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Sharing our Family's Stories: A Mennonite Approach to Evangelism by Dave Graybill

"Not to have a curiosity about your own story is like living in a house and never go ing to see what's upstairs." John Ruth

young Polish woman moved, with her husband and children, from Philadelphia to the Harleysville, Pa., area. Soon, she began to feel lonely. A Catholic, she did not find much vitality in her particular congregation. After fruitless conversations with her priest, she and her family became involved in the Catholic charismatic movement and later in a Baptist congregation. Still dissatisfied, she was trick-or-treating with her children at Halloween. As John L. Ruth tells the story, a woman "with these funny clothes on" opened the door at one house. This woman, the young mother thought, has something in her home that I need. So the young woman began attending church with her Mennonite neighbor, the one who wore "funny clothes". The second or third Sunday, "she just involuntarily gets up" in Sunday School and begins talking. "She says, 'You people don't know what you have here. You have a com munity. You can lean on each other. This is beautiful to me.' "There our people were sitting, they're bored with each other. They want to go out Saturday night and listen to some garish music or something, or see a movie. She's had that. She wants some continuity. Now she's in our church and an example to all the rest of us." This story is just one that author-filmmaker John Ruth tells as an example of what he calls a distinctively Men nonite approach to evangelism. Family, in the sense of community as well as relatives, "is a Mennonite strategy for doing Christianity. And it's a Mennonite strategy for evangelism," he says. "If God has made us into a family and that family is a foretaste of His Kingdom, it's hard to resist that. In fact, people will find that warmth and knock on the door." By pointing to this family emphasis and enabling out siders to learn who Mennonites are, telling stories can itself be a form of evangelism, John says. "Memory is com munity in time, as neighbors are community in space."

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It's clear that John and his wife, Roma, value both the past and present-day dimensions of community. The first thing I noticed when I visited on a snowy, November night was the mailbox painted in the fraktur style used by early Mennonites and others in eastern Pennsylvania. John ex plained that the mailbox was painted by Roma, who also designed the cover for his book, 'Twas Seeding Time, a history of Mennonites during the American revolution. In his office, just off the main hall in the Ruths' twostorey, brick house, John was playing a zither, a musical in strument thought to be a forerunner of the Appalachian dulcimer. A green, IBM electric typewriter occupied a prominent position beside a large, wooden desk. Two large, nearly full bookshelves took up most of the space along one wall. In a corner in front of the desk was a folded-up projec tion screen, a second, older typewriter, and stacks of slides encased in plastic sheets. On top of the desk was a videocassette and two stacks of in/out boxes. An old hat rack from John's father's church hung above a folding door. Hats on the rack, John explained, included his first hat as a minister, a hat from Bolivia, and a hat that had belonged to his father-in-law. The author of Conrad Crebel: Son of Zurich, John is currently writing a history of Mennonites of Franconia Conference and the Eastern District of the General Conference Mennonite Church. A new film of his titled 606, about Mennonites of Virginia, will be completed soon. John collaborated on the film with Nebraska Men nonite Burton Buller, with whom he made such films as Mennonites of Ontario and The Amish: A People of Preservation. Though his qualifications to discuss history would seem to be very good, John is careful not to describe himself as an historian. Nor does he like to be called a storyteller. "I think the whole story business is a fad right now. I'm sick of the term, 'storytelling,' " he said. "But the need for telling

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the story of our people will be just as strong as it ever was in three or four years, after the fad goes." John leaned back, then forward, on a wooden chair as he discussed what he believes is the proper role of stories in today's North American setting. He noted connections he sees among affluence, outreach, and a lack of interest in history on the part of some Mennonites. "When your goal is to become acceptable in the middle class - which is, I think, the goal of a lot of our people now - you lack a frame of reference for self-criticism, because you're trying to mesh. And a Mennonite who tries to mesh with society is almost a contradiction in terms, historically," he said. "You can't get people excited about finally getting comfortable. You can't elicit the best in them.

"Actually a lot of people have no story, nor do they have any particular identity. That's part of the despair of the modern world." "It's like when I'm making films. You simply can't make much of an interesting movie about people that are finally making it. But the ones that have a fiber and a flavor to them, even though they're maybe a little gritty - they will catch people's attention. They stir the imagination." John recalled a conversation he had had earlier that day with a woman who said that members of one local con gregation were not really Mennonites. "I said, 'Why?' She said, 'They're in politics, they go to war, they're not different. They're not different from anybody else.' Let's not debate all the specifics of what she said. It's simply that her perception of us was that Mennonites had an identity. I mean, she saw people that had nothing but a middle class identity and she couldn't see 'Mennonite' there." John suggested that Mennonites who have left the church's historic ideals behind "really shouldn't bother dragging that name 'Mennonite' " with them. A name is simply a designation for a set of characteristics, he said. Those characteristics, in turn, develop and are demonstrated "through experience, through history, through what you went through. And the telling of that ex perience is a story. "Actually, a lot of people have no story, nor do they have any particular identity," he continued. "That's part of the despair of the modern world." As he talked, John frequently broke off into illustrations and anecdotes. He seemed equally comfortable with farm tales, biblical references, and literary allusions. At several points, he got up to find specific quotes in books or his research material. John used the metaphor of a house more than once to explain why people should tell and listen to stories. "Not to have a curiosity about your own story is like living in a house and never going to see what's upstairs," he said. "It's a form of ignorance, a form of unconsciousness." The purpose of telling stories should be twofold, he said. Within the community of faith, stories should be told in order to give members access to the past "and, thus.

JANUARY 16, 1981

perspective" about themselves and their own time. Stories should be told outside the community in order "to com municate who we are." John noted that among Mennonite stories "are horror stories to tell, just like there are in the Old Testament. We've done silly things. Books could be written on silly Mennonite and Amish things. And, to me, they're part of the story. I tell that side too,' he said. "And then the story helps to correct, helps make us smile." what about the reluctance of some people to share the bad things about their group when they talk with out siders? "Well, then they're just laying propaganda on peo ple. I mean, you don't invite people into your house and then run around pulling out every skeleton you can find. But if they say, 'What does this mean?' and keep asking in telligent questions you give them answers. That's why it means to be a hospitable person, to answer the questions that people have about you." John has equally strong feelings about "well-meaning people whose minds are a blank in terms of story and who feel they can make up for it by being extra evangelical. Jesus wasn't that way. He's constantly alluding and show ing that his mind is rife with the whole story collection of the Old Testament." John observed that "usually the people who know the least story are the quickest to tie into the new dynamisms that sweep across the landscape, and say this is the answer." Despite criticism that Mennonites are preoc cupied with the past, "as a matter of fact we know less about our past than a lot of other groups do." How much does the average Mennonite know about the last 100 years? John asked. Or the hundred years before that? Or the 100 before those? At the same time, he said, telling stories should not be viewed as a chore. "Look, story is good because it's a reflection of life. And if you like life you'll like stories, and if there's meaning to life there's meaning in the stories about life," he said.

