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Board of Faith and Life moves forward
Volunteers learn to appreciate international artisans
MCC Store and Resource Catalogue
Seventh sibling celebrates golden anniversary
Six reasons to attend Mennonite World Conference
Coming Soon
____________________________________________________________________
Board of Faith and Life moves forward
WINNIPEG, Man.
From issues of abortion, pornography, and theology, to reviewing church health and envisioning Study Conference 2009, the Board of Faith and Life (BFL) met October 3–4 to discuss it all.
The main focus of the meetings, said Lorraine Dick, new chairperson for the BFL, was to prepare the vision and values for the next study conference and hear about what’s happening in churches across Canada from provincial conference ministers. An “environmental scan” of the conference revealed that although each province is facing its own set of struggles, leaders are finding new ways to enable more reaching out and reproduction in churches.
The board also reviewed pastoral concerns relating to the decade-old Canadian conference church planting program called Key Cities Initiative (KCI), talked about the newly approved Regenerate 21-01 initiative, and discussed plans to create theologically based statements for healthy churches and leaders within the new year.
“We continue to look forward, while responding to issues of the past,” said Dick.
Study Conference 2009 will be held in Saskatoon, October 15–17, 2009. The official topic has yet to be determined, but it will follow the broader theme of Christology, indicated Dick. A smaller group of board members will meet in November to narrow down the specific topic. Interested attendees can “anticipate a blended study, both academic and practical,” said David Wiebe, executive director of the Canadian conference.
The process for writing BFL pamphlets will continue to be reviewed in 2009. The series covers more than 20 topics ranging from the basic beliefs of Anabaptism to Christian marriage in the world. One additional topic under discussion for publication is abortion. A non-pamphlet document, “Guidelines for the Restoration of Pastors Addicted to Pornography,” is scheduled for release soon.
BFL, a ministry of the Canadian conference, meets three times a year to discuss issues relating to faith, ethics, doctrine, theology, and living the Christian life, and provides spiritual guidance to the Canadian conference, local MB churches, and church leaders, staff, and members.
—CCMBC news release
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Volunteers learn to appreciate international artisans
PETITCODIAC, N.B.
As Erica van Velsen and Cara Rempel (above) set up Ten Thousand Villages displays in communities around the East Coast, they see more than the beauty of the hand-crafted items they so carefully handle – they see the cooperation of talented artisans working together to provide a stable income for their families. They recognize that by volunteering for Ten Thousand Villages, they help artisan groups in many different countries earn fair income for their work.
Rempel, 18, of Winnipeg, and van Velsen, 21, of Waterloo, Ont., are the youngest volunteers in Mennonite Central Committee’s (MCC) Service Opportunities for Older People (SOOP) – a short-term volunteer placement program for people of all ages.
The 40 Atlantic Festival Sales are held each fall in Atlantic Canada from September to December, hosted by local churches in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador. SOOP volunteers assist local volunteers with receiving items in the warehouse, transporting products to the sales, setting up displays, selling the products, and preparing for the next sale.
Working with the Atlantic Festival Sales has helped van Velsen develop an even greater interest in the personal stories of artisans and methods used to make the products. “We have so much to learn from them,” she said. “It’s not just one person making a livelihood – it’s a community working together and celebrating each others’ strengths.”
—Gladys Terichow for MCC
____________________________________________________________________
Mennonite Central Committee’s (MCC) annual MCC Store and Resource Catalogue is available for 2008–2009. The catalogue offers books, teacher’s guides, videos/DVDs, brochures, resource boxes, and posters to purchase or borrow, on subjects ranging from peace and relief to community development and cultural exchange. Materials are available in English, Low German, and Spanish, tailored to children, youth, and adults.
—mcc.org/resources/
____________________________________________________________________
Seventh sibling celebrates golden anniversary
Dora Wall is the youngest of seven children, and the last to celebrate her fiftieth wedding anniversary. Leroy and Dora Wall were married in Main Centre, Sask., July 27, 1958. They celebrated with their four sons, Dora’s five sisters and 1 brother, and friends in Herbert, Sask. on July 19, 2008.
