MB Herald Digest | May 2022

M AY 2 0 2 2 MBHERALD.COM

Digest

More than sixty years of sharing the life & story of the Mennonite Brethren in Canada

A MENNONITE HEART FOR REFUGEES

VO LU M E 61 , N O. 5

L E A D I N G T H RO U G H T H E T R AU M A O F C OV I D J U S T O N E M O R E / O N E TO O M A N Y W H E N T H E S E N T A R E S E N T AWAY

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.

Digest M AY 2 0 2 2 | V O L U M E 61 , N O . 5 EDITORIAL OFFICE 1310 Taylor Avenue Winnipeg, Manitoba R3M 3Z6 Phone: 204-669-6575 Toll-free in Canada: 888-669-6575 MBHERALD@MBCHURCHES.CA W W W. M B H ER ALD.CO M

ISSN: 0025-9349

Pastors and church leaders gather in Whistler, British Columbia for BCMB’s leadership day.

The Mennonite Brethren Herald is a publication of

Sharing the life and story of Mennonite Brethren in Canada

4

A SAFE PLACE IN WINNIPEG’S NORTH END Living Word Temple

12

JUST ONE MORE / ONE TOO MANY Rev. Philip A. Gunther

6

LEADING THROUGH THE TRAUMA OF COVID Bonita Eby

18

WHEN THE SENT ARE SENT AWAY Nikki White

8

A MENNONITE HEART FOR REFUGEES Holly Hannigan

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

MENNONITE BRETHREN HERALD

M AY 2 0 2 2

1

From the editor pring has finally sprung! Yes, even here in Winnipeg! I have just returned from beautiful Whistler, British Columbia, where I had the pleasure of taking in the BC conference’s annual Convention. To return to spring-like weather back home was a much-appreciated blessing.

Spring is a busy season of meetings and gatherings for the Canadian MB family. The provinces host their Assemblies and Conventions from February through April, culminating with the National Assembly on June 9-11. We are happy to announce that registration for the event is now open. Click here or on the ad on the following page to register.

A few weeks back, Holly Hannigan and I had the honour of meeting with John and Betty Wieler in their Winnipeg home. The Wielers are warm and gracious people; I experienced this first-hand in the few moments I had to chat with Betty as we flipped through family photos tracing the Wieler’s many years serving people around the globe. Holly’s interview with John, “A Mennonite heart for refugees,” starts on page 8.

We are grateful to our international partners, who report on what’s happening in Ukraine. On page 11, the European coordinator of Mennonite conferences José Arrais shares a story of how the Lithuanian Church supports Ukrainians in this time of great conflict and need. Nikki White of Multiply shares Kateryna Oliferovski’s story on page 18. Kateryna finds herself stationed in Germany, far from her parents, Maxym and Anya, who are ministering and supporting the displaced in their home of Ukraine.

Regular columnist Phil Gunther presents a double-offering around the subject of giving up. When should we carry on, and when is it best to let go? Bonita Eby is kicking off a new series focused on leading through the trauma of Covid; part one starts on page six.

There is more to take in and be blessed by in the following pages than I have mentioned. I encourage you to read on and engage with the authors and advertisers in MB Herald Digest and on our website. Your comments are welcome; email us at mbherald@ mbchurches.ca.

Happy spring days are ahead,

S

Carson

CARSON SAMSON

Communications director

2

M AY 2 0 2 2

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

&

G R AC E T RU T H JOHN 1:14-17

JUNE 9-12, 2022 visit na.mennonitebrethren.ca for more information

MENNONITE BRETHREN HERALD

M AY 2 0 2 2

3

A SAFE PL ACE I N WI N N I PEG ’ S N O RTH EN D HOMEPAGE

hile leaving our women’s discipleship home one of our Living Word Temple staff members, Ryan, was approached by a woman who was quite frantic and nervous.

She began begging him to take her out of the north end, to which Ryan responded that he couldn’t. She insisted that he do so because her life was in danger.

She began sharing with him how she had broken into a cab of a truck overnight to hide from some gang members. Again, she insisted that he get her out of the north end because she didn’t want to be cut up and thrown into the river. Ryan asked her if she would come to Living Word Temple which wasn’t far. She agreed but was so scared she hid in the back of the van as they drove.

When they got to the church, the woman bolted through the doors. LWT staff were able to sit her down and assure her she was safe. We listened to her share her story through her state of panic, and we were able to give her some clothing and lunch.

The woman told staff that when her boyfriend, a high-ranking gang official, was informed she had had a parole meeting he turned on her and took her into a room filled with guns, axes, and a chainsaw. The boyfriend asked if she was a “rat”. She told him it was simply a parole meeting, as she had been released from prison a month prior. The boyfriend did not believe her.

The boyfriend and other gang members made it clear what would happen to her if she informed the police of where they were or the illegal activities happening there.

In the middle of the night the woman escaped the house and spent the night in -30 degree winter weather, hiding in vehicles on the streets of Winnipeg. She told this story again and again to our LWT staff and finally agreed to contact the police so she would not breach her parole. The next day several houses were raided by police along the streets where this woman had been staying and many gang members taken from their homes.

What would have happened to this woman if LWT wasn’t in the neighbourhood? A life was saved because we are able to do daily and consistent ministry in the north end.

You can help Living Word Temple by donating to their ministry in Winnipeg, MB.

W

L I V I N G W O R D T E M P L E S TA F F

Living Word Temple is based in the north end of Winnipeg, MB. The church is working to share the gospel with people of all nations and backgrounds.

Follow God’s Call On Your Life Train for ministry and build a solid Biblical foundation in Christ-centred community.

SBCollege.ca

4

M AY 2 0 2 2

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

HOMEPAGE

Mennomedia assumes full ownership of Rejoice!

MennoMedia and Kindred Productions have reached an agreement for MennoMedia to assume full ownership of the quarterly devotional magazine Rejoice!. Beginning with the Fall 2022 issue, all Kindred Rejoice! subscribers will transfer to MennoMedia. Kindred subscribers will receive a letter with their summer issue explaining how their subscription will be handled after the transfer.

“We want to make the transition as seamless as possible for all Kindred subscribers,” said Amy Gingerich, MennoMedia publisher. “We look forward to serving them for many years and want to start our relationship off right.”

MennoMedia and Kindred reached the agreement in March 2022.

“Financially and logistically, it made the most sense for Kindred Productions to transfer all ownership of Rejoice! to MennoMedia,” said Carson Samson, Canadian Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches operations and communications director. “The Rejoice! devotionals are a regular part of many readers’ lives, and we are pleased they can continue to receive them each quarter.”

MennoMedia, the publishing arm of Mennonite Church USA and Mennonite Church Canada, and Kindred Productions, the Mennonite Brethren publisher, first partnered on Rejoice! in 1972.

The King is Coming Hearing the message of the Book of Ruth

How does God accomplish his purposes in times of uncertainty and upheaval?

Hear Dr. Daniel Block, Old Testament scholar at Wheaton College, reveal the gospel story in the book of Ruth during MB Seminary’s Navigate Bible Conference on May 13-14. > Learn more and register.

Know your options.

Christian Studies + Support Services, Health Services, Mental Health & Addictions Ministry... and much more!