"For many evangelical-minded persons, a key question about any outreach approach is whether it helps people come to faith." "To me, a good story is one that grabs your attention and stays there. So that when you're ready to think about it it's there and you can realize what it means at your leisure. The parables stick in people's minds." Many good stories also have a core of meaning that can be communicated across cultures, John believes. But one has to be aware of culturally arbitrary details that can block meaning, he said, recalling the time he tried to tell a baseball story to an audience in Leningrad. On a related topic, John said that knowing Mennonite stories does not mean glorifying Swiss-German or Russian family roots over other backgrounds. "You simply use your ethnic thing as a place to stand," he said. "Everybody has to be from somewhere. You can't just be a person in general." Cont'd. next page PAGE 3

John noted further that ethnicity was a result, not the cause, of the historic Mennonite emphasis on community. “The ethnic thing was created by the togetherness of the original covenant," he said. Anabaptism "wasn't originally ethnic." One highly-visible and growing form of Mennonite storytelling has been the development of centers to ex plain Mennonites and Amish to tourists. Although he helped put together the exhibits at one such center at St. Jacobs, Ontario, John described tourist interpretation in general as "a mixed bag. There's a certain amount of thinly-disguised commercialism. A great part of the audience is only curiosity-seeking." At the same time, he said, "there remains a residue of spiritual communication. There's an awful lot of chaff for the grain that is there. But there is some grain." For many evangelically-minded persons, a key question about any outreach approach is whether it helps people come to faith. Whether through films, books, tourist centers - or simply through personal contact - can Men nonites expect to win people to Christ by telling stories? "Not as a fad. Not as a gimmick, no," John said. "But the

Letters A LEU'ER OE APPRECIATION

E.M. Conference Greetings! Wishing you a blessed 1981! Both Margaret and I wish to express our sincere appreciation and deep gratitude for the regular monthly support we have receiv ed from you during the year. Not only have you shared in the expenses of our hospital ministry, but you will also share in the rewards, both present and future. The many “thank yous” and words of gratitude we received both in the hospital from patients, and from members of patients’ families, belong to you just as much as to us, words like “Thank you so much for visiting our son in the hospital” or, from a patient well on the way to recovery, “You may think 1 did not notice you that first visit when I was so sick and felt so miserable. I did notice a form come to the bed, and you touched my shoulder. 1 heard every word of your prayer and followed it. It gave me new hope, strength and courage in my desperate mo ment. 1 was lifted to a renewed life. Thank you so much for your visits and ministry and what they meant and did for me,” or the youth from the Interlake area, age 18, hospitalized because of a chain saw accident.

thing we have to share is family and people. That's our best foot forward." John recalled that someone told him after touring The Meetingplace at St. Jacobs, "I'm glad you made it evangelical." "I said, 'I didn't try to make it evangelical. I tried to make it scriptural.' And it happens that what is at the heart of our heritage is evangelical. It seems to me, if we were true to our Mennonite heritage, we'd be pretty evangelistic. But not often in the current modes." Aside from saying that he would "try to do it better," John said that he would take basically the same approach if he were involved in a project similar to The Meetingplace again. Indeed, his explanation of that effort seemed a kind ■of summation of his views on the evangelistic implications of storytelling. "You simply show who you are, tell about your mistakes, tell why you believe what you do and what things are emphases," he said. "And then you turn to your friends, your visitors, and say, 'Now, you have values too. You've got concerns. Are you following the best light you have? Where is your path of life leading you? I've showed you who I am and told you what I believe is true.' "And I think that's a powerful way of witnessing." ■

who, after he had strayed from the church and the Lord, expressed his desire for the Lord to guide and control his life — and so on and so on. But the future rewards will be, of course, the greatest, when the Lord comes the se cond time to wipe away all tears, solve all problems, even all scores, and reward everyone for his works. “And we will be changed and be like Him” (1 John 3:2). What a wonderful living hope is ours as Christians! Once again, thank you so much. Maranatha! Ben D. and Margaret Reimer Box 2626 Steinbach, Man.

anonymous to us but God knows your ef forts on our behalf. We want to express thanksgiving to God that we are backed faithfully by our family of EMC people who care about missions and missionaries. Gratefully, Ed and Joy Loewen Bach Christian Hospital P.O. Qalandarabad Hazara, Pakistan

CONTRIBUTORS: Dave Graybill is a Mennonite free lance writer living at Leola, PA. He served as an assistant editor at Mennonite MESSENGER - WELCOME REMINDER Publishing House. The article was com missioned by Meetinghouse, a Brethren The bi-monthly arrivals at our doorstep of in Christ/Mennonite editors’ group. a copy of The Messenger remind us of a Helen Koop (Prairie Grove) is teaching number of things — Bro. Schellenberg and missionary children in Paraguay. Sara his staff doing a great job of gathering the in Loeppky (Steinbach) is involved in formation needed to produce new editions, teaching the Guarani language to other thoughtful people who responded to a re quest for funds to cover the extra postage missionaries. Cover: Wallgau with the Wetterstein needed to deliver the copies to us by airmail, Mountains. Courtesy IN-Press/German the kind people that are backing us financial ly and prayerfully. Many of you remain Centre for Tourism.

THE MESSENGER is the publication of the Evangelical Mennonite Conference. Ils purpose is to inform, instruct, and inspire. Inform as to wha. is going on in the Conference: instruct in Godliness and victorious living: inspire to earnestly contend for the faith. All correspondence should be addressed to the Editor D K Schellenberg. Box 1268. Steinbach. Manitoba. ROA 2A0. Leiters, articles, art and poetry are welcomed. Views expressed in Leiters to the Editor are not necessarily those of the editor nor of the paper. Unpublished articles are not returned except by request. Subscription: Members pay through their church. Non-members pay $2.00 per year. Send subscription money to The Messenger. Box 1268. Steinbach. Manitoba ROA 2A0. THE MESSENGER is published every other week by The Evangelical Mennonite Conference, Board of Education and Publication, Box 1268. Stein bach, Manitoba, ROA 2A0. Second Class Mail. Registration Number 0591. Undeliverable copies, change of address and new subscriptions should be mail ed to the above address.

