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MB anniversary celebrations begin in India
In
dian church leaders celebrated the 150th anniversary of the Mennonite Brethren on the hospital grounds at Jadcherla, Andhra Pradesh, Jan. 17, 2010, the first conference to mark the historic event. The crowd of 2,000 met beneath a shamiana (tent) for a program that began at 10 a.m. and continued for five hours. The 23-item program included an address by P.B. Arnold, president of the governing council; a presentation on Anabaptist history by I.P. Asheervadam, historian and teacher at MB Centenary Bible College in Shamshabad; the launch of Knowing and Living Your Faith, a study guide to the ICOMB confession of faith, just printed in Telugu; and ended with the Lord’s Supper, as well as a ground-breaking service for a monument marking the occasion, and a meal. Officials from the Indian church and several MB representatives from North America brought greetings. Pictured above, an eight-member girl’s troupe performed a professional welcome dance before ordained ministers, who are dressed in their newly introduced uniform for worship services.
—Elmer Martens
Volunteering in Canada
“It is not customary that an intelligent person clothes and cares for one part of his body and leaves the rest naked.... Thus it should be with those who are the Lord’s church and body. All those born of God are called into one body and are prepared by love to serve their neighbours.”
Every year, 12.5 million volunteers give their time, energy, and skills to make our communities better, but a small percentage of Canadians are carrying most of the load, and most of them are already in their 70s.
Close to two-thirds of those who felt a very strong or somewhat strong sense of community belonging reported excellent or very good general health.
Too busy to volunteer? Not anymore. Microvolunteering is a new way to give your expertise to worthy organizations in less time than a commercial break. Websites like Urbantastic, the Extraordinaries, IfWeRanTheWorld.com, and AllforGood.org suggest tasks which can often
be done in minutes by a few click of a mouse, or the keypad of a cellphone. It represents a new paradigm of volunteering which is more likely to appeal to the highly mobile and technology savvy younger generation.
According to Caring Canadians, Involved Canadians, a Statistics Canada report from 2007:
Visit www.regenerate2101.ca updated twice weekly, to read challenging posts and interact with
bloggers Ewald Unruh, Dave Harder, Sarah, Nigel, Phillip Vallelly, Rebecca Stanley, and Rachel Twigg Boyce.
For more stories on how God is using MBs in Canada to build his kingdom, visit the Canadian conference website, www.mbconf.ca, where new stories appear on the homepage throughout the month. Latest: HFAN Toronto: new church campus spreads its wings.
Name: Richard Martens
Position: Ontario conference minister
On the board since: Jan. 2010
Church: Evergreen Heights Christian Fellowship, Simcoe, Ont.
Family: married to Laura; 3 sons
Most important theological issue facing MBs today: Our theology needs to recapture a missional mindset that engages our neighbours, coworkers, and community members in a way that we have not yet really experienced.
Favourite theologian: Gary Larson of The Far Side comics
Name: Steve Berg
Position: B.C. conference minister
On the board since: 2005
Church: South Abbotsford (B.C.) Church
Family: married to Karen; 3 daughters, 5 grandchildren
Most important theological issue facing MBs today: The sufficiency of Christ.
Name: Sherry Heidebrecht
Position: Member-at-large
On the board since: 2006
“Day job”: clinical director of a women’s counselling centre in Winnipeg
Church: The Meeting Place, Winnipeg
Family: married to Doug; 2 adult children
Most important theological issue facing MBs today: For the church to know who it is and to live authentically in the world, offering our lives in extravagant worship, love, and service to Christ.
