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January 5, 1993
Can peace survive? That depends on whether we will become a people of peace, which may bring us into conflict with the very structures of our society.
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE
Sing to the Lord a new song .
Gold, frankincense, and myrrh
World conference faces financial challenges . . . . ,
Gospel Herald
THE WEEKLY MAGAZINE OF THE MENNONITE CHURCH
Mennonites and the future:
Will peace survive past the year 2000?
The powers of darkness and evil are arraigned against us as the people of God. Systemic evil that seeks to erode our faiths and beliefs as a people of peace.
. 6 . 8
9
MMA board studies mutual fund possibility
10
Will Mennonites stand for peace in the fu- ture? I wish I could simply say "yes" and leave it at that. I feel in my heart the answer is "yes," but I wish it could be a stronger "yes"! What the answer will be in the end depends on many things that have to do with being the people of God rather than a peo- ple of the world.
We Christians must constantly be on guard against the attack of the powers of darkness. Paul says that in the last analysis we do not fight against flesh and blood, but against the principalities and powers of darkness and evil (Eph. 6:12).
The powers of darkness came to the Menno- nites in the USSR 70 years ago through a hostile government and through overt persecution. The powers of darkness come to us today in terms of all the enticements this world has to offer; in terms of all the good things that we want for our- selves; and in terms of all the material benefits of our culture. These powers of darkness are aligned against
by
David Schroeder
We need to understand peace is an inte- gral part of the gospel of Jesus Christ It is not an add-on. Peace is not some- thing you omit and still have the gospel.
us as individuals, against us as families, against us as a people of God, against us as a total human community, and against the cosmos in which we live. We need to look at the things these powers of darkness use to entice us in our lives to stand less and less for the gospel of peace.
Individualism. This is the idea that persons have to look out for themselves. We are ex- pected to pit ourselves against everyone else to achieve our self-chosen goals in life. But this de- stroys trust and all sense of peoplehood! And without being a people, our faith will not sur- vive. Apart from the community of faith, we will lose the virtues that make for peace.
Materialism. Mennonites have come into con- siderable wealth. But the disease of consumer- ism has eaten deeply into our souls. The more we have the more we crave, and the more we crave the more we have to make room for. These things are so precious to us that they have to be protected and guaranteed to remain ours. When a desire for security takes over, we are only one step away from reasoning that it is justified to have an army to protect what we have acquired.
Professionalism Every profession has its own built-in ethic. This ethic need not necessar- ily be Christian. Almost always it is self-serving to the professions. As Christians we need to bring a Christian ethic into our professions, whether it is welcomed or not. To challenge the ethic of the profession from a Christian perspec- tive may cause difficulties for the Christian. But if we don't challenge the professions, we will lose our Christian integrity.
|hese are just a few of the ways in which we are assailed by the powers of darkness in the world. We are constantly enticed to
leave the way of the cross and to follow the way of the world. But we ought to be even more con- cerned about the powers of systemic evil that are arraigned against us as the people of God — a systemic evil which seeks to erode our strengths as a Mennonite people.
One of the targets of attack is the close-knit extended family, long a traditional Mennonite strength. The industrial world gave us the nu- clear family — the extended family did not suit the industrial world, which wanted a small fam- ily unit, where only one person was employed. The nuclear family is not a strong unit in soci- ety. When it stands alone, it will be forced to comply with the rest of society. It cannot oppose the whole culture on its own. A larger family and
a church community are needed to sustain the Christian virtues required to stand against the darkness of our society.
Another target is our care for one another. As Mennonites we used to use economic power to the advantage of others in the community. There were the Waisenamts for the widows and orphans. There were credit unions to help those who needed loans, which were often made with- out asking for interest. Implements were shared, and there were barn-raising bees. But now we use economic power for ourselves; the Waise- namts are gone — we have state welfare! The credit unions are still there, but now they serve the depositor more than the borrower. The free
It is not enough to have a few people speah for peace— all who are in Christ must have God's peace in their hearts.
enterprise system serves those who have eco- nomic leverage, not necessarily the whole com- munity. To use economic power for ourselves threatens the whole sense of a Christian commu- nity. It causes us to lose the virtues necessary for peace.
A third target is our belief in peace. We now live in a culture in which the basic structures of society are adversarial. Legal, political, and eco- nomic systems are all basically adversarial. To survive in this culture we have to learn to fight. But the more we learn how to fight, the less we know about true peace. Fighting each other is built right into the structure of things. You can- not escape it, it is everywhere, it is a systemic evil. How can we learn peace when conflict is built into the basic fabric of our society?
A fourth target is our strong biblicism As Mennonites in the past, we did not have a very explicit theology, yet we knew what we believed and handed this down from genera- tion to generation. But today things are differ- ent. We borrow theologies from many other denominations and movements. We borrow the theological language of others, often not noticing that it does not mesh with who we are as a peo- ple. We borrow the thinking of others and find ourselves arguing about the situations in which to use all available power and might to protect our own interests. We borrow from the
2 / JANUARY 5, 1993 / GOSPEL HERALD
fundamentalist traditions in America and begin to think of peace as an issue unrelated to the g0Spel_as an appendage to the gospel. If we are theologically tossed to and fro— how can we then hold on to the peace witness?
A fifth target is our belief in stewardship. As Mennonites, we have tried to be good stew- ards. We have tried to take care of the land en- trusted to us. We have tried to think of the gen- erations to follow us. We have tried to be good stewards of our time, talents, and possessions. But by now we are thinking of ourselves as peo- ple in charge and in command, as though things depend entirely on us. We do this in business and education— and even in our congregations. But we are not asked to replace God on earth. God does not ask us to lord it over others. God asks us to serve others, to become servants of others. This is the way of peace, the way of God. How can we learn peace when we do not walk the way of peace?
These are only some of the areas in which the powers of darkness are attacking us through sys- temic evil— the evil that is in the very structure of our society. We will walk the way society dic- tates if we do not overtly break with the struc- ture of darkness and evil in this world. This is our hope if we are to speak for peace in the world.
Can peace survive? That depends on several things:
1. It depends on whether we can grow in our understanding of peace. We need to un- derstand that peace is an integral part of the gos- pel of Jesus Christ— it is not an add-on. Peace is not something you can omit and still have the gospel in all its fullness. The way in which Jesus responded to evil is the way in which God deals with evil in the world. Jesus did not come with power and might and violence. Jesus offered his life for others. Jesus was provoked by those who did evil and sought his death, but Jesus did not respond with violence (1 Pet. 2:23; 2 Cor. 5:19).
Evil was overcome by Jesus through his obedi- ence to the will of God, even if it was to end in his own death. God's way of dealing with sin and evil is through what is good— through love, for- giveness, self-sacrifice, mercy, through forgive- ness. This is the most powerful way of address- ing evil in the world.
2. It depends on whether we will become a people of peace. It is not enough to have a few people speak for peace— all who are in Christ must have the peace of God in their hearts. The church is to be a people demonstrating the way of peace. If we are in Christ, then all the virtues
of God's people will be manifested for all to see and experience. All the fruit of the spirit will be part of our lives. The beatitudes will become in- carnate in a community.
3. It depends on whether we will become peaceful persons. It is a question of who we are in Christ. It is a question of Christian charac- ter. If our being is in Christ, then our words and our deeds will express the same quality of love that Jesus expressed. It is not only a question of saying "no" to the draft and refusing to join the army. It is a question of being persons of peace in all our dealings with others, whether friends or enemies.
4. It depends on whether we will learn to speak for justice. We need to learn to speak for those who are unjustly treated— the poor, the powerless, and the defenseless. We need to learn to speak for new immigrants, Native peo- ples, abused women and children— anyone who is disadvantaged at home or abroad.
5. It depends on whether we will learn again to show love. We have almost forgotten how to show love for people. Each person minds his or her own business and leave others well enough alone. It is easier for us to donate to- ward the poor than to show love. It is easier to preach to people than to show love. It is easier to condemn evil than it is to uphold the erring and to love them.
6. It depends on whether we will find a more adequate understanding of peace it- self. We need to overcome an incipient dual ethic that says there are two separate norms, one for Christians and another for non- Chris
GOSPEL HERALD / JANUARY 5, 1 993 / 3
"Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. . . . Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn." —Isaiah 60:1, 3, NRSV
Gospel Herald
Editor: J. Lome Peachey
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Gospel Herald (ISSN 0017-2340) is published weekly, except for the third week of August and the first week of December, for the Mennonite Church by the Mennonite Pub- lishing House. Subscription rate (in U.S. dollars): $27.25 per year; outside U.S. and Canada (air mail delivery): $47.25 per year. Group and bulk rates available. Call 1 800 245-7894.
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Vol. 86, No. 1: Jan. 5, 1993
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Credits: Cover by Marilyn Nolt, pages 3, 7, and 9 by Jim Bishop, page 8 by Mennonite Central Committee, page 10 by D. Michael Hostetler, page 12 by John D. Yoder, page 13 by Al Friesen.
READERS SAY
A note of thanks to the authors and to Gospel Herald for the two arti- cles by Calvin Shenk, Who Do You Say That I Am? (Sept. 8) and Why Are Radical Christians Such Poor Evangelists? (Nov. 24). Thanks too for Willard Swartley's What Is the Relation of the Creator to the Cre- ated? (Nov. 17). I greatly appreciated these three articles. Myron Shenk Albany, Ore.
Your Nov. 24 issue includes quite a dichotomy. The two lead arti- cles bring out some important points: We like to empower people, but in our attempt to do so, we retain our power, status, and wealth. Too often our wealth and technology disguise our true spiritual poverty. The dramatic spiritual calling, in the face of public contempt that many early Anabaptists had, appears to have been replaced with zeal for programs and various "missions" that we find ourselves in- volved with.
^ Alongside this is the news story, Re- lief House Owner Traces Road to Purchase. It seems out of balance when a fund raiser for MCC, which at- tempts to provide help to those in need here and abroad, builds and sells an eighth of a million dollar home. This is not something unique to this specific re- lief sale, but it is a trend of the past few years. This home appears to have several thousand square feet; it will be shelter for one individual.
I am not trying to negate all the hours of labor and beads of sweat that were donated, but there is a drastic need for people in our country to stop consuming a disproportionate amount of the world's resources. People here need affordable housing! Maybe we should build and sell some of those in- stead. Better yet, maybe we should live in affordable homes ourselves and do- nate the money we save on our mort- gages to MCC— instead of some of the modern-day castles I see Mennonites living in and worshiping in.
Wayne Nussbaum
Philadelphia, Pa.
In A Prophet Is One Ahead of the Times (Dec. 8), Ryan Ahlgrim states that Zechariah couldn't speak for nine months because of the shock of seeing the Angel Gabriel. The shock then wore off after Elizabeth delivered,
allowing him to resume oral communica- tion.
In reviewing Luke 1:11-20 (NIV), I find the Angel Gabriel clearly says that because of Zechariah's doubting the angel's message, he would be unable to speak until Elizabeth delivered their baby boy. Luke 1:63 states, without any ambiguity, that when Zechariah wrote, "His name is John," Zechariah's speech was immediately restored.
You as editor and I as a reader need to carefully guard against the insidious introduction of seeds of doubt concern- ing the veracity of biblical events.
J. Harold Mohler
Ronks, Pa.
I disagree with two emphases in What Is the Relation of the Cre- ator to the Created? (Nov. 17). First, regarding homosexuality, I do not think gnosticism as a historical, critical handle is adequate to the task of ex- plaining the contemporary acceptance of gay and lesbian people into some congregations. In my understanding, gnosticism in the first century was fasci- nated with a secret spiritual knowledge and believed the material world was evil. It therefore unleashed sexual li- cense, since bodily form and use no longer held place against lofty spiritual concerns.
Most of my experience with the ac- ceptance of gay and lesbian people into congregations has more to do with a readiness to embrace and even cele- brate the multiplicity of expressions of femaleness and maleness. It is an em- brace of the created material order of humanity in its diversity. It is looking for and expecting to see divine incarna- tion within that humanity.
Second, regarding patriarchy: women may want to argue that turnabout is fair play. For centuries, being female was equated with susceptibility to sin, especially sexual sin. As only a small ex- ample, consider that misuse of the Eve- and-apple story begat even death for women as witches. If in our century, in chaotic and excessive reply, maleness is equated with violence, it seems like only the smallest beginning of a fair re- action. Of course, women may choose not to be fair, may choose not to play turnabout. But I (as a male feminist) do not feel free to render much advice to them on that one.
But in the difficult and sometimes leaden discussions about sexuality in
4 / JANUARY 5, 1993 / GOSPEL HERALD
READERS SAY
the Mennonite church, I agree with Swartley particularly on this point: "The creation did not and does not ex- haust the Divine Spirit." As Gerard Manley Hopkins writes, "All is seared with trade; bleared, smeared with toil. . . .," but "Morning, at the brown brink eastward springs, because the Holy Ghost over the bent/world broods with warm breast and with ah! bright wings." Vernon Rempel Lancaster, Pa.
In his letter (Dec. 8), is Scott Hol- land implying that to really cele- brate you need to get soused? If so, I suggest Eph. 5:18 as an alternative: "Be filled with the Spirit."
I do agree that the election of Clinton and Gore is cause for celebration. With a president who appears to care for peo- ple and a vice-president concerned about the environment, maybe some of the excesses of the Reagan and Bush administrations can be addressed. I just do not agree that it is necessary or use- ful to drink to it. Daniel Hertzler Scottdale, Pa.
Now that my son is reaching age 18, he— like a lot of Quakers and Mennonites— must decide whether or not to register for the draft as required by U.S. law. The problem is that there is no place on the form to register as a conscientious objector. Col- lege students who fail to register are de- nied financial aid. Only a few colleges will provide aid for non-registrants.
Under the circumstances, I have writ- ten to my representative in Congress to see if he would sponsor a bill to add one line to the registration form for con- scientious objectors.
I believe letters from concerned Men- nonites to their representatives in Con- gress would be most helpful. Katherine van Wormer Cedar Falls, Iowa
I get very angry when I read "Readers Say" letters suggesting that women are sexually abused because of the clothes they wear or don't wear. I was born into an Amish family who observed the strictest of dress codes. When I was three years old, my uncle sexually abused me. When I was five, our neighbor's 14-year-old son, also Amish, molested me sexually. I have reason to
believe he shared his sexual pursuits with my brothers, who thereafter never stopped practicing their sexual experi- ments on me. When I was 11 years old my 14-year-old brother raped me at knife point and threatened to kill me.
All my life I have battled the most horrific aftermath. I cannot imagine that these situations had anything to do with clothing. I believe this kind of abuse was the result of an unwholesome attitude regarding sexuality in the homes where these kinds of events occurred.
Hugging and kissing and physical con- tact between parents and children were strictly forbidden. Sex was never consid- ered to be a wholesome subject to be talked about.
Today my children do not dress any differently from their more "worldly" peers. They do not sexually molest any- one, and they have not had to live in dread and fear that their brothers or sis- ters will molest them. Clothing does not have anything to do with the situation— the problem is much deeper.
I have gone through massive counsel- ing and self-help. Hardly a day goes by when the ghosts do not haunt me. But will not go public because I cannot ex- pose my family, and I do not feel the church is in any way capable of bring- ing healing. I must work out my own sal- vation in fear and trembling. Name withheld by request
I appreciated your thoughts about worship in Did You Sing Them Off- the-Wall? (Nov. 17). However, when you wrote that there should be room for various types of music and worship in the church, I wondered if you were stating heartfelt conviction or toying with wishful thinking.
In my opinion, if we were to judge the openness of the Mennonite Church to contemporary styles of music and
Pontius' Puddle
SNOW IS L\KE THE NEW YEAR. IT BE&lMS AS A GIFT FROK GrOO--
worship according to what is happening in congregations, we would have to say that there is considerable openness. There are numerous congregations which are embracing these styles. These are often newer congregations, ones that have a significant number of young adults in their midst, or ones whose guiding vision is to reach per- sons who did not grow up in a church tradition.
On the other hand, if we were to make our judgment by the number of resources that are being provided for congregations that have chosen a con- temporary style, I believe we would come to a significantly different conclu- sion. As I check the promotional pieces for both conference and churchwide worship events or resources (and I'm sure I miss some), I see few that would be helpful to a congregation which uses a contemporary approach (i.e., empha- sis on up-to-date forms, upbeat tempo/volume, and expressive adora- tion). The resources needed to build and strengthen a worship team which leads 30-45 minute periods of interwo- ven music and the spoken word using multiple vocalists and instrumentalists are quite different from those needed for the more traditional (song leader, or- ganist, and lay reader) worship leaders.
Why is there this apparent discrep- ancy between the types of resources that are being promoted and the choices and the preferences that are be- coming evident in many congregations? Perhaps with 1993 having been de- clared the year of worship and music, now is the time for us to discern whether diversity in congregational wor- ship styles is going to be something that our denomination warmly em- braces or quietly opposes. Linford Good Marietta, Pa.
PORE,OMSPCMLED, FOLU OF UOPE AMD PROtt\SE.
THEN IT FALLS INTO THE UfcNDS OF MANKIND-
GOSPEL HERALD / JANUARY 5, 1 993 / 5
S ing to the Lord a new
Our spirits are crafted of the songs we sing to God, of the songs our parents once sang, and their parents before them. Our spirits shrink if we forget
by Ben C. Ollenburger
Christian faith is all about what is new. It is about a new covenant, a new command ment, new life in Christ, a new creation— and a new song. In Christ, Paul says, "everything old has passed away; see, everything has be- come new!" (2 Cor. 5:17).
This is good news— the good news of Jesus Christ, who makes all things new. Paul said this two thousand years ago. It is old news, ancient news, and it has been entrusted to us. We are entrusted with the gospel of Jesus Christ, that it may be new again in every generation, in every life, in every moment. This treasure, this ancient treasure, we bear in the earthen vessels of the church, and in its songs.
When I was still very young, our church got a new hymnal. I didn't like it. I missed the sight of the old familiar and worn books in the pew racks, and cradled in the hands of my mother and of Emmanuel Schnell, our song leader. The new books were stiff, and they smelled different, strange and ... , well, new. On a shelf in my parents' home was a whole history of change— of hymnals once new and now old; tattered hym- nals set aside for new ones, which had them- selves grown old and given way to still others. Some had titles hard to pronounce: Evan- geliumslieder, Silberklange, Zionslieder, from a time and a language long past. Hymnals, whose pages God's people had once turned to find fit- ting songs of praise, and then, in a new genera- tion, had set aside, placed on a shelf, in order to sing new songs, in a new tongue, in a new time. Everything has become new; everything old has passed away.
But must we simply forget the old? Can we? Dare we?
In what is now a pasture north of Fairview, Okla., there once stood a church whose families had left an old faith to become Mennonites, had left an old country to become Americans, and had trained their tongues to speak a new lan- guage—but not in church. In church, they sang and prayed and preached, confessed their sins,
married their sons and daughters, and baptized them with the language in which they had first learned the name of God. And, year in and year out, when a funeral service was ended, they bore the casket out of the church, across a dirt road, and into the Nordhoffnungsfeld cemetery. And ' as the congregation walked in somber proces- sion, behind the body of one of their own, they sang Nur mit Jesu will ich Piiger wandem ("None but Jesus would I have to guide me").
I was never in that church, which was gone long before I was born. I never worshiped with that body of believers; never watched a loved one's body lowered into that cemetery, where my ancestors lie buried. But if I ever forget that song, may my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth.
Our spirits are crafted of the songs we sing to God, of the songs our parents once sang, and their parents before them. Our spirits shrink if we forget. But it has pleased the Spirit of God to enlarge our spirits and to enrich them, to build the body of Christ with the children of many parents from many places— from far coun- tries, from distant cities, from the streets of our towns— to give us new songs. If we resist what is
Everything has become new; what is old has passed away. This is good news— the good news of Jesus Christ, the one who makes all things new.
new because we love and trust what is old, we become nostalgic, homesick. If we believe, as Paul did, then our home lies ever ahead of us.
As Christians— Brethren and Mennonite and of every kind— the home for which we long, on which our hearts are set, lies before us, in front of us. As Christians, we know that we are aliens and sojourners. As the epistle to the Hebrews says: "Here we have no lasting city, but we are looking for the city that is to come" (Heb. 13:14). We are on the way to a new city; we are on the way, into the future, with new members grafted into the body of Christ, accompanied by new songs. Our spirits are crafted of the songs we sing to God— to the God who, in Jesus Christ, ever again makes all things new.
The prophet Isaiah counsels us to sing a new song; to forget the former things, and not even to consider them (Isa. 42:10; 43:18). Does this
6 / JANUARY 5, 1993 / GOSPEL HERALD
song
mean, then, that we should forget the old songs? Well, if it did mean that, then we should have to forget Handel's Messiah, some of whose most memorable parts are from Isaiah. Isaiah's song is a good deal more than two thousand years old, and Isaiah's new song is Israel's old song set to new music. .
To draw Israel into God's new future, Isaiah turned to the hymns of Israel's ancient past. Israel's future, as Isaiah proclaimed it, was a fu- ture beyond defeat; beyond the hopelessness and homelessness of exile; beyond the sins of a past generation; beyond the pain and despair of life without God. This defeat, this homelessness, these sins, this pain and despair— these are the former things, the things of old, that Isaiah wants Israel to forget.
And on behalf of this forgetfulness, Isaiah returns Israel to what is most ancient. Isaiah returns Israel to the hymns of cre- ation, to the story of Noah and the Flood and of the exodus, and to the memory of Abraham and Sarah. Because in these hymns and stories, and in these ancient memories, is revealed the power- ful love of God, which makes all things new.
In the deep recesses of the past is the light that illumines Israel's future— and ours. In the brightness of that light, how can we keep from singing?
