Th© Messenger EVANGELICAL EVANGELICAL MENNONITE MENNONITE CONFERENCE CONFERENCE
VOL. 19
NO. 8 V^APR. 10/8' 10/81
Death is Life! By Johnny Loewen
Text... John 12:20-28 $
n his book Life at its Best B. Charles Hostetter relates the following incident: The story is told of a Chinese farmer who became a hero one day during an earthquake. His farm was on high land. As he looked down into the valley to the shoreline, he saw that the earthquake was causing the ocean to pile up so that a tidal wave would soon leap upon the lowland. He realized that his neighbours below would perish un less he could call them immediately to his hilltop. Quickly he put a torch to his dry rice barn and rang the fire gong. His neighbours looked up and saw the smoke rising and rushed up the hill to help fight the fire. But even before they reached the burning barn, they heard the roar of the waves below, covering their fields that they had just left. Immediately they knew that their neighbour had burned all his possessions in order to
save their lives. The verses of our text from John 12 are part of the last public discourse of the Lord Jesus. The masterful teacher that He was. He is here trying to tell His listeners, through the use of an illustration they can well understand, that real life, eternal life, if you will, is only possible through death. But as was the case in so many other instances. His audience was slow to understand this paradox — that for them to have life He must first die. The natural man will always have difficulty understanding spiritual truths. Even the spiritual man will not fully understand many things until that great and glorious day when “faith shall become sight.” In I Cor. 13:12 we read, “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.” (contd. next page)
The tragedy of today is that we have taken the death sentence out of the judgement of God and have lost the meaning of the question. ''How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation?" Death is Life (cont’d.)
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hen bad people suffer, it seems appropriate. Usually we pass the verdict, “They had it coming to them.” But when the righteous suffer, we have a problem. If a drunken driver has an accident, we waste little sympathy, but we can’t ex plain the pain and suffering of the inno cent people in the other car. When a criminal is shot and killed, we scarcely give it a second thought; we figure it serv ed him right. But the mystery deepens when the criminal escapes and the policeman or some good citizen is slain. When Mussolini, one of the major enemies of the Western Allies during World War II, was executed, this made sense to many people. But Jesus was crucified between two thieves, the righteous Son of God dy ing with, and for, the unrighteous. How do we explain such a tragedy? Or was it not a tragedy? The Bible says, “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). God takes sin seriously. He cast the fallen angels out of heaven because of sin. Calvary is God’s estimate of sin. When Christ agonizingly prayed in Gethsemane, “My Father, if it be possible let this cup pass from me... 0 my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it. Thy will be done,” and when He prayed more earnest ly and His sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground, it wasn’t that He was attempting to shirk the physical death of the cross. Many of God’s saints through the ages have bravely faced as terrible a death for their faith. This cup, which Christ was taking from the hand of His Father, was the cup of the wrath of God! Christ, the Holy One, was going to be identified with sin. He was going to be made sin for us. What that all meant for the Lord Jesus we will never in this life fully com prehend. But he was going, in our stead, to meet the judgment of God on sin, which is death, eternal separation of the soul from God. The time had now come PAGE 2
for Him when He was to be left alone with the powers of wickedness and darkness. The death that saves, that wrought my salvation, was not the physical agony on the cross, as gruesome as that suffering was. The death of Christ by which you and I are saved, the laying down of His life, was finished before the physical death occurred. The dying was ex perienced when He cried out in anguish, “My God, My God, why hast Thou for saken me?” That is the experience and agonizing cry of the human soul in its lost condition. Whatever hell may be, or wherever hell may be, that is hell— the hopeless cry of the soul forever separated from the love and care and fellowship of God! The tragedy of today is that we have taken the death sentence out of the judg ment of God and have lost the meaning of the question, “How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation?” You hear people ask, “What has it to do with me in 1980 that a man died two thousand years ago for my sins?” Simply and emphatical ly this — that death is coming to me, the eternal death of my soul, if I do not accept that Christ died in my stead. It is not giv ing mental assent to His sacrificial death on the cross — it is a heart condition. I must be born again; I must personally and voluntarily say yes to God. He gave His life that I might live eter nally. It is not good works, it is not bap tism and the adherence to a church, that saves, as good as that may be. It is a per sonal trust in, and a commitment to, the Son of God. When I do that I receive forgiveness of sins and the hope and promise of eternal life. Because Jesus lives, I too shall live, because He died that I might live! There is terrible danger in procrastina tion, in postponing the decision to follow the Lord. We may harden ourselves so that we lose the sense of hearing the voice of God. The Bible says, “Today, if you will hear His voice, harden not your hearts”
and “Behold, now is the day of salvation.” Jesus’ death is my salvation!
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esus said, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it” (Luke 9:23,24). Contradictory as it may seem, we save by losing, we gain by spending, we receive by giving, and we live by dying. Dr. Adam Clarke was an outstanding Bible scholar and writer. On his tombstone is carved the figure of a candle burning out in its socket. Underneath are these words: “In giving light to others, I myself have been consumed.” He denied himself and often took the way of trial that brought suffer ing, in order to serve others. This, however, was not really a loss to himself, but gain — perhaps not gain by the world’s standards, but by God’s, and that’s what counts. When Jesus fed the multitudes and worked miracles among them, many followed Him; but when He preached the cross, the people forsook Him. Satan says, “Spare yourself the Inconvenience!” but Jesus says, “Take up thy cross!” We want eternal life but so often we don’t want the narrow road that leads to that eternal life. We don’t want to give up the things of this world for the things of the eternal world. In Gal. 2:20 we read, “I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me.” That is the secret. When Christ is on the throne of my life, I am liberated; I’m free from the bondage of sin. When self is on the throne, then Christ is still on the cross! And not only that — I’m a miserable per son inside and do not have the joy of salvation. To be liberated, to be free, involves total abandonment to the will of God. THE MESSENGER
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Jesus says, “My yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” But Satan whispers, “My way is the easy one.” Jesus is the Truth; Satan is a Liar; whom do we want to believe and follow? The greatest danger in the world today as far as Christians are concerned is not the threat of nuclear war— it is sin and the self-life. And the only safety is holiness, without which no one will ever see God! And we are so afraid of holiness, aren’t we? But holiness means health, freedom, liberation! Just as a doctor brings our body into harmony with the laws of health through proper medica tion, so the Spirit of God brings our soul into harmony with the law of God. Holiness is not human perfection but perfection of relationship — intimate communion with the Heavenly Father through Jesus Christ His Son! When I abide by the traffic laws, my driver’s licence will not be suspended; I will need to pay no fines. I can drive whenever, wherever, I want. I’m a free man! But when I choose to disregard the law, I am in trouble and become a marked man and lose my driving privileges, my freedom. Do you and I want to be free spiritually? We can be that, and we can be that today, but on God’s terms. Let go of self-will, die to self, and Christ will set you free. Yes, death to self is my liberation!
