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Digest
Sixty years of sharing the life & story of the Mennonite Brethren in Canada
National Assembly June 10-12, 2021
VOLUME 60, NO. 5
C O N V E R S AT I O N S O N T H E M B C O N F E S S I O N C O N T E N T M E N T : T H E PAT H L E S S T R AV E L L E D R A N D Y F R I E S E N , A M O D E L O F H U M I L I T Y A N D S E R VA N T H O O D
Q: How do you speak well about marriage with your neighbours, knowing that marriage can be difficult? A: Check out the Faith and Life online pamphlets about marriage and family. www.mennonitebrethren.ca/ nflt-resources
Mennonite Brethren Herald Digest is digitally published monthly 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.
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ISSN: 0025-9349 The Mennonite Brethren Herald is a publication of
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CONVERSATIONS ON THE MB CONFESSION
Matthew Siemens
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CONTENTMENT: THE PATH LESS TRAVELLED
Rev. Philip A. Gunther
12 Sixty years
of sharing the life and story of Mennonite Brethren in Canada
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LEANING
Shauna Caldwell Mikayla Doerksen, an undergraduate
FINISH LINES
student from Canadian Mennonite University says the MB Confession of Faith has helped her “figure out her beliefs.” See full story on page 6.
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From the editor t feels as though 2021 is flying by; we're almost at the halfway point already. Strange really, given we've spent the last 18 months at home. But here we are, weeks away from June. I'm doing something a bit different with this month's editorial: Putting the spotlight on CCMBC's National Assembly. It's unusual (granted, a little self-serving) to promote a Conference event on the cover of the MB Herald Digest, but this is no ordinary event. Previously known as Gathering, this year's National Assembly is the culmination of years of work. In Conversations on the MB Confession (page 6), writer Matthew Siemens describes the MB Confes2 0 2 1 S C H E D U L E ( C E N T R A L DAY L I G H T T I M E S ) Thursday, June 10, 7 pm. Decision point sion of Faith as "a crucial resource of faithful living information sessions for more than 36,000 Christians across Canada." Friday, June 11, 7 pm. Worship service Article 8 of the MB Confession of Faith (Christian Saturday, June 12, 10:30 am. Annual General Baptism) has been discussed at regional gatherMeeting ings across the country for three years. The National Faith and Life Team have collected this feedback and prayerfully and thoughtfully revised the artiKEY DECISION POINTS Revisions to Article 8, Christian Baptism cle for approval on June 12. Revised CCMBC bylaws The Collaborative Model approved and forThe CUSP mally put into effect at the 2020 National Assembly continues to develop. The next step in this process Nominations is the approval of revised bylaws. The CCMBC Executive Board has spent the better part of a year RESOURCES making the necessary adjustments and meeting What is a delegate? with focus groups and town hall gatherings, colRegister your church delegates lecting input. This June, we turn to you, the (for church admins) delegates to accept and adopt the new bylaws. Register as a guest The National Ministry Team presents the Collaborative Unified Strategic Plan (The CUSP) for approval at National Assembly. If the revised bylaws give life to the Collaborative Model, The CUSP gives legs to the fledgling governance model, allowing the collective MB churches of Canada to dream big and get down to work. There's a bevy of supporting documents that unpack the mission/value, values, strategic priorities and more. I encourage you to take a deep dive ahead of June 10. We exist to foster a community and culture of healthy disciple-making churches and ministries, faithfully joining Jesus in his mission. You are a vital part of that community; a shareholder in the mission of the MB Church. Speak to your pastor about joining your local church delegation at the 2021 National Assembly.
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Carson
CARSON SAMSON
Communications director
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HOMEPAGE
# E V E RY B O DY LOV E S S U RV E YS
We have questions, you have answers. This summer, we will be inviting you to participate in a survey to help us to understand better how our community members have been navigating their relationship with the church throughout COVID-19 and how church engagement postCOVID might look. The short 10-12 minute survey will also explore the values, causes, and issues most important to our members. We want to encourage all our congregation and community members to look out for the survey invitation and provide feedback to ensure we can continue to engage with you in a meaningful way. We have partnered with an independent research company, Insights West so that all survey responses will be anonymous and confidential. Stay tuned for more information.
New book presents the history of Mennonite Brethren Bible College The Mennonite Brethren Historical Commission is pleased to announce the publication of Abe J. Dueck’s book, Mennonite Brethren Bible College: A History of Competing Visions. The book—released by Kindred Productions in April 2021—documents and assesses the Canadian Mennonite Brethren Church’s education agenda from 1944 to 1992. “This is a story populated by dynamic and influential personalities, robust debate, debilitating tension, but also reminders of God’s gracious blessing on the school and of its enormous contribution to the life of the Canadian MB Church” (Dora Dueck, author and former MB Herald editorial staff, Delta, BC). >> To purchase your copy, visit www.kindredproductions.com.
