’m offering recovery.”

May God help us let go of control And the need to fix one another May God help us discover we are needy in our own souls And give attention to our own hearts May God shape us to be his people, until we resemble Christ Who is full of mercy toward the wicked and ungrateful

Metro Community’s bookkeeper Sheila Heidt has seen “miracles in the midst of chaos.” Traumatized by a father’s violence and abandonment, Heidt searched for belonging. Her mother and Christian mentors kept her on a good path.

“Whenever I wanted to give up, God’s presence created a beyond-words feeling of joy and peace.”

She tried many churches. When a friend invited her to Metro, Heidt was home: “This is where Jesus would be. They teach the loving, forgiving Jesus I’d witnessed all my life.” Heidt’s daughter, who experienced homelessness, met God at Metro. The two were baptized together.

Amen

ANGELINE SCHELLENBERG PHOTOS BY CARSON SAMSON

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At the Alberta convention Apr. 12–13, 2019, at SunWest Church, Calgary, Multiply Central Canada mobilizers Lloyd and Carol Letkeman facilitated the KAIROS blanket exercise, a role-play lesson on Indigenous-settler relations and treaties in Canada.

“Outrage and hope” were feelings it raised for Alma Siemens of Coaldale. “We need to confess the pride, let the Lord deal with that,” she said. Long ago, her brother taught at a residential school and she had opportunity to meet students some weekends. Now she volunteers as a prayer partner on 100 Huntley Street where she finds particular joy in praying with Indigenous people who call in.

Following the exercise, churches ate lunch in table groups and discussed next steps for ABMB. “In what ways might we collectively move forward with ministering to First Nations in Alberta?” asked Paul J. Loewen, ABMB conference minister.

“God is calling us to pray,” said Elroy Senneker, Community Grace, Calgary.

Kendall Feenstra, children’s pastor at SunWest, observed that while children study this history in school, it is the parents who need to learn more.

Chris Woods from Linden said there are churches on some reserves “living the mission” who could be encouraged instead of supplanted.

RETREAT TO TIME WITH JESUS AEFMQ

Scott Koop from Highland called for more listening before taking action. “In the past, folks in my position might have expected to decide when to move forward, but maybe now our First Nation brothers and sisters could let us know when they have felt listened to; maybe we must wait to be told when the ‘listening time’ is done.”

Several churches asked for more learning.

Reflecting on the dynamic presentation from the mostly Congolese Goshen Church choir, ABMB co-moderator Matt Dyck said: “We’re going to have to learn to dance to a new type of music – literally and figuratively.”

For more on “Multiplying for mission: developing leaders for tomorrow,” including news about three new churches and three new associate members, go to

M U LT I P LY I N G C H U R C H E S

OUTRAGE AND HOPE KAIROS blanket exercise at ABMB

mbherald.com/alberta-convention-2019

Camp Peniel directors Jason Levesque and Esther Lachance accomplished a great work this past year, they reported at the annual convention of the Quebec MB Conference (l’Association des Églises Frères Mennonites du Québec – AEFMQ), Apr. 6, 2019. In 2018, they gained accreditation with the Quebec camping association. This proves they meet provincial standards for safety, accommodation, programming, etc.

Camp Peniel’s training for the summer staff team of six includes teaching on child psychology, first aid, group leading, and sharing one’s testimony. It’s a useful toolkit for young people to bring to serve in their local church, says Lachance.

It is a gathering place for Mennonite Brethren youth in Quebec who have an annual retreat in the camp’s rustic nature setting, away from the distractions of the city. The camp has also hosted a retreat for AEFMQ pastors and spouses.

Camp Peniel is more than a summer camp. It can be rented for families or church groups throughout the year. One couple chose it as the location of their wedding ceremony.

“We can host your events,” says Levesque. The directors are eager to serve, and to make the camp a retreat and a place to meet Jesus.

—K ARLA BRAUN

For more on AEFMQ’s annual general meeting, go to mbherald.com/Quebec-convention-2019

MENNONITE BRETHREN HERALD

SUMMER 2019

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C R E AT I N G RESOURCING MINISTRY

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CO U R AG EO US C O N V E R S AT I O N S I N C O N G R E G AT I O N S “If you could wake up in a world where the folks in your church had the capacity for brave and difficult conversations, would your church be transformed?” I asked this question in a workshop at the #churchtoo conference at Canadian Mennonite University, May 31–June 1, 2019.

Most people put up their hands.

We often think of courage as people rushing into burning buildings or climbing onto a roof to rescue someone. I believe it’s also time to think of courage as the ability to • be vulnerable, • talk with people rather than about people, • speak one’s perspective without knowing how it will be heard, • listen respectfully – without cynicism, sarcasm, or steely silence – to new thoughts, • communicate in a manner that is both clear and kind.

In a world where people are dehumanized, marginalized, and despised, God calls us to love like Jesus did. Grappling meaningfully with issues such as professional pastoral sexual misconduct by actually talking about the real pain of the victim, the mixture of horror and loyalty of the congregation, and the practical implications when a pastor has violated boundaries requires having conversations that are risky and fraught with danger.

Emotions will run high, miscommunication is likely, and defensiveness will be almost inevitable.

Such conversations are so difficult.

The convenient approach, historically, has been to avoid it altogether. By not having those difficult conversations, we can avoid the awkward moments, the hurt feelings, and the work of righting relationships that were wounded. We cave in to our fears and remain silent.

If not having courageous conversations were effective, the article would stop here.

SUMMER 2019

M B H E R A L D.C O M

But, in the case of pastoral sexual misconduct, not having the conversations means 1. The silence tells victims that their violation, trauma, and resultant pain is irrelevant to the people of God. Jesus said that God leaves behind the 99 to pursue the one. We have the same calling.

2. The offending pastor isn’t called to account in a way that paves the path to redemption and recovery. Leaving the vulnerable unprotected and deceiving ourselves about the depth of the damage creates a space where the perpetrator can remain stuck in personal darkness.

3. Individuals in the congregation are isolated while dealing with the confusing pain of knowing the leader who created spiritual growth in them was so hurtful to another.

Undiscussed, pain can fester in a congregation for decades. God calls us to supportive community – to be the loving presence of God to each other.

Avoiding the tough conversations doesn’t work. Equipping ourselves with the four skill sets of courage, developed by Brené Brown, allows us to enter into these conversations in a God-honouring way.

