Canadian Mennonite
Volume 6, number 12
June 17, 2002

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Strasbourg, France - African women are looking for fair treatment, especially in pastoral ministry. This issue was central at a women's theology conference in Zimbabwe April 26-28 on the theme "Now is the time."

This second gathering of Brethren In Christ and Mennonite women in Africa attracted 15 Zimbabwean and 10 Zambian theologians and students. Two guests came from the Netherlands. A similar conference was held in the Democratic Republic of Congo in November 2001, and a third will take place in East Africa in July.

"I hope to have clarification on...why women pastors are not given many privileges in the church, yet we receive the same salvation as men," said Mutinta Freestar Hachilenge from Zambia, currently studying in Zimbabwe. "I wish to know what can break this bondage," she said.

In her presentation, Nellie Mlotshwa emphasized the need for fervent prayer and sound theological training to equip women for ministry. Ethel Sibanda moved her listeners with a powerful speech on the Great Commission. Telling people about Christ is the main thing for Christians to do, she said, but she also appealed for "a balanced ministry" that provides help for people in need James 2:15-16).

Group discussions identified issues and set goals for action. The women identified God's call to them to be leaders, counsellors and teachers, to work with children and to minister at work as well as in the church. They addressed cultural barriers, issues of low self esteem, how to make themselves heard by theologians elsewhere, the importance of daily quiet time, and the support of prayer partners.

Zambian women chose a "Women Theologians Committee." Its task is to get women involved in the church from local to national levels, and to seek a place on the national church executive board. They will also work to identify the gifts of fellow theologians and support them in congregational, district and national programs.

Women from Zimbabwe cited evangelism as one of their goals and chose a committee to start a training program. Other goals are to work with pastors at current programs, such as assisting AIDS victims, including orphans, and collecting aid for bereaved families and others in need.

Conference participants will receive a newsletter and an address list so that they can keep in touch and extend invitations to preach at each other's churches.
The gathering chose three women to represent the region at an all-Africa Mennonite meeting scheduled for July 31 to August 1 in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. They also heard how the women can help at the Mennonite World Conference Assembly in Bulawayo next summer.

-MWC release by Ferne Burkhardt

Toronto, Ont. - A recent announcement by its associate pastor has prompted Toronto United Mennonite Church to intitiate a "season of discernment" on the issue of homosexuality.

In the April 28 worship service, Shannon Neufeldt announced that she is homosexual. According to a May 2 release from the congregation, "she shared how the struggle to comprehend her developing sexuality has both challenged and deepened her relationship with God. After extensive exploration of these issues, with the help of various counselors and friends, Shannon has come to affirm her homosexual orientation, and felt it was time to share this part of her story and her identity with the congregation that has called her to ministry."

Neufeldt requested a leave of absence for the month of May "while she and the congregation initiate and establish a process in this matter that will respect the needs of all in the congregation as well as the wider church."

In a May 3 release to pastors of Mennonite Church Eastern Canada (MCEC), David Brubacher, Minister to Conference, and Muriel Bechtel, Minister of Pastoral Services, stated: "According to our polity, the matter of a leave is first of all a congregational matter. The Leadership Commission of MCEC will be responsible for addressing the question of ministerial credentials." Neufeldt is licensed by MCEC.

Brubacher and Bechtel invite prayerful support for all parties dealing with this news, seeking grace and understanding to hear each other, and wisdom in discernment. They note that over the years, Neufeldt has been respected in her ministry settings.

Using language that parallels "A season of discernment" initiated by MCEC in its fall 2001 delegate session, the Toronto United Mennonite Church (TUMC) says it will undertake an extended review process comprising the seasons of Caring, Education and Decision-making.

In the season of Caring, all members and adherents will have opportunity to share their views. The Educational season this fall will include study of the Bible as well as contemporary aspects of this issue. The season of Decision-making will involve discerning God's will and shaping the decisions that will be required. The congregation had discussed homosexuality in 1993-1994, although no specific conclusions were proposed at the time.

Dennis Giesbrecht, a designated spokesperson for the congregation in this process, emphasizes that while the issue of homosexuality has come to the fore because of Neufeldt's announcement, "the focus should remain on the church and what it is dealing with, not on her as an individual."

Pastor Gary Harder said he believes TUMC is well placed to deal with the issue of homosexuality in the church, and that the church will deal sensitively and respectfully with conflicts that may arise.