WELLNESS IN A COVID-19 WORLD Soul Fatigue – A Journey to Something New.
Reviving Hope – Passion and Purpose Post-covid.
MAY 26, 2021
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WELLNESS WORKSHOP
“Bless the Lord” Album: Liederen Uit Taizé (2008) Taizé I love the sung prayer of the Taize community. This monastic community in southern France hosts tens of thousands of guests each year, most youth and young adults. In their worship, the short, meditative, Scripture-based songs are sung repetitively, thus becoming a way to listen to God. The songs stay with me throughout the day, providing a way to keep praying in my heart, even when I may be unaware of it. The Taize design their music for corporate worship; no visible leaders, all can participate. Musicians improvise freely, making infinitely imaginative ways to experience these prayerful songs that are sung in various languages, reminding me of God’s faithful people worshiping around the globe. One of my favourite songs from Taize (found in our “Worship Together” hymn book # 181) is Bless the Lord. Solo voices sing the text of Psalm 130 while the congregation sings the reassuring words: Bless the Lord, my soul, and bless God’s holy name. Bless the Lord my soul, who leads me into life (text slightly altered from the hymn book version).
HOMEPAGE
Songs that shape us # S AV E T H E D AT E
NEW DATES
Pastors Credentialing Orientation (PCO) will be delivered in two campuses in 2021: PCO East in Ontario on October 27-29, and PCO West in British Columbia on November 3-5 #CCMBCPCO
Listen on YouTube JULIE DOERKSEN
Pastor of worship and children’s ministries River East Church, Winnipeg, Man.
Tell us, what songs shape you? mbherald@mbchurches.ca
Need help subscribing to the online digest? Email us at mbherald@ mbchurches.ca, or call 1-888-669-6575 and ask for Carson or Bomba.
CORRECTION
In our previous issue, we accidentally listed Karen Hume as accounting manager, when she is in fact, facilities manager.
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Mikayla Doerksen takes to her YouTube channel to tackle tough questions about Christianity.
CONVERSATIONS ON THE MB CONFESSION H OW M B CO N G REGANTS ARE TH I N KI N G TH RO U G H T H E I R C O N F E S S I O N O F FA I T H ow is the MB Confession of Faith, first embraced by the Mennonite Brethren Church over one-hundred-and-nineteen years ago, still impacting and influencing Christians today? Since its revision in 1999, the MB Confession of Faith has been a crucial resource of faithful living for more than 36,000 Christians across Canada. With the recent proposal made by the Canadian MB conference to revise article eight (“Christian Baptism”), questions around the purpose and role of the confession are becoming more and more frequent. One individual asking such questions is Mikayla Doerksen, an undergraduate student from Canadian Mennonite University and member of Westwood Community Church, who recently featured the MB Confession of Faith in a YouTube video answering frequently asked questions about Christianity. Majoring in Biblical and Theological Studies and Social Sciences, Doerksen’s video seeks to engage with questions that many Christians might have about
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their theological traditions as well as questions non-Christians might have about the Christian faith. In answer to a question about denominational differences, Doerksen refers to the MB Confession of Faith as a resource for MB Christians that has helped her “figure out her beliefs.” “The idea for the video came out of my time working at the VIA Rail train station,” says Doerksen, “Through my conversations there with many former Christians, agnostics, and atheists, I had to take a step back and evaluate what my faith actually means, beginning with the MB Confession of Faith.” Doerksen describes how, in an age of religious deconstruction, there will always be many credible sources on the internet where many people her age acquire information, “yet when it comes to the Confession of Faith there is a relationship to it that far exceeds its role as a document or a list of rules.” While it may not be mentioned in the average Sunday morning sermon, Doerksen claims that “it is the community that embodies the Confession.
BUILDING COMMUNITY
I H A D T O TA K E A S T E P B A C K A N D E VA L U AT E W H AT M Y FA I T H A C T U A L LY M E A N S , B E G I N N I N G W I T H T H E M B CO N F E S S I O N O F FA I T H .