Dora’s parents David and Anna Block moved to Canada from Russia in 1926 before starting their family. Their seven children sang in the choir, were baptized, and became members of Main Centre MB Church.
The seven Block siblings count 391 years of marriage between them. The family consider themselves specially blessed to number more than 120 members with only father and mother David and Anna no longer living.
Invitations and photographs were on display at the Walls’ celebration to commemorate the seven siblings’ 25th and 50th anniversaries. The eldest two couples have already celebrated their 60th. —KB
____________________________________________________________________
Six reasons to attend Mennonite World Conference:
Why MBs should go to Asunción in July for Assembly 15
1. Paraguay is a “Mennonite zoo” with at least 20 species. The MB church has been there almost from the beginning; as they crossed the ocean, Soviet Low German refugees were planning to establish a church. Today, Spanish, German, Enlhet, and Nivaclé call themselves Mennonite Brethren.
2. Paraguay has an 80-year story of intra-Mennonite relationships. Mennonite and MB churches have become close in history, doctrine, mission, and fellowship.
3. North American MB Missions and Services (now MBMSI) has been a pioneer and partner in bringing the gospel to the Chaco First Nation people, to Asunción, and to the campesinos of eastern Paraguay.
4. MB leaders have played key roles in past assemblies: requesting help for Russsian refugees in the Paraguayan Chaco in 1930; signing a peace document “against the sin of war” in Amsterdam (World War II); and giving key addresses in Basel, 1952 and Wichita, 1978.
5. Paraguay represents the “microcosmos” of Mennonite reality. The past meets the future with Germanic-Russian and new indigenous churches coexisting. A historical exhibit will enlarge this perspective.
6. The theme, “Come together in the way of Jesus Christ,” points to the core of MB biblical convictions. Authentic Christian unity is based on the mind and heart of Jesus Christ (Philippians 2:1–10).
Alfred Neufeld is a member of Concordia Mennonite Brethren Church in Asunción, Paraguay; chair of MWC National Coordinating Committee for Assembly 15; and dean of the faculty of theology at the Evangelical University of Paraguay. For more information about MWC Assembly 15, go to www.mwc–cmm.org
____________________________________________________________________
Coming Soon
2009
Jan. 11 — 25th anniversary celebration, Dalhousie Community Church, Calgary.
Jan. 24 — MBMSI Celebrate Mission Night, Waterloo, Ont.
Jan. 25 — MBMSI Celebrate Mission Night, St. Catharines, Ont.
Jan. 26–27 — Winter lectures featuring Norman Wirzba, CMU, Winnipeg.
Feb. 6–8 — “Momentum,” Youth Advance, Bethany College, Hepburn, Sask.
Feb. 20–21 — Ontario Conference of MB Churches convention 2009, Port Rowan, Ont.
Mar. 6–7 — MB Church of Manitoba convention 2009, Lakeview Church, Killarney, Man.
Mar. 6–8 — PIT (Peace, Pray, and Praise It Together) featuring Tony Campolo, CMU, Winnipeg.
Mar. 13–14 — Saskatchewan Conference of MB Churches convention 2009.
Apr. 4 — Quebec Conference of MB Churches convention 2009.
Apr. 17–18 — Alberta Conference of MB Churches convention 2009, College Drive Community Church, Lethbridge, Alta.
Apr. 20–23 — MCC meat canning, Leamington, Ont.
Apr. 26 — Commencement, Bethany College, Hepburn, Sask.
Apr. 26 — Convocation, CMU, Winnipeg.
Apr. 27–30 — MCC meat canning, Elmira, Ont.
May 1–2 — B.C. Conference of MB Churches convention 2009, South Abbotsford (B.C.) Church.
May 13–15 — Pastors’ Credentialing Orientation, ETEM, Montreal, Que.