J.D. Penner, chair of the church board, says, "This is a test of the maturity of our congregation. We will need to be loving, caring, and civil through the coming dialogue, which is sure to involve divergent perspectives." He requests prayers and the "wisdom of the wider church community" as the congregation engages in this discussion.

Brubacher and Bechtel in the statement from MCEC assured TUMC of two things they can expect from conference: 1) Help to insure that the people and congregations directly involved have the resources needed, and 2) Reminders to all those involved in leadership and decision-making of our mutual accountability-to each other, to the statements and policies of the wider church, and to people from many backgrounds who bring varying approaches to these issues.

The MCEC release concludes: "We know that working at this issue stresses the fabric of our sense of oneness in Christ. While this real situation brings a sense of immediacy to our 'season of discernment,' we want to approach this matter with care and respect for our deeply held differences. We ask for your patience and prayers as all of us seek to be faithful followers of Jesus in our dialogue and decisions through this uncharted territory for our conference."

In a comment on the TUMC release, Bechtel wonders whether the MCEC "Season of discernment" is understood by TUMC to be more open on the issue of homosexuality than leadership of MCEC perceives it to be.

Brubacher notes that the "Season of discernment" was designed to cover more than homosexuality, although that issue precipitated the resolution. It was not designed to consider implications for a pastoral leader. The matter of credentialling remains in the hands of the MCEC Leadership Commission.

Leroy Shantz, chair of the commission, says, "We are thinking of the denominational statements on sexuality. In light of these, is it then possible for her to continue to minister as a credentialled person in MCEC?" He adds, "We do view pastoral ministry as a high calling. We did hear both her story regarding her sexual orientation, and the story of her continuing sense of call to pastoral ministry."

Shantz notes that credentialling is always tied into a three-way discernment between the individual, the congregation and MCEC.

-Maurice Martin

Photo: Canadian grads of AMBS, from left: Bridget Butt, Adam Robinson, Wendy Janzen, Bock Ki (Korean serving in Canada), Ruth Boehm. Not pictured: Erwin Wiens. Photo by Steve Echols.

Elkhart, Ind. - I invite you to minister as exiles," Juan Martínez told the 2002 graduating class of Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary (AMBS) on May 24. "Remember that you are part of a worldwide community of faith. Before citizens of the country of your birth, you are citizens of the kingdom of God."

"God is looking for a faithful community that will work from poverty and simplicity alongside the poor and downtrodden, singing God's praises as we see how God works in a strange land," he noted. Martínez directs the Hispanic Church Studies program at Fuller Theological Seminary in California, and is an adjunct faculty member of AMBS. From 1992-2001, he was rector of SEMILLA, the Latin American Anabaptist Seminary.

Of the 37 graduates, 17 received the Master of Divinity degree, 5 the Master of Arts in Peace Studies, 9 the Master of Arts in Theological Studies, 1 the Master of Arts in Christian Formation and 1 the Master of Arts in Mission and Evangelism. Four received the Certificate in Theological Studies.

The graduating class included six Canadians. Ruth Boehm, former pastor at Bethel Mennonite Church in Winnipeg, will teach at Gindiri College of Theology in Nigeria with Mennonite Central Committee. Bridget Butt, member of Grace Baptist Church in Richmond Hill, Ontario, will continue relief work with Mennonite Central Committee in Africa and work with a Quaker peace program there.

Wendy Janzen, from Rosthern, Saskatchewan, is on the pastoral team of St. Jacobs Mennonite Church in Ontario. Bock Ki Kim, member of Charleswood Mennonite Church in Winnipeg, will be a church planter for a multi-cultural congregation in Toronto.

Adam Robinson, member of Foothills Mennonite Church in Calgary, is human resources coordinator for Mennonite Church Canada and interim chaplain at the University of Manitoba. Erwin Wiens, pastor of Windsor Mennonite Fellowship in Ontario, will begin work at Jesus Villager Church in Korea under Mennonite Church Canada Witness.

The 10 international graduates included two each from India and Nicaragua, and one each from Korea, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Tanzania, China and Thailand.

Sixteen graduates have pastoral ministry assignments or are seeking to be pastors. Several will serve as chaplains and teachers in church schools. Four have accepted assignments abroad.

-From AMBS release

Photo: Dennis Good.

