Canadian Mennonite
Volume 7, number 11
June 2, 2003
TheChurches

Mennonite Church Canada

From our leaders

Mennonite Church Eastern Canada

Mennonite Church Manitoba

Mennonite Church Saskatchewan

Mennonite Church Alberta

Mennonite Church British Columbia








Mennonite Church Canada




West and south come east for Assembly

Henry Krause, Peter Stucky, and April Yamasaki will bring messages to the delegate assembly worship services at the annual assembly in St. Catharines this year (July 9-13).

Krause is a pastor at Langley Mennonite Fellowship in B.C. and is moderator of Mennonite Church Canada. He divides his time between these activities, family (he and wife Edith have four children), and partnering with his brother Alf at a berry and vegetable operation. Krause studied sociology at the University of B.C. and acquired a Master of Divinity degree from Regent College in Vancouver. He will preach on opening night (Wednesday) on the theme “What if grace prevailed?”

Peter Stucky is the president of the Mennonite Church of Colombia, and also pastors congregation in Bogota. Born and raised in Colombia, Stucky studied theology and Bible in Israel, Europe, and the U.S. He is a graduate of Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary.

Stucky participates with the Colombian Mennonite Church in building bridges between the illegal armed groups of the left and of the right, different political leaders, the military, academics, farmers, and displaced persons. He is married to Leticia and has three sons. At the assembly, Stucky will reflect on the question “What if peace prevailed?” during Thursday night’s worship

April Yamasaki is an author, preacher, and pastor. Among other projects, she has been a writer and co-writer of Remember Lot’s Wife and Other Unnamed Women of the Bible; Leadership and Community; and most recently, Making Disciples, a leadership manual for discipleship and baptism preparation. She majored in Political Science at the University of B.C. and holds a Master of Christian Studies from Regent College in Vancouver.

Yamasaki is the lead pastor at Emmanuel Mennonite Church in Abbotsford. She is married to Gary Yamasaki, an instructor at Columbia Bible College. She will address the theme question of “What if love prevailed?” during the Sunday morning worship time.

Local congregations are invited to join assembly delegates for worship at any of the worship services (Wed and Thursday, 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.; Saturday, 7:30 p.m., Communion service; Sun., 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.).
—MC Canada release



Finances the focus of ‘listening’ meetings

Mennonite Church Canada is holding a series of “listening” meetings to give members an opportunity to interact with leadership on MC Canada’s financial situation and early March decisions to cut programs.

Two such sessions were recently held in Manitoba: May 1, Altona (see May 5 issue, page 17); May 8, Winnipeg. Questions that arose during the discussion time revealed a mixture of concern, confusion and lament. Participants were concerned about how decisions were made to reduce programs. They lamented the loss of those programs that had been a part of how they understood the work and ministry of MC Canada. There was confusion over “flow-through” funding (donations that arrive at MC Canada offices but are designated for other organizations, such as Eastern Mennonite University, Christian Peacemaker Teams, and others), and the lack of advance warning about the gravity of the crisis.

Participants were concerned about how this past year will affect the vision and mission of MC Canada. Some commented that congregations feel distant from MC Canada, that there is an overwhelming sense of newness (some continue to struggle with programs that have new names), and concern about the impact on schools and area conferences. One questioner pondered whether “the vision remains intact.” Others were interested in seeing what ministries and staff remain, and how the work of MC Canada Formation and MC Canada Witness will continue.

As the discussion was brought to a close, one participant said, “I commend you for calling the meeting. I feel we need to do things together. How will we draw each other back together?”

Similar meetings were held in Alberta (May 27, First Mennonite, Edmonton; May 28, First Mennonite, Calgary) and are scheduled for Saskatchewan (June 17, Wildwood Mennonite, Saskatoon; June 18, Hague Mennonite, Hague). All meetings will begin at 8:00 p.m., following a 6:30 meeting for members of the MC Canada pension plan.

A similar session has already been held in conjunction with spring delegate sessions in Mennonite Church Eastern Canada (April 11-12), and an opportunity for B.C. members will occur in conjunction with the annual delegate sessions of MC British Columbia (June 6-7, Cedar Valley Mennonite).
—MC Canada release



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From our leaders

A quick e-mail may not be enough



It is nothing new to talk about the speed and relative accessibility of global electronic communication. Those who are “wired” to the internet can make ideas or needs known around the world instantaneously. I regularly receive requests for prayer or financial assistance from folks around the world. These requests come from parties known and unknown to me, and range from the legitimate to the outright laughable.

One of the great advantages of electronic communication is that it is easy. Urgent needs can be communicated quickly, widely and inexpensively. Response time can be greatly reduced.

One of the disadvantages of modern communications is that it is too easy. Particularly when needs are shared, I want to respond to them as quickly and easily as the request appears, and then forget about them. There is a certain weightlessness about e-mail that makes me want to “fire back,” and then assume the matter is closed.

