The Messenger April 9, 1997

INSIDE THIS ISSUE 3 God's Best! How can it be found? 6 SBC Learning Leaves Campus 11 An Emotional Roller Coaster

My Sheep hear my voice, and they follow me. -JESUS

EVANGELICAL MENNONITE CONFERENCE VOLUME 35 NUMBER 7 APRILS. 1997

Editorial EDITOR Menno Hamm

Doing My Fair Share DURING THE EARLY years of my schooling our means of transportation was a team of Shetland ponies. In temperament and attitude to work the two were about as mismatched a team as could be imagined. Topsy was always eager to go, too eager for my taste. She needed a tight rein. Ginny, on the other hand, would have been quite willing to let her partner do all the pulling. Possibly only the fear of being run over by the cart in summer and sleigh in winter kept her going at all. Although she did better on the way home, she needed a lot of prodding. In work and employment situations many of us are afraid of doing more than our share of the work. After all, if the pay is the same, why should I do more than my partner? We become motivated by a sense of “fairness.” When two children share an apple, it must be cut exactly in the middle. To give one a bigger piece than the other would not be “fair.” Much as we crave fairness, life teaches us otherwise. One person enjoys robust health, another suffers from a chronic ailment. Is that fair? Would you say it’s fair when one person inherits $100,000, while another helps to pay a parent’s debts? Is it fair that one worker is laid off while another is promoted? The question of fairness in contributing to the Conference budget came up at the all-boards meeting in March. One representative asked, “How much is our church’s fair share?” The question seemed to imply a sense of responsibility to pull a fair share of the load, but not more than that. It would be easy to give a simple answer: Divide the budget by the number of members. Each member donates the same amount and the budget is met. It seems so logical and fair until we realize that the amount is 8 percent of one member’s income and less than 1 percent of another’s. The solution is not so simple. It is more a matter of attitude than of mathematics.

Because we are Christians, our aim is to follow Christ, to make His attitudes ours. On one occasion, when Jesus taught about giving. He used an example that makes us uncomfortable: Sitting across from the offering box, he was observing how the crowd tossed money in for the collection. Many of the rich were making large contributions. One poor widow came up and put in two small coins — a measly two cents. Jesus called His disciples over and said, “The truth is that this poor widow gave more to the collection than all the others put together. All the others gave what they’ll never miss; she gave extravagantly what she couldn't afford — she gave her all" (Mark 12:41-44, The Message). The Lord not only takes note of the amount that is given to His work. He compares that with the amount that is kept for personal use. Giving a “fair share” takes on a new meaning when held up against that standard. During my term as editor of this paper 1 have deliberately avoided talking about money in this column, especially during the fall crisis when we are scraping the bottom of the barrel. It would be easy to say that the budget could be met by everyone drinking one less cup of coffee a day and donating the money saved to the church. That would help meet the immediate need, but it does nothing for the long term. We ought to show that we are true followers of Christ also in our giving. Three principles have helped me: • Give wisely — the major portion goes to the church, the remainder to reputable ministries. • Give proportionately — as the income goes up, so does the percentage of giving. • Give cheerfully — God gives joy to the faithful. When I hear the Lord saying, “Well done,” I will know I have done my fair share. — Menno Hamm

“But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. ” PAGE 2

Matthew 6:20,21 (Living Bible)

EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Martha Kroeker

THE MESSENGER Is the publi­ cation of the Evangelical Mennonite Conference. Its purpose is to inform, instruct and inspire: in­ form concerning events and ac­ tivities in the denomination; instruct in godliness and victori­ ous living; inspire to earnestly contend tor the faith. Letters, articles, photos and poems are welcomed. Unpub­ lished material is not returned except by request. The views and opinions expressed by the writers are their own, and do not necessarily represent the posi­ tion of the Conference.

THE MESSENGER is pub­ lished twice a month (once a month in July and August) by the Board of Church Ministries of the Evangelical Mennonite Confer­ ence, 440 Main Street, Steinbach, Manitoba.

Subscriptions: $7.00 per year (Manitoba residents add 7% PST, total: $7.49). Members and adherents pay through their church. THE MESSENGER is a mem­ ber of Meetinghouse and Cana­ dian Church Press.

Second class postage paid at Steinbach, Manitoba. Registration Number: 0591 Mailing information: All cor­ respondence, including un­ delivered copies, change of address and new subscriptions, should be addressed to: The Messenger P.O. Box 1268 Steinbach, Manitoba ROA 2A0

Phone: 204-326-6401 Fax: 204-326-1613 E-mail: emconf@mts.nel

COVER: A precious Biblical metaphor is that of people as sheep and Jesus as the Good Shepherd. {Photo by the editor.) MESSENGER SCHEDULE: No. 8, April 23 (material due Apr. 14) No. 9, May 7 (material due April 28)

THE MESSENGER

PART 2 OF A SERIES ON WORSHIP:

God's Best! How Can it Be Found? L

by Dave Wiebe

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lant a little seed and see it grow. A well-tended flower garden is expected to mature into full bloom for the gardener’s pride and joy. A carefully planted garden is expected to bear refreshing and nourishing fruit. We can do it with our gardens and fields, but can we do it in our lives? Do you know what makes your Christian life grow toward maturity? It seems to me that many sincere Christians are earnestly seeking to reach the full joy and victory in their Christian lives they are taught to expect. This is good. But are they finding the fountain of Christian maturity? Are they reaching the elevation of Christian success? Here the results are not very clear. All the fuss in the flower garden does not seem to bring the sweet success of championship flowers! So what am I trying to get at? 1 am seeking to encourage Christians to pursue Christian growth! The reason? It is for God’s glory and the believer’s joy that we mature in Christian stability, strength and fruitfulness.’ The Bible teaches the value and blessedness of fully entering into God’s work in our lives.’ And we put ourselves into great danger if by disobedience, carelessness or ignorance we fail to become fruitful servants of Christ.’ This fruitfulness should be measured in what kind of persons we become and what we accomplish. Now, in the context of the public worship service in the Christian church, let me suggest some answers to what is God’s way of maturing our lives for his glory and our fruitfulness. What things create growth in the Christian? How is sanctification promoted, encountered and achieved? What contribution is the worship service supposed to make to this? Christians talk freely about changed lives, while secular social agendas tend to talk about social and systemic change. Can people’s lives be changed? What is it that transforms Christians into the image of Christ? The Christian answer is yes, people’s lives can be changed, and the coming of Christ is the fullest demonstration that God believes it too. While all Christian theologies have agreed and stand on common ground here, their emphases are different. In my understanding, when any special theological emphasis overshadows the whole picture, it becomes misleading and problematic. The emphasis and focus that each body of theology gives to sanctification make profound implications on the priority, content and mission of the worship service. Let me illustrate.

Through the Sacraments Some churches see the sacraments (e.g., the Lord’s Supper) as a major channel of God’s grace that causes spiritual growth in the participants.* Transformation, or entering into God’s best, comes especially through the sacraments, writes Aune.’ Therefore, the life- transforming power of God is believed to be significantly inherent in the sacraments and rituals themselves. So then, by partaking in them, the Christian receives God’s transforming grace. These churches believe that a person’s Christian growth APRIL 9, 1997

and fruitfulness are directly linked to taking the sacramental elements. Consequently, in their worship services they serve communion (the Lord’s Supper) each Sunday. To be a successful Christian in the eyes of the leaders, you would take communion every week. Through Adoration of Christ Some churches believe that admiring Christ, looking into his face, is the key to sanctification. This view is most openly practised by many charismatic or “Praise and Worship” churches, as Webber calls them.® Three assumptions carry this belief. First, sanctification is not introspective and decisional. Growth in grace “happens” when the worshipper sits at the feet of Jesus similar to Mary (Luke 10:39 — notice that Mary was not just adoring Jesus and basking in His presence, she was actively “listening to what He said”). Second, sanctification and growth is a by-product of adoration; that is, admiring the Lord spontaneously produces growth. And third, sanctification is the work of the Holy Spirit,’ not the believer. Attaining Christian growth then focuses on coming into the right atmosphere where the Holy Spirit is able to work, not on interacting with the Word of God. For example, Kendrick suggests that by admiring Christ, by sitting at his feet, which he claims happens when the presence of God is experienced during the worship service, personal spiritual growth happens. One of the main theses of Kendrick’s book is that “...to worship is to be changed.... How much more then might we be transformed by gazing with adoration and worship into the face of God?”’ This view is well summed up as “transformation through adoration.”’ Fife describes it as “God is a sun — giving grace and glory to lives opened to him, transforming sin and sorrow as these are lustered by His love.”” Sorge specifies that “...as we worship the Lord we are changed into his very likeness!.... We, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory.... When we worship with an uplifted countenance, we truly reflect the Lord’s glory, and it is then that we are changed little by little, becoming more like the holy God whom we worship." To support this belief, 2 Corinthians 3:18 is quoted. Judson Cornwall expresses the same idea in claiming, “It is in the awe of worship that we are altered in our ways.... It is while we are beholding that we are becoming like him.”” This is expressed in worship services by the amount of time that is given to creating and lingering in an emotionally charged atmosphere of worship, feeling the presence of God, and basking in his power and glory.” In this view, “transformation by adoration,” the Word of God is not a necessary component. None of the writers quoted above refer to the Bible as the method or avenue of looking into the face of Jesus (David’s avenue was the law of God [see Psalm 119]). Rather, it is the experience of adoring God, possible only at the emotional height of the service, that fosters growth in the Christian. Notice, there has not been an interaction with the Word of God, no need to make decisions, no need to confess, no need to repent, no need to bring our “weaknesses” before God, just the

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God's Best! How Can It Be Found? (continued) adoration of the perceived presence of God. These writers openly declare that God does not want your needs, he just wants your worship, your adoration. Therefore, in this type of church, the life-transforming power of God is believed to be experienced in the public act of worship. By the act of adoration the Christian receives God’s transforming grace. They believe that a person’s Christian growth and fruitfulness are directly linked to adoration. So then, in their worship services, adoration, often expressed entirely by singing praise songs, is the heart and focus of the service. To be a successful Christian in the eyes of the leaders you would need to participate in adoration every week.

Through Preaching Services Some churches believe the process of sanctification, entering into God’s best, is chiefly processed through the Word of God. In a worship service this would usually mean a strong focus and space of time would be given to the teaching and preaching of the Bible. Some of the Bible statements teaching this include: “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth”; “transformed by the renewing of the mind”; “crave pure spiritual milk, so that you may grow up in your salvation”; “he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.”’* Some other passages to examine would be 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 1 Peter 1:22; and James 1:3. T.C. Hammond writes about the role of God’s Word and preaching, saying, “...the Word of God is the means of grace.... Christian preaching...is the instrument God normally uses to produce conviction of sin, saving faith and sanctification.”'* Consequently, these churches have focused on the teaching and preaching of the Word of God as the primary tool and process of sanctification and reflect it in their worship service. They believe that a person’s Christian growth and fruitfulness are directly linked to a person’s regular and faithful attendance at “preaching” services. To be a successful Christian in the eyes of the leaders, you would attend and hear the preaching service each week, or even several times a week. Through Interaction With God’s Word Some churches, while embracing the importance of the sacraments and the preaching of the Word of God, believe that sanctification grows out of personal interaction with the truth of God’s Word. Abraham Toews ascribes this emphasis to Mennonite churches.'* Instead of just presenting and knowing the truth, there is concern about interacting with the truth, personally handling it, applying it and living it.’’ This often leans toward an emphasis on contemplation and meditation as a means of edification, which then blossoms into growth in sanctification. Toews instructs that the proper response to the teaching of God’s truths is “...to silently contemplate them for our edification.”” In their worship services these churches then reflect their belief and emphasis that interactive Scripture meditation transforms and sanctifies the believer. They believe that a person’s Christian growth and fruitfulness are directly linked to a person’s regular and faithful attendance at

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“preaching” services to ponder and apply the truth. To be a successful Christian in the eyes of the leaders you would attend and hear the preaching service each week and demonstrate your applied faith in godly living and service. To summarize my observations, I believe the following generalizations have some value. You judge them! Christian growth is best advanced: 1) for mainline Protestants — through the sacraments; 2) for charismatics — through adoration in praise and worship; 3) for Calvinistic churches — through attending preaching services; and 4) for Mennonites — interaction with the Word of God. Remember these are generalizations, they do not fit everyone. So how can God’s “best” be found? What is it that transforms Christians into strong, joyful, victorious and fruitful servants of God? How can we be shaped into the image of Christ? Does God channel his grace and sanctification work through the sacraments, the Word of God, meditation on the Word of God, the adoration of Christ, or interactive Bible contemplation? I believe the answer is all of the above. The Bible openly teaches that all these emphases have a role in the process of sanctification. Clearly the basic avenue is the interactive meditation on the Word of God in private devotion and in public worship services. The distortion comes when any one of these is elevated to become the sole source of sanctification, a role that the Bible never gives them. Christian growth is advanced by the adoration of Christ through interaction with Bible truth, challenging Bible teaching and preaching, meditative prayer, fellowship with other Christians, service in the name of Christ, and participation in the Christian ordinances like communion. In preparing for worship and worship services, worship leaders should widen their theology to Incorporate all that the Bible teaches concerning sanctification. This would promote a healthy biblicism in public worship and a healthy Christianity in everyday life.

