The Messenger EVANGELICAL MENNONITE CONFERENCE
VOL 30 NO. 8 VOL.
APR. 16/92
Responding to the Needs of People with Mental Illness that you will be praying for them at a certain time every day. Ask permission to share their needs with others who will also commit themselves to regular “We’d like to help but we don’t know what to intercession. do. After all, we’re not psychaiatrists. We might Provide support through congregational small do more harm than good. Besides, he won’t listen groups. There are several models of structured to any of our advice. And sometimes when we’re groups that are trained to respond to mental and trying to be friendly, he yells or curses at us. He emotional problems. just doesn’t seem to want our help.” Gather together everyone who is already involved “Well, you know, if she would just make peace with the person and make a specific, goal-directed with God, then this depression thing would stop. plan of care. Recently, I was contacted by a pas I’ve told her I’d pray with her and I did. But it tor who was frustrated with the amount of time didn’t help. I guess she must have some uncon and energy being put into a family situation. While fessed sin or maybe she just doesn’t believe.” the congregation wanted to help, they often felt that “You know, we had prayer meeting for her after they were going in circles. I met with the pastor she was admitted to the hospital. She was acting and ten others who were relating to the family. real crazy. We prayed that the demons would be We focussed on specific ways they could help. released. After she was discharged, we had another I spent part of the time helping them understand service, laid hands on her, cast out the demons. mental illness, the causes, effective ways of help Didn’t seem to help much. I guess she isn’t ready ing and the need for deciding how much time and to be freed.” energy they were willing to give. We identified the “The congregation was real supportive when I areas that the group wanted to focus on, discussed broke my leg. But now that my son has been diag what had been helpful in the past, what had not nosed as having schizophrenia, no one seems to worked and what the group was willing to try in want to talk to me. I feel alone, like a leper. I guess the future. This led to the development of specific the church really doesn’t care.” supportive roles that each member of the group Have you heard any of these statements in con would carry out. It was interesting to note that by nection with someone who has a chronic mental the end of the evening, members of the group be illness? In my experience, they are all too common. gan to share their own insecurities and need for How do you respond to the person who is always affirmation. We put in place a support network for in need? What do you say when nothing you say the group members as well as the family. seems to make any difference? What do the per Many people are afraid of mental illness. They son with a mental illness and their family need from aren’t sure what to say or do and so do nothing. a congregation? John Timmerman in A Season of This only increases the isolation and pain that Suffering says it best: “ ... the family in need families and individuals feel. There is a mistaken needs others to enter into their need with them. notion that you have to be a professional to know When the music is all broken, the harmonies dis how to relate to people correctly. While it is true torted and the tune lost, we need others to enter that certain aspects of care should be handled by in to show the way back to rejoicing.” people who have been trained, there is much that It’s commonly believed that it is the responsibility everyone can do. A friendship should not provide of the pastor to deal with “those kinds of “therapy.” A friend is someone who will listen, problems.” There are few pastors who have the laugh, cry and maybe even get angry with you. time and energy to effectively minister to everyone Sharing in the everyday life and activities of a per who is needy. We all lead busy lives but we must son is ministering healing. take time to care for each other. The biblical con People are often afraid that once they become cept of jubilee was based on the people of God involved they will be overwhelmed by the needs. working actively at justice, mercy and restoration. This does not have to happen. I encourage people This was not a commandment for the priests but to be aware of their time, energy and patience limi for all the people of Israel. The parable of the good tations when they commit to doing things for or Samaritan was given to each of us, not just to our with someone. It is acceptable to say, “No, I’m pastors. not able to do that.” If someone calls to talk with The first step in responding effectively to per you and you only have ten minutes to talk with sons with mental illness is to learn as much as you them, tell them that and stop the conversation af can about it. Talking with people who have a men ter that time. You do not have to feel guilty for tal illness will give tham a chance to teach you admitting to limitations if you do so in a gentle but about the struggles they face. Explain why you are firm manner. There may be times when the per interested and that you want to learn from their son will become angry with you. Accept this, ac experiences. Be prepared to listen without offer knowledge the anger, but don’t back down. “I’m ing advice or suggestions. sorry that you’re upset, but this is what I must do,” Prayer is sometimes difficult or even impossible is a legitimate reply. If you are able, you could offer when someone is in pain. It is during those times an alternative to the refused activity. “I can’t talk that we can assure others we are praying for them. with you now but can I call you back in an hour,” Don’t limit your prayers to asking for healing. Pray “I’m busy right now but we could have lunch on for strength, ability to make decisions, peace and Tuesday.” a sense of God’s presence. Let the persons know I believe that caring takes planning, commitment
by Karen Jantzi
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The brain is a major organ of the body, it, too, can become Hi.
HOW CAN I TELL IF SOMEONE IS MENTALLY ILL? Often it’s not easy. A person usually becomes ill slowly. Be alert for symptoms such as — •silent, listless behavior, •suspicion without cause (paranoia), •anxiety over imagined problems, •sudden changes in mood, •poor work performance, •hallucinations. •physical ailments. A single symptom or isolated event isn’t necessarily a sign of mental ill ness. But a continuing pattern of un usual or extreme behavior may mean help is needed. — What You Should Know about Mental Illness in the Family.
FACTS ABOUT RECOVERED MENTAL PATIENTS: •mental illness is often temporary in nature. •following mental illness, social rehabiltation is usually needed. •some are impulsive and their actions unpredictable when they are actively ill. But once they have recovered, most of them are consistent in their behavior and are likely to present few surprises to those who know them. •persons with schizophrenia do not really have split personalities. Rather, when they are ill, their thinking becomes confused, •patients who have come through mental illness and have returned to the community rarely present a danger to the public, •mental patients are more likely to be depressed and withdrawn than wild and aggressive, •shock treatment is an effective way of dealing with certain cases of serious depression that are resistant to drugs and “talk” therapy, •most recovered mental patients are rational and intelligent. —Excerpted from The 14 Worst Myths About Recovered Mental Patients.