The community is the aspect of the church that demonstrates what the Confession is all about, which is ultimately discipleship.” Similarly, high school teacher Ramon Rempel has assigned his Bible class at Mennonite Brethren Collegiate Institute a unique project. Rempel asks his class to choose one article from the confession and to spend some time researching it, making connections between the article and relevant biblical passages, and developing arguments for whether the article should be revised, preserved, or removed. “We begin way back with the Nicene Creed and other early creeds and then move into the Schleitheim Confession and then, eventually, this one,” says Rempel, “We ask what a confession is, what changes and developments have happened to the confession over history? All of this is to show that confessions are not written in stone (so to speak), that they are constantly changing and being adjusted.” Once the students have completed their assignment, CMU professors Paul Doerksen and Andrew Dyck (also Assistant Professor of Christian Spirituality and Pastoral Ministry at MB Biblical Seminary) are invited to hear the presentations in order to provide feedback and ask questions of the students. After contemplating the various projects, Dyck shares that “some students consider the confessions to be heavy-handed or rules-based. They feel that the confessions need to be softened, which is usually connected to views around love given to them by their surrounding culture. One student pointed out that the thing missing from the confession is prayer, that the MB
confession has little to link the big theological claims about God to ways of faithful living.” While not all of the students in Rempel’s class come from MB backgrounds, Rempel describes the value of theological thinking as “not necessarily a matter of finalizing one’s own perspective, but rather, a journey of empathy.” Rempel reports that for some students, this project is an exercise in researching their roots and heritage, while for others it is an exploration of what a meaningful life signifies outside of their own perspectives. For those students who come from church-based backgrounds, Rempel explains, “With all of the theological decision-making happening above them, most high school students feel separated from theological thinking. They think of their church experiences as primarily performative and so remain uninvolved when thinking about topics of faith. This project is to get them to think about themselves as participants in the life of the church.” This winter marks the third enactment of Rempel’s experimental assignment which he anticipates will continue into future years. As Rempel puts it, “Students want meaning. Confessions are ultimately about meaning. They want to do things with their lives that matter. Our job is to show them that this work is not yet done. It is dynamic and unfinished, and it is in their hands.” Delegates from MB churches will decide on the proposal for revision of the eighth article this June 2021. M AT T H E W S I E M E N S
Writer for Canadian Mennonite University.
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“ C O N T E N T M E N T I S A D E E P E M O T I O N A L S TAT E O F B E I N G W H E R E A M Y S T E R I O U S M I X T U R E O F A C C E P TA N C E , H O P E , S AT I S FA C T I O N , G R AT I T U D E , P E A C E A N D J OY A B I D E .” “ D I S CO NTE NT I S TH E J OY O F TH E D E V I L S .” T H O M A S WAT S O N
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Full disclosure, my friends – I have times when I do not experience contentment. I demonstrate moments of discontent. However, I do eventually land in a space I call contentment equilibrium. Like you, I am on a journey to a spiritual satisfaction in Christ. The following is what I have learned about contentment. It has enabled me to better walk this journey.
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recently re-discovered Barry Adams 1999 work, The Father’s Love Letter. Translated into over 100 languages this literary piece is a compilation of verses from the Bible to form a single epistle from God. Adams, formerly an associate pastor in a Mennonite church in St. Catharines, Ontario, intended that each line in the letter be paraphrased to communicate the depth and breadth of God’s love for humankind. At the same time, I was reading Richard Swensen’s book, Contentment – The Secret to a Lasting Calm, and Thomas Watson’s work, The Art of Divine Contentment. All of these sources expanded my horizons on the nature of contentment. I particularly engaged with Watson’s assertions. This 17th century English Puritan pastor taught that contentment springs from understanding God’s providential care and from trusting in the very promises of God. Watson wrote, He has taken you out of the wild olive vine of nature, and grafted you into Christ, making you living branches of that living vine. He has not only caused the light to shine on you, but into you, and has granted you all the privileges of sonship. Is not here that which may make the soul content? Adams makes a truly inspiring effort to edify and encourage disciples of Jesus about the fact that God sees his people as the beloved. He outlines in point form the spectrum of God’s loving and redemptive work on our behalf. Watson posits that it is these salvific expressions and promises of God that are the basis of contentment. Freedom in Christ ministry founder Neil Anderson’s work on equipping disciples has a place here. Anderson wants to help believers experience freedom and vitality in life based upon understanding their identity in Christ. It is when they accept and live out of who they are in Christ that they will experience contentment.