Endnotes: 1. e.g. Eph. 4:13-16 and Col 2:6-7. 2. e.g. Col. 3:1-17; 2 Peter 1:2-11. 3. e.g. John 15:1-17. 4. Timothy George, Theology of the Reformers (Nashville: Broadman Press 1988), p. 46. 5. Michael B. Anne, " 'But Only Say the Word': Another Look at Christian Worship as Therapeutic,” Pastoral Psychology, 41 (January 1993), p. 145. 6. Robert E. Webber, ed.. The Complete Library of Christian Worship, vol. 2, Twenty Centuries of Christian Worship (Nashville, Tennessee: Star Song Pub. Group 1994), p. 131. 7. e.g. Rom.15:16; 1 Peter 1:2. 8. Graham Kendrick, Learning Io Worship as a Way of Life (Minneapolis, Minn.: Bethany House Publishers 1984), p. 174. 9. Kendrick, Learning to Worship as a Way of Life, p. 173; Barry Liesch, People in the Presence of God (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House 1988), p. 22. 10. Harold W. Fife, Melody in the Heart (Chicago: Moody Press 1972), p. 76. 11. Bob Sorge, Exploring Worship, A Practical Guide to Praise and Worship (Canandigua, New York: by the author, 236 Gorham St., 14424, 1987), p. 121. 12. Judson Cornwall, Let Us Worship (Bridge Publishing, Inc. 1983), p. 165. 13. e.g. Cornwall, Let Us Worship, pp. 153ff. 14. John 17:17; Romans 12:2; 1 Peter 2:2; 2 Peter 1:4. 15. T. C. Hammond, In Understanding be Men (London: Intervarsity Fellowship 1936), p. 216. 16. Abraham P. Toews, American Mennonile Worship (New York: Exposition Press 1960). 17. The Mennonile Encyclopedia. Edited by Cornelius J. Dyck and Dennis D. Martin (Scottdale, Pa: Herald Press 1990), p. 415. S.v. "Singing," by Helen Martens: S.v. ''Sanctification,” by Harold S. Bender; S.v. "Worship, Public," by Harold S. Bender. 18. Toews, American Mennonile Worship, p. 90.

Dane Wiebe, pastor of the Vanderhoof Christian Fellowship (EMC), is a member of the EMC Board of Church Ministries in which he holds the portfolio of music and worship. THE MESSENGER

Opinion Having lost our first love What does it mean? Why, the church is do­ ing the best it can. The programs are all in place. Each committee is fit for the task. The preacher preaches the facts, no false teach­ ing. Yet Jesus says you have lost your first love. When we begin to run on human power we place love on the shelf. We get so wrapped up with our own problems that we don’t see others’ needs. Because we don’t know how to deal with emotionally unstable people, we keep them at arm’s length. We avoid those who are grieving the loss of a loved one, because we don’t know what to say. To those who have severe financial problems, we say, “Why don’t you phone so-and-so, maybe they can help.” Are there areas that you have ever crossed and done nothing to help, except wish them well, “Hope you find a way,” or “Things will work out, you’ll see.” How does all this relate to having lost our first love? It shows when we excuse our­ selves, saying we don’t have time to get in­ volved, or else that we don’t know how to handle the situation.

Letters Solutions Sought for Addictions I read The Messenger (Feb. 26/97) that in­ cluded the article by a man who was/had been struggling with an addiction to pornog­ raphy. 1 am encouraged to read articles in our “magazine” about the widespread problem our members have with sexual ad­ dictions. I think it would have been helpful, though, to have the editor or someone with more knowledge on the subject address some solutions, since few were given in the article. Also, why was the address not listed after the article in full? 1 received an e-mail from a friend who is also addicted to porn (and also an EMC member), but who was disheartened to see that he had to write to the Messenger address first. It’s difficult to stay anonymous

Overcomers Outreach, Canada Inc. A Christian 12-step recovery ministry from addictions and compulsive behaviour — fear, smoking, anger, alcohol, pornogra­ phy, etc. The program is Bible-centred. A 62-mlnute video is available for $14.00. Canadian coordinator Ken Sundeiin Is available for counsel and to set up sup­ port groups. Overcomers Outreach 844-J McLeod Avenue Winnipeg, MB R2G 2T7 Phone: 204-589-3684 One group meets regularly in Steinbach, Man. More information may be obtained by phoning 204-346-0236.

APRIL 9, 1997

Jesus’ words are so true, “By this shall all men know you are my disciples if you have love for one another...." Have we short­ changed ourselves by not giving up our time for others, thereby proving our love is luke­ warm? Or do we rely on programs to do the loving for us? The facts are easy to see. Christ died for our sins, arose again, and is coming back again. As long as I’m involved in the spread­ ing of the gospel of Jesus Christ, I’m doing what is important. Well, 1 Corinthians 13 describes the fact I could quite easily be do­ ing all these things, yet not have love. The message to the church at Ephesus in Revelation 2 lists many good traits, yet these too can be kept without love. In Revelation 3, the Laodicean church is described as be­ ing rich or wealthy. By today’s standard we would say we have it made: the right preacher, the right song leader and young people’s director. People are being added to the church, the building is air-conditioned, the pews are padded, and we even have a TV program once a month or more. This church is rich or wealthy and needs to keep up its growth to meet all the needs of people, yet Jesus says you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. Buy from Je­ sus gold refined in the fire, white clothes to wear so you can cover your shameful naked­ ness and salve to put on your eyes so you that way. Shame and the fear of discovery are the greatest barriers for sexual addicts (and Christians) to seek help. The silence that the church has shown for so long doesn’t help. As an aside, 1 have been struggling with a sexual addiction since my early teen years. I shared my struggle with our then-pastor at the EMC church I attended (this was 25 years ago). My pastor glossed over my problem as if it were no major thing; he read over­ familiar (not that over-familiar is bad, just in the way they are abused) scripture passages condemning the behavior, prayed for me and sent me on my way. 1 never heard from him regarding my problem again. Thank God, I have been able to forgive him for what he didn’t do for me (but could have), and for the ignorance he showed about the subject of sexual addictions. 1 carried a lot of bitterness with me for many years, toward him personally and towards the Christian church in general. 1 could have received help many years ago had my pastor been willing to check out resources on the subject. 1 have since given that bitterness up to Jesus as well. In the last few years I have been in a fellow­ ship of believers who truly care for one another, in all aspects (even sexual!) of our lives. However, there are many men and women out in “our congregations” who still think they are the only ones struggling with a sexual addiction. Let’s stop the shaming and start giving out a lot of grace. /?./?. (name withheld)

can see. All of the messages to the seven churches end with the command to listen and repent. Do you hear the voice of Jesus? His concern, His mission, was to do His Father’s will. Je­ sus overcame the odds by losing, contrary to man’s nature. We have to win, to be our best, yet the apostle Paul says when 1 am weak I’m strong. The whole idea of being strong when weak is contrary to us, yet Jesus says, as He over­ came we too must overcome. Overcome what? Overcome the natural way of life. Overcome the temptation that Jesus ex­ perienced and then do the will of God — love as He loved. Where is the barometer of our love situat­ ed? According to Revelation, it’s too low. We need to listen, repent, and do what Jesus did— overcome evil. Henry Dyck Winnipeg, Man.

Dealing with Devastation A motherless orphan With an obliterated past, A ship without moorings At the mercy of a churning sea, I A kite loosed from Its string totted about by boisterous winds, IgA totterirtg tree As its last root is severed: feSuch is the sense of insecurity. Crief of heart, Loneliness of soul. Devastation of spirit, II/Frustration of identity upon the realization That the previous suffering Of painful losses IS now culminated with The irrevocable cutting Of the last earthly root.

Then implore the Lord For grace to accept The inevitable changes In this cold, insecure world. Plant your spiritual roots firmly in Christ and His love, Secure in Him who never changes; Who makes those roots Crow strong as anchors So you stand firm and resilient Like the spruce swaying in the wind. Not bent or broken by adversity. But after braving each onslaught Resuming a steadfast position. Lift your eyes from your lonely road, Cherish your past, but let it not rob you Of the joy of today. set your mind and heart on things eternal And rejoice in certain hope. L. Marie Enns Rapia View, Sask.

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k Andrew Buhler and Darcy Reimer visit with Johnny Chubb at Oxford House.

Elanna Friesen enjoys a game of Snakes and Ladders with inner-city youth.

Sandi Siemens got a chance to try out her Cree singing on a live radio broadcast.

Dr. Terry Hiebert elbows his way toward the puck at the God’s Lake Narrows School. S'

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Peter Goertzen, Kendra Koop and Chris Loewen spending time at “The Bridge.”

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Colin Loewen practices with native missionary Bert Genaille before leaving for Nelson House.

SBC LEARNING LEAVES CAMPUS! Steinbach Bible College classrooms were empty the week of March 7 to 13. Seventyone students and faculty left for a week to practice what they've been learning. Firstyear students left for Winnipeg’s core area, while 26 second- and third-year students traveled 850 km north to Thompson. There they were involved in cross-cultural ministry. In conjunction with Inner City Youth Alive (ICYA), the first-year students spent five days in various ministry opportunities. Students stayed overnight at “The Bridge,” ICYA’s youth centre. They spent mornings in orientation with Winnipeg City police. Child and Family Services, native leaders, pastors, and ICYA staff. Afternoons and evenings were spent playing games and in­ teracting with inner-city youth. They assist­ ed with food distribution at Union Gospel Mission, helped needy neighbourhood resi­ dents, and worked in ICYA’s woodworking shop. Highlights of the week included the opportunity to take some of the area youth for supper, as well as a chance to visit com­ munity homes through door-to-door visita­ tion. One first-year student commented, “It was an enlightening and encouraging ex­ perience that will affect the way 1 think for the rest of my life.” Another summarized the inner-city experience this way: “This year’s Mission Exposure experience really opened my eyes, and my heart grew a few sizes bigger for these inner-city kids.” Second-year students were moved a lit­ tle further out of their comfort zone. In con­ junction with Continental Mission, twenty-six students were sent into six differ­ ent northern communities. They had oppor­ tunity to interact in the homes of native families, often getting the chance to share their testimony or a passage of Scripture. Student experiences included singing on the radio, ice fishing with the local people, bringing children’s programs, and being in­ volved in worship services. The majority of the students were billeted in native homes, and they loved it! One of the students described it as “a challenging, positive experience in which

1 grew in my ministry focus, openness, and my incentive for witnessing.” Travis Thiessen, while traveling back to SBC, said “It was sad to leave. Those people are left with so much in ministry opportunities and so few Christians to do the work.” Many of the students commented on their return to SBC that their hearts had really been changed. A number of the students and staff have already committed themselves to returning north for summer ministries oppor­ tunities. This commitment was best ex­ pressed when a student said, “It was a very good experience which helped me lose some prejudices 1 had. 1 would love to go back, and hopefully 1 will.” This year’s Mission Exposure was the se­ cond in a three-stage plan to move the mis­ sionary conference outside the College walls and into the mission field. Next year the Col­ lege plans to complete the shift, by provid­ ing the third-year students with an international, cross-cultural experience. Mis­ sion Exposure is for all SBC students. This agrees with SBC’s vision that everyone is a missionary. All students who obtain a college degree will have the opportunity to ex­ perience the three levels of cross-cultural ministry. While the method of encouraging missions has changed, the historical SBC mis­ sions focus continues to challenge students to share the love of Christ with a needy world.