Combine Christian worldview formation with your career studies with Horizon Plus+

www.horizon.edu/plus

MENNONITE BRETHREN HERALD

M AY 2 0 2 2

5

Resilient Leadership LEADING THROUGH THE TRAUMA OF COVID PA R T O N E I N A FO U R - PA R T S E R I E S

We find ourselves in a fascinating place right now. We’ve been through a pandemic, although we do not yet know whether it is over or not. We have experienced a strange mixture of faith and fear. We’ve led with courage, and we’ve shaken in our boots.

We are not alone. Leaders across sectors, including non-profits, churches, and corporate, are grappling with questions related to what happened and what it means for our future.

Many of us wish to leave the pandemic behind and forge forward with plans we missed out on over the past years. But wisdom encourages us to evaluate the past in order to understand our present. Only then can we move toward the future with integrity and effectiveness.

This article deals with collective and individual traumas. Therefore, it may trigger upsetting feelings within you. If this happens, please take a deep breath and ground yourself in God’s presence. You may find that speaking with a professional counsellor can help you unpack the subject more deeply. This is a challenging topic but one worth exploring for the health of ourselves and those we lead.

This article does not debate the validity of claims or theories whatsoever. Instead, it simply names what we’ve encountered.

COLLECTIVE EXPERIENCE.

We have witnessed our communities, loved ones, and perhaps even ourselves acting in strange and unhealthy ways. We have experienced the stress of watching COVID numbers escalate and then deescalate in ways that, lacking a degree in virology, seem random.

Within the North American context, we’ve experienced unparalleled stress levels within our generation.

As a result, we’ve held tightly to various theories and views. We’ve questioned what is true and our communal discernment of truth.

6

M AY 2 0 2 2

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

W H AT J U S T H A P P E N E D?

How do we unpack what we experienced in terms of conflict, emphatic opinions and extreme behaviours?

How do we understand what happened when loving people became angry and treated one another and leadership poorly? How do we reconcile what it means to be a church when many of our values have been tested?

TRAUMA

Throughout the pandemic, we experienced trauma on several levels.

1 . C O L L E C T I V E T R A U M A . The pandemic affected everyone in some way. The very nature of a pandemic means that we experienced it globally and in our country, province, community, and family context.

Together we were afraid. Together, we watched the news, heard difficult stories, and were immersed in the unknown. Together, we felt unsafe and lost a sense of control.

2 . P E R S O N A L T R A U M A . Many of us experienced fear, stress and anxiety. Some of us became sick. Some of us had opinions forced upon us. Some of us were treated poorly by those we trusted. Some of us were given ultimatums. Some of us felt our sense of control, community, and values threatened.

3 . V I C A R I O U S T R A U M A . Also known as secondary trauma, or more colloquially as compassion fatigue, vicarious trauma occurs when we witness other people’s trauma. For example, we watched as hospitals filled up. Some of us watched as friends and family came home exhausted from working in healthcare or emergency response. We witnessed fear related to the virus, vaccines, and mandates. Some of us lost loved ones, congregants and friends to sickness.

TRAUMAS AND TRIGGERS

When working with first responders, we often talk about past traumas and triggers that cause undue stress, extreme reactions, burnout, and worse. What we’ve experienced in the past creates a grid of reality in which we perceive the world. Our experiences dictate how we understand the present.

Let me share an example. A few years ago, a pastor shared an explanation to help people understand the concept of non-violence. He said we often fear things that have a minuscule chance of happening. Fair enough.

To illustrate, he used the example of household breakins, saying that people often fear someone breaking into their home. But in reality, the chances of ever experiencing a break-in are pretty tiny.

At that moment, I had a knee-jerk reaction. You see, I have experienced a break-in. I have woke up in the middle of the night with a strange man standing beside me. I know that terror. No matter how many statistics you throw at me, my past experience provides me with a perception that a break-in can readily happen. And when I hear a bump in the night, my automatic triggers put me into survival mode, believing I am unsafe, when in reality, a branch fell off a tree outside and landed on my roof.

Only through recognizing the triggers that result from my trauma can I put strategies in place to deescalate my fear and come to a place of calm and renewed perspective.

W H AT D O E S T H I S M E A N F O R L E A D E R S ?

Pastors are wrestling with how to unpack the challenges, conflicts and reintegration of community within their congregations. Depending on where you live in Canada, you may have experienced little to complete and utter change over the past two years. At the time of this writing, many churches are within their first month of re-opening to full capacity. And, of course, we do not know the future.

“ W H AT W E ’ V E E X P E R I E N C E D I N T H E PA S T C R E AT E S A G R I D O F R E A L I T Y IN WHICH WE PERCEIVE THE WORLD. O U R E X P E R I E N C E S D I C TAT E H O W W E U N D E R S TA N D T H E P R E S E N T.”

We are trying to understand why people acted as they did. Why were people mean to one another? Why did they speak poorly of others? Why did some hold to beliefs that challenged our own? Why were our churches divided when unity was of the utmost importance?

Could it be at least partly due to past traumas and triggers? And if so, how do we extend grace to one another while calling one another to collective values?

HOW DO WE LEAD NOW?

There are two main areas to consider when moving forward: discipleship and healing. Healing looks back while discipleship looks forward. We must deal with the past to move toward a healthy future.

Over the next few months, we will unpack practical ways to heal ourselves and those we lead. Once we can identify and name our traumas and triggers, we can implement strategies to heal. This will serve to make us stronger in the future.

B O N I TA E B Y

attends and is a former pastor at WMB Church in Waterloo, Ontario.

She is a burnout prevention strategist, executive coach, and owner of Breakthrough Personal & Professional Development Inc. Connect with Bonita at bonita@break-through.ca.

MENNONITE BRETHREN HERALD

M AY 2 0 2 2

7

A MENNONITE HEART FOR REFUGEES

John Wieler’s Story B Y H O L LY H A N I G A N

8

M AY 2 0 2 2

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

s a young man John Wieler gave his heart to the Lord and wondered what the Lord truly wanted of him. Nearly a century later, he is still racing after the Lord’s leading.

“I’m very conscious that I asked the Lord to lead me and He has lead me,” Wieler said. “And once you commit to this sort of thing, you don’t back out.”

Wieler has spent the better part of his life working with refugees all over the world and in Canada. From volunteering with MCC to working for the Canadian Immigration and Refugee Services Board here in Canada, Wieler followed the Lord’s lead and his heart for people grew with each step.

It started on the trains in Winnipeg. In his young twenties Wieler was injured and booted off the farm. He needed work and took what he was offered. The Canadian Pacific Railroad, or at that time the Canada Colonization Association, offered him a job looking after the office.

It was this very association which helped many Mennonites come to Canada and resettle in the early 20s, people like Wieler’s parents and grandparents.

“If we’re going to talk about refugees, well, they were refugees,” said Wieler.

Wieler’s grandmother was a widow at the time of the revolution and he remembers her telling him, if it had not been for the help of the Mennonite brothers in America, she would not have made it. This story left a burden on Wieler’s heart.

He started at this agency at 22 years old and very quickly he was accompanying the trains. Wieler was sent all over Canada to meet refugees coming off the boats and bring them back across the rest of Canada.