1. Learning to rumble with vulnerability:

Vulnerability is defined as risk, uncertainty, and emotional exposure.

Historically, it is often seen as weakness. Can you think of a single example of courage that you have exercised or witnessed that didn’t also require vulnerability?

During times of fear, often we want to armour up against vulnerability by puffing up, distancing, becoming cynical, etc. Protecting ourselves against our own fear removes our ability to authentically connect with others.

Courage learns to tolerate and remain in our own vulnerability, even in difficult conversations.

2. Living into our values:

Bob Goff writes, “I used to be afraid of failing at something that really

mattered to me, but now I’m more afraid of succeeding at things that don’t matter.”

Aligning our behaviour with our deepest values allows us to have conversations that otherwise would seem too risky or illogical. Initiating difficult conversations in light of our commitment to Jesus’ costly love is part of our calling.

3. Creating trust:

By having healthy boundaries, being reliable and accountable, holding confidences, maintaining integrity, leading with curiosity (rather than judgment) and a generous spirit, we can develop trust with others. Courageous conversations happen best in a spirit of trust.

4. Learning to fall:

Courageous conversations around previously underdiscussed topics won’t always go well. We will all mess up, be hurtful, need to circle back and apologize. Mistakes are an inescapable outcome of brave dialogue. An ability to know how to move through anticipated blunders allows for conversations with an unknown outcome.

Rachel Held Evans, in her book Searching for Sunday, writes, “Imagine if every church became a place where everyone is safe, but no one is comfortable. Imagine if every church became a place where we told one another the truth. We might just create sanctuary.”

May God equip us in the courageous calling to have uncomfortable conversations that will create sanctuary for those tender souls who come seeking it in our midst.

C A R O LY N K L A S S E N

is a therapist and certified Daring Way Facilitator, trained to facilitate the work developed out of the research of Brené Brown. She is a member of the teaching team at The Meeting Place.

(For more about developing the four skill sets of courage, read Brené Brown’s Dare to Lead, Random House, 2019.

Nikolai (Nick) Jacob Enns loves his corner of the world.

From his two facing windows, he looks out into the back yard. The windows offer natural light, which is important because Enns creates beautiful hooked-rug wall hangings in this corner.

“I’ve been doing this for a long time,” he says. “I really enjoy it.”

Enns is in his 70s and is an active person. His faith is important to him and he does his devotions daily, reading his Bible and praying. He attends Clearbrook MB Church in Abbotsford and reads the MB Herald regularly. He enjoys coffee time with his friends.

To stay fit, Enns rides the stationary bike at the gym and he enjoys watching the Senior Curling Club practice – sometimes he even joins them on the ice.

He writes letters on his old-fashioned, manual Speedwriter typewriter. He has a quirky sense of humour and loves to tell corny jokes.

But what Enns truly loves to do is work with his hands.

Karin Olsen, who manages the home where he lives, says

Nick Enns loves his little corner of the world where he can work on his craft and see what’s happening in the back yard. (Communitas photo: Angelika Dawson)

that even though it takes a long time for Enns to complete a project, he often talks about the therapeutic, satisfying nature of his work.

“His typing and his rug hooking both speak of his incredible perseverance and patience as well as the beautiful outcome when you set your mind to doing something,” she says.

One of his rugs hangs as a framed piece of art in Enns’s room. It is vibrant and cheerful, much like Enns himself. Olsen says that when he was working on it, the staff all thought that it was just a random, kaleidoscope of colours.

BUILDING COMMUNITY

Hooked on life

The large, framed hooked rug in Nick Enns’ room took him almost 9 years to complete. (Communitas photo: Angelika Dawson)

“We thought there must be a theme, but we couldn’t see it as he was working on it,” she explains. “Once it was hung on the wall, we were amazed to see the sky, the river, the mountains, and the forest. The beautiful scene was there all along.”

Olsen believes that Enns never lost sight of the whole as he painstakingly worked on the piece day in and day out. The staff estimate that it took him nearly nine years to complete.

As he works on his rugs, he chats about his life and his family. He still remembers his parents fondly and talks about his love for them.

“My dad lived to be more than 90,” he remembers. “I loved my dad. I wanted to move into the senior’s home with him but that wasn’t possible.”

Instead, Enns lives in a home facilitated by Communitas Supportive Care Society. He shares the home with Connie, Patty, and Barb.

This small community of people living with diverse abilities is a happy home. Staff and volunteers support each one as they pursue opportunities to live a rich and abundant life. Enns is grateful for this and the staff who care for him.

“I really love it here,” he says.

A N G EL I K A DAWS O N

communications manager, Communitas Communitas Supportive Care Society is a faith-based, registered charity providing care in communities across British Columbia to those living with disabilities. It began in 1974 as Samaritan’s Society for Comfort and Cheer when MB pastor David A. Friesen in Chilliwack gathered other pastors to respond to parents’ concern for their children’s care later in life. Learn more at communitascare.com .

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BUILDING COMMUNITY

Volunteers Wes de Vries, Anna Keyes, and Henry Penner greet patrons and clean the shower units.

A flood of encouragement

A refreshing idea King Road mobile shower unit for people who are homeless in Abbotsford

It is easy to take the things we use every day for granted: the food we eat, the clothes we wear, and the water with which we wash.

Refresh Mobile Showers, a ministry of King Road MB Church and other local partners, is helping to bring these essentials to people in Abbotsford, B.C., who don’t have access to them every day.

A couple years ago, King Road member Henry Penner saw a video of a pastor who was using a mobile unit to provide showers to people who are homeless.

Penner thought someone should do it in his city, Abbotsford, B.C. – but not him.

However, when the video crossed his path again, he began to think more seriously about it.

Penner talked to community leaders, including his pastor, hoping to be talked out of his “crazy idea.”

When he brought the mobile shower plan to King Road’s missions committee, they encouraged him to get the city’s support.

After a positive response from the mayor, meetings with the city’s Homelessness Action Advisory Committee, and consultation with the police and fire departments and paramedics, there was nothing to stop Penner from taking Refresh Mobile Shower from idea to reality.

Local businesses, individuals, and a fundraising campaign at King Road raised the $40,000 cost of the trailer.

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“Seeing the look on their faces when they come out of the shower and say thank-you” brings Penner joy.

Refresh Mobile Showers is one way that King Road fulfills the mission statement of “Following Jesus, Loving each other, Reaching our world.”

