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FEBRUARY 28, 1969

EVANG

VOL. 7 No. 5

MENN ONITE C 0 N F E RE N C E ■:»<aiiiii “iilBM

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SBI Youth Conference

■II

WHITHER MATURITY? Is your Christian experience a growing one? Or are you merely holding your own. Or are you per chance sliding back? Can we look back and say we have been victor ious over some area of defeat? Are we living and walking closer to God than five years ago? Two years ago? One year ago? If not, why not? It is cer tainly not through any failure on God’s part. The superabundance of spiritual food and nourishment available to us is surely without precedence. Never before has the church been so busy with seeking to nourish and keep happy its members Never before have we had such a number of trained ministers serving in our EMC churches. Never be fore has our membership been higher. (3784 by latest count.) And yet in spite of all this we find that there are hearts searching for rest; searching for mean ing; searching for the answers in life, that somehow we fail to give them under the set-up under which we operate. We are reminded of the denominational exe cutive, seated in an office with walls covered with success charts and saying, “We can tell the world we’re growing, but we’re losing ground.” (Italics mine). Or the airline pilot who announced on the intercom that he had both good news and bad news for his passengers. “The good news,” he said, “is that we are making excellent time. The bad news is that we have gone off the beam and are lost.” But we’re not lost, are we? Or are we? In some things we are. Let me draw your attention to a few. We are lost in affluency. This is one course of spiritual lethargy. Well being and fatness usually does not bring us closer to God. Hunger and priva tion and persecution would. But at the present God has seen fit to bless us with plenty. Not because we are His favoured children, but in order to help those who have less. And opportunities to help are all around us, as well as farther afield. Of these the physical need in Jordan and Biafra would certain ly be among the outstanding ones. Augustine said, “He who possesses a surplus possesses the goods of others.” Do we believe this? We have lost our sense of direction. The first church went and talked and ministered to the world. We come and gather together and talk to ourselves. I believe I would be right in saying that 90/i of our church meetings consist of talking to ourselves., and only lO'/ to real evangelistic effort to bring men to Christ. We are an introverted church, in other words, we are overoccupied with self. As someone has well said that we have been sidetracked into a great number of good but often peripheral activities and

are no longer free to serve the unprogrammed, the unpredictable and the unscheduled needs of the neighborhood. Service to others brings satisfaction to the heart. We are off the beam and lost in the matter of priorities. We take up much time with minor issues while weightier matters receive little or almost no emphasis. This is because we are mixed up. If we weren’t we would see that doing an unseen-by-man act of mercy to the down-trodden may outweigh a hundred dollar donation given out of our surpluses. We might see that paying a visit to the “forgotten” members of our church was just as, or more, im portant than going to see the “popular” ones. In fact we might be in for a great surprise at the judgment seat when it is revealed who the great ones really are. We are off the- beam and lost when it comes to sacrifice. Any church should be able to send out and support at least 5'/ of its membership. For us this would mean to have over 150 missionaries in the field. We have less than 100. Arthur Cliinenhaga, a missionary statesman in the Brethren in Christ church related of his meeting with the father of a missionary who had been slain in Somalia some years ago. This is what that father said. “God had one Son and He gave Him. I had two sons and I gave one. And I’d give the other one also.” Surely in the life of this father, Christ came first. He had his priorities in the right place. “Then said Jesus unto His disciples, If any man will come af ter me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” Spiritual growth does not come only by seeking it as such. But spiritual maturity will come as we serve, serve unselfishly and sacrificially. It may be a little deed, that we do, almost escaping us. Yet it will lead us upward and onward in the Christian

life. In order to grow spiritually we must also be very sensitive to the voice of the Holy Spirit. This is particularly true when we have two different options, both good yet one needs to have priority. This might be illustrated by a choice between taking your son skating or attending prayer meet ing. Both are important, your fellowship with your son and prayer meeting. But on this night one should have priority. Here we would say plan your outing on a different night and be in your place at the scheduled meeting of the church. The secret of spiritual growth is service to others for Jesus sake. He Himself said, “For the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister and give His life a ransom for many.” Try it and see if your life will not take on new meaning. —D.S.

The Messenger is ine publication of the Evangelical Mennonite Conference. Its purpose is to inform, instruct and inspire. In form as to what is going on in the Conference. Instruct in Godliness and victorious living. Inspire to earnestly contend for the faith. All correspondence should be addressed to the Editor D. K. Schellenberg. Change of address and new subscriptions should be addressed to THE MESSENGER, Box 1268, Steinbach, Man. Subscription: Members pay through their church. Non. members $1.00 per year. Authorized as second class mail by J,he Post Office Department Ottawa and for payment of postage in cash. Views expressed in Letters to the Editor.are not necessarily those of the editor nor of the paper. Unpublished letters are not returned except by request.

THE MESSENGER

I The old man . . . walked slowly through the door and down the steps and disappeared along the road into the darkness . . .