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THE MESSENGER

Missions PARAGUAY

Mission Grams Looking on the Fields

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An Overwhelming Task After my return to Paraguay, on my first trip out to Tres Palmas, I had the op portunity to take a bus that took me through an area where I had never travelled before, a new agricultural developing community, and as I looked over the fields I was deeply impressed by the hard work and perseverance it takes. First, there is the heavy forest to con quer, the thick underbrush and vines, the many small trees and the tall thick ones with their deep and widely spread roots. Since most nationals have access only to the ax and machete, the underbrush and small trees are cut first, then the big trees are chopped down about two feet from the ground. This tangled mess is left to dry for a time and then fire set to it. If successfully done it will have dispensed of the underbrush and small trees, leaving the charred stumps and logs criss-cross on the field. However, quite a bit of good soil is exposed and the first crop can be put in. I observed, though, that some such fields were again completely overgrown with underbrush and once again the owner would have to be back, sweating, and swinging his machete. The next fire would now burn away more of the rotten stumps and logs but, oh, the work in volved. Even after the fields are com pletely cleared and can more easily be cultivated, weeds grow up so fast that it is a constant battle. Pondering on this, my thoughts were directed to the task of evangelizing this country and I could not help but see a comparison. The underbrush — workers adapting to a new country. The tall trees — the language and cultural barriers to be overcome; this seems like such a dif ficult and long process, like the task of felling the trees with ax, machete and fire. Then when one has more access to the soil and can begin to sow the Seed, there are the fast-growing weeds to con tend with, like false cults and sects. . With the new realization of the overwhelming task, my heart cried to the Lord to give the workers courage to “lengthen the cords and strengthen the stakes” (Isaiah 54:2, 3), believing that our God is Master of it all and that He can and will build His church here too, for it JANUARY 16, 1981

is not His will that any should perish. May this encourage you to pray for the workers in Paraguay. Sara Loeppky

Brazil Abe Koop writes, “Recently we were made aware of another tribe northeast of Manaus that has practically no contact with the civilized world. They seem to be a peaceful group. A couple in the neighbouring tribe is willing to take missionaries back in. Again the question arises, ‘Where are the labourers?’ ”

PARAGUAY

Fireworks God Works in Quietness and Beauty I have finished a full day’s work. It is time to relax before getting into bed. It is 11:00 p.m. One more hour in this year. What will I do with it? I take a comfor table chair and go sit outside in the nice cool air and watch God perform some fireworks in the far east. It is a quiet per formance, but beautiful. Yes, it is the lightning in the sky. Now I hear the fireworks, that have been going on for many days, increasing. These are not beautiful; they are smoky and noisy. I look at my watch and see that it is 11:45. The noise is ever increasing so I get up and walk toward my fence. The neighbours, Pete and Betty Friesen, are also enjoying the coolness of the evening and listening to the performance. So together we listen and watch the evening activity, of which there is a lot. I have never heard as much noise from firecrackers as I am hearing right now at 11:55. Even July 1 in Canada or July 4 in the United States do not compare. It is like being in the midst of a war. Well, it is 12:05 and the noise has died down, so we part, each to our own home, for a peaceful night. I think back on that one hour and am very glad that our God performs in quietness and beauty, not like man in smoke and noise. Helen Koop

Kenya Wayne Herrods inform us that their daughter, Heather, has contacted typhoid fever and had to be flown out to the Kijabe Medical Center on December 11. Pray for Heather’s recovery. This also puts a greater burden on the worker at Lokichogio. Renate, a nurse, is carrying on singlehandedly, seeing 200-300 patients daily, plus about eight needing in-patient care, while Essie is away. Nicaragua A new health clinic has been opened at El Reloj. The health promoter that was chosen is a Christian.

George Penners They have had some difficulty in getting a resident visa. Please pray that this will come through. There also are some difficulties in flying regulations that need to be worked out; please pray about this as well. George Hies for Missionary Aviation Fellowship in a country in Central America. Mexico Dora Friesen and Gloria Trevizo will be going to the Lodegil church to start the Sun day school teacher training classes there this month.

Paraguay A couple has received Christ in Caaguazu and is very faithful in attending services, Pete Friesens are having Bible studies in their home. Keesee Koose Fellowship Chapel Paul and Lois Thiessen tell us about a worship service at the chapel in Keesee Koose: “On Sunday mornings we nick up about a dozen or more people, while others attend the service on their own. There are about ten to fifteen children each Sunday and five or ten adults. Our service is about an hour long, and includes lots of singing, prayer, an offering, a story for the children, and a short, ten- to fifteen-minute sermon.

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Messenger News “The MCC Story — God at Work”

MCC (Alberta) Annual Meeting After eight years in office space donated by a local businessman, the Mennonite Cen tral Committee (Alberta) has decided to build its own facilities for the ever increasing program. That decision, which may even tually cost $200,000, was made at the An nual Meeting of MCC (Alberta) in Calgary on November 28-29, 1980. The 133 delegates (plus 80 guests) also ap proved a plan to let an Edmonton group work as a sub committee of the MCC in its program with Asian refugees. The special speaker. Dr. C. J. Dyck, did much to promote the theme, “The MCC Story — God at Work.” “Tell it to your children — tell them what God has done in your life. In remembering, we become free; in forgetting we become slaves to the past, and repeat its mistakes.” “We are surround ed by a cloud of witnesses, and we could name many even in our time, but God can use only those who let themselves be used.” He told of his personal work with refugees in Europe after World War II, and also in South America. To replace the present MCC (Alberta) of fice and warehouse space, it was decided to construct or buy a new building. A tentative committee has been named and the cost is to be covered by donations and a Ioan from the Mennonite Mutual Relief Insurance Com pany. The Refugee Assistance Program is progressing well with 56 groups having spon sored 408 refugees. Most of these are ad justing well; on the average they are finan cially self-supporting in six months, and are now repaying their transportation loans. Bill Thiessen, director of MCC (Alberta) urged people to consider sponsoring the hardship cases as well as normal ones. A program that is unique to Alberta is the Youth Orientation Unit, a farm in Warburg for delinquent youths. Although they receive government assistance and have a certain amount of income from the farm, they are subsidized by MCC with $15,000 if necessary. Voluntary Service persons have spent time working with these young offenders. Peter Rempel, the originator of this concept, reported enthusiastically and said that the number of young men who have returned to a normal society has been gratifying, even though success has not been 100 percent. Other programs that reported growth

