24 minute read
TRUMPETS AND NUMBERS AND BEASTS, OH MY
NAVIGATE REVELATION EVENT SUMMARY 2021-02-09
What comes to your mind when you think about the book of Revelation?
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Perhaps your association with the book brings about feelings such as hope or confidence. Or maybe you feel curious, bewildered, or frustrated. Whatever thoughts or emotions you may be encountering are doubtlessly influenced by your past experiences.
One of the reasons why Revelation evokes such a variety of reactions is due to the careful reading and discernment that the book demands. The extra effort required to understand the text can sometimes feel overwhelming. After all, there are trumpets and scrolls and beasts and numbers and angels and plagues and even fractions!
And yet, as the national seminary for the Mennonite Brethren churches in Canada, we feel there are much greater reasons to explore the book of Revelation than to avoid it. Here are a few to consider: ˚ ˚ We want to help you read and understand a book that is often ignored or dismissed. We want to encourage you with the powerful and hope-filled themes that echo throughout the book, especially during this time in history when many are feeling despondent. ˚ We want to give you fresh imagery from writers within our Mennonite Brethren family with the hope that these perspectives will offer you deeper understanding and appreciation. ˚ We want you to receive the blessing that is promised Revelation 1:3—a blessing given to those who hear the words of the book and take to heart what is written in it.
These reasons propelled us to choose Revelation as our devotional text for the season of Lent. In anticipation of the devotion, we invited Dr. Darrell Johnson to deliver an online presentation called Six Principles to Navigate Revelation. Two hundred people participated in the teaching which focused on the major themes of the book and offered a framework for understanding and applying Revelation to their teaching and lives.
MB SEMINARY STAFF
>> The video recording of Navigate Revelation along with recommended resources for Revelation is available here.
>> MB Seminary’s Easter Devotional, All Things New, is a free daily email that is available from February 17 – April 4. You can learn more and sign up here.
REFLECTIONS ON THE MB FAMILY'S ONLINE WEEK OF PRAYER GATHERINGS, JANUARY 17-23, 2021
Each January the national Conference invites the MB churches to join together in prayer. We pray for the MB churches in Canada, for our church leaders, for Seminary, for Multiply and for whatever else the Spirit lays on our hearts.
In January 2021, besides inviting our churches to pray using the written daily prayer guide, we also decided to host live prayer session. For seven days, we met on zoom, for 45 minutes of prayer.
Each day brought a new geographical focus and a new Scripture focus. We prayed around the I AM statements of Jesus, praying the truth and power of who Jesus is and what he is doing, into our personal lives and into the lives of our churches and ministries.
We started on the East Coast, on Sunday, January 17 and prayed through to the West Coast. We held up Multiply, the MB Seminary, our schools, retirement homes, camps and other ministries in the process as well.
Regardless of the day or the Scripture focus, the Spirit led us to pray along these themes: ˚ Unity – amongst our people, our churches, across provinces and ministries, with the larger body of Christ; ˚ The desire for Jesus – a strong desire for Christ’s kingship in our personal lives and in our churches; desire for the primacy of Christ and the wisdom to recognize and remove idols in our lives, in our churches, and in our society; desire to know the Lord’s will and to hear his voice over other voices; ˚ New life – a sense that God is doing a new thing, to be in
tune and willing to embrace the new, discernment what from the past needs to be nurtured and carried forward and what needs to be released; ˚ Leaders –a renewed sense of call, wisdom to lead in challenging times, clarity of vision, encouragement and new strength for those who are discouraged and depleted; ˚ Leadership development – new urgency to call out leaders from the young generation in our churches ˚ First Nations and the world – power of our gospel witness to our neighbours near and far.
I was personally encouraged and strengthen as I saw leaders from around our country show up to pray and as I saw people I don’t personally know come to add their voices to corporate prayer. I was touched to see people from Ontario show up to pray for Manitoba and people from Saskatchewan show up to pray for BC.
Prayer is a deep work and I’m glad that we came together for it.