But Few Are Chosen By Wilfred Martens

The seven men arose from their knees. They had been designated as the pulpit committee; they were to contact and interview prospects for the pastorate. They were mem bers of a flock without a shepherd —their pastor had recently been called to another ministry. “But we know so little about him. What seminary did he at tend? asked one brother. “Does he understand our peo ple?” asked another. “Will he fit in sufficiently for an effective minis try?” “Let’s call him in and find out more about him,” suggested a third brother. In the dimly lit foyer of the small church sat an older man; his face was tanned, weathered, and bearded. He sat in a mood of re laxed meditation. As the door of the adjoining room opened, he arose and entered slowly, squint ing as his weak eyes adjusted to the brighter light. “Good evening, brother,” said the chairman as he greeted the visitor warmly. He smiled, nodded, and sat down with them. February 28, 1969

“You have been recommended by a missionary friend,” explained the committee chairman, “Since we know so little about each other, we would appreciate it if you would tdll us something about your background and your Christian ex perience. We would like to become better acquainted with you.” The old man began slowly and humbly, “I am simply a sinner who has been saved. Even though I have had the best education—I am familiar with Greek philosophy and literature and have been taught by one of the foremost the ologians—I am not proud of my earlier years. As a young man I joined inflammatory groups; I was prejudiced and intolerant; we har assed and punished people who be longed to extremist groups.” “You don’t mean that you’ve been involved with the law?” asked a second brother trying to suppress his shocked expression. “Yes, unfortunately, I must ad mit that I have a prison record. I was in prison several times.” The men exchanged looks of shock and dismay. “I was even a murder accomp lice,” he added, “but God has foir-

given me. My past I would like to forget. It is better to look forward to the joys which Christ has for us.” “But how do you expect to be a pastor with such a reputation? What kind of example will your earlier life set for our young peo ple?” asked a third brother. In a spirit of honesty and humi lity the old man responded, “I rea lize that my life is a poor example for others to follow. Even though some have mistakenly followed me instead of Christ, I have always preached Christ. After my conver sion experience I became a mis sionary. I am thankful to God that I had a small part in establishing several churches.” Upon hearing the latter com ment, the members of the commit tee relaxed slightly; each one nod ded his assent to the comment. “I must be honest, however, and admit that my missionary experi ence was marked with controversy and opposition. I have been physi cally beaten by church people who have been suspicious of my pur pose. Riots have frequently occur red when I have preached. Several churches that I have pastored have split into quarreling factions. But I do praise God for the many be lievers added to His church.” “Did you always work alone?” asked a brother on the committee. “No, I often worked with a fel low missionary. I am ashamed to admit that a personal dispute arose between my partner and myself that consequently split up our team.” “Tell us about your family,” sug gested another brother. “I have no family. I have never married. I have never felt that it was God’s will that I do so,” he replied. The brethren again exchanged glances. How could he effectively act as a counselor or assist with family problems, they wondered. The chairman of the committee directed his concluding remarks with a smile to the visitor, “We thank you so much for your will ingness to share your background and your experiences with us. I’m sure we all realize how important it is to have a compatible relation ship between the pastor and the Contd. on page 8

THE FIELD IS THE WORLD - CANADA

Testings

The E. M. C. Board of Missions is sub-divided into five Committees in order to do its work more effectively. Of these five committees three are concerned with our own fields as, Paraguay, Mexico and Canada. The other two committees are only sending agencies placing workers under existing missions (Among them EMC). They are the Christian Service Committee and the Committee to Associate Missions. In our Missions section of the MESSENGER we try and give you news cover age of our whole missions program. Nevertheless you will seldom find anything 'Of our Canada field in the Missions section. There is a reason for this. Our Canada workers nearly all pastor churches and reports appear under the church news section on page 10 written by members of their respective churches. Today how ever we want to also give you a brief insight into the lives .of the workers and also try and continue this in the future as material is available.

Canada Committee workers ar? asked to fill out Monthly report sheets and send them in. These are then kept on file in the office. This consists both of a form and a letter. What fellows is gleaned from these monthly reports. Will you pray with our workers as you read some ;f these excerpts. With the new year the Canada Committee has again been re-organized and now consists of the following members:

Rev. Ben Friesen, Steinbach, Man. Chairman Rev. Melvin Duck, Morris, Man. Secretary Mr. Ben P. Penner, R. R. 1 Giroux, Man. Member Mr. Henry Thiessen, Austin, Man. Member Rev. John Harms, Kola, Man. Member

Two of these are at present on a “new church” survey trip which will take them to Calgary and British Columbia. They are Mr. Friesen and Mr. Dueck. Pray for them.

Teacher - Minister Combination It is recorded of Epaphras in Colossians 1:7 that he was a faithful minister in Christ. I believe there is no higher tribute that can be paid a minister of Christ, nor a higher that one could aspire to. It is further recorded of him that he was a real prayer warrior. (Colossians 4:12) on behalf of the church even in his absence from the church. His ministry for Christ was not only preaching but also pray ing. Praying that the saints stand firm, mature, and thoroughly con vinced in all that concerns the will of God. What a tribute! Two Good News Clubs are in progress at this time. We have a home very well situated in town and as a result other children have 4

been coming this year. Our little girl told the teachers before Christ mas that she wanted to give her heart to Jesus for a Christmas gift. The teachers did not press her and after Christmas, after an invitation to accept Christ, she consulted with one of the teachers after the class. Here was one little girl determined to settle the issue. There is a possibility that I will be teaching full time next year as no half-time situation appears to be available or even existent. In Him, John Toews, Arden, Man. Ed. John Toews serves the Arden church as well as teaching half time in Arden.

Evelyn Barkman

Greetings in our Saviour’s Name! I am sorry to have kept you wait ing so long for this report. I have been kept under the covers by a very persistent flu bug for the past week . . . January has, in many ways, been a rather difficult month, especially for my little Vauxhall. With some persistence and help I have man aged to get it started whenever I needed it, but there were several days when it was completely snow ed in, so I had to cancel clubs and limit my visitation to homes with in walking distance. In spite of these difficulties Jan uary proved to be a month for praise, as far as the Good News Clubs are concerned. I was able to begin another club after Christ mas, at the Henry Neufeld’s Apart ment. I find the interest very keen here and it is a real area of oppor tunity. During this month six child ren have come to me expressing their desire to accept Christ as Savior. Since none of these come from Christian hordes I feel very responsible to help them grow in their spiritual lives. In Him, Evelyn Barkman 708 - 4th St. N.W. Portage La Prairie, Man. Ed: Sister Barkman works with the Portage Church.