and willingness to be open and honest. It is only when we are willing to take these risks that we can bring harmony, jubilee to the lives of those who are ill. Reprinted with permission from MCC Women’s Concerns Report/ January-February 1991
THE MESSENGER
MAY IS MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH
Fifty Years Later: A New Mental Health Challenge By Arthur Jost (( ere are the keys. There’s your ward.” The hospital supervisor pointed to the door of the violent ward. The young man facing his supervisor didn’t move. “But I have never worked in a mental hospital,” he stammered. “If you keep one eye open and one fist doubled up, you should get along all right,” responded the supervisor at the state hospital at Howard, Rhode Island, to Paul L. Goering of Goshen, Indiana. Paul was an early draftee during World War 2, assigned to mental hospital duty as a conscientious ob jector. More than 1,500 Mennonite conscientious objectors eventu ally worked in state and provincial hospitals during World War 2. Many had experiences similar to Paul’s. They were thrust into unfamiliar, frequently hostile, and sometimes dan gerous, circumstances. Their faith and their respect for per sons led them in uncharted paths. Marvin Penner served in Provo, Utah. He reports that on Christmas Day, as he picked up staff members on the bus he drove, he greeted each employee with “Merry Christmas.” One evening the night supervisor, who was the last to get off, sneered, “You yellow-bellied C.O.,” and gave him a hard blow to his shoulder. His supervisor, who heard about the in cident, wanted to fire the attacker, but Marvin asked him not to. After two weeks the man responded to his “hellos.” The war economy offered employees better-paying jobs else where, thus creating severe personnel shortages in state hospitals. The new hospital workers slowly adjusted to their new tasks. “Gradually my fears were replaced with confidence,” Goering states. “I learned to regard patients with kindness and sought to restore a measure of dignity.” At the time men tal patients had no advocates, but working in that impersonal
environment convinced Goering that the level of patient care and attendant training deserved attention. Goering and hundreds of fellow conscientious objectors ob served the attendants’ disregard for mental patients as fellow human beings with specific needs. Hostile staff members often mistreated the patients, which made them belligerent. Supervi sory leadership was often lacking. Each day’s tasks provided opportunities for the conscientious objectors to be creative in an environment where creative caring had not found a home. While individually the men found their efforts at reform yielded few results, their cumulative efforts over four years brought astonishing outcomes. Their kind and nonviolent han dling of disturbed patients soon came to the attention of hospital authorities. Attendants asked for training by hospital nurses and doctors. Educational materials the conscientious
“Gradually my fears were replaced with confi dence. I learned to regard patients with kindness and sought to restore a measure of dignity. ” Paul L. Goering
objectors developed made a positive impact on patient care. David Anderson reports that while working on the violent ward in Provo State Hospital, a severely disturbed young man in basic military training was admitted. Jim was loud, abusive and threatening. At night several attendants used a restraint sheet to administer his medication. Yet the next night, by talk ing with him, David persuaded Jim to cooperate and take the medication. About a year later, while David was walking to town, a young man in a roadster offered him a ride. It was Jim, who (continued on page 4)
PAIN AND SUFFERING Myrtle Doerksen 1 am writing this article as a social worker experienced in working on psychiatric wards in hospitals and as one who has herself suffered severed severe depression. 1 was raised in the village of Blumenort, Manitoba, as the oldest of ten children. My family is Mennonite, and we attended a Men nonite church. My great desire as a child and teenager was to obtain an education. This goal was fulfilled after receiving several degrees from the University of Toronto. All my reading was done with a magnifying glass, as 1 have severe visual impairment (registration with CNIB). For many years 1 worked in psychiatry. ■'This was not my preference, as I had ■ suffered bouts of depression in the past. However, jobs opened up for me in this field. APRIL 16, 1992
1 worked with patients of varying diag noses. Some patients were extremely sad, some had seemingly insoluble problems, others had problems of addiction. Some were abused, while others seemed totally ob livious to the fact that people saw them as having problems. Then there were those who had no idea why they were on a psychiatric ward. My special interest lay in working with fa milies of schizophrenics, discussing with them the social implications of this debilitat ing illness. Often the family member who is ill finds it difficult to cooperate, to make ap propriate judgments, and, in fact, to make decisions. My personal experience with depression helped me to be more understanding, kind, patient, and flexible with my clients and their families. 1 know what emotional pain and suffering means, as well as the feelings of
utter desperation and hopelessness. Although I feel bitter toward life with the suffering it has brought me, 1 do not feel bit ter toward God. 1 believe He feels sad when He sees me depressed. Since sin came into the world, pain and suffering are inevitable. As long as we live we cannot escape this fact. It is often said that we learn from our tri als. My question is, “Must these trials be so severe that life becomes completely dark without seemingly a ray of light?” Surely we could learn from pain that is less severe. In my youth I lustily sang, 17/ ask the reason, Hell tell me why. Well talk it over in the bye and bye. Presently 1 do not think 1 will care in heaven why the tears flowed here. In fact, 1 could not care less what the reason for pain is if only it were gone. I am sure in heaven there will be more important issues to dis cuss with Jesus. “. . . our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that shall be rev ealed in us” (Romans 8:18).
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(Mental Health Challenge, continued)
had recovered. He explained that during his stay on the vio lent ward, he couldn’t help himself in what he was saying or doing. “Thank you for your non-abusive treatment,” he said. Though force was sometimes necessary for the good of the pa tients, non-violent care often achieved the best results, com mented Anderson. The men’s will and stamina to face the difficult circum stances in the mental institutions of World War 2 were rooted in a long history of peace and justice. Generations of Men nonites had resisted conscription and consequently endured great hardship because of their stand. The conscientious objectors’ genius during World War 2 was to develop an alternative approach to dealing with violent patients. Goering, Anderson, Penner and fellow draftees could not have foreseen the positive influence that a simple applica tion of Christian principles to their daily work would have upon the system of caring for the mentally ill. Now, nearly fifty years later, the Mennonite constituency celebrates the acknowledged results of the contribution of the hundreds of drafted men and their wives, who joined their husbands in mental hospital service. In addition to improved care in mental institutions, their wartime contribution resulted in model mental health laws for state and federal govern ments, a mental health association at the national level, and a body of advocates for the mentally ill. In the U.S.A, five Mennonite mental hospitals, under direct sponsorship of Mennonite Central Committee, developed as memorials to the contributions of the conscientious objectors.
The New Challenge The Mennonite constituency is again faced with a challenge in the field of mental illness. During World War 2 the large majority of patients cared for by conscientious objectors were persons with prolonged mental illness. During the 1970s these patients were discharged from hospitals to local communities where community mental health centers, established by federal and state laws, provided care. State institutions no longer accepted prolonged mentally ill persons because funding and programs were limited to patients with a fair chance of recovery in a period of weeks or months rather than years. Mennonite mental hospitals excluded the prolonged mentally ill for the same reasons. In the 1980s further state and federal budget cuts restricted care of the prolonged and severely mentally ill persons in com munity mental health centers, institutions specifically designed to care for these persons. With no place to go, the mentally ill began to appear on streets, in homeless shelters, and in jail. Manuel Mora of the Los Angeles Men’s Central Jail states: “People who just a few years ago were in a county or state psychiatric hospital, now you’ll find them here. They get sick er and sicker; they end up on the streets and then they end up in a jail cell’’ (Columbus [Ohio] Dispatch, Aug. 25, 1991). Mennonite families are finding brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, and parents in this neglected, often homeless population. “The hardest thing for me is to go to bed and turn up the electric blanket, not knowing where my son is sleeping tonight,” confesses a Kansas father, whose adult schizophrenic son is known to sleep under bridges and in other unsheltered locations. The young man found living at
home as an adult too difficult. The Awareness and Education Committee of Mennonite Health Services is asking the Mennonite constituency to accept the new challenge of finding ways of helping the prolonged mentally ill. In the 1940s the circumstances of war brought the needs of the mentally ill to the attention of men in Civilian Public Service in mental hospitals, and through them to the wider church constituency. Today awareness of the needs of the mentally ill will have to come about through different means. Can Mennonites again influence the mental health scene as they did during and after World War 2? When Conrad Wetzel recently asked a mental health assembly this question, the
"'The gap between the prolonged mentally ill and their needs can only be filled through renewed car ing by the church constituency. ” responses were not clear because the prolonged mentally ill are not congregated in large institutions. They are dispersed. Men tal patients are not faced by an indifferent or hostile staff. They are ignored by a prejudiced and often hostile public. What is the greatest need? The Mennonite constituency has numerous mental health workers. At one time Mennonite Cen tral Committee urged Mennonite men and women to enter the mental health fields. Counselors, chaplains, psychologists and psychiatrists have come forward in significant numbers. The gap between the prolonged mentally ill and their needs can only be filled through renewed caring by the church con stituency. Caring means changing attitudes toward the mental ly ill to eliminate the stigma attached to mental illness. Caring means a better understanding of the mentally ill and their illnesses. Caring means that individuals, families and congregations will offer their support as they better under stand the nature of the illness. Caring means planning and implementing group home models. An all-out Mennonite effort is called for once again to meet the needs of the prolonged mentally ill in our midst. Mental illness affects one family in five. Mennonites have united to face crises in our midst at other times. This is the time for another such drawing together be cause our brothers and sisters are in need and we are a com munity of faith. *Arlhur Jost was the founder and administrator of King’s View Hospital, 1949-86. He retired to Hilliard, Ohio, in 1991. CONTRIBUTORS: Sara Loeppky (Steinbach) is involved in ladies’ and girls’ ministries in Paraguay. Leona Dueck Penner (Aberdeen) and her husband, Peter, are on a four-year MCC assignment as Country Representatives for South Africa and regional coordinators for the southern peirt of Africa. COVER: Tish Hildebrand is the Messenger reporter for the Fort Gcirry E.M. Church. The photo was taken at the Muttart Con servatory (Edmonton, Alta.) by the editor.