In my exploration, I too gravitate to the notion that my own personal contentment is deeply rooted to the nature, work and promises of God. In my journal I drafted ten contentment circuit breakers (see article inset). A circuit breaker is a device which interrupts the flow of electricity stopping the function of some electronic component. In non-mechanical terms, these are things that interrupt contentment from functioning in our lives. What I noticed is that most of them seem to circle around a shallow understanding of God – what he has done, is doing and will do in our lives, not accepting our God-given identity in Christ, or doubting God’s promises. In pastoral ministry I witnessed many discontented Christians – too many, in fact. Reflecting upon why there were so many casualties to this unsettling emotional state, the reasons again seemed to fall into one or more of these circuit breakers. Watson seems to craft a unique perspective here when he wrote to his 17th century audience, “The discontented person thinks everything he does for God is too much, and everything that God does for him is too little.” I would simply add, far too many disciples are discontent because they don’t genuinely know or accept the path our kind Father has laid before them, a road
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TEN CONTENTMENT CIRCUIT BREAKERS of faith in God’s ˚ Lack sovereignty
in the goodness of God ˚ Doubt Doubting God’s love ˚ Eyes fixed on something other ˚ than Jesus of gratitude, not seeing ˚ Lack one’s blessings mind fixed on earthly ˚ Amatters
˚ Covetousness the purpose ˚ Misunderstanding of hardship and suffering
in social media rather ˚ Soaking than sacred Scripture to understand, accept ˚ Failure and live out of one’s identity in Christ Unconfessed sin
˚
paved with the knowledge that he will treat his disciples as his beloved. Swenson wisely pens, “We will only be whole – at peace, at rest, and fully contented – when we agree with God about who we are and about what He wants us to be.” I have come to accept that contentment exists as a learned reality. The Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Philippi, “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation.” Contentment is also a choice we make, a biblical command we are to obey, actually, (1 Timothy 6:8; Hebrews 13:5). Finally, contentment is a work of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-25). Author Jeremiah Burroughs, in his book, The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment wrote that, “Contentment is a sweet, inward heart thing. It is the work of the Spirit indoors.” American poet Robert Frost wrote a poem called The Road Not Taken in which he described two roads that lay before him in the yellow wood; one was well worn, the other “less traveled by.” He took the latter and that made all the difference. I tend to think about contentment in a similar way; the paths of discontent and contentment are stretched out before us. The latter road is sadly less traveled by, even for disciples, but choosing it makes all the difference.
R E V. P H I L I P A . G U N T H E R
is director of ministry for the Saskatchewan Conference of MB Churches
Follow Jesus. Serve the church. Engage the world. Dig deep into God’s Word and build a strong Biblical foundation in Christ-centred community. Biblical Studies Pre-University Ministry Leadership Marketplace Christian Leadership (Online) Pursuit
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Thank you The Faculty, Staff, and Board of MB Seminary want to express our deep thanks and appreciation for Pierre Gilbert and Andrew Dyck and their many years of faithful service through our long-standing partnership with Canadian Mennonite University. Pierre and Andrew have been a great blessing both within and beyond the MB constituency in Manitoba. They have been exemplary ambassadors for both MB Seminary and the Canadian Conference of MB Churches, especially in theological teaching and pastoral care for our students. We are pleased that our collaborative relationship within Manitoba will continue even as Pierre and Andrew’s faculty status will change as part of the new Affiliation Agreement with CMU. We look forward to many more years of educating and equipping men and women to help lead the church in reaching Canada and beyond with the Good News of Jesus Christ.
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PA R T T WO I N A S ER I E S O N G R I EF BY S H AU N A C A L DW EL L W I T H G . N EI L PA R K ER . I N T H E P R E V I O U S A R T I C L E , S H A U N A I N T R O D U C E D T H E H A R D W O R K O F C O P I N G W I T H L O S S E S A N D C H A N G E S . W E L O O K E D AT S E L F - C A R E F O R YO U R B O DY, M I N D A N D S P I R I T. I N T H I S A R T I C L E , S H E E X A M I N E S A C C E P T I N G LO S S E S A N D C H A N G E S I N O U R L I F E A N D U N D E R S TA N D I N G T H E F E E L I N G S A S S O C I AT E D W I T H T H I S P R O C E S S .
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he unexpected, tragic deaths of our twin sons, Jordan and Evan, dropped me into a dark hole— which King David aptly named “the valley of the shadow of death.” It is a foreboding and unfamiliar place. It is inky black with a high ceiling that blocks out any light. I fumbled through my days in its shadow. The anvil that dropped on my chest each morning was my body’s reaction to the reality that I struggled to accept.
It’s OK that things are not OK.
In Jerry Sittser’s book, A Grief Disguised, he recounts the loss of his wife, mother, and four-year-old daughter in a car accident caused by a drunk driver. Sittser’s experience resonates with mine. He was acquainted with the terrible darkness. He describes a dream in which he found himself running frantically toward a setting sun, trying to hold onto its light and warmth, only to have the sun vanish over the horizon. He was left alone in the darkness. As he sat with his dream, Sittser decided to turn back and “walk into the darkness rather than try to outrun it.” He decided to “embrace [his] grief and to be transformed by [his] suffering” rather than to think he could dodge his sorrow. Walking into the darkness rather than attempting to escape it plunged me into a foreign, complex world of emotional pain. In your grief (remember: grief = losses + changes), you may have a sense that your emotional, as well as your physical self, is betraying you. This response is normal.
