PCO Journal 2009
May 15, 2009
A lovely, sunny day in Montreal, and in the large classroom at ETEM where the PCO event has been held, a sensitive, difficult, private topic under consideration for the last two sessions: “Pastoral Ethics: Sex and Power.”
Steve Berg, B.C.’s provincial pastor, makes it very clear that the pastor is “always at risk.” It’s the personal vulnerability (on account of issues rising from family of origin and development, environmental factors, and social factors such as stress and lack of self-care) that need to be faced. He also made it very clear that “sexual contact” with a congregant, client, student, employee, or church staff person “is not an affair.” Because of the professional nature of the role, it’s “sexual abuse.” The presentation, which went on to talk about “strengthening trust through boundaries,” was strong and frank, and much appreciated. The presentation did not get at porn use, Steve acknowledged, which would be another – but also very important – topic.
Then, after a pizza lunch (we’ve been hosted well by our friends in Quebec), a final brief meeting for closing ceremonies. BFL chair Lorraine Dick and executive director David Wiebe presented “certificates” to the participating pastors. There was time for sharing highlights.
“It exceeded my expectations,” a Manitoba pastor said, “I’m going away richer as a pastor and a person.”
Said an older though new pastor from Saskatchewan,“It’s encouraging to see young people so passionate.”
And, from one of those passionate young people, “I thought I knew everything about theology; what could the MBs teach me?” The thing he learned from MBs, he said, was “brokeneness. Being a Christian is God having you.”
—posted by DD
May 14, 2009
It's been another full, rich day. – Not "our" particular piece of church history, but God's "big" story today. Tim Geddert of MBBS did 3 sessions on "The Church and God's Mission" and Doug Heidebrecht of the Centre for MB Studies did 1 on "MB discipleship and ethics."
I enjoyed Tim's account of growing up in Hepburn, Sask., and spending much more time in church than he often wanted. (It reminded me of my own rather heavily churched upbringing.) Not only did he and his siblings have to attend numerous services in the local congregation, but there were also services of various kinds at Bethany Bible Institute where his dad was on staff. And, his mom was janitor at the church – that is, she cleaned the church with the help of the kids!
He hadn't heard the expression "cognitive dissonance," he said, but he certainly knew what it was when he came into the church building – yet again – and saw the words on the wall against the rack for boots: "I was glad when they said to me, Let us go into the house of the Lord!" Tim figures it's "a miracle" he loves the church today! That love took us through various Scriptures in today's sessions, to glimpse again and again the glory of God's purpose, realizing what the church really is, glimpses that make perfectly understandable the psalmist's cry: "I was glad...[for] the house of the Lord."
He hadn't heard the expression "cognitive dissonance," he said, but he certainly knew what it was when he came into the church building – yet again – and saw the words on the wall against the rack for boots: "I was glad when they said to me, Let us go into the house of the Lord!" Tim figures it's "a miracle" he loves the church today! That love took us through various Scriptures in today's sessions, to glimpse again and again the glory of God's purpose, realizing what the church really is, glimpses that make perfectly understandable the psalmist's cry: "I was glad...[for] the house of the Lord."
Stories glint out of the many conversations happening during coffee breaks, mealtimes, riding the subway (between the hotel and ETEM, where the sessions are being held), evenings. I'm hoping we'll have a chance to hear some of them in more detail in the Herald.
Eric Wingender, for example, talking about new efforts around the French magazine, Le Lien, with 5,000 copies of the latest issue being printed for distribution in Montreal.
And, there's a group of young men from Ontario at the orientation connected with the "seedlings" initiative mentioned in the Ontario convention report – teams of young people moving into tough neighbourhoods together, with a commitment to live there – and to pray one evening a week. It's low key and seems almost subversive; definitely something to pray for, and watch.
Eric Wingender, for example, talking about new efforts around the French magazine, Le Lien, with 5,000 copies of the latest issue being printed for distribution in Montreal.