A

“They were awful. They’re full of dirt. The cinders of those old steam engines would come in and crunch along there,” Wieler described his trips in the old cars. “Everybody in there for three days.. it was very, very uncomfortable.”

But despite the conditions of the trains, Wieler smiles as he tells about his time on the railways.

“I really enjoyed meeting a lot of people. They ca me from all over,” Wieler gleamed.

“It was a really intense learning experience for me, which I didn’t realize at the time, because this was just an interlude.”

This small job that he took out of necessity, began a lifetime of work and passion for Wieler.

Eventually refugees started coming on planes, and the trains were no longer needed. Wieler stepped into a number of unknown positions that molded his life impact on refugees.

“We didn’t know where we were going to go. I was not professionally trained,” recounted Wieler. “I felt very insecure, insufficient really. But the Lord said don’t worry.”

I’m very conscious that I asked the Lord to lead me and He has led me.

MENNONITE BRETHREN HERALD

M AY 2 0 2 2

9

It’s something that has to be part of our giving back A reason for a response.

Wieler and his wife Betty followed the Lord’s leading all over the world with their four kids. They worked in Greece turning a demonstration farm into a research farm, they spent three years in Europe volunteering with MCC, and had opportunities locally in Winnipeg to support the journey of displaced people.

“I worked in total, well it was over 20 years,” Wieler reflected on the many years he spent in working service. “Best years of my life in a way.”

The family settled in Winnipeg and had to reestablish themselves. They found their home at Portage Avenue MB in 1970 where Wieler took on the position of Coordinator of Refugees.

Even as he retired in 1996, Wieler’s heart for refugees pushed on. Among the many refugees Portage Ave has already helped bring to Canada, the church is currently working on bringing 8 more families to settle here.

“That has been a great blessing for the church,” said Wieler. “We have put in some money there but nobody has ever missed it.”

As many know, last Summer there was a disastrous development in Afghanistan and millions of people have been forced to flee their homes. Christians especially are very vulnerable right now as converting to Christianity is punishable by death.

When asked how we respond to the current refuges crises, Wieler recalled where we as Mennonites have come from.

10

M AY 2 0 2 2

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

“The very fact that our people, especially as a church, has had that experience in their background.

That they understand what it means to be a refugee.

What it means to be resettled. What it means to pick up on a new life. But even more so the terror and the upheavals which was the reason for them leaving their home country. It’s something that has to be part of our giving back. A reason for a response.”

If you or your church are interested in supporting an Afghan Christian family of refugees, please send us an email at communications@mbchurches.ca and we will get you in touch with our partners at MCC.

H O L LY H A N N I G A N

is communications and content management coordinator for CCMBC and staff writer for MB Herald.

You can hear more of John Wieler’s story in our video interview series here.

Lithuania Church, LKB, volunteers unloading supplies in Ukraniane.

Church of Lithuania supports Ukraine Christians

BY JOSÉ ARRAIS

When the invasion of Ukraine started on February 24th, immediately the European Mennonite Conferences started to mobilize themselves to find the best ways to support the Church in Ukraine. The first efforts where to send funds to help them buy food and drinks, and support the citizens from the cities. The majority of the support was on the south and southeast of Ukraine via MCC, Multiply and DHM. Without “many waves” the Lithuania Church, LKB, started on their own to mobilize their members and their churches to go directly to send aid to Ukraine.

Their project was to load a few vans and drive around 1000 kms to the border of Slovakia, pass the border, and meet the Ukranian Church members there.

They then would unload the goods, have fellowship with them and then return back, spending at least 4 hours on the line to pass the border back to Slovakia, and then drive back 1000 kms to Vilnius.

When I first heard about that effort I was totally mind blown. The history of Lithuania was based on sacrifices, being invaded, and repression. That’s why they can have a completely different vision of how they react to this tragedy in Ukraine...they’ve been there.

They experienced that. So, when all this drama started they didn’t wait too long.

They started right away in the beginning of March, from March 4- 6, 2022, with three vans, March 18- 20 another three vans made the trip, and from April 4-6 four vans were sent. Each van had two drivers. They stopped for one night, normally in Poland, to sleep and the next morning they would head to the border. Two

full, intense days where their mission is just to extend blessings to their sisters and brothers in Ukraine.

The mobilization has been in the churches around Lithuania. We must understand that the Conference is quite small, there are seven churches with around 30-40 members. But they all stepped in to bring support and amazingly they did that on their own initiative, spending their own funds and resources without asking for help from the Global Anabaptist Family. It’s just their way of doing things.

Right now the best way we can help them is: for the ones involved in this effort. It’s a ˚ Pray big demand on their side to organize the logis-

˚ ˚

tics, communicate in difficult times, and gather enough resources. We can also pray they find rest and be in shape physically and emotionally.

Although our sisters and brothers in Lithuania never asked for help on their efforts, funds from the global family would be appreciated.

Pray for the churches and their members. Pray for the sacrifices they are making to extend their help to Ukraine, and also their work welcoming refugees.

JOSÉ ARRAIS

is the European Coordinator of Mennonite Conferences

MENNONITE BRETHREN HERALD

M AY 2 0 2 2

11

Just one more When you’re thinking about giving up.

“ S O W E ’ R E N O T G I V I N G U P. ” 2 CORINTHIANS 4:16A MSG “QUITTING NEVER MAKES A N Y TH I N G E A S I E R .”

A D M I R A L W I L L I A M H . M C R AV E N , U. S . N AV Y S E A L S

G

rowing up on the family farm in Clearbrook, B.C., a most despised chore during spring was collecting large rocks out of mom’s huge garden. I am convinced that her garden produced an annual crop of sizeable stones for us Gunther boys to harvest before we planted the multitude of vegetable seeds on hand. Under mom’s watchful eye, we plucked rock after rock, placing them in small metal pails and then carrying them to the tractor bucket at the edge of the garden where we off loaded our ‘harvest.’ It was mundane repetitive labour that never seemed to end. My mom sensed when we were on the verge of quitting and rallied us by saying, “Just one more pail. Just one more pail.” In response, we kept on keeping on, rock after rock, pail after pail. Eventually, the seemingly impossible work (from a young boy’s perspective) was completed, and the aches forgotten. The lesson mom taught me all those years ago in the garden was not lost on me. Today, when tasked with something seemingly impossible and I want to throw in the towel, I hear mom’s voice telling me, “Just one more pail. Just one more pail.”

12

M AY 2 0 2 2

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

The place was New Orleans, the date September 7, 1892, and the occasion a much-anticipated boxing match between an undefeated heavy weight champion John L. Sullivan, nicknamed the Boston Strong Boy, and a relatively unknown brawler named Gentlemen James John “Jim” Corbett. The fisticuff took place in front of 10,000 raucous spectators. The match went on round after round with each tough hard-hitting fighter landing powerful blows upon their opponent’s body. Finally, in the 21st round Corbett landed a smashing left-hand hook to Sullivan’s jaw and the bloody contest was over.

Corbett’s fighting style landed him the title Father of Modern Boxing. Corbett was later recorded as saying, “You become a champion by fighting one more round. When things are tough, you fight one more round.”