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In the first year of my grief, I tried to express how I felt. It’s like struggling to get dressed in the dark. After much fumbling around, I realize that my sweater is inside out, and my head is through the armhole! Finally, once dressed, I am perplexed to discover that the sweater is too small and that it is 100% wool. My grief is so tight, itchy and uncomfortable. My grief is a bursting dam; my feelings sweep into every crevice of the void created by my loss. The feelings associated with grief are disorienting and distressing. When people say, “it’s going to be okay,” I scream, “it’s is not going to be okay!” Whether your challenges relate to bereavement, unemployment, strained relationships, physical or mental health, financial instability or lack of support, you may feel helpless, out of control, and afraid. Permit yourself to feel what you are feeling. It is important to sit with your grief. It’s okay that things are not OK, but if you are drowning, talk to your doctor and a grief counsellor. They can help.
Fear and anger
My grief is a bursting dam; my feelings sweep into every crevice of the void created by my loss.
My grief-related fears have been both rational and irrational. One time, while preparing to leave for a vacation, I became intensely afraid. I anticipated that while I was absent, I would lose another loved one by death. It took a Herculean effort to get out our front door. I wept uncontrollably on the way to the airport. Following the death of his wife, C.S. Lewis wrote: “No one ever told me that grief felt so much like fear.” He started to feel a fluttering stomach, a tightening throat, and restlessness. His wife had been the axis upon which his whole world turned. Now that she was gone, Lewis asked, “who am I now?” Lewis laid bare his feelings when he wrote in A Grief Observed, “Her absence is like the sky spread over everything.” I have discovered that fear and anger travel in tandem. Although anger feels like a dominant emotion, it is not. It stands like a bodyguard over my more vulnerable feelings. Anger shields the fragile fears I find hard to own. Instead of being vulnerable about the fears I feel, I protect them by getting angry: at people, myself, God, a disease, or even institutions. I’ve experienced a variety of fears: Fear of a lost identity: Who am I now? I feel tentative. I’m afraid I’ll keep diminishing as a person as things are stripped away. I wonder who I am at my very core. I feel a strange loneliness. Fear of abandonment: I feel abandoned by God. Why did he let this happen? I wonder if my friends will leave me because they feel uncomfortable with my loss and its changes. Fear of being labelled: I feel the stigma of being “that
parent” who lost two sons in a high-profile accident. Others may feel embarrassment: “he’s that guy who’s still out of work,” or isolation: “she’s the one whose marriage is on the rocks.” If another’s judgment of you displaces your identity, you can lose yourself. Fear of losing my mind: I feel as though I’m going crazy! The “not understanding” and the “not being heard” are deeply wounding. Spiritual truth has been my sanity. It is a discipline to see scripture as God’s plumb line in my grief. I’ve faced many fears over time and have begun to let God comfort me. As God showed me my fears, he came alongside me. So do not fear, for I am with you, do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you ... Isaiah 41: 10 NIV
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My Posture
I’ll let you in on a secret. I’ve been working on my posture since our boys died. No, it’s not that I’m squaring up my shoulders or holding up my chin. I am leaning. It’s not an intuitive stance, but it is an essential thing to do. You cannot “feel your way into a new way of feeling.” You can only become acquainted with your feelings and then chose to “act your way into a new way of feeling.” This posture is challenging, perhaps impossible, if you decided to do so on your own. Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you. Psalm 55:22 NIV
Lean into your grief
Leaning is learning to be honest with God. It makes so much sense to be angry with God when things hurt, and life is hard.
Leaning is the opposite of running, numbing, medicating, stuffing, fencing-off, closing-up or shutting down. I have to allow myself to be emotionally authentic as I process my losses and changes. Why? Because I want to come through grief, allowing it to have its full effect so that I become deeper, stronger, wiser, more loving, kinder, more thoughtful and compassionate. The healthiest way to navigate grief is to run toward it, not away from it. It is common to hear people speaking about needing “closure” for their grief. Closure is a human effort to make sense of sorrow in the hope that the pain will disappear —because I’ve made sense of it. There is no such thing as closure in grief. Grief is messy. It can’t be tied up with a bow and put away; it will always be with you. Over time though, you gradually experience reconciliation in grief. You never move on, but you can positively move forward. Leaning involves being vulnerable and allowing significant people into the mess of your grief. To have an open and receptive posture toward others will enable them to enter your pain gently. Leaning is learning to be honest with God. It makes so much sense to be angry with God when things hurt, and life is hard. I’ve wailed and beat upon his chest and then was enveloped with his presence. When I invite Jesus into the chaos, I discover perspective, quiet, comfort, guidance, hope, love and courage. Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Lam. 3: 22-23NIV
SHAUNA CALDWELL
Embracing Grief
Dorothy Hunse, Director of the Charles J. Taylor Centre for Chaplaincy and Spiritual Care, Acadia Divinity College, puts it succinctly: “Grief needs to be embraced ... and grief needs to be shared.” Dr. Hunse goes on to say: “Within the church, we sometimes think that if we truly have faith in God, we shouldn’t need to grieve. We turn grief avoidance into a spiritual badge of honour. And yet, turning into [our] grief, giving space and time to it, choosing to welcome it, is the only way through it. Another way to say this is ‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.’ Matthew 5:4 NIV. ” It is my experience that only Jesus can lift the heavy anvil off my chest. Also, he brings people along to help with the heavy lifting. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted, And saves those who are crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:8 NIV Next month in “What do you do with the mad you feel?” we explore what to do when you can’t rid yourself of the anger you feel due to loss.