Maria Doerksen practices her Kodak smile with Oxford House school children.

Interested in coming to SBC? Apply before May 3 and receive a $150 tuition discount. Call now: 1-800-230-8478. THE MESSENGER

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The Entertainment Influence

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TV and movie viewing are a part of life in the 90s. We do it and we like it. But what does it do for us? Are we aware of the ef­ fects movies can have and do have on Christians? What’s good? What’s not? And who cares?

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John Evans is founder and president of Movie Morality Ministries and the Editor-in-Chief of Preview, a family movie guide.

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Harvey Plett is a professor at Steinbach Bible College, where he cur­ rently teaches Spiritual Formation and Counselling and other courses.

John Schellenberg has been involved in youth ministries for two de­ cades. He currently teaches Senior High youth at the Steinbach EMC Sunday school.

Not Your Average Sex Talk

Eating Disorders

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Cults and new religions are all around us. Their members knock on our doors, place national magazines, stage weekend ’ J seminars, swarm in airport lobbies. RangI ing from the bizarre to the conventional, these groups offer something for

■ This is more than a hot topic — this is real 0 life! God intends for us to remain calm in I this storm called sexuality. Through disI cussion we will learn about God’s desires and His forgiveness as they cross with the personal issues of dating and pre­ marriage sex, and how they affect the issues of date rape, abortion, homosexual­ ity, etc. Our sexuality is to be enjoyed God’s way — and it is great!

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Tye Gainey is the executive director of New Direction for Life Minis­ tries of Canada, based in Winnipeg.

Christianity says it provides the only way to have your needs met and prepare for life after death.

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Integrity! In a world where our lives are be­ coming more fragmented, that word may need some redefining. Pop stars, whose lives are less than orderly, find their record sales climbing. Prime Ministers publicly promise reform, then flippantly claim they have been misunderstood. What does this w°dd expect from its leaders, role models and one another? What do we as disciples of Christ have to say about integrity? What is integrity anyway?

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purpose of this workshop is to put a face to the struggle of homosexuality and bring some understanding of its root causes. It will also address how we can facilitate an atmosphere in which someone will be freer to share their struggle and find help. Change is possible for those who desire it.

Integrity

Cults and Universalism

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Gay or Straight — What did God Intend?

Tim Ryan, Youth Ministries Coordinator and Dean of Men at Stein­ bach Bible College, has worked with youth for 13 years.

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^®’'ng disorders are a storm around life. Perhaps you know someone who strug9'®® an eating disorder, or maybe this ® storm which you are battling in your 'if®- This seminar will provide an overview of Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia. We will focus on the many questions surrounding this problem. There will also be an opportunity for you to ask questions.

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Terri Neufeld works in the counselling department at Providence Seminary.

May 16-19, 1997

With our missionaries VENEZUELA

A Missionary’s Shopping Adventure by Cynthia Barkman Garry and Cynthia Barkman are EMC missionaries serving with New Tribes Mission in Venezuela. Cynthia is a homemaker and radio technician, while her husband, Garry, is a pilot. Cynthia describes her shopping adventure as follows: 1 look at my 7b Buy list. “This shouldn’t take long,” 1 tell myself optimistically. After all, the list is short. It looks like this — new socks for Kevin (his are too small), one gal­ lon white enamel paint for the fence, Mananita drink mix, one pound of cheddar cheese, one kilo ground meat, two heads of lettuce. APRIL 9, 1997

five tomatoes and one head of broccoli. Bus­ iness is often slow, and it can be hard to find simple items. Still, my list doesn’t look that bad! It is Friday, so 1 can buy vegetables today! The vegetable trucks usually come in on Thursday, so 1 like to go shopping Friday morning. (That way, the truck is sure to have come and the produce will be out on the shelves.) 8:15 a.m. I tell Kevin that we are going “bye byes in the big car” while 1 put his shoes on. I check the side door to be sure it’s locked, and lock the two locks on the front door on the way out. After turning off the

alarm and unlocking the three locks on the car, I am on my way — after getting out and locking the gate behind me. 8:30 a.m. I drive to town and decide to first go to the hardware store that is close to the grocery store. It is sort of on my way and stocks almost everything. 1 get Kevin out of the car and wait by the counter until some­ one comes to see what I want. I tell them I want a gallon of white enamel paint. “Easy!” 1 think. After waiting nearly five minutes for the salesman to come back, 1 find out that they are out of white enamel. He goes on to tell me the different brands of water-base paint they have. “No thanks,” I say and go on my way. 9:00 a.m. Next is the grocery store. 1 no­ tice how modern this place is. The aisles are actually wide enough for two carts to pass, (continued on page 8) PAGE 7

Shopping (continued) and the shelves are well stocked. There are several cashiers, and none of them look too busy right now! 1 head for the vegetables first, glancing at my watch. It is just after 9 a.m., so hopefully there won’t be a long line to have vegetables weighed and priced. 1 see lettuce and choose two heads. The tomatoes don’t look very good, but 1 decide that I’ll have to get a couple anyway. The broccoli? I’m not too surprised that it is all old; after all, twelve hours in the back of a hot truck is a long time for the green stuff! The cauliflower looks pretty good, and I substi­ tute one of those — it will have to do. 1 put my things in a bag and get in the line to have it priced. There are only four people ahead of me, but the man who runs the scale runs out of paper to put the prices on. It is a long fifteen minutes as Kevin begins to ask for the balloons they have hanging from the ceiling as decorations. I explain to him that those are not ours, and he settles down to figure out how he could get one anyway! 9:20 a.m. My veggies weighed, 1 head for the cheeses. Long line. “Should have come here first,” 1 tell myself. There are no prepackaged cheeses, only deli-style, wait-inline cheeses. 1 stand by the counter and wait for my turn as the first six get served. Then

Henry Klassen Executive Secretary

Friends of Nicaragua EMC Missions sent its first missionaries to Nicaragua in 1966. By 1972, a nation­ al church council was organized representing the two churches that had emerged. The Conference in Nicaragua has grown to include twelve organized churches and ten outreach points, with a membership of 750. In 1991, the last EMC missionaries in Nicaragua returned to Canada. This meant that EMC no longer had an offi­ cial presence in the country. The Nicaraguan church has continued to grow under national leadership. Economically, the country continues to go through difficult times. This also af­ fects the church. As a Conference, the EMC has provided financial assistance to the church in Nicaragua. In reviewing charitable donations regulations and the audit report from Revenue Canada, the Board of Missions (BOM) decided to change the procedure of financial as­ sistance to the Nicaraguan church. EMC Board of Missions will continue to fund acceptable projects through an agent in Nicaragua. Scholarships will also

PAGE 8

another three women come up to the coun­ ter and start shouting what they want. The man serves them, and I stand there, feeling like tapping my foot or my fingers, but it wouldn’t do any good. I start placing my ord­ er whenever the man gets close to me, just like everyone else. He finally gets to me and says there is no yellow cheese, only the lo­ cal white cheese. It’s salty, so I end up leav­ ing with nothing. 9:50 a.m. To the meat counter 1 go, glad there is no line. The man comes to me promptly and asks me what 1 want. Why don't you work with the cheeses? I wonder. When 1 tell him 1 want a kilo of first-class ground meat, he says he can grind some. He disappears for a moment to the cold room and returns with a rather red-looking piece of meat. He cuts it up and throws it into the commercial grinder. Unfortunately, the last thing through was third-class meat, full of bones and gristle. He has to stop several times to clean the machine, but 1 still get my meat in near-record time. 10:00 a.m. Thinking the worst is over, 1 head to the drinks. I meet a friend there and tell her I am going to buy Mananita, a very common and inexpensive drink mix that a lot of people use with breakfast. I have never bought it before, but thought it might be a nice thing to have on hand for the people

be provided to approved students attend­ ing theological-training institutions. For these projects, donations continue to be tax-deductible. This funding will be through the BOM budget and special projects. However, due to the regulations that govern disbursements of funds for which tax-deductible receipts have been issued, the Board of Missions will no longer pro­ vide funds from the budget to the

Nicaraguan church for administrative costs. To assist the church in administer­ ing its various programs the BOM has es­ tablished an independent fund entitled "Friends of Nicaragua." Donations to this fund are not tax-deductible but will pro­ vide some needed assistance to the church. The plan is that this fund will function for ten years and that assistance will be decreased each year during this ten-year period. In 1997, plans are to provide $10,000 to the church. If you would like to assist the Nicaraguan church without receiving tcix-deductible receipts, please forward your funds tO: Friends of Nicaragna Box 1268 Steinbach, UB ROA 2A0

Cheques should be payable to "Friends of Nicaragua." For more information, contact either Lester Olfert or Henry Klas­ sen at the E. M. Conference Office (phone: 204-326-6401).

who are coming to visit. “Oh, you can’t buy that here!” she exclaims. “They only sell that in bodegas” (small corner stores). 1 thank her for the information and decide on another brand, maybe a little more expensive, but it will save me a stop. 1 head to the check-out and longingly remember the “Express — 10 items or less” lanes at home. Every cashier has a line now, and everyone has someone with a big cart full. As we wait. I’m thankful that there are no “goodies” by the check-out counters to tempt Kevin. I’m finally next in line, so 1 hurry to put my things on the counter. As 1 look at the cash­ ier, however, 1 slow down. I’ve never seen anyone count money so slowly. She finally finishes and proceeds to clean her fingernails, take a deep breath, and settle down for a lit­ tle rest between customers. 10:30 a.m. Things bought and paid for, I head for my car. On the way toward the centre of town 1 decide to stop at the hard­ ware store by the stoplights. (There are three really close together, and you can usually find what you’re looking for there.) I park the car and lock it. Three hardware stores, sever­ al comments on how cute Kevin is, and near­ ly half an hour later, 1 am on my way again, paint in hand. I tell Kevin not to talk to me for a few minutes until 1 manage to back out onto the main street. 1 wonder where 1 should go for socks, since any store might or might not sell socks. I would like to do business with my friend Janet, but by this time it is getting late, and I wonder how long she’ll talk if 1 stop there. I finally decide to take the time and see if Janet has little boys’ socks to sell. When 1 go in, she comments on how big Kevin is, and how blond. 1 agree that he is certainly big and blond and begin to ask about her fami­ ly. 1 find out that a cousin recently moved to town and brought a cute baby. The grand­ children are smart and cute. Her daughter has moved into a new house, which is really nice, and she describes the ten rooms in de­ tail. Then it is my turn to tell her all about my family. My mom is still working in the office; my dad has had the flu; Garry is off flying; my brother is here for another few months; and my other brother is still living in the United States. She finally asks me what 1 want, and 1 tell her I’m looking for socks for Kevin. She finds me some and tells me they cost two dollars a pair. I ask her what the price is for me, a friend, and she laughs. The price is cut nearly in half, and 1 am as pleased as she is. We both know that 1 actu­ ally paid what the socks were worth. 11:45 a.m. As 1 head out of the store, 1 real­ ize that it is nearly noon, and I’d better buy some bread for lunch. There isn’t bread at the grocery store anyway, so 1 didn’t lose anything by deciding so late! 1 swing by the bread store and, amazingly, make my pur­ chase rather quickly. Once more at home, 1 am glad to be done. 1 didn’t get quite every­ thing, but 1 didn’t do badly either. After all, four hours for seven items isn’t that bad — I’ve spent longer and come home with less! THE MESSENGER