The Mennonite Church has a new hymnal. Here are new songs, and old ones; songs that are strange to our ears and our lips, and songs as familiar as our own voices. Here are words and music that praise God, that guide our wor- ship through the year, that celebrate the new- ness of life and mourn its passing, that bear wit- ness to the hope that is ours in Jesus Christ. Here are words and music that call us to love one another.
This hymnal, too, will grow old. One day we will place it on a shelf beside the others. And I pray that, on that day, we and our children, and many more children besides, will regret its pass- ing, because our spirits have been crafted of these songs— and by them we have been en- larged and drawn closer to the Spirit of God.
In Christ, everything has become new; every- thing old has passed away.
Ben C. Ollenburger is associate professor of Old Testament at Associated Mennonite Biblical Semi- naries, Elkhart, Ind. This article was adapted from a sermon he preached at a dedication ser- vice for Hymnal: A Worship Book, the church's most recent new hymnal.
Will peace survive past the year 2000?
(con- tinued from page 3)
tians. There is only one message to proclaim— an invitation to all people to become part of God's people.
Our problem is that we are tempted to work out a separate ethic for the society we live in and for the church. To do that we need not only an ethic that the church will accept but also an ethic stated in such a way that society will hear it and accept it. But this results in a dual ethic. This leads to an ambiguous message to the world. What are they then to believe? What are we really saying? Can the world then choose which message to accept?
This ambiguity goes back a long way in our heritage. It is already expressed in the Schleitheim confession. The confession speaks about the kingdom of God and the kingdoms of this world. It sees the church as being of God. It sees governments as being of God as well. God reigns through the church where people do God's will. God reigns over the world through the left hand of God— through governments.
But this means that God has two different ways of dealing with evil— one that is in harmony with the character of God and the other that is not in harmony with God's char- acter. But this divides the Godhead. God is one. God is not divided. The same will of God is the will of God for all people.
This is what the world needs to know. People can choose a different way, but they need to be told that it will lead to judgment rather than to life. People need to know what way they should take to have life. This is why we need to be a people who have made their commitment to the way of peace, to the way of God.
Will peace survive past the year 2001? Yes! If we overcome our ambivalence about peace and declare that we want to remain true to Christ. If we declare that we are against war and against arms. We need to persuade ourselves again that the gospel is God's way to peace for all the world. This is also the call of God to us.
David Schroeder is professor of New Testament studies at Canadian Mennonite Bible College, Winnipeg, Man., and a member of the Charles- wood Mennonite Church.
GOSPEL HERALD / JANUARY 5, 1 993 / 7
Gold, frankincense, and myrrh
by Bonnie Bergey
Sitting on woven mats Surrounded by beautiful brown people Wrapped in layers of thin, colorful cloth
A family that still claims all its Daughters and son and grandmother Drinking spiced Somali tea Telling stories of the past And of last week ^Through songs of the children such as "AK-47s do not wound" (they always kill) And my heart was crying
And I
With henna-decorated hands and feet Wrapped in Somali clothes Listened to the old woman
As she told stories In between Reciting the names of God on her Muslim rosary
As I spent my evening sitting Listening, talking, feeling I felt the goodness of God And was at peace
These gifts of gold with my friends of a Unique but dying culture Were bestowed upon me And I was welcomed as a Daughter and sister among them
And then They blessed me with local Frankincense From the market For burning in remembrance And myrrh For perfuming myself And the moment was holy And we were at peace
With only occasional gunfire In the distance And the birth and life And death of Ciise* Was happening among us.
* Jesus
Bonnie Bergey (left) coordinates relief and development work in Somalia for Mennonite Central Committee and Eastern Mennonite Board of Missions from a base in Nairobi, Kenya. She is a member of Landstown Community Church in Virginia Beach, Va.
8 / JANUARY 5, 1993 / GOSPEL HERALD
CHURCH NEWS
Mennonite World Conference faces financial challenges
Kitchener, Ont. (Mennonite Reporter)— Mennonite World Conference (MWC) is out of debt for the first time in a decade. But the future will be "tougher" and very different, according to Larry Miller, MWC executive secretary.
The fact that the $250,000 deficit from the 1990 assembly has been erased means that constituents liked the Winnipeg gathering, Miller suggested. But Winni- peg may have been the last of its kind. In the future, the world gathering "will have to be a third world event," he said.
MWC membership is shifting to the south. According to 1990 statistics, 58 percent of MWC membership was in Af- rica, South and Central America, and in Asia/Australia.
"We want a [MWC] structural model that is viable in the third world," Miller noted. This means keeping the office, staff, and operations budget modest.
This also means asking every Menno- nite group to give a fair share. The at- tempt to work out a fair share formula, however, has highlighted the glaring ineq- uities in wealth distribution.
The suggested contribution guidelines, adjusted for differences in gross national product, call on Europeans and North Americans, with 42 percent of the MWC membership, to consider carrying about 95.5 percent of the $196,000 operations budget for 1992.
Canadians, for example, are asked for 66 cents per member, and U.S. groups for 72 cents per member. Africans are asked for a penny per member.
One further challenge for the next world assembly is presented by the travel fund. In 1990, most of the $450,000 travel fund—which helped third world partici- pants attend the assembly— came from the host country, Canada.
Every little bit helps. Harrisonburg, Va.— Steven Glanzer, 8, displays the money he collected on one Sunday in his "loose change jar" at Community Mennonite Church, Harrisonburg, Va. Every week after the worship service, he invites persons to empty change from their pockets into a container to supplement the church's regular mort- gage payments.
Shortly after moving to a new build- ing, former congregational chair Del Snyder introduced the "loose change jar." Glanzer took over this weekly task about two years ago and is aggressively pursuing the assignment. He reports that as of mid-December 1992, the in- formal appeal has raised more than $3,100.
Glanzer, the son of P. David and Tina Glanzer of Harrisonburg, is in third grade at Ottobine Elementary School. — Jim Bishop
Will such a travel fund be possible with an assembly hosted by India? Miller won- dered. Or can some other partnership ventures be worked out?— Ron Rempel
Overland Railroad station in Pennsylvania closes
Lancaster, Pa. (MCC U.S.)— Eight years after its opening, a Lancaster-based Over- ground Railroad station is closing opera- tions. The station helped resettle some 160 Central American refugees fleeing war and oppression in their homelands.
The Salvadoran peace accords and Mexico's recent tightening of its southern border with Guatemala have greatly re-
Mennonite World Conference— Member Contributions Based on Per Capita GNP
Sample Conference
Members GNP U.S Budget %
1992
1993
Menn. Brethren in Zaire (CEFMZ) 46,900
Japan Menn. Christian Ch. Conf. 410
Menn. Church in India 2,060
Guatemala Evangelical Menn. Ch. 3,500
Society of Dutch Anabaptists 1 5,500
Menn. Ch., Canada 9,779
Menn. Ch., USA 92,517
Total Africa 1 75,639
Total Asia/Australia 147,009
Total South/Central America 48,685
Total Europe 29,441
Total North America 238,998
5 260 23,810 340 910 1 5,920 1 9,030 20,910
0.216% 0.173% 0.01 2% 0.056% 4.360% 3.288% 34.185%
$ 422.39 338.1 1 24.26 110.31 8,546.46 6,445.32 67,001.86
0.852% 1 ,670.45
2.490% 4,879.54
1.160% 2,273.05
9.791% 19,191.30
85.707% 167,985.85
$ 441.78 353.63 25.37 115.38 8,938.90 6,741.28 70,078.48
1,747.15 5,103.60 2,377.43 20,072.54 175,699.28
General Fund Budget (in U.S. $)
196,000.00 205,000.00
GOSPEL HERALD / JANUARY 5, 1 993 / 9
duced Central America's refugee flow.
Canada, too, is closing its borders to refugees, says Luis Fernando Sandoval.
Since August 1991, Sandoval, a Menno- nite Central Committee (MCC) U.S. worker, has served as LINCARA's coor- dinator. LINCARA stands for Lancaster Inter-Religious Network for Central American Refugee Action.
LINCARA was founded by Phil Hofer, a Mennonite Brethren, in 1984; through the years it was supported by several Lancaster area Mennonite and Brethren in Christ churches and by MCC.
The Overground Railroad shuttles peo- ple to Canada, providing shelter and as- sistance with filing asylum documents during their time in the United States.
Unlike the 19th-century Underground Railroad that helped slaves reach free- dom in the North, an act prohibited by Southern laws of the time, the Over- ' ground Railroad works within U.S. legal boundaries. Refugees are granted tempo- rary U.S. residency while readying their paperwork to enter Canada.
Even though LINCARA and other Cen- tral American refugee groups around the nation have closed, Hofer cautions Chris- tians against losing themselves in a "cloud of hope." Repression continues unabated in Guatemala, and is growing in Honduras Nicaragua and El Salvador, while no longer at war, are unstable. The region's future remains uncertain at best.
CHURCH NEWS
Hurricane Andrew video released. Akron, Pa. (MCC)— Viewing the rubble caused by Hurricane Andrew in Homestead, Fla., are Phil Martin and his daughter. A new Mennonite Central Committee video, Hurricane Andrew: The Church Without Walls, tells how the Mennonite Disaster Service and the Homestead Mennonite Church are working to rebuild. The video is available from MCC headquarters in Akron, Pa., or Winnipeg, Man., or from local MCC offices.
MMA board studies mutual fund possibility
Chicago (MMA)— Mutual funds could be available through Mennonite Mutual Aid (MMA) in 1993 following action by the MMA board of directors in Chicago, Dec. 4-5.
Results of a recent survey showed a majority of Anabaptists favor having MMA offer mutual funds. More than a third of those surveyed already have money invested in a mutual fund.
J. B. Miller, vice-president of Financial Services, said offering mutual funds is not a new direction for MMA but is a logical extension of what is already being done.
He noted there are several thousand mutual funds in existence, but only a handful are governed by ethical invest- ment guidelines; most of those do not directly address Anabaptist concerns.
Preliminary study by the staff indicates MMA would begin by offering three mu- tual funds: a money market fund, an intermediate bond fund, and a common stock fund.
Board member Ted Koontz, Elkhart, Ind., raised objections to the idea, saying he believes offering mutual funds will encourage church members to "build big- ger barns" and accumulate riches.
While he made it clear he is not opposed to the concept of mutual funds, he said church agencies need to develop a pos- ture of generosity and sharing. The church does not need to add its voice to society's call for saving and investing, he suggested.
Other board members did not agree with Koontz's position. Lee Roy Berry, Jr., Goshen, Ind., said his research on the history of MMA led him to believe offer- ing mutual funds fits the vision of the original founders.
"If you believe that our religious beliefs should touch every aspect of our lives, then there in nothing in our lives [finan- cially] that MMA shouldn't touch," he said.
Lester Kropf, Albany, Ore., said he disagreed with Koontz that mutual funds are not part of MMA's mission. He said people can use tools like mutual funds to provide for themselves and still be gener- ous by making provisions for their families and churches.
The board voted to direct the MMA staff to continue with final planning for mutual funds. The issue will be brought to the board's meeting on May 6-7 for final consideration. If approved, a tentative
schedule calls for mutual funds to be offered to members in late summer or early fall 1993.
In other business, the board was in- formed that MMA's health plan member- ship increased in September, October, and November — the first time increases have been reported since 1988.
Howard Brenneman, MMA president, told the board he expects to see more change in the insurance industry over the next five years than in any other industry in the United States.
Brenneman was at a meeting of the Health Insurance Association of America (HIAA) in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 30 when that organization reversed many years of opposition to government-man- dated health coverage.
HIAA is now calling for federal laws requiring employers to provide health coverage for employees, Brenneman said. He noted HIAA's position is remarkably similar to a set of guiding principles ap- proved this year by the MMA board.
Brenneman said he believes the country is embarking on a period of change in the health care system that is unprecedented. The challenge for MMA is to be a leader in that process and not a follower.
The board heard a report on a recent
survey exploring the area of property and casualty insurance, such as auto and homeowner's insurance. A major goal for 1993 is to make a decision about MMA's future in this area.
In other business, the board approved the corporate plan and budget for 1993. The board also agreed to spend part of the next meeting talking about restruc- turing the board's organization. The cor- porate structure was recently revised, and there is some feeling the current board structure is no longer adequate.
MHS helps relieve hurricane headaches
Homestead, Fla, (MCC U.S.)— "Photo- graphs can show whole city blocks flat- tened by a hurricane, but they cannot show the fears of children who cry and scream when the next heavy rain falls," says Paul M. Miller of Lititz, Pa.
"Photos can show streets piled with debris and discarded waterlogged furni- ture, but they can't show the dazed horror of elderly people alone in their rain- soaked rooms 10 weeks later when the stench of mildew starts to ooze out of walls and floors," he adds.
Miller, a professor of pastoral counsel-
10 / JANUARY 5, 1993 / GOSPEL HERALD
CHURCH NEWS
ing, worked in Homestead, Fla., Nov. 3-9 as a volunteer with Mennonite Health Services (MHS). MHS is working in the area alongside Homestead Mennonite Church and Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS).
As MDS workers restore homes dam- aged by Hurricane Andrew, MHS volun- teers help bind emotional wounds.
A recent article in the Miami Herald Tribune quoted a study of the Florida Health and Rehabilitation Services. Ac- cording to the study, 55 percent of Home- stead households report at least one fam- ily member is experiencing severe stress or other mental health problems.
Twelve percent said a household mem- ber was unemployed due to the storm.
"So the stresses go far beyond the loss of homes," says Sandy Kauffman, consul- tant to the MHS project in Florida and director of outreach and development ser- vices for Oaklawn, a psychiatric care fa- cility in Goshen, Ind.
Rohrer Eshleman, a retired missionary and emergency medicine physician from Landisville, Pa., is currently in Home- stead with MHS. He goes from home to home looking for people whose needs— either physical or emotional— have not yet been attended to.
A major frustration is in finding electri- cal and plumbing contractors to redo in- teriors of hurricane-gutted homes. While more stores reopen daily, people still face long lines at hardware stores and banks. The waits, the uncertainty, the long lines take their toll, Eshleman says.
"While MDS looks at a house, I look at the occupants' stress level," he says. "To- gether this is a holistic approach to look- ing at a family's needs.
"As soon as people find some hope, their emotional level improves dramati- cally," Eshleman relates.
He visited one man who had been in bed two days, severely depressed. He had received an insurance payment but could not decide how to spend it. Should he fix the roof or buy a small trailer for his family to live in? Eshleman talked with him and together they decided that MDS would help repair the roof.
"Within 10 minutes he was out of bed. It was the hope. It was almost like a laying on of hands," Eshleman relates.
Eli and Paula Stoltzfus of Elkhart, Ind., are doing similar work in Homestead. In January, George and Naomi Eby of Apple Valley, Calif., will join the team. The Ebys will coordinate short-term volunteers who will serve in community agencies and
projects for two weeks or more. Doris and Lester Glick of Sarasota, Fla., volunteer several days a week to consult with mem- bers of Homestead Mennonite Church as they adjust to many changes and losses.
MHS plans to work in Homestead for as long as MDS is there, at least for the next 18 months.— Emily Will
Church experiences deaf-oriented service
Ocean City, Md.— Ocean City Menno- nite Church is geared to the worship patterns of hearing people. Its three deaf members rely on an interpreter for their participation in the worship service.
On Nov. 8, however, the rest of the congregation had an "ear-opening" expe- rience. The service was presented in American Sign Language (ASL) and voiced for hearing members.
Around 25 deaf guests came from miles around to hear speakers Jeff and Jan Hoffer.
Jeff, director of Anabaptist Deaf Minis- tries, Riverdale, Md., emphasized the gift-
edness of both deaf and hearing people in his sermon. "Deaf people should be given the opportunity to use their gifts and be encouraged to develop potential skills," he said.
"God's viewpoint is different from the world's. When we see the way God sees, we put aside old stereotypes, recognizing ourselves as equals. Black, white or Na- tive American, man or woman, hearing or deaf — we can learn from each other."
During the Sunday school hour, Jan met with hearing adults, sharing personal ex- periences and important components of deaf culture.
Jeff met with the deaf class, sharing an ASL version of the Bible. Using the vid- eotape, he demonstrated how deaf people can study the Bible together in the clarity of their own first language.
That direct communication through ASL added a deeper dimension for all who attended. Hearing persons of the congregation commented on the freedom expressed in the language. One hearing member said, "What I can learn from the deaf is how to pray "—Joyce Hostetter
Leaders envision future for women's organization
Elkhart, Ind. (WMSC)— Two brain- storming sessions on the future of the Women's Missionary and Service Com- mission (WMSC) highlighted the fall meeting of the WMSC executive committee in Elkhart, Ind., Oct. 22-24.
The sessions served as stimulus to the ongoing process of restructuring WMSC. A model for structural changes will be proposed at the WMSC delegate meeting at Philadelphia 93, the biennial Mennonite Church general assembly.
Women staff and board members from Mennonite Board of Missions (MBM) joined WMSC executives for dinner and the first brainstorming session.
When Marian Hostetler, WMSC executive secretary, invited the MBM guests to share their perceptions of WMSC, responses came quickly: "a changing group"— "not set in agenda of 20 years ago"— "asking what to do next"— "Voice [WMSC publication] em- phasis on service and spirituality"— "collect money for worthy causes"— "no WMSC groups in newer churches, yet they have activities for women."
A lively discussion followed, struc- tured by WMSC president Terri Brenneman's questions: If there were an organization to meet the needs of
women, what would it be like? What is your mission vision for a Mennonite women's organization? What kind of women's organization excites you?
WMSC leaders met with Indiana- Michigan Conference officers. The two groups agreed on the importance of encouraging a deeper spiritual life, out of which a vision for mission will come.
Three committee members who rep- resent minority groups within the church gave reports on recent meetings. Rose Covington reported that WMSC travel scholarships enabled 15 people to at- tend the African-American Mennonite Association assembly held in Los Ange- les last August.
Esther Hinjosa said that 130 women attended the Hispanic Women's Confer- ence held last May at Goshen (Ind.) College. She also told about her regular visits to Mexico and her concern for impoverished women there. Hinjosa has arranged to have this year's WMSC devo- tional materials translated into Spanish.
Vernie Lee Gehman spoke about the United Native Ministries Council assem- bly held this past summer in Atmore, Ala.
In other business, a budget of $122,600 for fiscal year 1993-94 was approved— an increase of $1,300 from last year.
GOSPEL HERALD / JANUARY 5, 1 993 / 11
MENNOSCOPE
•MCC declines to sign. Men- nonite Central Committee (MCC) was one of 17 nongov- ernmental organizations (NGOs) working in Somalia that de- clined to sign a Nov. 10 letter to national security adviser Brent Scowcroft supporting United Nations military intervention in that country. In a written re- sponse to the association of NGOs that sent the letter to Scowcroft, MCC Africa co-sec- retary Eric J. Olfert wrote, "We recognize that the urgent and imperative humanitarian needs must be responded to, but the approach advocated [by the UN] seems to us to be fraught with danger, unlikely to succeed, and likely to have very unhelpful im- pact on the even more important task of encouraging and en- abling Somalis to rebuild their society. We would plead for more creativity in seeking ways to respond to the humanitarian needs which do not close off the peace processes which bring hope for the longer term." — The Christian Leader
• Activists pray for Haiti. At
the gates of the U.S. embassy, leaders of the united faith com- mittee of Americans working in Haiti met with the Christian Peacemaker Team for a prayer vigil on Dec. 16, the second anniversary of Haiti's first open democratic election. The vigilers prayed for a change in U.S. policy toward refugees, to- ward Haiti and its record of human rights abuses, and for the return to greater justice for all Haiti's people. Many expres- sions of gratitude for the em- powerment this vigil offered poured in from Haitian leaders and peasant groups. "You are able to say and do, on our behalf, what we want to say with our hearts but dare not unless we choose to say it with our lives," said one.
•Ministry changes name.
Northern Light Gospel Missions of Red Lake, Ont, has an- nounced a name change to Im- pact North Ministries. Mailing address in the United States remains Box 272, Loman, MN 56654; in Canada: Box 315, Red Lake, ON POV 2M0.
• Moscow center opens. A new
Mennonite center in Moscow re- cently celebrated its official opening. The center, sponsored by Mennonite Central Commit- tee (MCC), will house offices, a
library/meeting room, and some living space. The Commission on Overseas Mission of the Gen- eral Conference Mennonite Church will share office space and staff with MCC, as may some other Mennonite agencies.
• Earthquake hits Indonesia.
An earthquake registering 6.8 on the Richter scale hit Flores, an island in the Indonesian archi- pelago on Dec. 12. Reports indi- cate about 2,500 people have died. Mennonite Central Com- mittee gave $500 (U.S.) for im- mediate relief efforts and plans additional funding for long-term reconstruction. MCC has no workers on this island, but has historical ties to the province in which Flores is located.
• AMBS professor honored.
Retired professor Millard Lind was recently named professor emeritus of Old Testament at Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminaries, Elkhart, Ind. In ad- dition to having a seminary teaching career which spanned several decades — from the late 1950s to 1988— Lind has distin- guished himself in pastoring, ed- iting, and scholarship. He wrote Yahweh Is a Warrior, published in 1980, and edited the monthly magazine Christian Living for a number of years.
• School accredited. Hinkle- town Mennonite School, near Ephrata, Pa., has earned full accreditation from the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. Established in 1981 with 65 students, the school has grown to serve 199 students in kindergarten through grade eight.
• Scholarships awarded. Schol- arship awards totalling $10,200 were given this year through Women's Missionary and Ser- vice Commission (WMSC). The 1992-93 WMSC scholars are: Catherine Eyer and Rochelle Martin, Conrad Grebel College; Madeline Bender and Laureen Eshleman, Eastern Mennonite College; Marlene Reiff and Re- becca Jiminez Yoder, Goshen College; Jennifer Slabaugh and Jennifer Troyer, Hesston Col- lege; Erin Osinkosky, Eastern Mennonite Seminary; Charlotte Holsopple Glick and Lara Hall, Goshen Biblical Seminary; Beth Graybill, University of Mary- land; Klaudia Brady Smucker, Ashland Theological Seminary.