Dignity in the details

BRIANNA JANZ

On Wednesdays, the shower unit is set up at Bakerview Church and on Thursdays at the MCC Centre on Gladys Avenue.

Both locations already offer a meal and clean clothes; now patrons have opportunity to take a shower as well.

Each Refresh Mobile Showers event requires at least four volunteers to greet patrons, manage usage, and clean the units.

Refresh Mobile Showers’ motto is “restoring dignity one shower at a time.”

It is not just about the shower. Patrons can lock their possessions in a safe place while they shower. Most importantly, Refresh volunteers call patrons by name, and take the time to talk to them.

“I wish it was [available] more often,” says one woman who has used the mobile showers a few times in its early run.

Penner says Proverbs 19:17 – “whoever is generous to the poor lends to the LORD” – drove his work to bring the showers to Abbotsford.

is a member of King Road MB Church, Abbotsford, B.C.

BUILDING COMMUNITY

Ongoing costs include fuel for towing the trailer. A local shop has offered to perform any repairs on the trailer, and a member of King Road is storing it for free.

On May 1, 2019, Refresh Mobile Showers were used in Abbotsford for the first time.

Refresh Mobile Showers trailer unit has two private shower stalls with space to change.

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Hellos

Fred Ekkert

FA M I LY N E W S

Scott Tolhurst Title & congregation: lead pastor, Clearbrook MB Church, Abbotsford, B.C. Start: March 1, 2019 Education: BTh, MDiv, DMin (cand.)

Previous ministry: pastor of adult ministries, South Abbotsford (B.C.); senior pastor, Richmond (B.C.) Bethel; transitional pastor Family: Miriam; 2 adult children; 5 grandchildren What’s your favourite thing about being a pastor? As Paul suggested to the saints at Rome, ministry is an exchange. We offer to one another from the abundance of grace we all have received. Every church I’ve pastored has given me more than they could imagine. God has used each one to shape my soul, expand my perspective, and satisfy my calling.

Title & congregation: music pastor, Clearbrook MB Church, Abbotsford, B.C. Education: BRS, MBBC; BA, University of Winnipeg Previous ministry: choir and music ministry, Vancouver MB Church; school of music, choir director, Filadelfia, Paraguay; choir director, Vancouver Family: Hane Lore; 4 children; 6 grandchildren What makes you passionate about the church? People seeking God together; seeing believers who have nothing to offer but themselves empowered by the Holy Spirit, worshipping God, and being equipped by the teaching the Word; seeing believers experiencing grace and forgiveness from God and learning to extend it to one another; seeing believers less concerned about how people see them than how God sees them; seeing believers daring to let God change them. Believers with eternity in mind are the people I want to rub shoulders with, be influenced by, and serve.

Gerald Dyck Title & congregation: lead pastor, Westside Community Church, Morden, Man. Start: June 2019 Previous ministry: provincial conference minister, interim provincial director, MBCM Family: Rachel; 3 children

Goodbyes Conrad Hunchak, pastor, Hafford (Sask.) Gospel Fellowship, 1995–2019 Brad Berkan, worship pastor, Forest Grove Community Church, Saskatoon, 2013–2019 Dale Dirksen, executive pastor, Forest Grove Community Church, Saskatoon, 2009–2019 Art Birch, co-lead pastor, Ross Road Community Church, Abbotsford, B.C., 2011–2019

Arts Dialogue Faith Science Community Music Mentorship Business Character Vocation Practica Peace-Justice Social Enterprise CANADIAN MENNONITE UNIVERSITY

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Community News

Births

MB Seminary As of April 30, 2019, Eugene Klassen concluded his time with MB Seminary as development officer for B.C. and Alberta.

On April 23, 2019, Terry Kaethler started work with MB Seminary as director of advancement. Terry and Viola live in Abbotsford, B.C., where Terry was pastor at Mountain Park Community Church for 18 years.

See mbherald.com/a-renewed-seminary for more seminary personnel news.

Multiply Greg Wiens joined Multiply to facilitate church partnerships with global connections. He also works for Global Vision 20/20, an organization that provides glasses to the masses. He served as an MB pastor for more than 21 years, most recently as the lead pastor in Waldheim, Sask. Greg and Heather have 3 children.

Jaymie Anderton joined Multiply as a mobilizer for Alberta to identify, connect with, and equip emerging leaders in Alberta. She is a member of SunWest Church, Calgary.

Baumann – to Curtis & Taylor of Cambridge, Ont., a son, Calvin Curtis, Mar. 26, 2019.

Braun – to Andrew & Janelle (Hume) of Winnipeg, a son, Leland James, Mar. 16, 2019.

Dyck – to Shawn & Katelyn (Bergen) of Warman, Sask., a daughter, Lena Brianne, May 24, 2019.

Kock – to Tyler & Vanessa (Penner) of Langham, Sask., a daughter, Riley Mackenzie, Apr. 19, 2019.

Koslowsky – to Stuart & Haylie of Winnipeg, a son, Oscar James, Apr. 12, 2019.

Wedding David Klassen & Kerstin Enns, both of Steinbach, Man., Mar. 16, 2019.

What to read? Engage with book reviews from your fellow MB church members across Canada. mbherald.com/category/ arts-culture/books

See mbherald.com/multiply-divides for more Multiply personnel news.

Transitions in your ministry? Let us know. mbherald@mbchurches.ca.

FOR YOUR NEXT MOVE Tedd Epp

306.221.1614 | teddepp.com Saskatoon

FA M I LY N E W S

The MB Church of Manitoba board along with provincial director Cam Priebe announce Jason Dyck as director of church ministry beginning July 2019.

Jason served as senior pastor of Elm Creek (Man.) MB (2011–2019) and as associate pastor of Dalmeny (Sask.)

Community Church (2003–2011). He completed a BA in pastoral ministry from Bethany College in Hepburn, Sask., and holds a coaching mastery certificate from Creative Results Management in Seattle, Wash.

His contribution as chair of Manitoba’s Faith and Life Team for two years has been vital in fostering excellence within new and existing MB leaders.

“Seeing churches encounter really tough circumstances without the resources or will to move through those circumstances is painful for me. While I realize I am no one’s saviour, I do come with a belief that there is always a way forward,” says Dyck. “With Jesus as Lord, how can there not be?”

Jason will work closely with Cam Priebe to develop leaders, build community, multiply churches, and resource ministries.

