God Is in Control’

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www.TheMennonite.org October 7, 2008

12 The front line of our peace witness 16 A Mennonite in the city 18 Why Mennonites play Halo 32 ‘God is in control’

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MENNONITE CHURCH USA

Seeing as God sees

ome of us are tired of all the vision talk in our tions and hence in our churchwide witness. congregations or the larger church. Others Most of the time we don’t get to see brand new S are interested but speak about vision in things or dramatic new ministries. Transformation hushed tones, as though it’s a special gift reserved happens when we are able to see old things in new only for leaders and assorted charismatics. The ways—full of new possibilities. Vision is transform- truth is most of us take vision for granted. Vision ing when we adopt a new view of ourselves. is simply how we see things. We don’t realize the Things change for the better when we can see that value of vision until we can’t see things any more. annoying person sitting down the pew or our For the Christian, vision is “seeing things as neighbor in a new way. God sees them.” I remember the moment I real- When I was a young preacher more than 30 ized I needed glasses. I was 16 and watching a bas- years ago, our preschool daughter always sat in ketball game. Fooling around, I asked a friend if I the back bench with her mother. In the middle of could look through his glasses. To my amazement my pastoral prayer I noted some hilarity coming the crowd on the other side of the court suddenly from that back bench. Someone later explained became distinct and clear. I had no idea until that that I had said in my prayer, “Open our eyes that James Schrag is executive moment that I had deficient vision. Many of us we may see.” My 3-year-old daughter had director of don’t know what we are missing, what we are not exclaimed in a loud voice, “Mommy, I opened my Mennonite seeing. In the church we may be better off doing eyes and now I can see.” Didn’t Jesus often ask, Church USA. more fooling around and try on someone else’s “Do you have eyes to see?” Jesus was concerned glasses. about his followers’ vision of the kingdom of God. Saul was struck blind on the Damascus road as How does God see me? Or my neighbor? Or a dramatic demonstration of his need to see things Osama Bin Laden? Or people in that other political in a new way. He not only gained a new name out party? Or people in that other congregation or of the trauma, but his mission was also dramatical- another part of Mennonite Church USA? Do we ly reversed. We thank God for Saul’s recognition of ask what God sees before we decide how we will his blindness so he could adopt God’s vision see, so our vision represents healing and hope to through his own eyes. But few of us have dramatic the world around us? stories of a change of vision like this story. This is how we choose to see things in Menno- Years ago, we debated for many months where nite Church USA: God calls us to be followers of we should install mail boxes in the church build- Jesus Christ and, by the power of the Holy Spirit, ing. Finally a member of our committee, who to grow as communities of grace, joy and peace, so almost never spoke, suggested a location in the that God’s healing and hope flow through us to the foyer that the rest of us had not been able to per- world. ceive. Once he explained it, it became obvious. He Is God giving you or your congregation new had vision the rest of us lacked. Most of us receive sight? Believe me, what we see and don’t see helps new vision in small doses, mostly in small things shape our capacity for what we can see and do and often from watching each other—all of which together in Mennonite Church USA—shaped by add up to making a big difference in congrega- what God is seeing and doing in our world. TM

TheMennonite Vol. 11, No. 19, October 7, 2008 The Mennonite is the official publication of Mennonite Church USA. Our mission is to help readers glorify God, grow in faith and become agents of Editor: Everett J. Thomas Offices: healing and hope in the world. The Mennonite (ISSN 1522-7766) is normal- [email protected] 1700 S. Main St. ly published on the first and third Tuesdays of each month by the board for The Mennonite, Inc. Periodical postage paid at Goshen, IN 46526. Sub- Associate editor: Gordon Houser Goshen, IN 46526-4794 scription rates for one year: $43.95 to U.S. addresses and or $51.45 USD to [email protected] phone: 800-790-2498 fax: 574-535-6050 Canadian addresses. Group rates available. Scripture references are from Assistant Editor: Anna Groff the New Revised Standard Version unless otherwise noted. The views [email protected] 722 Main St., P.O. Box 347 expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent the official posi- Advertising, subscriptions: Rebecca Helmuth Newton, KS 67114 tions of Mennonite Church USA, The Mennonite, or the board for The [email protected] phone: 866-866-2872 Mennonite, Inc. Bookkeeper: Celina Romero fax: 316-283-0454 [email protected] Postmaster Editorial Assistant: Nora Miller 801 N. Negley Ave. Send form 3579 to: Design: Dee Birkey Pittsburgh, PA 15206 The Mennonite phone: 412-894-8705 1700 S. Main St. Web site: www.TheMennonite.org fax: 412-363-1216 Goshen, IN 46526