INGRID REICHARD is the National Faith and Life team director for CCMBC
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Let's talk
This is part two in a six-part dialogue on the subject of discipleship. We invite and encourage you to submit your thoughts and opinions by email at mbherald@mbchurches.ca.
Picking up from last month’s introductory piece on how MB preferences and behaviours shape our understanding of discipleship, I’d like to now focus on how MBs value Discipleship happening in community for the benefit of the community.
Much of the general evangelical understanding of discipleship focuses on personal growth. It calls an individual to develop and sharpen their personal understanding and relationship with God for the sake of their own spiritual development. Although Mennonite Brethren believe in personal growth, we see that it happens best in community context. Moments of quiet contemplation that lead to insights are welcomed and encouraged, but clear discernment and direction occurs in community.
Our general inclination in this direction is exemplified by how we shape our programs. From our leadership development to mission programs, we embed elements of community discernment and team dynamics. It is less about “what is Jesus teaching you?” And more about “what is Jesus teaching us through your experiences?”
I believe that three key elements have contributed to our understanding of discipleship to be a communal experience. They are: 1. Ancestry: Today, our denomination has a global and multi-ethnic presence but it started as a close-knit single-ethnic group. Common ancestry, common history (including geography) and language, made it easier for communal discipleship to occur. 2. History: Shared events in the earlier life of our forefathers and mothers, such as religious persecution, familiar patterns of migration and entrepreneurial success, have also contributed
to a continued emphasis on community. 3. Colony living experiences: The founders of the MB movement came out of colony-style living and therefore were accustomed to sharing life and accomplishments in a more integrated way than most.
The above early conditions of our faith
Like many people groups, Mennonites have a story of migration. Today, in Canada, many care worker jobs are staffed by newcomers. It was the same in the 1930s to 1950s, as Mennonite newcomer women worked as domestics in wealthy urban households. These Mennonite women did what they could to help their families resettle in Canada.
>> For more on how the MB church helped these women with housing and advocacy, see this story of the Mary
Martha Home.
movement led us to gravitate towards a biblical interpretation that values community discipleship. We identify with the early Church and the type of development expressed in the first few chapters of the book of Acts. The praying-learning-sharing in community lived out by the church in the book of Acts becomes a pattern to emulate.
Convictions, of course, must become actions and actions in turn form behaviours. If we truly believe that discipleship is best done in community then there must be tangible examples of that conviction. Here are some of the ways I think we have lived this out:
Community interpretation: We define and refine our theological beliefs in community. It is the gathered body and not individual experts who are called to interpret biblical teachings to shape our confessional convictions prayerfully.
Leaders’ plurality: We believe that God gifts different people with different leadership skills and abilities; we tend to lead in teams. We are less inclined to seek after a superstar leader and gravitate towards a plurality of leadership.
We decide together: We create systems that allow for community discernment and decision.
Community calling: Although this is less prevalent in the present, our history indicates that
it was the community that called out its leaders. It was common for the MBs to call out people into ministry placement from appointing missionaries to teachers and pastors. The community that sees the gifts in an individual helps to nurture those gifts and provides the opportunity for them to utilize those gifts.
We value the gathered church: There is a strong call and emphasis on gathering and serving at a local church. Our discipleship convictions encourage the individual to belong and become part of a mutual accountability with a local church.
Community Accountability: Less prevalent now but a part of history, community accountability led to both discipline and restoration.
I can say much more in this area, but I intend for these articles to be a conversation starter. I want to thank those that submitted their thoughts so far and invite others to engage with me on the subject. So, let’s talk.
ELTON DASILVA is the national director of the Canadian Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches. Elton and Ana live in Winnipeg and have three children.
Let's talk
The following is a selection of responses to the introductory piece, Let's talk about discipleship. Read it online here.
CLEAR CONNECTION TO THE CONFESSION
Elton, I agree that the nuances of discipleship in the MB family that you named in your article set our denomination apart.
One nuance of discipleship I hope will set us apart in the future is a more clear connection between discipleship and the shared beliefs of our Confession of Faith.