In 2019, Nepali mountaineer Nirmal Nimsdair Purja began a quest he called Project Possible, the climbing of the world’s fourteen 8000 metre plus mountain peaks in seven months. The only other alpinist to achieve climbing these fourteen peaks was Reinhold Messner and it took him sixteen years! Purja’s quest included ascending mountains in Nepal, China,

“GOD DOES NOT GIVE US OVERCOMING

“ E V E R Y D I F F I C U LT TA S K T H AT C O M E S

LIFE: HE GIVES US LIFE WE OVERCOME .

A C R O S S YO U R PAT H — E V E R Y O N E T H AT

TH E S TR A I N I S TH E S TR E N G TH .”

YO U W O U L D R AT H E R N O T D O , T H AT W I L L

OS WA L D C H A M B ERS

TA K E T H E M O S T E F F O R T, C A U S E T H E M O S T

AUTHOR, MY UTMOST FOR HIS HIGHEST

PA I N , A N D B E T H E G R E AT E S T S T R U G G L E — B R I N G S A B LE S S I N G .”

L.B. COWMAN AUTHOR, STREAMS IN THE DESERT

Pakistan and Tibet with names like Everest, K2, Nangaparbatt and Makalu. His adventure was recorded in the documentary 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible. Watching Purja in this film ascend these massive peaks was nothing short of stunning. He seemed to have the stamina of ten men and the determination of a hundred. His constant mantras included: “Giving up is not in the blood,” and “Don’t be afraid to dream big.” Watching him face fierce winds, frigid temperatures, lack of oxygen, dizzying heights and grueling exhaustion was spellbinding. No matter what challenge he faced, he simply took one more step towards the summit, and then another, and another, and another, and eventually he rested at the peak. Purja accomplished a seemingly impossible feat.

“Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time and he walked with God” (Genesis 6:9b NIV).

He was over 500 years old when the call of God came to him, to build an ark of cypress wood 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high. This mammoth building project had a purpose, to save human and animal life from a catastrophic flood. Biblical commentators estimate the build took upwards of 75 years to complete.

We are told little about the culture of the time other than “great wickedness” abounded. We can only speculate the response of Noah’s community to his testimony that God had called him to build an ark in order to save human and animal life from a great flood. What would you think if someone told you that today? The amazing thing is that no matter what challenges Noah faced – scarce resources, opposition, doubt or fatigue – he fastened plank after plank on the frame of the ark until it was ready to carry life above the waters.

Stone by stone the wall of Jerusalem, destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 B.C., was being rebuilt under the capable godly leadership of Nehemiah. It was 446 B.C. and for 140 years the physical protection of the formerly exiled Jews was nothing but rubble. They were exposed and vulnerable to any and all who would plot to bring them harm. Their recently built temple was also susceptible to destruction by enemies. The citizens of Jerusalem felt disgraced and ashamed as they gazed upon the ruins of their stone bulwark. Nehemiah called this reconstruction “the great work,” a resurrection of

tangible security ordained by God himself (Nehemiah 6:3,16). He rallied skilled and unskilled labourers, men, women, young and old in the face of foreign agitators, internal squabbles, and organizational complications.

He had every reason not to continue and simply return to his comfortable day job in the Persian court under Artaxerxes. However, Nehemiah laid one more stone, and another, and another, eventually rebuilding the Jerusalem wall in 52 days. One more pail. One more round. One more step. One more plank. One more stone.

One more. As a disciple of Jesus, I am convinced that I will be called to remove ‘rocks’ so that something new can be sown. I will be called to fight battles – spiritual or otherwise – so that peace or justice can prevail. I will be called to ascend impossible ‘massifs’ to advance the gospel. I will be called to construct a means by which another might be saved from impending personal destruction. I will be called to rebuild and restore broken hopes so that joy can return. My prayer is that when the rocks seem endless, the body feels exhausted, the mountain screams “I’m unassailable,” the project overwhelms me or the wall looks too broken, I will appeal to the Lord for strength to make just one more effort, spend one more day, give it one more attempt. I will remember the words of Paul to the churches in the province of Galatia: “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9).

“ I T A LWAY S S E E M S I M P O S S I B L E U NTI L IT ’ S D O N E .”

NELSON MANDELA

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

MENNONITE BRETHREN HERALD

M AY 2 0 2 2

13

Just one more

One too many When giving up is the better choice.

“THERE’S AN OPPORTUNE TIME TO DO THINGS, A RIGHT TIME FOR EVERY THING ON TH E E A RTH ... A R I G HT TI M E TO H O LD O N A N D A N OTH E R TO LE T G O.”

I

ECCLESIASTES 3:1 ,6B MSG

t was a 1990 Mercury Sable, and it was a money pit.

Every month, without fail, it was at the garage for repairs of some mechanical malady. It wasn’t until the cost of fixing this beast equalled its purchase price that I finally decided enough was enough and sold the lemon. I made a necessary ending.

Years later, I enrolled in a doctorate program, excited about sharpening my ministry skills. The church I served gave me the resources and space to complete the degree. At the time I was working fulltime and raising three young children with my wife. After a year of study, I began to realize the negative impact my studies were having on my family. I was sacrificing time with my children and wife; time I could never recoup.

My family needed me more than I needed another degree. I withdrew from the program.

Acknowledged to be the best hockey player in history, the “Great One” held 61 NHL records during his twenty-one years of play from 1978 – 1999. He won nine most valuable player trophies, five outstanding player of the year trophies and ten trophies for most points in a season. He scored a total of 894 goals and racked up 1963 assists during his hockey career. At the age of 38, to the stunned surprise of the NHL and his fans, Wayne Gretzky gave up his skates. It was said that he hoped to leave the fans wanting more rather than wishing for less. Many felt he quit too early; that he had so much

14

M AY 2 0 2 2

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

more to offer the game and his fans. Gretzky stated that he had a gut feeling it was time: “It’s hard. This is a great game, but it’s a hard game. I’m ready.”1 His reoccurring back injuries, a sense that there was nothing of significance for him to accomplish record-wise, and a desire to spend more time with his family, were given as reasons for quitting one career and starting another. This new path included coaching, hockey team ownership and pursuing various business ventures. Gretzky believed retirement from hockey was a necessary ending.

Consider the following narrative in the life of Jesus: “One day Jesus called together his twelve disciples and gave them power and authority to cast out all demons and to heal all diseases. Then he sent them out to tell everyone about the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick. “Take nothing for your journey,” he instructed them. “Don’t take a walking stick, a traveler’s bag, food, money, or even a change of clothes. Wherever you go, stay in the same house until you leave town. And if a town refuses to welcome you, shake its dust from your feet as you leave to show that you have abandoned those people to their fate” (Luke 9:1-5 NLT).

Here Jesus called for a necessary ending to a specific ministry for a specific time and situation despite the people’s desperate need to hear about, and respond to, the Kingdom of God that was unfolding before them.

If they did not want to hear this good news, the

“PRUDENT IS THE ONE WHO GIVES

“ S O M E T I M E S T H E B E S T WAY I S A

TH O U G HT TO TH E I R S TE P S .”

D I F F E R E N T WAY.”