THE MESSENGER

OF missions MONTHLY

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E.M.C. BOARD 196

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Challenged with Responsibilities We praise the Lord for the New Year that He has given. “For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlast ing; and his truth endureth to all generations.” Psalm 100:5. We are looking to the Lord for guidance through the New Year. With the Lord’s help we want to strengthen the stakes and lengthen the cords. We are challenged with new re sponsibilities. It has been decided to start Bible Study in Verigen in the New Year. Bernie Brandt took me to Verigen on December the 10th. He showed me the church. A nice group came to the Christmas program in Verigen. It was the Christmas program of the Good News Club that Miss Irene Johnson is teaching. The Doukabours plan to have a great celebration July 5 and 6, 1969 in Kamsack and Verigen. They expect twenty to twenty-five thousand people. They want to in vite many dignitaries, including Mrs. Martin Luther King and the Quakers, the Mennonites and peo ple from the U.S.S.R. We are won dering if we could do something to reach them with the Gospel. In His service, Mr. and Mrs. C. F. Dueck Kamsack, Sask.

Come over and help us Endeavour, Sask. February 15, 1969. Dear Bro. Schellenberg and Readers, Firstly I wish to commend you for the excellent job you are doing in editing our fine paper. The various articles are very timely and uplifting, though often they are ihe cause of serious heart searching. My main objective in writing, however, is not to hand out bouquets but to draw the attention of our readers to the work at Arabella. Here is an oppor tunity for several families to become actively in volved in the Lord’s work. There is a nice little chapel and a fairly closely populated district, but only a few who really have a burden for the work. About half of these were of Mennonite background Last summer we had about 27 enrolled in V.B.S. the balance Ukrainian, but in Sunday School we have perhaps half as many when the turnout is good. I feel if a few families were to move into this area and be friends to the people more could be done. This would also serve as an incentive to those who are trying to carry on the work but find it hard not to become discouraged. There are several farms for sale in the general area. I find it hard to believe that our heavenly Fa ther would want the work discontinued yet this has been suggested. I live over thirty miles from here and while I

February 28, 1969

Arabella Chapel

try to visit some homes once a week besides having a service on Sunday it is not achieving the desired results. Are there those in some of our churches who know the Lord would have them serve elsewhere, but have been undecided just where? If so, jyerhaps this is the field He has in mind for you. John 4:35-38. In Christian Love, BiU Buhler Ed. Rev. Buhler is pastor at the Endeavour Fellow ship Chapel, Endeavour, Sask.

These people may not have all the gadgets which we enjoy or en dure, but they have a Christian fellorvship which would be envied by every pastor in America.

WITH THE BRETHREN AT FRUNZE Frank C. Peters

Frunze, nestled in the Ala-Too Mountains, is the capital of Kirgi zia. Its streets are well laid out and broad. There are fruit orchards everywhere and the weather is a balmy 85 degrees. This picturesque city has the reputation of being the greenest city in the Soviet Union and possi bly the world. It has about 100 square meters of greenery per capita. The irrigation ditches re mind one of California. The mar ketplace has heaps of muskmelons, watermelons, apples, pears, grapes and other fruit. The city is named after M. V. Frunze, an outstanding Soviet sol dier. His praises are sung almost everywhere and our visit to the local museum will make it impos sible for us to forget him. Frunze is also a center for the Mennonite Brethren. In the city the congregation of Baptist-Mennonite Brethren numbers about 1200. Not far from the city is Kant where another congregation of 600 Mennonite Brethren is found. In addition to these congregations there is one group of unregistered Baptists and a congregation of Church Mennonites. We were met at the Ala-Too Ho tel by a number of brethren who had heard of our coming. Four of the brethren had been members of the group who visited with us in Moscow in 1966. Our first task was to visit the city and its tourist attractions. I am sure our brethren found it difficult to see us leave so soon, but they had to realize that we were tourists. When we returned for the noon meal, others had arrived and Brother Johann Martens, the leader of the Kant congregation, joined us for din ner. The highlight of our stay in Frunze was the Sunday worship service. The brethren had request ed permission from the officials to

have us speak in the service and this was granted. The Baptist-Mennonite Brethren congregation conducts three servic es on Sunday. The first one begins at 10 a.m. and lasts until noon. The second service is in German and begins at 1 p.m. and lasts until 3:30 p.m. The third service begins at 5 p.m. and lasts until 7:30 p.m. The morning service was packed beyond description. Word had come through that we would be in the service, and some ministers had come from neighboring churches. The choir was under the direction of a talented composer and a num ber of his recent compositions were sung. We were informed that this brother had written a cantata for the centennial celebrations of the Baptist Church of Russia. I noticed a number of children in the service and this was a change from what we had seen in 1966. There are no Sunday Schools in the churches but some parents are be ginning to bring their children to the worship services, and I mar velled at their attentiveness, con sidering that they were all stand ing and the service lasted two and one-half hours. At one o’clock w met for the German service. Since I had re mained on the platform to meet people, I didn’t get the break be tween the two services. At least 50 people crowded around me with questions concerning their rela tives in Canada. A number were related to members of our congre gation in Kitchener. Of course, I was to convey greetings to the re latives, but others wanted me to photograph them and send a pic ture back to them. Few had a knowledge of slides and the diffi culty entailed in making prints from them. While I was photo graphing a family who had rela tives in our church, a brother joined the group for the picture, I asked him if he was related to