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t is always a touching moment to witness the affection the bereaved family shows for a departed loved one. The warm relationship they shared is now severed. The body that was once vibrant with life has turned into an unresponsive corpse. The eyes and lips are closed, the arms lie still. However, physical death is not the end of existence. For the Christian it is the beginning of real life, eternal life. The spirit is now released from the earthly body that housed it. As our text says in verse 26 (John 12), “If anyone serves Me, APRIL 10, 1980
let him follow Me; and where I am, there shall my servant also be; if anyone serves me, the Father will honour him.” The Bi ble says, “Flesh and blood cannot inherit eternal life, or the kingdom of God” (I Cor. 15). These physical bodies of ours are made of dust and will return to dust. The bodies in the heavenly kingdom will be imperishable, glorified, spiritual bodies. The Bible says, “And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die” (John 11:26). This does not mean he will not die physically; it means he will not die the eternal spiritual death. There is life after death. Before Columbus discovered America, Spanish coins had stamped upon them the outline of the Straits of Gibraltar, Underneath was the Latin inscription NE PLUS ULTRA — no more beyond. But when the great explorer returned from his voyage, new coins were issued which read, PLUS ULTRA — more beyond! When Christ went through the narrow passage of death, some thought He would never come back. But three days later He arose victoriously and promised a fuller life in eternity for all who put their trust in Him. His resurrection provides a sure hope for the believer that the best is yet to come! On the other side, on that bless ed golden shore, is a celestial land so glorious that no mortal tongue could ever describe it. The resurrected body, freed from dis ease and pain and suffering, will be radiant with the light of God. A glimpse of this glorious body is given us in three of the gospels. “And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John his brother, and led them up a high moun tain apart. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his garments became white as light” (Matt. 17:1-2). The day will come for the Christian when his body, formed of the dust, will be changed to be like Christ’s glorious body (Phil. 3:21). What a day, glorious day, that will be! The deceased fathers and mothers, sisters and brothers, sons and daughters.
husbands and wives, who died in the Lord are at this moment in the presence of the Saviour awaiting the glorious morning when they will be reunited with their lov ed ones who have walked the Jesus’ Way! Will the family circle be complete? Will all the neighbours be gathered there? Are you ready for that resurrection morning or are you ready for the personal call of God? A minister pulled into a gas station on a day that marked the beginning of a holi day weekend. A long string of cars lined up, causing quite a delay. When the attendant finally got to the preacher, he apologized, “I’m sorry. It’s like this every holiday. People always wait until the last minute even though they’ve known about the trip for weeks.” “I understand,” replied the pastor. “I have the same trou ble in my business!” We all know what he was talking about. Many who attend church, and even those who don’t are fully aware that somebody they’ll be going on a journey — not a mere trip in a car, but one that will take them into eternity. It’s one ex perience that awaits us all. There’s no es caping it! From the moment we are born into this world, we are destined to spend eternity in one of two places — Heaven or Hell. And as the preacher in our story im plied, too many wait until the last minute to give God serious consideration and make preparation for meeting Him. They procrastinate, delaying that decision that is all-important. That’s dangerous because the date of their passage into eternity is unknown. Sometimes the departure from this life comes years before it’s expected. Yes, God is indeed a God of love, but He’s also a God of judgment. If we spurn His glorious invitation, “Come unto Me!” we will one day have to hear the tragic sentence, “Depart from Me!” So come to Jesus today. He is waiting with arms wide open to receive whosoever will. “Behold, now is the day of salvation!” (II Cor. 6:2). ■
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Straight Talk The "Baby and Bathwater" Problem By Stan Plett One of the serious theological pitfalls that we need to beward of is that of "throwing out the baby with the bathwater.All of us have heard statements such as these: "It used to be that makeup, television, rings and involve ment in sports were wrong but now they're okay. How can I know what is really wrong? Will the things we believe are wrong be all right in the future? Where will it all end?” Where indeed! We can all identify to some degree with the combination of frustration and confusion underlying such sentiments. We need to distinguish, however, between the "baby” and the “bathwater.” I would like to suggest that the concepts of right and wrong held by our forefathers were not as dramatically different as we are sometimes led to believe. Scriptures teach that pride, immorality, worldliness is sin.
So they believed and so do we. Further, they believed that certain externalities (such as those .listed in the first paragraph) either reflected or tended to lead to such sins and not that they in themselves were wrong. It is up to us to either prove that our forefathers were mistaken (that these externalities do not hinder our growth in Christlikeness) or else to seriously reconsider their position. Over-simplifying, however, causes us to fail to distinguish between the basic, permanent, biblical imperatives and the externalities that each generation needs to grapple with anew. The bathwater might require changing but let's make sure we keep the baby. ’i.e. to confuse that which is basic, permanent and significant with that which is temporal and relatively unimportant and thus to discard the former with the latter.
Stan Plett is the pastor of the Rosenort Fellowship Chapel, Rosenort, Man. Straight Talk is a feature of the EMC Social Concerns Committee. V t
that the “Fellowship Chapel” fad in our Conference is lamentable. We will recall that I it took a Presbyterian minister to point this out to us at our annual convention in July 1980. Mr. Oliver stressed early in his sessions that he would be speaking about church growth, not chapel growth. He may not have been aware that at that time twenty of our 46 churches’ names contained either “Fellowship” or “Chapel,” and that ten were called “Fellowship Chapel.” The sad fact is
to work; in seven years of teaching I have seen no exceptions. This is not to say there have been none but only to say that the home’s influence is by far greater than that of the school. We must differentiate between Mennonite tradition and Christian belief on this point. The former will change as we are exposed to different groups of people, whether in school, at work or in other com munity contacts. What I have noticed, is that when one student “leaves the faith”, other
(Bender,'jan72r“sTaring‘’burFamny’s ‘hat hardly anyone in our churches realizes
brothers and sisters do the same, whether in
Letters ANABAPTISM: WHAT IS IT? In my estimation there has been a marked improvement in the lead articles of our Messenger since the turn of the year. I sincerely appreciate the change. I am referr ing to “Mennonites and Other Christians”
Stories” (Graybill, Jan. 16), “The Early ______ __ ______ ” (Kreider, ______ Feb. 13), Church and Warfare and “ wZ Have** ThiT’ Treasure’. .*."’’ (Schroeder, Feb. 27). Articles like these are like the scenery behind the rowboat. They help me see clearly what is behind me and tell me whether or not I, as an “EMC’er,” am headed in the right direction today. Several months ago I decided to admit to my own ignorance and set out to understand what it meant to live like an Anabaptist Christian. Since then I have learned much and have often been sorry I hadn’t been taught this way of life much earlier. Sometimes I get angry when even our own church leaders make jokes about Mennonites as being little more than good pennypinchers. This is an indication of how far we have drifted. Too many Sunday school teachers in our churches, if asked what it means to be an Anabaptist Christian, can only muster something about non-resistance and a sheepish smile. I should know; I was one of them. Mr. Friesen’s guest editorial (March 13) exposes another indication that we are rowing our boats with our eyes closed. I agree
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what a drastic contrast this is from an Anabaptist view of the church. I’m afraid we “gently down the (main)stream.” The above Messenger ar ticles, especially Mr. Friesen’s, deserve re reading. We need to open our eyes to our past; Christ did not teach us that “life is but a dream.” Tim Reimer MORE ON EDUCATING OUR CHILDREN
In the “Straight Talk” column (March 27, 1981), Mr. Friesen presents a view of education popular among Mennonites (at least in our area of the Conference). Although there are some good points mentioned, such as the secular attitudes of many educators, the article is grossly one-sided. The first error is the idea that a secular school can change the beliefs of a young person. Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” This is not an ironclad scriptural guarantee, but a saying found to be generally true by Solomon and the people of his day. Nonetheless, it seems
school or out. This leads me to believe that it is a family where teaching is poor, rather than a school whose influence is too strong. The above proverb works in reverse in this case. Mr. Friesen’s second consideration that peer pressure subtly changes our young peo ple, overlooks the fact that our young people have an influence on others. Jesus said “Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” If we believe Proverbs and the fact that Christ has overcome the world we cannot remove the Christian witness from the third most influential life-forming institution. (The family is first by a country mile, and TV, perhaps the greatest assimilating influence in our day, is in second place and gaining on the family.) Thirdly, the school is a secular institution. The only earthly organization that is not secular is the church. If it ceased to be Chris tian, it fails in its primary function. There is no guarantee of eternal sanctification for any institution other than the church. Some secular institutions such as schools, colleges, hospitals, old folks homes and orphanages have been started by the church. These may THE MESSENGER
cease to be operated by the church and still not lose their primary function of caring for the needs of others. Does this mean that the church ceases meeting people’s needs because the world appreciates it, takes it over, then turns the work into something less perfect? Do we avoid hospitals because some doctors may have performed abor tions? Do we condemn orphanages because government sets the policies? Do we con demn old folks’ homes because some of the nurses may be atheists or humanists? Do we seek to withdraw from public schools because evolution is taught instead of creation? Do we quit our jobs because for most of the day “God has no part”?
he forget that Paul, the greatest New Testa ment theologian, was educated by the Pharisees and their damnable heresies? How were Martin Luther, Menno Simons and other reformers educated? This is not to say that only educated people are effective for God but that God can use all the world has to offer to His glory. An education is another imperfect gift that we can lay on the altar before Him. Ray Hill Box 535 MacGregor, Man.