• Missionary transitions:
Allen and Irene Martin of Lake- wood, Colo., are returning to Brazil after 26 years. Their three-year assignment will be di- vided between leadership devel-
opment in five churches and teaching English as a second lan- guage. Martins are self-support- ing overseas mission associates with Mennonite Board of Mis- sions. Their address is c/o HIG Sul 703 Bloco K Casa 9, Brasilia, D.F. Brazil, South America.
• New books:
My Faith's OK, Your Faith's NOT by Duane Kauffman brings to- gether the theory and research of scientific psychology and the practice of religious faith. Avail- able from the author at Goshen College, Goshen, IN 46526.
The Wanners—An Early Lan- caster County, Pennsylvania, Mennonite Family by Irma Hess Stoltzfus sheds new light on a number of families in southeast- ern Pennsylvania. Available from Olde Springfield Shoppe, 10 W. Main St., Elverson, PA 19520.
• New resources:
African Tales, a new 23-minute Mennonite Central Committee video for primary grades, uses paintings and sound effects to tell three African fables. Inter- spersed with the stories, a per- son from South Africa talks with a group of children about life in Africa. For free loan from MCC, PO Box 500, 21 S. 12th St., Akron, PA 17501-0500; phone 717 859-1151. In Canada, 134 Plaza Drive, Winnipeg, MB R3T 5K9; phone 204 261-6381. Anabaptism Today, a magazine published three times a year by the Anabaptist Network, an in- dependent association of Chris- tians from many denominations. The magazine, subtitled "Chris- tian Discipleship in the Radical Tradition," is available for 5 English pounds from 10 Pet- worth Close, Frimley, Camber- ley, Surrey GU16 5XS, England. Jewelry Making in Mexico, a nine- minute video from Mennonite Central Committee, tells the story of a crafts cooperative which produces jewelry sold through Selfhelp Crafts of the World. For free loan from MCC. In the United States, phone 717 859-1151; in Canada, phone 204 261-6381. Somalia discussion guide contains a background to the crisis in Somalia, a discussion facili- tator's guide, and an outline of Mennonite Central Committee's response in Somalia. Available from MCC regional and provin- cial offices, and from PO Box 500, 21 S. 12th St., Akron, PA 17501-0500; phone 717 859-1151.
Goshen athletes come out in front. Goshen, Ind. (GC)— A group of seven fall athletes at Goshen (Ind.) College helped the school lead the nation in NAIA All-American Scholar- Ath- lete selections for combining excellence in athletics and academics. The seven athletes were the most from any school among fall sports in which Goshen participates. No other school across the country had more selections than five. To be eligible for the awards, juniors and seniors must be strong competitors and post at least a 3.5 grade point average.
The athletes, pictured here, are: front row (from left)— Maria Gerber, Dean Altstaetter, Emily Willems; back row— Eric Yordy, Pat Sauder, Scott Bodiker, J. J. Stuckey.
12 / JANUARY 5, 1993 / GOSPEL HERALD
MENNOSCOPE
MCC workers oriented. Akron, Pa. (MCC)— Some 34 work- ers took part in orientation held at Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) headquarters in Akron, Pa., Nov. 3-13. Pictured are Mennonite Church members: front row, left to right— Joanne Lingle, Indianapolis, Ind., to New Orleans, La.; Les and Gwen Gustafson-Zook with Si, Albany, Ore., to Portland, Ore.; back row— James Stutzman, Fairfax, Va., to Akron, Pa.; Carolyn Schrock-Shenk, Lancaster, Pa., to Akron, Pa.; Justo Navarro, La Ceiba, Honduras, to New York, N.Y.; Janet Weaver, Lititz, Pa., to Ephrata, Pa.
• Job openings:
Camp director, Crooked Creek Christian Camp, Washington, Iowa. Responsibilities include program development and di- rection including summer children's program, publicity and promotion, supervision of staff, and oversight of rental groups. Contact board chair Ed D. Miller, 400 4th St., Wellman, IA 52356.
Faculty and staff positions, Bluff- ton College, Bluffton, Ohio. Rec- reation management: Ph.D. (master's degree considered) and therapeutic recreation certification to teach courses in recreation management and coach. Director of media re- sources: Master's degree and li- brary media certification to teach courses in media methods and assume significant adminis- trative responsibilities. Business administration / management: Ph.D. or D.B.A. (M.B.A. consid- ered) to teach courses in orga- nizational management, orga- nizational development/ behavior, and possibly account- ing. Research librarian (possi- ble): M.L.S. Evidence or prom- ise of teaching excellence is
required. Positions are full-time beginning fall 1993. Screening begins Feb. 15. Reply to: Wil- liam Hawk, dean of academic affairs, Bluffton College, 280 W. College Ave., Bluffton, OH 45817-1196; phone 419 358-3317. Faculty and staff positions, Goshen College, Goshen, Ind. Foreign language: part-time, one-year, possible long-term appointment teaching elementary Spanish. Position will be open fall 1993. Ph.D. and native or near-native ability preferred. English: full- or part-time, one-year appoint- ment beginning fall 1993. Course load will consist mostly of writing courses, with one or more literature courses in the applicant's specialty. Back- ground in women's studies help- ful. Ph.D. preferred. Acting registrar: full-time position for 18 months, beginning June 1993. Responsibilities include main- taining academic records, advis- ing students, and managing stu- dent registration. Master's degree preferred. For all the above positions, send letter of application and resume to John W. Eby, academic dean, Goshen College, Goshen, IN 46526.
Home economics teacher, Lancas- ter Mennonite High School, Lancaster, Pa. Beginning sec- ond semester, Jan. 22. For more information, write or call the school at 2176 Lincoln Hwy. E., Lancaster, PA 17602; phone 717 299-0436.
Psychologists, Philhaven Hospital, Mt. Gretna, Pa. Facility oper- ated by Lancaster Conference has positions for doctoral-level psychologists with expertise in child/adolescent testing and therapy and/or specialty inter- est in women's therapy issues. Females preferred due to popu- lations served. Seeking individ- uals interested in actively integrating Christian faith with clinical practice. Send resume or contact Human Resources, Philhaven, PO Box 550, Mt. Gretna, PA 17064; phone 1 800 932-0359 in Pa., or 717 270-2451.
NEW MEMBERS
College, Goshen, Ind.: John and Kelli King, Jon Slough, Mabel Gerig, David and Dorothy Weaver, Erica Friesen, Doug Lehman, Janneken Smucker, Randy and Debbie Gunden, Mabel Brunk, Amie Koontz, Raymond and Kathryn Troyer, Esther Glick, Max and Lydia Mertz, Cloy Miller, Jan Scharf, Martha V. Yoder, and Mark Farmwald.
Deep Creek, Chesapeake, Va.: William Rushing, Daniel and Dorcas Bergey, Marvin and Yvonne Stutzman, Alan and Jo- anne York, and Lovie and Goldie York.
Emmanuel, Gainesville, Fla.:
Laura Lehman. Hopedale, 111.: Joni Litwiller, Lisa Litwiller, and Holly Nafziger.
Parkesburg, Pa.: Noah L. Hersh- ey HI and Parmalle Hershey.
Parkview, Kokomo, Ind.: Sarah Coon and Emily Whitehead.
Shantz, Baden, Ont.: Mark Baechler, Melanie Baechler, Lindsay Shantz, and John Sny- der.
Springdale Chapel, Cincinnati, Ohio: Dale and Tracy Allen.
Trinity, Morton, 111.: Amanda Ziegele, Melissa Kovach, Renee Click, Rachel Click, and Joy Rog- ers.
West Philadelphia, Pa.: Louis Silver, Doug Shenk, Jill Sheeler- Shenk, Ken Albone, Cindy Cassel, Dan Casto, Lauren Mc- Kinney, and Shawn Bleam.
West Union, Parnell, Iowa: Aaron Fleming and Rachel Smith.
BIRTHS
Comes, Ted and Susan Yancey, Sarasota, Fla., Benjamin Allen (fourth child), Dec. 7.
Fisher, Richard and Donna Helmuth, Logan, Ohio, (twins) Melody Elaine and Joanna Gail (fifth and sixth children), Dec. 9.
Gifford, Frank and Lavonne Cassel, Telford, Pa., Francis Jo- seph III (second child), Dec. 17.
Gingerich, Marty and Heidi Ul- rich, Pignon, Haiti, Elaina Etrenn (second child), Nov. 25.
Gingrich, Paul and Debra Diem, McAlisterville, Pa., Sara Eliza- beth, May 15.
Gray, Scott and Jana Emke, North Port, Fla., Tyler Scott (first child), Dec. 17.
Griffin, Elmer and Andrea Davis- Griffin, Los Angeles, Croix Al- exander (first child), Oct. 13.
Lehman, Kent and Kim Ropp, Kalona, Iowa, Michelle Haley (second child), Dec. 8.
c
A S A S
Spanish study and service in Guatemala
■ Two months quality language instruction
■ Central American history and culture „
■ Lodging with lower-income families
■ One- to four-month service assignment
■ Optional university credit
■ Contact with Central American Anabaptists
Spring term 1993: June 1-Aug. 25 Fall term 1993: Sept. 16-Dec. 10
For Information write:
CASAS Apartado 371-1, Montserrat, zona 7, Cd. de Guatemala AMERICA CENTRAL Tel ./FAX (01 1 -502-2) 72-3477
GOSPEL HERALD / JANUARY 5, 1 993 / 13
MENNOSCOPE
Martin, Glenn and Kaye Landis, Lewistown, Pa., (twins) Neil David and Nathan Scott (third and fourth children), Dec. 3.
Musselman, Kenneth and Eliza- beth Gerrie, Ariss, Ont., Katrina Elizabeth Danae (fifth child).
Ritchey, Lincoln and Jeana Brick, Woodbury, Pa., Tyler Paul (first child), Dec. 2.
Slabaugh, Bruce and Sandy Peachey, Nappanee, Ind., Re- becca Marie (second child), Dec. 2.
Stoesz, Randy and Ellen Hoover, Indianapolis, Ind., Connor Mark (third child), Nov. 1.
Wagner, Charles and Shari Miller, Indianapolis, Ind., Vi- enna Marie (first child), Sept. 15.
Yoder, Darrell and Ruby Bontrager, Sarasota, Fla., Mari- lyn Rachelle (second child), Nov. 11.
Yoder, Robert and Linda Spaienza, Sarasota, Fla., Jesse Aaron (first child), Oct. 12.
MARRIAGES
Ervin-SIabaugh: Mark Ervin, Nappanee, Ind., and Melissa Slabaugh, Wakarusa, Ind. (North Main Street), Dec. 4, by Ken Bontreger.
Fansler-Krock: Steven Fansler, West Liberty, Ohio, and Nancy Krock, Bellefontaine, Ohio (South Union), Nov. 27, by Randy Reminder.
Foster-Cooper: William Foster and Brandy Cooper, De Graff, Ohio (South Union), Nov. 28, by Randy Reminder.
Martin-Gingerich: Brent Lewis Martin, Kitchener, Ont. (First), and Susan Barbara Gingerich, Kitchener, Ont. (Danforth Morningside), Aug. 15, by Osiah Horst and Ken Bechtel.
McDermott-Kirkpatrick: Dan McDermott, Hatfield, Pa. (Upper Skippack), and Kim Kirkpatrick, Hatfield, Pa. (Upper Skippack), Nov. 14, by Ray Yoder.
Nichols-Letkemann: Tom Nich- ols, Pasadena, Calif. (Pasadena), and Carolyn Letkemann, Pasa- dena, Calif. (Pasadena), Dec. 19, by James E. Brenneman.
Russell-Miller: Paul Russell, Vir- ginia Beach, Va., and Charlene (Patsy) Miller, Virginia Beach, Va. (Mt. Pleasant), Nov. 28, by Addona Nissley.
Tijerina-Wyse: Jaime Tijerina, Archbold, Ohio, and Alicia Wyse, Archbold, Ohio (Lock- port), Dec. 12, by Allen Rutter.
Walters-Yoder: Rick Walters, In- dianapolis, Ind. (Episcopal), and Sanna Yoder, Indianapolis, Ind. (First), Oct. 17, by Craig Over- myer.
DEATHS
Atkinson, Sandra Kay (Farley),
55, Wellman, Iowa. Born: Feb. 13, 1957, Walcott, Iowa, to Charles E. and Verla (Cherry) Farley. Died: Dec. 11, 1992, Iowa City, Iowa. Survivors — hus- band: Donald Atkinson; chil- dren: Lori Sexton, Deb Seward, Karla Stout, Mark; brothers and sisters: Charles, Fred, Ray, Richard, Mildred Taylor, Doro- thy King, Susan Hein; 12 grand- children. Funeral and burial: Dec. 14, East Union Mermonite Church, by Michael Loss and Noah Helmuth. Bast, Emerson, 75, Heidelberg, Ont. Born: Feb. 20, 1917, Wellesley Twp., Ont., to Jacob and Catherine (Albrecht) Bast. Died: Dec. 10, 1992, Kitchener, Ont., of a heart attack. Survi- vors—wife: Lucinda Mary Bast; children: William, Linda Wal- pole; brother and sisters: Rob- ert, Edna Gerber, Erma Gerber, Esther Jantzi; 5 grandchildren. Funeral and burial: Dec. 13, Mapleview Mennonite Church, by Victor Dorsch. Bontrager, Emery, 83, Hutchin- son, Kan. Born: March 13, 1909, Yoder, Kan., to John M. and Fannie (Yoder) Bontrager. Died: Dec. 8, 1992, Hutchinson, Kan., of a stroke. Survivors — wife: Bernice I. (Miller) Bontrager; children: Barry, Emery, Gloria Hostetler, Karen Hadley; brother: Jerry J.; 9 grandchil- dren, 3 great-grandchildren. Fu- neral: Dec. 11, South Hutchin- son Mennonite Church, by Richard Headings and Howard Wagler. Burial: Yoder Menno- nite Cemetery, Yoder, Kan. Brenneman, Mary Magdalene (Hershberger), 84, Kalona, Iowa. Born: Jan. 5, 1908, Kalona, Iowa, to Ephraim and Dorinda (Kempf) Hershberger. Died: Dec. 9, 1992, Washington, Iowa, of injuries from an automobile accident. Survivors — husband: Clark Brenneman; children: Richard, George, Jay Stewart; brothers and sisters: Ralph H, Sam H, Edna Hostetler, Bar- bara Hershberger; 7 grandchil- dren, 2 great-grandchildren. Fu- neral: Dec. 12, Kalona Mennonite Church, by David Groh, Scott Swartzendruber,
Robert K. Yoder, David L. Yoder. Burial: Lower Deer Creek Cemetery.
Detrow, Homer Ivan, 82, Colum- biana, Ohio. Born: July 23, 1910, Fairfield Twp., Ohio, to Amos M. and Fanny (Senger) Detrow. Died: Dec. 2, 1992, Salem, Ohio. Survivors — wife: Margaret Gallagher Detrow; son: Ken Gallagher; 2 grandchildren. Congregational membership: Leetonia Mennonite Church. Funeral: Dec. 5, Warrick- Kummer Funeral Home, Colum- biana, Ohio, by Robert D. Yoder. Burial: Franklin Union Baptist Church Cemetery.
Detweiler, Clarence Roy, 89, Kalona, Iowa. Born: April 26, 1903, Parnell, Iowa, to Ed and Elizabeth (Henning) Detweiler. Died: Dec. 5, 1992, Kalona, Iowa. Survivors — children: Marion, Wallace, Trula Zimmerly, Mar- jorie Miller; 16 grandchildren, 6 great-grandchildren. Prede- ceased by: Sarah E. Slaubaugh (wife) and Cecil (son). Funeral and burial: Dec. 8, West Union Mennonite Church, by Merv Birky.
Godshall, Ruth M. (Snyder), 83,
Morwood, Pa. Born: Dec. 28, 1908, Berks County, Pa., to Ben- jamin and Agnes (Hertzog) Sny- der. Died: Dec. 14, 1992, Mor- wood, Pa. Survivors — husband: Horace B. Godshall; children: Marilyn S. Derstine, Horace B., Jr.; sister: Esther Miller; 12 grandchildren, 21 great-grand- children. Predeceased by: Har- old (son) and Arlene (infant daughter). Funeral and burial: Dec. 17, Franconia Mennonite Church, by Floyd Hackman, John Ehst, and Russell Detweiler.
Landis, Estella B. (Young), 86, Sellersville, Pa. Born: April 2, 1906, Salford Twp., Pa., to Allen M. and Sallie (Boyer) Young. Died: Dec. 11, 1992, Sellersville, Pa., of coronary artery disease. Survivors — children: Merrill Y., Alvin Y., Walton Y., Elva Y. Worthington, Eileen Y. Frantz, Marilyn Y. Nase; sisters: Verna B. Alderfer, Mandelin B. Souder; 17 grandchildren; 21 great-grandchildren. Prede- ceased by: Alvin M. Landis (hus- band) and Ralph Y. Landis (son). Funeral and burial: Dec. 16, Blooming Glen Mennonite Church, by Truman H. Brunk.
Reschly, Alice Edith (Roth), 78, Wayland, Iowa. Born: May 14, 1914, Trenton, Iowa, to Peter G. and Lena (Egli) Roth. Died: Dec. 8, 1992, Newton, Kan., of a heart attack. Survivors — chil-
dren: Jeannene Mast, Linda Schrock, Lois Stauffer; brother: Ivan E. Roth; 9 grandchildren. Predeceased by: John Reschly (husband) and Jane Diller (daughter). Funeral: Dec. 13, Hesston Mennonite Church, by David Mann and Ron Guengerich. Burial: East Lawn Cemetery. Steckly, Jonathan, 96. Born: Aug. 27, 1896, Perth County, Ont., to Joseph W. and Lydia (Jantzi) Steckly. Died: Nov. 26, 1992, Tavistock, Ont. Survi- vors—children: Katie Ann Helmuth, Leona Erb, Irwin. Pre- deceased by: Fannie (Zehr) Steckly (wife) and Eileen Kropf (daughter). Funeral: Nov. 29, Tavistock Mennonite Church, by Darrel Toews and Elmer Schwartzentruber. Burial: East Zorra Mennonite Cemetery. Troyer, LaVern D„ 82, Hutchin- son, Kan. Born: Feb. 15, 1910, Harper County, Kan., to Dave and Katie (Reber) Troyer. Died: Nov. 24, 1992, Hutchinson, Kan., of a stroke. Survivors — wife: Gladys (Burton) Troyer; chil- dren: Larry, Donald, Dwayne, Alfred, Tharen Herl, Karen Col- dren; brothers and sister: Virgil, David, Velma Schmidt; 13 grandchildren. Funeral: Nov. 28, South Hutchinson Mennonite Church, by Howard Wagler. Burial: Hunt Cemetery, King- man, Kan. Walter, W. Henry, 75, Telford, Pa. Born: Oct. 26, 1917, Line Lexington, Pa., to Allen S. and Lizzi N. (Kulp) Walter. Died: Dec. 5, 1992, Sellersville, Pa. Survivors — wife: Naomi H. (Bergey) Walter; children: Leon- ard B., Daniel B.; brothers: Car- roll K., Theodore R; 6 grand- children. Predeceased by: Orie B. (son). Funeral and burial: Dec. 10, Line Lexington Menno- nite Church, by Lowell H. Delp. Wyse, John J., 99, Archbold, Ohio. Born: Aug. 8, 1893, Archbold, Ohio, to Menno and Mary (Baer) Wyse. Died: Dec. 2, 1992, Archbold, Ohio. Survi- vors— son: Marlin D.; sister: Minnie; 10 grandchildren, 22 great-grandchildren, one great- great-grandchild. Predeceased by: Ida (Nofziger) Wyse (wife) and Lila Mae (daughter). Fu- neral: Dec. 5, Central Mennonite Church, by Charles Gautsche and Wilmer Hartman. Burial: Pettisville Cemetery.
Obituary correction: Ira J. Buck- waiter (Dec. 8, 1992, Gospel Her- ald) is survived by his daughter, Marian E.
14 / JANUARY 5, 1993 / GOSPEL HERALD
Resources for the Road
Picking Up the Pieces When Marriage Ends Starting Over
On their wedding day, countless couples promise to love each other as long as they both shall live. But nearly half of all marriages crumble in divorce. And death brings a shocking end to others. Starting over is not easy especially for women who must begin again in mid-life. Drawing on stories (including her own) of women whose lives have been shattered by divorce or death, Joyce J. Tyra offers understanding and inspiration. She describes the recovery process and offers hope that even broken lives can be made new. Paper, $5.95; in Canada $7.50.
A Year of Resources for Enjoying the Presence of God Daily Fellowship with God
Using these daily meditations by Larry W. Wilson, readers are invited to fill their hearts with praise, be challenged to seek Gods will, set daily goals for exercising their faith, claim the promises of God, and pray with thanksgiving Here is a way to overcome negative moods, attitudes, and perceptions-to "take every thought captive and make it obey Christ" (2 Cor. 10:5, TEV). Readers can fight back by saturating their conscious and subconscious minds with thoughts and words that lead to uplifting daily fellowship with God. Paper, $7.95; in Canada $9.95.
Life on the Road
Athol Gill examines discipleship: the call, the cost, possessions, community, mission, power, prayer, and grace. Each chapter begins with Jesus, examines three Gospel texts, relates them to life today, and offers questions to help study groups or individuals discern present meaning. Gill counters popular teaching of comfortable Christianity and calls us to rediscover an authentic Christian lifestyle based on Jesus and the Gospels.
Paper, $11.95; in Canada $14.95.