Volunteers learn to appreciate international artisans
MCC Store and Resource Catalogue
Seventh sibling celebrates golden anniversary
Six reasons to attend Mennonite World Conference
Coming Soon
____________________________________________________________________
Board of Faith and Life moves forward
WINNIPEG, Man.
From issues of abortion, pornography, and theology, to reviewing church health and envisioning Study Conference 2009, the Board of Faith and Life (BFL) met October 3–4 to discuss it all.
The main focus of the meetings, said Lorraine Dick, new chairperson for the BFL, was to prepare the vision and values for the next study conference and hear about what’s happening in churches across Canada from provincial conference ministers. An “environmental scan” of the conference revealed that although each province is facing its own set of struggles, leaders are finding new ways to enable more reaching out and reproduction in churches.
The board also reviewed pastoral concerns relating to the decade-old Canadian conference church planting program called Key Cities Initiative (KCI), talked about the newly approved Regenerate 21-01 initiative, and discussed plans to create theologically based statements for healthy churches and leaders within the new year.
“We continue to look forward, while responding to issues of the past,” said Dick.
Study Conference 2009 will be held in Saskatoon, October 15–17, 2009. The official topic has yet to be determined, but it will follow the broader theme of Christology, indicated Dick. A smaller group of board members will meet in November to narrow down the specific topic. Interested attendees can “anticipate a blended study, both academic and practical,” said David Wiebe, executive director of the Canadian conference.
The process for writing BFL pamphlets will continue to be reviewed in 2009. The series covers more than 20 topics ranging from the basic beliefs of Anabaptism to Christian marriage in the world. One additional topic under discussion for publication is abortion. A non-pamphlet document, “Guidelines for the Restoration of Pastors Addicted to Pornography,” is scheduled for release soon.
BFL, a ministry of the Canadian conference, meets three times a year to discuss issues relating to faith, ethics, doctrine, theology, and living the Christian life, and provides spiritual guidance to the Canadian conference, local MB churches, and church leaders, staff, and members.
—CCMBC news release
____________________________________________________________________
Volunteers learn to appreciate international artisans
PETITCODIAC, N.B.
As Erica van Velsen and Cara Rempel (above) set up Ten Thousand Villages displays in communities around the East Coast, they see more than the beauty of the hand-crafted items they so carefully handle – they see the cooperation of talented artisans working together to provide a stable income for their families. They recognize that by volunteering for Ten Thousand Villages, they help artisan groups in many different countries earn fair income for their work.
Rempel, 18, of Winnipeg, and van Velsen, 21, of Waterloo, Ont., are the youngest volunteers in Mennonite Central Committee’s (MCC) Service Opportunities for Older People (SOOP) – a short-term volunteer placement program for people of all ages.
The 40 Atlantic Festival Sales are held each fall in Atlantic Canada from September to December, hosted by local churches in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador. SOOP volunteers assist local volunteers with receiving items in the warehouse, transporting products to the sales, setting up displays, selling the products, and preparing for the next sale.
Working with the Atlantic Festival Sales has helped van Velsen develop an even greater interest in the personal stories of artisans and methods used to make the products. “We have so much to learn from them,” she said. “It’s not just one person making a livelihood – it’s a community working together and celebrating each others’ strengths.”
—Gladys Terichow for MCC
____________________________________________________________________
Mennonite Central Committee’s (MCC) annual MCC Store and Resource Catalogue is available for 2008–2009. The catalogue offers books, teacher’s guides, videos/DVDs, brochures, resource boxes, and posters to purchase or borrow, on subjects ranging from peace and relief to community development and cultural exchange. Materials are available in English, Low German, and Spanish, tailored to children, youth, and adults.
—mcc.org/resources/
____________________________________________________________________
Seventh sibling celebrates golden anniversary
Dora Wall is the youngest of seven children, and the last to celebrate her fiftieth wedding anniversary. Leroy and Dora Wall were married in Main Centre, Sask., July 27, 1958. They celebrated with their four sons, Dora’s five sisters and 1 brother, and friends in Herbert, Sask. on July 19, 2008.