PROVERBS 14:15B

ANONYMOUS

disciples were to walk away, “abandoning” them to their fate. Sometimes even Jesus himself knew that there was a time to quit and move on and he directed his followers to do so. There was a time for a necessary ending.

My parents instilled in me the conviction to never, ever give up on anything. Like me, many of my generation were raised on the adage that “quitters never win.”

I am truly thankful for my parents’ coaching; reminding me to stay the course, to hold the line, to never walk away. However, my life experiences have taught me that sometimes the best decision is, in fact, to bring something to an end. I have personally walked with colleagues who could not bring something to close that needed to end. Their relationships, health and ministry suffered as a result. In his work, Necessary Endings, Dr. Henry Cloud speaks to this matter of never giving up, no matter the cost: “...there is a toxic version of not quitting. It happens when the label of “quitting” in the big sense is equated with stopping a particular goal or endeavour. In other words, if you quit any one thing, you are a quitter instead of being wise...Quitting is just bad, period. Always, anytime, anywhere.

Furthermore, the label gets attached not to the project or the individual case, but the self. “I am a quitter,” is what goes through the person’s head, instead of “I decided to fold on this particular hand. It was stupid to go forward” ...some people have maps in their heads that say, “Any giving up is bad.” This belief keeps them from endings that should happen...Sometimes it makes sense to quit a particular project or goal. It does not mean you are a “quitter.”2 Cloud’s insightful perspective is wise and genuinely helpful. A decision on whether to keep on with something or to end it requires a healthy portion of perspective, self-awareness, grace and on-going reality checks. I am the wiser when I consider my options carefully and when I bathe all of these personal ‘safety-checks’ in prayer, the counsel of Scripture and the wisdom of godly believers.

As followers of Jesus, we should not easily walk away from our commitment to significant goals, projects, or work. I have determined that although there are elements of the labour that might cause me to think about giving up, I will not quit because the work: is great or long; ˚ requires sacrifice; ˚ runs intosome trouble or has opponents;

˚

˚ ˚ ˚

raises doubts or brings confusion; requires a personal life-change; or needs requires realignment or retooling.

We all have pursued something, at all costs, and discovered it has only reaped heartache and heartbreak.

The negative consequences of a “never give up” approach may impact us even today – spiritually, mentally, physically, relationally. I still hold to the view that one should keep on keeping on regarding matters of significance, but my conviction about ‘giving up’ has matured and become less rigid. Today, I test the degree of my pursuit of significant matters – even when it is something I believe God has called me to – by asking several questions: it in harmony with God’s purposes, Scripture, ˚ Is and the counsel of godly peers? the Holy Spirit affirming me to continue? ˚ Is Is it enhancing my Christlikeness? ˚ Is it moving me to abide with Jesus? ˚ Is it life-giving? ˚ Is it causing harm to myself or others? ˚ What role is personal pride playing here?

˚

I acknowledge these questions are deeply intertwined, but there is a depth of certainty, a heightened clarity, by engaging them all.

At the end of the day, sticking with something through thick and thin has a long list of commendable character-building outcomes. Resolve, self-control, loyalty, resilience, selflessness and courage are all enhanced by staying the course. However, there is an equal enhancement of personal character when making a necessary ending. May the Holy Spirit guide us all in these matters.

1. https://www.biography.com/athlete/wayne-gretzky 2. Henry Cloud. Necessary Endings. Harper Business: New York, New York, 2010, p.63-64.

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

MENNONITE BRETHREN HERALD

APRIL 2022

15

STRESSED?

You weren’t called to do paperwork. We were.

CCMBC Legacy Fund serves pastors and churches by helping with administration and finances to free you for ministry in your local communities.

Here are some of the ways we can help: Accounting services Payroll services Pensions Benefits Mortgages Please let us know if you need help or support with any of these services. Our team is here for you.

1-888-669-6575 legacy@mbchurches.ca ccmbclegacyfund.com

16

M AY 2 0 2 2

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

Finish lines BERNHARD (BEN) WALDE Ben spent his childhood in Russia and Ukraine as his family moved seeking work. After the German occupation of WWII, he was utilized by the Germans as interpreter and farm labourer, and eventually conscripted into the German Youth and a German paramilitary group. Ben became separated from his family, not knowing if they survived. He spent the next years working on farms and starting a machinist’s apprenticeship. With the help of MCC, Ben immigrated to Canada in 1948, and years later, again with MCC’s help, reconnected with his family. In 1972, Ben was reunited with his mother, and 12 years later, with his brother Edward. Ben began working on his uncle’s farm near Saskatoon, but through economic setbacks, he got a job working for the Co-Op driving a milk pickup route.

To obtain his driver’s license he gave an uncle one dollar to pick up the permit. Ben continued to drive until age 93, much to the fear of his sons. Ben worked for Saskatoon automotive shops to obtain his journeyman certificate. In 1965, he began self-employment with a partner and a lease agreement on a Pacific 66 service station. Later businesses included a Royalite service station, a Renault car dealership, a Petro-Can service station, a rust mitigation franchise and general automotive repair shop. Ben married Violet Reimer in 1954. On their honeymoon to B.C., they decided to settle in Kelowna. In 1972, the economy in Kamloops, B.C., was strong, so they moved there. In 1991, they retired to Kelowna.

Throughout Ben’s life, he had a strong, silent commitment to God and to his service. He was always willing to help with the church boys’ clubs, camps, and other mission programs, including Camp Oshkidee, Gardom Lake Bible Camp, Okanagan Gleaners, and the YWAM. Family and friends could always count on him for monetary or physical help. In retirement, Ben and Vi travelled the U.S.A. and Mexico by motorhome or car. Ben passed on his work ethic and was proud of his family’s accomplishments. He valued time with family, especially if it involved chopping wood or working on a home project. In later years, he enjoyed sitting in Tony’s shop and watching the activities.

Birth: October 7, 1928 Birthplace: Molotschna Colony, Ukraine Death: March 18, 2022 Parents: Isaac & Suzanna Walde Married: Violet Reimer, Aug 7, 1954 [d. 2019] Family: sons Reg (Florence), Arden (Sharon), Anthony (Jacquie); 7 grandchildren including Kenneth Walde (d. 1999); 10 great-grandchildren

HENRY JACOB PAULS When Henry was 7, his family left the Soviet Union on the last train, staying in Germany 6 months. In June 1930, they came to Manitou, Man. Henry’s schooling was interrupted by frequent moves. He attended Archibald School and Hazel School. In 1935, he did not attend school because the van driven by a team of horses was full. The next year, the family rented a farm southeast of Purves, Man., where Henry went to Willowdale School for Grade 6 and part of 7. Sadly, it grew to difficult to feed the horse and travel in the cold winter. Between the farming operations, he attended Winkler Bible Institute, where he gained a thirst for theology. Henry’s parents were members of Manitou MB Church but couldn’t often travel there. When a preacher came to their home and gave the invitation to receive Christ, Henry did. He had many doubts, but Psalms 73:23 confirmed his faith. Henry married Helen Janzen and they raised five children on a farm near Purves. Henry loved taking pictures. At 80, Henry retired from farming and in 2006, Henry and Helen moved into Morden, Man. At Oak West Estates, Henry enjoyed shuffleboard, puzzles, board games, and chess. He was a fan of the Blue Jays, Winnipeg Jets, and curling. He enjoyed reading and studying most of all. It was discouraging when his hearing and eyesight deteriorated, but for Henry there was always hope (Psalm 132:9). Henry suffered at least two small heart attacks, which didn’t stop him too much, but in December 2020, a serious stroke changed his life. After a time at Boundary Trails Health Centre, he and Helen settled into a care home in St. Claude, then into Tabor Home. It seemed Henry was improving, but his heart was giving out. His family enjoyed many great visits. He continued to be hospitable, kind, loving, and patient, watching out for Helen first. His spirit was alive as he communicated his love for his children and grandchildren both in person and on the screen.