BURKINA FASO

My Conversion Testimony Submitted by Elvira Hamm Growing Emptiness and Thirst My name is Bananzaro Thioro Calixte, and 1 have been teaching in the Orodara Kalanso School for four years. I am 39, and my wife, Noelie, is 32. We have three daughters: Rachel (10), Rebecca (6) and Rhoda (1). I am the first son of a very large family. My father had three wives and 23 children. He first worshipped the ancestors, then be­ came a Catholic for a short time. Finally he converted to Islam when I was six years old, and they baptized me Moussa (Moses). So 1 followed my father’s faith without under­ standing, as it happens in most Muslim fa­ milies. At 15, when 1 went to secondary school, a lot of questions came to my mind about this religion. In order to get answers, 1 bothered my father who did not know much, and though he tried with all his might, he could not enlighten me. Despite his efforts, 1 re­ mained unsatisfied, and a growing emptiness and thirst filled my heart. During the eight years of my secondary studies, this thirst remained in me. 1 would very often wake up late at night and stay on my praying mat for hours, invoking and talk­ ing to an unknown god. But the emptiness still was there, and 1 began to doubt the ex­ istence of God through my initiation into philosophy and the reading of authors such as Karl Marx. As a result, after getting my bachelor’s degree in June 1980, 1 went to university with the same thirst. There 1 began my English studies with some Christian classmates who never stopped talking of Jesus. At home, too, 1 lived with a cousin who had studied at a Bible in­ stitute in Mali for two years. 1 hated him for the many times he mentioned Jesus. 1 abused him and called him a fool, and 1 qualified his Jesus as the “opium” for people of his kind, letting themselves be exploited by others. Whereas I was very harsh with him, he never rebuked me or showed any anger. 1 was very curious about this, and I remembered his words, “Nobody can resist Jesus Christ forever. Your day will come.” 1 was a brilliant student and found no problem passing my first-year examinations. But troubles began during my second year. When 1 failed my June examination, 1 be­ came very discouraged. But my father gave me a bit of hope. He sent me to one of his best friends, a man well learned in Arabic, a “marabout.” He received me into his house full of piles of books and flat wooden pieces used as writ­ ing boards. He asked for my name and wrote it on one board with many other Arabic signs. From time to time he told me that suc­ cess was guaranteed. Then he washed the board and collected a black liquid into a small bottle for me. 1 had to mix some drops of this liquid with my bath water during my examiAPRIL 9, 1997

nations. 1 left him joyfully, thankful to my father for his helpfulness. A week later 1 went back to Ouaga for the examinations. On October 16, 1983, the results were announced and only seven of the thirteen students passed. 1 was not one of them, and bitterness filled my heart. Ev­ ery day brought more sadness till 1 totally lost the enjoyment of life. From then on, only one idea haunted me, and 1 heard it repeatedly, “Kill yourself and have peace.” Filled with sadness, loneliness became my companion. 1 tried to end my life by jumping into a deep well and by hanging, but every time a suspicious witness appeared at the last minute, preventing me from accomplish­ ing my plan. Twice 1 tried to jump into the path of a fast-moving car, but both times the drivers avoided me and angrily told me that if 1 did not want to live, 1 should at least not make them criminals! When 1 was ready to give up, a brilliant idea came to mind; swallowing tablets, a method used successfully by many others. 1 bought a box of twenty novaquine in the af­ ternoon and wrote a long letter of explana­ tion for my brother so that they would not feel responsible for my act. 1 planned to wait until the others were in bed at night. Because 1 like playing the guitar, I decid­ ed to enjoy it for the very last time. So I went to the Baptist Centre where 1 took music courses. 1 borrowed a guitar and went up­ stairs to the music room and played for near­ ly two hours. 1 did not notice the time speeding by until a knock at the door caught my attention. A voice asked me to stop play­ ing because it was prayer time, and silence was required. While 1 was returning the guitar, they start­ ed singing. I put it on the table in the corner and headed for the main door. My right hand was on the doorknob, when 1 heard a strong command, “Don’t go.” Nearly paralysed, 1 looked all around to find the speaker, but 1 saw no one. When 1 tried again to open the door, the same command was given, stronger than before. At the same time, one of the people singing at the other end of the room called me, “Bananzaro, you can join us if you wish; it is not a secret meeting.” Today 1 can understand how wonderful our Lord is. That evening 1 did not understand how 1 got from the door to a chair among the twelve people. After the songs each of them thanked the Lord. Some were thank­ ful because they passed their exams, but when others thanked Jesus for their failure, 1 became very angry. 1 would have stood up and gone away, but 1 could not. Next they asked if people had requests. When the first requests were given, a big fight was taking place inside me. Finally, as if 1 were a listener, 1 heard what seemed like another person beside me, exposing my whole plan of suicide. As soon as the voice stopped, the leader said, “Glory to God,” and the others replied, “Amen!” He said to me, “Bananzaro, look, the devil was at work in your life, but the Lord Jesus

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The Bananzaro family: Noelie, Calixte, Rebec­ ca, Rachel and Rhoda.

loves you and will free you if you like. Is that what you want?” 1 replied, “Yes.” They all stood up and surrounded me and started praying. After a while 1 felt as if something heavy was falling from my heart, and a sen­ sation of coldness spread from my head to my whole body. I was shivering. At the end of the prayer meeting, 1 was so light that 1 hardly felt the chair under me. It was wonderful: my heart was full of joy! Later on, the director, an American lady, invited me into her office and talked to me. 1 com­ mitted my life to Jesus Christ, and she offered me an English Bible, encouraging me to read it and fellowship with the other believers. When I headed for my house, 1 did not feel the ground under my feet; 1 was like a flying butterfly. Jesus Christ was now in my heart, which was filled with a happiness 1 had not known before. 1 was saved, praise the Lord!

Mr. Bananzaro, my French and culture teacher, fluent in many languages, is the in­ terpreter for French and Jula at church. A church leader and a man of prayer, he re­ minds me of the late Rev. Ben D. Reimer. He has such a burden for the lost — always ask­ ing for prayer for yet another contact, help­ ing and speaking about Christ to someone in physical and spiritual need, having Bible studies with his unsaved neighbours, witness­ ing to his landlord and others, and reporting results. After a period of deep grief for a son whom the Lord took home at an early age, he and his wife gave themselves wholeheartedly to the work of the Lord. Since last summer, they have spent many Sunday afternoons doing visitations around town to reach more peo­ ple for Christ. The first day of school, his visit­ ing sister gave her heart to the Lord. Mr. Bananzaro is deeply burdened for the salva­ tion of his father and other siblings.

Elvira Hamm (MacGregor) is on a short­ term teaching assignment at the AIMM mis­ sionary children's school in Orodara, Burki­ na Faso. PAGE 9

The Christian Education committee (left to right): Ronald Calero; Mar­ ia Santos, president; Elizabeth Vado, director of the Bible Institute; Ofelia Bravo, secretary. On the right is Lester Olfert.

Singing by the participants at the annual convention.

25th Anniversary of Nicaragua EMC On February 25, 1997, the Nicaragua Evan­ gelical Mennonite Fraternity of Churches celebrated the 25th anniversary of the or­ ganization of the Fraternity. This was part of the annual convention held at the conference/camp centre of the church. Lester Ol­ fert and Henry Klassen represented the EMC Board of Missions on this occasion. It was a joyous event as the participants reflected on the 25 years of activities of the Fraternity. On the same occasion, the twelfth church was officially received into the Frater­ nity. From two churches, the Fraternity has grown to include twelve organized churches and ten outreach points, with 750 baptized believers. Most of these churches were represented at the convention. My first visit to Nicaragua was in 1972. Having observed the growth and develop­ ment of the church in Nicaragua during these 25 years, it was a special blessing to be present at the celebrations. These 25 years have not been easy. In late 1972 a devastating earthquake destroyed much of Managua, the capital of the coun­ try. The period of civil war in the 1970s was stressful. Economic difficulties have beset the country for many years. During this period there have been natural disasters such as hur­ ricanes, drought, heavy rains and flooding. The evacuation of the missionaries in 1978 brought the church to a new sense of respon-

sibility. My field visit report of those days speaks about this: “At first they [church leaders] felt the church would suffer because the missionaries left. They had risen to the occasion and taken on responsibility. Respon­ sibilities were divided and programs reor­ ganized to adapt to the situation." This experience, I believe, laid the foun­ dation for the future of the church. At that time the president of the national council ex­ pressed that before the evacuation there had been too much of a dichotomy in that the missionaries and the national council oper­ ated their own programs. When the mission­ aries left, the national believers had to take on responsibilities of both. They invited the missionaries to return if they were willing to be responsible to the national council. EMC missionary presence continued till 1991. At the 25th anniversary, the church ex­ pressed appreciation for the missionaries who have served in Nicaragua. The encourage­ ment from the missionaries during these years was commendable. The economy continues to create difficul­ ties in the country, and this has impacted the church. For the church to effectively carry on programs such as leadership training, evangelism/church planting, social minis­ tries, etc., it needs financial assistance from outside. We worked out an understanding with the church on financial assistance from

Representatives of the Diriamba church, which was officially accept­ ed into the Fraternity (Conference).

PAGE 10

Canada, keeping in mind the regulations that govern charitable giving in Canada. In addition to attending the annual conven­ tion, which included the 25th anniversary celebrations, we were able to consult with the six committees of the Fraternity. It was exciting to hear the committees share their goals and programs. I was impressed with the church’s positive characteristics in a number of areas. Permit me to highlight a few in conclusion: Passion for evangelism/outreach — Most of the reports from the churches at the con­ vention enthusiastically spoke about reach­ ing out to other communities. Training church workers receives high priority — The Christian Education Commit­ tee administrates such programs as Saturday Bible Institute, SEAN courses, scholarships to seminaries, etc. Internal resources for conflict resolu­ tions — This was evident on a few occasions at the convention, and one of the leaders heads up the peace/conflict resolution sec­ tion of MCC in Nicaragua. Dedication of local church leadership — Testimonies of leaders and their experiences demonstrate a high level of commitment. Praise God for the growing church in Nicaragua, and pray for our brothers and sis­ ters as they seek to be instruments in the building of God’s kingdom. Henry Klassen, Executive Secretary Board of Missions

Lester Olfert discussing some issues with some of the pastors in at­ tendance. Left to right: Lester Olfert, Maria Santos, Gerardo Chavar­ ria, Martin Tijerino, Ronald Calero, Nicolas Sequeira, Francisco Sanchez.

THE MESSENGER

NAIROBI, KENYA

An Emotional Roller Coaster by Robyn Thiessen Coping with pain... (Adapted from a speech given at a high school chapel at Rosslyn Academy.) It’s hard to know where to start with our story. 1 guess it all began about a year and a half ago when we noticed that Al was ex­ periencing pain down his right leg when he stood for long periods of time. Over the months that followed, the pain increased to the extent that it made his work as a teacher very difficult. It was hard for me to watch my husband experiencing almost constant pain. Uncom­ plaining, he would find brief periods of relief by sitting on his desk between writing notes on the board or by squatting on his haunches while explaining the next drill. In church on Sundays he would sit during the worship sing­ ing and often squatted while visiting with friends after the service. 1 prayed every day that, just for that day, God would help ease the pain and that Al would enjoy a good day. Most days it was the same and sometimes worse. Occasionally, rarely, he would say the day hadn’t been too bad. We consulted doctors and physical ther­ apists at different stages of his condition with different diagnoses and suggestions, related mostly to a problem with the sciatic nerve. Last fall Al had an appointment with a neu­ rosurgeon who required X-rays and a CT scan. The news was quite grim — his diag­ nosis was Grade 11 spondelolysthesis (one of his vertebrae was displaced approximately 1 cm from the rest of his spine). He told Al to stop all physical activity immediately as any jarring or movement could result in the vertebrae slipping further out of place and possibly crushing the spinal cord, resulting in permanent damage or paralysis. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Al as dis­ couraged as he was that evening. For those of you who don’t know Al, sports and physi­ cal activity are a very large part of his life. The prospect of becoming a couch potato was almost more than he could handle. No more tennis, mountain biking, hiking, basket­ ball, skiing...these were the things he enjoyed most in life. Never in our married life have we experienced such a depressing week. 1 was quite angry at God for the pain I saw Al enduring every day and for allowing some­ thing like this to happen to him. We made an appointment for a second opinion, not wanting to accept this diagno­ sis without a confirmation. At Bible study, the evening before the appointment, we shared our concerns during the prayer time. I ad­ mitted that 1 was a little skeptical in request­ ing prayer for Al’s condition, as it had seemed that every time we’d prayed for something to get better, things had gotten worse instead. One of the women in our group offered to pray that we would feel peace regardless