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were the Thrift Shops in Calgary and Lethbridge, the Material Aid, Self-Help, and Choice Books. There were group discussions on various topics: Offender Ministries, Iden tifying needs at local levels, Government funding, and others. Because of an unexpected surge in designated giving, the total income for MCC (Alberta) reached $931,985 in the last year — 40 percent over the budgeted amount. Special designated gifts for Cambodia ($75,000) and Nepal ($40,000) were matched by the Alberta Council for International Cooperation pushing the A.C.I.C. (govern ment) contribution to $297,856 for 1979-80. A budget of $1,067,796 was approved for the next year. Of this amount, $248,000 will come from constituency contributions; the balance will be raised through government grants, subsidies for Y.O.U. and such programs as Self-Help and Material Aid. About 75 percent of the budget is channeled overseas. This is the “MCC Story - God at Work” 1980.

by Irene Klassen, Calgary, Alberta

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JOHN WHITE MEETINGS

Steinbach, Man.: A series of meetings with Dr. John White of Winnipeg was held in the Steinbach EMC Church, January 10 and 11. The meetings were sponsored by the Stein bach Ministerial Association. Mr. White addressed himself to three topics: 1. The Church as Harlot

2. Contemporary Culture and the Golden Cow 3. Beyond the Golden Cow From the writings of the prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel, he showed how God, through these prophets, remonstrated and pleaded with adulterous Israel to mend her ways. They had forgotten where they came from. Likewise he pointed out that some of these things (Ezekiel 16) arise from the fact that we have forgotten where we came from; we, who one time were vile sinners — now sons and daughters of God. He closed with the question, “What are we living for?” Speaking on the topic of materialism, he commented that he was alarmed at the ex tent that faith had been replaced by tech niques, etc. He began with men of God who had in the past relied solely on God (George Mueller, Hudson Taylor). He also brought in his own experience of relying on the Lord. He feels that some fund-raising efforts to day display faith more in techniques than in God. He named some TV presentations, referring to them as psychological manipulations. “Christians, while pretending to have faith, have no faith in God.” Mr. White believes that money has a fartoo-important role in the church. “I don’t believe God’s work is hindered by a lack of funds. Look at the first century.” He cited one church who said, “If money doesn’t come in, we don’t do it.” He also enlarged on emotionalism in evangelism. He was referring to playing on the emotions of the audience. He differen tiated between emotionalism and emotions. He related of instances in China where the Communists had used emotionalism to gain converts. To undergird this truth he went to 2 Cor. 4:1-3 where Paul speaks about their convic tion to make honest, integral presentations with the Gospel. He feels that it is not our business to “fool around with people’s emotions.” What is the “treasure” of Scripture? Mr. White puts it very simply. That which is most important in your life — that is your treasure. He further pointed out that the lord mam mon is a very unreliable god to serve. To be free from care, our trust and faith must be in the Lord, he said. “LOOKING UNTO JESUS” Endeavour, Sask.: “Looking unto Jesus” is the verse at the front of our chapel. During the past weeks we at Endeavour have had various opportunities to do just that, “look unto Jesus.” On November 15 we held our annual fall

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supper. The ladies of the church prepared a big, delicious potluck supper. After enjoying the food and fellowship in the lower auditorium we enjoyed, and were richly blessed by, the Freedom Quartet from Stein bach. The entire evening was enjoyed by 250 guests. The next week we sent our good wishes and God’s richest blessings along with Dave and Ruth Scharfenburg as they moved to Prince George, B.C. for the winter months where Dave is employed, doing bush work. We were again blessed on November 2830 during our missionary conference. We had three different missionaries giving reports on their work: Levi Reimer, Ger many; Linda Penner, Paraguay; Diedrich Friesen, Canada. Milton Fast was also with us and challenged us with the EMC missions program. Our main speaker for the weekend was Glen Koop who is an instructor at the Steinbach Bible College. We received many blessings from the messages from the book of Jonah. The children (ages 2-80) really enjoyed the children’s stories he told every night. Couples' night on December 6 was a first for the Endeavour Chapel. An evening of broomball, a discussion film, and coffee and doughnuts made the evening a real success. Then came time for all the Christmas programs to be presented. The first program was a cantata, “The Heavens Declare,” done by a 25-member choir. The choir, under the direction of Dave Wiebe, after many hours of practising, produced a great evening of Christmas music. December 19 the young people presented their program. A slide presentation was done to portray the Christmas story. The evening ended with a drama done by the senior young people. The Sunday school department had their program on December 21. The program was enjoyed by all, especially the tiny tots who eagerly waited to say their little parts that they had memorized. All the children receiv ed candy bags after the program which were prepared by the Ladies’ Aid group. During the Christmas season we enjoyed two guest speakers at Endeavour. Rev. Bill Buhler from High Level, the former pastor, spoke on December 28. Mr. and Mrs. Buhler came to Endeavour to spend Christmas with their family. Then on January 4 Rev. John Koop of Vanderhoof, B.C. brought us the morning message. Mr. and Mrs. Koop came to Manitoba to spend Christmas with their family and stopped in at Endeavour. The Koops are parents to our pastor and his wife, Dave and Audrey Wiebe. We at Endeavour wish you all a happy new year, and will you join us in “looking unto Jesus” in 1981?

JANUARY 16, 1981

Needed: Bookkeeper / Secretary The EMC head office needs a person to fill the position of bookkeeper/secretary, involving the following duties: • Keeping financial records of receipts and dis bursements • Monthly payroll of field remittances • Secretarial work for the Board of Missions This position is part of the overall missions outreach of the ’Conference. As such it meets a very important need in the program God has entrusted to the Conference. Who will respond? If you are interested in this position contact (phone or write): Office Manager EMC Office Box 1268 Steinbach, Manitoba ROA 2A0 Phone: (204) 326-6401

1980 - A GOOD YEAR

Steinbach EFC: Another year has come to a close. 1980 has been a good year. The Lord has been very good to us in many ways. We have received new members into our fellowship. We have had nine new babies born to our fellowship. Our new building is also progressing well. Our new members are as follows; Ken and Grace Reimer, Abe and Tina Plett, Cornie and Mary Friesen and their children, Diane, Stan, Donald and Gerald, Alvin and Ann Reimer, Peter and Louise Hiebert, Peter and Elsie Enns, and Dave and Fran Harms. Our new babies are listed in the “Births” column. Our church building is up. The walls are all built and the roof is on. The building is heated and this week volunteers will put in the insulation. After this the finishing will get underway. Tentative plans are to move in May 1. Our Sunday school program was held on Sunday, December 21. It was a good perfor mance. The nursery and pre-primary classes did a good job of the nativity scene. The primaries put the decorations on the Christ mas wreath, each piece having a special meaning. The juniors did the singing. The junior and senior highs did a drama por traying the blessing of giving and being generous. Then, to finish off the evening, we had a social time of gym games and table games. We closed with Christmas carols. Another reason for socializing on December 21 was to say goodbye to Peter and Louise Hiebert. They left December 26 for the Rio Grande Bible Institute in Texas.