Vultures and Butterflies: Living the Contradictions
Susan Classen's nine years in Bolivia and El Salvador brought intense personal experiences-an appendicitis attack in an isolated Bolivian village, being arrested and caught in cross fire in El Salvador, challenging relationships. Identifying with survivors of poverty and oppression raised questions about nonviolence and God's presence in the midst of suffering.
Classen's personal losses and life in war-torn El Salvador overwhelmed her. While on retreat for several months, she remembered the day she saw butterflies dancing near vultures in search of cadavers. Through that image she identified the theme of contradictions and realized she was living the biblical truth that hope springs from suffering, life from death, strength from weakness. Paper, $7.95; in Canada $9.95.
Available through your local bookstore or by calling 1 800 759-4447; in Canada call 519 746-2872 (Provident Bookstores— MC, Visa, Discover). If ordering by mail, please include 10% for shipping— minimum $2.00. Canadian customers, add 7% of total for GST.
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THE LAST WORD
Power, Sex, and now money
The beginning of a new year is a good time to take stock of where one has been and where one might be headed. I have a friend who's done that for me for Gospel Herald:
"Your first year as editor [1991] was one for dealing with power," says this friend. He cites our material on the Persian Gulf War and on church membership for military personnel.
"Your second [1992] was the year of sex." My friend's examples: stories of sexual abuse and sexual misconduct by church leaders, followed by scores of letters debating the subject.
What will 1993 bring for Gospel Herald! "Is this the year of money?" asks my friend, who be- lieves the world revolves around those three is- sues: power, sex, and money. (With friends like that. . .!)
All indications are my friend could very well be right. In every meeting I've attended the last three months— be it churchwide, conference, or congregation— money has surfaced as the num- ber one issue on everybody's mind.
Churchwide agencies report fewer contribu- tions to their budgets. Conference offices say they are struggling. Both indicate more money is staying in local congregations. But even here treasurers report things are tight, with members more interested in giving to special projects than to unified budgets.
So in 1993, mission boards, congregational ser- vice agencies, and conference offices may all need to cut program and staff. At its last meet- ing, General Board set up a committee to study restructuring the Mennonite Church because of decreased contributions. Plans call for a pro- posal to be ready as early as July for General As- sembly delegates in Philadelphia.
The church, then, is facing a host of money-re- lated questions in a new year. Among them are these:
/. What is the message churchwide agen- cies should take from the downturn in contri- butions? Churchwide structures were put in place by congregations, presumably, to do work they could not do alone. Has that changed? Or have churchwide programs become irrelevant to congregational life and thought? Perhaps struc- tures have outgrown their supporting constitu- ency. Or has that constituency grown tired of giv-
ing to remote programs, finding more excitement in local projects?
2. Is the trend to keep more money at home to be applauded or critiqued? One way to view localism is as education paying off. For the past 40 years, churches have been told to become involved in local missions, to support Mennonite higher education, to pay their leadership well. Today's money tends to follow those commitments.
The other view is not so optimistic. The trend to fund local over churchwide projects is another sign of our culture pushing us toward provincial- ism and individualism. We're spending more money on ourselves. What we do give we want to go to programs that either benefit us or are under our control.
3. Are we still committed to being an inter- national church? Missions of the past years can be seen as a vote to become a global church. Is that still true? Is it true enough to make us willing to become partners with Menno- nite churches around the world that developed out of those missions?
As noted in a news story this issue (page 10), this question is a crucial one for structures like Mennonite World Conference, which says it can only remain a viable organization with more funding from the West. But at a meeting with World Conference leaders, Mennonite and Bre- thren executives said— based on what they thought they heard from us, their constituen- cies—that no more funds were available. Is that right? Have we reached our limit for becoming a global church?
So who will answer these questions? I sus- pect that churchwide boards— and even the district conference offices — have too much at stake to do so convincingly for any of us. They can do the asking. But the answers must come from those of us in congregations— the ones who give Sunday after Sunday. We're the ones who will have to make the decisions about where our money should go and how it should be used.
Those will be tough questions for 1993 and be- yond. They will tax our energies and creativity every bit as much as have past challenges from sex and power.— jlp
January 12, 1993
Military force permits yesterday's starving children to eat today. That fact raises tough questions for Mennonites and other peace churches (see page 6).
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE
Gospel Herald
THE WEEKLY MAGAZINE OF THE MENNONITE CHURCH
So much of church history is about struggles for power and theological conflicts, not about a people who work for justice and love and humility.
Walk humbly with your God
*m 1 1 ju
When armed force is used to make relief work possible
Toward a sustainable peace in Somalia . .
Urban ministry directors discuss funding options
6
8
9
_iat does the Lord require of you," asks the prophet in Micah 6:8, "but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" But how do you walk humbly before God when you live in a set- ting where you can control everything?
You know what your income will be. When you go shopping, you know stores will have a wide se- lection of everything you need (and don't need). You know you will be able to pay, that the bank- ing system will function and honor your check, or extend you credit. If there is an accident, you have your MMA policy or VISA card to cover things.
Everything is under control, as we often say. So how can an awareness of the God of love and justice truly suffuse our lives?
If what God requires of us is to seek justice, to show loving kindness, and to live humbly, then it follows that the entire story of the people 0f God— the history of Christianity— would have justice, love, and humility as primary categories. But how many church history books are actually organized according to those themes? Is it not
by
Walter Sawatsky
O JAN 12 '95
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We need to give way to those who know how to walk humbly before God. Those so accustomed to power and prestige must look again to those who are weak.
more common to read about struggles for power or theological conflicts?
Indeed, how much of our theological writing gives primary emphasis to justice, love, and hu- mility? It is as if we all know about the importance of humility but seldom see it as part of reality.
It's time to take another look at humility. We can do so, first, by calling to mind the ways in which the biblical prophets pronounce judgment on our persistent tendency toward proud piety. Second, we can recall our own Mennonite people's complicated experience of humility. And third, we can look to those inadvertently weak and humble witnesses to God's love and power in the world today.
1 Fooling God with piety. The words of the prophet Micah emerged out of a context of societal abuses because of an increase in wealth in Israel. The charges of abuse, as de- tailed throughout the sermons of Micah, de- scribe techniques for overcharging the poor or for making a profit out of a crisis situation. Those societal inequities were already leading to a breakdown, but not everyone wanted to recog- nize the symptoms.
In other words, the context of Micah 6 has a very modern ring to it. As North American Men- nonites, we have become very wealthy. We are fully part of the system— a system that some ex- perts claim has already entered into decline, with serious, long-term crises likely to occur.
Other preachers of Micah's day preferred to offer a moderating influence. Their sermons made light of the situation, saying, "Disgrace will not overtake us" (2:6). They tried to keep the peace by not challenging the injustices around them.
But for Micah, such preaching was false preaching. He was gripped by his awareness of a living God, a God who was real, immediate, rele- vant. This God cared about what was happening in the world of business, expected fair and just deals, and expected periodic debt forgiveness to give the poor another chance. How law and jus- tice were dispensed in the courts was relevant to Micah's God. Indeed, in all human relationships, God expected behavior that would honor the cov- enant that the people had made with God.
So when Micah asked the question, "What does the Lord require of you?" he was not merely theorizing about what kind of piety is to be preferred. For the oppressed, the situation was desperate. The future of Israel was at stake.
The typical response of people then and now has been to try to appease God. We promise to
go to church more regularly again, and maybe even start taking Sunday school more seriously. Perhaps a more carefully planned worship ser- vice would renew our spirituality, we muse— just as in Old Testament days when the people thought that with a few extra sacrifices they could get by again.
Yet the word of the Lord through Micah was not a recommendation about public piety. It was a call for authentic living— to walk humbly be- fore God.
This was a life most fully demonstrated by the suffering servant that was Jesus Christ. Again and again, Jesus challenged the proud pieties of the scribes and Pharisees, those respected reli- gious leaders of society. They got all the sacri- fices and rules right, but failed to show love and act justly.
Repeatedly Jesus would seek out people of low esteem, often embarrassing his hosts with the company he brought to the dinner table. When even his closest disciples kept asking about being the greatest in the coming kingdom, Jesus instructed them to give pride of place to ' someone else.
A model of humility was among the last object lessons Jesus left behind. He put a towel around his waist, took the bowl of water, and set about washing the disciples' feet. It is a lesson re- peated by the Christian church throughout the centuries.
2 Humility in Anabaptist-Mennonite histo- ry. When the Anabaptist movement emerged out of the Reformation, its leaders called for a church that eschewed power and glory. They talked about a radical discipleship which meant yielding to God, often using the word Gelassenheit to explain what they meant. Suffering, self-denial, Nachfolge, Gelassenheit— these were all variations on the word: humility. This humility should characterize the life of each true Christian, they said.
Soon early Anabaptists had developed explicit rules on how Christian humility should be ex- pressed. In 1568, for example, tailors were urged to make only simple clothing. People were not to wear anything "for pride's sake."
Early Anabaptism was soon characterized by suffering and persecution. But the new immi- grants to America came to a land of religious freedom. At worst some of their quaint ways might be ridiculed, but except for cases of pres- sure during times of war, suffering was no longer the mark of a true Christian. Seeing that situation, a Mennonite preacher,
2 / JANUARY 12, 1993 / GOSPEL HERALD
Heinrich Funck, wrote that the reason American Mennonites were no longer suffering was that nonresistant Christians had sought political power, wealth, and other marks of status. Suffer- ing would return, he said, if Jesus' followers would be more humble.
Not long thereafter, Christian Burkholder, a minister in Lancaster, Pa., published A Helpful and Edifying Address to Youth (1804). In it, Burkholder argued that Jesus' followers should be marked by humility. A second edition of that book carried the endorsement of 27 church lead- ers of the Lancaster community. Were one to summarize the central theme of U.S. Mennonite history for the next 75 years, it would be with that word: humility.
Humility theology became the test of faith- fulness. In the climate of exuberance as the new American republic came into being, Mennonite humility theology allowed them to retain some distance from the potential new idols of U.S. patriotism and militarism. Perhaps this is why Mennonites as a denomination held onto their pacifism when other pacifist church bodies began placing loyalty to flag and country ahead of their pacifism during the Civil War and World Wars I and II.
Perhaps the biblical call to walk humbly now allows us to see other features of our Mennonite story, aspects which we might prefer to ignore. It feels so good to be known popularly as the plain and simple people— the ones who help after a hurricane— the church that gives propor- tionally more to the Bible society than almost any other denomination. But we know enough about the rest of the
"Humility" doesn't make the index of the latest volume describing Mennonites. Was it an oversight, or is this some- thing that has eroded away?
world to recognize how embarrassingly rich we have become. We know how deeply we have adapted to the North American culture of materi- alism and individualism.
At first we were shocked at the prevalence of sexual abuse in U.S. society. Now we are learn- ing to acknowledge the presence of violence against women and children in our own ranks.
Even some of our leaders have abused their power over counselees, keeping things quiet by appealing to humility theology and expecting the subordinated ones to submit.
We can now look at the mirror of ourselves provided by the Driedger-Kauffman study, Men- nonite Mosaic. According to those findings, the majority of us have made the transition to the ways of modernity. Yet we still affirm the major Anabaptist beliefs, although some of the inten- sity of that commitment may be eroding.
Maybe the Mennonite Mosaic editors merely ^ forgot to include the word humility in the book's index; you won't find it there. Or maybe the theme of humility belongs to that which has eroded away.
3 Learning from the weak and the hum- ble. I recently returned from six weeks in the country that was once the United States' greatest enemy: the Soviet Union. After this powerful entity collapsed, one could look around to see which people were still respected. They turned out to be the religious people— a group who had never lost their sense of a God of justice and love, forgiveness and reconciliation.
Most of those powerful agents of change did not notice their own power. Theirs was a natural humility. They were surprised when university departments invited them to give a lecture on family values or on how to form marriages that last. They did not know a formula for the moral recovery of their society. But they could tell what Jesus Christ had done in their lives.
It was while living with such Christians in Rus- sia and neighboring countries that I most often felt humbled before God. Things were out of con- trol. Prices were skyrocketing, the system was collapsing, the food supply was uncertain.
Constantly I turned to God with simple re- quests. Will there be a hotel room? Can I get a ticket to the next city? Will we ever get out of Si- beria and safely home? And God answered.
There was a time when Mennonites looked to Russia for leadership. The Russian Mennonites of the last century were the largest and best or- ganized part of our fellowship.
An organized Mennonite church in the former USSR is no more. But a small remnant remains. The Mennonite Church of Karaganda, once the largest Kirchliche congregation with over 300 members, is down to 80. The elder has left, and of the nine men still attending, only four can preach. Only one can promise he will not leave for Germany soon. Yet those preachers keep busy. Two travel by
(continued on page 7)
GOSPEL HERALD / JANUARY 1 2, 1 993 / 3
Then Peter began to speak to them, "I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him." —Acts 10:34-35, NRSV
Gospel Herald
Editor: J. Lome Peachey
Assistant Editor: Cathleen Hockman
Editorial consultants: George R. Brunk m, Richard A. Kauffman, Martha Kolb-Wyckoff, Stuart Showalter, Diane Zaerr
Gospel Herald (ISSN 0017-2340) is published weekly, except for the third week of August and the first week of December, for the Mennonite Church by the Mennonite Pub- lishing House. Subscription rate (in U.S. dol- lars): $27.25 per year; outside U.S. and Canada (air mail delivery): $47.25 per year. Group and bulk rates available. Call 1 800 245-7894.
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Vol. 86, No. 2: Jan. 12, 1993
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Credits: Cover and page 6 by World Concern, page 9 by Larry Bartel, page 10 by Brian Arbuckle, page 11 by Shirley E. Yoder, page 12 by Howard Zehr, page 13 by Dale D. Gehman.
READERS SAY
Each week I look with anticipation to the arrival of Gospel Herald. Three items in two recent issues continue to stay with me:
1. The last letter in "Readers Say" (Nov. 17), by "Name Withheld by Re- quest." We have here a co-believer who understands the German word geistig (the fusing of the spiritual and the intel- lectual), one who possesses the gift of capturing emotion and thought suc- cinctly and creatively. The impact of her word-picture is worth that of a thou- sand dissertations.
2. Who's in Charge Here, Anyway? (Dec. 15). The implication here is that all of us together are needed to work at enlarging Christ's realm of love— this earthly (and celestial) reality called the church. Your idea of the buck stopping with us makes the church truly "we," not "they." Heaven forbid that we ever again come to understand the church as "they" (e.g., the clergy), which invari- ably boils down to the church as an "it" (dogma, and the so-called rules and dis- cipline).
3. What Should We Believe About Women and Leadership? (Dec. 15). Brunk's point that our own experience colors our understanding of Scripture is, of course, true. To lift out Paul for sake of discussion, in this case, is valid for making Brunk's intended point. An- other vital point— bedrock for most of our Anabaptist-Mennonite ancestors- is our Christocentric approach to all of Scripture, to both Old Testament and New Testament writings. Just as David and Solomon do not measure up to Christ, neither does Paul. In this re- gard, we would do well to view the idea of women in leadership from the stand- point of the Jesus of history and of the apostolic tradition, as seen in the Gos- pels and in the Acts of the Apostles.
Leonard Gross Goshen, Ind.
If I Were a Voting Mennonite (Oct. 27). Your voice was one of the few I heard that raised the issue of the in- ternational context in which we live. As a person who lives in the so-called "third world" but was present in the U.S. during the elections, I was im- pressed with the self-centered concerns expressed. Everyone seemed to be in- terested in what would better their own condition. Concerns were expressed about Christian values, but the golden rule did not seem to be one of these.
You indicated that we as individuals must lower our expectations in light of world needs and conditions. Amen! But we can raise our expectations of what God can do in the world if we are will- ing and ready to limit our own life style. We might hope that world condi- tions can be improved through good for eign policy; but if Christians are faith- ful, then much must be done through the church.
As members of Christ's worldwide church, we must take into account fel- low Christians around the world. If we believe that we should vote, maybe we should ask for advice from Christians in other countries. Or on the spiritual and physical needs of others in relation to our own concerns regarding our living standards. I would challenge North Americans to look beyond their own sit- uation and try to understand what it means to "love your neighbor as yourself."
One other item, a correction: In the Nov. 17 Mennoscope, you report the 60th anniversary of a church in Paraguay, "said to be the first Menno- nite church building in South America." Actually this is the oldest church build- ing in Paraguay. The first South Ameri- can Mennonite churches were in Argen- tina and several buildings, still used, were built before the Menno Colony was started in Paraguay. Delbert Erb
Buenos Aires, Argentina
I am a reader of the Bible, The Wash- ington Post, and Gospel Herald: the Bible for truth and guidance to get me through this world, the Post to keep abreast where the world is taking itself, and the Gospel Herald for ... , well, sometimes I wonder myself.
On Dec. 8, I read a front page article in the Post about the New York school's "rainbow" curriculum. "The su- perintendent wants all city children to be taught respect for homosexuals as early as first grade." By the time I got to the end of the article, I was de- pressed with the moral condition of our country. I went on to work and re- gained some strength to face this "adul- terous and sinful generation."
I returned home for lunch and read in Gospel Herald that came in the mail that day about the same issue! I read a plea that "the discussion of the appro- priate role in the church for gay and les- bian Mennonites can continue." The tone of the Post and Gospel Her-
4 / JANUARY 12, 1993 / GOSPEL HERALD
READERS SAY
aid sounded like it was coming from the same spirit. What was to be a spiritual lift to return to work on was instead a depression over the moral condition of the church.
Later in the day I read in the Bible, "Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be par- takers with them" (Eph. 5:6-7, NASB).
I understand from Scripture that ho- mosexual and lesbian acts are sin be-
fore God. The church is to be in the ministry of delivering people from the bondage on sin. The Post and Gospel Herald seem to be in the work of affirm- ing and comforting people in their sins. The mandate of the church is to preach (and publish) the message of its founder and leader, "Repent ye, and be- lieve the gospel." I'm vexed in spirit to see that the church and the world are talking the same basic language.
Simon Schrock
Fairfax, Va.
Christmas cards and form letters
Christmas 1992 brought Gospel Herald a rash of mail in response to the article, Friendship Can Survive 'Ugly'; but Will It Survive Mass Marketing?
(Dec. 15). Our policy has been to print as much as possible of the letters we re- ceive. But because of the volume of mail on this article, we have space to use only excerpts from each letter. None of those we've received to date are form letters. —Editor
I rush to the defense of those who use form letters this season. Appar- ently we are more fortunate in our friends and acquaintances than is the writer of this extremely negative point of view. Those printed letters that come our way are far from "unfriendly" "full of lies," "barriers to intimacy," or any of the other unpleasant charges.
I prefer a typed, printed letter that brings us up-to-date on persons that we care about and who care enough about us to share the highs and lows of their year. This is better than penning a quick note which may say little beyond the usual pious sentiments.
My only disappointment with such let- ters has come when the writers bypass news of their families or their work and proceed to present a Christmas ser- mon—with which the period between Thanksgiving and Christmas is already teeming. Or when otherwise generous and lively letters begin with an apology for the form in which they come. Miriam S. hind Goshen, Ind.
My husband and I would have thought that near Christmas we could pick up Gospel Herald and read something more meaningful
than one person's opinion about Christ- mas form letters.
We have many friends out of state, and we send them a "form" letter each Christmas. We also receive many of them. We enjoy writing ours and re- ceiving theirs. We don't feel "neglected" by receiving them. We feel honored that friends included us on their list.
We don't write our letter to brag about our year's accomplishments. We include positive events as well as disap- pointments. It's a letter from the heart, written to people we care about.
Sharon Smith
Holland, Ohio
We love getting cards at Christ- mas—any kind of cards. I don't see any of the cards I re- ceive as gaudy or sleazy. To me each card and each form letter is a thread that helps me hold on to friends in widely disparate places. Thank God for the Christmas spirit that causes us to think of old friends and try to keep the friendship alive in whatever way we can. Adeline Metzler East Lansing, Mich.
We too receive a large dose of mail at Christmas: homemade cards, personal notes, and mass- produced "year-end reports." During the first week of December, I read most of the latter; during the second week I eagerly scan the bottom for a personal note, and toward Christmas I just lay them aside to be read all in one sit- ting—on New Year's Day, perhaps. . . .
After a while it all becomes a blur, and you forget whose grandchild had a second tooth by November, who caught
a medium-sized fish in Turkey Lake in July, and who achieved first honorable mention for her cherry pies at the county fair. However, I do remember the year-end epistle laced with delight- ful preposterous insanity that is in itself a parody of all that computer-generated Yuletide "noninformation."
There is a solution: lighten the mailman's burden by writing very few Christmas cards. Instead, remember friends with personal notes throughout the year at times of graduation, promo- tion, or other notable achievement. Send birthday cards, tailored to per- sonal likes and interests of friends. When reading Gospel Herald, take note of an old friend's appointment to a church board or to one's ordination or installation. Remember a child in your congregation or the retiree with a post- card from your travels.
Such writings are unmistakably fo- cused and personal. They spread the ef- fort and expense over 365 days. And one's friends have the time to read them when they arrive. Jan Gleysteen Scottdale, Pa.
May we ask the author of this ar- ticle whether those of us who duplicate and mail a year-end letter to friends are entitled to a higher rating than 4— say 3.5, right next to "oversize" or "ugly" cards— if we also add a personal note? Robert Kreider North Newton, Kans.
Some of us write— and like to re- ceive—form letters. This is simply one way to avoid writing the same thing hundreds of times. We often add personal notes. Perhaps we tend to be too upbeat, but we do share struggles and disappointments.
We hope our friends won't stop send- ing us their form letters because of this article. We don't intend to stop sending them as long as we can afford postage.
I don't think this is an issue to merit space in a church periodical. Elvina N. Martens Sterling, III.