APRIL 9, 1997

what the results of the doctor’s analysis were. That Monday morning we drove to the hospital with some anxious feelings. Dr. Ruberti, a crusty old Italian doctor, greeted Al with a handshake and his first comment was, “Hello, you have a serious back problem.” Not a very encouraging start. The doctor repeated the first specialist’s diagno­ sis with a slightly more positive slant. Rather than condemning Al to a sedentary life. Dr. Ruberti was quite optimistic that back sur­ gery would restore Al’s mobility. He con­ curred that immediate surgery was critical to avoid more serious, permanent back injury. As we drove back to Rosslyn Academy, dis­ cussing the visit and our options, 1 was sud­ denly aware of a deep sense of calmness. God had given me His peace to accept our circum­ stances with the assurance that He would be with us. Rather than undergo surgery in Nairobi with questionable facilities and expertise, we began to make arrangements to return to Canada for the operation. The X-rays were “couriered” to a doctor in Steinbach (our sister-in-law) to arrange the appointments. By Wednesday, flights had been booked and our families were expecting us to arrive on Satur­ day. We went to bed on Wednesday (coin-

Al and Robyn Thiessen

cidentally, it was the night before American Thanksgiving) with our minds swimming with all the arrangements that still had to be made to leave our jobs, classes, responsibili­ ties, plants, etc., for an unknown period of time. Around midnight the phone rang, jolting us out of our somewhat restless sleep. Karen, our sister-in-law doctor, had some news that caught us totally by surprise. The opinion of a Canadian orthopaedic specialist was that Nairobi was about ten years behind in its treatment of this condition. Modern research had shown spondelolesthysis was not a highrisk condition and would not deteriorate with sudden jarring. In fact, many people endured a similar back condition for many years, us­ ing physical therapy to control the pain. The word was: relax, wait till a more convenient (continued on page 12)

SENEGAL

Bondage and Fear by Conrad Wiebe Conrad and Lavina Wiebe are mis­ sionaries with New Tribes Mission in Senegal. Their assignment is support ministries to missionaries working among tribal people. The Wiebes share examples of bondage and fear they have observed in people they have met in the country.

Amadou just finished building his mud hut. During the time he was getting it built, we noticed that he didn’t work on his house on Thursdays. When Conrad asked him about it, Amadou said that it is bad luck to work on a house on Thursdays. He had started work on his house on Thursday. Since then, someone had stolen the straw for his roof, and someone had burned some of the straw while it was still in the bush. Little Louis, who is almost three years old, wears a certain necklace. It all started when he was a baby and had a hard time teething. Wearing this special necklace is to help keep the pain away. Almost every person here wears a gris-gris (gree-gree) or several of them. It is a string with beads and nuts strung on it and has been empowered by a maribout (spiritual leader).

It is worn around the waist and neck and arms. The purpose of the gris-gris is to keep the evil spirits away. In fact, some believe that they are powerful enough to keep a bullet out if they are shot at. Last year we were given a papaya, which caused much concern for one of our workers who saw it being given to us. You see, Mamadou did not have a job, so there must be ulterior motives in bringing a gift that he had to buy. Besides, this young man’s mother was known for casting evil spells on people. She, being an older woman, must have cast a spell on her husband when he married her, an older woman instead of a younger one, as is the custom. Before he married her, her husband had a successful business, and since the marriage, the business was deteriorating. All these things were reason to fear her and her family for casting spells on people. Fear of spirits is also seen in the people be­ ing afraid of wind twisters or afraid of kill­ ing some animals because they could be the spirit of a dead ancestor. Often a bundle of wood or straw is left lying beside the road. In a place where stealing is normal, these things are left lying with a fetish attached, which the people fear because of what the evil spirits would do if they took the thing with a fetish on it. Pray that the Senegalese will be released from their bondage and fear through salva­ tion in Jesus Christ. PAGE 11

Roller Coaster (continued)

time (for example, summer vacation), then come home for surgery. “In the meantime," the doctor said, “tell him to run ten miles ev­ ery day if he wants.” And that is pretty close to what Al has been doing! We got back into bed singing (not actual­ ly, but our hearts were much lighter) and our thoughts whirling! Suddenly our plans had changed, literally overnight. The relief was immense, and clearly God had given us a miracle. It wasn’t a miracle of healing, which would have been very welcome, but a mira­ cle of ten years advanced medical research in North America. The excitement wasn’t quite over; at 7:00 the next morning our phone rang again, and it was Trish, my sister-in-law, who is a phys­ ical therapist. She works for the Canadian Back Institute, whose founder is one of Cana­ da’s leading orthopaedic surgeons in Toron­ to. She had discussed Al’s back condition with him, and he had said exactly the same thing: don’t panic, his back should be fairly stable, and have surgery when it’s more convenient. He even offered to do the surgery if Al could come to Toronto! November 28, 1996, must have been one of the most thankful Thanksgiving Days of my life (the fact that it was an American holi­ day didn’t affect it in the least)! One of our greatest blessings in this ex­ perience was the love and support we received from the people at Rosslyn. We were truly overwhelmed by the concern ex­ pressed by the high school students, telling us they were praying for us and how much they would miss us as they hugged us good­ bye. Parents of students and fellow faculty were a tremendous encouragement to us. We felt so much love from people in this com­ munity, where we had lived for such a short time. It was a gift from God. Our lives settled down after that tumultu­ ous week. We breathed a huge sigh of relief and got back to our normal routine. We are currently making plans to return to Manito­ ba this coming summer for Al to undergo back surgery that we hope will correct the displaced vertebrae in his back and relieve him of the pain he continues to experience.

Al and Robyn Thiessen (Prairie Rose) are in­ volved in teaching and counselling at Rosslyn Academy in Nairobi, Kenya.

PARAGUAY

In Search of the Truth

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Submitted by Doris Friesen Christ — the only One It was when Paul was actively persecut­ ing the Christians (Acts 9) that God called him into His Kingdom. His enthusiasm and moti­ vation were put in proper perspective, result­ ing in much fruit. Simon, Brigido, Osvaldo and Narcisa, Maria Teresa and others were active as catechists in the Catholic church when God called them into His Kingdom, Maria Teresa, a 35-year-old mother, tells her story. 1 was very active in the Roman Catholic church, always searching. While 1 was teaching catechism, 1 was studying the Bible. 1 discovered that much of what 1 was teaching did not correspond with the Bible. As conflicts within were increasing, 1 told the priest that 1 could not teach catechism anymore, He advised me to just keep quiet about this conflict, but I said I would ask God to teach me. In my further search for the truth, I was baptized in the Mormon church, but it all seemed confusing. 1 searched the Scriptures some more and listened to the Luis Palau Christian radio programs. 1 sensed an urgency to search for the truth until 1 would find it. 1 could not take this confusion any longer, In my study of the Scriptures 1 had already learned to pray and not just repeat empty phrases. When everybody in the household was asleep at night, 1 would plead for God to show me the truth. 1 had an urge to go to the Christian bookstore, assured that these people would tell me about the truth. That resulted in visits from Christians, and 1 surrendered my life to Christ— the Truth. The change in my life was so convincing. Where there had been hatred and rebellion, there now was an inner peace and joy. To experience God’s pardon was over­ whelming. My marriage, which had been in shambles, was coming together again. After six months I was baptized and became a member of the B. Caballero church in Caaguazu. 1 now had an even greater desire to share the truth with others. Friends would ask me, “How do you know that this is the truth?” I was so convinced of

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Maria Teresa and her husband, Ramon, at their son Freddy’s baptism in January.

jt because of the change it had brought to my life, and soon other people also began to see this change. As a seamstress 1 have a lot of opportunity to share from the Word of God as people come for measurements or to fit their clothes. One day when 1 was making visits in my neighborhood, Lucia called me in to talk about the Lord. She and her husband were in search of the truth and asked me to share my testimony. The husband pulled out a Bi­ ble and asked if this was the truth. Instead of what was to be just a short stop­ in, 1 stayed all afternoon teaching the Bible. They were drinking in the truths and were ready to accept the Lord. Lucia and Teovaldo were baptized on January 26, 1997, and are sharing their testimonies with family and friends. Several of them have already accepted the Lord as well. Since his childhood, 1 had taught our only child, Freddy, that he would become a priest, I wanted him to be spared of all the evil around. At the age of twelve, Freddy had been studying the Bible enough that he was having conflicts in the catechism classes he attended. One day he said, “Mom, I’m not going anymore because they are not teaching the truth.” A few years later he too began to trust in God and was baptized in January (a year after his mother). Freddy is now ac­ tively sharing with his friends of the change that Christ has brought in his life. When people say that it is my church or my religion that has changed me, 1 tell them, with conviction, that it is Christ — the Truth­ who has changed my life. He is the only One. Doris Friesen (Blumenort) serves in health. nutrition and church ministries in Caaguazu, Paraguay.

With our congregations CHURCH GROWTH Swan River, Man.: Well, how does one be­ gin to communicate with Conference mem­ bers what has been happening when there is so much to share! As many of you already know, our pastor, Darryl, was taken to be with his Lord very suddenly back in early November. As a result of this, our church fa­ mily has had to heal and hurt together over the last three months. God moves in mysteriPAGE 12

OUS ways His wonders to proclaim. Sometimes we don’t understand Him, but we’re so thankful that He knows what He’s doing and is in control. Many exciting things have happened in our congregation over the past few months, and 1 will attempt to share them with you. August brought with it VBS, and our church, along with Temple Baptist Church, ran an ex­ citing program, which once again this year saw record attendance. In October, the

Region 3 conference took place in Hudson Bay. It’s always so energizing to fellowship with folks from around the region, and this year was no different. Also in fall we held a “Small Town Seminar,” where Ron Klassen discussed the characteristics of small, rural communities and the most effective ap­ proaches to evangelizing them. Our Christian school has been involved in an expansion project in order to meet the needs of a growing enrollment. Two modules THE MESSENGER

were recently completed to the extent that the school could move in and free up some room in the church building. This means that there are now two new classrooms, a science lab and computer lab. The enrollment has in­ creased to sixty-five students, with five fulltime teaching staff, one part-time and two aides providing instruction to students from kindergarten to Grade 11. God has blessed the school and, although sometimes we tire under the effort, we know it is well worth it! As is the desire of all church families, ours grows and shrinks as some folks join and others leave. Fortunately our family has ex­ perienced some significant growth lately. In October we welcomed D. J. Oakes Munro into our fellowship. Then in January we gained eight new members and two associ­ ate members. We are so grateful that Ferlin Abrahamson from our sister church in Birch River was able to step in and complete some baptismal classes that Darryl had started and also to baptize Lorril Scales and Randy Camp­ bell. We were encouraged by their testimo­ nies, along with the other folks who transferred in. When tragedy strikes it’s comforting to wit­ ness how folks step in and help out. This is the case with John and Tina Toews. Although chronologically they should be taking things a bit easier, they have consented to minister to us for a few months as we take a breath and regroup. The wisdom and guidance that they bring have proven invaluable at this time. A special word of appreciation goes out to them as they have become a much-needed part of our family. We’re so happy to welcome Karen and her kids back home after a very necessary time with her family in the South. We as a church family would ask that all of our brothers and sisters continue to pray for Karen, Alyson, Michelle and Joel, as well as for our church as we continue to heal. There seems to be so much to share — the challenges; the encouraging things that have happened in our lives and community; tes­ timonies of how Darryl influenced so many; the knowledge that churches around the globe have heard of our tragedy and are

Membership transfer at the Swan River church in October; D. J. Oakes-Munro with Pastor Dar­ ryl Peters.

APRIL 9, 1997

Students and staff at Community Bible Fellowship Christian School (Swan River).