The “isms” mentioned by Mr. Friesen are not explicitly part of the school curriculum but are taught as the teachers’ interpretations of the material presented (evolution is a notable exception). Alternate views will be presented in different classes. As in church, views vary from teacher to teacher and stu dent to student. A student in high school is not asked to choose a particular view, but if he does choose, he has the guidance of his youthful training to help him and will choose views consistent with this foundation. Teachers, Christian and non-Christian alike, are not amoral robots who view ethics as statistics - what people generally do” but are human beings who use their subjects to pre sent their feelings on a wide range of topics. As people, fallible like you and I, they will present their views on moral issues. As professionals, they will present society’s best knowledge in their field of study and they are well qualified to do so. It is not a hindrance to learn in a relatively safe environment how other people think. It may even enhance our maturity and ability to communicate the gospel to others whose way of thinking we now better understand. Some questions I have for Mr Friesen are: Who taught him how to effectively com municate to others in print? Who taught him to write a sentence, to organize a paragraph and to use quotation marks correctly? How does he expect others to understand what he writes unless they can read? Communication is secular but fulfills a human need. Does he forget the historians, archaelogists and translators who have made God’s Word come alive for us? Does he remember that Moses, the greatest Old Testament prophet, who told his people to leave Egypt, was
They came from all over Nicaragua, some even from Costa Rica, to take part in the 1981 Peace Study, Friday evening, February 13 to Sunday afternoon, February 15. Seventy-five pastors, church leaders, laymen and missionaries registered for the entire weekend; another 20 attended one or two sessions. They represented the Brethren in Christ churches and the two Mennonite Conferences, Evangelical Mennonite Conference and Rosedale Missions. The speaker for four presentations was John Howard Yoder, theologian with the Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminaries. The purpose of this Peace Study was to unite the three Anabaptist groups present in Nicaragua for a time of Christian fellowship, to share ideas and experiences and together study peace and justice from a Biblical point of view. The studies by John H. Yoder started off with a look at the message of Jesus. The old law permitted one to hate his enemy, but Jesus says, “Love your enemies.” Who is our enemy if we really love him? Others may treat us as their enemies but they are not enemies to us. In the second session he ex tended this discussion of Jesus’ teaching by looking at His example in the New Testa ment and relating it to the prophecies of the Old Testament. Isaiah 42 speaks of God’s servant (Jesus) and that He will bring justice to the earth. In his third presentation Dr. Yoder went through history, starting with the year 50 to our day and age, relating the struggles of the Church as it sought to bring about peace. He also mentioned several organizations other than churches which are striving for peace and justice in a non-violent way. Are we as Christians also “loving our enemies” and thus not destroying them? In the last session John Yoder presented alter natives to violence. These were very practical
educated for nearly forty years there? Does he forget that it was only his godly mother’s teaching that stood between Moses and assimilation by the Egyptian system? Does
MCC PEACE STUDY 1981
and were applied to the Nicaraguan situa tion. The discussion groups were a time for sharing, discussion and presenting questions to the speaker who then discussed them. He did not give direct answers because of his distance to the Nicaraguan situation, but gave helpful comments for further study and discussion on particular subjects. In the Sunday morning session two El Salvadorians participated by giving an upto-date report of the need and actual situa tion in El Salvador. The Christians are giving food and shelter to some refugees. The Church there is going through a lot of struggles, especially on issues of peace and justice. They need a lot of prayer support. The Peace Study 1981 was a learning process for everybody present. Many saw the need for more in-depth studies on peace and justice and how they can relate these issues to their daily activities, especially in an age when the world has very little peace to offer. But, praise God for the peace and justice that He gives! Submilted by: Henry Doerksen Country Representative Mennonite Central Committee Nicaragua
Henry Klassen is the Executive-secretary of the EMC Board of Missions.
CONTRIBUTORS: Johnny Loewen, Death is Life, is the pastor of the Rosenort E.M. Church, Morris, Manitoba. Albert and Edna Martens (Steinbach) are serving at the Black Forest Academy in Ger many where Albert is the business ad ministrator. Doris Thiessen (Blumenort) is serving in El Paso/Juarez under the EMC Board of Missions. She is involved in ladies’ and children’s work. Doug and Sandra Doerksen (Braeside) are working in community development and evangelism among the Guarani Indians in Paraguay.
Elizabeth Koop (Kleefeld) is serving in Brazil under the New Tribes Mission.
Clinton Toews (p. 9) lives in Winnipeg, Laura Siemens lives in Kola, Man., and Sara Kroeker (p. 15) is from Landmark, Man.
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. THE MESSENGER is the publication of the Evangelical Mennonite Conference. Its 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. Letters, articles, art and poetry are welcomed. Views expressed in Letters 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.
APRIL 10, 1980
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Missions
Albert Martens (left) with Ray Ratzlaff at the Black Forest Academy in Germany.
GERMANY
Missions in Europe Mini-survey Black Forest Academy is involved in providing a Christian education for ap proximately 120 students, the majority of whom are children of missionaries. 'This enrollment represents more than 20 mis sion organizations serving in about 13 European countries. This makes life at BFA very international, interesting and challenging. Edna and I have taken ad vantage of this inter-mission aspect and have conducted a mini-survey of several missions, asking basically three questions: 1) How do you evaluate the fruits of the efforts of your mission as well as your personal efforts? 2) What are some of your projected future plans in reaching the lost and by what methods do you plan to do this? 3) How is your mis sion affected by the economic situation, such as inflation and the devaluation of the dollar? In reply to the first question the Ebners from Austria (with Bible Christian Union) report: “The first fifteen years of service in France brought very few visible results. However, today there is a strong union of small churches in France. Also in Holland, Greece and Spain the churches are growing in numbers and attendance. In Austria only a small number of those who made decisions for Christ have remained faithful, but home Bible studies have been started with the small percentage of faithful ones.” Jim Mulkey, Campus Crusade for Christ, replied with the following statement: “We see fruit of our ministry in the number of people who come to know Jesus and to follow Him. Rather than count simply professions of faith, we like to count the number of people who
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are actually involved in small group Bible study and prayer times.” The Norman Enses, serving with the Christian and Missionary Alliance, replied, “Our work is with Cambodian refugees in France, mainly in the Paris area. We have seen many people make a decision to accept the Lord as Saviour in 1980. Many of these remain in Paris only a few months and have since gone to provincial centres. We have endeavoured to provide a caring atmosphere for new refugees. Our church attendance is not large (average attendance about 50) but it
is home base for all the Cambodian
Christians scattered throughout France. We publish 1200 copies of a bi-monthly magazine called Resurrection, which we hope is a contact and encouragement to continue to follow the Lord. Since most of the refugees have lost family members we encourage the idea that we are all brothers and sisters in the Lord. This has been a real comfort. We have seen some growth in individual lives and some developing leadership abilities. Most successful in this area has been the development of two men who are employed full time by the church, with outside assistance. They work closely with Norman, learning all the while. We also have a small ministry in providing material assistance through special gifts given for this purpose and also a used clothing room which has been welcomed by many refugees.” The second question was replied to as follows: Bible Christian Union — “A pro jected plan for the future in reaching out is much more door-to-door evangelism. Changes projected are concentrated ef forts in one area, on an individual basis.”