I am grateful for the immediacy of communication that I and others with access to computers enjoy. I am nervous that this immediacy gives me a sense of being aware of more and doing more that I actually am. I sometimes feel that I no longer need to go looking for needs in the world, or that I no longer need to pursue possibilities for meeting greater needs or fostering longer-term relationships. If there’s a need out there, somebody somewhere will set an e-mail chain in motion. The need will appear in my in-box, I will say a prayer or send a cheque and e-mail my friends to do the same, and the matter will be looked after until the next need finds its way through cyberspace to me. It’s that easy!

In a global church, we must learn to foster meaningful and equitable partnerships with neighbours near and far. Meaningful partnerships arise when all sides invest the time and energy required for careful, thoughtful dialogue. To be a true partner with fellow Christians and others around the world, I must be ready to do more than read and respond to the messages in my in-box.

Pam Peters Pries, executive secretary, Support Services Council, Mennonite Church Canada


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Mennonite Church Eastern Canada

Trip explores question
of who owns the land


From April 28 to May 4, 2003, 11 spirited young adults (and young-adults-at-heart) participated in the 7th annual Mennonite Church Eastern Canada Northern Exposure learning trip. The trip’s theme, “Only God Can Own the Land,” provided a chance to experience God and think about God’s creation in new ways.

Based in the Timmins area, the group listened to a wealth of contrasting perspectives on who owns the land, especially the trees, in Northern Canada. We heard from the Ministry of Natural Resources who approve forestry management plans, toured Tembec, a huge sawmill, walked through a clearcut, visited Mattagami First Nations who have their own logging contract and heard from North Watch, an environmental protection agency.

The sacred teachings of a community elder had participants marveling at the deep respect and love shown toward them, members of a cultural group that had caused great suffering and loss to First Nations people through impositions like residential schools. As the elder spoke of the Creator, his words seemed very holy, revealing humility but also great strength.

Gifts of song and of affirmation from new First Nations friends, emotional daily sharing circles and breathtaking hikes helped all who contributed to the trip bond together quickly. By the end of the week, it was clear that this experience had been a thought-provoking, transformative one for many.
Sara Wert


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Mennonite Church Manitoba



Sawatzky awarded


Reg Sawatzky, recording engineer for Faith and Life Communications, was presented with a certificate from Mennonite Media, Harrisonburg, Virginia. Mennonite Media recorded “Parenting” radio spots in the FLC studio for which they won the Crystal Awards of Excellence in the Communicator Awards 2002 audio and video competitions. These international competitions received 1249 entries in the audio competition. Melodie Davis, writer and producer of the spots, wrote of Sawatzky’s work: “your work was very important to the excellence achieved with these spots so you deserve a ton of recognition, and maybe this (certificate) will help to formally affirm it.”



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Mennonite Church Saskatchewan


Visioning group
has started its work

As the school year is winding down, the work of Mennonite Church Saskatchewan is beginning a new direction as interim conference minister Ken Bechtel gears up in his new position. Bechtel has met with the visioning group twice since starting and the meetings have been profitable, he says. “Our initial tack is moving toward the re-covenanting service,” he said referring to a taskforce recommendation voted on in 2001.

Starting in the fall, Bechtel and the visioning group will be meeting with different MC Saskatchewan congregations to get feedback on this process. Marco Funk, youth pastor at Rosthern Mennonite, is a member of the visioning group. He clarified the agenda further by stating their intention to “gather information from congregations and individuals on their perception of the conference.”




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Mennonite Church Alberta


Trinity prepares for second hearing

On May 16, Trinity Mennonite church submitted their second “site specific amendment” application to the municipal district of Foothills. The application seeks permission to build a church on land the congregation has purchased just south of Calgary city limits. The first application, made last summer, was rejected by area residents because of concerns about increasing traffic. For the past year, Trinity has made efforts to visit residents to get to know them, to hear their concerns, and to discuss building plans to ensure they are well informed. The hearing for the second application will be held in the next two months. In the meantime, Trinity continues its ten year rental relationship with the Convenant Christian Reformed church in southwest Calgary, where they meet for worship Saturday evenings. Trinity Mennonite is grateful for the prayers of other congregations and individuals as they await the results of the second hearing and continue fundraising to pay for the land and their future building.

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Mennonite Church in British Columbia


Nominations still sought for committees

Mennonite Church B.C. nominations committee is looking for volunteers and asking for prayers that volunteers will be found. With the annual sessions fast approaching in June, the committee is still looking for people to fill several positions on the finance, nominations, and program committees as well as a treasurer. Members of Mennonite Church B.C. churches may either volunteer or submit names of people who qualify so that the nominations committee can contact them. For more information on the work of these committees and what is involved in serving in any of these capacities, please contact Peter Sawatzky at 604-850-8040 or e-mail phs@telus.net.

Unless otherwise credited, the articles in TheChurches pages were written by: Leona Dueck Penner (Mennonite Church Canada), Maurice Martin (Eastern Canada), Evelyn Rempel Petkau (Manitoba), Karin Fehderau (Saskatchewan), Donita Wiebe-Neufeld (Alberta), Angelika Dawson (B.C.). See page 2 for contact information.





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