Thanks for balancing the evalua- tion of Christmas mail with the "litany of thanks" from Home- stead, Fla., in the same issue. Elsie E. Lehman Harrisonburg, Va.
GOSPEL HERALD / JANUARY 1 2, 1 993 / 5
Keeping our calling clear:
When armed force is used to
by
J. R
Burk-
holder
and
Ted
Koontz
We believe God always wills positive peace. But in a fallen world some uses of force may be necessary to save life.
Two years ago, in the months after the inva- sion of Kuwait and the military buildup leading to the Persian Gulf War, we Mennonites dusted off our peace witness and re- sponded in a variety of ways. This ranged from publishing testimonies in local newspapers to the call for a Peace Sabbath when the bombing of Iraq began.
Now as the calendar moves into 1993, Men- nonites are faced with similar questions in rela- tion to Somalia. Armed intervention there is in- tended to provide protection for humanitarian efforts to feed starving people. In November, a number of agencies, including Church World Ser- vice and World Vision, called for "appropriately armed UN security forces tasked with protecting emergency supplies and staff."
Mennonite Central Committee did not join in the call. Responding out of 30 years of Menno- nite experience in Somalia, Eric Olfert, MCC co- secretary for Africa, questioned the conse- quences of deploying American troops, no matter how well intended, in the turmoil in So- malia. Such intervention could interfere with ef- forts at long-term reconciliation, Olfert argued. Further, the use of UN military forces may well make foreign relief workers the target of Somali gunmen.
What position should Mennonites take on military intervention in Somalia— inter- vention which is supposed to make it possible for us to do relief work? We recognize that Mennonites today often disagree on the ap- propriate way for the church to respond to mili- tary actions of governments, especially when these approach "police actions." But we offer the following perspectives for consideration:
1. The primary calling of the church is to posi- tive peacemaking. This is to respond directly to human need and injustice while working at build- ing just and nonviolent social structures that make for peace. Positive peace contrasts with negative peace, which is simply the absence of war.
2. Superior military force can, in fact, bring about the end of armed conflict, leading to nega- tive peace. This can be considered a form of
peacekeeping. While positive peace is much pref- erable, negative peace is a "good" thing when compared to injustice and chaos.
3. As pacifist Christians who have refused to participate in warfare, we have also often stated our prophetic judgment against those who use military force. We believe with Jesus that vio- lence always begets violence. History also shows us that very often violence does not contribute even to negative peace.
4. We recognize, however, that one task of gov- ernment is to keep negative peace. A limited and controlled peacekeeping operation is some- thing for which to be thankful, relatively speak- ing, when we consider the ways troops have been used in past— or the much more destrue- ns Mennonites, our best response to Somalia and Yugoslavia is to be united in support of peacemaking.
tive purposes for which they have been trained.
5. We are troubled that the United States is once again trying to run the world. We have his- torical reasons to mistrust and even oppose such actions. Yet at the same time, we recognize that this effort is widely supported and is not carried out against the will of the Somali people.
6. This particular military action seems to many to be much more justified than most we have seen in the years since the "good war," World War JL At that time, many conscientious objectors, while refusing to participate person- ally, nevertheless did not publicly condemn the war.
7. Thus the Yugoslav and Somali situations give rise to uneasiness among pacifists. It is not obvious that rejecting military intervention would create a more peaceful situation, either negatively or positively.
8. Perhaps it is time to think again about some kind of dualism. By this we would acknowledge the importance of restoring order and accept the apparent need for governments sometimes to act with force or the threat of force. Whatever legiti- macy human government may claim for keeping order by force in a fallen world, it would surely include the need to preserve life, to protect the innocent.
9. But we also believe that as pacifist Chris- tians, military action is not our calling. Our voca- tion does not lead us to support or to always
6 / JANUARY 12, 1993 / GOSPEL HERALD
make relief work possible
condemn governments and their uses of force. Ours is the vocation of peacemaking, working nonviolently toward positive peace.
10. As Mennonites we do not need to make a forced choice. We do not need to abandon our pacifism because we acknowledge some possible good outcomes from foreign troops going into So- malia. On the other hand, nor do we need to publicly condemn the use of force in Somalia in order to express our pacifist convictions.
For Mennonites, this may be a time for si- lence. It may be a time to neither con- demn nor advocate this particular use of military force.
We believe that God always wills positive peace. Therefore, as God's children, we can never advocate military actions. But we recog- nize that sometimes, in a fallen world, some uses of force may be lifesaving. We can pray that it will be so in this situation.
But let no one be tricked into the illusion that military intervention will really bring any kind of lasting peace. Positive peace requires the hard work of reconciliation— of getting Somali people to talk with each other, to repent to each other, and to forgive each other.
Even negative peace cannot be achieved in the long term by some outside power keeping
warring groups apart— simply because the out- side power holds the biggest stick. The people of Somalia (and the rest of the world!) must learn to work together to create a future in which all can live within a structure which de- pends for its stability more on mutual con- sideration and shared interests and visions than on the threat or use of force.
But this is also a time for action. As Menno- nites, we need to unite in support of positive peacemaking efforts. These include the tradi- tional yet very necessary activities of feeding the hungry and providing resources for social and spiritual development. They may also include more risky efforts to intervene nonviolently in conflicts, something suggested in early Christian Peacemaker Team proposals. They also include innovative efforts such as the Ergada Wadatashiga Somaliyeed, supported by MCC (see the next page).
For now is truly the time to do "the things that make for peace" (Luke 19:42).
J. R. Burkholder is coordinator of peace and so- cial concerns for the Mennonite Board of Congre- gational Ministries, Elkhart, Ind. Ted Koontz is di- rector of peace studies and associate professor of ethics at Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminar- ies, also in Elkhart.
Walk humbly with your God
(continued from page 3)
car across thousands of miles of desert-like ter- rain to visit isolated faith communities. No one pays for their gasoline— they are forced to carry extra tanks in the trunk since supplies are so scarce. Here are people truly walking humbly with their God.
But here too they so quickly forget. Most ev- erywhere in Russia they talked about the brethren as vital to the task. But the women may not preach or lead. So quickly the church had forgotten that in the most desperate times it was invariably the women who dared to keep faith alive. Later they were put back into a posi- tion of subordination, yet still those women prayed eloquently for the leaders.
For example, in Kirgiztan I met with a mere handful of Mennonites who have remained be- hind to lead a major mission project with Asiatic people by means of Bible translation. I was intro-
duced to the male staff and talked with them for hours about the program. Then Frieda Banman served us borsch. Only by chance did I learn later that this was not just Frieda the cook, but Frieda the publisher, the one who handled all the literature work.
Here is the way of humility. Frieda's way is the one we in North America need to learn anew. We need to give way to those leaders who know how to walk humbly with God. For those of us so accustomed to the exercise of power and prestige, I suggest that we look again to those we deem weak, meek, and powerless.
Walter Sawatsky teaches at Associated Menno- nite Biblical Seminaries, Elkhart, Ind. This article is adapted from a sermon he preached to the trien- nial session of the General Conference Mennonite Church in Sioux Falls, S.D., last summer.
GOSPEL HERALD / JANUARY 1 2, 1 993 / 7
PERSPECTIVE
Toward a sustainable peace in Somalia
A com- prehen- sive, creative strategy for
peace
in this
East
African
country
must
address
much
more
than
food
and the
way to
deliver
it to the
people.
by John Paul Lederach
If all you have is a hammer, all you see are nails." That adage describes well the current situation in relation to Somalia. But as 30,000 international troops land on its shores, we can- not rely exclusively on the hammers of food re- lief and its secure delivery. We need tools that help bring about sustainable reconciliation in this country. We need a comprehensive, creative approach to restoring peace that addresses both immediate humanitarian concerns and the long- term challenges of transforming conflict.
These steps will develop additional tools for our toolbox:
1. While food is needed immediately, and mechanisms for its delivery negotiated with re- spective parties, this urgency should not be used as leverage to push for an immediate, high-pro- file, internationally convened peace conference of select Somalis. Such an event would only cre- ate increased suspicion.
Somalia does not need a trickle-down ap- proach to peace. Somali reconciliation must in- stead be based on regional subclan and inter- clan consultations that build toward a national forum. These consultations have already started in numerous regions. They have been well-docu- mented and attended by international observers.
The central and southern areas of Somalia, where international troops are concentrated, must not create a Mogadishu-centered peace process. This process must reflect the deep aspi- rations all regions have for attaining a voice in the affairs that affect them locally.
In favor of this approach, the international community should encourage and support the logistics involved in local and regional peace conferences, eventually building toward a national conference.
2. Negotiating with those who control guns is crucial so food can be delivered immediately, but it is not the key to long-term peace. Contin- ued focus on armed groups only enhances their status and power. Long-term transformation must create a Somali peace constituency that serves as an infrastructure for reconciliation. In Somali society that infrastructure lies with the traditional elders, intellectuals for peace, reli- gious leaders, poets, traders, and women. Key cultural and historical institutions unique to Somali society must be given power and inte- grated into the peace process.
3. Somalia is an oral society. The international
community should help establish and maintain a "radio-for-peace" that provides regular and unbi- ased information about the peace process. As much will be accomplished for sustainable peace with regular, objective information via radio— air- ing regional peace conference reports, poetry for peace, advocacy for dialogue from elders and re- ligious leaders, and concrete details of humani- tarian relief delivery and plans— as the place- ment of 30,000 troops.
4. Relief efforts must be linked with serious programs for disarmament and strengthening of the arms embargo. The challenge is to initiate and maintain the transition from sustenance by gun to sustenance by work and civil government.
A comprehensive approach to peace must cre- ate alternatives to militarization. This cannot be simplified to creating proper law enforcement, nor in a formula of food or cash for weapons. A broader socioeconomic view of the situation sug- gests development and employment packages in exchange for weapons. These should be espe- cially targeted at youth.
Likewise, the cycle of weapons and muni- tions entering Somalia must be addressed with seriousness equal to placing 30,000 in- ternational troops in the country. This calls for international will and regional coordination to stop those who simultaneously fuel the conflict behind the famine and profit from it through weapon sales and trafficking.
Pilot projects aimed at providing training and employment in exchange for weapons in the country are needed. Further, we could fund re- search on arms movements in the region and into the country, convene regional conferences to establish mechanisms for arms control, and use direct pressure to target a handful of people who are profiteering from the sale of weapons.
To fund these efforts I would suggest all gov- ernments and international agencies that provide relief aid make a voluntary commitment to a "self-tax." This tax would be 5 percent of the money spent on food, medicine, and delivery. It would be given to conflict resolution and recon- ciliation activities.
John Paul Lederach is on the staff ofMCC Inter- national Conciliation Service, Akron, Pa. Since 1989 he has worked with Somalis to create a reg- ular forum, known as Ergada Wadatashiga Somaliyeed, for dialogue across clan lines. More recently he has participated in consultations with United Nations' personnel responsible for develop- ing a national reconciliation effort in Somalia.
8 / JANUARY 12, 1993 / GOSPEL HERALD
CHURCH NEWS
Urban ministry directors discuss funding options
Hesston, Kan. (MBM)— "As a people, you (Mennonites) undervalue or underes- timate yourselves. I am troubled that you seem so intimidated as a people. Yet very few people know as much about reconcil- iation, community, and justice as you do."
With these words Reid Carpenter, pres- ident of the Pittsburgh Leadership Foun- dation, challenged Mennonite urban min- istry directors to "step forward" in minis- try to the city.
"You Mennonites are salt and light in a very parched land," he said.
In an era of shrinking dollars available for mission beyond the local congrega- tion—and growing misery in the cities of North America— 30 urban ministry lead- ers met at Hesston (Kan.) College, Nov. 5-7, to discuss ways of funding desper- ately needed ministries. The meeting was sponsored by the Evangelism and Church Development department of Mennonite Board of Missions (MBM).
Carpenter invited the group to "imagine what the city would look like if the king- dom of God were to come." He challenged the ministry workers to become transfor- mational leaders who effect change in the direction of the kingdom of God.
He also stressed the importance of col- laboration, or networking, if the task is to get done. The church must become a go-between for communities of opportu- nity and communities of resources, Car- penter said.
"The redemption of the city will happen through the church because historically it has been that way, and because of the institutional capacity of the church," as- serted keynote speaker Tony Pierce, se- nior pastor at Christian Family Center Church in Peoria, HI.
"Many institutions [in the city] have withdrawn, except for a few community- based organizations. In the face of the desperate needs in the cities, we have to start with what's in place— and the church is the most present, or abiding, institution in the inner city," he said.
Pierce emphasized the importance of planning. "To fail to plan is to plan to fail," he said. "If we are doing what God calls us to do, then we must expect God to intervene, sometimes in miraculous ways."
Irv Weaver, MBM vice-president for Home Ministries, led the group through the essentials of effective grant writing.
Speaking from the perspective of the financial community, J. B. Miller, vice- president of Financial Services at Menno- nite Mutual Aid, offered insights into
Reid Carpenter, president of Pittsburgh Leadership Foundation, challenges urban ministry directors to "step forward" in min- istry to the city. In the background is Noel Santiago, staff member of the Evangelism and Church Development department of Mennonite Board of Missions.
what kinds of projects might interest fi- nancial institutions.
The urban ministry leaders repeatedly paused for prayer during the meetings- prayer for each other and for the wider church. By the end of the three days, participants noted that money is less of an issue than prayer.— Stanley Green
MCC receives grant for training in West Bank
Winnipeg, Man. (MCC)— Ford Founda- tion has given a grant of $418,000 (U.S.) to Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) to support MCC's agricultural and rural development training programs in the Is- raeli-occupied West Bank.
The funds will enable Palestinian agri- cultural extension workers and academics to study abroad and take short-term train- ing courses in areas such as agricultural economics and rural sociology.
According to MCC West Bank country representative John F. Lapp, "Palestinian society is well known as the best educated in the Arab world. However, few Palestin- ians are trained in integrated social sci- ences, especially in relation to the agricul- tural sector.
"Front-line agricultural specialists do not have broad backgrounds in social sciences and economics, courses that would make their training most useful," he said. "Those in positions to make improvements to agricultural methods need to be able to think systematically about how those changes affect rural peo- ple," Lapp added.
Palestinian agricultural experts and MCC staff will administer this four-year program.
Aid agencies wrestle with implications of military intervention
Washington, D.C. (MCC)— Three weeks after the United States decided to send troops to aid food delivery to starving Somalis, a group of Nongovernmental Or- ganizations (NGOs) met here to discuss the impact this decision has on their present and future efforts.
Representatives of 10 international re- lief and development agencies attended the Dec. 18 meeting, which was called by Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) and the American Friends Service Com- mittee (AFSC).
At this forum participants explored the complex issues arising from militarization of humanitarian operations.
NGOs need some stability and security to do their work. Military protection can provide this. But does benefiting from that increased security imply complicity with the military? some asked.
The fact that military intervention con- fuses humanitarian and political issues repeatedly came up in the discussion, according to Hershey Leaman, MCC's disaster response coordinator.
"Even military commanders inter- viewed on television talk about the need for political solutions to the conflict. But this raises the question of whether the military is equipped to do such peaceful negotiations," he explained.
"The military is an ill-equipped entity to do humanitarian service," said Leaman. "Military personnel are trained to hate, define, and defeat the enemy. This training is exactly the opposite the attitude of congeniality required in hu- manitarian relief operations and the open consensus-seeking required for peace- making."
The attitude at this December meeting contrasted sharply with a late November NGO meeting Leaman attended. There, a Department of Defense officer asked if any agencies would object to the U.S. military providing security for their food deliveries. Leaman, representing MCC, was the only person who said yes.
One NGO representative thanked MCC and AFSC for calling the December meet- ing, saying, "We expected the historic peace churches to have problems with military involvement. You have a history that gives integrity to this perspective and we need your voice to raise questions." — Pearl Sensenig
GOSPEL HERALD / JANUARY 1 2, 1 993 / 9
CHURCH NEWS
General Board names restructuring committee
Elkhart, Ind. (MCGB)— The Mennonite Church General Board has appointed a special committee to develop a proposal for restructuring congregational services.
The committee will develop a plan to modify churchwide congregational ser- vices "in line with anticipated revenues and the program/staff realities among the churchwide boards and area confer- ences," according to an action taken by
the General Board at its November meet- ing.
The program modification affects, most directly, the Mennonite Board of Con- gregational Ministries (MBCM).
The committee includes three MBCM board members: Pat Hershberger, Wood- burn, Ore.; David Mishler, Johnstown, Pa.; and Marcus Smucker, Elkhart, Ind.; and General Board members Daryl Byler, Meridian, Miss.; and George Stoltzfus, Friendsville, Md.
General Board general secretary James
Couple models service
Elkhart, Ind. (AMBS)-E ven seminary faucets drip once in a while. When they do, Edwin Peters is the person to fix them.
While he is taking care of maintenance around the Associated Mennonite Bibli- cal Seminaries (AMBS) campus, Evelyn Peters can be found helping students find what they need in the library or reading stories to children in the AMBS daycare.
Although the seminary doesn't have a class called Practical Christian Service 201, the Peters model it every day for the seminary community.
In 1992, the couple was ready to wrap up a lifetime of work at Mennonite Nurs- ing Home in Rosthern, Sask. Ed had served as administrator for 31 years and Evelyn was director of care for most of that time.
While visiting a son who lives in Goshen, Ind., they stopped at the semi- nary to chat with an old friend, C. J. Dyck, AMBS professor emeritus. When they told him that they were interested in doing a year of voluntary service at the seminary, his reaction was, "But you're way overqualified!"
Their voluntary service assignment is not the first time the Peters have been at AMBS. They first came to campus in 1958 when Ed was a student. This was the first year the seminary was in Elk- hart, having just moved from Chicago. When asked what had changed in the 31 years they had been away, the Peters smiled.
"Well," volunteered Ed, "no one was running around in jeans and tennis shoes back then. The professors were always addressed with the title of Dr., not by first name as is now the case."
"And there were only a few women taking classes," added Evelyn.
"It seemed that many of the discus- sions we had back then were quite
on seminary campus
'Mennonitish,' " Ed added. "Now the student body is more diverse and so are the issues that get discussed.
"About the only thing that's the same," Ed remarked, "is that I was part-time on maintenance back then, too. I put up a partition in one of the boiler rooms so students could have a place to sit and visit and drink coffee. Back then no one would have thought of taking a cup of coffee with them to class like they do now."
After a lifetime of work in Saskatche- wan, the Peters say they enjoy once more being a part of the campus community.
"Administration can sometimes be a bit lonesome," Ed explained. "In addi- tion to many rewarding aspects of such work, it involves a lot of giving of one's time and energy. Coming back to semi- nary is chance for us to tank up." — Mark Jantzen
Ed Peters keeps busy with his voluntary service assignment at Associated Men- nonite Biblical Seminaries, Elkhart, Ind.
Lapp and MBCM executive secretary Ev erett Thomas will provide staff services to the committee.
Committee members will consult with all the program boards for counsel on formulating the best restructuring option.
The committee hopes to test a pro posed direction with area conferences be fore developing a final recommendation for the General Board to consider at its April 1993 meeting. The General Board plans to bring a recommendation for re structuring to the biennial General As sembly in Philadelphia this July.
The General Board has asked other program boards and associate groups de pendent on contributed dollars to report to the 1993 General Assembly what con tributions they have received during the last three years and what contributions they project will be needed from the church in the next three years.
"It is hoped this information will enable General Assembly delegates to provide better direction for churchwide minis- tries," Lapp said.
At its November meeting, General Board also asked Mennonite Board of Missions, Elkhart, Ind., to review program priorities and structures in light of their mission and anticipated revenues and to prepare a list of program priorities that reflect reduced revenues. General Board will in turn review the MBM report in preparation for delegate consideration at the 1993 General Assembly.
Insurance program aids church-related nonprofits
Akron, Pa.— A new service to help church-related nonprofit organizations with their insurance and risk management needs has just been organized.
The Association of Anabaptist Risk Management (AARM) is composed of inter-Mennonite associations and representatives from the Brethren in Christ and the Church of the Brethren churches. This service is scheduled to become operational on April 1.
Initially AARM will concentrate on lia- bility and property coverage and other forms of risk management and loss con- trol. It is anticipated to eventually branch into other coverage needed by' church-re- lated nonprofits.
The desire for church-related nonprof- its to have their own insurance and risk management service grew out of the ex- perience some of them had in the late 1980s. Sharp increases in liability insur-
10 / JANUARY 12, 1993 / GOSPEL HERALD
CHURCH NEWS
ance rates left some nonprofits unable to afford the necessary coverage.
Office space for AARM is being pro- vided by Mennonite Health Services in Akron, Pa. Brent Styan of Highland, Calif., has been appointed to serve as the first AARM manager.
Henry Rosenberger of Blooming Glen, Pa., was elected chair of the 15-member incorporating board. He is the chief exec- utive officer of Rosenberger Cold Stor- age, and is president of Dock Woods Mennonite Retirement Community near Hatfield, Pa.
Serving on the executive committee with Rosenberger are: R. Lee Delp, pres- ident of Mennonite Economic Develop- ment Associates; Edgar Stoesz, president of Mennonite Indemnity; and Dale Stoll, associate executive director of Mennonite Health Services.
606 sounds fine as 1 1 8, observes hymnal editor
Albany, Ore.— The music editor of the new hymnal committee had already been asked — more than once, it seemed — about why No. 606, the Mennonite an- them, isn't No. 606 in Hymnal: A Worship Book.
Ken Nafziger patiently answered with a smile. "I tell people that if you had to have 606 at 606 in the hymnal, it was an idol for you and needed to be destroyed."
Seriously, though, he said, "I think the underlying question is what this book will do to our singing tradition." He believes the new hymnal will strengthen that tra- dition by helping three denominations— Mennonite Church, Brethren, and Gen- eral Conference Mennonite Church— cel- ebrate both diversity and unity.