lives in Calgary with Jason, her husband of 26 years. In one calendar year, they were gifted with three children – Katie, Jordan and Evan. Parenting “Irish triplets” provided opportunity to learn to cling to Christ for needed daily strength. Katie is now a medical school student. Shauna’s twins graduated to heaven in 2016, after a dreadfully public accident. The Caldwells own a small IT company. Shauna serves on two boards: Cornerbend Ministries and Youth for Christ. Shauna is grateful to her Uncle, G. Neil Parker, for his significant editorial assistance with her writing.
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A model of humility and servanthood Words of appreciation to Randy Friesen on behalf of the National Ministry Team
he NMT is deeply grateful for the unique and valued contribution that Randy Friesen has made to the ministry of our Canadian MB family over the past decades of his service. Randy joined us in working to develop a new “collaborative model” early in the process and it became evident to everyone that he brought a vital perspective and gift mix to the table. Randy has modelled for us all what it means to keep Jesus Christ and His Lordship central in our leadership. In our deliberations, there have been many times where opinions differed, and a sense of uncertainty weighed heavy on us. At these times the Lord often used Randy to bring clarity about what the Spirit was saying to the church. Randy’s prophetic leadership was and is consistently marked by a deep sensitivity to the Holy Spirit and to the community. He models humility and servanthood. We are also deeply grateful for the clear call to mission that Randy has brought to our community. His knowledge and evident passion for the global MB church bubbles over into almost every conversation. Randy’s was often the voice reminding us of God’s missional heart as the NMT sought to work through matters of
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structure and governance. We pray that his contribution in this regard will remain strong for years to come. Finally, the members of the NMT are deeply grateful for Randy’s authenticity and vulnerability among us. These attributes became especially evident through the painful Multiply demerger that unfolded two years ago. Throughout this process, we watched and listened as Randy sought to be respectful and gracious when his leadership was evaluated and found wanting in areas. He received criticism, sought to acknowledge mistakes and humbly submitted to the decisions of the community. Through it all, Randy has constantly reminded us of his love for the MB family and his deep faith and conviction that God’s hand is on us for a good and wonderful purpose. Randy Friesen is a dear brother and friend who has encouraged us, inspired us and taught us much of what it means to walk through trials with humility and grace. We bless him, Marjorie and his family as they enter a season of rest and reflection. We are eager to see what the Lord has in store and pray that God will continue to use him mightily among us.
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An open letter to MB church leaders In late March 2021, an open letter circulating on the internet was brought to the attention of our MB leadership. The letter was written in response to Artisan Church’s request for release from the British Columbia Conference of MB Churches. As of publication, there were 517 names of individuals associated with the letter. The letter is presented in its entirety below, followed by a response from the National Faith and Life Team.