“In my interaction with Jason, his love for Jesus Christ and the local church is very evident as he seeks to enter this church ministry position,” says Priebe.

—MBCM board

Ministry-related job postings and volunteer opportunities in the North American evangelical Anabaptist community jobs.mbherald.com

www.unruhteam.ca

204-453-7653 WINNIPEG

Helping You Find Your Way Home...

CHRIS AND DAVID UNRUH

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Finish Lines FA M I LY N E W S

Arthur (Art) Peter Redekop July 29, 1923– Mar. 4, 2018 Birthplace: Main Centre, Sask.

Parents: Peter F. & Justina (Schroeder) Redekop Marriage: Helen Wiebe, Aug. 30, 1950 [d. 2003]; Evelyn Alma (Evie) Robinson [d. 2016] Church: Clearbrook MB, Abbotsford, B.C. Family: children Murray (Dianne), Mark (Jocelyn), Judith Anne [d. in infancy], Julianna [d. in infancy]; 3 grandchildren; 4 greatgrandchildren; 4 siblings Art spent a large portion of life as a missionary in Nigeria with SIM. The first half of his career was as Bible teacher and principal of a Bible school where his passion for teaching was realized. It was rewarding for him to see national graduates serving as pastors, council leaders, and Bible teachers. SIM asked Art to assume more administrative duties, first as district superintendent and then as director of SIM, Nigeria. Upon his retirement to Abbotsford in 1988, Art continued to be an ambassador and prayer warrior for SIM. He supported Clearbrook MB Church by leading home groups and Sunday services at senior homes. He spent much time caring for his family and volunteering in his community. Arthur’s mobility decreased; his love for reading God’s Word remained constant. Visitors to Tabor Court usually found him reading his Bible and praying for missionaries. Over his last year, he often expressed a desire to meet his Lord and Saviour.

Erna Peters Oct. 30, 1932– June 18, 2018 Birthplace: Medstead, Sask.

Parents: Robert & Margaret Liick Marriage: John Poor, May 1953 [d. 1985]; John Peters, Aug. 21, 2004 Church: Clearbrook MB, Abbotsford, B.C. Family: John; children Rebecca, Karen, Maureen, Randy; grandchildren; greatgrandchildren The child of German-speaking immigrants from Poland, Erna was

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unable to speak English when she began school, but she learned quickly and taught the rest of her family.

She was also a talented, self-taught musician. She committed her life to Christ and was baptized into a Pentecostal church. Erna finished schooling after Grade 8, since there was no local high school. After a year of Bible school in North Battleford, Sask., Erna worked in the Spiritwood Hospital laundry until she married John Poor and moved to his farm.

When generating viable income became too difficult, they took the opportunity to move to Williams Lake, B.C. They purchased a home on Frost Creek, where they built a convenience store and gas station and took in forestry workers, for whom Erna served as cook, laundry worker, and dispenser of spiritual advice. Erna was an avid gardener. With her great compassion, she joyfully fostered numerous children, many of them infants. After John’s death, she moved to Brazil to care for abandoned children with a Canadian-based evangelism team.

Finding the climate adverse to her health, she reluctantly returned to B.C. During the difficult years following her kidney cancer diagnosis, she committed to prison ministry, offering her music and fellowship. In Abbotsford, she met and married John Peters, with whom she travelled in their early years. As his health slowly declined, Erna devoted her final years to assisting him, and to enjoying her children, grandchildren, and greatgrandchildren.

Gertrude Martens Jan. 27, 1926– Aug. 27, 2018 Birthplace: Langham, Sask.

Parents: Johann & Maria (Reimer) Esau Marriage: John Martens, Apr. 16, 1950 Baptism: Yarrow (B.C.) MB, as a teen Church: Clearbrook MB, Abbotsford, B.C. Family: John; children Marian, Jim, Tilly, John, Trudy; 17 grandchildren; 14 greatgrandchildren Her father’s 14th child and mother’s

first, Gertrude was born at 4 pounds and fought to live. Her family settled in Yarrow, B.C., in 1928. Her social life surrounded Yarrow MB Church, where she joined the choir at 17. Most photos show her holding infants. She lived out her love for children and the Bible by teaching vacation Bible school and Sunday school. Gertrude left school to care for her parents. She lost them both to cancer in 1946–47. Her large family cared for her; faith and tenacity sustained her. Gertrude supported herself as a housekeeper in Vancouver while completing Grades 11–12 in one year. Love conquered over the minor detail that her husband shared a first name with her father and brother.

Her relationship with John spanned nearly 70 years. After 3 children, doctors declared her too ill to have more; 5 years later, she was cleared to become pregnant, welcoming another 2. She loved her children-in-law with a passion. Gertrude expressed her affection through cooking and baking, skills she put to work at the Airport Inn, Richmond, B.C., Columbia Bible Camp, and the Cedars. One of the first B.C. residents to be trained in early childhood education in the 1970s, Gertrude ran a daycare in Richmond (B.C.) Bethel MB Church. At Yarrow’s 60th anniversary in 1988, as one of 6 surviving pioneers, Gertrude was given a key to the city. In retirement, she enjoyed visiting her children across North America and cooking for them. Her love seemed to grow as her physical capacities weakened.

Elvira Sommer Apr. 20, 1927– Oct. 6, 2018 Birthplace: Colonsay, Sask.

Parents: Henry & Helen Toews Marriage: Heintz Sommer, April 1953 Church: Broadway MB, Chilliwack, B.C.; Clearbrook MB, Abbotsford, B.C. Family: Heintz; children Cheryl, Adeline, Pearl; grandchildren Elvira’s family farmed 10 years in Guernsey, Sask., then moved to Gretna, Man., to work at Mennonite Collegiate

John H. Dyck Nov. 16, 1922– Oct. 15, 2018 Birthplace: Russia Parents: Heinrich Bernhard & Katharina Dueck Marriage: Lois Redekop, 1950 Church: Richmond Park MB, Brandon, Man. Family: Lois; children Dorine (Mark) Fowke, Jack (Winnie); 7 grandchildren; 8 great-grandchildren; 1 sister When John was 3, his family left Russia for Canada, settling in Minto, Man. John loved reading, singing, and playing sports. He took over the family farm which led to a move to Boissevain, Man. He attended Bible college, where he met Lois, the love of his life. They

operated the farm until 1971 when they relocated to Brandon, Man. Here John was involved in real estate. After retirement, they moved to Kelowna for 9 years before returning to Brandon to be near family. John had a deep, abiding faith. Jesus was his Saviour and Lord, influencing every aspect of his life. Anyone who spent time with John – neighbours, acquaintances, children, and grandchildren – knew where his allegiance lay. One of his greatest thrills was giving New Testaments to children throughout his 50 years with The Gideons. John was a much-loved husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. Family times were best when everyone was together to play, laugh, sing, and pray. He shared yarns from his childhood around the campfire. Known by many as Singer John, he sang at many weddings and community events, and directed the church choir for years. In the hospital, he sang “Jesus Loves Me” in German for the staff and patients. To the end of his life, John’s love for his Saviour and those around him continued to be paramount.

