Esther Vazquez has found freedom in Jesus Christ to serve as a Mennonite pastor. INSIDE: • Special section on Mennonite • Remembering the forgotten • Yoder books keep coming retirement communities • Living the gospel in Colombia • Editorial: Comments worth printing Advancing God’s Work of Healing and Hope MHS Alliance has been serving the church for a MHS Alliance carries out its mission to long time, but under different names. “strengthen and extend Anabaptist health and human In 1988 Mennonite Mental Health Services, services ministries” by: founded in the 1950s, became Mennonite Health X Administering programs such as Mennonite Services. It expanded its mission to include church- Health Assembly and the Values-Based related health and human service providers in addition Leadership Program. to mental health organizations. X Providing consultation services (to By 1994 MHS Alliance began relating directly to members and other nonprofits) related to four sponsoring denominations: General Conference board governance, executive recruitment, Mennonite Church, Mennonite Church, Mennonite organizational management, and faith-based Brethren, and Brethren in Christ. Since then, identity. covenant relationships have been established with our X Facilitating the sharing of “promising practices” denominational partners, strengthening these ministries among member organizations and enabling through shared mission, services, and expertise. supportive, meaningful networking among Today, MHS Alliance provides leadership and professional practitioners. support for 70 different member organizations, For more information or to engage the services including 45 retirement communities, 11 mental of MHS Alliance, call 800-611-4007, e-mail info@ health institutions, and 11 agencies serving those with mhsonline.org, or write MHS Alliance, 234 S. Main developmental disabilities. Street, Suite I, Goshen, Indiana 46526. June 2010 | Volume 13, Number 6 CONTENTS 12 Free to serve —Janet Trevino-Elizarraraz 16 A special section on Mennonite Health Services Alliance 16 Remembering the forgotten —Cheryl Paulovich 19 Becoming like family —Heidi Martin 22 Aging in place —Heidi Martin 24 No time to get bored —Gordon Houser 26 A witness to the community 28 Relationships matter —Gordon Houser 30 Living the gospel in Colombia —Erik Yoder 38 MVS signs agreement with Selective Service —Hannah Heinzekehr 40 Positive financial news for The Mennonite, Inc. —Everett J. Thomas 41 Goshen cuts 29 staff, administrative positions 42 Colleges, universities graduate 1,143 44 MCC plans long-term recovery in Haiti —Linda Espenshade 45 MVSer, program walks with sex offenders —Hannah Heinzekehr 46 Ministries come of age in Ecuador —Holly Blosser Yoder 47 Vietnam Mennonite Church ordains 26 pas - tors —Jewel Showalter 16 50 PULSE attracts Mennonite young adults —Anna Groff 30 DEPARTMENTS 4 Letters 38 News 6 Grace and Truth 52 For the Record 7 Poetry 56 Classifieds 8 News Briefs 58 New Voices 44 10 Miscellany 59 Mediaculture 12 Features 61 Puzzle 35 Leadership 63 Mennonite Church USA 36 Opinion 64 Editorial ON THE COVER: Photo by Everett J. Thomas 37 Real Families June 2010 | TheMennonite 3 LETTERS June 2010 | Volume 13, Number 6 Brethren Church, Missionary Church, The Mennonite is the publication of This publication welcomes your letters, Mennonite Church USA, which established three either about our content or about issues Conservative Mennonite Conference, purposes for the magazine: to provide a forum facing the Mennonite Church USA. and Brethren in Christ Church, with for the voices within the denomination, to Please keep your letter brief—one or two Mennonite Church USA, are repre - promote the ministries within Mennonite sented on our board. We’ve served Church USA and to offer an editorial voice paragraphs—and about one subject only. distinct from but collaborative with other We reserve the right to edit for length some of the churches for decades. Now leadership voices. The Mennonite (ISSN 1522- and clarity. Publication is also subject to we have an opportunity to reflect their 7766) is published on the first Tuesday of each space limitations. Send to long-standing involvement within our month by the board for The Mennonite, Inc. organization. Periodicals Postage Paid at Goshen, IN 46526 [email protected] or mail to and at additional mailing offices. Subscription Letters, The Mennonite, 1700 S. Main St., Everence represents our relation - rates for one year: $43.95 to U.S. addresses and Goshen, IN 46526-4794. Please include ship to the church, and our new logo $51.45 USD to Canadian addresses. Group rates your name and address. We will not print represents our Anabaptist community available. The views expressed in this and its mutual aid values. Our vision is publication do not necessarily represent the letters sent anonymously, though we official positions of Mennonite Church USA, The may withhold names at our discretion. to help people and organizations inte - Mennonite, or the board for The Mennonite, Inc. —Editors grate their financial decisions with Scripture references are from the New Revised their faith values.