Winnipeg, Man. - Dennis M. Good of Newton, Kansas, stepped down as publisher and president of Mennonite Publishing House (MPH) on June 1. He had served in that role since August 2001.

"Dennis brought to denominational publishing an important continuity of leadership experience during the initial months of transition to a single denominational publisher," said Ron Sawatsky, interim MPH board chair and moderator of Mennonite Church Canada. "We commend Dennis for his dedicated and conscientious work amidst a very difficult financial environment for denominational publishing."

On February 1, 2001, Faith & Life Press, the General Conference Mennonite Church publisher, merged with Mennonite Publishing House, the Mennonite Church publisher. Good became executive vice president of the merged entity, before assuming the chief executive role from J. Robert Ramer six months later.

Good became director of finance and operations for Faith & Life Press in July 1996. In November 1997, he was appointed executive secretary of the General Conference Commission on Education and publisher of Faith & Life Press. In that capacity, he oversaw major aspects of the merger of the two denominational publishers.

-Joint MC Canada and MC USA release

Photo: Isaias Ramirez and Leticia Payan joined the MEDA course to get help for their clients, but they found help they hadn't expected. MEDA Photo.

Mexico City, Mexico - The huge pyramids brood majestically over the ancient city of Teotihuacán, about an hour north of Mexico City. At one time, this "City of the gods" was home to 200,000 people, but by the year 700 it was virtually abandoned. By the time the Spanish arrived in the 16th century, it was an earth-covered ruin.

A Christian worker who recently visited the ruins posed a challenging question: Will the church she helped build in this country flourish after she is gone, or will it, like Teotihuacán, become a curiosity, devoid of life?

Leaders of the 15 Mennonite churches here know that a strong foundation is vital, and that one of the pillars is sustainable livelihoods. That's why three years ago they invited input from Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA).

A study determined that the best way for MEDA to help was to provide business training, so Micro MEDA Mexico was born. The program provides training in things such as accounting, purchasing and marketing. To date, 58 people have participated in the program, 80 percent of them non-churched.

For many, it's their first contact with an evangelical congregation. That's true for Isaias Ramirez and Leticia Payan who sell insurance. They came to the course to learn more about providing "peace and tranquility" for their clients. The course led to some spiritual peace of their own.

The couple faced problems with their three daughters, who were using drugs. "We didn't know where to turn," says Leticia. Program staff put them in touch with the Mennonite congregation, and they began to attend.

"The church was warm and inviting," says Leticia.

"Things are still difficult," says Isaias, "but we don't feel alone anymore."

Comments like that make Andres Martinez, director of the MEDA program, feel good.

"When we start the first class, we clearly tell people who is sponsoring the course, and why we are doing it," he says. But, he adds, "we don't use the course as a way to squeeze in talk about religion."

Martinez, 32, knows firsthand that "people can't think about God and Jesus if they don't make enough money to support their families."

He grew up poor, one of five children of a divorced mother who supported her family by running a sidewalk jewelry kiosk. He sold sunglasses. His mother urged him to get additional education, and he earned a bachelor's degree in international trade and a master's in public administration before getting a job with the Bic corporation.

It was a very good job, but something was gnawing at him inside. He knew millions of Mexicans were sliding further into poverty. Part of his unease was joining a Mennonite church in 1997. He became convinced that God was calling him to use his business skills to help others.

He quit Bic-all his friends thought he "was crazy," as did his (now former) girlfriend-and started directing the MEDA program full time in 2001.

"I'm very optimistic about the program," he says. "I know that if a person really tries, he can make a difference."

A side benefit is that it can help make local churches financially viable. This is a challenge as missionaries seek to pass responsibility for church life to local people.

MEDA has tried working with churches overseas before. But the agency's experience reads like a tale of how not to do economic development. Providing loans through churches doesn't work-a pastor can't preach about "forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors" on Sunday and then go out and collect outstanding loans on Monday.

Since MEDA is not making loans in Mexico, that problem can be avoided. But there still are challenges.

One is funding the program. There's a limit to how much low income people can be charged-they currently pay 200 pesos ($20 US) for the 13-week course. It costs about $30,000 a year to run the program. Donations from North Americans, including many in Pennsylvania's Franconia Mennonite Conference, together with larger contributions from the Rosenberger and DeFehr Foundations, have covered the first two years of operation.

If Micro MEDA Mexico is successful, it could model a new way for MEDA to work in partnership with local groups.

-From MEDA release by John Longhurst