At our local church, we've developed a tool called The 10 Year Disciple—a framework of 15 discernible traits that we would hope to see in the life of a disciple who has journeyed with us for 10 years.
When we consider defining our discipleship on a national level, I think many of the topics we address in Article 10 of the Confession of Faith (discipleship) are important: following Jesus, united in a distinct community, and demonstrating true faith.
I believe that each denomination brings something to the beauty that can be found in the body of Christ in Canada, as together we represent Jesus to the world around us. As someone who has been grafted into the MB family, I really see the beauty of the distinct understanding we have in our confession of faith of what it means to be a follower of Jesus. So, I hope our confession can become one of the formative documents in discerning an end goal of discipleship that we might all share as MB churches. For instance, we might consider an end goal of discipleship for the MB Church to be to actively take a stand for justice in our land—justice shaped out of our confessional stances on the sanctity of human life (Article 14), peace for all people (Article 13) and dealing with systemic evil (Article 4). Or might we consider an end goal of discipleship to be becoming a people who profess our faith in Jesus because we understand the need to reach people of other faiths in our land and around the world (Article 17) because Jesus is returning (Article 18).
Chris Stevens Lead Pastor, WMB
IT'S COMPLICATED
Elton, thanks for starting this great discussion on discipleship. I look forward to the subsequent articles and related discussion. Discipleship is at the core of who we are as and MB family and yet as you mention, still tends to confuse us. It seems to me that the basic ideas of discipleship, such as following and becoming more like Jesus, are simple to say but really hard to do. They are messy because people are involved. One of our unique approaches to discipleship is that we are relentlessly community focused, which includes our community hermeneutic, our team based mission work, and our collaborative leadership approaches. I value these very much, but they are complicated and hard to do. I think that's why we try to program and systematize discipleship. We create 'leadership pipelines' and 'discipleship systems' - which are fine and can be helpful, but they sometimes take away the organic nature and mess of a discipleship ecosystem. We somehow need to find our way in that tension of having adequate systems and structures that help clarify and focus us in discipleship, while not taming and domesticating the organic, communal work of the Spirit among us.
One key area of interest and focus for me in our future work and thinking in this area, is the future role of the old foundational functions of the church from Ephesians 4 - the increased leveraging of a more balanced apostolic, prophetic, evangelistic, shepherd and teacher functions for the church.
Bruce Enns Lead Pastor, Forest Grove Community Church
NEW CONCEPTS
In A History of the Mennonite Brethren Church, (Board of Christian Literature, 1975) Dr. John A. Toews quotes the following record of an October, 1523 debate in which “a basic schism began to develop between [religious leader Ulrich] Zwingli and the Radicals [who 15 months later founded the Anabaptist movement. The issue was whether the Zurich city council had the right to tell church leaders not to abolish the mass]. The record of the debate states:
Conrad Grebel rose and thought that the priests should be given instructions, since they were all present, as to what should be done about the Mass;….
Zwingli: My Lords [the Council] will decide how to proceed henceforth with the Mass.
Simon Stumpf: Master Ulrich. You have no authority to place the decision in the hands of My Lords, for the decision is already made: the Spirit of God decides.
The words Nachfolge Christi translate as “following Jesus.”
Marvin Dyck Winnipeg, Manitoba
IT'S A LIVED-OUT THING
I completely agree with you, Elton, that discipleship in contemporary religious settings is often ineffective for many of the reasons you’ve said. Disciple-making is really about journeying with others seeking Jesus in their lives the same way you and I are. It’s not a ‘top-down thing’; it’s a ‘lived out thing’… so creating a program, while sometimes helpful, doesn’t get to the heart of the matter in and of its own. Why is it that so many churches seem to focus on the program end of things? Is it because, as you say, quantitative over-rides qualitative even on the discipleship front?
Engaging with others in discipleship begins with an understanding of what we believe scripture says about Jesus. Therefore the life people are called to when they decide to follow him. I agree that if we allow the culture to shape the discipleship journey, rather than biblical principles, we may well make disciples who fit well in the world but who follow someone who doesn’t look much like Jesus.