THE MESSENGER is the publication of the Evangelical Mennonite Conference. Its purpose Is to inform, instruct, and inspire. Inform as to what is going on in the Conference; instruct In Godliness and victorious living; inspire to earnestly contend for the faith. All correspondence should be ad dressed to the Editor Menno Hamm, Box 1268, Steinbach, Manitoba, ROA 2A0. Letters, articles, art and poetry are welcomed. Views expressed in Let ters 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 $6.00 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 Church Ministries, Box 1268, SteinROA 2A0. Second Class Mail; Registration Number 0591. Undelivered copies, change of address and new subscriptions should be mailed to the above address. The Messenger is a member of Meetinghouse.
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THE MESSENGER
l'—
b.' 'o
o
Leona Dueck Penner
In honour of an unnamed baby Last night, I dreamed of war. As one would expect, the dream was full of violent, troubling images associated with darkness, chaos and confusion. There is a memory of smoke billowing upwards from the ruin and rubble of bombed buildings, a blurred image of a mother breast-feeding her baby in the midst of desolation and another of a white clad nurse at a campfire, guarding her wounded. Later, there are scenes of people fleeing deep into a forest, desperately seek ing safety and shelter behind shrubs and overhanging trees. I find myself running with them, heart pounding, the taste of fear bit ter in my mouth . . . Then, thankfully, I am awake, safely in my own bed, my husband sleeping beside me, warm and reassuring in the dark. My first thought is. I’m so glad it was just a dream . . . But then, as I come into fuller conscious ness, frightening dream images are replaced by equally nightmarish pictures of the suffer ing of real people, gleaned from a recent trip to Mozambique, where a seemingly forgot ten civil war has raged for almost 20 years. By now, the war has destroyed the econo my and infrastructure of the country and, worse still, has claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of men, women and children. But, strangely, the international media hardly ever mentions the many brutal “incidents” that occur almost daily. During our two-week trip to Mozambique
in mid-March, 150 people lost their lives in Inhambane Province alone, and at Chiquque Methodist Hospital, where an MCC worker serves as a social worker, the surgeons worked 48 hours at a stretch to patch up many others who were wounded in the at tacks. We heard horrifying stories of people who were mutilated by the banditos: some had their ears and noses cut off with machetes, others were castrated, still others were hacked to death. During our visit, we met some of the peo ple whose relatives had been killed very re cently. Among them was an elderly woman with whom we had lunch one day. Both her son and brother had been brutally killed on the previous day. To us she seemed numbed by grief, her face impassive as she silently ate her food. Later that same day, we visited an or phanage at Telex which was home to 17 children orphaned by the war. Again, their stories were heart-rending. We were espe cially moved by the plight of a tiny baby girl, whose name we never learned. She was less than a month old and had arrived at the or phanage just a few days earlier, sole survivor of a RENAMO* attack in which her mother was killed and her father was so badly beat en about the head that he became crazy. For a short while, I held that feather-light baby in my arms, delighting in the feel and look of her but worrying about her future. She seemed to be relaxed, sleeping peace-
EMC Student Assistance Program Changes At a recent meeting the Board of Church Ministries approved new guidelines for its Stu dent Assistance Program. The increasing difficulty of meeting the Conference budget in the last few years prompted a revision of the program which has given assistance to EMC students studying at Steinbach Bible College since 1984. Under the previous program, students who applied were given a grant of $150 per semester (less if there was a shortage of funds). This year the budget for the Assistance Program has been reduced from $9000 to $5000. It is no longer meaningful to divide the amount among all applicants regardless of need. Therefore the Board has decided to grant annual assistance up to $500 to deserv ing students who demonstrate a financial need. Applications received by May 15 will be processed by the selection committee in June. APRIL 16, 1992
Applications received by July 15 will be processed in August. Applicants will be noti fied of the committee’s decision and payment will be made following registration at SBC.
COMING EVENTS
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April 27, 7:30 p.m. Recovery of Hope Exploratory meeting SRSS Theatre Steinbach, Man. Phone: (204) 477-HOPE May 2 Recovery of Hope Seminar tor troubled marriages Winnipeg, Man. Phone: (204) 477-HOPE May 3, 3:00 p.m. SBC Graduation Steinbach Bible College Steinbach, Man. Phone: (204)326-6451
"•rwiw’r-
fully, dark head surrounded by a colourful African-print blanket. But still, I was full of uneasy questions . . . Wasn’t she just a shade too quiet? And what about her hands? The tiny perfectly formed fingers lay flat and placid, not curling inwards as those of healthy babies do . . . Would her psyche be affected by unconscious and horrifying memory pictures related to the death of her mother and the brutal beating of her father? Really, how good were the chances of sur viving such a traumatic beginning? The answer came much sooner than ex pected. During a tour of the mission hospital the following day, we came across her tiny de hydrated body unexpectedly. She had been admitted early that morning, suffering from a severe case of diarrhea, and by the time we saw her, it was clear that she’d need a miracle to survive. Well, that miracle didn’t happen. Instead, news of her death came to us at dawn the next day. My stomach felt hollow and dur ing the whole of our journey back to Mapu to — by land, by sea, by air — I saw her tiny perfect face in front of me as I struggled to come to terms with unanswerable questions about the meaning of her brief life . . . Now, two weeks later, my memory of her face is becoming less vivid. Maybe this arti cle, written in her honour, will help her memory to live on a little longer and, hope fully, some who read her story will remem ber to pray for those whose lives are disrupted and often snuffed out premature ly, because of the horrors of war. ’RENAMO: National Resistance Move ment of Mozambique, a tenorist group of “banditos,” formerly supported by the South African government. Now, funded by right ist elements in SA military and Portuguese businessmen who used to own property in Mozambique.
Copies of the guidelines and application forms for the revised Student Assistance Pro gram arc available from the Conference Office, Box 1268, Steinbach, Man., ROA 2A0. Ap plications for assistance for the 1992-93 school year must be received by July 15.