these people. “No,” he said, “but that doesn’t matter. Perhaps some one in Canada will recognize me and then you can greet him.” After the German service, we were invited to Brother Aron Warkentine’s home. The brother who taxied us was a retired mine work er. Both he and Brother Warkentine had retired with pension at the age of 50, which is the age when miners can retire. Both bre thren had been working in the far north of Siberia and have come to sunny Frunze to retire. I tried to imagine myself in retirement and I thought I detected a migraine headache coming on. The very thought made me ill. I have met a number of brethren in the early and late fifties who were retired and living on pension. The exact age of retirement de pends on the kind of work one has been doing and where that work was done. Besides receiving higher wages, these working in remote districts also receive more vaca tion time and are retired earlier. The Warkentines live in a com fortable home in the suburbs of Frunze. It is clean as one can ima gine a Mennonite home anywhere to be, and it had a number of con veniences which we in America would consider necessary. They raise chickens for their own use and have a small garden. Actually, the Warkentines live well and are grateful to God for His leading in their lives. These people may not have all the gadgets which we enjoy or endure, but they have a Christian fellowship which would be envied by every pastor in America. One can quickly sense their feeling of oneness. Brother Warkentine had invited 14 brethren and we ate borscht together. About half of the group were Russian brethren and so translation was the order of the day. However, they soon forgot about the two illiterates and spoke Russian, leaving us to our borscht. All the brethren were grieved about the rift which had come to the church through the dissenters. Brethren spoke of the experiences which they had had with some of these brethren and now seemingly the ties were broken. We could not give them advice except that of loving where they are slandered and patience where they are mis understood. May God heal the rift through repentance and love!

THE MESSENGER

se YOUTH CONFERENCE AT THE STEINBACH BIBLE SCHOOL By Merna Loewen

The Writer: Merna Loewen is a 1967 graduate of the Steinbach Bible Insti tute. At present she is attending the University of Winnipeg.

A genuinely warm welcome awaited the youth conference guests as they arrived at S.B.l. on Friday, February 7th. Each one came with anticipation, ex pecting to have some purpose or need in his life ful filled. Exactly what the weekend meant to others I cannot tell, but 1 want to share with you some of the things that impressed me at the Youth Conference. THEME SONG: “Lord, I want to be a Christian . . . more loving . . . more holy . . . like Jesus, In-a my heart.” F1LM,“W1THOUT ONIONS”: It featured effect ive witnessing to fdllow-students in a university set ting. To be effective we must be purified, informed, dedicated, and ready to participate. STRING TRIO: “Fill Me Now.” A TAPE DEMONSTRATED TALK BY MR. DERKSEN, “LET’S FACE THE MUSIC”: And we did! The talk exposed us to different types of music prevalent in our day, making us responsible to choose wisely the kind of music we as Christians want to “soak” our thoughts with. After the talk I overheard the following com ment: “I never thought so much about music — the why’s and how’s. I just listened to some types and cared less for others.” Maybe it was time we thought about it! AN AFTERNOON OUTDOORS: It was such a beautiful day, that few were satisfied to spend Sat urday afternoon inside. Outdoor activities included snov/-shoe races, skidoo rides, pleasure skating, hockey, and a wiener roast. SING-A-LONG: Christian folk songs. All sing ing periods were greatly enjoyed. “It just makes you feel like singing”, was a comment made by one of the youths. CHORALE: Marvellous singing! I hope you’ll have a chance to hear them yet. WORKSHOPS: “Prayer” - Ben Hoeppner Ben “New Morality” - Harvey Plett; “Missions” Eidse; “Why Join a Church?” - Ed Plett; “Personal February 28, 1969

Devotions” - Miss Margaret Neufeld; “Christian in Politics” - Menno Kroeker. 1 was only sorry I couldn’t attend three or four workshops rather than just one. LADIES’ CHORUS: Beautiful German songs! The timely theme, “Let’s Face Reality,” was discussed by Rev. Died. Gerbrandt of Winnipeg un der three headings: (1) “Are You For Real?” (2) “When is Education Real?” (3) “Christian Experience — Fact or Fake?” We were brought face to face with reality in that we were made to see ourselves as we really are, to realize that education is not real unless it’s purposeful, and that Christian experience seems to be a fake unless it is abundant. The challenge was left with us to discover our true selves, to make a meaningful relationship between our education and Christian experience, and to allow Jesus Christ to give us a life — “full to overflowing” — in Him! The weekend was great — it was good to be there. The programs were well planned and the informal atmosphere conducive to sharing. Many new friendships were formed and old ones renewed. I like to believe that every guest found what he sought for, if he searched for it with his whole heart. RESPONSE TO CHRISTIAN HIGH SCHOOLS

Box 5, McMahon, Saskatchewan, February 17, 1969. Dear Friends, In the February 14, 1969 edition of the Messenger, the Youth Section contained an article on Christian High Schools. I do not agree with the writer of this article. First, if we are going to go to a Christian high school and .separate ourselves from all places that may contain anything worldly, we will not be able to stand against tempta tions when we go out of high school into the world. In a Christian high school we would be sheltered against the out side world, and wouldn’t learn to resist temptations. Secondly, Christ commands us to let our light shine be fore men. If we are going to go to a Christian high school and separate ourselves from the unsaved teens around us, how do we expect to be a testimony to them? They will not respect us if we go to a Christian high school. They will look upon our faith as something very weak and without “backbone”. Youth today looks for something that will stand

up and on which they can rely. I think the Christian young person’s duty is to mingle with non-saved teens, but to stand up for what they believe. The best place for us to live a life pleasing unto God, and to be a testimony to our fellow-teens is in a public high school.

