Letters to the editor

Thanks, Pete, for sending in a response to our monthly prayer focus. You make some excellent points that should remind us of biblical truth.

ISN'T THE HOLY SPIRIT ALREADY HERE?

Thank you, MB Church leaders for your reminders of how Christ behaved and how we, His followers, need that same attitude to reach others. I am wondering, though, you talk a lot about asking the Holy Spirit to come. Is He not already here? We ask Him to fill us, but how can He if we are already full with all our own wishes and desires etc.? He is standing at the door and asking to come in. Let’s remember that if we draw near to Him, He can come near to us. He is waiting for full commitment!

Pete Penner

While the Holy Spirit is definitely present with each believer (if not, the person does not have the presence of Jesus with them at all), Paul still commands believers to "be filled with the Spirit." The tense of the Greek word translated here as "be filled" does not mean only once, but rather in an ongoing way. This means that while every believer possesses the Holy Spirit, not all believers are "filled" with the Holy Spirit. Barnabus is noted as exceptional in that he was "filled with the Spirit" (Acts 11:24).

Therefore, unless there is some other way to be filled with the Spirit, it seems that this is something that believers should pray for daily.

Ephesians 5:18-20:

Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

You are correct that there is little point in praying for the Holy Spirit to fill us if we do not make room for him in our lives. It would be like inviting someone to our homes and then locking the door before they enter.

Please pray for our MB churches across Canada that we might truly welcome God's Holy Spirit with full commitment to what that will look like.

Blessings and Shalom in Jesus!

Ken Esau, National Faith and Life Director

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

About 30 New Leaders Gather For Pastors Credentialing Orientation In Winnipeg

Pastors Credentialing Orientation (PCO) is an annual “equipping and orientation event for all pastors in an MB church in Canada” run collaboratively by the National Faith and Life Team, the MB Seminary, and the provincial MB conference host. PCO 2023 (June 6-8) saw about 30 new leaders and a few seasoned “alumni” come together at The Meeting Place Church (Winnipeg) to learn, fellowship, ask questions, share meals, and even cheer on the local baseball team.

Participants who traveled from Ontario to BC worshipped together and experienced interactive sessions with such titles as “The Confession of Faith and the Gospel” (Ken Esau), “Evangelical-Anabaptist DNA” (Andrew Dyck), “Healthy Church Leadership Boundaries” (Carolyn Klassen), “MB Ecclesiology” (Mark Wessner) and “The MB Confession of Faith for Dummies” (Ken Esau). Participants had smaller group interaction with leaders overseeing CCMBC, Legacy Fund, MB Seminary, Multiply, and the Centre for MB Studies.

Each evening, participants went out to eat together, cheer on the “Winnipeg Goldeyes,” or walk at the Forks. The event concluded with each participant sharing what most impacted them from the days together. Besides the input sessions, many spoke of their appreciation for the opportunity to get to know other pastors/leaders from across the country. The event concluded with a “graduation ceremony,” and the receiving of a formal certificate of completion.

PCO is a required part of the credentialing process overseen by each provincial MB conference. PCO 2024 is already in the planning stages and will be located in British Columbia. Updates will be available online as available.

>> Visit the PCO website here

Mennonite Disaster Service

SERVING AS A COOK WITH MENNONITE DISASTER SERVICE “IMPORTANT AND FULFILLING”

Judy Schmidt likes to cook—even for 20 or more people at a time.

That’s what the 66-year-old retired banker was doing in March, where she served as head cook for a month with Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) in Jennings, Lousiana.

For Schmidt, who attends the Selkirk, Man. Community Church (Mennonite Brethren), it was the seventh time volunteering with MDS, all except one time as a cook.

Prior to going to Jennings, where volunteers are repairing damage to houses from hurricanes Delta and Laura in 2020, she served in Florida, South Dakota, California, South Carolina and Mississippi.

“It’s a big job preparing breakfast and supper for 20-25 people each week,” she said. “But it’s important and fulfilling. Volunteers need lots of good food to be able to serve each day.”

A typical weekday as a cook finds her rising at 5 a.m. to get breakfast ready. “It’s get up, wash, brush my hair and teeth, get dressed and go,” she said.

In addition to making breakfast, Schmidt and the assistant cook—in Jennings, it was Marian Minninger of Stuarts Draft, Virginia—get things like bread, butter, cold meat, vegetables, drinks, cookies, chips and other items ready so volunteers can make their lunches at 6:30 a.m.

After breakfast and devotions, volunteers leave for work about 8 a.m. Then it’s time for clean up and to think about supper.

Read the full story at MBHerald.com