Campus Crusade for Christ — “Future plans are much the same - emphasizing evangelism, training in evangelism and discipleship. We work with university students as well as churches, and we use materials that can be easily transferred from one person to another.” Christian and Missionary Alliance — “Plans are to concentrate on training leadership and reaching out to the Cam bodians in France by way of church ser vices, our magazine and via filmstrips.” The third question received the follow ing replies: BCU — “Yes, our mission program is suffering because of inflation and dollar devaluation. I am working part-time presently to make up the difference.” CCC — Their European ministry is now being subsidized by about 30% from North America. By the end of 1983 they hope to be practically selfsupporting on a continent basis. Even though some ministry activities have had to be curtailed, they feel that raising more money in Europe is a healthy step. C&MA — The mission takes full respon sibility and raises their allowance as the cost of living rises. Their programs have not suffered. In closing I would like to share with you part of a letter which we received from a close friend of ours who recently graduated from Black Forest Academy and is presently serving the Lord in Thailand: “God is really working out here for us and with us. The town where I live is only 5 km. from the border (CambodiaThai) and the camp where I work is about 12 km. from the border so we are really close. There are 200,000 Vietnamese soldiers in Cambodia and most of them are right across the border facing us. Thailand expects them to attack anytime now. They are scared stiff because the Thai army is no match for them. Just this morning when I woke up, off in the dis tance I could hear shelling. It lasted about 15-20 minutes and was hard and con tinuous. It was either the Vietnamese at tacking the Thai or they were attacking the Khmer Rouge (backed by China) which was the old government in Cam bodia. “Tim works at a hospital at Khao i Dang where wounded soldiers are treated and then returned back to battle. Tim writes that the Thai military and the U.N. do not want him and other groups ‘proselytizing.’ However, God wants them there and they want to obey and serve God in this place.” It is a real encouragement to us when we hear what the parents of our students are doing to serve God and it gives us real joy when our students take up this work after graduation. Albert & Edna Martens THE MESSENGER
Leaders' Seminar in Santa Ana, Chihuahua. Thirty members attended the fiveday seminar. Doctrine, practices and organization were studied.
The Growing Church in Mexico On my recent administrative visit to Mexico I was encouraged to see that the church is growing both qualitatively and quantitatively.
Henry Klassen with the two leaders at the Km. 5 (Cd. Juarez) church, during his visit to Mexico in March 1981. Left to right: Jaime Segovia, Henry Klassen, Rodolfo Reza.
Since my previous visit of a year ago close to fifty persons had been baptized. A new church with fifteen members had emerged. In another area a church is emerging. Others had responded to the gospel and a number of them were preparing for baptism. The national church is presently in volving five adults on full-time support. These persons are involved in evangelism, leadership training, and Christian educa tion. In July a young man, who expects to graduate from the RGBI, will also be ful ly supported. For the coming year he will be involved in leadership training in one of the local churches. Twice a year the leadership of the national church and the missionaries meet for workshops. The purpose is to discuss pertinent church doctrine and practices and to come to a common consensus of understanding. At the last one in January thirty leaders were present. The growing church has also experienc ed problems. One of these involved false teaching in one of the churches. The national executive was able to help the
The group of believers at Lodegil, twenty-five in February 1981.
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Baptism in Km. 5, Cd. Juarez, in February - a mother and her two daughters. The mother was received into membership and the daughters were baptized.
church to resolve the difficulty. It is a blessing to see the leadership wrestle through these difficulties. Let us pray for them. One of the goals of the national church is to open a Bible/technical school to train church leadership. Students will receive Bible training while learning a trade. This will give a means of livelihood to church workers. They need a teacher to teach carpentry. Their aim is to open the school in early 1982. Chihuahua City is a fast growing city with its present population of around 900,000. There are challenges and oppor tunities here for missionaries. Who will answer the call to be a witness for Christ in Chihuahua City? Let us praise God for the growing church in Mexico and pray that persons would make themselves available for ser vice. Henry Klassen
(Photos submitted by Jake Kroeker, El Paso)
The second group baptized in Lodegil in January by Felipe Cruz. Felipe is seen on the right and the new leader of the Lodegil church, Jose Angel Dominguez, is on the left.
MEXICO
Showers in the Desert '
A Hunger for God’s Word ____ over „, „ the Black clouds appeared mountains to the west, and soon the sound of thunder rumbled through the air, followed by the spattering of raindrops. During the past few months we’ve had frequent showers, which is unusual for this semi-desert region. Also in the spiritual realm we have experienced showers of blessing. One exampie is the ladies’ Bible class that was started (or rather, resumed) in El Paso at Rafaela’s house. The purpose was to help Rafaela, who has been a Christian for a number of years, to reach out to her neighbors with the Gospel. At the first class only Margarita showed up, and by the second week Carmen and Celia joined us. At the invitation to receive (Christ, Carmen immediately responded, and after a little hesitation Margarita also decided that this was the time to give her heart to the Lord. Margarita had been attending Sunday services for a while prior to this. Celia said she could not accept Christ because of the situation in her home. Months passed by and Carmen faithfully brought in other friends. Among them were two ladies who started attending very regularly and showed deep interest in God’s Word. One of them brought a lady, Virginia, whom she met on the bus, who happened to be an enthusiastic Christian. A few weeks ago Rafaela brought another friend, Manuela, who told us she was planning to be divorced. Immediately Virginia started advising her against it, using Scripture and her own experience to convince her that God had a better way. Soon she was telling her she needed to accept Christ, and Manuela answered, “That’s what I’ve wanted to do for a long time.” Before the meeting was over, Manuela was beaming with the joy of the Lord, a new creature in Christ. Her husband was so impressed with the change in his wife that when she told him, “I want to win another person to the Lord,” he answered, “I want to be that person.” Very soon after that, Edmundo too was saved. What a hunger this couple has for God’s Word! Attending two or three Bible studies a week is not too much, and all thoughts of divorce seem to be forgotten, Last December a teenaged son of Celia’s was killed in an accident, and since then the attitude of the family changed, Celia invited us to have Bible studies in her home so that all of them could hear God’s Word. After a few studies, Ismael, a married son, who was the most opposed PAGE 8
to the Gospel, made a decision for Christ. (This was the same day Manuela was saved.) At that point Celia confessed that she had been a secret believer for a number of years, and how she rejoiced at what God was doing now! At about this time two of the ladies dis cussed our classes with their minister and he told them it was wrong for them to attend, so shortly afterwards, very kindly and with many apologies, they said they could not come anymore, The story is not finished yet. We praise God for the showers of blessing He has sent and now are waiting to see what the next chapter will be. Satan does not let his people go without a struggle, and your prayers can make a difference, Doris Thiessen PARAGUAY
Thoughts of a Missionary Mom “I don't feel like a missionary .. . — Sure would be great to be able to talk like the tribal Indians we long to reach for Christ. — Sure am thankful for our good health, food and comfortable house. — Wonder what habits our children are picking up from those around and then I over-react to manners which I see them use that I don’t especially like, — Sure do get tired of being a foreigner sometimes. — Sure do get scared on the motorcycle when we have to go in sand or wet mud wonder if I’ll ever get over it. — Wonder why I am here teaching our daughter Kindergarten when at home she could go to a school and enjoy it even more. — Wonder why we have to study language after just finishing a year of a different language study and at home we can talk the language we know best, — Sure am glad whenever we hear the mail has come in. — Wonder why there isn’t more time for Bible study and prayer just for myself. — Sure do get a shock sometimes when the Indians in their own quiet way appear before my eyes at the windows. — Sure is easy to get discouraged when the tribal people we work with find it so hard to carry on for the Lord. — Sure feels good when the tribal Indians come to our door and ask for a drink of water on a hot day and I can give them a drink. — Really I don’t feel like a “missionary” at all but like a person who needs God more than anyone else. I need a very loving, understanding, caring, real God and I have found the God of the Scripture to be so. Sandra Doerksen
Urgent Personnel Needs The Board of Missions Is In urgent need of the following per sonnel: • A couple who knows Spanish to replace Walter Reimers in Paraguay when they come on furlough in June. • Persons to attend Spanish language school in August 1981 in preparation for service In Paraguay and Mexico.