They will take Bible classes and language studies. After this, the Lord is leading them to the mission field in Mexico. Peter is for tunate; he already knows the Spanish language.

CHRIST’S BIRTH CELEBRATED

Treesbank, Man.: December was the month for Christmas programs, suppers, and special church services. On December 4 the children’s club in Wawanesa, Man. had their Christmas program. The club is very well attended this year with about 50 children. They had a program consisting of singing, poems and a short play. Most of the parents came out for the program, which was really encouraging. After the program they served coffee and dainties. December 12 was the evening of the Sunshine Sewing Sisters’ annual Christmas banquet. It was a cold night but that didn’t keep the tables from being filled. Each couple could invite someone else and there was a good turn-out of guests. We enjoyed a delicious supper after which we sang a few carols. Mr. Henry Fehr from Steinbach was our guest artist for the evening. He did three chalk talks which were really interesting and captured the attention of the audience. The choir brought a program in our church on Sunday, the 14th. It wasn’t mainly a Christmas program but it was good. The name of the program was “His Name is Jesus.” On December 23 we had our Sunday school Christmas concert. It was a cold

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night outside but inside our hearts were warm with pride and joy as the children brought their poems, songs and a play. It is truly something to be thankful for that we may celebrate Christ's birth in such a way. Alvin Friesen. Lillian Plett and Elma Plett talked about Christmas in Southern Africa, United Arab Emirates and Germany, respectively. After the program everyone got a bag of goodies, after which we had an op portunity to visit over a cup of coffee and cookies. It was an enjoyable evening. The 24th was the night to go carolling. About 38 young people turned up even though it was bitterly cold. They covered quite a bit of territory and didn’t mind going into a couple of houses to warm up with coffee and cookies. Thanks, carollers, for coming over. Alvin Friesen gave a report of their work in Southern Africa on December 26 in the forenoon. They are working under the Inter national World University Service, mostly in education and libraries. It was interesting to hear of their work and the people in that part of Africa. As we think of the various Christmas ac tivities, may we keep in mind the love of Christ toward us, not only at Christmas time, but all through the year, and may we also show this love to our fellowmen. CHRISTMAS ACTIVITIES

Aberdeen (Winnipeg): Candles, Christmas lights, pine boughs, a tree, a manger ... These were present at our church on Sunday evening, December 14. In the air there was a feeling of excitement and an ticipation. It was the night of our Sunday school and choir program. The Sunday school department, headed by Peter and Leona Penner and Del and Shirley Friesen, and the choir, directed by Peter Andres, presented the drama, “And They Kept Coming,” It portrayed the Christmas story in a new way as Mary, the mother of Jesus, relived the memories of Jesus’ birth and life. She recalled how, right from the beginning, people had come to Jesus to worship Him and to be helped — shepherds, wise men, people in bondage, the sick, the lame, and the poor. These memories were acted out by the children. The choir, as well as the children’s choir, led by Judy Sagert, provided the appropriate music at different times. Mary, Jesus’ mother, was telling her friends about these things. It was the time of Jesus’ death. Her hope and the hope of others had been that He would be the Messiah. But now He had been crucified. Then the atmosphere changed as the exciting news of Jesus’ resurrection came. This meant hope and victory! The drama, written by Leona Penner, end ed on this happy note. Following this, there was an informal time as excited and eager children unwrapped gifts and sampled the

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Christmas baggies! On December 9 the Girls’ Club had a good turn-out for their Christmas party. Parents and pals were invited for the even ing. It started off with a program, each class of girls bringing a reading or poem. They sang some Christmas songs plus a few club favourites. The audience joined the girls for some good hearty carol singing. This was followed by lunch and a time of chatting. December 31 was the night for our annual watchnight service. What could be better than to pray in the New Year? The evening was very informal with table games, visiting, chorus singing, films, coffee, and the traditional New Year’s cookies. Although some people associate salt with pepper, the Aberdeen church people think of something else when the word “salt” is men tioned. We have some special young folks in our church called “Salters.” They Serve And Learn Together. This is an MCC program for young people to enter a one-year term of voluntary service. We really appreciate their service and contributions in our church program. They are involved in Sunday school, clubs, choir and secretarial work as well as their other jobs. ROLLING BACK THE MONTHS

MacGregor, Man.: Better late than never?? I hope that’s true in the case of church reports, since this one is definitely overdue! Christmas, however, came right on time as usual, and its approach was heralded in our midst by several excellent programs focusing our attention again on its real meaning. Both the young people’s and the Sunday school programs, held on December 19 and 21 respectively, were very special evenings indeed, Herod’s extravagant palace, the shepherds’ lonely hillsides, and the star-lit stable itself, were but a few of the scenes that became brilliant reality during the truly superb drama by the young people. It was preceded and followed by a beautiful selec tion of Christmas songs by the choir. It was good (and familiar) to have Bro. Martin Harder serving with the message, and to see the rest of the family again, a rather rare oc casion since their move to Winkler. The well-planned Sunday school program was also a real blessing, with each class, in its unique way, telling once again the wonderful Christmas story. Truly, as Pastor Kroeker said in his closing remarks, “Christ mas is for children; it began with a Child!” Our missionary conference, held from November 13-16, was a most inspiring and informative one. Bro. John Dyck of Stein bach was the main speaker. His topics focus ed on 1) Why Missions in 1980?, 2) Our Most Important Tool in Missions, 3) A Contest in which Victory is Sure. The clarity and sincerity of the presentations, along with the content of these messages, certainly made

them relevant and compelling. Other highlights of the conference were, of course, the vital contributions by such visiting mis sionaries as Linda Penner, the Levi Reimers, Marvin Thiessen, as well as a singing group from Germany (a special treat for the young people on Saturday night) and Bro. Milton Fast who closed the meetings with a com prehensive report on the “workings” of the missions program of the EMC. On October 12 our congregation enjoyed a lovely fellowship Thanksgiving dinner together which was followed by a voluntary program in the afternoon. September 28 was the date of another program, one which we would rather not have had — a farewell dinner in honor of Bill, Sharon and Shannon Esau who left us to go West, and are now calling Vanderhoof, B.C. home. The program itself though was a memorable one, with many taking part in voluntary items and availing themselves of the opportunity to wish the Esaus well. They are now being sorely missed — for themselves and for their talented con tributions to the work here. Just one month later another farewell was given, for our Laotian family, the Phith Sophasats, who have taken up residence in Portage to be nearer to their work. They, too, are being missed, having been with us for about a year. An innovation for this area, held on the afternoon of November 23, was the “Alten Fest,” which featured everything in German, including a plain faspa. It was, reportedly, very well attended and enjoyed. The same weekend we were privileged to have Team Ventures in our midst. This talented group of young people, with their fascinating puppet characterizations, musical ability and glowing testimonies has also left behind positive impressions and results. P.S. Perhaps the next report will be short, and sweet (and on time?).