Nafziger, who teaches music at Eastern Mennonite College in Harrisonburg, Va., came to Oregon in October to lead a weekend of worship and a workshop at Albany Mennonite Church.
After working on the hymnal "for eight years that seemed like 250," Nafziger said he's attached to it, but the final volume "certainly doesn't feel like it's mine."
Many people contributed and "the pro- cess stayed closer to the people," he explained. "A whole lot of useful com- ments came back after the Sampler," which was released in 1989. "Mostly they told us to risk more.
"There are a few pages I'd be happy to rip out, but it will be that way for every- one," Nafziger said. "It's really been a miraculous thing that we were able to step
Congregation carves, bakes, cooks, and sells $350 into $3,700
Harrisonburg, Va.— Attenders at Parkview Mennonite Church, Harrison- burg, Va., were startled one Sunday morning in November when the offering basket was passed a second time, full of crisp one-dollar bills.
Everyone was invited to take a bill and invest the money in some project to benefit the outreach and missions por- tion of the church budget. Quickly dubbed the "Shrewd Manager" project, the original $350 investment yielded $3,700 six weeks later.
Creativity ran rampant. The eighth- grade boys baked cookies to sell during the Sunday morning fellowship hour and turned their $5 into $35. A fourth grade teacher took orders for pies from her co-workers and earned $125. A business- man resold lollipops and candy bars at work, and a businesswoman sold home- made donuts to her clients.
Tables were set up in the church basement for the artists and crafters. Bags of homemade potpourri and bath salts, crocheted and knitted dish rags, and decorated matchboxes proved to be good investments on the original $1.
A handwoven basket sold for $40. A businessman who grows African violets as a hobby sold pots of his flowers for $2 each. One retired man carved a hum- mingbird and sold it at an auction for $25.
Others pooled their dollars and ca-
around our own tastes to make a book that reflects three denominations."
In three worship services, Nafziger led participants in both familiar and unfamil- iar songs, including:
• No. 33, "O Gott Vater," which is sung as the second hymn in Amish services. The Amish sing it very slowly— a friend of Nafziger's clocked it at 20 minutes— "but it's faster as you go west," Nafziger noted. "It's important as a historical doc- ument, and it also reminds us how time- conscious we've become."
• No. 2, "In Thy Holy Place We Bow," which was left out of the 1968 Mennonite Hymnal. "Some people never forgave the editors, who thought the language was too rich, too emotional. Many people are de- lighted to have it back," Nafziger said.
• No. 603, "Sometimes a Light Sur-
Edgar Miller serves pieces of his fund raising "cowboy cake" to Jim Glanzer during the Sunday morning fellowship hour at Park View Mennonite Church.
tered meals for Christmas dinners and teas. One major project was a Ukrainian meal prepared and served by the ex- tended family members of a refugee family which the congregation had spon- sored for the past year. The group pro- jects raised nearly $1,000.
The family who anonymously donated the original investment of $350 was de- lighted that the congregation had so much fun with the project. "A return of better than 10 to 1 is almost more than we had hoped for."— Shirley E. Yoder
prises," a highly syncopated song written in only one part. "Many hymn writers say it's important to sing in unison," Nafziger said. "That's a bit of a bitter pill for Mennonites to swallow because we like our four-part harmony, but society is so horrendously fragmented that we need to sing together with one voice."
• No. 482, "Mothering God, You Gave Me Birth," commissioned by the hymnal committee to reflect the awareness that God embodies both male and female char- acteristics.
• No. 118, "Praise God From Whom," otherwise known as "Six-O-Six." "Just to prove it still works, let's stand and sing it," Nafziger said. After a rousing rendi- tion, he asked, "Now, did anyone notice any appreciable difference?"
—Joan Kropf, Missionary Evangel
GOSPEL HERALD / JANUARY 1 2, 1 993 / 11
CHURCH NEWS
India's poor suffered most during recent riots
Calcutta, India (MCC) — India's poor suffered most during week-long violence that rocked the country following Hindu destruction of a Muslim mosque on Dec. 6, according to Glen Miller, Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) India country representative.
More than 1,200 people were killed. Thousands more were injured and left homeless.
Calcutta was placed under curfew and traffic ground to a halt. Trucks carrying food from the countryside could not reach the city, and vendors charged outrageous prices for the scarce food available.
Calcutta's poor, who barely survive under normal conditions, were simply un- able to obtain food, Miller said. As fires blazed in many slum areas, streams of people fled their homes.
MCC provided 800 blankets, cooking utensils, and plastic for 300 roofs. The mission and development agency is also helping feed around 5,000 people for about 10 days.
Mother Teresa, the Indian Red Cross, and community-based organizations are distributing the relief items.
A long-standing dispute over the site of a mosque in the northern city of Ayodhya ignited the violence. Some Hindus con- tend it is the birth place of Lord Ram and say Muslims built a mosque over the Hindu temple that marked the spot 400 years ago.
Of India's 882 million people, more than 80 percent are Hindu and about 10 per- cent are Muslim. Over the years tensions between the two groups have erupted periodically.
Miller reports that although the vio- lence was generally in reaction to the mosque's destruction, criminals also used the occasion to loot or seek revenge. One Indian newspaper suggested some slums were purposely torched to make way for high-rise apartment buildings.
"With the anticipated trial of those arrested and the Indian government's pledge to rebuild the mosque, many un- certainties remain. But clearly most Indi- ans desperately want life to return to normal," said Miller.
The violence in India spread across the subcontinent, spilling into Bangladesh, India's eastern neighbor and home to a majority Muslim population.
Lyndon Krause, MCC Bangladesh country representative, reported some
An Indian girl rests in the courtyard of her Calcutta home. Not all Muslims and Hin- dus participated in the frenzy of violence that recently erupted in India, say MCC India staff. In one city a peace committee organized Muslims to guard Hindu temples and Hindus to protect Muslim mosques. The city remained free of violence. In a similar situation, Donald Kessop, MCC India staffperson, saw a Muslim priest stand in front of a Hindu temple and convince a mob to leave without damaging it.
deaths occurred there and some Hindu temples and businesses were looted and burned. No MCC staff were harmed.
Tribal people of India request MCC assistance
Akron, Pa. (MCC)— Tribal people, 53 million in number, are among the poorest in India, says Glen Miller, who recently visited 10 tribal villages in eastern India.
Miller and his wife, Marilyn, are Menno- nite Central Committee (MCC) India country representatives.
Once considered "untouchable" by India's now outlawed caste system, tribal people continue to live isolated from In- dian society, retaining their own unique culture.
Tribal culture dates back to about 4500 B.C. when what is now known as India was occupied by Dravidian people. They had a communal society, based on a tradition of sharing. Aryan peoples who invaded the area in 1500 B.C. defeated and en- slaved them.
Some tribal people in India still follow a migratory hunting-and-gathering life- style.
Most, however, survive by farming,
using slash-and-burn agricultural meth- ods. They cut down and burn trees and bushes, then scatter seeds in the ashes. This produces good crops for several years. When the land is depleted, the people move to another area and repeat the cycle.
In recent years, increased population has produced an ever-growing demand for land for rice fields, fuel for cooking, and building materials; deforestation has be- come a major problem.
Glen says people in the villages they visited were especially concerned about the loss of their forests.
Some villagers pointed out a place where only a few large trees stood. At one time forests covered the area, providing fruits, nuts, and berries, they told the Millers. Trees also helped maintain the water level.
While MCC India does not focus work only with tribal people, it does look for opportunities to "serve those least served," says Glen. Many times tribal people fit this category.
The Millers visited the tribal villages in response to a request to help develop a health program there.
The nearest health care for the 10,000 inhabitants was over 10 miles away during the dry months. For three to five months each year the villagers are totally cut off by impassable rivers.
In each of the villages they visited, "profound need was evident," Marilyn recalls. "Little children with skinny bodies covered with scabies crowded around and stared with wide-eyed wonder."
Marilyn was struck too by the warm welcome people gave her. "I was deeply touched when a woman placed a garland of flowers around my neck and handed me a bunch of bananas," she says.
Village leaders discussed needs, includ- ing safe water, schools, food, and health care, with the Millers.
MCC agreed to provide money to train and pay community health workers. MCC will also start a revolving fund to help people purchase medicines.
In addition, MCC will finance several well-digging projects and is considering "food for work" and reforestation pro- grams.
"The local people had the original vi- sion for improved health care. We helped enlarge their vision by suggesting an inte- grated approach that includes nutrition, clean water, and economic improve- ments," says Glen. — Pearl Sensenig
12 /
JANUARY 12, 1993 / GOSPEL HERALD
MENNOSCOPE
• Mission executive resigns.
Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) Canada executive di- rector Daniel Zehr has an- nounced his resignation, effec- tive June 30. Zehr, who has served a total of 29 years with MCC in a variety of positions, began his present assignment in 1985. He previously served as executive director of MCC Can- ada from 1969-1976. Zehr's plans for the future are uncer- tain at this time.
• Clinics receive funds. Men- nonite Central Committee (MCC) contributed $5,000 (U.S.) to five village health clin- ics in southern Lebanon that are treating people injured in recent fighting there between the Ir- anian-supported Hizbollah and the Israeli-supported South Lebanon Army. Shelling in southern Lebanon increased last fall. A late October helicop- ter raid destroyed 10 homes in three villages where MCC is assisting a local agricultural cooperative.
• Support group formed. The
African American Leader's Working Group, comprised of pastors and church leaders, was
formed recently after seven Lancaster Conference pastors met in Philadelphia to discuss issues that impact the African- American community. After identifying eight critical issues, the pastors decided that reach- ing and discipling men was a priority. The Leader's Group in- tends to find ways churches can respond in ministry. Michael Banks, pastor of Burnside Men- nonite Fellowship, New York, and Lindsey Robinson, associ- ate director of Home Ministries at Eastern Mennonite Board of Missions, are leading the group.
• Coming events:
Conflict in the church workshops, Jan. 23 at St. Stephen Lutheran Church in Midlothian, 111.; Feb. 6 at Hesston (Kan.) Mennonite Church; March 20 at Maple Grove (Minn.) Covenant Church; April 17 at Raleigh (N.C.) Moravian Church; May 8 in Dallas, Tex.; and June 5 in St. Louis, Mo. The workshop con- ducted by the Lombard Menno- nite Peace Center (LMPC) will focus on the biblical basis for conflict resolution, interper- sonal peacemaking skills, and tools to effectively manage con- flict in the church. Information
available from LMPC, 528 E. Madison, Lombard, IL 60148; phone 708 627-5310. Women in pastoral ministry confer- ence, Conrad Grebel College, Waterloo, Ont., April 26-27. Workshops and presentations will focus on the theme "Women and Men Together in Ministry." Both men and women are wel- come. Speakers include Renee Sauder, Celia Allison Hahn, Mary Malone. Registration in- formation from Catherine Hunsberger, Mennonite Confer- ence of Eastern Canada, 60 New Dundee Rd., Kitchener, ON N2G 3W5; phone 519 748-2162.
• New resources:
HungerFest materials, a new Men- nonite Central Committee re- source designed to help North Americans better understand world hunger. Prayers, liturgies, dramatic readings, and instruc- tions for holding hunger aware- ness meals included. Available from MCC (phone 717 859-1151) or MCC Canada (phone 204 261- 6381). A HungerFest supple- ment with ice-breakers, Bible study, and exercises designed especially for youth groups is also available from MCC On- tario (phone 519 745-8458).
• Job openings:
Chief executive officer, Friendship Village, Inc., Bedford, Pa. Facil- ity is a Christian family-oriented campground, mobile home park, and subsidized housing com- plex. Position begins spring or early summer 1993. Apply by Feb. 20. Send resume and salary expectation to Delores Metzler, board chair, HCR 61 Box 7E, Belleville, PA 17004.
Copastor, Community Mennonite Church, Markham, 111. This mul- tiracial congregation within a predominately African-Ameri- can community in the south sub- urbs of Chicago seeks experi- enced leadership with com- mitment of cultural openness and giftedness in outreach consistent with Anabaptist theology. Contact Mertis Odom, 16200 S. Kedzie Ave., Markham, IL 60426; phone 708 333-1358 or 708 339-8257.
• Change of address:
Timothy H. Derstine, from Montgomeryville, Pa., to 110 Belmont Ave., Apt. B-3, Ambler, PA 19002.
NEW MEMBERS
Bay Shore, Sarasota, Fla.:
Mahlon H. and Rose Miller. Seattle, Wash.: Juli Van Pelt, Kristi Preheim, and Stuart Wil- liams.
Sugar Creek, Wayland, Iowa:
Garry Leichty, Karen Leichty. Washington Community Fel- lowship, Washington, D.C.:
Daphne Hollinger, Naphtali Hollinger, Yemeseraeh Hailese- lassie, Nebiyu Haileselassie, Shelley Calhoun, Carolyn Frisbie, Marsha and Randy Halbedl, Kathy Hay, Jim Holton, Tammy Lowman, Ed and June Nans, Ryan Oliver, Chris Parmelee, Karen Schmidt.
BIRTHS
Bontrager, Fritz and Kris Miller, Shipshewana, Ind., Haley Jo (first child), Nov. 24.
Fisher, Kevin and Jeanie Schwartz, Millersburg, Ind., Tregory Grant (first child), Nov. 23.
Frey, Drew and Tonya Bachman, Goshen, Ind., Drew Jonathan (second child), Dec. 18.
Fry, Dale and Pam Hart, Howe, Ind., Owen Reese (first child), Nov. 21.
YES teams depart. Salunga, Pa. (EMBM)— Four Youth Evangelism Service (YES) teams sponsored by Eastern Mennonite Board of Missions left Jan. 4 for service assignments in Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico, and Florida. The teams spent the past three months in orientation at YES Discipleship Center in Philadelphia. Team members are: front row, left to right— Bruce Kurtz, Tashya Leaman, Neil Zimmerman, Kendra Yoder; second row— Laura Pfarr, Janelle Hunsecker, Martha Enns, Lisa Good, Rebekka Funck; third row— Rhonda Muff, Krisi and Timothy Wenger, Todd Mill, Kris Wagner, Randy King, Debbie Stauffer; back row— Anton Oberg, Samuel Cun Ho, David Frey, Marvin Landis, Tim Martin, Andrias Setyo Budi, Duane Weber.
GOSPEL HERALD / JANUARY 1 2, 1 993 / 13
MENNOSCOPE
Hartzler, Dale and Barb Yoder, Harrisonburg, Va., Jennifer Ashley (first child), born Dec. 4, 1991, adopted Aug. 7, 1992.
Heisey, Craig and Linda Hess, Mount Joy, Pa., Jonathan Paul (fourth child), Dec. 12.
Kropf, Loren (Lynn) and Karen Blackstone, Molalla, Ore., Leesha Marie (first child), Dec. 11.
Lebold, Daniel L. and Maryanne Roth, Lively, Ont., Derek Mi- chael (first child), Nov. 4.
Metzler, Alan and Jill Kauffman, Reedsville, Pa., Nathan Roder- ick (third child), Dec. 8.
Royer, Kyle and Karen McKowen, Fairfax, Va., Abigail Mae (fourth child), Nov. 23.
Ulrich, Craig and Joy Stutzman, Albany, Ore., Craig Thomas (third child), Dec. 16.
van Horn, John and Donna Tay- lor, Harrisonburg, Va., Benja- min Taylor (second child), Nov. 12.
Weaver, Brent and Ruth Schoenhals, Atlanta, Ga., Mary Victoria (second child), Nov. 12.
Wehr, Larry and Becky Easton, Columbiana, Ohio, Aaron Ben- jamin (first child), Dec. 9.
Welty, Tim and Ruth Ann, At- lanta, Ga., Rachel Ann (first child), born Aug. 30, received for adoption Aug. 31.
Yoder, Chet and Sandy Weaver, Denver, Pa., Jesse Donovan (first child), Dec. 16.
Yoder, Rick and Joy Liechty, Goshen, Ind., Jama Elizabeth (third child), Dec. 14.
MARRIAGES
Bauman-Bauman: Eric Bauman (Elmira), and Sheila Bauman (Floradale), Nov. 14, by Fred Redekop and Dale Bauman.
DePeazer-Lebold: Terrence DePeazer, Kitchener, Ont., and Ruth Lebold, Tavistock, Ont. (Avon), May 9, by Gary Horst.
Heiser-Evans: Jerry Heiser, Champaign, 111. (Willow Springs), and Tammie Evans, Chenoa, 111. (Independent Bible), Dec. 5, by Don Heiser (father of groom).
Klassen-Plett: Edward Klassen, Winnipeg, Man. (Mennonite Brethren), and Christine Plett, Stratford, Ont. (Avon), Aug. 28, by Gary Horst.
Kolkman-Fisher: Rod Kolkman, Winfield, Iowa, and Krista Fisher, Wayland, Iowa (Sugar Creek), Oct. 17, by Dean Swartzendruber.
Pickard-Roth: Kevin Pickard, Salem, Iowa, and Wendy Roth, Mt. Pleasant, Iowa (Sugar Creek), Sept. 26, by Dean Swartzendruber.
Wenger-Delaney: Philip Wenger, Crest Hill, HI. (Sugar Creek), and Debra Delaney, Nov. 7.
DEATHS
Beachy, Irvin M., 83, Meyers- dale, Pa. Born: March 20, 1919, Somerset County, Pa., to Moses and Lucy (Miller) Beachy. Died: Dec. 21, 1992, Meyersdale, Pa., of a heart attack. Survivors — wife: Tillie (Wengerd) Beachy; children: Phoebe Wiley, Carol Johnson, David, Jonathan, Tim- othy, Evangeline Kidney, Laura Yoder; brother and sisters: Mil- ton, Ruth Beiler, Mary Yoder; 15 grandchildren, 2 great-grand- children. Funeral and burial: Dec. 24, Oak Dale Mennonite Church, by Joe Byler and Paul H. Yoder.
Burkholder, Clarence A., 87, Goshen, Ind. Born: Nov. 7, 1905, Lancaster, Pa., to David L. and Emma (Hess) Burkholder. Died: Dec. 17, 1992, Goshen, Ind., of congestive heart failure. Survi- vors— wife: Doris (Blodgett) Burkholder; children: John Richard, Harold, Charles; 11 grandchildren, 13 great-grand- children. Predeceased by: Blanche (Herr) Burkholder (first wife). Funeral: Dec. 20, College Mennonite Church, by James Waltner and Nancy Kauffman. Burial: Elkhart Prairie Ceme- tery.
Christophel, Esther (Herr), 89,
Mount Joy, Pa. Born: Aug. 20,
1903, East Donegal Twp., Pa., to Eli H. and Cora C. (Witmer) Herr. Died: Dec. 22, 1992, Lan- caster, Pa. Survivors — brother: Christian H. Herr. Predeceased by: David L. Christophel (hus- band). Congregational member- ship: Mount Joy Mennonite Church. Funeral: Dec. 24, Nissley Funeral Home, Mount Joy, Pa., by Joe Sherer and Shelley Shellenberger. Burial: Kraybill Mennonite Cemetery.
Groff, Violet Snyder, 95, Cam- bridge, Ont. Born: Nov. 28, 1887, New Dundee, Ont., to Samuel and Angeline Snyder. Died: Dec. 13, 1992, Cambridge, Ont. Survivors — children: Dorothy Hallman, Weyburn, James, Merle; sister: Rosetta Shantz; 12 grandchildren, 15 great- grandchildren. Predeceased by: Simeon Groff (husband). Con- gregational membership: First Mennonite Church. Funeral: Dec. 16, Ratz-Bechtel Chapel, by Rudy Baergen. Burial: First Mennonite Cemetery.
Sochstetler, Selvesta, 88, Sug- arcreek, Ohio. Born: April 7,
1904, Trail, Ohio, to Noah D. and Susie (Mast) Hochstetler. Died: Dec. 15, 1992, Walnut
Creek, Ohio. Survivor — brother: Vincent Hochstetler. Funeral and burial: Dec. 17, Walnut Creek Mennonite Church, by Ross A. Miller.
Lauver, Mary Emma, 90, Cocolamus, Pa. Born: July 7, 1902, Cocolamus, Pa., to Jacob M. and Emma (Graybill) Lauver. Died: Dec. 5, 1992, Cocolamus, Pa., of heart failure. Survivors — sister: Gladys. Funeral and burial: Dec. 8, Lauvers Menno- nite Church, by Carl E. Graybill and John M. Slabaugh (nephew).
Springer, Bruce, 22, Hopedale, 111. Born: Aug. 19, 1970, Hopedale, 111., to Duane and Freeda (Cork) Springer. Died: Dec. 14, 1992, Peoria, III, of cancer. Survivors — parents: Duane and Freeda (Cork) Springer; brother and sisters: Sherry Litwiller, Roger, Kay Peachey. Funeral and burial: Dec. 17, Hopedale Mennonite Church, by H. James Smith and Carl A. Horner.
Wittrig, Howard, 77, Hopedale, 111. Born: June 19, 1915, Hopedale, 111., to Amos and Lydia (Sutter) Wittrig. Died: Dec. 11, 1992, Peoria, HI., of leukemia. Survivors — wife: Elva (Good) Wittrig; children: Jerry, Joan Roberts, Gene, Jolene Sa- mara, Jay, John, Joy McGhee; brother and sister: Loren, Iola Bowman; 16 grandchildren, 6 great-grandchildren. Funeral and burial: Dec. 15, Hopedale Mennonite Church, by H. James Smith and Carl A. Horner.