And, there's a group of young men from Ontario at the orientation connected with the "seedlings" initiative mentioned in the Ontario convention report – teams of young people moving into tough neighbourhoods together, with a commitment to live there – and to pray one evening a week. It's low key and seems almost subversive; definitely something to pray for, and watch.
Today was the “story” day of the Pastors Credentialing Orientation – the Mennonite Brethren story, that is. Presenter Bruce Guenther of MBBS (ACTS campus) called it “introducing the family.” He’s been involved in the orientation event since it began, and knows the story pretty well by now.
I first heard him tell it as a shorter narrative at an earlier PCO, held at Camp Crossroads in Ontario, and still recall picking up a sense of something like astonishment among the pastor-participants, as if they couldn’t have imagined the history of a church denomination to be so full of drama, so interesting. (Too many of us have bad memories of school history classes, I suppose.) Now that the orientation sessions, including the history piece, are longer (attendees can get seminary credit for them, if they choose), it’s more detailed and the twists and turns of the history did begin to wear on long by mid-afternoon. Still, everyone I talked to had enjoyed hearing our/their story. For some, it was quite new.Bruce tells it warts and all, as it should be told, of course. And, in any family story, there’s episodes, tendencies, “relatives” you wish you could remove from the album. But there it is, all of it. For us to own, and live with and learn from.
Chapter 1, the 16th century radical reformation.
Chapter 2, the Mennonite Brethren in
Chapter 3, the Mennonite Brethren in
Chapter 4, MBs globally.
And Chapter 5 – that’s the one that’s still a blank, because it’s the one we’re living right now. The story we’re writing in our lives together.
I was struck by a couple of things; three, actually. One was MB “eclecticism.” It came up on the list of early Mennonite Brethren distinctives (“an eclectic borrowing of practices and emphases”). “This is even more important than Anabaptism in MB history,” Bruce stated.
Second, the tremendous energy MBs put into Bible schools and colleges in
Third. In talking about the technological advances that converged to make the Reformation era possible, Bruce mentioned the printing press, paper... and reading glasses. These were invented in the 16th century. I’d never thought of their role in making it possible for people to read the Scriptures for themselves. Today I thanked God for my glasses.
—posted by DD
May 12, 2009
The Pastors Credentialing Orientation is in Montreal this year, but for me the event begins in the airport, as these kinds of gatherings often do, when I meet Manitoba conference minister Keith Poysti waiting for the same flight, and then 6 other MBs as well – all in various pastoral roles, from junior high youth to lead, and “new” to the denomination.Writing about another PCO a year or two back, B.C. correspondent Barrie McMaster noted that roughly half the pastors and leaders within Canadian Mennonite Brethren churches are coming to these positions without MB training or previous denominational exposure. I don’t know if the percentage is still true, but in any case, if one wishes to be credentialled as an MB pastor, and is in that situation, attending one of these annual orientations, sponsored by the Canadian conference and MB seminary, is required. It’s meant to orientate to the larger conference setting, to provide a certain amount of shared understanding.
It’s always interesting to see what others bring along to read while travelling – one person is well into the writings of George MacDonald, another is reading
Mark Baker’s most recent book. I had packed some books, but coming from the office, grabbed the autobiography of Pakisa K. Tshimika (Grace, Grace and Hope), which came into the Herald offices for review. It’s great company for the flight – easy to read, and very interesting. Pakisa is a Mennonite Brethren from DR Congo, and now resident in There’s a pale band of pink along the horizon as we land, the St. Lawrence another band holding the plain of lights below us, and then we’re here, and Kristen and Garry Corrigan meet us and get to the hotel, where there’s more people to meet, and a chance to get some supper and settled into our rooms. There’s some 45 people attending, including some conference staff like myself. It strikes me that the “shared understandings” we seek are well underway, in the spirit of camaraderie and friendship of common purpose, whether we know each other or not, and, of course, our delight to be in the beautiful city of
—posted by DD
May 11, 2009
Thanks for stopping by the PCO Journal. Pastors and conference staff will meet in Montreal, May 13—15, to learn about MB history and theological distinctives. Check back to receive updates and commentary on the event from MB Herald editor Dora Dueck.
—posted by KB