Yours in Him, Agnes Rempel

FROM

'HOUSE

TO YOUR HOUSE &

JUST LITTLE THINGS by Laura Siemens

It’s Sunday. I am writing in my diary, “It’s snowing again.” I page back through the little book. Saturday - It’s snowing. Friday School closed because of snow. Thursday - Boys stayed home. Too much snow in the driveway. Wednesday - School closed because of the snow. I go to the window. The whole outdoors is covered with a wintry whiteness. The air is thick with flying, fragile flakes of snow. Each piece is so little, so delicate yet fashioned precisely after its own pattern. They fall - one little piece on top of another little piece. Another one on top of that. Finally we have big drifts of snowflakes. Piles of these little snowflakes can stop big trucks or powerful trains. This reminds me of other little things. I think of how we teach our children. Much of our teaching is incidental. We teach a little here, and a little there. We teach with our lives and with our speech. One day an eight-year-old may come up and ask, “Mommy, what does being converted mean?” We take time out to explain. Then our busy life flows on. If, minute by minute, the little things we do remind our children of Christ what a lot they can do. If children leave this home to burn out in service for God we’ll be thankful for the little lessons we taught. z? MCC PROJECT OF THE MONTH (February)

HOMEMADE SOAP

FEW ARE CHOSEN (from page 3) congregation. We must all pray diligently and consider carefully our choice in this matter. Before you leave, brother,” he continued, “we would appreciate having your name and address if we should want to contact you.” The old man smiled obligingly, signed in large scrawling letters, and returned the paper. He nodded to the seven men, arose, walked slowly through the door and down the steps, and disappeared along the road into the darkness. Inside the members of the pul pit committee shook their heads as they exchanged animated com ments.

Tons of homemade laundry soap are needed in various coun tries. This year soap is being distributed in Bolivia, Burundi, Congo, Haiti, Honduras, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Korea, Paraguay, Taiwan and Tanzania. The soap is used mainly in hospitals, orphan ages, schools and clinics. Be sure the soap is dry before delivering it to an MCC center. 4x4x4 inch pieces are preferred, but other sizes are acceptable. A simple form can be constructed to help cut the soap into squares. The form, if 12 inches square and 4 inches deep, will yield nine 4x4x4 inch pieces. An empty half-gallon milk carton, cut in half, can also be used. i/

“Imagine ... a preacher with a prison record!” “A liberal and legalistic educa tion . . . accomplice to a murder!” “An old bachelor ... no family!” “A controversial missionary . . . riots and quarrels!” All agreed that it would be best not to mention this prospect to the congregation. A pastor with such a controversial background would

certainly not fit effectively into their present harmonious setting. Before closing With prayer the men looked curiously at the signa ture of the visitor. “Strange he gave no address,” indicated one brother. “He simpfly signed it Paul (former Saul of Ihrsus)And then they bowed their heads. (By permission Christian Leader)

THE MESSENGER

Interlake Crusade For Christ at Arborg Arborg, Man. — The Arborg Ele mentary School Auditorium was the focal point for the first area wide Interlake and Interdenomina tional religious crusade ever con ducted. The Crusade was conduct ed by the Barry Moore Team of Crusade Evangelism International, and was held from February 2 to February 8.

The Crusade was officially op ened by the general chairman of the Crusade committee, Rev. E. J. Wright, Riverton; by Mayor Ken Reid, mayor of the town of Arborg; and by Evangelist Barry Moore. The team consisted of Barry Moore, evangeflist; Don Kroening accompanist; Don Jost, music mas ter and choir director, and Ken Carter, of Washington, D.C., as so loist. The average nightly attend ance at the eight crusade services was 640, with an average attend ance in the choir of 89. The aud iences were thrilled by the singing of Ken Carter, who has sung for four American presidents; by the piano and organ arrangements of Don Kroening; by the singing of the local choir so ably directed by Don Jost; and by the deeply spirit ual and inspiring messages of Bar ry Moore. There was real evidence of the presence of The Holy Spirit, as 127 people from all over the Inter lake responded to the invitation of the evangelist to participate in the Act of Witness at the end of each service. Of this group 49 were in the age group of 13 years to 19 years, showing the vital interest of many of today’s youth in the gospel. Some 67 of the inquirers came forward for salvation, with the majority of the others being for the assurance of restoration and dedication. What will be accomp lished in the Interlake through the church of Jesus Christ' as a result of this Crusade, could lead to a dis trict revival, as these making de cisions and the many revived Christians make it their sole busi ness to live for the Glory of God, and for the salvation of souls, as

February 28, 1969

the Gospel of Christ is proclaimed by word and deed.

In addition to the regular cru sade services, the team was in volved in other activities. Evangel ist Barry Moore spoke on campus to the Collegiate student Assemb lies at Lundar, Fisher Branch, Ar borg, Riverton, and Gimli. In all he spoke to near a thousand stu dents. The musical team presented a program at St. Laurent Collegi ate. On Sunday Feb. 9, Don Kroe ning participated in the service at Hodgson Bible Chapel; Don Jost was at Gimli Baptist church; Rev. Herb Bock spoke at the Teulon Gospel chapel, and Ken Carter sang at the Teulon Gospel Taber nacle. On Sunday, Feb. 2, Rev. Herb Bock, director of counselling and manager of the Crusade spoke at Menville E.M.C. church. Mennonite churches involved in the Crusade and supplying crucial leadership and support were, the Evangelical Mennonite Missionary Church at St. Laurent, the Oak Point Gospel Chapel of Oak Point, The Evangelical Mennonite Confer ence churches in the Fisher Branch, Arborg, Riverton and Gim li areas. The following members of these churches were members of the various crusade committees: Zone leaders, Henry Dueck, St. Laurent, Tony Kornelsen, Fisher Branch, and D. P. Thessen, River ton; Zone finance representatives, Peter Buhler, Oak Point, H. P. Friesen, Arborg; Prayer commit tee chairman, D. P. 'Thiessen, Ri verton; Counselling Committee, Harry Friesen, Riverton; Child ren’s church committee, J. L. Kroe ker, Riverton; Telephone commit tee, John Klassen, Riverton; Out side services committee, Levi Rei mer, Arborg; Women’s committee, Mrs. Harry Friesen, secretary; Mu sic committee, Walter Reimer, Fi sher Branch and Edwin Friesen, Riverton; Usher committee, Mar vin Johnson, Riverton; Transporta tion committee, Eddie Friesen and Abe Barkman, Riverton; Auditor ium and Entertainment committee,