Dear members and leaders of the MB church in Canada, Greetings from your sisters and brothers across Canada! In this season of annual general meetings (AGMs), our congregations, provinces, and national conference are gathering to make many important decisions together. We pray that God’s Spirit will encourage the churches and fill us with wisdom, grace, and peace. These conversations can be rich and rewarding, but they can also be challenging. We are aware that, following Artisan Church’s recent Milestone Statement on LGBTQ+ Inclusion and at their request, the BCMB churches have been asked to release Artisan Church from their membership. We do not take the recommendation lightly. That decision is BCMB’s to make, and churches across Canada will be praying for you. Releasing Artisan Church may be the best for everyone concerned, but the pain of that loss will still be felt beyond your borders. If you do determine that it is necessary to part ways, Artisan’s official ties with the national church and their sister churches across Canada will also be severed. Know that we will weep with you. And if you find a way to preserve relationship and connection, we will rejoice with you. We also know that our national conference will need to have this conversation too. As we prepare for upcoming times of gathering and decision-making, we, the undersigned, ask our leaders to create space for us to speak and listen to each other – community to community. We want to ask questions, seek clarification, and speak the truth in love. Remembering that God welcomes all who seek truth with sincerity and integrity. Whatever happens, we want to move forward in the trusting confidence that, ultimately, our unity is rooted in Jesus – not denominations. So we place our hope in the God who has called us into being, and whose church we are. Yours in the fellowship of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ,
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May 10, 2021 To the writers and signatories of the “Open Letter to MB Church Leaders” (March 27, 2021): On behalf of the CCMBC National Faith and Life Team (NFLT), we thank you for your prayers that God’s Spirit would fill us and our MB family with wisdom, grace, and peace. We thank you also for your prayers for BCMB and for Artisan Church as BCMB processed Artisan’s request to be released from membership. We recognize that there are many different reasons for each of you to attach your name to the letter and thus we humbly acknowledge that our response here may or may not address your specific concern. We can only address what we understand from the letter as it stands. From the signatories to the Open Letter and from other interactions, we see that many in our MB family from across the country share a growing desire to find loving and just responses to LGBTQ+ people inside and outside our MB churches. We hear and agree with this desire and we take seriously Jesus’ command to love our neighbours as ourselves. We also hear your appeal for MB churches and conferences to create occasions for dialogue about how to better live out the gospel and demonstrate Jesus’ love to LGBQT+ people. As the NFLT, one of our primary roles is to assist our national MB family of churches with how our Confession of Faith addresses Christian discipleship in the midst of Canada’s changing culture, and how the Confession can best be applied in local church contexts. We provide resources to ensure clarity regarding our Confession; and occasionally, if prompted to do so by our Provincial Conferences, we examine specific Articles in the Confession to ensure that their wording best expresses what we understand the Bible says on the topic (e.g., our recent proposed revision to Article 8). We are committed to assisting and resourcing our churches to more lovingly embody our shared convictions, as expressed in the Confession of Faith. We want to enable and assist with many more of these practical and pastoral conversations. As the NFLT—with MB leaders and pastors representing churches from BC to Nova Scotia—we believe that our present Confession of Faith is faithful to Scripture; but we acknowledge that as an MB family we have often failed to live out our convictions in loving ways. Based on reading, studying, and listening, the NFLT does not think that there are adequate arguments for hosting a conversation on revising our Confession’s convictions about marriage and same-sex intimacy (Articles 10 and 11). We believe that the best path forward is for our churches and leaders to affirm and teach what we believe are biblically faithful convictions while at the same time applying them in ways that fit the sacrificial way of Jesus in the world.
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Recently we have been actively giving more time and effort to this exact question about how our churches can show Jesus’ love more effectively to LGBTQ+ people. We are creating new written resources that provide guidance for how the convictions of our Confession of Faith on sexuality and marriage can be taught and practiced in our churches more compassionately. We are making other resources (e.g., our 2013 and 2015 Sexuality Study Conferences) more accessible on our website and continuing to gather together key resources to support our churches*. We are revising the existing Confession of Faith’s “Commentary” and “Pastoral Application” sections in order to better clarify the biblical and theological foundations of our convictions and the ways that these convictions can be lived out by all of us today. We are partnering with Posture Shift to provide a more loving and missional response to LGBTQ+ people, and we are committed to fostering deliberate conversation groups with MB pastors and leaders who want to explore what application of our convictions means for their contexts. In order to improve our ability to listen to our larger MB family, we are introducing a new email account (listeningwell@mbchurches.ca) to receive input from you and others in our MB family about how we can love LGBTQ+ people better. These submissions will assist us as we create resources so we thank you ahead of time for your valued input. (While we promise to look at all submissions, we apologize that we are unable to provide individualized feedback.) Our new Collaborative Model invites any MB church member (or group of MB church members) with questions about how to apply our Confession of Faith in more loving ways to first process these with their local church who can, as needed, ask their Provincial Conference’s Faith and Life team for assistance. The NFLT encourages these local and provincial conversations because this is where relationships with members and churches are closest, where contexts are best understood, and listening can be most effective. We also are excited to hear your suggestions and reflections that grow out of these conversations, and hope you share them with us at the email noted above. Finally, thank you again for your sincere concern evident in your communication with us. We ask for your ongoing prayers for the NFLT and our national family of churches as together we seek to be faithful to God’s Kingdom mission in the world. Yours in Christ, The MB National Faith and Life Team
* The NFLT will be adding resources to the website site in the coming weeks.