Karen West,
Waterloo, Ontario
2020 FINANCIAL YEAR IN REVIEW
Please be advised that the following overview represents preliminary unaudited figures. Audited financial statements will be available online ahead of the June 10-12, 2020 National Assembly (formerly AGM).
CCMB began 2020 with an approved budget of $1.1 million in single-stream church giving. In response to COVID-19 constraints, in the spring, we adjusted that budget to $991,000. CCMBC enacted salary reductions, temporary and permanent layoffs, and reduced giving to partner organizations to make this adjustment. The combination of austerity management and federal government wage subsidies allowed us to finish the year positively. Due to the pandemic’s continued effects, we propose a reduced 2021 budget, $236,000 less than the previous year. APPROVED 2020 BUDGET (SINGLE-STREAM GIVING) $1.1 MILLION
HOW DID WE ADAPT TO MEET THE ADJUSTED BUDGET? X SALARY REDUCTIONS X LAYOFFS X REDUCED GIVING TO PARTNERS X AUSTERITY MANAGEMENT X GOVERNMENT WAGE SUBSIDIES
2020 SURPLUS $215,468
WHAT DID CCMBC FUND IN 2020? $114,789 $40,000 $13,000
NATIONAL FAITH AND LIFE TEAM (NFLT) Providing spiritual guidance and direction in matters of faith, theology, and ethics; upholding our Confession of Faith; and developing pastoral resources and events. ICOMB International Community of Mennonite Brethren.
$31,250
MB HISTORICAL COMMISION Fostering historical understanding and appreciation of the MB Church in Canada, the US, and globally.
$88,329
CHURCH PLANTING Multiplying Christ-centred churches ETEQ Theological training equipping men and women to serve Christ in the changing context of Quebec and the world.
$8,667
EXTENDED FAMILY Partners including MWC and EFC.
$87,500
MB SEMINARY Educating pastors, missionaries, counselors, scholars, and leaders for congregational or marketplace ministry within the MB constituency.
$21,945
CENTRE FOR MB STUDIES (CMBS) Telling the stories of the MB community on mission, and providing archival and interpretive resources
$3,493
NATIONAL MINISTRY TEAM (NMT) The strategic body of the MB Church in Canada, comprised of provincial, partner agency and NFLT leadership.
WHAT DID CCMBC DO IN 2020?
NEW BYLAWS introduced essential elements for the functioning of the Collaborative Model. The bylaws also recognized an additional class of members, including our provincial conferences and national agencies such as Legacy, Multiply and MB Seminary. The board of these new “member organizations” form the National Council to advise and counsel towards fulfilling our collective mission. For voting and approval purposes, the bylaws recognize the National Assembly, replacing what was previously known as our AGM. The National Assembly includes delegates from churches and member organizations. Church delegates remain the primary decision-makers, just as they had in our previous bylaws. THE CUSP, the Collaborative Unified Strategic Plan, gathers all parts of the MB family under one strategic focus. The CUSP identifies new priorities, outcomes and family values. It also includes an updated mission focus for the MB Church in Canada: To collaboratively develop a discipling identity that propels churches to a disciple-making attitude in order to produce new leaders who lead new disciple-making movements.
Both the bylaws and the CUSP were vetted multiple times over 2020 with the National Council, focused groups, and town hall meetings.
If you have comments or questions, please email us at FAQ@mbchurches.ca.