Menno Penner, Arborg and David Friesen, Gimli; Publicity commit tee, Edwin J. Wright; the Execu tive committee, Peter Loewen, Ar borg, executive Treasurer; Edwin Wright, general chairman.

People Ben Thiessens, Christian Service workers in British Honduras came home for their mother’s funeral in January. They have again gone back. Fred Thiessen, Giroux, has left for orientation school at G.M.U. headquarters prior to a foreign as signment as mechanic. P. L. Friesen, Morris, Man. is the new'ly elected moderator of the E.M.C. John P. Loewen, Blumenort, is the newly elected chairman of the EMC Paraguay Committee. Paul Loewen, Steinbach, student at Tabor College, Hillsboro Kansas was part of a class of 24 students who early in January were to make a 20 day study tour of the culture, history and religion of Mexico. Jake L. Kroeker, Riverton, has left for an assignment in Mexico under the Mexico Committee. His duties will consist of teaching Bible school classes among Old Colony Mennonites. He will stay some six weeks. John K. Reimer, Meade Kansas, was present for the February Misr sion Board and Ministerial meet ings. Mr. Reimer will take up du ties as Executive Secretary, EMC Board of Missions later this year. Mr. Harvey Plett attended the MCC (Canada) annual meetings at Saskatoon in January. Mr. Henry Thiessen, Austin, is the new Mission Board representa tive for the MacGregor EM church. He replaces H. P. Dyck who is stu dying in the States. Harold Plett. Prairie Rose, paid a short visit to his brother Gladwin and his family, missionaries on the Island of St. Lucia. Abe Friesen, Portage la Prairie, is the new Sunday school superin tendant at the Portage EM church. Abe teaches in Portage. 9

SWIFT CURRENT

MORRIS FELLOWSHIP CHAPEL

RIDGEWOOD

We again have greatly enjoyed the ministry of Rev. Don P. Shidler. The slides he showed us were from Italy, Rome, Switzerland and Germany. A work is going on in each of these plac es and many workers are needed, would you or I be willing to go? Rev. Shilder based his messages on the book of Nehemiah. Nehemiah had a desire to have the walls of Jerusalem rebuilt, but when he came to view the remains, there was so much rubbish in the way that Nehemiah had to turn back. Do we have a dragon well as described in Nehemiah in our lives. Is there so much rubbish that others cannot come to Jesus because of us? We will have bo give an account for that which we have not done. The need is great. We remember Mrs. Ens and Mr. Neustaeter in their time of sickness. May the Lord give grace at this time.

Prayer week was again observed after New Year, jointly with the Bergthaler church, this year at their church. Nightly meetings were held with special speakers and prayer sessions. The Janzen Musical Strings presented an evening of spiritual song and bles sing in January. This was a well attend ed meeting and much enjoyed. On Sun day Feb. 9 Rev. Marshall Calverly is ex pected to report on the Union Gospel Mission with a film on the work. The ladies decided not to have elec tions, as they were held in summer and will now retain the excecutive and commitees. Mrs. Margaret Siemens is president and Mrs. Betty Siemens sec retary. On Feb. 4 the ladies visited the Morris Manor to sing and have a short devotional. Later they returned to the church for the formal meeting where a time was spent in special prayer for the Bill Schellenbergs. Mrs. Schellenberg is ill in a Winnipeg hospital. Other items discussed were sewing for the Christ mas bundles and women’s world day of prayer. January is a time of re-elections and re-organizations. Some changes were more extensive publicity prog^ram. and the planning for a Junior Choir, under the leadership of Mrs. Alvin Brandt. Alvin Remple will assume new duties as S. S. Supt. Elmer Warkentin has been assigned to take the responsibility for the exten sion work at West Hawk where a ser vice is to be held as our turn comes some every 3 months. ’This is with men in Rehabilitation camps. A district-wide Family Crusade is planned with the well known Rev. Pe terson also associated with the Back to the Bible, April 16 - 20. Prior to that, we plan, the Lord willing, to hold re vival meetings in our chapel with Rev. Elmer Hamm, in March. Teacher training classes are being taught every Wed. night at the Rssenort E. M. C. with Rev. Harvey Plett of the S. B. I. instructing. Some town folk are taking advantage of this also as they were invited to take part. At least fifty are taking the course, “Understanding Children and Youth”. Ernie Siemens left for an extended visit to the mission station in Mexico shortly after the holidays. They must find the climate and company agree able as they have not yet reappeared at home. Get well wishes to H. H. Brandt who has been ailing for sometime. Also to the many others who are having a bout with the very prevalent flu.

Fred Thiessen, accepted by the Mis sion Board, has left for a four-month period of candidate school at the Gos pel Missionary Union Headquarters at Smithville, Missouri. He will be coming back before he leaves for his field of service in British Honduras. Mr. and Mrs. Ben Thiessen, Christian Service workers in British Honduras, came home to attend the funeral ser vices for his mother in Blumenort on January 17. They returned again on January 26 to finish their term of teach ing at the New Hope School for the Gospel Missionary Union. Sunday, February 16, we had the privilege of having Sister Mary Koop with us for Missions Night. She gave a vivid report and showed slides of the Lord’s work in Mexico. Our hearts were touched as we were given a glimpse of the spiritual darkness that exists there and also challenged to pray more ear nestly for the young Christians who face strong opposition.

