Canadian Mennonite
Volume 12, No. 7
March 31, 2008
Lust in the church
Five Mennonite congregations tackle taboo subject
Winkler, Man.
This past winter Winkler received media attention for more than just hosting CBC’s Hockey Day in Canada. Beginning on Jan. 13, five local Mennonite churches offered a four-week series of sermons on sexuality and intimacy called “Pure Intimacy.”
“Everyone talks about sex, but not in church per se,” said Glen Klassen, associate pastor at Winkler Bergthaler Mennonite Church. “It is seen as a very private, delicate and sensitive matter, but it is a powerful part of who we are,”
The discussion began at the local ministerial level, which brings together 23 pastors in the area. Not all the churches were ready to participate fully, but Winkler Bergthaler Mennonite, Plum Coulee Bergthaler Mennonite, Winkler Mennonite Brethren, Winkler Evangelical Mennonite Mission and Bethel Bergthaler Mennonite took hold of the issue and embarked on months of planning and preparation.
“We were aware, as a result of our work in the community, that there are issues of abuse, issues around sex and sexuality,” said Randy Smart, pastor at Bethel Bergthaler Mennonite.
`It was interesting to learn that the guys wished the girls would dress more modestly'.
They agreed to a proposed outline of sermon topics. The first two Sundays laid a foundational and theological framework, as the pastors preached on “Created for intimacy” and “Let’s talk about sex: Why God invented sex.” The last two sermons—“Lust” and “What happens in Vegas doesn’t stay in Vegas”—addressed ways humans get into sexual problems. Although the topics and outlines were worked on together, the pastors developed their sermons independently.
Several sent letters to their members ahead of time outlining the series and encouraging discussion at home. The pastors also worked actively on community publicity.
“We had posters, ads in the paper, radio spots and bulletin announcements,” said Klassen. For some of the ministerial, though, the aggressive publicity campaign was a deterrent to participating in the series.
Some of the churches used the series with their youth groups and Sunday school classes. In one youth group the young people wrote out things they wished the opposite sex knew.
“It was interesting,” said Smart, “to learn that the guys wished the girls would dress more modestly.”
“This is a topic that is not talked about very much in church, and it needs to be,” said Amber Thiessen, a young married member at Plum Coulee Bergthaler. “It was a very good thing.”
“It has given permission to talk about sex and sexuality,” Klassen said of the series. “It has given the opportunity to talk about the good and the not-so-good aspects [of sex] within a context of community, worship and biblical teaching.”
Cleo Heinrichs, a member at Plum Coulee Bergthaler, wondered at first why she came. “Other single gals close to my age chose not to attend during the series,” said Heinrichs, who has never been married and is close to 80. “But then I realized, hey, this is good. Even singles need to know what couples experience when they go through tough times. I enjoyed it very much.”
“We have had positive responses across the board,” Klasssen reported.
Several churches even noticed more visitors during the series.