Dora’s parents David and Anna Block moved to Canada from Russia in 1926 before starting their family. Their seven children sang in the choir, were baptized, and became members of Main Centre MB Church.
The seven Block siblings count 391 years of marriage between them. The family consider themselves specially blessed to number more than 120 members with only father and mother David and Anna no longer living.
Invitations and photographs were on display at the Walls’ celebration to commemorate the seven siblings’ 25th and 50th anniversaries. The eldest two couples have already celebrated their 60th. —KB
____________________________________________________________________
Six reasons to attend Mennonite World Conference:
Why MBs should go to Asunción in July for Assembly 15
1. Paraguay is a “Mennonite zoo” with at least 20 species. The MB church has been there almost from the beginning; as they crossed the ocean, Soviet Low German refugees were planning to establish a church. Today, Spanish, German, Enlhet, and Nivaclé call themselves Mennonite Brethren.
2. Paraguay has an 80-year story of intra-Mennonite relationships. Mennonite and MB churches have become close in history, doctrine, mission, and fellowship.
3. North American MB Missions and Services (now MBMSI) has been a pioneer and partner in bringing the gospel to the Chaco First Nation people, to Asunción, and to the campesinos of eastern Paraguay.
4. MB leaders have played key roles in past assemblies: requesting help for Russsian refugees in the Paraguayan Chaco in 1930; signing a peace document “against the sin of war” in Amsterdam (World War II); and giving key addresses in Basel, 1952 and Wichita, 1978.
5. Paraguay represents the “microcosmos” of Mennonite reality. The past meets the future with Germanic-Russian and new indigenous churches coexisting. A historical exhibit will enlarge this perspective.
6. The theme, “Come together in the way of Jesus Christ,” points to the core of MB biblical convictions. Authentic Christian unity is based on the mind and heart of Jesus Christ (Philippians 2:1–10).
Alfred Neufeld is a member of Concordia Mennonite Brethren Church in Asunción, Paraguay; chair of MWC National Coordinating Committee for Assembly 15; and dean of the faculty of theology at the Evangelical University of Paraguay. For more information about MWC Assembly 15, go to www.mwc–cmm.org
____________________________________________________________________
Coming Soon
2009
Jan. 11 — 25th anniversary celebration, Dalhousie Community Church, Calgary.
Jan. 24 — MBMSI Celebrate Mission Night, Waterloo, Ont.
Jan. 25 — MBMSI Celebrate Mission Night, St. Catharines, Ont.
Jan. 26–27 — Winter lectures featuring Norman Wirzba, CMU, Winnipeg.
Feb. 6–8 — “Momentum,” Youth Advance, Bethany College, Hepburn, Sask.
Feb. 20–21 — Ontario Conference of MB Churches convention 2009, Port Rowan, Ont.
Mar. 6–7 — MB Church of Manitoba convention 2009, Lakeview Church, Killarney, Man.
Mar. 6–8 — PIT (Peace, Pray, and Praise It Together) featuring Tony Campolo, CMU, Winnipeg.
Mar. 13–14 — Saskatchewan Conference of MB Churches convention 2009.
Apr. 4 — Quebec Conference of MB Churches convention 2009.
Apr. 17–18 — Alberta Conference of MB Churches convention 2009, College Drive Community Church, Lethbridge, Alta.
Apr. 20–23 — MCC meat canning, Leamington, Ont.
Apr. 26 — Commencement, Bethany College, Hepburn, Sask.
Apr. 26 — Convocation, CMU, Winnipeg.
Apr. 27–30 — MCC meat canning, Elmira, Ont.
May 1–2 — B.C. Conference of MB Churches convention 2009, South Abbotsford (B.C.) Church.
May 13–15 — Pastors’ Credentialing Orientation, ETEM, Montreal, Que.