May 10 Mother's Day May 15-17 EMC Leadership Retreat Brandon, Man. Phone: (204) 326-6401 May 17 25th Anniversary Crestview Fellowship Winnipeg, Man. Phone: (204) 837-9490 May 25-28 Plus 55 Retreat Camp Koinonia Boissevain, Man. Phone: (204) 896-1616 June 8-11 Plus 55 Retreat
Camp Moose Lake ' % IE Sprague, Man. Phone: (204) 896-1616 June 11-13 Faith Today Christian Writers Conference Ancaster, Ont. Phone: (416) 479-5885 June 13-14 Mount Salem Reunion and Autonomy Service Aylmer, Ont. Phone: (519) 773-8569 July 3-5 EMC Annual Convention Speaker: David Mains Morris/Rosenort, Man. Phone: (204) 326-6401
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Missions PARAGUAY
God Answers Prayer Claiming the Power of Christ Justina Veron, a lady from Caaguazu, has created much disturbance around town. She is a mentally deranged person. Her husband left her 12 years ago and her six living chil dren, out of the ten she had, have basically deserted her. She was always out on the streets and many times in her fits of anger at the world she would throw stones or sticks at passing vehicles. She was constantly run ning for help to doctors, quack doctors, the Catholic church, and even to Christians, ask ing to be prayed over. There seemed to be no other alternative but to seek to admit her into a mental institute. But how would we go about it and who would be in charge? She, of course, did not consent to go and the only way would be to have the police take her by force. She has frequently been beaten by the police and locked up in her abode for a number of days, sometimes without food and drink. I have known this woman for a number of years and pay her regular visits. At times she is better and I can converse well with her. My
desire and prayer was to convince her to go for help rather than be committed. No one gave me any encouragement that that was possible, but I tried to assure them, as well as myself, that with God all things are possi ble. I began to talk to her about it whenever she was in a better frame of mind, but without success. I went to check the possibilities at the mental institute in Asuncion and was pleased to meet several staff members who are Christians. Some of them are from the different Mennonite colonies. Days, weeks and months dragged by and she was becoming more and more a threat to the community and her life was in danger too. Definite plans were made to take her to Asun cion by force but somehow it did not work out. Some of her and my Christian friends and I united in prayer, asking God to take control. Praise Him, He did! I went to visit her again and found her in a much better frame of mind than she had been for a long time so I ap proached her about going for help in Asun cion. She did not really consent but left it more open. So the next day I phoned the institute to check if there was room for her. They said yes, and asked that she be brought in as soon as possible. In the name of Jesus, I went back to her that evening to make anangements for
the following day. Fortunately, one of her sons was there to talk to her too. We didn’t really get her positive word but we made plans to leave Sara Loeppky on the bus the following morning. With some doubts, and even some fear, but again claiming the power of Christ, I walked out there at 6:30 the next morning and, sure enough, she consented to go. She did not show any signs of resistance on the trip nor in the procedure of admitting her. Later the son told me that they had struggled with her all night; they had not slept at all. To me it is clear that it was nothing short of a miracle. To God be the glory! Now, where do we go from here? She is un der supervised care but she will continue to need much prayer. We thank God for the Christian staff there who are concerned about the patients’ spiritual welfare and have Gospel services for them. Pray that God will lead at least one person out there to love her with the love of Christ. Pray also that the financial needs will be met so she can continue to be under treatment as long as she requires it. Sara Loeppkp
Parents Visit Missionary Children A Trip To Fort Chip Imagine yourself in a Dodge Ram, bouncing over a desolate winter road in Canada’s frozen North. It is about midnight, and you have just crossed the ice-bridge on a narrow river. Sud denly you become aware of movement in the darkness ahead, and you are faced with a herd of buffalo squeezed together in a line, block ing the road, their breath producing clouds of vapor, as they stare at you, and you at them. That adventure was Henry’s and mine on our way to Fort Chipewyan to visit our son Arlyn, a missionary there. Surely Fort Chip must be one of the “uttermost parts of the earth.” We live in a remote area ourselves, but we do have the luxuries of the Mackenzie Highway and the Greyhound bus. Fort Chip has no summer road in from any direction. The winter road north to Fort Smith and south to Fort McMurray covers miles and miles of unin habited wilderness, including rivers, lakes, del ta, forest, and sand dunes. Travel that road, and you’ll understand why someone thought of selling sweatshirts announcing, “I survived a trip to Fort Chip!” We were not about to turn back, so we were relieved when the buffalo obliged us by turn ing around and letting us follow them. Soon Arlyn came to meet us, and the buffcdo were PAGE 6
caught between his truck and ours. While we waited and watched, the bison hurried off the road, clambered over the snowbank, and dis appeared into the night. After travelling for nine hours or so, it was refreshing to be warmed by Arlyn’s wood fire, and filled with his hearty caribou borscht. The location of Arlyn’s house might be best described as being between a huge rock and a hard place, with the garage being on the hard place. The back yard climbs up steeply to the main road, and the front yard drops down to Lake Athabasca. Looking out the front win dow you get live coverage of the snowmobile traffic on the lake. As well as spending time with our son in his house, we accompanied him to his Sun day service, his video presentation at the Seniors’ Home, and visits to his friends. It was a pleasure to hear him converse and joke with the old-timers and his other friends in Cree or English, and to see how interested they were in meeting his peirents. He also took us to the airport and showed us around town, pointing out such places as Sesame Street, Lard and Bannock Avenue, and Moccasin Flats. The Northern Store resembled the old-time gener al stores, with a variety of goods, including enamel coffee pots that were common fifty years ago We had come in from the north via Fort Smith, but when we left, we went south to Fort McMurray to go to Edmonton before retum-
ing home Arlyn travelled with us to Grassland on his way to Lac la Biche to pick up a Na tive Bible school student whom he was to su pervise on a “Ten-day Ministry” at Fort Chipewayn. We came away with a better understanding of our son’s circumstances, challenges, problems, and joys in ministry. Certainly much prayer and consistent effort is needed for a church to be firmly planted. If you have the opportunity to visit mission aries, go for it! Here are a few tips for you when you do: 1. Assist with household chores and offer helpful suggestions, but don’t take over. Remember you are a guest in their house. 2. Participate in their ministry, even if it means impromptu sharing in a service, play ing an unfamiliar keyboard, or watching a video with script in a language you don’t un derstand. 3. Be friendly with their friends and show an interest in them. 4. Don’t judge the effectiveness of their ministry by how few people show up for church. A much better indication of their im pact is given by the way people respond to them downtown and in their homes, and how happy the old folks are to see them, meet their visitors, and watch their videos. 5. When you get home, remember to pray for the missionaries and for those they serve L. Marie Enns, Meander River, Alta.
THE MESSENGER
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Smokey Mountain (as it is called) garbage dump in Manila.
A Trip to the Philippines Together with our children, Murray and Sharon Klassen of Tofield, Alber ta, we had the privilege of going to visit our children, Norman and Karen Koop and family, in Quezon City, a suburb of Manila, where they are managing and maintaining a guest house under Regions Beyond Missionary Union Mission. To us this was a dream come true! And the Lord grant ed health, strength and safety for travel and also during our stay there. We started out from Winnipeg on February 18, changed planes in Vancouver and, after a 14-hour flight, landed in Hong Kong. Here we enjoyed a guided tour, which had been ar ranged beforehand. Leaving customs, we spot ted a sign held up, saying Klassen-Koop. We were well looked after during our two nights’ stay there. It was dark when we got there, but the city lights were gorgeous. We went up Vic toria Peak, where we had a very nice view of the hundreds of high rises in which the peo ple live. The only space left to build is up and some apartment buildings are 30 stories high. Our tour guide mentioned that they were six in her family and the size of their apartment was 250 square feet. We also went into many shops. There were so many people the streets were full, but hardly any children. I said to Sha-
People living at the dump in Manila.