Is God calling you to fill these needs? Will you pray with us concern ing these needs? If you are Interested please contact:
EMC Board of Mlsalona Box 1268 Steinbach, Man. ROA 2A0 Phono: (204) 326-6401
BRAZIL
Leaving the Old Ways Conference with Elders Held Last weekend several Indians from the Santo Andre group came down to our Post here. The elders from there also came; they were planning on having a lit tle conference together with this group. This was encouraging because there has been very little contact between these groups since both of them moved to new locations. After arriving here late Saturday after noon they gathered in the school house for the evening meeting. One of the visiting elders spoke on Eph. 4:17-32. He mentioned how they had walked in those bad ways before but now since they were Christians they were different and should not imitate those old ways anymore, but rather obey the Lord and walk with Him. In the Sunday night meeting another elder spoke and also gave his testimony of how the Lord had given him victory over his sorrow of losing his little daughter. She had a heart condition and was operated on and passed away. That was hard on the parents too because they were not able to be with her at that time. The father testified of how he just couldn’t get over his sorrow until one day he read I THE MESSENGER
Thess. 4:13-18. He suddenly realized the truth of that scripture - that the dead in Christ would be raised first and that his little daughter would be alive and they’d go together to be with the Lord. That gave him such joy and comfort and he wasn’t sad anymore. It was a joy to listen to his testimony and we thank the Lord for this brother as well as for all our Christian Indians in Brazil. Pray for them. Lately there has been more opposition to our work in the tribes here. We know that God is in con trol and we can trust Him. Elizabeth Koop
YOU ARE INVITED! Dedication of new facilities Braeside E.M. Church 1011 Munroe, Winnipeg, Man. April 26, 2:30 p.m.
Bitterman Found Dead in Colombia Huntingdon Beach, CA (MNS) - Guerillas shot and killed kidnapped American Bible translator Chester Bitterman Saturday, March 7, after 48 days in captivity, wrapped his body in a leftist flag and put it in an aban doned bus. Bitterman, 28, of Lancaster, PA, died of a single 38-caliber bullet wound in the chest after being drugged, police said. A statment New Look at Conversion from Wycliffe headquarters follows: “Our people in Colombia confirmed this morning that Chet Bitterman’s body had been found Conversion: Doorway To Discipleship, in an abandoned bus in Bogota. We feel edited by Henry J. Schmidt (The Board of deeply the loss of our colleague. He has Christian Literature of the General given his life for one of the neglected minori Conference of Mennonite Brethren ty peoples of the world. We deeply regret Churches, 1980, 135 pages) is reviewed by that our motivation and work Arden Thiessen (Steinbach Bible College). Seven Mennonite Brethren pastors and is misunderstood by some people. We do not understand why they took his life, but we theologians have combined to produce this believe that God will use this for good. We study on the nature of conversion. Their ob know that Chet is now with the God whom jective is to bring clarity and hope to the sub he served. We also feel a commitment to ject. They are concerned that conversion continue our work in Colombia. Everyone should have the opportunity to read and write in his own language. Our specialty is developing alphabets for languages that have never been written before and translating the j Scriptures. There are still 3,000 unwritten languages in the world without the Bible.”
Review JU
should not be seen as a conclusive ex perience, but as the doorway to discipleship. Among the topics covered are the theology of conversion, the conversion of children, the experience of conversion, and conversion in the cross-cultural perspective. Throughout the book the theme is repeated that conversion is not intended to be the end of a process, but the initial step in the adven ture of following Christ, Each chapter is followed by an account of a real-life conver sion experience. In my opinion the most significant contribution is made by Paul Hiebert. His suggestion that we should see “Christians” as a centered set, rather than a bounded set, merits further exploration and discussion. I found it encouraging to discover this stimulating and positive statement in favor of conversion and evangelism. In our times some people speak glibly and easily of the new birth experience; they see it as popular and chic to be “born again.” Others regard the biblical teaching on conversion as an anachronism for modern man. This book is a sane and balanced corrective.
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CHANGE OF ADDRESS Old Address Mary Koop 163, Minamikawa Hanno-shi Saitama Ken, Japan 357-02
New Address 1205-1, Nagasawa Hanno-shi Saitama Ken, Japan 357-02
APRIL 10, 1980
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God Man
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So you shall do to one another Said He in actual deep humility And washed the tired dusty feet Of those who would forsake Him. Well He knew their frailty For he was one of them.
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Never a pseudo-man, a clever ploy from God on high To trick us into thinking that it could be done, the holy life and all. Nay, a full man He, And ever leaving what He could have taken. Until the blood-drenched sand moved up to meet him He washed their feet, and that of men who were his fickle friends. And so I am the friend of fickle men like I With tired feet and hearts I will wash them with my love And fellowship with Jesus. — Clint Toews
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Messenger News CONFERENCE HEARS PRISON CHAPLAIN
Seen at the EMC missions display at the SBC missions conference are Milton Fast (left), associate secretary, EMC Board of Missions, and student, Dave Harms.
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Dick Friesen is a prison chaplain in Manitoba, serving under the EMC Board of Missions. His work brings him into contact with prisoners both in Winnipeg and at Stony Mountain Penitentiary. Mr. Friesen was one of the speakers at the Steinbach Bible College Missionary Conference, March 17-19, where he related some of his experiences. In his talk he revealed that “almost every criminal comes from a broken home.” Further he said that most crimes (85-90%) are committed because of “booze or drugs.” He says that the doors are wide open for counselling. He has never had so many op portunities to speak to people about Christ. One of the men he had been able to help in his ministry was with him at the conference. This man, Tom Koonce, coming from across the border, at the moment did not have U.S.A, nor Canadian citizenship, but stated that he had his citizenship in heaven. Mr.Friesen says that it costs some $29,000 a year to keep a prisoner in Stony Mountain. This institution alone has some 400 inmates. Main speaker for the convention was Henry Brucks, Canadian Conference of Mennonite Brethren churches. Other EMC Speakers were B.D. Reimer, Milton Fast, Peter Dyck, Ralph Unger, Alvira Friesen, and Helen Kornelsen.
STUDENTS MEET CONFERENCE PERSONNEL Mr.. Dick Friesen (right) conducted a workshop on prison chaplaincy at the re cent SBC missions conference. He is seen here with a student, Charles Koop.
Mr. B. D. Reimer (left) had a workshop on hospital chaplaincy at the Steinbach Bible College missions conference. He is seen here with College President, Harvey Plett.
Tuesday evening, March 10, saw an EMC post-secondary student meeting take place at the Fort Garry EMC Church. The evening began with a delicious supper prepared by the ladies of the church. This was followed by a number of musical items by a group from Landmark, Manitoba. After this there were three presentations to better acquaint students with the workings of the Conference. Milton Fast outlined the work of the Board of Missions and the need for v jrkers. Edwin Plett, moderator, gave a brief run down of the Conference, its work and struc ture. Harvey Plett, chairman of the Board of Education, presented that aspect of the work of the Conference. He mentioned some of the things this Board was engaged in. The editor of The Messenger was also there and presented some additional aspects of the work of this Board. The group stayed together for awhile after this for refreshments and interaction.
ALL-UNIT MDS MEETING HEARS HOW DISASTER AFFECTS VICTIMS
ENID, Okla. - The effect of disaster on its victims, along with testimonies from some beneficiaries of Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) work, received the special attention of the annual All-Unit MDS meeting February 13 and 14. More than 550 people converged at the Enid, Okla., Mennonite Brethren Church, coming from California to Puerto Rico and from British Columbia to New Brunswick. The Oklahoma MDS unit hosted them. While much of the meeting featured reports from major areas of MDS work dur ing the past year, the participants also learn ed of the impact of disasters on people’s mental health from Robert Carlson of New ton, Kan. Carlson is director of pastoral ser vices at Prairie View Mental Health Center. While conceding that “we know only in primitive fashion the psychological impact of disaster on personal lives,” Carlson challeng ed the popularly-held notion that disasters trigger significant increase in mental illness, suicide, alcoholism and other ills. Several non-Mennonites offered testimonies from their contact with MDS. The Dave Zimmers of Wisconsin had $127,000 damage to their farm when 112 mph winds hit last year. As the Zimmers were wondering what to do, an MDS represen tative came to their place saying, “We can build you a bam if you get the materials.” Later a busload of volunteers came and erected the frame in one day. “We found out that nobody in that group had ever worked on a barn before,” smiled Zimmer, “but it was right side up!” “My wife and I have gotten so much closer to each other and our family ... We’re really thankful that at age 28 we could have an experience like this with MDS.” Karen Ramsey, a Presbyterian church worker from Dallas, Tex., told of her in volvement with MDS at Wichita Falls, Tex. Enthusiasm for the project at the Covenant Presbyterian Church of Dallas mushroomed to the point that thousands of dollars worth of tools and supplies were donated to MDS, as well as help from volunteer workers. “Your door was unlocked, and a Presbyterian snuck in,” summed up Ramsey. Among the disasters MDS worked with in 1980 were brush fires, earthquake and flooding in California, straight winds in Wisconsin, tornadoes in Nebraska, Mt. St. Helens in Washington, continued reconstruc tion after a 1979 flood in Mobile, Ala., and tornadoes in Wichita Falls.