Eva Epp Sept. 15, 1925– Nov. 19, 2018 Birthplace: Crimea, Russia Parents: Peter & Katarina Esau Marriage: Peter Epp [d. 1988] Church: Clearbrook MB, Abbotsford, B.C. Family: children Peter (Lydia), Heinrich (Martha), Dietrich (Alicia), Anny (Helmut) Penner, Frida, Trudy (Abe) Teichrieb, Dina (Helmut) Fast, Ingrid, [d. two in infancy]; 23 grandchildren; 40 great-grandchildren; 9 great-greatgrandchildren Eva’s family fled to Chaco, Paraguay, in 1929 as refugees. She accepted Jesus as Saviour at 8 and was baptized in 1955. The family moved in 1937 to Friesland, Paraguay, where she married Peter, a widower with 2 sons.

When their 8 children were small, they lived in difficult conditions, far from medical assistance or neighbours. After 14 years in Uruguay, they immigrated to

Canada in 1973. Peter was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and died in 1988. Eva moved to Abbotsford in 1992 and joined Clearbrook MB Church.

This move was her best because she found many old and new friends. Eva enjoyed volunteering at MCC Thrift Store, Garden Park Tower, and The Gleaners, and preparing food for funerals and blankets to send overseas.

When Eva’s health began deteriorating in December 2017, she was saddened that she could no longer volunteer.

Following two falls in October 2018, complications (a brain bleed, leaky valve, and stroke) kept her hospitalized.

One of Eva’s favourite verses was John 14:6. In challenging times, determination and faith carried her through her days.

FA M I LY N E W S

Institute. At 8, Elvira realized her need for a Saviour. Her mother led her in accepting Jesus’ forgiveness. When Elvira was 15, her family moved to Yarrow where she attended Elim Bible School and a year of sewing classes.

The family bought a berry and chicken farm in Chilliwack, B.C. In Abbotsford, Elvira worked at a lamp and shade factory and a laundry service. After bookkeeping training at college in Chilliwack, she worked in the office for Langley Greenhouses, where she met Heintz. After marrying, they spent 4 years on Heintz’s family’s farm in Chilliwack, then bought their own farm in Rosedale where they found joy raising cows, pigs, chickens, and berries. Returning to Chilliwack in 1967, Elvira made draperies, then worked 16 years at fashion retailer Auld Philips.

At Broadway MB Church, she served the Pioneer Girls, Sunday school, choir, and ladies group. After her children left home, she continued chasing her goals: at 53, Elvira earned her Grade 12 diploma, and at 62, learned to swim.

Elvira and Heintz retired to Abbotsford in 1990. As Heintz’s memory loss increased, so too did Elvira’s caregiver role, one she fulfilled with great compassion and love. They moved into Tabor Court, Heintz into full care. In her last years, she looked forward to being with her Lord.

Elvira Dueck Aug. 19, 1926– Jan. 4, 2019 Birthplace: Grande Prairie, Alta.

Parents: Heinrich & Sara Kornelsen Marriage: John J. Dueck, July 25, 1948 [d. Jan. 13, 2010]

Church: Coaldale (Alta.) MB Family: children Edgar (Ruth), Art (Sharon), Natalie (Harold) Warkentin, Alvin (Janet), Marvin (Shannon Little), Mona, Rod (Lisa Blue), Renita (Bill) Hamm, Carl (Jennifer), Emery (Sharon); 29 grandchildren including Alexis [d. 2011]; 20 great-grandchildren Elvira attended high school in Readymade, Alta., Bible school in Coaldale, Alta., and teacher’s training in Calgary. She taught primary grades for a few years before marrying John.

They raised their family and farmed together. Upon retirement in 1989, John and Elvira moved into Coaldale.

Elvira had an unwavering faith in God – lived out in loving commitment to her husband, children, church, and community. She served children’s programs, musical groups, and committees, and volunteered at the Coaldale Health Centre and the MCC Thrift Store. She offered hospitality gladly and eagerly supported any event in which her family participated.

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A fearless traveller to the end, Elvira let her curiosity and love of nature lead her to places near and far. She loved words, and often read to others, translated documents from German, helped with other’s memoirs, and corresponded with the MB Herald. As her children left home, they received hundreds of letters and later emails, detailing interesting encounters or family news. It was her way of keeping the family connected and reminding them of her deep and consistent love.

John E. Janzen Feb. 10, 1927– Jan. 22, 2019 Birthplace: Osterwick, Man. Parents: Henry & Katharina Janzen Marriage: Gertrude Reimer, Oct. 25, 1951 Church: Fairview, St. Catharines, Ont. Family: Gertrude; children Judy (Jerry) Willems, Laurie (John) Zerger, TJ (Kelly); 9 grandchildren; 4 great-grandchildren; 4 sisters John led a full, rich life. As the original manager of the Ontario Chicken Producers Marketing Board for 23 years, he was instrumental in leading this agricultural sector through positive development in Ontario and across the country. The first board chair of Tabor Manor in St. Catharines, Ont., John led with dedication and integrity for more than 25 years. John served as a leader on many boards and committees for Fairview MB Church and the Ontario, Canadian, and binational MB conferences. Family times included travelling, fishing, hunting, golf, and trips with his grandchildren to “Canadian Tire” (their code word for “Tim Hortons”). John leaves a legacy of service to God and his family, church, and community.