Birth: October 21, 1922 Birthplace: Nikolajewka No. 5, Ukraine Death: February 25, 2022 Parents: Jacob J. Pauls & Anna H. Neufeld Married: Helen Janzen, Mar 12, 1955 Family: Helen; children Ernie (Alvina), Kathy (Rocky) Wiebe, Mary Anne (Aron) Friesen, Susan, James (Shawna); grandchildren; great-grandchildren; 2 siblings Church: Westside, Morden, Man. Baptism: Manitou (Man.) MB

MENNONITE BRETHREN HERALD

M AY 2 0 2 2

17

When the sent are sent away

BY NIKKI WHITE

ateryna Oliferovski was completing a church internship in Dortmund, Germany, when the war in her Ukrainian homeland began.

She is still there.

“It was supposed to be a short mission trip,” Kateryna explained. “I felt that God was sending me to Germany, to serve the church and help bring the light of the Gospel. Then suddenly, I could not leave.”

She called her parents when the invasion was imminent, wanting to fly home right away. Instead, she was told to stay where she was, which was not easy for her to accept. When all flights were cancelled, it was like a door closing in her face. Before long, there would be thousands feeling this same sense of loss, being sent away to other countries for their own safety.

Her parents, Maxym and Anya, said they were going to remain in their city of Zaporizhzhia for as long as they could, together with other staff from the New Hope Center, a ministry to families in crisis that was, they knew,

K

18

M AY 2 0 2 2

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

about to encompass a crisis beyond comprehension.

“I didn’t want them to stay,” Kateryna said. “Then I remembered that when I was small, my mom and dad never forced me to do anything. They let me make my own decisions. This is their decision. But it is hard.”

This is not the first time that Kateryna has spent a significant time away from home. At age twenty, she sensed God sending her to Canada for one year of service with Mennonite Central Committee. During that year, her parents were also in Canada, but in a different province, going through FOCUS training with Multiply. They were at least able to spend a few weeks together in British Columbia and, knowing that her parents were in the same country and that their time apart was temporary, made Kateryna’s homesickness easier to bear.

“Now it is different,” she said.

“When will we be together? I try not to think about the future. I can think only about today. This moment, today, they are safe. Okay. Today is good.”

For recent updates about Multiply’s response to the war in Ukraine, including prayer requests and giving opportunities, go to multiply.net/ ukraine-in-crisis

To read more about Max and Anya’s response to the war in Ukraine, go to multiply.net/story/ahealing-ear

Waves of loneliness hit her at random moments. Seeing children playing in Dortmund, she misses her work with children at the New Hope Center in Ukraine. She sees spring flowers and misses the hills of her hometown. She sees people on the street and misses seeing the people of Zaporizhzhia strolling along leisurely and chatting in coffee shops. “They are not doing that now.”

“Oh, and I miss teatime,” she added, suddenly brighter. “Every evening, dad makes it for us. He calls me, ‘Katya! Come for tea!’ and offers me a choice: chamomile, which mom likes, or black, which he likes.” She smiled.

“Sometimes he would leave it for me in a thermos, if I was going to be coming home late.” The smile faded as she remembered the taste, wondering when she would have tea with them again.

Kateryna knows that her parents want her to stay in Germany, but she has struggled at times to find meaning in still being there. Her sense of mission is re-emerging since she accepted a job working with Ukrainian refugee children at a local school. She hopes her training as an art therapist will help children process the trauma of being refugees.

“I know how they feel,” she said. “At first you feel guilty. It feels unfair to be here, safe and fed, while back in Ukraine they are scared, hiding. It feels really wrong. It feels wrong to even be happy.”

This tension was very present when she heard that other refugees from a neighboring church in Molochansk were soon to arrive in Germany. At first Kateryna felt happy and excited at the prospect of seeing some of her friends.

Then she felt anxious.

“When I found out my best friend was coming with this group, I was almost afraid to see her,” Kateryna admitted. “How would we be? What would we talk about? She was not coming to have some fun adventure, but to be a refugee. When I finally met her, it felt so strange to see her in this context.

Suddenly, the war was real, not just images on a screen.” In the end, the two friends embraced, drawing strength from a grief shared. Together, they

have also found courage to dream again about the future.

“Next to the little cabin outside of the city where my parents are sheltering,” Kateryna said, “there is a plot of land. My mom and dad talk about building there when the war is over. A restoration and recovery center, where traumatized people can come and be in nature. I really want that. I want to go back. I want it more now because I know that I cannot go back. I want to go and restore what is broken.”

Recently, Kateryna posted a photo of herself to social media, standing in a field of purple flowers in Germany.

Under the photo, she wrote, “During war, smiles seem inappropriate. Beautiful places seem to be a reason for envy…

I would like to have this beauty, not only for a moment, but always. I would like to enjoy the sun on my native land, fully confident about tomorrow. But I only have this moment. A state of calm that sometimes I can’t explain. It’s not permanent.”

“But when it fills me,” she said, “hope comes into my heart.”

NIKKI WHITE

is a writer with Multiply and a member of North Langley (B.C.) Community Church. This article was previously published in Witness, Multiply’s quarterly magazine. To read other stories from the Spring edition, go to multiply.net/witness or subscribe at multiply.net/subscribe

P R AY Please pray for Kateryna in Germany and for her parents, Maxym and Anya Oliferovski, in Ukraine, where they have converted the New Hope Center into a shelter for refugees. Staff and volunteers who have chosen to stay behind are caring for the traumatized and helping those who are on a journey to safety across the border.

MENNONITE BRETHREN HERALD

M AY 2 0 2 2

19

Helpful resources for churches wrestling

with sexuality and gender questions

BY HAROLD JANTZ

Years ago, I wrote an article for the MB Herald entitled “Welcoming but not Affirming.” I borrowed the title from a book by the late Stan Grenz, who was teaching at Regent College and Carey Hall at the time. Grenz’s subtitle is An Evangelical Response to Homosexuality. The book expressed a posture I felt most of our churches would have wanted to embrace. It is that the church is meant to be there to offer spiritual nurture and support to people who were entertaining ethical options we believe the Scriptures do not approve. But we want to be welcoming people as we do so. That article appeared a quarter century ago.

Much has happened in the meantime, not the least that our government and a number of other countries have legalized same-sex marriages and most recently, with Bill C-4, practically criminalized any counselling or formal teaching issuing from anyone who might argue against living out the practices that the claimed LGBTTQ* identities imply. The legislation was written to shut down any sort of ministry that many in government would call “conversion” therapy.