■■

L 'MSB I Reception of members at the Swan River church. Back row (left to right): Pastor John Toews (trans­ fer, associate member), Todd Winters (transfer), Laverne Reimer (transfer), Steve Bird (transfer), Jake Reimer (Elder Board Chairman), Pastor Ferlin Abrahamson (Birch River). Front: Tina Toews (transfer, associate member), Jacquie Winters (transfer), Jeanette Salmond (transfer), Cheryl Reim­ er (transfer), Lorril Scales (baptized), Randy Campbell (baptized).

praying for us. It’s hard to comprehend and to convey to you everything that has taken place. We thank all of you for your prayers

and concerns, and we thank God for His pro­ vision. Jack Dyck

SET YOUR CHURCH FREE

presented a one-hour concert and also shared about the ups and downs in their relationship. On February 9 we were blessed again by a very talented musical group from the Wink­ ler area. We invited the Sweel Harmony quar­ tet to come and share in the music ministry at the morning worship service. This is a group of four young men who can sing a capella music with a lot of heart and soul. Af­ ter the service everyone was invited to stay for the fundraiser lunch put on by the junior youth group. The church basement was filled to capacity, and everyone enjoyed the good food and fellowship. From February 28-March 1 there was a buzz of activity at the church. We brought 25 kids from the Sanford area to our church for an overnighter. This is an extension of our summer VBS program. There was a lot of energetic singing, games. Bible-learning sessions and, of course, the inevitable PIL­ LOW FIGHT! March 1 was also the church “Schmockey.” A full afternoon of activities was planned at the Rosenort arena, with representation from all age groups participating in hockey, broomball and skating. After all of the action at the arena, everyone went over to the church for a barbecue, table games and fel­ lowship. Mike Friesen

Pleasant Valley, Man.: It is always exciting for a church group when new people join the church as members. On February 2, Jerry Waldner was welcomed into our church as he transferred his membership from the Mor­ ris Mennonite Church. Jerry and his wife, Renee, are active members, and we wish them God’s richest blessings as they continue to fellowship here. Also on February 2, one of the care groups from our church went to Red Rock Bible Camp to spend the day with Carl and Lisa Loewen. The weather was beautiful, and we were able to take advantage of that with hik­ ing, cross-country skiing and skating. We started a video series entitled “Set Your Church Free” with Neil Anderson. This ser­ ies will run from February till April, with one video every Sunday evening. Neil Anderson will be the guest speaker at the EMC annual convention this summer The ladies’ fellowship committee put on a Couples Valentines Banquet at the church on February 7. Everyone participated in a few “how well do you know your spouse?” games to kick things off. The dinner was delicious, and no one needed to leave hungry. We were privileged to have Jim and Jeannie Nikkei of Morden, Man., join us for the evening. They

PAGE 13

Membership reception at the Grande Prairie EMC. Back row: George Wiebe, Henry Petkau, Rocky Hein, Peter Doerksen. Front: Esther Wiebe, Angela Doerksen, Ruby Hein, Martha Doerksen, Chris Doerksen (miss­ ing).

New members at the Grande Prairie church. Left to right: Fred and Kathy Braun, Duane and Zona Sceery, Cam Clarke, Rosalind Peters, Susan Schmidt, Bob Schmidt.

NEW MEMBERS WELCOMED

This blackmail photo shows that our pastor has indeed been well received. This picture of Jake Schlamp and Pastor Peter was taken at our an­ nual Christmas banquet in December.

Another grinning mug of our very own Brad Dyck will be sure to test his faithfulness to the doctrine of nonresistance.

SEMINAR ON CHRISTIAN LIVING

Rosenort, Man.: The Siegfried Klassen fa­ mily of Uruguay was in our service on Janu­ ary 12 to present the work of Operation Mobilization and to bring a message on evan­ gelism in our day, based on Romans 10:13-16. This organization works off two globe-sailing ships and also on the beaches and on radio, with a total of 2500 missionaries. That day we also heard the “Sweet Har­ mony” male quartet. In one song they har­ monized very well with little Maria, who sang “Give Me Water from the Well that Never Runs Dry." Thank you for serving us! Dr. Jim Geddes of Selkirk held a weekend seminar on Christian living. One session focussed on youth, another on their parents, one on golden agers (“A Strategy of Joy for Old Brains”) and one on “Anger Never Goes Away; it Must be Dealt With." In the morn­ ing service on January 19, he encouraged us PAGE 14

Grande Prairie, Alta.: Our church wel­ comed Peter and Martha Doerksen as our pastoral couple. They joined the membership of the church, along with their daughter Angela (17) and son Chris (14). Their daugh­ ter Cheri (13) was readily welcomed by our youth as well. We also welcomed George and Esther Wiebe as associate members. Henry Petkau, Rocky and Ruby Hein, Fred and Ka­ thy Braun, Duane and Zona Sceery, Cam Clark, Rosalind Peters, Susan Schmidt and Bob Schmidt also joined the church. Our offi­ cial records show a total of sixty members. Each of these individuals adds a dimension to our group. The testimonies of Christ’s im­ pact on each of them gave the whole church a look at how great our God is. The leadership of our church has had to be flexible enough to accommodate our growth. This means that the group has had to reorganize and also seek more leaders in order to carry out an effective ministry. At present our ministerial is made up of Mervin and Betty Brandt, Pastor Peter and Martha Doerksen, Wayne and Audrey Friesen, Steve and Helen Harder, and Rocky and Ruby Hein. Wayne and Audrey are our youth lead­ ers, while the oth„r deacon couples provide

to “turn our cups right side up for the Holy Spirit to fill.” The Spirit bears witness of Christ, but does not teach new things about Him as the Mormons would like to believe. He encouraged us in our Mennonite faith. This was the winter of collection boxes for soccer and other balls, some going to Ethio­ pian refugee camps and some to Russian Bible camps. Benny and Annie Friesen are very involved in the latter, having left Cana­ da on January 29 for Ahana, Ukraine. Brent Dueck and Trevor Reimer are train­ ing for short-term service under Youth with a Mission, based in Denver. They expect to go to Mexico for service. Our youth and college and career groups were treated to an “African Night” with spe­ cial guests from various parts of Africa presenting the program and preparing food. Rudy Brandt was in the work group that went to Bolivia for three weeks to build an MCC centre there. Temperatures were in the

the ministry of care-group leadership. Much of the administration is now carried out by the Executive Board. Tune in to each issue to find out more in­ formation about the Mission Heights Commu­ nity Church, which places this Messenger reporter in a state of constant danger. God bless you! Floyd Van Bergen

Another incriminating photo places Gord Mitch­ ell, Cam Clark, Ron Wiebe and Peter Teichroeb at the scene of the crime. Here the four, who are back by critical acclaim, put on a play as the famous (to us only) Blackheads!

100°F range, quite a contrast from our own frigid conditions. Neil Stitt of the Canadian Sunday School Mission spoke on “Being Strong in Grace,” based on 2 Timothy 2:1-6, when he was in our church on February 23. He is an excel­ lent speaker who never achieved his boy­ hood dream of great physical strength, but has become strong in the Lord. Mr. Jacob B. Loewen is presently at the Red River Lodge in Morris and has made con­ siderable progress in his walking. Mrs. Per­ cy Loewen had surgery recently and is convalescing at home. We have had four funerals in our church in the past four weeks, but praise the Lord for the hope (and even celebration) when saints are called home. The four are Mr. Jacob J. Dueck, Mrs. P. K. Loewen, Myrna Friesen and Mrs. John D. Harms. Levi Dueck THE MESSENGER

ANSWERED PRAYERS Straffordviiie, Ont.: Sing to Him, sing praises to Him; Meditate on all His wonders (Psalm 105:2). The voices that praised Jesus on the morn­ ing of Sunday, March 2, in the gymnasium of Straffordviiie Public School echoed throughout the room to create a full, rich sound. None of us ever guessed that moving the congregation to the gymnasium would make such a difference in the quality of the singing. This same spirit of worship was carried over into the youth meeting on Wednesday evening. When we began youth group meet­ ings in November, we prayed that God would send us a guitar player. Last Wednesday we had five people with guitars. Praise Jesus for answered prayer! The size of the congregation on Sunday mornings has already doubled since we be­ gan services four months ago. More people are coming in from the surrounding commu­ nity, not just transferring from the Mount Sal­ em EMC, as was the case in the beginning. We consider this also to be an answered pray­ er, and we thank God for blessing His work. On Sunday, March 9, we were blessed by a report given by Gerald Reimer about the mission work that he has been doing in Mex­ ico for the past three years. He caused us to meditate on the wonder of salvation. SPRING ACTIVITIES

Mount Salem, Ont.: Spring is here, and we are in full swing with all sorts of events, ac­ tivities and programs. In March we hosted a missionary conference, and it was our pleas­ ure to listen to Karen Penner and Elsie Funk share about their work in Paraguay. Gerald Reimer, accompanied by his wife, Sandy, shared about his experiences in Mexico. It was interesting to see, through stories and slides, how God is leading in those parts of the world. Another highlight of the confer­ ence was a family concert by the KnockAbout Family. Terry and Cindy Knock, along with their children, Jeremy and Rachel, en­ tertained and encouraged us with their

Two photos taken at the first service of the Straffordviiie church.

Through his message, taken from Isaiah 52, Gerald encouraged us to bring the Good News to those around us and to those around

the world...“that all the ends of the earth may see the salvation of our God” (Psalm 52:10b). Katharine Reddekopp

singing. We also had a series of evenings especial­ ly for the children, March 13-16. Each even­ ing consisted of energetic singing, a Bible story, a puppet skit, games and a movie. The children especially enjoyed the puppet skits, which focused on the Bible story “Esther” and the movie “Treasures in the Snow.” It was a wonderful way to end the March break for the children. Another inspiring Sunday service was given by our pastor, Wilbert Friesen. Pastor Friesen had the privilege of visiting the Holy Land (Israel). He shared with us his pictures, souvenirs and slides from his trip. We have already been blessed by hearing about Pas­ tor Friesen’s experiences. Many of us wish

he would have packed us in his suitcase so that we could have seen all the things he did. Hopefully, someday the rest of us will also have that same opportunity. The youth are quite busy in fundraising for an “Ideas Library.” They are sponsoring a Penny Drive, guys against girls. The challenge is that the losers cook a pancake breakfast for the winners. Already it has been quite competitive, and the guys are en­ couraging the girls to brush up on their cook­ ing skills. It will be interesting to see who will do the pancake flipping! Up ahead, the youth agenda looks busy, with the warm weather bringing out baseball bats and gloves. Tami Krahn

NEW MEMBERS AND DEACONS Blumenort, Man.

Stuart Penner was bap­ tized on June 23, 1996.

APRIL 9, 1997

Josiah Thiessen was bap­ tized on January 5,1997.

Jacqueline Brandt transferred her member­ ship to the Blumenort EMC. Curtis and Jac­ queline have two children, Gabriel and Quinn (not pictured).

A commissioning service for Ken and Mary Loewen took place at the Blumenort EMC on October 6, 1996. We welcome them as our new deacon couple.

PAGE 15

Crestview ladies Anne Rempel, Elsie Thiessen and Helen Toews behind the lunch counter at Funspiel.

LADIES’ MINISTRIES Winnipeg, Man. (Crestview): On the se­ cond Tuesday of each month you will find a number of ladies gathered in the church basement for their regular monthly meeting of fellowship and organizing events and work projects. Under the capable leadership of Rosella Nickel, they fill an important role in the life of our church as they minister to the sick and needy. Their work projects include making quilts for MCC or crafts for their own enjoyment. Many members have been ANNUAL MEETING HELD

Creighton, Sask.: Greetings from Creight­ on! It’s been a long winter, but rumours have it that the South has more snow. Great for the crops, but watch those basements! As mentioned in our last letter, we started out the new year by joining Jack Hillier on the occasion of his 92nd birthday. Sorry 1 ad­ ded one year too many in my last report. Jack. However, it doesn’t seem to matter how old Jack is — he looks so young! And the way that guy reads, I will certainly never challenge him on a history test. Speaking of birthdays, Mary Brown’s daughters, Elaine and Audrey, invited many of Mary’s friends

i-’l

7’ 0^; Youngest curlers (left to right): Jon Smith, Hei­ di Streitle, Jason Fehr, Travis Fehr.

Creighton curling bonspiel — Event A. Left to right: Martin Streitle, Bart Leifso, Rikki Streitle, Nicole Leifso, Sharon Catcheway.