Helen Elinor Dick July 25, 1930– Feb. 5, 2019 Birthplace: Arnaud, Man. Parents: David & Helen (Toews) Pauls Marriage: Victor Dick, 1945 Baptism: Coaldale (Alta.) MB, 1947

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Church: Central Heights, Bakerview, Abbotsford, B.C. Family: children Margaret (Gerry) Derksen, Elli (Don) Hiebert, Dorothy (Warren) Janzen, Ken (Darlene) Dueck, Linda (Dale) Tweed; 16 grandchildren; 8 great-grandchildren; 5 siblings Helen’s family joined their relatives in Coaldale, Alta., shortly after her birth. Together with her siblings, she worked hard on their dairy farm and kept busy in school, church, and choirs.

Helen completed her registered nurse’s course at Galt Hospital, Lethbridge, Alta. Helen and Victor knew each other since childhood. Their relationship grew into love. Early in their marriage, they lived in Winnipeg, Steinbach, and Manitou, Man., eventually settling in Abbotsford, B.C. Helen was involved in Pioneer Girls, children’s choirs, and mission committees. She faithfully managed their busy home and fully supported Victor as he worked in his medical practice. Helen enjoyed her retirement years with Victor, travelling and visiting their children and grandchildren around the world. She was known for her gift of hospitality and kind gestures of care and compassion. With her sincere heart for global mission, Helen’s generous spirit touched many lives.

Erica Harder Feb. 5, 1926– Feb. 5, 2019 Birthplace: Winker, Man. Parents: Jacob & Agathe Loewen Marriage: Jake Harder, Apr. 24, 1948 Baptism: Justice (Man.) MB, 1943 Family: Jake; children Eleanor (Gerry) Epp, Audrey, Phil (Connie), Dorothy (Ray) Wieler, Frieda [d. in infancy]; 12 grandchildren; 13 great-grandchildren; 2 sisters When Erica was one, her family moved to Moore Park, Man. In Justice, Man., Erica attended school until Grade 8, after which she helped her mother care for the home and her 4 younger siblings. One winter she took a sewing course in Steinbach, Man.; from then on, she sewed many

beautiful clothes for herself, her sisters, and later, her children, including graduation gowns and wedding dresses. Erica and Jake farmed near Moore Park for 62 years. Erica loved baking, cooking, tending to her family’s needs, her home and garden – making a home filled with warmth, love, and laughter. She especially loved time with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, making sure she had their favourite snacks. Erica loved her Lord and Saviour. At Justice MB Church, she was involved first in youth group and choir, then the women’s fellowship. She taught Sunday school to ages 2–4. She also worked in the MCC Thrift Store in Brandon, Man. Erica and Jake moved to Monterey Estates in Brandon in 2010. Although her health was declining, she still enjoyed having her family and friends come to visit. In July 2018, she moved to Fairview Home where she continued to make new friends.

Martha (Zipper) Graewe July 15, 1930– Feb. 20, 2019 Birthplace: Wallach, Czechoslovakia Parents: Josef & Anna (Gross) Zipper Marriage: Henry Graewe, Oct. 23, 1949 [d. 2008]

Church: Culloden MB, Vancouver; King Road MB, Abbotford, B.C. Family: children Agnes (Ed) Kroeker, Henry (Nancy), Helmuth, Linda (Gary) Manson, Maryanne (Walter) Quiring, Helen (Ernie) Rennert; 16 grandchildren; 19 great-grandchildren; 4 siblings After marrying Henry at age 19 in an MCC refugee camp in Gronau, Germany, Martha immigrated with him to Canada. Following an 11-day voyage to Halifax, they embarked on a 6-day train journey to Wembley, Alta., where they were sponsored as farm workers for one year. There, Martha accepted Jesus as Saviour and was baptized. After stops in Gem, Alta., and Abbotsford, B.C., Martha and Henry settled in Vancouver in 1954. She worked at the Hotel Georgia and Hudson’s Bay. Martha served many

Catharina (Thiessen) Penner Mar. 27, 1930– Mar. 3, 2019 Birthplace: Winnipeg Parents: Jacob & Sara (Enns) Penner Marriage: Peter Thiessen, Oct. 9, 1970 [d. Mar. 1, 1999]; Waldo Penner, Sept. 14, 2000 [d. May 2006]

Baptism: Port Rowan (Ont.) MB, age 15 Family: brother Jake; many nieces & nephews Catharina was 1 of 8 siblings. When she was 3, her family moved to an Erie View farm in Port Rowan, Ont., where she learned to milk cows, ride horses, cultivate, and harvest. Although poor, the family was enriched by many visiting ministers, missionaries, and relatives.

Catharina’s dad led Port Rowan (Ont.) MB Church for many years and they all benefitted. She committed her life to Christ at 12. Catharina enjoyed singing in the choir and teaching Sunday school and vacation Bible school which paved the way to her teaching career. After Eden Bible School, Catharina pursued her high school diploma as an adult and went on to teachers college. She spent 25 years teaching in the Port Rowan area, including one year at Moose Factory, while helping her aging parents. Catharina married Peter in

1970, moving to his farm down the road.

Retiring from teaching in 1985 gave her more time to devote to hobbies including gardening, crochet, furniture refinishing, rug hooking, travelling, and photography. She was the church statistician and historian for 20 years and wrote reports for Die Mennonitische Rundschau. Catharina was widowed in 1999. After she and Waldo married, they moved to Tabor Manor, St. Catharines, Ont. where she organized birthday celebrations and visited those confined to their rooms. In recent years, she experienced vision and hearing loss and dementia. Catharina was well cared for at Tabor Manor and made many friends. Her favourite verse was Psalm 16:6: “The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Indeed, my heritage is beautiful to me.”

Roland Victor Sawatsky Nov. 29, 1932– Mar. 9, 2019 Birthplace: Mullingar, Sask.

Parents: Peter & Mary (Harder) Sawatsky Marriage: Lora Neufeldt, Sept. 22, 1956 Baptism: Yarrow (B.C.) MB, as a teen Church: River East, Winnipeg; Sardis, Chilliwack, B.C. Family: Lora; sons Steven (Pauline), Norman (Nancy); 5 grandchildren At 8, Roland moved with his family to Yarrow, B.C. His mother needed treatment for cancer. She died when he was 9. Roland was passionate about music. After completing his masters of music education in Wichita, Kan., he taught choral music and voice at Moundridge, Kan., secondary school.

He studied toward his doctorate in Kansas City, then moved to Winnipeg.