CALENDAR
Eastern Mennonite College and Seminary ministers' week, Harrisonburg, Va., Jan. 18-21
Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminaries pastors' week, Elkhart, Ind., Jan. 25-29
Integration Exploration Commit- tee, Winnipeg, Man., Feb. 6-9
Mennonite Publication Board, Pittsburgh, Pa., Feb. 12-13
Dialogue '93, health and the church conference, Anaheim, Calif., Feb. 13
Mennonite Health Association an- nual assembly, Anaheim, Calif., Feb. 14-17
Mennonite Central Committee and MCC U.S. annual meetings, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont., Feb. 18-20
Mennonite Church General As- sembly and Convention, Youth Convention, Philadelphia, July 27-Aug. 1
Mennonite Central Committee Canada
invites applications for the position of
Executive Director
Starting Date: July 1, 1993 For more information, including job description and qualifications required write to:
Search Committee,
134 Plaza Dr., Winnipeg, MB R3T 5K9
Application deadline: February 28, 1993
14 / JANUARY 12, 1993 / GOSPEL HERALD
Job creation, India
Sometimes feeding a hungry
person
means
creating
a job
9 7
& a *(
/n /nd/'a, Mahzabi Khan makes ornaments sold in North America through SELFHELP Crafts. In 1992 SELFHELP Crafts, an MCC job creation program, created the equivalent of 12,000 full-time jobs in 30 countries.
MCC also supports artisans who sell handmade products locally in order to feed, clothe, shelter and educate their children. Create a job. Buy a SELFHELP Crafts gift or contribute to other MCC job creation work.
i
k Mennonite 1 Central ' Committee
Mennonite Central Committee and MCC U.S.
21 South 12th Street, PO Box 500, Akron, PA 17501-0500
(71 7) 859-1 151 (71 7) 859-3889
Mennonite Central Committee Canada
134 Plaza Drive, Winnipeg, MB R3T 5K9 (204)261-6381
Newspaper 390200 sih 1 $123 300
WEHMOHITE BIBLICAL SEHINARY LIBRARV
am
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BEWHftH AVE
ELKHART IN 46517-1947
THE LAST WORD
Feeding the hungry with messy theology
Somalia is messing with our peace theology.
Through daily television and newspaper re- ports, we are all too well aware that thousands of Somalis are starving— not because there is no food, but because clan warlords and local thugs make food distribution impossible. Now the international community has decided the only way to feed starving people is to use armed force.
What should be the response of a church whose theology renounces force and violence?
That question is a difficult one faced by Men- nonite relief and mission agencies with long his- tories of involvement in Somalia. Both Menno- nite Central Committee and Eastern Mennonite Board of Missions have had to pull their work- ers out of Somalia for their safety. Today these workers concentrate on working with Somali refu- gees in bordering countries.
But in spite of not being able to work in Soma- lia itself, this past November MCC declined to sign a letter from Nongovernmental Organiza- tions (NGOs) asking for United Nations' military intervention. Yet MCC was uneasy, for even as it declined to sign, Somalis continued to starve.
What position should a peace church take in a compromising situation like Somalia?
In this issue, J. R. Burkholder and Ted Koontz suggest we might well go back to a theo- logical tenet of our history: dualism. The func- tion of the church is to work for peace and jus- tice. At the same time, in that same fallen world, the function of government is to maintain order, sometimes by using force, occasionally so that the church can do its work.
Not everyone will agree. In last week's issue, David Schroeder took issue with what he called "the ambiguous message to the world" of a "dual ethic" for church and government. "God is not divided," Schroeder wrote. "The same will of God is the will of God for all people."
So if even our own theologians can't agree, what are we to do? Abandon our peace theology, since it doesn't appear to work in this case?
Or should we hunker down and cling even more tenaciously to what we have figured out so far— seeing the conflict between what we believe
and what's going on in the world as just more proof we belong to another kingdom?
But, as Burkholder and Koontz also suggest, maybe we don't have to make a forced choice. For neither abandoning our peace theology nor insisting on being "pure" in our position is going to solve the problem: feeding the hungry.
Perhaps there is another way. Walter Sawat- sky points to it in this week's lead article. It is the way of humility, the way that recognizes that even our best theology will always be incomplete.
The dilemma Somalia brings us is not new. Other generations and other church bodies have faced it in other wars. Out of their struggles have developed various theologies. One of the better known is the "just war theory."
Many of us in the peace church tradition have become quite adept at critiquing this theory. And it does have its holes. For example, even proponents will agree that modern wars, in retro- spect, haven't met the criteria for being just.
But a humbling lesson of Somalia may be that our peace theology too can be critiqued. It too doesn't answer all the questions for every situa- tion.
Theology is, after all, a human endeavor, a mortal attempt to understand the immor- tal. As such it will always be flawed. Mar- garet Loewen Reimer, associate editor of Mennonite Reporter, put it this way in a recent Christmas editorial: "Advent reminds us that we are waiting for the true way— we have not yet found it. We are waiting for the ultimate truth— we do not possess it."
Meanwhile, as followers of Jesus Christ, we are called to continue to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and visit the sick. We believe we must do this in every situation, even when our theology makes us uncomfortable with the cir- cumstances under which we must operate.
We continue to do so humbly, recognizing that we do not have all the answers, that life is full of paradoxes. But, with Christians around the world, we Mennonites continue to search. And we continue to serve. Even with our sometimes messy theology.— jlp
January 19, 1993
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which does so easily beset us and let us run with patience the race which is set before us."
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE
How we're giving, where it's going, and what we'll have to cut
Peace tax activists gather in Belgium
Gospel Herald
THE WEEKLY MAGAZINE OE THE MENNONITE CHURCH
Surrounded by a cloud of witnesses:
Overcoming our loneliness and our fear of extinction
If we are to have meaning in life, we must learn to walk humbly. The ones to learn this from are around us, saints of the church we can choose to emulate.
6
10
Agencies network at Texas peacemaking conference .
. 11
Have you ever been in the middle of a crowd at a party, or even at your own kitchen table surrounded by family and suddenly felt overcome by a wave of loneliness? Have you ever felt like a stranger, not only to a friend, but to yourself as well?
If so, you have suffered a deep human pain- one that a culture such as ours, with its empha- sis on individualism and competition, produces in abundance.
Loneliness is part of the human condition. We know that the supposedly carefree young feel it because we see the grim statistics about teenage suicide and because we talk to young people in pain. We can also often see loneliness in the eyes of world-weary adults and elders.
Behind loneliness— the feeling of not being un- derstood and not being central to anybody's life— lies an even more primal fear: the fear of extinction.
Could it be that we were torn out of our mo-
by
Shirley
Hershey
Showalter
The saints of my church helped me learn to detect character— a trait I be- lieve is one of the most important gifts that one generation can give to another.
thers' wombs, survived all the cuts and scrapes of childhood, learned the capitals of all 50 states, wore clean underwear every day (whether or not we ever went to the emergency room) had our first date, graduated from college, won some prizes and failed to win others, got mar- ried, potty-trained our children, went to 1,637 committee meetings, paid off the mortgage, deliv ered Meals on Wheels (and then suddenly found that they were delivered to us)— could it be that one morning, after all this effort to live by the rules, we just failed to wake up? And after the estate was settled, no one remembered that we ever lived? Could it be, we wonder in our dark- est moments?
The Epicureans of Greece and Rome a few centuries before Christ believed that good and evil lie in sensation and that death ends sensa- tion. The sensible thing to do was to seek plea- sure as long as it lasted.
Many people in our society believe the same thing today. Every product sold on television tries to enhance the pleasure of sensation. Many try to erase the losses of age and assuage the pain of extinction.
But the problem isn't all out there in that big, bad world from which we try to sepa- rate ourselves. The problem also lies within. Even people of faith can be lonely. Even people of faith doubt. Even people of faith won- der sometimes if their lives count for anything.
I believe with all my heart that our lives do count, that no good is ever wasted, and that death is not the end. The difference between the Christian life and some other kind of life is that, for Christians, death is not a tragedy.
Because we live in a death-denying culture, we want to believe we are immortal. Our hearts tell us so with every beat, hub dub; I am. hub dub; I always will be. So we believe we will live forever until something happens that causes us to re- member what we have not yet experienced.
But we also know that, for Christians, life began with the death of Jesus on the cross. It be- gins again every time someone recognizes the brevity of life and the need for salvation and then accepts the grace of God through Jesus Christ.
The writer of Hebrews imagines this beginning as the starting block of a race: "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which does so easily beset us and let us run with patience the race which is set before us" (Heb. 12:1).
Now imagine, if you will, that you are in a sta- dium. The game is basketball. There's a full court in the middle of the space, and you are on it, along with four other teammates.
The other team has a six-inch height advan- tage and a 20-point lead. You are feeling ex- hausted and hope the coach will pull you out of the game.
As you bring the ball down the court, you glance up. Instead of a mass of undifferentiated faces, you see . . . the Dream Team. Michael Jordan and Clyde Drexler and Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. And that guy waving his elbows— that must be Charles Barkley. They are all shouting and smiling. "You can do it!" they shout. "We believe in you!"
Behind them sits a row of yesterday's heroes: Bill Russell, Bob Cousy, Oscar Robertson, and Jerry West. Behind them are all the great play- ers from your church MYF and your college ball players, too.
Way, way up high on the last row sits the au- thor of the game himself, old James Naismith. He's holding the peach basket he used back in 1891. Even he is smiling and cheering for you.
These people are not passive spectators. They are witnesses. They are as involved in your life as they were in their own.
You begin to hear a song you learned in Sun- day school. "They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount with wings as eagles." As you run, the music pounds in your ears. "They shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. Teach me, Lord, teach me, Lord, to wait."
As these words fill your body, you are no longer conscious of being in a stadium. You feel absolutely weightless. You hear the crowd roar, but you don't know why. For a moment, every- thing is brilliantly clear. You ride for a moment on a particle of light.
I have never known such an experience on the basketball court, but I have at other times. In recent years, these moments come to me in memory and in the presence of others.
I call this great cloud of witnesses my dream team. It includes in some way every person read- ing this article, all the spiritual ancestors who are with us also, and hundreds of other people scattered all over the globe.
In my youth my parents helped me construct a dream team of my own out of the ingredients at hand. They used to speak unabashedly of the saints of our congregation.
2 / JANUARY 19, 1993 / GOSPEL HERALD
They loved our minister, Melvin Lauver, and considered his wife, Mary, to be a full partner in ministry. Mary, in fact, devoted so much energy and creativity to children that all of us who knew her remember her as one of our early im- ages of God's love.
My parents and ministers instructed me in wis- dom and tried to help me learn to detect charac- ter—a trait which I am coming to believe is one of the most important gifts one generation can give to another.
Then there was Emma Forrey. Emma had character. You won't read about Emma Forrey in J. C. Wenger's book, A Cloud of Witnesses, but she's on my dream team.
Emma came to church by herself. Her hus- band never came along. There was pain in her life, and she was poor. I remember her because she was not particularly pious, but she was faith- ful. She loved to laugh and to make others laugh.
She loved children. I remember her chasing away a bully from my brother and telling him— in a not-very-pacifistic way, very different from how my mother talked— that she didn't mind
The only answer to evil is good. The only solution to death is resurrection. We are the only people to tell these truths to the next generation.
helping him to stick up for himself. I don't re- member her anger against the bully. I remember her fierce protection of the vulnerable.
Emma took in laundry and helped other peo- ple do housework. Every year we looked forward to the day we worked from dawn to dusk putting up 70 quarts of corn. After all, Emma was com- ing, and there was sure to be laughter all day.
When my mother visited Emma in her latter days, she would always have a quip. Mother would ask, "How are you, Emma?" And Emma would say, "I always read the paper to see if my name is in the obituaries. It wasn't in today, so sit down and let's talk."
A second person on my dream team is Elmer Eby. My father once told me that Elmer gave so much money to the church and lived so simply that an IRS agent came to investigate him, think- ing he must be a tax cheater. That IRS agent walked out of Elmer's house very quietly.
My vocation in life is to run the Christian race. An important part of that task is to teach English at Goshen (Ind.) Col- lege and to stand with the young people of our church who are questioning their received tradi- tion, which young people should always do.
I cannot answer the hard questions about evil in the world. And I can't deny the sins of the church and of people in the church. I feel the weight of my own sins when I talk with my stu- dents.
What I am sure about is that the only answer to evil is good. The only answer to death is res- urrection. And we are the only people to carry this truth into the next generation.
Our theologians may stumble and fall, but our theology need not fall with them. Our theology belongs in books, but it is not contained by them. It must be carried into life and beyond the reaches of death by all of us.
If we are to do justice, we must learn to walk humbly. The ones to learn it from are all around us.
How can we find them? First of all, we need to learn to look. We need to keep alive whatever traditions from our past helped us to first see the great cloud surrounding us. Maybe we in- vited visitors into our homes for Sunday lunch. Maybe we wrote each other letters and canned corn. Or maybe we just took walks and held hands, sat out on the back porch, and marveled at the moon and stars together.
One tradition we can all create today. We can each choose a saint and tell someone else about him or her. If the saints are living, we can drop them thank-you notes or make phone calls of ap- preciation.
If all our saints are gone, we need to keep on searching. We are sure to find more of them in surprising places.
They are the ones urging us to get into the race. As long as they are present, we can never be altogether lonely.
Shirley Hershey Showalter teaches literature and writing courses at Goshen (Ind.) College, where she also chairs the English department. This arti- cle was adapted from a sermon given at College Mennonite Church, Goshen, Ind., Aug. 16, 1992. The author dedicates both the sermon and the arti cle to the memory of Dr. Roger Unzicker, who died on Aug. 9, 1992.
GOSPEL HERALD / JANUARY 19, 1993 / 3
"He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord. Happy are those who make the Lord their trust. ..."
—Psalm 40:3-4a, NRSV
Gospel Herald
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READERS SAY
Is it time for us humans to live our life honestly and with integrity? Using the Bible to justify excluding women or gays or elders from power is only power play. It is no different from excluding people based on race.
If there is any truth to God's exis- tence, I suspect it is God's caring for us and God's ability to lead us individu- ally— if we listen. Justifying our actions or inaction by words uttered centuries ago, while ignoring God's voice within our lives, is living a lie.
In North America we choose to ig- nore war taxes (I'll go to jail if I don't pay), economic slavery (keep them out of sight in El Salvador making cheap shoes), munitions industry (ours is the world's largest), species extinction (who cares for a snail darter), and destruc- tion of our own temperate and rain for- ests (it is much easier to condemn Bra- zil). Collectively we sigh, saying, "After all, we live in a fallen world."
But let a gay reveal himself in church or a woman seek leadership, and we re- veal our claws. After all, our "community" is at risk.
I can show anyone the harm from mu- nitions factories or economic slavery or air pollution. We all can see the con- crete damage from bombs, clearcutting, and toxic waste. Yet we ignore the dam- age. Instead, we harp and argue about sexual preferences and sex role respon- sibilities. Why?
Jim Leuba
Yellow Springs, Ohio
I hesitated, briefly I admit, to respond to the articles on women and leader- ship (Dec. 15 and 22). I feel that my response as a professional nurse to a theologian is like comparing Grandma Moses to Rembrandt. But with risk of a label, here goes:
I found the two articles both inspiring and disappointing. They were disappoint- ing because the guidelines from 1 Tim. 3:2, 12 were missing from the discussion.
The omitted verses raise basic ques- tions: Can the word "wife" be trans- lated "spouse"? Does the choice of word establish gender guidelines for leader- ship? Years ago I was told by a doctoral candidate from Dropsie University, who had written a master's thesis in Aramaic and was proficient in Greek and Hebrew, that "wife" in the original meant woman.
I also found the statement "measured against the amount of biblical material on other subjects, woman and leader-
ship comes up for very little attention" hard to accept as a guideline for deci- sion. To me, two words, "Jesus wept" speak volumes. So does the husband- wife of 1 Timothy. Can a woman have a wife? Of course not.
For the present, I understand and ac- cept gender definition for specific lead- ership positions according to 1 Tim. 3. In the future, perhaps I will understand otherwise. I hope and pray that the change, if it should occur, would be only through the Holy Spirit and not as a capitulation to commands of a patriar- chal system, pressure to destroy a sys- tem (or anything), or satisfaction of a cultural demand.
F. Arline Zimmerman
New Holland, Pa.
What Should We Believe About Women and Leader- ship? (Dec. 15 and 22). The content of these articles indicates an in- depth study of the New Testament. In the church we are not of one mind on this topic. Hopefully these articles will help us reflect more carefully and seri- ously.
My own study has led me to conclude the issue of women in leadership today is similar to the question of circumci- sion in the early church. At the Jerusa- lem conference, this question caused early church leaders to think beyond the immediate concern. If Gentiles needed to be circumcised to be Chris- tians, then they essentially needed to become Jews. This would have turned the gospel into a nationalistic religion, a civil religion, or at best a mere revival movement within Judaism.
But early church leaders, guided by the Holy Spirit and a new experience with the risen Lord Jesus Christ, said the gospel is not any of these; it is the good news of salvation for the entire world! Thus a Gentile did not need to become a Jew in order to become a Christian, nor did the Gentile need to become a Jew to be a leader in the Christian church.
The apostle Paul would not stand for Peter's wavering on this issue (Gal. 2:11- 21). In Gal. 3:28 Paul applied this same principle to slaves and females. Just as a Gentile could become a leader in the church without becoming a Jew, so a woman could become a leader in the church without becoming a man. The early church believed and practiced this as its basic understanding of the mean-
JANUARY 19, 1993 / GOSPEL HERALD
READERS SAY
ing of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
How then do we understand Paul's command to circumcise Timothy after the Jerusalem conference? Apparently Paul believed that in certain social and cultural contexts an exception could be made to the full gospel rule so the mis- sion of the church is not hindered. Per- haps this insight can give us direction in our own day. Could we not allow con- gregations in which the social and cul- tural setting does not permit women in
leadership to be an exception to the gospel rule? Where the social and cul- tural context is ready for the whole gos- pel, can we not encourage women in leadership?
At the same time, let us continue to teach wisely the New Testament view of the whole gospel in gentleness, as George Brunk's two articles have done so well.
Paul M. Zehr
Lancaster, Pa.
More cards and letters
Response continues to the article, Friendship Can Survive ''Ugly'; But Will It Survive Mass Marketing? (Dec. 15). What fol- lows are excerpts from the latest mail on this subject. —Editor
I resent being called a liar, and I in- vite anyone who has received a form letter from me in the past decade to point out my untruths. I also maintain that my form letters have been an im- portant step in fostering intimacy in many of my relationships.
Much prayer goes annually into my composing my reflections on the past year. This has become a valuable tool whereby I can share of myself honestly and our family's everyday Christian, Ana- baptist values can speak quietly for them- selves without my forcing them on others.
We also send a photo with our form letter! Our family picture (including es- pecially our cocker spaniel puppy) sym- bolizes life, as does the birth of Jesus. No, we don't smile all year long, but we do rejoice at Christmas as we remem- ber another year of abundant living. And I suspect our family photos don't go out to the trash with the rest of the Hallmark cards. Joyce Willcox Hunsberger Telford, Pa.
We have probably written form letters every Christmas of our 28 years of married life. It has become a tradition that is more fun every year.
The day after Thanksgiving, we usu- ally write the letter, sending it first to those who live in a foreign country, then to those in the United States and Canada. As I look back over the years,
I am encouraged that, yes, some good things have happened to us. Some years have been especially painful, but the exercise of choosing to write down our blessings built faith for me, a way in which to "in everything give thanks." I reminisce about the richness of the re- lationships God has blessed us with in every place we've lived as I address those letters. I bless copy machines and computers for making it easier to be in touch with those we live.
Doris Stauffer
Plain City, Ohio
I wish I had a life where: (1) my two preschool children played quietly to- gether; (2) I kept all my personal cor- respondence up to date; (3) I lived in the same place all my life with only a few long-distance friends. Then I would make creative Christmas cards with per- sonal notes for everyone.
But, alas, my life falls short of that. So— dare I admit it— I send form let- ters (adding hand-written comments) and boxed Christmas cards!
I enjoy all the Christmas cards we re- ceive. I also enjoy the pictures of chil- dren some send. I know what their par- ents look like, but children change so
Pontius' Puddle
quickly. I feel closer to my friends when I can picture their families.
Linda Huber Mininger
Thomas Mills, Pa.
We do not put our duplicated Christmas letters in the same class as junk mail, nor are we out to be tricking someone. We have been sharing family information with many relatives and friends in dupli- cated form for many years. We will con- tinue to do so. If the readers are turned off by duplicated letters, that is their problem, not mine.
I read with interest the many dupli- cated letters we receive. I find them in- teresting and enlightening (more of the time). If I want to keep in touch more intimately, I would rather use the tele- phone than a return letter. Paul Isaak Rocky Ford, Col.
Please, to my friends and relatives who read Gospel Herald, keep those wonderful form letters com- ing. I look forward to them all year, knowing your lives are busy. But I also know you'll take the time at Christmas to compose one big letter that will tell me everything! And a letter like that is far superior to a quick note of "we are busy — the kids are fine." Carolyn Locy Phoenix, Ariz.
Let those who want to write Christ- mas form letters write them. Let those who do not care to read them quietly set them aside. Form let- ters are nothing more than an honest ef- fort by a soul for whom Christ died to share a little of their life story at Christ- mas. Not all are as gifted at writing as the author of this article. Clyde Durham Houston, Texas
THOSE WILUM& TO THEOLOG-IZE A^OOT, EXPOOMD OPOM, ANALYZE, FORM COMMITTEES TO STODV, ADMlMlSTER, PAOLOTATE, AMD COMTRl^OTE [AOMEy TOWARDS THE WOUK OV THE. OHOCCW.
THOSE" WILLING" TO DO THE WOtf \C
GOSPEL HERALD / JANUARY 1 9, 1 993 / 5
How we're giving, where
The church says it wants boards to continue current programs with only minor changes. But that's impossible given current giving trends.
Across North America, most Mennonite Church congregations are allocating great- er percentages of their budgets to local ministries. That's great for local ministries. But what does this mean for our churchwide agen- cies?