CREIGHTON, SASK.

Mrs. C. J. Thiessen of Giroux passed away on Jan. 12. The sympathy of this community is extended to the family. Choir practises are being held bo pre pare for the Deeper Life Services March 16 to 21. Following these practises are a series of Bible Studies on "Soul win ning". These studies have been very well attended and should prove most be neficial. February has been designated as Fa mily Month and we at N. F. C. are mak ing an all-cut effort to encourage the parents of Sunday School pupils to come with their children to church. We are also contacting and inviting families who do not worship at any church. The morning messages have been based on "families”, with the evening services in cluding testimonies of those who have recently become accepted members. On Feb. 7, 8 and 9 there was a Youth retreat held at Beaver Lake Bible Camp under the direction of John Newransky, Arnold Leister and their wives. Satur day afternoon was open house when ap proximately 40 young people enjoyed ice fishing, ski-doo riding, soccer ball and other outdoor activities. In the evening there was a sing song and devotional based on ,‘Moses", followed by indoor games and lunch. Bradley and Mark Koop are happy to have a new sister, bom on January 28. Twyla Dawn weighed 6 lbs. 3 ozs. and her parents are Mr. and Mrs. Henry Koop. “God formed us, sin deformed us, but only Christ can transform us.”

ROSEISLE

Jan. 13th was reorganization night for the Ladies Mission Circle. The ladies met at Mrs. Abram Letkeman’s place. Mrs. Tina L. Friesen was elected as pre sident. as vice-president Mrs. Alice Sie mens, and as secretary-treasurer Mrs. Katie Harms. Prayer sister names were also chosen. Jan. 16 was the evening of the annual business meeting in the church, when all the new oommitee members were elected. Since then all the committees have been organized for another year. Jan 26th a program of sacred music was presented, during our morning wor ship service, by a quartet from the Steinbach Bible Institute. The music as well as an inspiring message by Ben Friesen was a blessing to the local con gregation. Friday, January 31st. our Young People enjoyed a short choir practise, then after that they went tobboganing at Snow Valley. We welcome Mr. and Mrs. Johnny Warkentine from Miami (formerly Mafeking) t o our local congregation. Mr. Warkentine is teaching our Senior High Sunday School Class at present. TREESBANK

To many it may seem something com pletely new that there exists a church at Treesbank but it does very much so. We will report on some of the activities. We have quite a group of young peop le who are willing to serve. The choir has about 25 members. They have brought programs at about 6

THE MESSENGER

or 7 various places in the surrounding area during the Christmas holidays like Senior Citizens Home, Old Folks Home, Rehabilitation Camp, United Church, etc. There are five groups that go singing every Thursday. Rev. D. P. Friesen does personal work and deals with some of the problems of the inmates of the Re habilitation Camp every other week. The Erwin Pletts teach Sunday School at a small Indian Reserve. Once a month we render a program in Wawanesa at the Anglican Church. The attendance is fairly good and con sists mostly of the elderly people of the town. Some of the highlights in our home church were the Revival meetings held by Rev. Ben Eidse and Rev. Ben Hoep pner last fall and a wedding which was held in the United Church in Wawanesa because lack of room in our own church building. Are looking forward to build ing a new and larger Chapel this spring, the Lord willing. ’The young couple were Gladys Friesen, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. P. D. Friesen of Wawanesa and Allan Friesen of Rosenort. They now reside at Swan River. Mrs. P. P. D. Reimer has ibeen confin ed to bed with a severe back ailment for some time this winter. Has improved somewhat lately. Has been in and out of the hospital in the past year also. We are looking to the Lord to bless our activities and trust that He will give miore and greater opportunities to witness for Him. KOLA

Rev. Hoeppner conducted Sunday School teachers’ training classes on Jan. 3, 4, and 5. Four sessions dealt with how to teach. The last two sessions were on the book of Daniel. ’The classes were beneficial to those that came. Good reports were received from Mrs. Jake Klassen. She is in Savannah, Mis souri at a Treatment Centre. PORTAGE La PRAIRIE

January brought church election time again. John Friesen now joins Henry Giesbrecht on the church board replac ing Dave Sawatzky who has served in this capacity for many years. Abe Frie sen has been elected Sunday School Su perintendent replacing John Friesen for the coming year. The young people have elected John Klassen as Youth Leader. Some other changes the elections brought about were the following: Mr. and Mrs. Henry Neufeld (Christian En deavour Committee). Jake Bergen (Camp Committee, Evelyn Barkman

February 28, 1969

and Leona Neufeld (D.V.B.S. Commit tee). and Mrs. Susan Loewen (Cradle Roll President). Miss Evelyn Barkman, who is serv ing her term of missionary probation here, is kept busy with church work. She teaches six Good News Clubs a week, one in our church and five in different homes. 'These are all in Port age except for one at High Bluff. In the last month she reports six decisions for the Lord among these children. In her visitation program she con tacts one or two homes a day of fami lies in need of spiritual help, love and kindness. Eight of these families are visited regularly. 'The older citizens at the Municipal Farm appreciate her vi sits very much too. Evelyn assists Mr. Klassen in leading our Young Peoples’ Meetings. About fourteen young people come to the meet ings quite regularly; quite a few who do not attend church regularly are in cluded. ’They have had an enjoyable Valentines party at the home of Pete Hamms on February fourteenth. Besides these activities Evelyn has a part in our Sunday School, Family night and other church functions. We’re thankful for her services here and pray that God will contiue to bless her work. ROSENORT