ron, “Let’s stop and just watch the throngs of people for a moment. To think the Lord knows each one by name! Incredible!” The people work hard and have a clean city from what we saw. There is a lot of manual labour where we would have machines. The unem ployment rate is 1.4 per cent. Then on the 21st, at 4:30 p.m., we left Hong Kong for Manila, a I’/z-hour flight. Again, it was dark on our arrival, but Norman and Karen and family were there to greet us. Praise the Lord, we made it, and it was so nice to see them again! So the visiting began. The four grandchildren have grown; they were all healthy and happy, for which we were grate ful. We chose a nice time to come, as far as they were concerned, for they were very slack during the two weeks we were there. The guest house was empty at times. The next morning they took us to down town Manila and that’s where the culture shock really hit us. The street markets, tin shacks, poverty and garbage jerked me to tears. But we cannot forget the traffic. So crowded, I cannot describe it on paper. At times the congestion at intersections would take 30 to 45 minutes to clear. Manila has a population of approximately 10 million. In spite of this, the people are clean, well dressed, friendly and open to the Gospel, which was so encouraging. We also visited the Back to the Bible Book Store. It was a very busy place, which was nice to see. They say that 17 per cent of the Philippines is Christian.
There is a very strong evangelical church, which started from a Bible study eight years ago, now under the name Christ’s Commis sion Fellowship. Their Sunday morning serv ice is held in the Convention Center with an attendance of over 2000 people. Follow-up and Bible studies take place very week. There are also other churches, like Alliance and Baptist. We saw the hug garbage dump, with hundreds of people living there, and we were told that there is a Baptist church up there as well. One cannot think otherwise but that there will also be some Christians there. One thing is very clear — we do not have to have a nice house to be a Christian. “This world is not my home, I’m just a-passing through ..." We went to a village out of town where we had the privilege of going into one of these poor houses, a hut. It was so clean we left our shoes outside. The couple living there were Christians, loving and content. The people who have jobs work hard but get nowhere. At least we did not see any starv ing children. We ate a lot of fresh fruit and watermelon and had a wonderful two weeks. We thank the Lord so much for this opportu nity, which we won’t forget for many years. Thank you again to family and friends who prayed for us. We arrived home safely on March 8. Jake and Helen Koop Kola, Man.
Messenger News CREATION SEMINAR HELD
Wymark, Sask.: Hello again from the Wymark church! The calendar says it’s spring but the temperatures haven’t changed much since “spring” began in January. On January 19 a couple from our church was installed for pastoral duties at the Pelly (Sask.) Fellowship Chapel. Murray and Lin da Vader, Natalie and Spencer, we wish you God’s blessing in your ministry. Ed and Leona Friesen have begun mission ary work in Taber, Alberta, with intentions of planting a church there. May God give the APRIL 16, 1992
Taber Mennonites open minds and responsive hearts. In February we were delighted with a chance to purchase a cake from the young people’s group during their Sweetheart Bake. The pro ceeds from the cake sales went towards the snow camp the youth attended the weekend of March 20-22. Rumour has it that a great time was had by all and, yes, there was enough snow to ski! Many people in our congregation have been experiencing very trying times. Remember, dear people, God can carry you through. People from Swift Current and the sur rounding area had the opportunity to attend
a Creation Semineir on March 8-10. The even ing classes were held at the Bridgeway Com munity Church and were ideal for expanding our knowledge of God’s creation. On Sunday, March 1, our morning worship service had a real treat when a group from the Abbeydale Christian Fellowship in Calgary had the music and message ministry. A warm thank you to Pastor Charles and Lorraine Koop and Wes and Brenda Dyck for feeding us so well spiritually. Well, have a great spring and enjoy seeing God’s wonder of nature once again! Brenda Schlamp
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A parent/child dedication service took place at the Swan City Chris tian Fellowship on February 16. Left to right: Craig and Kathy Reid with Clinton, Floyd and Christine Van Bergan with Jessie, Wayne and Audrey Friesen with Terri-Lee.
NEW MEMBERS WELCOMED Grande Prairie, Alta.: As I stepped into the church building I was greeted with a cheery, “Hi, how are you this morning?” by a smiling lady holding a squirming 1 ’/a-year-old boy. I made my way into the building, and as I listened to the sounds around me 1 sensed an undercurrent of excitement and anticipa tion. There were people here who had made the choice, this bright springtime, Sunday morning, to worship God, together with the people of God, and bring Him praise. As the Worship Team prepared to lead the people in a time of worship through singing, 1 realized again that others also had sensed the same excitement that 1 had felt earlier. The worship leader described it as “a carnival atmosphere.” It is a good thing to worship the Lord with the people of the Lord. What does the Swan City Christian Fellow ship do in Grande Prairie? Very likely a lot of the same things that other EMC churches do in their area. On February 16 three couples dedicated their children to the Lord and them selves to raising their children in a way pleas-
YOUTH GROUP ENJOYS RETREAT
Roseisle, Man.: The youth group enjoyed a winter retreat at Cross Roads Range in North Dakota. The event was originally planned for December 13-15 but a storm forced us to cancel it. There was no possibili ty of rescheduling so we thought our camp out was out for this year. However, the Lord had other plans. A cancellation at the camp made it possible for us to go ahead with our previous plans on the weekend of January 24-26. Our original speaker as able to make it so we definitely felt the Lord giving us the “go ahead.” Our speaker, Emery Plett, spoke to us on the topic “Living a Committed Chris tian Life.” Some of the main points were; Do my actions and words agree? What do 1 do as a committed Christian? The sessions were very practical and down to earth and each one of us came away challenged to live a more committed Christian life. We appreciated the way in which Emery and Bev joined in our ac tivities and participated wholeheartedly. Thank you for allowing God to speak through you and spending the weekend with our youth. We enjoyed your company. PAGE 8
Membership reception and baptism on March 8. Back (ieft to right): Roy Friesen, Mary Friesen. Center: Craig Reid (baptized), Peter Krahn, DarrylJobson, Trudy Dueck (pastor's wife). Front: Kathy Reid, Trudy Krahn, Patricia Finch, Pastor Peter Dueck.
ing to the Lord. Another thing we do is host visitors for Sun day lunches. This has proved to be a rich blessing to all taking part in it. On March 8 our membership grew by nine people. 1 have asked Patricia Finch to share her testimony: “1 grew up in a household with no religious teachings of any kind. My father went to church when work would permit it and always attended services for things such as Remem brance Day. However, we did not go with him. “1 married young and have three girls, ages 13, 11 and 9. Religion was not a part of our household here either. After thirteen years of marriage and severe difficulties that my hus band and I were unable to resolve, we divorced. My girls and 1 moved off the farm into town. “After some time 1 attended a support group for separated and divorced people. 1 met a man there who became a very special friend. After developing a friendship over a few months, he invited me to church. It was a major turning point for me and my life has been greatly enriched through God. A year
Some of the other activities of the weekend included tubing, broomball, hockey, cross country skiing, fox and goose in knee-deep snow, and a talent night. All in all, it was a very positive expeirence for our youth group and again Darrell and I were privileged to be able to spend the weekend with them as youth leaders. The time of sharing on Saturday night proved it had been well worth the effort. Eleanor Friesen
We were happy to have John and Becky Hiebert and their three boys, Chris, Jeremy and Jason, join us for a weekend of meaning ful services March 20-22. Friday night John chose to speak on the topic “What is the Gospel?” Following are points that he shared with us: The gospel never changes; it can change and correct us. It’s a channel that links us to God. The gospel can give us a glorious future. The youth also presented a puppet show for us. Saturday morning our youth group served delicious bacon, eggs and toast at the men’s breakfast. The men were also blessed with spiritual food consisting of testimonies, a devo tional and sharing time. In the evening a group
after going to church my girls and I were bap tized. This was very special for us all as we dedicated our lives to God. “Prayer has helped keep me focussed on the many blessings and the goals I have in my life. We sometimes have a special prayer night where we pile on one daughter’s bed, turn out the lights, and light a candle. It is beautiful to see the children’s little faces glow in the light as they pray. Our lives have a richness never experienced before. We are so thankful to God for sending a special man into our lives who took my hand and gently guided me to let God into my heart and my life. We are blessed by all God has done for us and I know He has watched over me long before I knew Him.” Betty Brandt Kathleen Miller was accepted into the membership of the Swan City Christian Fel lowship on March 8.