PAGE 16

recipients of flowers, a basket of fruit, or a delicious meal delivered to the home after an illness, the loss of a loved one, or the ar­ rival of a newborn. On February 16, after the morning service, they served a “soup and pie” lunch in the lower auditorium. A free­ will offering was taken to help their finan­ cial needs. Just prior to that they ’fed the hun­ gry’ at our annual Funspiel in the Rosser Community Curling Rink. Again the proceeds of money raised went for a good cause, which includes the support of our mission­ ary, Esther Penner, as well as our short-term workers. For their meeting on March 10, the guest speaker was Amanda Barkman, a mission­ ary to Venezuela. It was good to listen to her share of her teaching experience, her reasons for spending time at home with her aging parents, and her desire to return to the field­ teaching missionary kids, which she loves to do. To hear and see missionaries like Aman­ da reminds us of the importance of keeping them in our prayers and supporting them financially. In the end it’s God’s rewards that will make the difference. Helen Wiebe

to join them at a lovely supper at Mr. Ribs in honour of her sixtieth birthday. The best part was that it was a complete surprise for Mary. On January 27 we had our annual meet­ ing. We are stepping into the new year a bit nervously, as we look to the future and our need for a pastor after May 1. We are so thankful that Dick and Tina Unrau came to be our pastoral couple for six months. We don’t even want to think about their leaving at the end of April. We have enjoyed their fellowship, teaching, sermons and Tina’s cooking! Pastor Dick has kept the children in suspense with his children’s stories and challenges to them. Small birds are scarce around here for their cat, Ralph. Ravens are plentiful but probably a bit on the tough side, so Ralph is taking the winter indoors and sticking to cat food. Dick and Tina's daugh­ ter, Eileen, and son-in-law, Dave Kruger, from Steinbach, and their son, Wes, from Gimli, spent a weekend here. It was nice for Dick and Tina to have their family around. For five Sundays in January and February we prayed for missionaries in various parts of the world.

Event B: Ken Tetreault (holding Allison), Bob Hil­ lier, Shannon Hillier, Royal Riehl, John Tetreault.

FELLOWSHIP AND SHARING

Steinbach, Man. (Stony Brook): 1 say hel­ lo to you all, with the sun shining and water trickling off our roof! I’m so glad spring is fi­ nally here. Along with spring come wed­ dings, and we celebrated with Wayne and Marilyn Thiessen on March 7 as they pledged their lives to one another. We wish them a lifetime of happiness. We were a little disappointed with the num­ bers at our Easter potluck and communion service. Only four couples came for the pot­ luck, and one more couple joined us for com­ munion and footwashing. Those of us who were there had a very enjoyable time of fel­ lowship and sharing. Dave Harms shared his testimony and told us how, at 24 years of age, the Rosenort EMC elected him as a minister and church planter in the Roseisle area. For him. Stony Brook Fellowship is a perfect place for young people to become involved and be encouraged in ministry. For those of you who love to pray, we have a number of requests: 1. That we would grow as a body, spiritu­ ally and in numbers. 2. That we would not become discouraged with our small state. 3. That those in ministry would continue with joy. 4. That all of us who are involved would continue to be enthusiastic with what God is doing. 5. That God would direct those people to our congregation who need to be there. Thank you for your prayers. Heidi Friesen

On February 2 we had our annual church bonspiel, organized by the Fehr families. As usual, it was well attended, with curlers of all ages. Terry, Mary Ann and Jon joined us for the weekend, and they also enjoyed visit­ ing many friends. We are happy for them and wish them well in their move to Mitchell (about five miles from Steinbach) and Terry’s upcoming position as executive secretary to the Board of Church Ministries, which in­ cludes editorship of the Messenger. Of course, Creighton will count on regular front-page coverage (just joking, Terry!). Phil’s mother had a massive stroke two weeks ago, so Phil and Deb have been host-

Junior curlers. Back (left to right): Cole Fraser, Kristen Hill, Jessica McMechan, Derek Hillier, Jessica Hillier. Front: Kathryn Imrie, Rachele Leifso.

THE MESSENGER

Darren and Vai Willems, Justin, Levi and Kurtis

King Herod, an angel choir, Mary, Joseph and the animals herald the birth of Jesus at a Christmas program at the Steinbach EFC.

ASSOCIATE/YOUTH PASTOR INSTALLED Steinbach, Man. (EEC): On November 24, dience. The sanctuary was packed as parents, Darren Willems was officially installed as the grandparents and friends came to the Christ­ Associate/Youth Pastor of our church. We mas pageant. After the younger children really appreciate the leadership that Darren were done, the youth presented a candlelight and Vai provide for our youth! service consisting of singing and readings. The Sunday school presented their pro­ The sanctuary was again filled to capacity gram on December 15 to an appreciative au- on February 2 when we had a parent/child

FAMILY TIMES

Rosenort, Man. (Rosenort Fellowship): In the family of God, what could be more pre­ cious than to spend time with each other in His presence! On March 2, the Christian Education com­ mittee planned our annual winter picnic. There was good family time on the ice — skating and a few games of broomball in our community rink. Then we were off to the church for a supper of barbecued sausage burgers, a bean casserole and traditional ice cream sundaes for dessert. To end off a good day we had a time of lifting our voices in songs of praise and adoration to our Saviour, as well as watching a puppet show that reminded us that we are to be a “light” in this world for Jesus. Pastor John spoke on the importance of giving our children a secure place to grow up in on the child/parent dedication Sunday on March 16. We were challenged to 1) love God wholeheartedly, 2) love our spouses by putting them first, 3) be fun to be with, 4) Creighton (continued)

ing Phil’s family from out of town and spend­ ing as much time with Mrs. Odegaard as

a

bless our children with meaningful words of encouragement, 5) apply discipline that is ap­ propriate, 6) admit when we’ve done wrong, and 7) take prime time to be with our fami­ ly. These words were timely not only for Har­ vey and Jeannine Schellenberg (Quinton) and for Bob and Judy Siemens (Carly) but for each of us in the congregation. Thank you. Lord, for the institution of family life; it is one where we never stop learning and benefitting from as we remain committed to it. May we strive to be all that you would have us be for your honour and glory. “A note of thanks to our junior and senior youth for loving and accepting us as your youth leaders. We have not been here very long but already feel close to each of you. You are all very special to us, and we love and appreciate you very much. We would also like to thank our church family for show­ ing strong support and commitment. Thank you.” — Camden and Jennifer As leadership, we are looking forward to a time of seeking direction, sharing visions and implementing ways to encourage growth possible. It has been a stressful time for them. Our Sunday school project to send money to Brazil for Vacation Bible School was com­ pleted two weeks ago, and we have started a new one for rabbits for families in Nicaragua, through MCC.

dedication. Dana Paige (Cornie and Bertha Voth), Brock Avery Neil (Pat and Jacqueline Letkeman), Cole Mackenzie (Blake and Krysta Penner), Bradley Ethan (Scott and Karen Warkentin) and Bailey Darsen (Ron and Rosie Loewen) were dedicated to the Lord by their parents, who also committed themselves to train these little ones to lead godly lives. Brenda Reimer

Parent/child dedication at the Rosenort Fellow­ ship Chapel. Back: Pastor John Klassen, Harv Schellenberg, Bob Siemens. Front: Jeannine Schellenberg with Quinton and Judy Siemens with Carly.

in our family members when we get together for a weekend retreat in April. Judy Schellenberg

Our adult Sunday school is just finishing the Book of James, and we have enjoyed discus­ sions, with Pastor Dick leading. Until next time, greetings from our church to yours! Janice Imrie PASTOR Searching for a pastor with gifts in evangelism and discipleship for parttime ministry. Housing provided.

ya

I *

■

Northern Fellowship Chapel Evangelical Mennonite Conference Creighton, Sask, (near Flin Flon, Man.)

A trade would be helpful in obtaining other employment in the area.

Creighton church Sunday school project com­ pleted. Front (left to right): Derek Hillier, Kevin Imrie, Royal Riehl. Back: Jon Smith, Shannon Hillier, Kristen Imrie, Kathryn Imrie, Jesica Hillier.

APRIL 9, 1997

For information, contact: Mary Brown and her daughters, Audrey (left) and Elaine (right).

Deb Odegaard, Board member Northern Fellowship Chapel Box 35, Creighton, SK SOP OAO Phone: 306-688-2996

PAGE 17

h .-Mi The Kleefeld EMC accepted new members on March 23: Dave and Joanne Stewart, Vic and Martha Sawatsky, Aaron and Helen Plett, Dan and Rose Dueck, Abe and Kathy Ber­ gen (associate pastor), John and Clara Koop (pastor).

LOOKING AT OUR GIFTS

Kleefeld, Man.: Greetings from Kleefeld! Our recent series of messages on the minor prophets has challenged our Christian com­ mitment. Thank you to our pastors and other speakers for their excellent sermons. After 472 years as our faithful Messenger correspondent, Iris Bartel has resigned to give more time to her growing family. Thank you, Iris, for your interesting and informa­ tive reports. For two weekends, the end of February and the beginning of March, our missions committee arranged an excellent missions conference. Saturday morning brunch fea­ tured panel discussions on various mission is­ sues, and a Saturday evening presentation focussed on short-term opportunities. These were well attended. Dr. David Johnson, from Providence College, spoke in the Sunday

Births FRIESEN - to Frank and Anna Friesen of Leaming­ ton, Ont., a daughter, Justina, on December 3,

1996. NEUFELD - to John and Katharina Neufeld of Leamington, Ont., a daughter, Julianna, on October 26, 1996. GIESBRECHT - to Diedrich and Anna Giesbrecht of Leamington, Ont., a son, Joel Roy, on March 13, 1997. DYCK - to Ben and Margaret Dyck of Leamington, Ont., a son, Ben, on February 5, 1997. FRIESEN - to Jacob and Susan Friesen of Leaming­ ton, Ont., a son, Denny, on December 21, 1996. FRIESEN - to John and Justina Friesen of Leaming­ ton, Ont., a son, David, on December 10, 1996. QUIRING - to Ben and Tina Quiring of Leaming­ ton, Ont., a daughter, Jennifer, on March 7, 1997. KLASSEN - to Jake and Lisa Klassen of Leaming­ ton, Ont., a son, Justin, on March 27, 1997. FEHR - to Cornelius and Anna Fehr of Leaming­ ton, Ont., a son. Carmine, on March 27, 1997. PENNER - to Peter and Nancy Penner of Leaming­ ton, Ont., a son, Alex Taylor, on January 3, 1997. WIELER - to George and Lisa Wieler of Staples, Ont., a son, Timothy Paul, on January 5, 1997. BRANDT - to Brad and Rachel Brandt of Blumenort, Man., a son, Mark Abraham, on De­ cember 2, 1996.

PAGE 18

Al Friesen speaking at the Kleefeld church ministerial retreat.

services. From the book of Acts he remind­ ed us of the importance of God’s sovereignty and prayer in missions today. The church ministerial took a break one weekend in March at the Holiday Inn West in Winnipeg. We chose to look at the vari­ ous gifts represented in the group, which we use to serve the church. We appreciated our speaker, Al Friesen, from the St. Vital EMC. On Palm Sunday it was a pleasure to for­ mally accept new members. Kleefelders Dave and Joanne Stewart, Vic and Martha Sawatsky and Dan and Rose Dueck gave their testimonies and transferred their mem­ bership. We also welcomed Aaron and He­ len Plett, who have moved here from Mennville and are residing in Village Oaks. Great to have you all! Finally, it was so good to worship our Lord through the Easter weekend. A well-attended communion service on Thursday evening

REIMER - to Danny and Shirley Reimer of Blumenort, Man., a daughter, Katrina Deneen, on October 9, 1996. PLETT - to Darren and Pearl Plett of Blumenort, Man., a son, Dion James, on October 13, 1996. REIMER - to Mark and Vai Reimer of Blumenort, Man., a son, Jonah Benjamin, on October 1, 1996. KLASSEN - to Peter and Lisa Klassen of Aylmer, Ont., twin sons, MacKenzie Raymond and Marcus Alexander, on January 27, 1997. WARKENTIN - to Scott and Karen Warkentin of Steinbach, Man., a son, Bradley Ethan, on Janu­ ary 13, 1997. LOEWEN - to Ron and Rosie Loewen of Blumenort, Man., a son, Bailey Darsen, on January 25, 1997.