’68 In Retrospect

Marriages: (One, or both, were mem bers of this local) April 20 - Harold Whitson & Mary Friesen July 6 - David Friesen & Irma Rem pel July 21 - Wilmer Plett & Marion Kroeker Aug. 9 . David Stoesz & Susan Frie sen Sept. 14 . Ben Dyck & Elma Friesen Sept. 20 - Richard Kroeker & Eliza beth Brandt Sept. 28 . Jake Rempel & Elizabeth Friesen Nov. 30 - Larry Friesen & Pearl Warkentin Dec. 7 - Aden Friesen & Gladys Frie sen

Births:

Jan. 16 - Lynnford Reno, George D. Bartel Feb. 26 - Donnell Kent, Menno K, Kroeker May 6 - Karen Jonelle, Edwin P. Dueck July 13 - Gailene Anne, Peter F. Kroeker July 19 - Joseph Darren. Abe L. Thies sen Aug. 24 . Julie Charlene, Jake P. Dueck Sept. 14 - Chrystal Dawn, Norman D. Friesen Sept. 18 - James Lyle, John P. Kornelsen. Deaths:

May 15 - Mrs. Peter L. Barkman (71) July 15 . Jacob D. Dueck (52) Aug. 4 - Isaac H. Comelsen (64) Aug. 4 - Miss Tina R. Klassen (75) Oct. 10 . Mrs. Abram K. Friesen (78)

Elections With the beginning of the New Year come more elections. Every year one of the song leader’s term expires and a new leader is elected or re-elected. Wil bert Dueck was re-elected to that po sition for a five-year term. Also on the nomination list were Dave L. Friesen and Lome Komelsen. Rev. Nick Friesen continues as mem ber of the E. M. C. Board of Missions, Rev. John Komelsen and Ait Dueck were elected to the Young People’s com mittee, Walter Dueck as Young People’s leader, Johnny Loewen and George Eid se as members of the local mission board and Frank K. Kroeker as a mem bers of the church board. Teacher Training Course

Ths four local E. M. Churches plus the Morris Bergthaler Church have com. bined to form a class receiving training on Understanding Children and Youth. Rev. Harvey Plett is the instructor. The twelve chapters have b'en divided into six lessons. In order to obtain E. T. T. A. (Evangelical Teacher Training Associ ation) credits, a final examination will be written. Taking two chapters in one evening no doubt provides an opportuni ty to test and develop concentration powers!

Well-Known Writer Dies Elkhart, Ind. — Mrs. Christmas Ca rol Kauffman, 67, wife of Rev. Nelson E. Kauffman, died Jan. 30 at Elkhart General Hospital after an extended ill ness. Rev. Kauffman is Home Missions Secretary of the Mennonite Board of Missions and together they also pioneer-

ed in city mission work in Hannibal, Mo. As writer, Mrs. Kauffman published eight books. Her first book “Lucy Win chester" is to be re-published and an other “Not Regina" has been written into a play. Mrs. Kauffman is listed in “Who’s Who of American Women.’*

MINISTERS' SEMINAR AT THE STEINBACH BIBLE INSTITUTE March 13th and 14th (Three sessions daily beginning at 9:00 a.m.) LECTURERS: Rev. John Wall, Fort Gary M.B. church S.B.I. Faculty SUBJECTS: ★ Sermon Preparation ★ Bible Exegesis ★ Sermon Outlining ★ Building a Minister’s Library ★ Sermon Delivery ★ Use of Illustrations (The lectures on Sermon Preparation, Outlining, Illustrations and Deilivery will be given by Mr. Wall). REGISTRATION FEE: Registration fee is $5.00. This includes meals and lodging. NOTE TO CHURCHES: Here is your opportunity to give your ministers and deacons a spiritual retreat which will greatly facilitate their ministry. We suggest that churches sponsor the $5.00 fee and trip to Steinbach. HOW TO APPLY: Write for an application and return it as soon as possible. Deadline for application is March 11, 1969. All Ministers and Deacons are invited. Steinbach Bible Institute Box 1420 Steinbach, Man.

Vi;

AMERICAN SCHOOL OF KINSHASA NEEDS TEACHERS Present enrollment in the American School of Kinshasa is 460 students with just less than 50% of these being child ren of missionaries. About 30% are children of foreign government person nel and merchants. Remaining children are mostly from families of U. S. go vernment employees. CIM has 25-30 children attending here annually. A call has come for additional dedicated staff for the 1969-70 school year. At the timfe of writing following is a list of current vacancies — ** Assistant principal of the elementary ** Assitant principal of the elementary school Counsellor

Junior High, grades 7 and 8

Instructors for Science, Mathematics, and English Senior High, grades 9-12

Instructors for Mathematics, Physics, and Social Studies.

Math-

General —

Instructors for Physical Education — girls Home Economics Typing and bookkeeping French (2 needed) Spanish (maybe) Elementary grades — Kindergarten to 6 Instructors for Kindergarten (1) First (2)

Second (2) Third (2) Fourth (4) Fifth (1) Fifth & Sixth (1) The school pays travel to and from the field, provides a modest salary, hous ing, insurance, etc. Interested (prefer ably experienced) teachers may write Congo Inland Mission for detailed infor mation or directly to Mr. Paul W. Fred dy B. P. 4702 Kinshasa II Republic of Congo

or E. M. C. Christian Service Committee, Box 1268, Steinbach, Man.

WHEN CHANGING ADDRESS please fill out the following form and return it together with your present address as it appears at right to: The MESSENGER, Box 1268, Steinbach, Manitoba.

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THE MESSENGER

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