by the name of PRAYS served us with Chris tian music and singing. John also shared an encouraging message with all of us, even though the evening was geared toward youth. He brought to our attention how important our youth are to Christ, parents, church, etc. We are all special to God. We need to accept our selves the way God made us. “Don’t let the world squeeze you into its mold.” Sunday morning we enjoyed listening to special numbers by the Pleasant Valley church men’s quartet, as well as another sermon preached by John. We enjoyed sharing a pot luck dinner with our guests at church. Sunday night Becky shared a children’s sto ry with us. Our double trio sang a few songs. John closed the series of meetings with a mes sage on “Prayer.” Prayer is a very important part of our walk with Christ. The Bible com mands us to pray without ceasing. Meaning ful prayer includes 1) praise, 2) confession, 3) listening to God, 4) petition, 5) thanksgiving. You touched our lives through sharing Christ with us with your messages. May the Lord continue to bless you as you’re serving Him. On behalf of our church, we thank you. Dolores Dyck THE MESSENGER
Parent/child dedication at Sioux Valley. Left to right: Jake Martens, Greg and Tannis Antoine with Rick, Lavern and Holly Benn with Tristen, Pierre and Rhonda McKay with Shereen and Jamie.
Marilyn McKay and Helen Martens enjoying God’s crea tion from the top of Sulphur Mountain at Banff.
RETREAT PROVIDES VALUABLE TRAINING Sioux Valley, Man.: The winter has been We had a parent/child dedication service busy and rewarding. In November Jake and with three couples involved. Jesus said, “Suffer Helen Martens and Crawford and Marilyn little children to come unto me, and forbid McKay, with their four children, travelled to them not.” Banff, Alta., to a Native Pastors’ and Chris It was an encouragement to have Ed and tian Workers’ Retreat. It was a valuable train Lil Friesen in our service one Sunday morn ing for the ministry at Sioux Valley and a ing. Ed also shared God’s Word at the Lodge spiritually refreshing time. Native pastor cou service that afternoon. ples and missionaries from many points in Another encouraging thing that has hap Canada and the USA had come. This retreat pened is that we now have two Sunday school was organized by NEF (Native Evangelical Fel classes for children. Marilyn McKay teaches lowship). Rev. Harold Fuller of Evangelical Fel the preschoolers, while Helen Martens has the lowship of Canada in Toronto was the main school-age children. We are concentrating on speaker. Scripture memorization. Joe and Sheila Jolly, Executive Director of We have two Bible study groups per week NEF, have ministered at the Chapel a few at the present. We are studying the book of times. Brother Joe’s musical talent is always Genesis at our Wednesday night Bible study. greatly enjoyed and appreciated. Two ladies have accepted Christ as their
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New members at the Fort Garry EMC. Back (left to right): Dolores and Jonathan Wiebe. Front: Grant and Heather Barkman, Diana and Mark Penner.
Fort Garry, Man.: On March 19 our con gregation joined in celebrating the baptism of Heather Barkman. We also welcomed Grant Barkman, Jonathan and Dolores Wiebe and Mark and Diana Penner as new members of our church family. Speaking on baptism. Pastor David Thies sen urged us to recognize the lordship of Je sus Christ and submit ourselves in obedience to His will. He quoted Matthew 28:20, “And surely I will be with you always, to the very end of the age.” These are the words of Jesus and His promise to us as He calls us to baptism. I Corinthians 12:12-13 tells us, “The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; APRIL 16, 1992
Saviour recently and we are having a Bible study at one of the homes. We are going through the Gospel of Mark. Pray that Annie and Stephanie will grow in their Christian lives and that their husbands would also receive God’s gift of salvation. A Bible study group from the Landmark EMC are supporting us in prayer and are an encouragement by letter and visits to our Chapel services. We praise God for this. Thank you to all those who remember to pray for us and our congregation. Jake and Helen Martens
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DIFFERENT PARTS - ONE BODY
Joseph Jolly of NEF and Jake Martens af ter the morning service at Sioux Valley.
and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. We were ^1 bap tized by one Spirit into one body.” What a wonderful lot of variety God has made us with - each of us with many parts of our own and yet still a whole, single part of a much larger body. God has given each of us, in a way unique to ourselves, something to contribute to the body - the church - of which we are a part. As we share baptism and membership, let’s remember what a privilege it is to have com plete freedom in openly proclaiming our allegi ance to the body of Christ. Let us cherish this freedom and encourage each new member as he or she seeks to serve as peirt of this living, growing body. Tish Hildebrand
Kola, Man.: Our annual winter outing, planned for February 2, at the Maryfield are na, had to be cancelled due to the warm weather we enjoyed the day before. Needless to say, this was a disappointment for those who had been anticipating the skating and curling. All was not lost, however, as with a quick change of plans, it was decided to get together at the church. Broomball and hock ey were played on the church yard, while ta ble games and visiting took place in the church basement. There seemed to be no problem getting rid of the large amounts of pizzas and pies later in the afternoon. In the absence of a pastor, we have enjoyed a variety of visiting speakers in our church on Sunday mornings, including Ike Friesen, Ron Kalinchuk, Karel Munchinsky and Dave Smith (all of Virden), Ron Bietz (Winnipeg), Larry Janz (Rivers), Neil Klippenstein (Reston), Men no Kroeker (MacGregor), Archie Penner (Steinbach) and Jim Penner (Kola). A hearty thank you to all of you for sharing your time and God’s Word with us. As well, the young people very capably took charge of the morn ing service on March 22, with Rolf Kruse, Na than Penner and Danen Reimer sharing on the topic of “Prayer.” Florence Penner PAGE 9
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Young people's sweetheart fundraiser at the Rosenort Fellowship Chapel.