$600,000
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$400,000 Expenses Revenue
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Finish lines
(MILDRED) JUNE FRIESEN
June grew up near Kronsgart, Man., attending Rosewell School and Kronsgart MB Church – where she was baptised as a teenager. Her faith in her Saviour and desire to follow him shaped her life. As a girl, she was needed on the farm: gardening, milking, gathering eggs, and caring for her younger siblings. She took piano and viola lessons throughout public school. June finished her last 2 years of high school in Winkler, Man., where she played in the school orchestra and a string quartet. She spent two years at Winkler Bible School, then went on to MB Bible College in Winnipeg, completing her ARCT prior to graduation. Both her early sense of responsibility and love of music lingered. It was at MB Bible College that she met her future husband, Henry Friesen, from Virgil, Ont. They married in October 1957. June taught piano at home and for Yamaha for years. While in Winnipeg, they were charter members of Fort Garry MB Church. They instilled in their children – Pearl, Paul, and Bruce (Caspar) – a love for God, music, and learning. When Henry’s job was eliminated in 1984, with June having just completed her bachelor of social work, they offered their hospitality skills to Mennonite Central Committee. They worked in Munich, Germany, with refugees; in Pennsylvania at MCC headquarters; and in Nairobi, Kenya, as guest house hosts – loving every challenge and opportunity. June and Henry retired to Kelowna, B.C., in 1999 and joined Willow Park Church. June loved sharing food and stories with her grandchildren, cousins, and friends. She was a huge connector of people and causes including fair trade, MCC, and refugee resettlement. While in Africa, she was instrumental in helping women create jewelry and textiles that would sell in Europe and North America. On the board of MCC BC, she enjoyed opportunities to travel and advocate for women and entrepreneurs in developing countries. Even as cancer took her energy, June continued caring for others, especially the love of her life. When Henry developed dementia, she walked alongside him. One of her last questions was “Is Henry sick?” Their last meal together was ice cream. June died peacefully surrounded by family.
Birth: June 25, 1936
Birthplace: Winkler, Man.
Death: December 22, 2020
Parents: Bernard & Lydia Enns
Married: Henry Peter Friesen, Oct. 5, 1957
Family: Henry; children Pearl Fehr (Ernie), Paul (Bonnie), Caspar (Jan Picard); grandchildren; great-grandchildren; 2 sisters
Church: Fort Garry MB, Winnipeg; Willow Park, Kelowna, B.C.
Baptism: Kronsgart (Man.) MB WALTER PENNER
Walter grew up in a loving family and in MB church community in Springstein and Brandon, Man. He accepted Jesus as Saviour at 15. In 1946, the family relocated to St. Catharines, Ont., and initially Walter worked with his father building houses. During the following years, he worked for several local firms in the building and wholesale hardware industry, serving as general manager for many years before retirement. Walter and Martha married Sept. 5, 1959, and welcomed three daughters, Wendy, Karen, and Lorraine. Over the years, their family expanded to include two sons-in-law and two treasured grandsons. Fairview MB Church was their church home, and Tabor Manor became their home community in 2001. Walter always had a wonderful smile, a thoughtful word, and a humorous tidbit to share. He was known for his deep faith in the Lord, his kindness and willingness to help wherever he could, and his devoted care for Martha. Walter loved photography, puzzles, spending time at the Welland Canal and local airport, and meeting with his coffee groups. Even at 90, he could still beat his kids at Scrabble!
Birth: February 5, 1930
Birthplace: Winnipeg
Death: December 8, 2020
Parents: Jacob & Katie Penner
Married: Martha Martens, Sept. 5, 1959 [d. July 21, 2010]
Family: children Wendy Armstrong (George), Karen, Lorraine Klassen (Rob); 2 grandsons; 3 siblings
Church: Fairview MB Church
Baptism: Scott Street MB, 1946
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.
CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT AN OBITUARY
FRANK SUDERMAN
When Frank was under a year, his family immigrated to Stouville, Ont. Frank found school challenging. He had headaches from short-sightedness, stomach aches from nervousness, and problems with bullies. He didn’t return to school after Grade 8. Because the Sudermans spoke German, the community assumed they supported Hitler, which increased difficulties for the family. Frank was involved in vacation Bible school and shared with others the importance of a relationship with God. He worked with his siblings Agnes and Ralph in a vegetable garden earning 50 cents a day. Frank and Ralph joined an MCC boat trip across the Atlantic, transporting horses and cattle to Crete. Frank found his mother’s unexpected death in 1952 and his father’s remarriage difficult. With Agnes’ encouragement, Frank attended Winkler (Man.) Bible Institute. In 1953, at Winnipeg Bible College he met Annie Friesen from Vancouver. They married at Vancouver MB Church, and after the honeymoon, returned to Ontario to take off the crops in the wake of Hurricane Hazel. Evelyn, Luella, and Frances were born in Port Rowan, Ont. After the move to Vancouver in 1959, the family welcomed sons Walter and William. Frank sustained broken ribs and whiplash in a car accident in 1962; the settlement he received enabled the family to purchase their first home. Irene was born shortly afterward. Frank taught himself to play 6 instruments. He conducted choirs from a young age in Port Rowan and continued to do so for decades at Vancouver MB. In 1972, the family relocated to their 3-acre blueberry farm in Richmond, B.C. Seven years later, they moved to Surrey, B.C., where Frank started a hobby farm with chickens, two cows, a dog, cats, and Walter’s horse. Frank worked at Woodwards 31 years. In 1990, Frank and Anne retired to Abbotsford, B.C., with a huge garden: Frank could make anything grow. They travelled to Hawaii, cruised to Alaska, visited Frances in United Arab Emirates, toured Israel, and for their 50th anniversary, took their family to Yellowstone National Park. They fulfilled Frank’s dream of returning to his birthplace. Frank cared for his children and grandchildren, supporting them to attend camp and Bible college.
Birth: July 23, 1925
Birthplace: Ebental, Ukraine
Death: November 25, 2020
Parents: Alexander & Mary (Esau) Suderman
Married: Anne Friesen, Nov. 6, 1954 [d. May 1, 2015]
Family: children Evelyn, Luella, Frances, Walter, William, Irene; grandchildren
Church: Bakerview, Abbotsford, B.C. RUDIE WILLMS
Rudie’s childhood on a Saskatchewan grain farm and youth on a B.C. dairy farm left him with fond memories. In his mid-20s, he determined life would be richer if he could share it with a gal who had caught his eye as a teenager in Matsqui, B.C. He mailed a marriage proposal to Louise, who was teaching in Oliver, B.C. At first dumbfounded, she accepted – leading to a 61-year adventure. Rudie never desired wealth. He purchased their first home in Winnipeg for $9,000 and later sold it for $6,000. What he lacked in financial prowess, he made up for in relational depth, investing heavily in his family, friends, and those in need. At an early age, he dedicated his life to Jesus and sensed a call to church ministry. Rudie trained at Columbia Bible College, Abbotsford; MB Bible College, Winnipeg; and MB Biblical Seminary, Fresno, Cal. He loved to preach and teach of the love of God. Rudie’s formal ministry began with the daily, Canada-wide radio program, The Gospel Light Hour. He launched Logan Avenue MB (now Salem Community Bible Church) in Winnipeg in 1960, and for 60 years, shepherded congregations in Winnipeg; Aldergrove, B.C; Vancouver; and St. Catharines, Ont. The intricacies of organizational leadership sometimes overwhelmed him. His passion was simply to love the individual before him, especially those on the fringes. He sought out those who were hurting, welcomed their phone calls at all hours, and regularly met them for coffee. While giving himself wholeheartedly to the church, Rudie made his family his priority – enjoying his three boys and travelling any distance to mark graduations, weddings, and funerals. His last formal role was chaplain at Tabor Court, Abbotsford, B.C. He spent his later years in his recliner, pen and paper in one hand and well-worn Bible in the other. Even during the most difficult days with Alzheimer’s disease, moments of clarity happened when he prayed: his strong voice and focus on his Saviour returning. COVID-19 was Rudie’s final trial before seeing his Saviour face to face.
Birth: June 13, 1934
Birthplace: Heburn, Sask.
Death: December 3, 2020
Parents: John & Helena Willms
Married: Louise Lorraine Klassen, Aug. 20, 1959
Family: Louise; sons Ed (Karin), Roger (Rhonda), Barry (Lynda); 11 grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren; 3 siblings
Church: Clearbrook MB, Abbotsford, B.C.
Baptism: Matsqui MB, Abbotsford, B.C, August 1949
A moment in time
MENNONITE BRETHREN HERALD, OCTOBER 5, 1962 Courtesy of the Centre for Mennonite Brethren Studies
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