Manitoba Mennonite Historical Society Good membership response, the publica tion of a book, and about twenty helpful comments on the cemetery map project, were reported at the annual Manitoba MenAPRIL 10, 1980
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March 15 saw a baptismal service take place at Prairie Rose where the following were baptized: Standing (left to right) - Marg Plett, Lisa Friesen, Darlene Neufeld, Layna Penner, Brenda Linger, Rachel Plett, Crystal Braun, Kaylene Plett, Christa Plett, Pastor Edwin Plett. Sitting: Louis and Brigette Hildebrand, Bill and Kitty Wieler.
nonite Historical Society meeting held on Saturday, March 21, at the Mennonite Heritage Centre in Winnipeg. There had been no earlier opportunity for the 103 listed members of 1980 to meet as one body since the organization of Manitoba Mennonite Historical Society almost a year ago. With some as far away as British Columbia and St Louis, Missouri, not all could make it for this occasion. The forty who did appreciated the experience, and un doubtedly will be back for more. In reorganizing for the coming year the following took over as executive officers: Dr. Vic Doerksen, president; Doreen Klassen, first vice-president; Dr. Al Reimer, second vice-president; Ken Reddig, secretary; and Esther Epp-Tiessen, a new Board member, treasurer. Dr. Adolf Ens, as past president became chairman of the Board. Persons interested in Society membership may write to Manitoba Mennonite Historic^ Society, 600 Shaftesbury Blvd., Winnipeg, Manitoba R3P 0M4. NEW SANCTUARY NEARING COMPLETION Morris, Manitoba: It’s not often that our church doors remain closed on a Sunday morning. However, March 8 we were all given a “free” Sunday due to building in conveniences in our church. Most of us took this opportunity to worship with our neighbouring congregations. It was refreshing to be elsewhere for a morning ser vice and perhaps meet old acquaintances there. Comparing notes during the week and finding out how far and wide we’d all been scattered that morning proved interesting. Most praiseworthy though was the coming together again on March 15 to worship the Lord in our new sanctuary for the first time. Accoustics left much to be desired since we
were without rugs and a speaker system. For once we had to virtually “earn” the morning message by listening very closely. The same evening our “family night” film was shown, although this one was directed more to the adult group than to the children. Do all films have successful endings? “Stranger in My Forest” ended in a real tragedy. It stressed the need to be faithful in witnessing even though we might not feel successful in doing so. A big thank you to the young people’s group for the spontaneous help given after their Friday night Bible study ses sion on March 20. The young men carried all the heavy oak pews into the new auditorium while the girls did a great job washing off the thick layer of dust that had collected on the pews. Besides their regular Bible studies the group has en joyed various recreational times last month. March 21 they went roller skating in Win nipeg with other young people’s groups from Kleefeld, Winnipeg and Rosenort. They also worked off some energy in the Rosenort gym on March 27 after which they were invited to the home of Dolores Fast for refreshments. There they had a suprise birthday celebra tion for their youth leader, Ron Hildebrandt. Jim and Neta Loewen attended a weekend retreat at Camp Assiniboia March 20-22 with their family. This camp is held for families with mentally handicapped children. The sessions were geared towards sharing the blessings and problems encountered with these special children. Associations formed in this group also bring strength and en couragement to cope on a daily basis. Stress ed greatly at this camp was the fact that the handicapped (mentally or physically) are an asset to the community and a great blessing for the parents, teaching them how to really love.
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Glenn Clays (left) was baptized at the Prairie Grove Fellowship Chapel recent”ly. With him is the pastor, Harvey Barkman.
EVANGELISM CLASSES TAUGHT Prairie Grove, Manitoba: We at the Prairie Grove Fellowship Chapel have had many meaningful and different experiences in 1980. Vacation Bible School last summer was exciting and very rewarding with a dedicated director and helpful staff, helpers and children. Then in fall came a first for us, a Wayfarers Girls’ Club, with a competent director and enthusiastic teachers and helpers. And who could forget the better-thananticipated outcome of the MCC sale on Oc tober 4? Our Chapel folks participated along with several neighbouring churches to make this a reality. It was at the Landmark arena grounds. God blessed and made it a real success. Our Ladies’ Fellowship also exerted itself and had a bake and plant sale in spring and a craft and bake sale in fall to help furnish our new kitchen This reminds us of a very special time we had at our Chapel on November 9. For a time we had already enjoyed our improved and new chapel and facilities. But this was the day for its dedication and our thanksgiv ing to God for it. Of course, this called for a fellowship lunch and visiting. Close to Christmas the ladies had a fellowship supper with their husbands and the young people had a fine banquet too. December 21 was special too as Crestview favoured us with their young people’s program in the morning. In the afternoon we had our Sunday school program and fellowship lunch with the many visitors. In a young church “new” things get in troduced into our program as we grow and this was just our second year that we had a
THE MESSENGER
Christmas Day service which made it really special. This year has come and is going very fast. All the business meetings and schedules put up for the year in January are being checked off one by one, such as communion service, formation of prayer cells, personal evangelism classes in Sunday school instead of the regular quarterly material. There was a large group taking this course last quarter and now a fine set of new students are taking it. (Some are taking it for the second time.) A group from Prairie Grove also enjoyed fellowship with the Fisher Branch folks the evening of March 15 when they brought a program there. What else has been special? The pastor and his wife were able to participate in the EMC Writers’ Conference at the SBC. And another very meaningful time for them was the “Pastor and His Wife Retreat” at Hecla Island which World Vision of Canada sponsored. How grateful the Barkmans are to the Prairie Grove Fellowship for sending them. And then there’s this first for our Chapel — Glenn Glays, an inmate of Stony Moun tain, was baptized upon his confession of faith in Jesus Christ and received into our fellowship. We praise the Lord for His marvelous grace. The day was special for us and the visiting friends. We all enjoyed lunch and visiting together after the service. Going south in winter may be a thing of the day for vacationers but Ken Penner’s motive was volunteer service in Nicaragua with the EMC Board of Missions. He served for six weeks; his main work was building. Different cultures leave varied impressions. He says he has come back so much the better from this experience. The very recent passing of Marvin Eidse touched us at Prairie Grove very much since he and Joan were with us at our wives’ and husbands’ evening a few evenings earlier. Our heartfelt prayers go with Joan Eidse and the Wiebe and Eidse families. We want to be mindful to live for God day by day.