That's the question facing Mennonite Board of Education (MBE), Mennonite Board of Missions (MBM), and Mennonite Board of Congregational Ministries (MBCM) these days. The questions for the other two Mennonite Church program- ming boards— Mennonite Mutual Aid (MMA) and Mennonite Publication Board (MPB)— are different, since they derive their revenue from sales of services and products.
According to Stanley Kropf, churchwide direc- tor of finance with Mennonite Church General Board, Elkhart, Ind., financial support of church- wide ministries has been steadily decreasing over the past ten years.
Anticipating a shortfall at MBCM
In anticipation of a $30,000 to $40,000 shortfall this year, MBCM has done the following:
• Cut staff time.
• Instituted charges to pastoral ministry candi- dates for listing with the Ministerial Information Center.
• Asked congregations to provide a contribu- tion for the pastoral candidate resumes they re- ceive.
• Become more assertive about asking for con- tributions when MBCM staff provide seminars and workshops to congregations.
— Everett Thomas
"Even though the amount of money given has actually increased, the increase has been less than the cost of inflation," Kropf says. "So in 1992 the churchwide agencies really can buy fewer goods and services than they could a decade ago."
Of the nearly $110 million that Mennonite con- gregations spent in 1991, 4.8 percent went to churchwide agencies and 14.4 percent to confer- ences. This is down from 1990 reports, which show 5.5 percent and 15.8 percent were sent to churchwide agencies and conferences respec- tively. Kropf says 9 percent of Mennonite con- gregations do not support their conferences, and 35 percent do not support churchwide ministries.
The decrease in giving clearly has an impact on the budget of the three boards.
• MBCM is anticipating a $30,000 to $40,000 shortfall for the year ending January 31, 1993.
• Church offering plate contributions to MBE— and to Minority Leadership Education, and churchwide colleges and seminaries, all MBE programs— were 1.25 percent less for the year ended June 30, 1992, compared to the previ- ous year.
• At MBM, contributions have increased less than 2 percent annually for the past three years. When those increases are adjusted for interna- tional inflation, a negative trend in resource lev- els is apparent.
With contributions decreasing or failing to keep up with inflation, these churchwide agen- cies are being forced to cut back.
Mennonite Board of Education. The relationship between church and school is weakened when the church asks ad- ministrators to get their support elsewhere, ac- cording to Loren E. Swartzendruber, associate executive secretary of MBE. This is the long- term effect of financial cuts— and the most im- portant factor for the long-term health of our church schools, he says.
"It costs something to have an MBE; it costs more not to have a churchwide board," Swartz- endruber states. He says that the board focuses education efforts, reduces unnecessary duplica- tion of programs, and establishes policies which provide for healthy schools, not only for now but for years to come.
Healthy church schools produce congrega- tional leaders and members who are committed to be a part of the Christian movement in the world as expressed by Mennonite Anabaptists, Swartzendruber explains.
"Those students who come to our church schools from healthy families and congregations
6 / JANUARY 19, 1993 / GOSPEL HERALD
it's going, and what . . .
are most likely to be involved in the life of the church in North America and around the world," he says. "Many have and will give significant^ years of service in mission and relief efforts." Mennonite mission and relief agencies have said that they depend on the church schools to pro- vide personnel.
As Swartzendruber puts it, our schools are not parallel to the church— they are an integral part of the church. "If the church wants to sponsor schools, it must be ready to pay for them," Swartzendruber concludes.
Mennonite Board of Congregational Ministries. MBCM serves 1,145 con- gregations and 21 conferences across North America. To meet the agency's financial needs, the General Board adopted a formula in the spring of 1990 that was to be factored into the churchwide Partners in Ministry fundraising effort. That formula called for an increase in of- fering plate contributions to MBCM over a five- year period, explains Everett Thomas, MBCM executive secretary.
"If we would realize those increases, we could provide more of the ministries assigned to us by the church," he says. "Unfortunately our first year's experience is showing us that the Partners in Ministry process is not providing such an in- crease in financial resources, and in fact may ac- tually be providing fewer financial resources."
Thomas predicts a $30,000 to $40,000 deficit this year. But this is always a guess, he adds, "because we receive approximately 20 percent of our total annual income in the last month of the year. We could 'get well' in a hurry or we could be in a big hole in a hurry."
Thomas estimates that 88 to 90 percent of MBCM funding comes from contributions.
Mennonite Board of Missions. Placing people in mission and service assign- ments is of highest priority at MBM. Yet this is being stymied by a lack of funds.
Financial supports for three missionary assign- ments in Europe will conclude in 1993, says Pat Swartzendruber, MBM vice-president for admin- istration and resources. Although there is oppor- tunity for 10 new missionary assignments, none of them will likely be filled this year.
Partners of MBM also feel the effect of bud- get cuts, Swartzendruber adds. These include agencies with which MBM work in planting churches or initiating new ministries, including conferences wishing for more church planting funds or more MBM personnel.
MBM response to recession funding
During the past three years of slowing support, MBM has avoided deficits until this past fiscal year. As a result of this trend and of a $336,000 shortfall last year, current year plans have been reduced by $275,000:
• Financial support for three missionary assign ments in Europe will conclude in 1993.
• Although there is opportunity for 10 new mis sionary assignments, none of them will likely be filled this year.
• Reduction of total grants available for Can- ada and United States church planting have oc- curred.
• Several video production plans were dis- continued in MBM Media Ministries.
• MBM staff has been reduced by five. — Pat Swartzendruber
From these statistics, one might conclude that dropping financial support of the churchwide agencies indicates that their services are no longer desired by the churches who brought them into being. But this isn't the case, according to Kropf.
Kropf was among the first to detect the trend of decreasing financial support to churchwide ministries. He decided a good place to start was to ask the church representatives what they wanted with regard to the churchwide ministries.
At the Normal 89 General Assembly Kropf put this question to the delegates. "If the church agencies need to start pulling back, which mis- sionaries should be brought home first?" he asked. "Which other services should be cur- tailed?"
During the next two years, the board execu- tives addressed Kropf s questions. "The find- ings, simply stated, are that the church wants its boards to continue current programs with only minor changes," he says. But that's impossible, given the current trend of falling financial sup- port.
"If the decreasing financial support of the past
GOSPEL HERALD / JANUARY 1 9, 1 993 / 7
we'll have to cut
decade continues in the same way for the next 12 to 15 years the financial support will be zero," Kropf adds. "If it should happen that the churchwide agencies lose their financial support, how will the church accomplish its mission of nurture, international evangelism, and educa- tion?"
The mood in North America at this point is toward more localization," Kropf notes. "I think that's appropriate for the church at this point." However, he continues, "at what point do we become too local?
"I would say that it's inappropriate to be only focused on a local community and congregation now that we are a global community. I think it is just as inappropriate to look out and pay atten- tion to everything around us and not to our- selves. Someplace in between we have to find the balance between our local and our extended emphasis."
Kropf reemphasizes the fact that of every dol- lar that was spent by a congregation last year, only 5.5 cents went to churchwide ministry. "Our churchwide programs represent really a very small portion of the spending of the church," he says.
Kropf has been visiting strong supporting con- gregations, asking them the secret to their gener- osity. He found that the most common reason for strong support is that they have strong pasto- ral leadership— and often strong finance com- mittee leadership as well.
"The second thing that I noticed is that in many congregations a significant number of the members have had some form of service experi- ence," he adds. Attendance at a Mennonite col- lege is also a factor in strong support of the church.
"Money is fundamentally connected to our spirituality," Kropf observes. "Stewardship for [Mennonites] is wrapped up in discipleship and our spiritual journey. We are created by God in a very beautiful and wonderful world. It is our work to care for it in a way that enhances the life and qualities of life of all of God's beautiful and wonderful creation. We give concrete expres- sion to our relationship to God by giving our money."
This report was compiled by Gospel Herald's assistant editor, Cathleen Hockman, from reports by John Bender, Loren Swartzendruber, Pat Swartzendruber, and Everett Thomas.
What happens when the church pulls back in its financial contributions? There are immediate and long-term effects. Some immediate effects for MBE include:
• Some qualified college students cannot at- tend Mennonite colleges when they and their families do not have the larger share they must pay of the total cost of education.
• As governmental funds (for student financial assistance) are cut, too many students graduate from college or seminary with debt loads that make it more difficult for them to consider enter- ing full-time church service.
• Some gifted, prospective Mennonite faculty members read the church's decreasing in- volvement as an indication of church priorities and decide to teach at places where their gifts are wanted and recognized.
Cutting back at MBE
• The schools do not remain current in techno- logical developments, which students and fami- lies expect of good educational institutions.
• Schools are tempted to increase the number of other than Mennonite students (to balance budgets in the short-term) which decreases the positive impact of peer learning among those of similar values and theological perspectives. MBE policy is that colleges should have at least 55 percent of their students from the Mennonite Church; peer learning is enhanced while there is sufficient diversity to provide additional learning opportunities.
• In Minority Leadership Education, we can- not support the number of black, Hispanic and Native American students who should be prepar- ing for leadership ministries in the church.
— Loren Swartzendruber O
8 / JANUARY 19, 1993 / GOSPEL HERALD
ITEMS & COMMENTS
Religious groups decry rape of Muslim women
An ecumenical team of women who recently returned from a fact-finding mis- sion to parts of the former Yugoslavia say they are "absolutely convinced" Muslim women there have been repeatedly raped and killed as a "weapon of war" in the continuing conflict.
The observations of the ecumenical team, representing the Geneva-based World Council of Churches, come at a time when similar voices of outrage are being raised by a variety of religious groups in North America.
Religious leaders are drafting state- ments of protest calling for international intervention to end the mass rapes. They have also called for rape to be included in the definition of war crimes under international law. (RNS)
Australian women stream to Anglican priesthood
With the floodgates now open, women who had been barred from the Anglican priesthood in Australia are streaming into the priestly ranks, with 80 ordained during two weeks last month alone.
The hectic round of pre-Christmas or- dinations has cleared a backlog of women who were theologically trained but barred from the priesthood until the church re- versed its male-only policy at a General Synod meeting at the end of November.
Since the Church of England, the moth- er church of Anglicanism, approved women priests early in November, half of the worldwide Anglican Communion of 30 independent churches have passed legis- lation that officially permits women priests. (RNS)
Religious freedom act tops legislative wish list
Quick passage of the Religious Free- dom Restoration Act tops the short-term legislative agenda of most religious lobby- ists on Capitol Hill with the recent con- vening of the new Congress.
The proposed act is designed to essen- tially overturn a 1990 Supreme Court ruling, which stripped protection for reli- gious practices by upholding the right of states to bar drug use in religious rituals.
Since the 1990 ruling, more than 50 free exercise cases have been decided, most ruling in favor of the government. They include cases involving Jews who object to autopsies, Muslim prisoners seeking to avoid being served pork, and Amish buggy drivers. (RNS)
Government returns cathedrals to Russian Orthodox Church
The gold-domed cathedrals in the Kremlin were returned to the Russian Orthodox Church by the Russian govern- ment, and a service— the first in 75 years— was conducted this November in Archangel Cathedral, the main church structure.
Also returned was the brightly colored St. Basil's Cathedral on Red Square. The churches had been seized by the commu- nists in 1917 and used as museums and for other purposes. (NIRR)
Baby boomers will not be reached by traditional churches, says pastor
Baby boomers will set the U.S. agenda during the next 20 years, but most never will be reached by traditional churches, according to baby boomer Rick Warren, pastor of a 6,000 member congregation in Orange County, Calif.
He sees a vast cultural gap between boomers and the average church. There's a great need, he says, for genuinely "contemporary" churches that use "cul- turally appropriate" forms to reach and minister to the boomer generation.
Warren's characteristics of such church- es include: multiple options in programs and ministries; use of laypeople for min- istry and small groups; quality single- adult and children's ministries; worship services with a casual, informal atmos- phere; use of contemporary music. (NIRR)
Households give less to charity but volunteer more time
Hit by hard times, people in the United States gave less money to charity in 1991 but volunteered a little more time, accord-
900th anniversary observed. Black Forest, Germany— The monastery of St. Peter in the Black Forest, Germany, survived countless wars, pillages, pes- tilences, and disastrous fires to turn 900 years old this year. It was at this monastery that Michael Sattler rose to the position of prior (second in charge, next to the abbot) in the 1520s. By 1525, Sattler was deeply disillusioned with the life within its walls and de- fected from the monastery to join the emerging Anabaptist movement. — Jan Gleysteen
ing to a Gallup survey released by Inde- pendent Sector.
The survey found that 72 percent of households contributed to charity in 1991 (down from 75 percent in 1989) with an average contribution of $899 (down from $978). Average hours volunteered per week were 4.2, up slightly from 4.0 the preceding year.
The study found that people who iden- tify themselves as religious and who at- tend religious services regularly are by far the most generous with both time and money.
People with moderate or low incomes also give proportionately more to charity than do their wealthy neighbors, the study found. (NIRR, RNS)
Churches hold more money,
give less outside the congregation
Per-member giving in U.S. churches has increased steadily over the past two de- cades, but church members are giving a greater share of their contributions to meet congregational expenses and less to charitable pursuits, according to a recent study.
Empty Tomb, Inc., an organization that tracks church incomes, found that per- member giving to congregations increased by $58.06 in constant dollars between 1968 and 1990.
But donations to outside charities, channeled through congregations, was virtually the same in 1990 as in 1968, increasing by only a nickel a year after adjustments for inflation.
The report singles out recession periods for special analysis and concludes that five identified recessions between 1968 and 1990 exerted no predictable influence on giving. (RNS)
GOSPEL HERALD / JANUARY 1 9, 1 993
CHURCH NEWS
International peace tax activists meet in Belgium to compare progress
Brussels, Belgium (GCMC)— Marian Franz was among 60 activists who at- tended the Fourth International Confer- ence of Peace Tax Campaigns and War Tax Resisters in Brussels, Belgium, Nov. 5-8.
Franz is the executive director of the U.S. -based National Campaign for a Peace Tax Fund (NCPTF).
Conference participants came with at least one thing in common, Franz said: "We all find it a clear violation of con- science to pay the military portion of our taxes; we seek statutory recognition of conscience against paying for arms as an extension of the right to refuse to bear aims."
The conference, which draws primarily European and North American partici- pants, has met every two years since 1986.
The gathering allows participants "to hear stories of resistance and to compare our progress in gaining conscientious ob- jection (CO) status to payment of military taxes within our respective countries," Franz said.
For instance, NCPTF hopes to convince Congress members to pass a law permit- ting people conscientiously opposed to war to have the military portion of their taxes allocated to peacemaking.
"Most countries have a similar ap- proach to war tax resisters," Franz noted. "The standard response of governments, when they do respond, is to add civil penalties and collect the unpaid taxes forcibly. Imprisonment for war tax resis- tance is rare."
Court responses to these cases are usu- ally predictable as well. "The issue usu- ally raises a 'political' question which the courts cannot address, or the courts de- cide that the constitutional guarantees of freedom of conscience or religion do not outweigh the duty of the citizen to pay taxes," she said.
Conference guest Cesar Flores, leader of the Honduran Mennonite Church, spoke about the military oppression within his country (see "Mennonite lead- er," this page).
Beyond networking and sharing of strat- egies, conference participants contribute to projects which promote peace. Two years ago they gave $15,000 to the Innu people to help in their fight to stop low- level military flights over their hunting lands in central Labrador, Canada.
This year, the activists plan to donate money to Peace Brigades International for their efforts to de-escalate the conflict in Sri Lanka.
Mennonite leader tells of oppression by Honduran military
Brussels, Belgium (GCMC)— Hondu- ran Christians who resist the mandatory military service and payment of military taxes "suffer a great deal" for their beliefs, Cesar Flores told participants at the Fourth International Conference of Peace Tax Campaigns and War Tax Resisters.
"The government calls them Commu- nists and marginalizes them and makes their lives difficult," said Flores, who is a leader of the Honduran Mennonite Church. "It's all the same, whether you die of hunger or because you are called a communist."
The military oppression is carried out with the aid of rich countries such as the United States, Flores added.
The difficulties in Honduras began after the Nicaraguan dictator Somoza was overthrown in 1979 and the San- dinista government consequently came into power.
At that time, Flores said, the United States carried out "one of the most flagrant acts of military repression" through its military backing of the Con- tras, a group that was fighting to topple Nicaragua's Sandinista government.
"From 1979 on," he said, "Honduras was converted into a war base. . . . Joint Honduras-U.S. military bases proliferat- ed, forcing the country into a constantly provocative stance, particularly toward the Sandinista government.
NCPTF began its efforts to introduce peace tax legislation in 1972. "Compared to other countries, we have the longest running campaign," Franz said.
"Most European war tax resisters en- tered the scene in 1982. The presence of
Cesar Flores
Mennonite Church of Honduras began the risky work of caring for large urban groups of displaced, banished, and marginalized people. As expected criti- cism, disapproval, surveillance, and ha- rassment by the army soon followed."
In response, the Mennonites, Quakers, and other churches drafted a paper which states their principled objections to war and compulsory military service.
It includes alternative forms of service for youth connected with churches. The churches hope to present the paper to the Honduran parliament.
Flores noted that the Guatemala Ac- cord, which all the Central American countries agreed to in the late 1980s, is "an important step on the road to peace."
But he cautioned that the Honduran people are still suffering from the pover- ty and atmosphere of insecurity which were created in part by the military buildup during the 1980s.
"There is a worldwide trend toward reduction in armed forces which Hondu-
Cruise and Pershing missiles woke them up. They suddenly realized that Europe had become a giant football field on which the two superpowers could bounce their nuclear weapons." — Carla Reimer
"This whole situation drew Honduras into an absurd war in which Honduras had nothing to gain, and yet taxes for the defense budget tripled."
With the advance of war came increas- ing unemployment, food shortages, and freezing of human rights, Flores contin- ued. "Grotesque death squads, torture, 'disappearances,' exile, and illegal im- prisonment were used against any who even dared to express coherent thoughts against what was going on.
"Against this somber backdrop . . . the
ras cannot escape; however, resistance to it from the army is growing all the time," Flores commented.
"Faced with this situation," he contin- ued, "the Mennonite church has reiterat- ed its statement against compulsory mil- itary service in the hope that the present decade will see real progress in action for peace in Honduras and Central America.
"We are confident that in this pilgrimage the God of peace will be with us and guide and support us to live and work for peace."
10 /
JANUARY 19, 1993 / GOSPEL HERALD
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CHURCH NEWS |
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Texan peacemakers start networking at conference San Antonio, Tex.— Three guest speak- ers highlighted an active-peacemaking conference sponsored by San Antonio Mennonite Fellowship Nov. 20-22. The purpose of the gathering was to talk about forming a networking structure for people from the many different agencies and coalitions now existing in San Anto- nio. Marion Bontrager, a Bible professor at Hesston (Kan.) College, traced the theo- logical and historical bases of active peacemaking. He spoke about distinguishing false prophets from true ones. The false prophet sees peace as security in absence of war, he said, whereas the true prophet always shapes an argument or sees issues through God rather than government. Bontrager also spoke about the biblical shalom— which cannot happen until peo- ple love and accept one another, he said. How? From a servant's stance— "making |
peace from the bottom up . . . from the grassroots." Oppression and racism are two of the domestic roots of war, said Luz Guerra, peace education secretary for the Ameri- can Friends Service Committee in Austin, Tex. She spoke of "piece" and "peace," ex- plaining that we are all a piece of the whole— each person is a piece of the peace. The question is, where do we fit into the whole? Richard Williams, professor of econom- ics at the University of Colorado in Boul- der, talked about communities which have successfully converted closed military bases into civilian use. His studies of 100 U.S. communities have shown that eco- nomic conversion of military bases is pos- sible and often more beneficial to the cities affected. He warned of two mistakes communi- ties make when confronted with the pos- sibility of a base shut-down. One is to exhaust all energy and resources trying to keep the base open. |
The other is /jP in believing f-v. Jjwlj^jj one or two 1 (M /^&^^t "Fortune 500" MT^jP'<>K^^^ companies can > <*r. - ■,< c be lured into !^--T- ^vl" the area to re- ^0^1 < v^^^^VrtflfP place all the /-<.. ^^pftwrU-" lost jobs. Small a vM&j§^^ business / \i "incubators" \Jt lijg have had much vr more success in creating and sustaining new jobs for the communities, he said. Such an economic conversion was dis- cussed at a roundtable dialogue at the close of the conference. Participants noted that the military must be seen as being part of economic conversion from the beginning. The peace and justice committee of San /\ntonio xviennoinic rciiuwMiip win uuu ate future meetings in an effort to con- tinue talk on this issue.—//. M. Sanger and John Lichty |
EMC Summer Camps
June 21-25, 1993
• COMPUTERS
• GERMAN
• MICROSCOPY
• ORCHESTRA •PIANO
For more information, write: Eastern Mennonite College, Admissions Office, Harrisonburg, Virginia 22801 or call toll-free (800) 368- 2665. Local calls 432-41 18.
Experiential learning Sor high school students!
GOSPEL HERALD / JANUARY 1 9, 1 993 / 11
CHURCH NEWS
Guatemalan weaver demonstrates craft and tells life story
Calgary, Alta. (MCC)— Dressed in a handwoven skirt and a colorful hand-em- broidered blouse, 31-year-old Gregoria Xinico Cumes de Culpatan jerks down hard on her backstrap loom, using a trea- sured weaving stick that once belonged to her grandmother.
It's a scene repeated thousands of times daily throughout Guatemala's mountains, but this time Cumes is demonstrating the age-old craft for 30 volunteers in a Cal- gary, Alta., Selfhelp Crafts shop.
Calgary was one of many stops for Cumes during a month-long trip through Canada and the United States this fall organized by Selfhelp Crafts of the World, a nonprofit job creation program of Men- nonite Central Committee (MCC).
Backstrap weaving requires strength and patience— a skilled artisan like Cumes completes