SYMPOSIUM ON DEVALUED PERSONS AND THE CHURCH TO BE HELD

Elkhart, Ind. — Pastors, church leaders and other interested persons from across North America will converge on the Goshen College campus April 23 to 25, 1981 for a symposium on Devalued Persons and the Church. This major event highlighting the Inter national Year of Disabled Persons is being sponsored by Mennonite Mental Health Ser vices in cooperation with the Associated Men nonite Biblical Seminaries and Goshen College Center for Discipleship. Dr. Wolf Wolfensberger will conduct the symposium. He is director of the Training Institute for Human Service Planning Leadership and Change Agentry at Syracuse University, where he also serves as professor in the Division of Special Education and Rehabilitation. This symposium is designed to examined significant issues in human service to devalued persons from a Christian perspec tive.

THE MESSENGER

BUILDING PROJECT UNDERWAY

Morris, Man.: The past two years we have been well aware of the need to expand our facilities and seating capacity to accom modate more people coming to worship in our chapel. During this time we reluctantly saw some of our fellowship members join other churches within our Conference in order to make room for the more local peo ple desiring to worship with us. The con gregation kept on growing and somehow the ushers managed to fit everyone in. The brethren were agreed about expan ding on the condition that a certain amount be in the treasury designated for the building fund. Shouldn’t we, after all, have a visible sign that we were ready for this large pro ject? Well, one year the flood gave a veritable excuse to pass up this undertaking and with another few seasons came a drought. Things looked decidely bleak to the realists. One fine September morning an optimistic theme greeted us on the front sanctuary wall: “LET US RISE UP AND BUILD!” The connotation was obviously spiritual. But could we not also take it literally? Was it a challenge to go ahead by faith, believing our Lord would provide financially? Excitement stirred us as one of our youth stood up, daring to put the challenge into specific words: “1 think the Lord wants us to go ahead by faith ...” The idea took root in fer tile soil! Numerous sketches for our future building were drawn up and studied, the best ideas accepted, others invariably rejected. Taking into consideration usual building schedules

and permit delays, the earliest possible star ting date would be in spring 1981! But faith, prayer and dedicated men surely removed “red tape” mountains! On September 16 the brethren decided by more than 75% majority vote to carry out the building program. On November 22 our bungalow on the east side of the church was moved to make room for our new building site. The very next morning we had a special surprise announcement! A sod-turning was announced immediately following the close of the worship service. The wind was chilly but hearts were warm with anticipation as the first piece of sod was turned on the excavating site. Smiles were as evident in the crowd as the popping of flashbulbs. Although the act of the sod turning itself was small, the event was memorable. All signals were “Go” at last. Since then the project has been moving along fairly fast. Lome Loewen and Vernon Kroeker were the basement contractors, handing on the next phase of work to Art Cornelson, the building contractor, after the hollow-care flooring was placed on the base ment walls on December 22. George Kehler has proved himself indispensible as project manager and job supervisor. Ron Friesen is our competent chairman of the building committee. Seating capacity is expected to be about 325 with the outside measurements of the new building being 62’x62’. The seating arrangement in the sanctuary is to be semi circular. The old auditorium will be remodelled into a spacious foyer, a larger baby/crying room, and numerous Sunday

Announcing ENRICH ENRICH (Education to Nurture Reponsible Influence in the Christian Home) is a seminar series for parents. ENRICH Seminar Series is designed to help parents to develop un derstanding skills to train children according to sound principles. ENRICH is available in a series of three sessions, a one night ses sion or a weekend of three sessions. A registration fee of $5.00 per session per couple will be charged. If you are interested in putting on an ENRICH seminar in your church, write to the address below for detailed information: EMC Board of Education & Publication Box 1268 Steinbach, Manitoba ROA 2A0 Telephone: 326-6401

JANUARY 16, 1981

school rooms. How we look forward to more breathing, sitting and visiting space! It is our earnest desire that the great Architect, Jesus Christ, will be consulted constantly in our building procedures. We perceive that “Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it” (Psalm 127:1).

CLOSING EVENTS OF 1980

Arden, Man.: December third we travelled to Germany via John Dyck’s slide presentation. The beautiful scenery fascinated us, and the insight into the work of the Janz Team in spired us to praise and serve the Lord further. The evening of December 17 was chosen for the adults’ Christmas social. This year we met in the basement of Mrs. Helen Neufeld’s home. After the reading of the Christmas story and prayer, we sang some of the old familiar carols. A time of laughter and games followed. The pizza and cheesecake, reserved for the end, disappeared rather quickly. The Sunday school Christmas program, December 22, gave cheer, chuckles, and a message to all. Two short plays were presented. The young people’s was called, “The Christmas Wrappers,” and the adults’ was “Christmas Shopping.” To end the year we had a traditional New Year’s Eve service, including voluntary items, singing, sharing and prayer. We got to know a few new people a little better during lunch and games. We’d like to thank all the speakers who again served us so faithfully in the past year. Our prayer is that we might truly love one another and do God’s will. To each one we send our greetings and best wishes for 1981!

A SPECIAL SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHER Prairie Rose, Man.: What would you do if you had about eighteen foreign students attending your Sunday school, with little or no knowledge of English? This acute problem began to face the Prairie Rose church when quite a few Southeast Asian refugee families moved into the community and started attending church. This concern was brought to the attention of the brotherhood, earnest prayer was made in this respect, and an investigation followed as to what could be done. The Lord directed our steps to a Chinese Mennonite church in Winnipeg where Pastor Tung found Simon Lau, a Chinese Christian university student, who was willing to come to teach God’s Word every Sunday. At first transportation was provided, and later Simon moved to Landmark where John E. Pletts took him into their home; he now commutes to the University of Manitoba to study. Simon Lau has the spiritual welfare of our “foreign neighbours” at heart. Being a forPAGE 9