PETKAU - to Cornie and Helen Petkau of Stein­ bach, Man., a son, John Scott Cornelio, on Janu­ ary 27, 1997. DUECK - to Roy and Cheryl Dueck of Sooke, B.C., a son, Joshua Michael, on February 6, 1997. PLETT - to Dwight and Lorna Plett of Riverton, Man., a son, Nathanael Christian, on January 22, 1997. GREEN - to Mark and Wendy Green of Winnipeg, Man., a daughter, Emily Jaylene, on February 22, 1997. UNGER - to Jake and Christine Unger of Steinbach, Man., a daughter, Brittany Dawn Marie, on Decem­ ber 30, 1996. BUHLER - to Peter and Jackie Buhler of Steinbach, Man., a son, Jurgen Taylor, on November 18, 1996.

was followed by fellowship and delicious hot cross buns. We were reminded of Christ’s death for us and his victorious resurrection in our Good Friday and Easter Sunday morn­ ing services. The sanctuary was tastefully decorated. Thank you to everyone who served our congregation in these and many other ways. Wendy Dueck

Weddings WIEBE - KLASSEN: Art Wiebe of Landmark, Man., and Ann Klassen of Steinbach, Man., were mar­ ried on November 16, 1996, at the Landmark EMC, with Mel Koop of Steinbach officiating. The cou­ ple is making their home in Landmark. PENNER - ANTONYSHYN: Dwayne, son of Russel and Martha Penner of Steinbach, Man., was mar­ ried on December 14, 1996, to Jennifer, daughter of Gary and Alison Antonyshyn of Blumenort, Man. The wedding took place at the Ridgewood EMC, with Harry Friesen of Steinbach officiating. The couple is residing in Steinbach. THIESSEN - THIESSEN; Wayne, son of Cornie and Mary Thiessen of Hadashville, Man., and Marilyn Thiessen, daughter of George and Esther Wiebe of Blumenort, Man., were married at the Ridge­ wood E. M. Church on March 7, 1997. Don Thies­ sen of Steinbach, Man., officiated. The couple is making their home in Blumenort.

Position Available Evangelical Mennonite Conference

CONFERENCE PASTOR In addition to pastoral responsibil­ ities with the Board of Ministers and Deacons, the position involves Cana­ dian secretary duties with the Board of Missions and executive secretary duties with the General Board. Duties to commence September 1, 1997 Contact:

Phone:

Menno Kroeker Box 237 Rosenort, MB ROG 1W0 204-746-8491 (Home) 204-746-8519 (Church)

THE MESSENGER

I

AN OLD LETTER, one of many in my possession, has just recently become more alive to me. The letter, and an en­ closed receipt for $5.00, is dated Novem­ ber 11, 1929, and originates in Tsaohsien Shantung, North China. The sender was a long-time China missionary, H. C. Bar­ tel, of the China Mennonite Mission Society. Our Steinbach church was the first church in the Conference to see the need and start a Sunday school early in 1926. Gerhard E. Kornelsen, retired Steinbach village teacher, was the first superintendent. Later when he was replaced by Peter J. B. Reimer, Mr. Kor­ nelsen became secretary-treasurer. One reason why I have this letter is that Mr. Kornelsen was my grandfather, and somehow I inherited it. Also from Mr. Reimer’s writings I found that the Stein­ bach Sunday school, in the early thirties, set aside one offering a month for for­ eign missions. (My letter indicates that it may have started even sooner, in 1929.) From far-away China comes the news that they have received the gift that was

sent. “We give heartfelt thanks,” writes Mr. Bartel. “The Lord will repay, receipt enclosed.” He then adds, “It is so good that now work for God can still be done. The message of the faith in Jesus can still be proclaimed.” He continues, “Here again there is terrible war; only about 100 miles to the west the battle rages. It also sounds as if they are coming closer. We hope the Lord will so lead that the war will not come here, because then it is dan­ gerous....” But why do I say that this bit of cor­ respondence suddenly became alive to me? Just recently I was privileged to meet one of the children of Henry C. and Nellie Bartel, Jonathan Bartel and his wife, retire.d missionaries from Japan. Not content to sit around, Jonathan is pastor of the Denver Japanese Bible Fellowship (Mennonite Brethren) in Den­ ver, Colorado. Now you too know why this old letter suddenly has a new mean­ ing for me. I am not aware that the EMC ever had

ONC ACCORD

Steinbach Bible College

a

An evangelical-Anabaptist College affiliated with a Mennonite constituency invites applica­ tions for the associate administrative position of

Public Relations and Recruitment Coordinator Responsibilities include the following:

Recruitment of Students Coordinate annual SBC Deputation program Provide Public with Information re SBC Provide SBC with information re public sentiments Coordinate non-credit Christian Community Education Manage departmental finances Other assignments as given by the president

Duties are to commence as soon as a suitable candidate is found

I

Submit application with resume and covering letter to: Stan Plett, President Steinbach Bible College P.O. Box 1420 Steinbach, MB ROA 2A0 Phone: 204-326-6451 e-mail: SPLETT@SBCOLLEGE.MB.CA

APRIL 9, 1997

Are you q gifted singer? Are you looking for a chance to share your faith this sum­ mer using your God-given gift? ONF FIC CORD, Q short-term music ministry of the Janz Team in Germany, led by Danny Plett, may be the chance you've been looking and praying fori ON€ RCCORD happens August 2-24, 1997, in Germony. The music is timely, the message: timeless. Interested?

If you ore a young man or uuomon betujeen the ages of 17 and 27, curite, coll or fax: Janz Team Ministries 2121 Henderson Highway Winnipeg, MB R2G IPS Phone: 204-334-0055 Fax: 204-339-3321

COMING EVENTS April 27, 3:00 p.m. Region 4 Conference Caring for One Another Brandon, Man. Phone: 204-556-2636 April 27 Steinbach Bible College Graduation Steinbach, Man. Phone: 204-326-6451 May 9-10 Training Seminar for ■ advocates of sexual

a part in giving to foreign missions pri­ or to the date on the above-mentioned receipt — which makes the letter of con­ siderable historic value. And even then, awareness of the need of the foreign field progressed slowly in our Confer­ ence. (Not until 1953 did the EMC have a foreign mission association.) The Bartels, pioneer Mennonite mis­ sionaries to China, went there in 1901. He realized his wish to serve in China for fifty years (including the few brief furloughs). His wife had died earlier. They experienced many hardships and privations. Their life story is told in the book, This Mountain is Mine, by Mar­ garet Epp, which was first published by Moody Press in 1969, and reprinted by the family of Henry Bartel in 1990. In the flyleaf of our copy, Jonathan Bartel wrote the following wish: “May this book be a challenge and an inspi­ ration to you.” I’m sure it will be that to anyone who reads the life story of this remarkable couple, Henry C. and Nellie Bartel.

Ministerial Meeting for ministers, deacons and spouses with speaker

Dr. -Veil T. Anderson Theme: Freedom in Christ • Personal Freedom • Marital Freedom • Corporate Freedom • Growing in Grace

Friday, July 4 at Riverton, Manitoba

Jesus ManiFest ’97 The premiere Gospel Music Festival on the Prairies, with a wide variety of music to please the whole family (Children’s ministry included) July 18-20, 1997 at Selo Ukralna, Dauphin, Man. Weekend pass: $45.00 at the gate $40.00 advance (until July 17) Call toll free: 1-888-995-5566

a abuse suiv^^ r Voices for Non-Violence Winnipeg, Man. Phone: 204-269-8555 May 16-19 Abundant Springs ’97 EMC Youth Conference Caronport, Sask. Phone: 204-326-6401 June 13-14 MCC Festival and Relief Sale Proceeds for job creation The Forks, Winnipeg, Man. Phone: 204-261-6381

July 4 EMC Ministerial Meeting Freedom in Christ Speaker: Dr. Neil Andersort “ | Riverton, Man. Phone:204-326-6401 July 4-6 EMC Annual ConyentlOlfeij^ Preparing lor the Coming Revival Speaker: Or. Nell Anderson Riverton, Man. Phone: 204-326-6401

PAGE 19

The Personal Toiicli How Old Must I Be to Become a Christian? by Irene Kroeker DUE TO AN OVERCROWDED country school, 1 had to wait to start Grade 1 until I was seven (in those days there was no Kindergarten). The fact that I had to wait till age seven was okay. All my peers had to wait as well! I went to school with one consuming passion — every day I hoped the teacher would tell me at what age I could become a child of God. I knew enough that I was sure I could not enter heaven with my guilt. But I did not know what to do about it. That was in 1952. I perceived child conversions as be­ ing unacceptable in our community. Because I was a so emotionally stressed and conscience stricken, I was a sick­ ly child, suffering, among other things, with severe headaches. Satan meant this for my ruin, but God in His great mercy and love, turned this around and used this for His purposes. At age thirteen, I responded to an altar call during revival meetings in my home church. However, the coun­ sel I got was not very helpful, and 1 was more miserable than ever. Time passed, and I clearly remember the day I was sit­ ting in the balcony of our old church, listening to the late Ben D. Reimer preach a sermon on “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved...” (Acts 16:31). 1 told myself, “I have always believed in Jesus, but I know I’m not saved. How can this be?” On July 26, 1959, at age 14, my uncle Frank explained John 1:12 to me. “But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.” He told me I needed to be­ lieve with my heart, not just my head. I needed to invite Him. That night I received Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. My mother led my sister Laura to Jesus at age five in 1965. Laura rededicated her life several times as she grew older, and kept right on growing till she went home to be with the Lord at age 20, in 1980. Tell me, when do you open the door of your house for company? You open the door when you hear the knock, right? Children are very different. Some are ready for Je­ sus when very young. Others may not hear His knock till much older. If you are old enough to hear Him knock­ ing at your heart’s door, you are old enough to open it and let Him in. If you are old enough to know you have sinned, you are old enough to ask Jesus’ forgiveness. Don’t worry about your age, just listen for His voice and respond.

Held by Omnipotence and Love! IN SPITE OF A VERY CLEAR faith commitment on July 26, 1959, which 1 never questioned, I struggled with the assurance of salvation for many years. There are still times when I feel like a camera operating minus a film! But I know who is holding me. One of my close friends preached, “We must not let our feelings override our beliefs.” I don’t know how many readers have lived with a colicky baby. They scream and kick and fuss and have cramps, and there is very little you can do day or night except hold them securely and carry them. My close friends had an infant like that. She was a tiny baby, 6 lb 7 oz. I carried her at two months, the day she had her first needle. I learned a lot that evening. 1 noticed how petite and fragile she looked in my big arms (and Daddy’s arms were even bigger and stronger). No matter how much she strug­ gled and screamed, she was surrounded securely by lov­ ing big arms. Her screaming and kicking didn’t lessen our love in the least. We didn’t bother trying to sing or speak, she was not ready to listen. We kept on holding and car­ rying her with great love, compassion and commitment. That evening she became my “visual aid” of God’s love and keeping power. God is not about to let go of us when we are in pain, or our world caves in or some trauma or distress comes upon us. He is BIG ENOUGH to handle us and our problems. He is wise enough to wait out the storm before He will try to speak to us if needed. How delightful once the child relaxes and, even bet­ ter, if it responds favourably to love. But the child’s response does not dictate our love or minimize our power. I’m reminded of one of my favourite songs, “Too Wise to Make a Mistake,” by Bill and Donna Gasset: Too wise to make a mistake You’re too loving to be unkind Too strong to let me go Dear Lord, It's good to know You’re too strong To let me go I’m glad you ’re in control. Irene Kroeker lives in Rosenort, Man., where she works as a Resource Aide in the Rosenort School.

Do you have a story for this page? It must be a true account (although names may be changed, if necessary) illustrating the Christian life or character. Send your 800-word story (700 words If a photograph Is Included) or suggestion for a story to the address below.

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THE MESSENGER Evangelical Mennonite Conference Box 1268, 440 Main Street Steinbach, MB ROA 2A0