— Larry Miller, MMA Standard Version unless otherwise noted. president and CEO POSTMASTER send form 3579 to: From MMA to Everence The Mennonite I am saddened by Mennonite Church Veiled and free 1700 S. Main St., Goshen, IN 46526 USA institutions trying to distance I read with interest “Veiled and Free” STAFF themselves from our traditional iden - (April). I would like to share my per - Editor: Everett J. Thomas tity. “Mennonite” and “Anabaptist” are spectives on this issue. I practice the [email protected] brands—if you will—that are riding wearing of the veil. I admit it is not al - Associate Editor: Gordon Houser [email protected] high in our land. Prophets in the ways easy to be different. So why don’t Assistant editor: Anna Groff “Emergent Church” movements are I change? First of all, I feel I would be [email protected] articulating Anabaptist theology promi - in violation of the teaching in 1 Advertising, subscriptions: Rebecca Helmuth nently. Theologians are greatly influ - Corinthians 11. Second, it is a symbol [email protected] Bookkeeper: Celina Romero enced by our theology. Why does of Christ as the head of man and man as Editorial assistant: Nora Miller Mennonite Mutual Aid need to run head of the woman. Since my husband Design: Dee Birkey from that identity (“MMA’s New Name: prefers his wife be veiled, I would be in WEB SITE www.themennonite.org Everence” May)? Dropping the “Men - direct opposition to his position as my nonite” name will indeed contribute head. These are my convictions. I do OFFICES much to dropping the theology. And not condemn anyone who feels differ - 1700 S. Main St. “mutual aid” is certainly not an “in” ently.— Elsie Pennington, Lancaster, Pa . Goshen, IN 46526-4794 phone: 800-790-2498 concept for an investment bank/insur - fax: 574-535-6050 ance company. We’ll have to get rid of Learning to fly that—it marks us as different. Why, I would like to say a big thank you to 722 Main St. Newton, KS 67114-1819 such concepts are totally out of place Mayeken Kehr for her superb article phone: 866-866-2872 on Wall Street. “Learning to Fly” (April). Her testi - fax: 316-283-0454 “Everence?” Spell-check doesn’t mony shows a lot of good spiritual 801 N. Negley Ave. like it. Or is it an acronym? For what? growth and understanding and is such Pittsburgh, PA 15206 An unapologetic Mennonite. an encouragement to all of us who want phone: 412-894-8705 —Maynard Shirk, Conestoga, Pa . to see the Lord at work in the lives of fax: 412-363-1216 our young people. In this case a college Larry Miller responds senior from Bethel College in North With our name change, MMA is not Newton, Kan. God bless her, and may moving away from our Mennonite iden - she go on to use her talents to spread Mennonite tity or relationship to the church. We the gospel as the Lord leads.— Betty Church recently added “A ministry of Menno - Denlinger, Lititz, Pa . USA nite Church USA and other churches” to our materials to communicate our Address core issues of abortion mission. Regarding Cora Askren’s letter “Where MMA serves over 20 Anabaptist and is the Outrage?” (April): My experi - related denominations. The Mennonite ences as a registered nurse, then a pas - 4 TheMennonite | June 2010 | www.themennonite.org LETTERS tor and now as a marriage and family by which this fine congregation was Certainly we must use our influence therapist have often led me to discuss able to finish its building project with (speak, write, vote) to end the killing in abortion with my husband, Lyn, and the the help of Mennonite Mutual Aid and Iraq, Afghanistan as well as the vio - many resulting opinions and questions. Eastern Mennonite Missions (EMM). I lence at home. We have recognized that the issue is was disappointed that not once was the At the same time let’s examine our not really abortion but, as Cora articu - miraculous intervention of God in this motivation, our underpinnings, to make lates, Why are there unwanted preg - church mentioned. That church de - sure that we are positing and worship - nancies? When will that issue be faced pends on God’s Spirit. I am sure God’s ping a compassionate, nonviolent God with an intent to make a difference? help was assumed, but that assumption who affirms life (not death) and loves Cora goes on to talk about how the should never be made without openly all creation, even enemies. Then per - cost has been one-sided—the mother. I giving honor to God.— Andrew Leather - haps we’ll be better equipped to do the listen to children speak of the pain of man, Coatesville, Pa. same.— John Asa Hertzler, Edinburg, Va . not knowing a birth father or describing a birth father as only a “sperm donor.” Secular press leads against war Positive witness against war As a therapist, I challenge my clients to Thanks for the April editorial “At Peace Thanks to Everett Thomas for express - look at and address the core issue if With War.” Everett Thomas’ descrip - ing our silent anxiety in the “At Peace they want to be successful in becoming tion of Mennonite Church USA is With War”editorial (April).