For years I was involved as a board member and then chair with a ministry called New Direction for Life, now Journey Canada, which came into being to assist persons struggling with questions of same-sex sexual intimacy. Some of the staff had themselves dealt with these issues. The people who came to the ministry often were those who wanted help with unwanted same-sex attractions, addictions, gender dysphoria, etc., while others were living with HIV-AIDS. We were in the unusual situation of having two arms to our ministry, one a counselling role for those struggling with unwanted desires or attractions

20

M AY 2 0 2 2

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

and the other a large mansion called the House of Hesed that provided a shelter and a home for persons living with HIV-AIDS. Both ministries still exist, though one is now clearly threatened.

This is only to say that I’m familiar with the questions that people are asking. I realize that the cultural influences that argue that we should affirm the identities and the life practices that belong to the LGBTTQ* spectrum are very strong. It has made many of us fearful to speak in a different direction. I’ve felt that fear myself. And many of the arguments for affirming, embracing and normalizing same-sex marriage, for example, are compelling. As a result, it has become increasingly difficult to attempt to make public statements that seek to argue the case for the Christian church’s historic stance on sexuality and marriage. Mennonite believers such as ourselves (or many others who clearly position themselves within orthodox Christianity) are now viewed by others as a throwback to the worst examples of past Christian behaviour.

In recent years, however, a number of excellent writers have begun providing resources to address the challenges brought by the cultural climate and the identity politics within which we are immersed. What follows is a brief review of a number of books that can help us. It should be understood that these resources support our Christian church’s historic position, but the writers are very aware of the shifts that have been happening within the culture and, indeed, within the church itself. I encourage church leaders and families concerned about the issues involved to obtain these books for their own and their local church’s reflection and understanding.

An orthodox view of sexuality

I begin with one I highly recommend: Marriage, Scripture and the Church, Theological Discernment on the Question of Same-sex Union, by Darrin W. Snyder Belousek. This 2021 Baker Academic book by a Mennonite author from within Mennonite Church USA, is perhaps the most closely reasoned book I’ve come across against affirming same-sex marriage for Christians.

Rather than use a few obvious texts, Belousek anchors his approach to the question of same-sex marriage in what one reviewer has called “a robust Christian theology of marriage.”

Another reader, Andrew Goddard of Ridley Hall, Cambridge, has written, Like no other book, Marriage, Scripture and the Church brilliantly frames our current disagreements on sexuality in terms of the doctrine of marriage. It carefully guides the reader through Scripture, church history, doctrine, and current arguments to highlight the different rationales for changing our doctrine and the consequences of doing so. It offers a positive vision and model of how the church might discern the truth.

Preston Sprinkle, well-known in American circles for his leadership of the Center for Faith, Sexuality and Gender, has written: “Finally, a book about same sex sexuality that refuses to rehearse the tired discussion about the prohibition passages and instead reorients our focus where it should have been all along—on the meaning of marriage.”

Belousek’s book cannot be ignored. He has read very widely, considers arguments carefully, and works toward conclusions with great respect. Find a way to get this book into your church’s discussion and learning.

Stan Grenz’s book, Welcoming But not Affirming (John Knox Press, 1998), is dated, but it remains a helpful book.

Grenz was very aware of the movement toward affirming same-sex unions that was already roiling many denominations and his book seeks to offer a direction that will assist churches in a pastoral response. He, as Belousek now, understood the arguments made against the church’s historic stance. He writes with understanding, compassion and clarity.

A final book in this section, though it doesn’t exhaust the list of those I might mention, is Rebecca McLaughlin’s Confronting Christianity, 12 Issues That Might Cause Someone to Dismiss Orthodox Christianity (Crossway Books, 2012). This fine scholar, with a PhD in renaissance literature from Cambridge, a theology degree from Oak Hill College, London, and with years of experience as a Christian apologist, addresses a range of questions that are often asked of Christian faith claims. They deal with suffering, d iversit y, Christianity as white and Western, science, the complexity of sexuality, and half a dozen others. She reveals her own years-long erotic

attraction to women (though she has never acted on them). Her answer to how she has responded to the attractions is as refreshing and enlivening as the rest of the book. I won’t rehearse it here. In 2020 Christianity Today named it its “beautiful orthodoxy book of the year.”

What about the rights of the children?

From a totally different vantagepoint, Katy Faust with editor Stacy Manning in Them Before Us (Post Hill Press, 2021) offer a perspective on some of the arguments used to affirm LGBTTQ* identities and same-sex marriage that should give us all a pause. It draws attention to an aspect that is almost always ignored despite its importance. This book is entirely committed to advocating for children’s rights, and particularly for the right of children to their biological parents. Unlike the previous books, Faust virtually never uses Scripture, yet the entire ethos of the book breathes—I would argue—a worldview very rooted there. Faust knows that quoting Scripture is not likely to be persuasive with the politicians to whom the book is directed. She wants political leaders and influencers to think more seriously about the rights of children in the midst of the

sexual revolution.

So the book asks questions about gender, biology, marriage, divorce, same-sex parents, donor conceptions, surrogacy and adoptions, and in each case examines them in terms of how they might harm or help children. The strength of the book is how it highlights the voices and values the children who are not normally considered at all. I’ve not seen another that has done it better. For example, a same-sex marriage that is affirmed and normalized to make it equivalent to a family with father and mother, will, by definition, exclude the presence of one or perhaps both of the biological parents. Yet that loss is seldom acknowledged. Faust gives children denied a natural right in those settings a voice. Despite her own experience growing up in a lesbian home with a loving mother, she writes with empathy but also hard realism about what is involved when children are denied the relationship to biological parents. A South Dakota state representative, Fred Deutsch, says of this book: “If you are a lawmaker or are otherwise passionate about improving the lives of children, trust me, this is a must-read.” I would agree.

Counselled to wait

Still another book I would recommend is by two well-known counsellors, Professor Mark Yarhouse (Wheaton College), and clinical psychologist Julia Sadusky (Denver, Colorado). They have co-written Emerging Gender Identities: Understanding the Diverse Experiences of Today’s Youth (Brazos Press, 2020).

This book reflects the growing number of young people who are coming forward expressing “gender dysphoria,” the confusion between their physical birth sex and their sense of gender identity. One sign of this feeling is the presence among us of those who want to be spoken of with “they” rather than “he” or “her.”

Emerging… was written to give pastors, youth workers and parents handles on relating with and

MENNONITE BRETHREN HERALD

M AY 2 0 2 2

21

speaking to their youth. How might we treat those who may feel they are a gender that doesn’t conform to their birth sex? These writers urge empathy and compassion rather than villainizing toward those experiencing gender dysphoria. These young people and their families are the “neighbours” we are called to love.

Showing hospitality and warmth can be done without affirming the chosen gender identity, they say.

As I read this book I couldn’t help but think back to my youth during the 1950s. I was part of a large youth group of a hundred or more in my southern Ontario home church. We had a wonderful youth leader, a local businessman in his daily life. I’ve never heard that any one from that youth group ever transgendered or came out as gay or lesbian. It wasn’t until I went to university that I had a fellow student who later identified as gay. I think it is fair to say that very few among us would have imagined ourselves to be anything but the sex with which we were born. It suggests to me that the culture that surrounds us has affected young people today much more than many would acknowledge. It may also be that the identities claimed are more fluid than current perspectives would claim.