Simon Lau

eign student, he is not allowed to work to earn money, so during the summer months he visited “his” people in our community, teaching the Bible and the English language in the homes. A Sunday school class of about eighteen students of all age levels, in two languages, is a real challenge to him. True Christianity is new to most or all of his students. They are not being pressured to make unintelligent commitments. Simon himself came to Canada three and a half years ago and was introduced to Christianity by fellow Christian students. Yes, God answered prayer and little did we know how He would do it! Now we are trusting Him for a bountiful harvest, since in a year and a half Simon will have his studies completed at the University of Manitoba,

KROEKER — to David and Agnes Kroeker of Riverton, Man., a daughter, Danae Kristelle, on January 2, 1981. DUECK — to Claire and Lynn Dueck of Calgary, Alta., a son, Matthew Duane, on December 27, 1980. THIESSEN — to Peter and Susan Thiessen of Calgary, Alta., a daughter, Cynthia Faye, on December 15, 1980. MARTENS — to Cornie and Margaret Martens of Steinbach, Man., a daughter, Carla Joy, on April 27, 1980. DYCK — to John and Etna Dyck of Stein bach, Man., a son, Timothy Mark, on July 22, 1980. FRIESEN — to James and Bertha Friesen of Steinbach, Man., a son, Peter James, on September 5, 1980. ENNS — to Peter and Elsie Enns of Stein bach, Man., a son, Eugene Ryan, on September 12, 1980. PLETT — to Doug and Laurie Plett of Stein bach, Man., a son, Matthew Allan, on September 21, 1980. WIEBE — to Ben and Hope Wiebe of Stein bach, Man., a daughter, Rachel Hope, on Oc tober 11, 1980. BARKMAN — to Leroy and Emily Barkman of Steinbach, Man., a daughter. Tiffany Rae, on October 21, 1980. THIESSEN — to Gerald and Ruth Thiessen of Steinbach, Man., a son, Ian Derek, on December 24, 1980. SIEMENS — to Jerrold and Marge Siemens of Morris, Man., a son, Scott Darryl, on December 23, 1980. BARKMAN — to Ron and Lynn Barkman of Ridgewood, Man., a daughter, Dauna-Lee J'Anne Marie, on December 28, 1980.

Weddings HEINRICHS — CAMERON: Stephen, son of Mr. and Mrs. Ed Heinrichs of Fisher Branch, Man., and Geraldine, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Roderick Cameron of Hudson, were married on November 1, 1980. The wedding took place at the Fisher Branch E.M. Church with Jake Goertzen of Winnipeg officiating.

3# In loving memory of Katie Harms who passed away January 28, 1979. No happy time that passes is ever really gone. If it leaves a special memory For looking back upon. Your memory is our keepsake From which we will never part. God has you in His keeping; We have you in our heart. Lovingly remembered and dearly miss ed by the family.

* * * * In loving memory of our dear parents, Abram and Elizabeth Plett, who passed away in January 1979. Two years have passed since you left us so suddenly, dear Dad, We had no time to say farewell — Then the next day. Lord, you reached down your hand And called Mother home too. The house was empty, dark and cold! We could not grasp it, we couldn't un derstand. Midst parting grief and tears. We laid you to rest, side by side.

But fully trusting you. Lord, We know you reached down your hand At the right time. Lovingly remembered and missed so much. Your children, Freda and Dave and family

Births ELLIOTT — to Bob and Millie (nee Rempel) Elliott, 2108 E. 13th St., Chattanooga, Tenn. 37404, a son, Avery Jordon, on October 20,

1980. KORNELSEN — to Bert and Elma Kornelsen of Morris, Man., a daughter, Terisa Renae, on December 9, 1980. HARDER — to Ed and Lena Harder of Morris, Man., a son, Alan Jonathan, on December 9, 1980. FRIESEN — to Brian and Luella Friesen of Morris, Man., a son, Cory James, on December 4, 1980. WIENS — to Ken and Tillie Wiens of Lethbridge, Alta., a son, Trevor Kenneth, on June 8, 1980. GABERT — to Lonnie and Joyce Gabert of Red Rock Bible Camp, their first child, a daughter, Jennifer Leanne, on October 11,

1980. DYCK — to Bill and Pat Dyck of Sherwood Park, Alta., a son, Jeremy Nathan, on November 27, 1980.

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E.M.C. Writers’ Conference February 27,28 at the Steinbach Bible College Main Speaker: Margaret Epp Workshops on different aspects of writing will be given.

For detailed information write to the address below.

Writers’ Conference EMC Board of Education and Publication Box 1268, Steinbach, Man. ROA 2A0

THE MESSENGER

LISA MARIE TOEWS

Lisa Marie Toews was born on Thursday, November 13, 1980 in the Gladstone Hospital, a healthy baby girl, to the happy parents, Reynold and Marlene Toews of Arden, Manitoba. The happy news was pass ed on to the grandparents who rejoiced with their children. However, Lisa Marie became very ill and was rushed to Winnipeg Children’s Hospital early Friday morning. Lisa had been afflicted with meningitis, and died on the way, received into glory by her Creator. Left to mourn her early death are her parents, Reynold and Marlene, one brother, Michael, her grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. John Wider of Austin, and Mr. and Mrs. John Toews of Swift Current, Saskatchewan, many aunts and uncles, relatives and friends. “Let not your heart be troubled, believe in God, believe also in me.” “I am the resurrec tion and the life.” (John 14:1, 11:25).

LAURA KROEKER I960 1981

“For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6). Laura was born April 22, 1960 in the Altona Hospital. She became a diabetic at the age of five. She enjoyed life but was always conscious of the fact that any severe blood sugar imbalance meant hospitaliza tion. This happened numerous times. She passed away December 26, 1980 at 5:30 a.m. at the Health Sciences Center. Her case was diagnosed as viral pneumonia. She was unconscious the last few hours, but not in a diabetic coma. She accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as her Saviour when she was approximately five years of age. She was baptized November 21, 1976. It was her joy to contribute to the body life of God’s people. Active participa tion in I.S.C.F., Young People’s and choir