WEVAS REPORT IN SUNDAY SCHOOL (Winnipeg): Our Sunday school has missions .project every month. In <® different ' . o/f^nng was given to Mr. and Mrs. Weva of Winnipeg. With encourage ment from Mr. Ben Eidse, Mr. Weva came to Canada from Zaire to study for his Masters degree in Education Administration. He has studied at SBC, CMBC and current ly he is studying at the University of Manitoba. The Wevas, with their two sons, Thau and Meneka, arrived three years ago, not know ing the English language. They now speak and read it fluently. Mr. Weva gave a very informative report with slides in our Sunday school adult department on February 8 which was one of fhe coldest mornings Winnipeg has had this
Mr. and Mrs. Weva and boys.
winter. They came a bit late because, as Mr. Weva said, “We not yet know as well as you when it’s necessary to plug in the car for the night. Nor do I quite know how to dress warm enough when I am trying to start the car.” One point Weva stressed in his report was that they appreciate the help from mis sionaries to organize churches. But they want to work with the missionaries rather than under them. They were blessed and en couraged when one of the missionaries’ children was baptized by a native pastor a few years ago. Mrs. Weva has been taking courses in business and also music lessons. The Wevas plan to study one more year before they return to Zaire. In an effort for more participation our church family is divided into approximately ten small groups (five to seven families per group) for home Bible study. We meet in different homes every other Sunday evening. As a study guide we have been following Howard G. Hendricks’ book. Say it With Love. On February 22 in the evening all the groups had the Bible studies at church. We concluded the evening with refreshments and visiting. On March 14 at 6:30 p.m. the Christian Service Brigade held their annual banquet. This year the wives and mothers were invited to join the leaders and fathers and sons. On display was a Stockade (approximately 3 ft. X 3 ft.) built with popsicle sticks by the tenand eleven-year-old boys. Inside the Stockade was a ‘Braeside church.’ Doug Smail of the Winnipeg Jets hockey team gave his testimony. He emphasized the “peace that passes all human understanding” that God was giving him. Eighteen men were given service recogni tion pins. Two Redekopp brothers sang several songs for our enjoyment. Enrolled in Brigade are 35 Stockade boys and 15 Batallion boys. Approximately 50 per cent of the boys come from neighbourhood homes. It was a privilege to attend the wedding of
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Boualiane Nachampasak and Phoudone Thongvankham on the afternoon of March 21. These people are two of the Laotian refugees whom our church and other friends have been supporting to make a new start in this country. The ceremony was similar to our own customs, but everything was spoken through an interpreter. There was an amus ing little break in the long ceremony when the interpreter made the error of saying in the vows “I will never love him” instead of “I will never leave him, nor forsake him.” The interpreter was Mr. Peter Buhr, a long-time missionary to Thailand. At the reception we were served a tasty oriental supper. Later Bounhoung Thongvankham, brother of the groom, ac companied a soloist and a duet with a reed instrument which he had brought with him Baptized at the Evangelical Fellowship Church in Steinbach on February 1 were from his homeland. The music sounded a lit (left to right) Sharon, daughter of John and Adina Sawatzky; Lydia, daughter of David tle like that of bagpipes. and Esther Dueck; Virginia, daughter of Alvin and Anne Reimer; and Wayne, son of We wish the newlyweds happiness in thenIke and /ustina Dyck. future together. Wes and Lorraine Loewen celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary with their two sons, Travis and Gordon, and relatives and friends on March 22 at the Braeside church. A time of good fellowship was enjoyed. We wish them continued blessings from the Lord. Hungarian Bible Society Protests Bible Smuggling
BERLIN — In a protest delcaration at the world conference of Bible societies in Chiang Mai, Thailand, September 28 to October 5, 1980, the chairman of the Hungarian Bible Society, Bishop Dr. Tibor Bartha, stated that in the past 30 years their society has pub lished 320,000 Bibles in the old Karoli-translation. Since 1975 80,000 additional Bibles had been published in a new translation. Bishop Bartha referred to the specific con tent of their protest: “In the past 30 years certain Christian circles in the West have been using any means possible to smuggle Hungarian Bibles into our country. They justify their activity with the erroneous claim that Hungarian churches are hindered by the state from publishing and distributing Bibles in a satisfactory manner. They spread the news that Bibles are in short supply in Hungary. “It was most recently called to our atten tion in the spring of 1980, that our new translation — which is protected by internationally-recognized copyright laws — had, along with a new translation of the Psalms, been printed in a Western country without our knowledge and was being smuggled regularly into Hungary.” Concerning the distribution of Bibles among Hungarian Protestants, the bishop referred to the fact that local congregations
have 1,200 “book tables” where Bibles can be purchased. A Protestant bookstore in the center of Budapest has been involved primarily in the sale of Bibles since 1977. In addition, the Reformed churches annually observe a “Bible Sunday.” APRIL 10, 1980
The first membership meeting of the Evangelical Fellowship Church in their new
building.
CHURCH BUILDING PROGRESSING
Steinbach EFC: As a congregation we are eagerly waiting to get into our new building. In January we had our year-end meeting in the basement. It was quite comfortable and exciting. Since then we have had our membership meetings in the new building. Many of our people have volunteered and have done all the downstairs painting in the Sunday school rooms. The upstairs is also very close to being finished. After the rug is
in we will have to wait for the benches and the chairs and we’ll be ready to move in. On February 1 we had our second bap tism service with our pastor, John Dyck, of ficiating. Each one of the candidates gave a short testimony and was baptized and receiv ed into the membership. In the afternoon we observed the Lord’s Supper. This was a joyful and blessed time of fellowship with the Lord and with one another.
"LIFE OF lESUS" FOR CUBA'S CHILDREN Five thousand copies of the publication 'Life of lesus,' consisting of collected Scripture passages that tell the”story of Christ's life, have been supplied to Cuba for use by school children. The books were supplied by the Peruvian Bible Society through the apostolic nunciate in Lina. The import of these books into Cuba was officially approved by the Cuban government. The present papal nuncio in Lima previously held a similar office in Havana, Cuba.
Attention — All Nurses! Plan to attend the EMC Nurses' Fellowship planned for Friday, May 22, 1981. More details to follow.
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Mennonites and other Baptists in Russia tried and sentenced
KESTON COLLEGE, England - The results of four trials of Soviet Baptists are now known, reports the Reston News Ser vice. Two of the trials involved Mennonites whose arrest Mennonite Central Committee reported previously. In Aktyubinsk, Kazakhstan on December 12, 1980 Daniil Peters, Heinrich Peters and Peter Abramovich Peters were sentenced to five, three, and three and a half years respec tively. They are the father, brother and brother-in-law of youth evangelist Peter Danilovich Peters, who was released from 10 years of imprisonment in July 1980. Rudolf Klassen has been sentenced in Karaganda, Kazakhstan to three years’ strict regime in labor camps. He was arrested June 20 in Karaganda, apparently for his in volvement in the printing of Christian literature.
Births SCHROEDER—to Bill and Marlene Schroeder of Steinbach, Man., a daughter, Carla Marlene, on February 15, 1981.
REIMER — to Melvin and Narcissa Reimer of Blumenort, Man., a son, Miguel, on March 6, 1981. PLETT — to Lawrence and Marge Plett of Blumenort, Man., a daughter, Melissa LaDawn, on March 18, 1981. KOOP — to Norman and Karen Koop of Sexsmith, Alta., a daughter, Gloria Roxanne, on March 17, 1981. DYCK — to Jim and Virginia Dyck of Wabowden, Man., a son, Cameron Joel, on January 3, 1981.
PETER TOEWS WIENS 1897 - 1981 On March 12, 1981, at the Morris Hospital, Mr. Peter Wiens of Morris, Manitoba, aged 83 years, peacefully passed away. He was predeceased by his first wife Margaret in 1973, one son John in 1951, one daughter Anna in 1930, one son-in-law John McNutt in 1977, and one grandchild Wade in 1970. He leaves to survive his wife Mary; five sons, Frank of Victoria, Henry of Win nipeg, Albert of Vancouver, Norman of Lethbridge, Leonard of Winnipeg; four daughters, Mrs. Margaret Boss of Winnipeg, Mrs. Bertha McNutt of Edmonton, Mrs. Bernice Sawatsky of Aldergrove, Mrs. Jessie Friesen of Abbotsford; 26 grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren, one brother and three sisters. Mr. Wiens was born in Kleefeld, Manitoba on November 3, 1897. As a young lad of sixteen he saw the need to supplement his family’s income and picked up hammer and saw, got on his bicycle, and rode to the Rosenort area to find work as a carpenter. He succeeded, and maintained a high priori ty of returning his hard-earned savings to his family. Years slipped by quickly, and as adulthood approached, it was time for a bride. For us, his children, he could have searched the world over and not have found a more loving, patient mother than Margaret Brandt of Rosenort. During the course of raising a family, they experienced some dif ficult periods such as the depression, but
Father, as strong-willed and determined as he was, never failed to provide the basic necessities. As with all families, characteristics remain embedded in children’s minds and of Dad we could say he preferred to direct his attention to those less fortunate, such as the stranger who came to the door one Christmas Eve and was given a place at our humble table and a room to spend the night. Upon their confession of faith both Mother and Dad were baptized by the late Bishop Peter P. Reimer in 1931 and received as members in the Evangelical Mennonite Church. Our hearts are filled with gratitude that in the recent past Father re-dedicated his life to the Lord. It was his innermost desire to be at peace with God and man. We believe it was rather dramatic the way his life came to a close. With his last trip to the West Coast just over and a visit to his closest relatives complete, he returned to his home, admitted himself to the hospital after suffering a heart attack, saw his children for the last time, and closed his eyes one final time for the eternal rest and peace with his Saviour. “All things work together for good to them that love God” (Romans 8:28). The Family The funeral was held in the Steinbach EM Church on March 16 with Rev. Johnny Loewen and Rev. Nick Friesen, both of Rosenort, conducting the service. In keeping with the request of the deceased, his body was laid to rest in the Steinbach Cemetery.