WINTER HIGHLIGHTS
Rosenort Fellowship (Man.): The snow is finally melting and it appears spring will come as promised. Although the land is asleep, life at RFC continues. We would like to share some of the highlights of the past months. January 24-26 was designated as Family Weekend. It began with the rental of a pool in Winnipeg where 60 or so parents and chil dren appeared to wash off the winter blues. Then off to McDonalds to sample their cui sine. The young people catered a spaghetti lunch as a fundraiser and then Dr. Jim Geddes shared the lessons he has learned in raising his family. He was warm, personal, and challenging. We recommend him to you and your church. Sweetheart Day occurred on February 14 with about 24 couples going bowling together and then gathering at the church for dessert and a bit of romantic fun. The young people decorated the basement and catered pie and dessert. We’re sure they learned much about romance from watching parents celebrate their love for each other. March 1 was to be our annual snow picnic but the snow had turned to mud. Sliding and INTERLAKE MCC RALLY HELD Mennville, Man.: Our church hosted the Interlake MCC Rally held April 5. Chairman Delmar Plett opened the rally with Acts 13:36, emphasizing the need for us to serve God in our own generation. Peter Peters then introduced the format of the sessions. He related that in spite of the overwhelming changes in our world, many of them negative, there are still stories of hope to be found. With that, Connie Braun, a V^r from Winnipeg, introduced us to her work as a “mediator.” According to her, the chief role of the mediator is to facilitate conversation be tween the victim and the offender until accept able resolutions are determined. This process is dubbed “active peacemaking.” Due to the favourable success rate in conflict resolutions, agencies such as Autopac are approaching Mediation Services with requests to have their personnel trained. Two short videos were viewed, “Toymakers in Haiti” and “Walking on Holy Ground.” Both portrayed that hope can be found in ad verse conditions. With MCC assistance, form erly destitute people have been enabled to earn a living by learning a trade, etc. One quote PAGE 10
Pastor Mike ministering to all. Left to right: Mackenzie Reimer, Molly Eidse, Chloe Reimer.
ice broomball were replaced with an afternoon of floor hockey and volleyball at the school gym. Supper was served by the Christian Edu cation committee and a film, “Gerenomo,” fol lowed in the evening. It was reported that many of the men who played floor hockey that afternoon were seen moving very slowly the next day. On March 8 four parents publicly pledged to raise their children in a Christian manner. Molly Breanne was presented by her parents, Dan and Shan Eidse; Chloe Nicole by her par ents, Milt and Carla Reimer; and Mackenzie Reed by his parents, Eldon and Shelly Reim er. These are always special times as each child is a treasure loaned to us by God and we all together share in the responsibility of their upbringing. For months our youth pastoral couple and the senior high youth group have been plan ning a spring break with deeper meaning. Through an MCC project called DOOR, they would be given ministry opportunities in the inner city of Denver. The work would include working with Headstart children, helping in an inner city day care centre, assisting in a soup kitchen, and building with Habitat for Human ity. To prepare for this ministry they have served in similar situations in Winnipeg, put
on four fundraisers, and attended a number of special Bible studies. On March 22 we held a special commissioning service to ac knowledge the church’s responsibility to this group and their responsibility to us. Seventeen young people and six chaperones have taken up the challenge. It is our prayer that God will use this time in a special way to challenge the vision of our youth. Those are some of the highlights of winter at RFC. Many other events of a ministry na ture occur as well, many unknown but equal ly valuable to God. It is simply our prayer that God will be able to use us in some small way in the building of his kingdom. Mike Derksen
stressed, “ . . . when people produce some thing of value, they tend to see value in them selves as persons.” Luanna Friesen next helped us see how we can instill hope to the Bengali needy while re maining in Riverton. Four things are essential: 1) A Bible - alive in your heart to instill com passion 2) Five dollars - for “kitchen cupboards” (known to us as plant hangers) 3) Prayer - specific prayer for the person who crafted the item 4) Frequent shopping trips - to your local SelfHelp store, of course. Menno Penner followed Luanna’s presenta tion with a report focussing on the local Gift/Thrift Shop in Riverton. Besides sending almost $23,0()0 to MCC in 1991, Mr. Pen ner itemized other benefits to be had by patronizing the store, like interacting with non Christian customers, working together with those from other churches, recycling and reducing waste, etc. After a tasty faspa, Menno Wiebe, Native Concerns Director for MCC, introduced the drama “Two Views of Christopher Columbus.” It was performed by local youth and depicted native issues as they relate to the observance
of the quincentennial this year of Columbus’ arrival in America. A question/answer period followed, to which all three guests respond ed, depending on the nature of the query. Several weeks earlier, Pete and Kathy Reimer and Leonard and Linda Dueck attend ed an MCC conference in Waterloo. Current ly, Pete Dueck from our congregation is working with MCC in Mississippi. February 16 was the evening chosen to honour a ministerial couple, Mr. and Mrs. Jake L. Kroeker. Following a supper together, a pro gram was presented, thanking them for their years of service and continued involvement. Mr. Kroeker responded by saying that they don’t have intentions of “retiring” from the Lord’s work and will carry on as long as God enables. The film “Terms of Sunender” was shown at our March Missions Night. The questions confronting us throughout the film were simi lar to the ones given us in a bulletin recently, entitled “Can God Depend on You?” These soul-searching questions should stimulate us to examine our walk with God as we contem plate our upcoming revival services with Bill McLeod, May 1-3. Carol Hiebert
J Typical adult Rosenort Fellowship Chapel members at the "Mall Hunt."
THE MESSENGER
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BEN REIMER 1926-1991 Dad was born on November 9, 1926, to Bernard and Aganetha Reimer in Plum Coulee, Man. His younger yeeirs were spent on the family farm at Hamburg. He received his elementary education in Plum Coulee, completing grade seven. In order to help the family financially, being the oldest of five children, he went to work on the CP Railroad Line, working with his father. Dad married Mom, Annie Pauls, on Febru ary 5,1951, in the Winkler M.B. Church. Two years later they realized their need for a Saviour and accepted Jesus into their hearts and lives. Subsequently, they were baptized and joined the Plum Coulee Bergthaler Church. In February 1955, Mom and Dad were blessed with the birth of their daughter, Judith Maureen. In 1961 they were overjoyed when their chosen son, Bradley John, arrived at 13 months of age. Dad worked on the CP Railroad for 21 years. Due to constant changes and moves with the Railroad, Mom and Dad decided to change vocations. In 1965 they bought the Rosenort Transfer business. This was another new challenge for Dad, as well as Mom, but they adjusted their lifestyle and quite enjoyed their work. Dad began to enjoy it even more once Brad began trucking with him. Dad began having numerous health difficul ties in his mid-50s, resulting in Brad taking over the family business, leaving Mom and Dad free and able to go to Akron, Pennsylva nia, to work for MCC. Although Dad encoun tered a major setback there, a massive heart attack on his 61st birthday, God healed him enough so that they could go back for another three short terms of service. Mom and Dad both very much enjoyed this service; Dad just seemed to thrive there! The last term ended in April 1991. Dad once again had been experiencing health problems, this time severe arthritic pain in his left hip, which made walking more difficult. On January 6, 1992, he underwent hip replace ment surgery. He seemed to come through the surgery okay and was looking forward to walk ing without pain again. He was released on January 18. After supper he had a visit by tel ephone with his mother, then with Judy and Eric. He went to bed early. In the early hours of Sunday, January 19, Dad passed away in his sleep. Left to cherish the wonderful memories of his kindness and love are his dear wife, Anne; APRIL 16, 1992
son Brad, and Lavema of Winnipeg; daugh ter Judy and husband Eric Craig of St. Catha rines, Ontario, and their children, Tamara and Tiphanie; and his mother, Mrs. Nettie Stoesz of Plum Coulee. Also surviving are two brothers, Abe and Helen (Winnipeg), Pete and Elda (Rosenfeld); and two sisters, Mary and Phil Loeppky (Regina) and Helen and Leonard Wiebe (Winnipeg); as well as many wonder ful stepbrothers and sisters of the Stoesz fa mily. He was predeceased by his father, Bernard, and a brother in infancy. Dad’s life was very much characterized by the passage found in Philippians 4:5-7, “Show a gentle attitude toward everyone. The Lord is coming soon. Don’t worry about anything, but in all your prayers, ask God for what you need, always asking Him with a thankful heart. And God’s peace, which is far beyond human understanding, will keep your hearts and minds safe in union with Christ Jesus.”