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Finish lines LIESE GIESBRECHT Liese was born in Communistoccupied Ukraine, where her family had to pray in secret. She went to school for 5 years: the first 2 in German, 3 in Russian. She had to help cultivate crops, load wagons, pack down cargo, and work with silkworms. When the Germans removed Germanspeakers from Russia, the family fled with their 2 horses, 2 cows, and a sheep, sleeping in lice-infested sheds and wintering in a school. In Poland, Liese was sent to a girls’ work camp, where she studied, cleaned, cooked, played, and swam. When the war ended, Liese and her friends fled to Germany. The girls worked at a farmhouse until a Russian soldier helped them cross into the British zone and they reunited with their families. Liese’s appendix burst, putting her in hospital for 3 months. She gave her life to God and was baptised with her sister Maria. In 1948, with MCC’s help, the family travelled on the Heinzelman to Argentina and by train and wagon to Paraguay, where Liese met Henry Giesbrecht. They married and, in 1958, immigrated to Vancouver, Canada. They built a house in Richmond, B.C., in 1980. Liese and Henry hosted gatherings and babysat grandchildren often. They travelled to Palm Springs, Arizona, and Hawaii, cruised the Panama Canal, and toured Europe. Liese saw Hong Kong with her sister Tina. Liese and Henry served Culloden MB Church for more than 30 years beginning with its launch in 1968: Liese sewed MCC quilts; Henry ushered. In 2001, Henry was diagnosed with terminal cancer in June and died that November. Liese moved closer to friends and family in Abbotsford in 2003, staying at Evergreen Village for 17 years. She enjoyed walking to her church, Clearbrook MB. Liese loved reading, sewing, knitting, crocheting, games, and puzzles. She decorated hundreds of hangers. Liese suffered arthritis pain. After her 2015 surgery, her health issues increased. She had an incredible memory, deep love, and strong faith; she prayed for her family daily. On her 92nd birthday, she moved into Tabor Court. Birth: November 28, 1928 Birthplace: Neu Halbstadt, Sagradowka, Ukraine Death: February 6, 2021 Parents: Johann & Aganeta Zacharias Married: Henry Giesbrecht, Oct. 21, 1950 [d. Nov. 9, 2001] Family: children Betty (Alf) Wiebe, John (Genelle [d. 2020]), Netty (Don) Klein, Wendy (Darryl) Martin; 7 grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren including Blake [d. 2016]; 3 siblings Church: Vancouver MB; Culloden MB, Vancouver; Clearbrook MB, Abbotsford, B.C. Baptism: Germany, July 28, 1946
ABRAHAM JOHN THIESSEN Abe grew up during the harsh Stalin years of the 1930s. Along with his mother and siblings, he fled from the Soviet Union in 1943 and settled in Poland. His mother and siblings were repatriated by Soviet officials and exiled to Kazakhstan in 1945, where they were reunited with his father. Abe escaped and settled in West Germany at the end of the war. At 20, Abe immigrated to Canada. After one winter in Winnipeg, he moved to Yarrow, B.C., in 1950, and lived with his relatives, Aron and Elizabeth Wiebe, who added him to their family. He eventually moved to East Chilliwack. There he met and married Anna Esau in 1959. They settled into the home he built on Windsor Street, where they lived from 1959 to 2017. Abe worked various jobs until the mid-1950s; then he joined the maintenance department of the East Chilliwack Co-op, serving there until his retirement in 1993. Abe enjoyed woodworking, vegetable gardening, and taking his family on road trips. Abe could fix anything. He loved helping his family and friends with projects. He spent many hours helping out at Broadway Church with maintenance work and serving as an usher. Abe injured his back several times and eventually these injuries caught up with him, reducing his mobility until he required hospitalization after his 90th birthday. Abe spent his last year at Waverly Seniors Village. He died in Chilliwack. Birth: March 22, 1929 Birthplace: Prangenau, Molotschna, Ukraine Death: June 26, 2020 Parents: Johann & Maria (Delesky) Thiessen Married: Anna Esau, Aug. 21, 1959 Family: Anna; children Richard (Karen), Gerald (Ann); 5 grandchildren Church: Broadway, Chilliwack, B.C. Baptism: East Chilliwack MB, Aug. 11, 1957
O B I T UA R I E S H AV E LO N G B E E N A VA LU E D PA R T O F T H E M B H ER A LD. FR O M T H E F U N E R A L B U L L E T I N S , EU LO G I E S , A N D N E WS PA P E R O B IT UA R I E S YO U S EN D, O U R ED ITO RS C R A F T LIFE STORIES OF OUR MEMBERS TO INSPIRE A N D E N C O U R A G E O U R R E A D E R S , C R E AT I N G A MEMORIAL OF MB SAINTS. CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT AN OBITUARY
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A moment in time
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Gary Sawatsky and three campers standing beside a half finished mini log cabin at Christian Day Camps. Courtesy of the Mennonite Archival Information Database
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S U B S C R I B E T O M B H E R A L D D I G E S T W W W. M B H E R A L D . C O M / S U B S C R I B E -V I A - E M A I L