Roland taught music at Murdoch Mackay Collegiate, Winnipeg. He will be remembered for his hard work and perseverance in building a music program at Murdoch where none existed before. He also served as choir director for numerous churches including River East Church, Winnipeg. Following his retirement, Roland moved to B.C. to be closer to family, whom he loved dearly.

After years of struggling with dementia, he died in Chilliwack, B.C.

Henry Unruh Nov. 2, 1936– Mar. 14, 2019 Birthplace: Fernheim, Paraguay Parents: Wilhelm & Sara Unruh Marriage: Mary Loewen, Nov. 26, 1963 [d. June 1, 1992]; Hedwig Siemens, Apr. 24, 1993 Church: King Road MB, Abbotsford, B.C. Family: Hedwig; children Arny (Katy), Lorianne (Al) Gerbrand, Eldon (Barb), Monica (Kevin) Martens; 7 grandchildren; 3 great-grandchildren Henry attended school until age 6 and helped his father make sausage at a butcher shop. At 7, Henry lost his mother. His father remarried, but their home was not peaceful. Henry decided to follow Jesus at 10, was baptized at 16, and attended a year of Bible school. He worked in a bus manufacturing plant in Uruguay and Argentina. Upon returning to Paraguay, his relationship with Mary sparked into courtship. They married in 1963 and immigrated to Canada.

He worked as a framer in Vancouver and as a subcontractor installing countertops and backsplashes in Abbotsford, B.C. The family tried farming in Paraguay 1972–74, but Mary missed modern amenities. Back in Canada, Henry worked for his brotherin-law at Columbia Kitchen Cabinets for 21 years. He took his family to Oliver and Osoyoos, B.C. Mary died in a car accident on the way to their youngest child’s wedding in Manitoba. Henry was left with lifelong debilitating leg injuries and retired on disability. He went to Paraguay in 1993 and he returned with his new bride Hedwig to start his second chapter. Henry enjoyed gardening, fishing, mission trips, visiting children and grandchildren in Manitoba, and reading God’s Word. He lived with Hedwig until December 2018, when his physical disabilities forced a move to Tabor Home, Abbotsford. Mini-strokes affected his communication. Until his final week, Henry and Hedwig recited the Lord’s Prayer and Psalms 23 and 121 together. Henry was a kind, gentle, selfless husband and father.

MENNONITE BRETHREN HERALD

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FA M I LY N E W S

years as deaconess at Culloden MB Church, Vancouver, where she also enjoyed attending the ladies club. She loved knitting, walking and travelling with her husband, visiting her sisters in Germany, and doing jigsaw puzzles and word search puzzles. After 28 years in Vancouver, Martha and Henry retired to Abbotsford, B.C. After 59 years of marriage, Henry died and Martha’s heart broke. Quiet, reserved, and positive, with a great sense of humour, Martha was a faithful prayer warrior for every member of her family. They were her greatest joy and she loved them unconditionally. She had her first heart attack in July 2018, resulting in congestive heart failure. After numerous relapses, Martha, surrounded by her children, slipped peacefully into the presence of her Lord and the company of her beloved Henry.

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Leonard Bernard Siemens Jan. 5, 1926– Apr. 25, 2019 Birthplace: Horndean, Man. Parents: Bernard & Katherine (Schroeder) Siemens Marriage: (Elly) Olive Enns, Sept. 13, 1952 [d. May 6, 2015]

Church: Fort Garry MB, Winnipeg Family: children Charlotte (Gerald), Becky (Donny), Janice (Donald), Judy (Philip); 8 grandchildren; 1 greatgrandchild; 2 brothers Leonard was born into a loving family on the farm in Horndean, Man.,

where he worked hard. He completed an MSc in plant science (1960) and an MA in sociology (1965). Leonard’s passion was addressing world hunger through agriculture. A highlight of his life was helping establish the agricultural program in Khon Kean University in Thailand (1965–67), for which he received an honorary doctorate from the King of Thailand. He also received an honorary doctorate from the University of Zambia for developing a program in agricultural sciences. Leonard enjoyed 31 years of teaching, research, and administration with the University of Manitoba’s faculty of agriculture, retiring as associate dean in 1989. In retirement,

Leonard was a consultant for Canadian International Development Agency and Mennonite Central Committee, primarily in the developing world. He was also a founding member of the Canadian Foodgrains Bank. Leonard and Olive were charter members of Fort Garry MB Church, Winnipeg, where they developed many longstanding friendships. He had a strong faith in God and a desire to live with integrity, love, and kindness.

Leonard was grateful for the way “the lines had fallen to him in pleasant places” (Psalm 16:6). His last 4 years, he was lovingly cared for at Donwood Manor, Winnipeg. Surrounded by family, Leonard peacefully entered God’s presence.

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Integrate your learning with practical hands-on experience in Christ-centred community.

BA Ministry Leadership BA Christian Studies BA Marketplace Ministry AA Pre-Social Work AA Bible-Theology Certificate of Biblical Studies Pursuit DTS

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M B H E R A L D.C O M

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Jan. 23, 1930– Apr. 30, 2019 Birthplace: Hochfeld, Man. Parents: John & Anna Schmidt Marriage: Helena Dyck, Mar. 26, 1951 Baptism: Yarrow (B.C.) MB, 1949 Church: Grand Forks (B.C.) Gospel Family: Helena; children Peggy (Laurence) Epp, Len (Jean), Rowland (Esther), Christine (Mark) Danyluk, Carolyn (Noel) Knapp; 18 grandchildren;

23 great-grandchildren; 4 siblings Ben’s passion was to know and serve God. A skilled teacher and administrator, he taught and was principal at an elementary school for many years. He took early retirement to attend Prairie Bible Institute, Three Hills, Alta., then worked in England, Pakistan, and Canada for several mission agencies.

Ben was a founding member of Pines Bible Camp, Grand Forks, B.C.

Obituaries have long been a valued part of the MB Herald. From the funeral bulletins, eulogies, and newspaper obituaries you send, our editors craft life stories of our members to inspire and encourage our readers, creating a memorial of MB saints.

FA M I LY N E W S

Benjamin Schmidt

For a flat rate of $65 for up to 300 words and a photograph, MB Herald staff will prepare an obituary compliant with our in-house style. We take care to include historical and genealogical information as available and to highlight aspects of the decedent’s faith walk.

To learn more or to submit a life story, visit mbherald.com/obituary-submission or contact obituaries@mbchurches.ca.