Births McKenzie - to Cameron and Irma McKenzie of Steinbach, Man., a daughter, Tamara Julene, on March 24, 1992. BARKMAN - to Glen and Carol Barkman of Win nipeg, Man., a son, Brett Neil, on January 11,1992. FRIESEN ■ to Roger and Anita Friesen of Arborg, Man., a daughter, Bethany Dawn, on March 25, 1992. FEHR - to Amos and Wendy Fehr of Riverside, Man., a son, Andrew James, on March 10, 1992. BRANDT - to Kerry and Barb Brandt of Rosenort, Man., a son, Jackson Drew, on March 9, 1992. HILDEBRANDT • to Gary and Karen Hildebrandt of Rosenort, Man., a son, Derek Joel, on January 29, 1992.
Weddings WIENS-NYBO: Kenneth Jonathon, son of John and Carol Wiens of Wymark, Sask., and Karen Leanne, daughter of Harvey and Cheryl Nybo, of Swift Current, Sask., were married on March 21, 1992, at St. Olafs Lutheran Church, with Pastor Chris Olesen of Swift Current officiating. The cou ple is residing in Rheinfeld, Sask. REIMER-NEUFELD: Stan, son of Albert and Anna Reimer of Aylmer, Ont., was married on February 29, 1992, to Helen, daughter of Peter and Anna Neufeld of Aylmer. The wedding took place at the Mount Salem EMC, with Wilbert Friesen of Aylmer officiating. The couple is making their home in Springfield, Ont. PENNER-JANZEN: Les Penner of Kola, Man., was manied to Bertha, daughter of Mrs. Margaret Jan zen of Virden, Man., on October 26, 1991. The wedding took place al the McDiarmid Drive Alliance Church in Brandon, Man., with Ron Penner of New port News, Virginia, brother of the groom, officiat ing. The couple is residing in Kola. KRUSE-PETERS: David, son of Walter and Anne Kruse of Kola, Man., and Tammy, daughter of Walter and Ema Peters of Virden, Man., were mar ried at the Kola E.M. Church on September 28, 1991, with Vernon Winter of Virden officiating. The couple is making their home in Winnipeg.
Edwin Friesen Conference Pastor Comparing Ourselves Statistics seem so cold, impersonal and even unspiritual. Numbers are such poor substitutes for real people and their stories. Yet numbers do tell stories which we need to hear. I grew up with the expansion/inflation mindset of the 1960s and 70s. Every year we expected higher budgets, bigger atten dance and more numbers. Mainline churches might be suffering declining num bers, but we, being strongly evangelical (at least by self-definition), were growing. Is our self-concept validated by statistics? Following are some comparative Confer ence statistics gleaned from our Confer ence yearbooks: During the five-year period, 1986-91, our Canadian Conference membership grew from 5659 to 6221, for a net gain of 562, or 2% a year. During this time there were 831 baptisms, with the highest annual number, 203, in 1990. From 1981-86, our Conference member ship grew from 5066 to 5659, for a net gain of 593, or just slightly more than 2% a year. At the above rates, our Conference will have grown to approximately 7500 by the year 2000. While 2% per annum is not impressive, at least it’s headed in the right direction. But we face major challenges. In the past, most of our church growth came from ad ding the children of our church families. That growth has slowed considerably as families become smaller. In addition, many of our churches are located in rural areas with limited growth potential. At the Con ference level, declining budgets and lack of career recruits are dampening our vision for growth. At the same time, I believe that it is a good time to be the church, to be the Con ference. The uncertainty in our nation is causing many people to re-examine reli gious values. What a time to proclaim Jesus as the hope of the gospel! Recently I also have noticed a growing momentum in cross-cultural evangelism happening in our churches and that excites me. Approximately half of our churches are in population centers of ICXX) plus, provid ing them with ample opportunity for out reach right on their doorstep. And even the churches located in rural areas often have significantly more potential for outreach than they realize. Jesus said, “. . . open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.” That is our challenge!
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From the Editor Maintain the Unity JESUS, IN HIS High Priestly prayer, prayed for unity among His followers. He had earlier chided His disciples for arguing selfishly about who would be greatest among them. He showed them that humility is a more noble vir tue than position or power. Throughout His life He had modelled for them the ideal attitude — servanthood. Knowing human tendencies to quarrel and act indepen dently, He prayed, “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one. Father, just as you are in me and I am in you . . . May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me” (John
17:20, 23). The early church in the Book of Acts seems to have enjoyed a strong sense of unity. Many times the believers are said to have been of “one accord” in the King James translation (See 1:14, 2:1, 2:46, 4:24 and 5:12). “All the believers were one in heart and mind” (Acts 4:32). Their unity in Christ resulted in the unusually rapid growth of the church. The early church also soon ran into difficulties. Unity and harmony were not automatic. But the people seemed to have a way to solve their differences and get on with their business of building the church. When the Grecians complained about neglect, seven men were chosen to as sist the apostles, and the church again grew rapidly (6:1-7). Unity was important to Paul too, even though he was involved in a number of sharp disputes with fellow Chris tians. He describes his argument with Peter in Galatians 2. He also had a falling out with Barnabas over giving John Mark a second chance to assist in the ministry. However, the problems were solved and the spirit of brotherhood was strengthened. Some may feel that life would be quite boring if all of us always agreed in all things at all times. No doubt it would. We are, after all individuals, each with a unique set of characteristics and personality. It is no wonder that we do not see eye to eye. This is exactly where, for Christians, life becomes excit ing. We listen to one another. We express our personal viewpoints. We clarify misunderstandings. We work through our differences. We practice forgiveness and reconciliation. Because we are children of the same Father and we therefore love one another, we show that our unity is a treasure we will not give up. Conflict of itself is not bad. But it must lead to resolu tion. Love is the permeating agent by which differences are resolved. Conflict can then become an agent not for division but for growth and blessing. It stimulates an ex PAGE 12
amination of viewpoints and consolidation of un^lerstanding in the context of the body of Christ. Unity is necessary so that God may be glorified, Paul says. “May the God who gives endurance and encourage ment give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Jesus Christ, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 15:5,6). Unity among believers is a source of joy. “If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from His love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy com plete by being likeminded, having the same love, being one in Spirit and purpose” (Philippians 1:1,2). Paul goes on to explain that selfishness and pride are baniers to unity and contrary to the mind and purpose of Christ. Myron Augsburger discusses the value of love and con cern among Christians: “The strength of the Christian fa mily [is] our love and concern for the well-being of others. Because I am my brother’s brother or sister, I will seek to encourage him. Rather than having a competitive spirit, we will recognize each other as team members. Rather than being censorious, we will be helpful. As we live with this spirit of concern for each other we will share in a positive and enriching fellowship” (When Reason Fails, p.83). The concept of being team members is a good one. When we recognize that we are on the same team, with the same Captain and Coach, in a contest against a com mon enemy, we promote a team spirit. Surely there are enough enemies outside the church for us to conquer that we don’t need to fight amongst ourselves. Paul exhorts believers to “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3). At times keeping the unity of the Spirit will require a lot of effort, time and energy. Because it is a worthwhile goal we will not shrink from our responsibility. “How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity! It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron’s beard, down upon the collar of his robes. It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the Lord bestows His blessing, even life forevermore.” (Psalm 133) Menno Hamm
THE MESSENGER
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