Favourite theologian: C.S. Lewis and Leslie Newbigin (although we are all theologians)
In
dian church leaders celebrated the 150th anniversary of the Mennonite Brethren on the hospital grounds at Jadcherla, Andhra Pradesh, Jan. 17, 2010, the first conference to mark the historic event. The crowd of 2,000 met beneath a shamiana (tent) for a program that began at 10 a.m. and continued for five hours. The 23-item program included an address by P.B. Arnold, president of the governing council; a presentation on Anabaptist history by I.P. Asheervadam, historian and teacher at MB Centenary Bible College in Shamshabad; the launch of Knowing and Living Your Faith, a study guide to the ICOMB confession of faith, just printed in Telugu; and ended with the Lord’s Supper, as well as a ground-breaking service for a monument marking the occasion, and a meal. Officials from the Indian church and several MB representatives from North America brought greetings. Pictured above, an eight-member girl’s troupe performed a professional welcome dance before ordained ministers, who are dressed in their newly introduced uniform for worship services.—Elmer Martens
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Volunteering in Canada
“It is not customary that an intelligent person clothes and cares for one part of his body and leaves the rest naked.... Thus it should be with those who are the Lord’s church and body. All those born of God are called into one body and are prepared by love to serve their neighbours.”
—Menno Simons
Every year, 12.5 million volunteers give their time, energy, and skills to make our communities better, but a small percentage of Canadians are carrying most of the load, and most of them are already in their 70s.
—Volunteer Canada
Close to two-thirds of those who felt a very strong or somewhat strong sense of community belonging reported excellent or very good general health.
—Statistics Canada, Health Reports, June 2008
Too busy to volunteer? Not anymore. Microvolunteering is a new way to give your expertise to worthy organizations in less time than a commercial break. Websites like Urbantastic, the Extraordinaries, IfWeRanTheWorld.com, and AllforGood.org suggest tasks which can often
be done in minutes by a few click of a mouse, or the keypad of a cellphone. It represents a new paradigm of volunteering which is more likely to appeal to the highly mobile and technology savvy younger generation.
—Globe and Mail, Time
According to Caring Canadians, Involved Canadians, a Statistics Canada report from 2007:
- 12.5 million Canadians contributed 2.1 billion volunteer hours, equivalent to 1.1 million full-time jobs.
- Those who attended religious services on a weekly basis were much more likely to volunteer, and tended to volunteer more time. Weekly attendees accounted for 17 percent of Canadians but contributed 35 percent of total volunteer hours in 2007.
- Religious organizations receive the largest percentage of volunteer hours (18 percent), though their volunteers represent only 10 percent of Canadian volunteers.
- The likelihood of volunteering later in life is linked to experience during one’s primary and secondary schooling. Having parents who volunteer and being involved in a religious organization were two predictors of adult volunteerism.
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Visit www.regenerate2101.ca updated twice weekly, to read challenging posts and interact with
bloggers Ewald Unruh, Dave Harder, Sarah, Nigel, Phillip Vallelly, Rebecca Stanley, and Rachel Twigg Boyce.
For more stories on how God is using MBs in Canada to build his kingdom, visit the Canadian conference website, www.mbconf.ca, where new stories appear on the homepage throughout the month. Latest: HFAN Toronto: new church campus spreads its wings.
____________________________________________________________________
The board of faith and life (BFL) provides spiritual guidance and direction in matters of faith, theology, ethics, and Christian living, and upholds biblical and ethical integrity through the MB Confession of Faith. The BFL also provides resources (e.g. pamphlet series) and events (e.g. study conferences and pastors credentialing orientation).—Eds.
Name: Richard MartensPosition: Ontario conference minister
On the board since: Jan. 2010
Church: Evergreen Heights Christian Fellowship, Simcoe, Ont.
Family: married to Laura; 3 sons
Most important theological issue facing MBs today: Our theology needs to recapture a missional mindset that engages our neighbours, coworkers, and community members in a way that we have not yet really experienced.
Favourite theologian: Gary Larson of The Far Side comics
Name: Steve BergPosition: B.C. conference minister
On the board since: 2005
Church: South Abbotsford (B.C.) Church
Family: married to Karen; 3 daughters, 5 grandchildren
Most important theological issue facing MBs today: The sufficiency of Christ.
Name: Sherry HeidebrechtPosition: Member-at-large
On the board since: 2006
“Day job”: clinical director of a women’s counselling centre in Winnipeg
Church: The Meeting Place, Winnipeg
Family: married to Doug; 2 adult children
Most important theological issue facing MBs today: For the church to know who it is and to live authentically in the world, offering our lives in extravagant worship, love, and service to Christ.
Favourite theologian: C.S. Lewis and Leslie Newbigin (although we are all theologians)
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