How can we help you make disciples and plant churches? multiply.net

Women in Ministry Leadership The Journey of the Mennonite Brethren, 1954–2010

DOUGLAS J. HEIDEBRECHT explores the paths Mennonite Brethren have walked in their convictions and practice regarding the roles of women in church ministry leadership.

$22.95 CAD Purchase at

kindredproductions.com or by calling 1-800-545-7322

MENNONITE BRETHREN HERALD

SUMMER 2019

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RESOURCING MINISTRY

MOVING IN NEW DIRECTIONS DISCERNING WOMEN IN MINISTRY LEADERSHIP IN THE MENNONITE BRETHREN CHURCH

“It’s like a detective story; you see all these threads woven together,” says Doug Heidebrecht.

Heidebrecht’s Women in Ministry Leadership: The Journey of the Mennonite Brethren, 1954–2010 is the story of the denominational conversation regarding women in ministry positions within Canadian and U.S. Mennonite Brethren churches.

Women in Ministry Leadership was launched on May 10, 2019, at Canadian Mennonite University, Winnipeg, with some 45 people in attendance. It is a more popular presentation of Heidebrecht’s PhD dissertation, “Contextualizing Community Hermeneutics: Mennonite Brethren and Women in Church Leadership” (University of Wales, 2013).

PATHS TO LEADERSHIP ROLES

Since the Mennonite Brethren General Conference gathering in 1999, Heidebrecht has been researching the paths Mennonite Brethren have walked regarding women in leadership roles even as the conference continued to move in new directions leading to the 2006 Canadian conference resolution.

“No other issue has received this level of attention by Mennonite Brethren during the second half of the 20th century,” Heidebrecht writes.

Women’s columns in MB periodicals during the 1960s gave women a public voice in the conference, and became the first avenue for engaging questions regarding women’s involvement in the church that were being raised within the larger society. Katie Funk Wiebe, in particular, was significant in calling for change not only through her prolific writing (articles and books), but also in her speaking and teaching ministry.

However, it was the unprecedented “spontaneous attendance” of five women – Irene

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M B H E R A L D.C O M

Katie Funk Wiebe speaks at a General MB Conference convention in Winnipeg 1990. MAID photo NP149-1-8662

E. Willems, Betty Willems, Mary Poetker, Kae Neufeld, and Anne Neufeld – as delegates at the 1968 annual Canadian MB convention that opened the door for increasing participation of women in conference gatherings and raised new theological questions for provincial and later national conferences, says Heidebrecht.

SCRIPTURE AND CHURCH

Heidebrecht explores three interwoven themes in the book.

• What does the Bible say?

• How does the church live faithfully in a world that is changing?

• And how do Mennonite Brethren wrestle together as a community toward the seemingly elusive goal of consensus.

In the course of his research, Heidebrecht had many conversations with key participants in the study conferences and the formation of resolutions. However, the book is based on written materials – board meeting minutes, papers, and published articles.

The focus is not solely on official leaders – Heidebrecht also presents how people in church engaged in this conversation through correspondence and Letters to the Editor from the Mennonite Brethren Herald (Canada) and the Christian Leader (US).

“How do you give voice to the people in the pews?” Heidebrecht says the letters provided an avenue to bring those voices – of both men and women – into the book. He recognizes the sensitive nature of telling a story that is still unfolding where many participants continue to be actively involved in Mennonite Brethren churches and leadership roles.

Though his source materials are in the public record, Heidebrecht’s work makes the evidence accessible to readers by telling the story, highlighting the decision-making process, and interpreting the underlying currents all in one place.

“It’s a story that needed to be told,” says Jon Isaak, secretary of the MB Historical Commission, which commissioned Heidebrecht to update his dissertation research to 2010 and publish the book with Kindred Productions.

Heidebrecht wrote about the Canadian Conference 2006 resolution in a final chapter of the book, a component not included in his dissertation. “Have we remained in 2006?” one participant asked at the book launch. “What gives hope is local churches wrestling with their own convictions,” says Heidebrecht.

“This book gives a sense of the story, the push and pull, frustrating and fascinating dimensions,” says Isaak.

K ARLA BRAUN

Managing Editor

K E Y N OT E SPE A K ER

Dr. Craig Keener

Registration is open!

The author of 25 books, Craig Keener has been a professor of New Testament at Asbury Theological Seminary, Wilmore, Kentucky, since 2011. With a PhD from Duke University, Craig has also taught at Palmer Theological Seminary of Eastern University and Hood Theological Seminary.

register online at bit.ly/mbEquip

PL EN A RY SPE A K ERS Ingrid Reichard • Gil Dueck • Kimberley Morrison • Tim Geddert Mark Wessner • Kristal Toews • Pierre Gilbert • Doug Heidebrecht

Equip for EQUIP 2019

THURSDAY, JULY 11

INTERACTIVE WEBINAR SERIES Pre-EQUIP study conference interactive webinars Energize your pre-conference reading with a study session with the author.

Sign up to one or more webinars to discuss Interpreting Scripture Today in preparation for EQUIP study conference.

Mark Wessner and Doug Heidebrecht Interpreting Scripture today: exploring how God’s Spirit, Word, and people work together TUESDAY, SEPT. 10 William J. Webb, adjunct professor of biblical studies, Tyndale Seminary How hermeneutics have an effect on meaning

Thursdays, 12 pm Central time

THURSDAY OCT. 10 (TENTATIVE)

MAY 30 Tim Geddert (recording available) How do we talk about ‘the authority of the Bible’?

JUNE 13 Meghan Larissa Good (recording available) Discerning the Spirit in the movement from text to contemporary application

Craig Keener, professor of New Testament, Asbury Theological Seminary Email communications@mbchurches.ca to register and receive log-in credentials.

Visit equip.mennonitebrethren.ca/webinars to watch the recorded webinars.

2019 STUDY CONFERENCE

October 23-25, 2019

WMB Church Waterloo, ON

equipstudyconference.mennonitebrethren.ca

#mbequip2019

MENNONITE BRETHREN HERALD

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Each community will end up confessing their faith somewhat differently than others within our Mennonite Brethren family, but I still hold to the belief that we are a family sitting at the table with each other, asking lots of questions, which lead to discussion, which leads to deeper relationships, which hopefully lead to loving one another more fully in the way of Christ.

KEVIN SNYDER

Lead pastor, Coast Hills MB Church in Surrey, B.C.,

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