It is significant then that the writers of Emerging Gender Identities counsel not to accept too quickly a young person’s claim to be a gender other than their birth sex. A key piece of advice they offer is simply to wait.

Quite often the young person as he or she matures will decide that their earlier feelings do not reflect who they really are. While these writers do not disagree that gender dysphoria will be life-long for some, for others it will be a temporary phase of their life story. The culture plays a large role. I recommend Yarhouse and Sadusky’s book.

22

M AY 2 0 2 2

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

Same-sex attraction and lived insights

There are several other books I would encourage churches or persons to own. They are helpful because they provide lived insights by people who self-identify as gay or as same-sex attracted, but have chosen to embrace celibacy, as challenging as that choice is for them.

Here I would put Wesley Hill’s slender volume, Washed and Waiting: Reflections on Christian Faithfulness (Zondervan, 2016) at the forefront.

Hill would describe himself as someone whose same-sex attractions have not disappeared. But he believes that faithfulness to God’s will as expressed in Scripture does not allow him to act on these. Hill shows how important it has been for him to have deep relationships with families and fellow believers within the church. His book addresses three main questions: what does the gospel demand of gay Christians? is there relief for Christians who experience same-sex sexual desires?, and can those who struggle with sexual brokenness live a flourishing life that pleases God and experiences his pleasure? Hill has become an important voice to those who’ve walked a journey such as his.

Several companion books to that of Wesley Hill would be Rachel

Gilson’s Born (Again) This Way (Good Book Company, 2020) and Rosaria Butterfield’s Openness Unhindered and The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert: An English Professor’s Journey into Christian Faith (Crown and Covenant, 2014). These two authors, the first a woman who knew herself to be same-sex attracted to other women from her teens and the second by someone who was very active in same-sex sexual relationships while a university English prof, provide many helpful insights from their lived experiences.

Though I found myself disagreeing with some of her strong Reformed theology, I enjoyed Butterfield’s book for its writing—she uses language with such precision and elegance— and for its many helpful insights. Her remarkable journey to faith began after a pastor reached out to her and invited her to lunch after she had labeled Christians as “stupid, pointless and menacing.” She came to faith in Jesus Christ and then to the conviction that the life she was living was incompatible with that faith.

Gilson provides a great deal of helpful advice to those who like her might be experiencing a strong samesex sexual attraction. She writes, I want to offer you the Scriptures, and show you how these ancient Godbreathed words can meet us right in our very contemporary circumstances. They will challenge us, and comfort us and ultimately root us in the God who loves us….

Jesus is beautiful, powerful and worthy right at the heart of this conversation, right at the heart of our sexuality. He is not scared or unsettled by anything, and if we are rooted in him, we can be people of power and love and self-control.

In that spirit Gilson’s book will encourage readers who struggle with their sexual attractions.

A consistent testimony

McGill faculty on impacts of samesex marriage

For those who might want to see how legalizing same-sex marriage was debated by a group who weren’t necessarily coming to it as Christians, a book by several McGill University faculty would be helpful reading even now. Editors Douglas Farrow and Daniel Cere assembled a series of chapters under the title Divorcing Marriage: Unveiling the Dangers in Canada’s New Social Experiment (McGillQueen’s University Press, 2004). It remains an important statement.

Importantly, the well-known medical ethicist Margaret Somerville, now in Australia, wrote a chapter “What about the children?” for the book.

None of the writers wrote specifically as Christians but were addressing political leaders from a public policy standpoint for what they viewed as the common good.

Their hope failed, a same-sex marriage law passed. The marriage of two sexual others, viewed earlier as “natural marriage,” with the new law was given equivalence with same-sex marriage. By that action marriage itself became a “social construct” in the eyes of the law. The fall-out from that decision will become known over time. Nonetheless, we can be grateful for the work these authors did nearly two decades ago.

If we’re alive at all to the world around us, we can sense the huge changes to the understanding of sexuality and personal identity that have impacted our culture, our churches, and all of us. The call to follow Jesus in every area of life comes to each one of us, no matter who we are or what desires or attractions we feel. Darrin Belousek writes that in dealing with the new world in which we find ourselves, the stories of gay believers who’ve chosen the path of costly discipleship can help us discern a path forward.

Their testimony would be that “the consistent testimony of Scripture, confirmed by the authoritative teaching of Christ and conserved through the consensus teaching of the church, [is] that God ordained marriage as man-woman monogamy and blessed sex within marriage.” Marriage, Scripture and the Church argues that testimony exceedingly well.

One final word. It comes from another author whose writing I’ve valued. The British ethicist Oliver O’Donavan, for many years the Regius Professor of Moral and Pastoral Theology at the University of Oxford, wrote thus in Resurrection and Moral Order (Eerdmans, 1994): The dimorphic organization of human sexuality, the particular attraction of two adults of the

opposite sex and of different parents, the setting up of a home distinct from the parental home and the uniting of their lives in a shared life (from which Jesus concluded the unnaturalness of divorce): these form a pattern of human fulfillment which serves the wider end of enabling procreation to occur in a context of affection and loyalty. Whatever happens in history, Christians have wished to say, this is what marriage really is. Particular cultures may have distorted it; individuals may fall short of it. It is to their cost in either case; for it reasserts itself as God’s creative intention for human relationships on earth; it will be with us, in one form or another, as our natural good until (but not after) the kingdom of God shall appear.

May we have the compassion and courage to argue that position, as we can see so many authors doing— Christian and non-Christian; gay and straight. We can love and respect those with whom we disagree, but we need not abandon our deeply held convictions, nor the reasons for them.

HAROLD JANTZ

is a long-retired former editor of both the MB Herald and ChristianWeek. The Jantzes live in Winnipeg. Contact: jantz@mts.net

Letters to the editor MB Herald Digest welcomes your letter on issues relevant to the Mennonite Brethren church, especially in response to material published in the magazine.

Please include name, address and phone number, and keep your letters concise, courteous, and about one subject only. We may edit letters for length and clarity.

We will not publish letters sent anonymously, although we may withhold names from publication at the letter writer’s request and at our discretion. Letters may also appear online or be published in the Digest from an online source, such as comments on articles posted to mbherald.com or on our social media platforms.

In these circumstances, letter writers will be contacted by the editor to obtain permission. Because the letters column is a free forum for discussion, it should be understood that letters represent the position of the letter writer, not necessarily the position of the MB Herald or the Mennonite Brethren church.

Send letters to MB Herald, 1310 Taylor Avenue, Winnipeg, Man. R3M 3Z6, or by email: mbherald@mbchurches.ca.

MENNONITE BRETHREN HERALD

M AY 2 0 2 2

23

A moment in time

ABBOSTFORD, BRITISH COLUMBIA , 1949?

Anna Doerksen (nee Anna Kehler) with her children—Len, Esther, and Ruth—cultivating berries on their Clayburn Road farm, Abbotsford.

Read more about Anna in Daughters in the House of Jacob available through Kindred Productions.

Courtesy of the Mennonite Archival Information Database

24

M AY 2 0 2 2

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

A MENNONITE HEART FOR REFUGEES

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