JANUARY 16, 1981

was very important to her. This involvement added to the meaning and purpose of her life which was characterized by joy and victory. This victory flowed from struggle, commit ment, and her source of unconditional love — the person of Jesus Christ. Occasionally she would share of her confusion, loneliness and frustration. She was keenly aware of her dependence on other people due to her limitations, especially as a diabetic. E.g., she could not really count on moving out of the community, job-wise, and live in an apart ment. She was always very confident and ap preciative of the support and help given her by family, friends, and the church. Upon reflecting on a crisis in her life she would often make a comment like, “I know the whole church was praying for me” or “I could never make it without family and friends.” The prayer meetings of the high school kids on her behalf meant a lot to her. Her grade 12 graduation was a very hap py accomplishment for her, especially in the light of her severe arthritis that winter. Again, this achievement was made possible by the help of many of you. Many of you will remember opening the locker for her, tying her shoes, opening a car door, and numerous other kindnesses that made her success possible. She was grateful to the Lord for supplying her with a job after grad. She was the secretary at Country Graphics in Rosenort for two years. She met many people, had lots of fun, and made many friends. Laura expressed her desire to go to Bible school, but knew she could not handle the stress. However, this did not keep her from learning and growth. She got hold of a book. How to Study the Bible, and diligently applied many of its concepts. She also work ed through the outlined memory verse course, memorizing 150 Bible verses last winter. This Christmas she especially enjoyed the carolling, the young people’s social, and singing in the Christmas program. An inci dent of sheer delight to her, and in keeping with her fun-loving character, was the inno cent discovery of her Christmas gift from Mom and Dad when she picked up a note in

the mailbox saying that her china had arriv ed. She will be greatly missed by her parents, Frank and Annie Kroeker of Rosenort; her sisters, Irene of Steinbach, Della and hus band Doug Davis of Harlingen, Texas, Joanne of Winnipeg, Karen and husband Rick Friesen of Rosenort; brothers, Richard and wife Lavina, Cal and wife Kim, and Dan, all of Rosenort; nephews, Derek, Jonathan, Steven and Timothy Kroeker; relatives and many friends. Laura was predeceased by her sister Clarice on December 25, 1962. We would like to acknowledge and thank the doctors and medical staff for their help and care. In the late afternoon of December 25 Laura was listening to one of her favourite songs, “Home Where I Belong” by Pat Terry from the B. J. Thomas album: “They say that heaven’s pretty And livin’ here is too. But if they said that I would have To choose between the two I’d go home, goin’ home Where I belong.” As a family we rejoice that she has gone home to be with the Lord. A special thank you to all of you for par ticipating in our time of sorrow and celebra tion by your presence, prayers and various gifts of kindness and remembrance. The Family

Youth Leader Needed The Vanderhoof Christian Fellow ship in Vanderhoof, B.C. needs a young people’s leader.

Contact: John Koop Box 1518 Vanderhoof, B.C. VOJ 3A0 Phone: 567-9389

Inter-Mennonite Campus Ministries Lecture “The Faith Struggle”

By Herb Kopp, Pastor, Fort Garry M.B. Church, Winnipeg

January 27,12:40 p.m., University of Winnipeg, Room 3C13 January 27, 2:40 p.m.. University of Manitoba, Room 408, Tier Building All EMC post-secondary students are Invited

Sponsored by Inter-Monnonite Campus Ministries

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From the Editor The Irresistible Church I THOUGHT it would be of interest if I would share with my readers some of the highlights of the SBC Intersession this January in a course called The Irresistible Church taught by Jacob J. Toews, now of Neuwied, Germany. Cinderella with Amnesia (by Michael Griffiths) would hardly be thought of as a required reading text for a theology course in a Bible college. But I soon found out it was. Reading the book one may well forget about the title and concentrate on its exciting contents. For one week (mornings) we sat under the teaching of this gifted man of God as he graphically portrayed the church as it should be. He was quick to point out that here on earth the church is not perfect. Personally, this clarified certain issues for me. For instance, have you ever wondered about the state ment “not having spot or wrinkle?” (Eph. 5:27) A close reading of this verse may reveal that this could well refer to the future, “that he might present it to himself a glorious church not having spot or wrinkle.” To further substantiate this, Jesus’ words about the church in Matthew 16 also imply that the church is still be ing built. He says not, “I have built my church” but “I will build my church.” A building under construction is not a finished product. Neither is the church a finished product now. In the church you have the divine interacting with the human and thus there is imperfection. There cannot be perfection as long as we are in the flesh. Thus a person who looks for perfection in the church will be disillusioned because man is a sinner. Nevertheless, it is through humans that Christ is building his church. He ordained it thus. Do we sometimes have trouble with the second person singular pronoun you in our English Bibles? Have you ever thought that some of the yous could be plural? According to Mr. ’Toews they are. Some of them, of course, can also be identified in the way they are used. Otherwise some of the yous could refer to the whole church. Griffiths in his book clarifies this when he says that the original intention of the Scriptures was not so much to in struct us as individuals but as whole communities of Chris tian people. This concept, of course, brings with it some grave respon sibilities in our church relationships. There is, for instance, no such thing as a solitary saint, according to Griffiths. This certainly lends strength to the oft-repeated one another ministry of the New Testament. Thus it is also the church which puts on the whole ar mour of God. One can certainly see that the saying that there is strength in numbers would hold true. Mr. Toews is also a firm believer in distribution of work. PAGE 12

“It’s absolutely a sin to look at a member as without a gift.” Every member has at least one gift, he believes. And he adds that his main concern as a pastor is to have members “discover their gifts.” This had been his concern in his pre sent church at Neuwied, Germany and people had come a long way. From I Cor. 12 we were shown a very important aspect of gifts in the church — they are distributed according to God’s will and not according to personal preference. This makes sense. A three-point outline of the purpose of the church accor ding to our instructor was 1) to glorify the Lord, 2) to edify the members and 3) to win the lost. Any church missing out on one of the three is not a fully developed church, ac cording to him. I think he would have a lot of support from our churches. Dependence on the Holy Spirit in making contacts and in soul winning was heavily underlined. What about the timid and hesitant? He gave I John 4:4 as a sure cure for an in feriority complex. God has given the Holy Spirit to save un believers, says Mr. Toews, but not apart from believers. Thus we approach the person through the power of the Holy Spirit. Now you will be unexplainably relaxed because it does not depend on you! He believes that in the two approaches to society. Cen tripetal and Centrifugal, the Mennonite approach is more like the former, where everything is supposed to happen in the church — “Let them come” (the people). The other is the JO approach. He could relate some interesting accounts of his ex periences when using the go approach. We might interject here also that when visiting contacts he takes two more peo ple with him. They go out by threes. His explanation of why three also makes much sense. He divides his visitations into three different types: 1) communicative call, 2) prospect call and 3) nurture call. I think this orderly way of doing a ministry, which we may often neglect, would solve a lot of problems for us. However, we cannot go into the details of this system for lack of room in this short editorial. We might come back to the persons who accompany Toews on calls. After ten nights the trainees each in turn take two others with them and thus become trainers. We can see how the effectiveftess of a pastor can be rapidly multiplied. I wish you could have taken the course. This editorial af forded only a brief skimming of some highlights. The book, which brings out some of Mr. Toews’ concepts, would be a good investment for any pastor. D.S.

THE MESSENGER