Into the Humdrum
Weddings BIETZ — KOOP: Ronald, son of Ray and Esther Bietz of Tripp, South Dakota, and Judy, daughter of Bill and Mary Koop of Landmark, Man., were married at the Prairie Rose E.M. Church in Landmark on January 3, 1981. They are making their home near Santa Cruz, Bolivia. KROEKER — KOOP: Reynold, son of Ike and Elsie Kroeker of Steinbach, Man., was married on January 16, 1981 to Grace, daughter of Adolph and Sara Koop of Stein bach, Man. The wedding took place at the E.M. Church in Steinbach with John Dyck of Steinbach officiating. The couple is making their home in Steinbach. PLETT — DOERKSEN: James, son of Mr. and Mrs. Benny P. Plett of Steinbach, Man., and Eleanor, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Peter P. Doerksen of Blumenort, Man,, were mar ried on February 7, 1981. The wedding took place at the Ridgewood E.M. Church with Fred Klassen of Blumenort, Man. officiating.
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Into the humdrum, and humdrum, and humdrum, - Of everyday Of dishes, and dust, and do-nothIng-excItIng, Oh Lord, send a Light. Into the humdrum, and humdrum, and humdrum, - Of everyday Comes my Maker, the One who said, "Let there be light.” Into the humdrum, and humdrum, and humdrum, - Of everyday Comes my Maker, who loves and forgives, and says, "I am the light.”
Please accept humdrum, and humdrum routine work, - Of everyday As my service. Lord. For your abiding presence I thank you, dear Lord. Laura Siemens
THE MESSENGER
Our group continued to grow in numbers so in the early 1960s it was decided that we would divide into two groups, the older group remaining the Goodwill Club. In the years that followed we again had many opportunities to help — painting and cleaning at Red Rock Bible Camp; baking cookies for children’s camps; sewing hospital gowns and visiting at the Extended Care Home;mending, canning and sewing drapes for the Rest Haven; cleaning and painting at SBI; sewing missionary outfits; sending food parcels to missionaries; helping along with the many functions at our local church. Donations were sent to the Leprosy Mission, Mexico Literature Fund, MCC and other church projects. The 1970s also gave opportunity to help — helping out at the Christian Youth Centre in Winnipeg, sewing choir robes for the church choir, making blankets and rolling bandages for MCC at our evening meetings, making hundreds of plates of Verenicki for the MCC Auction Sale. We have been able to fulfill a need in our church community in the area of catering. Up to the present time we have catered at 38 weddings, nine anniversaries and six ban quets. The greater part of the proceeds is used for missions, sponsoring a child through MCC, and the rest for churchrelated projects. Visiting our elderly (over 70) members of the church once a year is also something that we enjoy. Each of us also has a secret prayer sister from within the group, one whom we pray for and remember in special ways throughout the year. There are 27 members in our group. At the present time we are making quilts for the Christian Youth Centre and knitting and rolling bandages for MCC at our evening meetings. We thank the Lord for the opportunities He has given us to serve. Our prayer and desire is that we might be faithful in serving Him in the place where He has put us. Sara Kroeker
Goodwill Sewing Club f
Prairie Rose, Man.: Some questions fre quently asked about Sewing Circles are, Why such a group? or. What is the purpose of this group? or, Is this primarily a social function? or, What place does it have within the structure of the church? In our church we have several groups like these, but 1 would like to share with you about only one of them. Go back with me, if you will, to the early 1950s when our group had its beginning. All of us were homemakers and most of us had little children. We all felt that we wanted to become more involved in helping others within the church and also to reach out to those round about us who might need a help ing hand. Our meetings were held twice a month in our homes. Meetings were opened with sing ing, a devotional and prayer by the hostess. The name selected for the group was the “Goodwill Sewing Club,” and for our club “motto” we chose I Cor. 15:58, “Therefore, my beloved brethren (sisters), be ye stead fast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” We had many opportunities to help with cleaning and baking and sewing for someone in need. Many enjoyable hours were spent in sewing for missionaries who were on their
APRIL 10, 1980
way to the foreign field. Dozens of layette bundles were sewn for MCC and numerous items were made for “missions auction sales.” (Remember them?) One of our first money raising projects was to prepare and serve a Fowl Supper for about 200 people in the church lower auditorium (with no modern conveniences at the “old” church either). Proceeds for this project were used for missions.
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From the Editor But Now is Christ Risen “But we had hoped . .. Two disciples of Jesus were on their way from Jerusalem to Emmaus on that first Easter morning when the above statement was made by one of them. The two were sad and, no doubt, disillusioned. They had hoped that their beloved Master, who they now thought was dead, would have redeemed Israel. It was, of course, here also that Jesus, accompany ing them, revealed Himself to them and they, rejoic ing, went back to Jerusalem where they were already informed that the Lord was risen and had appeared to Simon. Then they related what had happened on the way and how Jesus became known to them when they broke bread. F. F. Bruce relates in his book “The New Testament Documents” that attempts to disprove the resurrec tion have been made from the beginning. He listed some of these: — The guards were bribed to say the body was stolen. — Others have suggested that Jesus did not die at all. — Some say the women went to the wrong grave. — The Jewish authorities themselves had the body removed, according to others. We further find that initially none of the apostles believed in Jesus’ resurrection but considered the re port of the women as idle tales. Sadness, however, soon turned to jubilation as re ports came in that the risen Christ had been seen and encountered. So convinced were the disciples of Jesus’ resurrec tion that it became one of their dominant themes when they began proclaiming the Gospel in the book of Acts (c.f. Acts 2:24, 3:15,4:10, 5:30). And strangely, when thinking of the cover-up which had been attempted by the priests and elders, nowhere do we find in the opening chapters of Acts that there is an attempt to refute the apostles’ claim concerning the resurrection. This alone is very strong
PAGE 16
evidence that Jesus arose. Another very strong argument is given by Paul in I Cor. 15:1-8. F F. Bruce again notes that this was less than 25 years after the event and there were still hun dreds of eye-witnesses who had seen Christ alive. Surely, had anyone so wished, these people could have been contacted for verification of this miracle. Paul waxes bolder as he goes on in this resurrection chapter (I. Cor. 15) and goes as far as to say that if we don’t believe in the resurrection then our preach ing is in vain. Also our faith is in vain. He shows that to complete the work of Christ on earth the ressurection is an essential. This is also brought out in his letter to the Romans where he carefully distinguishes between Christ’s death and resurrection as being put to death for our trespasses and raised for our justification (Romans 4:25). It seems that in a sense we are already to live the resurrection life. In Romans 6:5 we have the statement that “. .. if we have been united with him (Christ) in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.” Myron Augsburger believes that this “resurrection like his” refers to our walk as Christians in this life. He says that “to live in the resurrection is to know in my life the power of the risen Christ, freedom from the death-dealing tendency to sin, fellowship that knows the openness of interchange with the Father, and the fullness of life which has the quality of the eternal.” In this life infirmity, disease and decay dog our footsteps. But the time is coming when for the Christ ian all this will change. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is soum in weakness, it is raised in glory. It is sown a physical body, it is raised a spiri tual body (I Cor. 15:42-44). That is the time when death will be swallowed up in victory. That is something to look forward to. - D.S.
THE MESSENGER