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CONTENTS

6 8 Expand CPT A plea to Mennonite leaders—Ronald J. Sider

12 The front line of our peace witness It’s no longer in the churches but in the professional military. —Michael J. Sharp

14 Our blessed bodies How bodywork can be a way of nonviolence—Katie Boyts

24 16 A Mennonite in the city Five steps of faithful living in the city—Anita Hooley

19 Executive Board OKs health-care plan Board encourages Spanish-language initiative, reviews The Mennonite.—Gordon Houser

20 Gather ’Round connects ages

21 Pastors leaving for mostly good reasons

22 MCC, MDS respond to hurricanes

23 Delegation finds Philippine peace elusive

12 DEPARTMENTS

2 Mennonite Church USA Seeing as God sees—James Schrag

4 Readers say

6 News digest

18 Speaking out Why Mennonites play Halo—Travis Duerksen

25 For the record

30 Real families Mid-journey parenting—Michael A. King

32 Editorial ‘God is in control’—Gordon Houser

Cover: © Creative Commons Attribution | Christian Peacemaker Teams

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READERS SAY

Forgiveness without repentance in other words, the sense of God’s immanence all Marlin Birkey in his article, “Forgiveness as a but vanished. Today many Christians long for a Conundrum,” (Aug. 5), helped work at under- more vivid and daily awareness of God’s presence. standing forgiveness. An intergenerational Sunday Pilgrimages to such places renew our vision of a school class at North Main Street Mennonite God who is everywhere present and also intimate- Church, Nappanee, Ind.—studying Amish Grace ly engaged with our lives. For more on this com- by Kraybill, Nolt and Weaver-Zercher—worked at plex topic, see Explorations in a Christian Theology it, too. The Nickel Mines Amish forgave the of Pilgrimage (Ashgate Publishing, 2004). Roberts family by choice without payment or —Marlene Kropf, denominational minister of wor- This publication repentance on the part of the offender. Jesus, on ship, Mennonite Church USA Executive Leadership welcomes your various occasions did that, too. On the cross he letters, either about our content or about said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what People in the pew left out issues facing the they do.” Did not our Anabaptist sisters and broth- I just want to echo Lawrence Greaser’s letter in Mennonite Church USA. Please keep ers do it as they did? Does this not bring light to the Sept. 16 Readers Say and add the voice of a your letters brief— Matthew 18:18 and John 20:23? In the Gospels, it young adult to the conversation. The business one or two para- graphs—and about seems that Jesus models forgiveness as much if model that is being imposed upon the church is one subject only. We not more than being a sacrifice for it. Thank you going to do more harm than good because it will reserve the right to edit for length and for the article.—Bob Gerber, Leesburg, Ind. only solidify the position of those who are in seats clarity. Publication is of authority and close the door for new people to also subject to space limitations. Send to Can places be holy? enter denominational leadership. A good example Letters@TheMenno- I applaud Marlene Kropf’s helpful insights in “It of the risks run by using the “business model” is nite.org or mail to Readers Say, The Takes More Than Sunday School” (Aug. 19). in James Schrag’s article in the same issue. Schrag Mennonite, 1700 S. However, I’d appreciate clarification of one detail: claims that he and the moderator and moderator- Main St., Goshen, IN 46526-4794. Please What does it mean to take a pilgrimage to a holy elect talked to the constituency over the past eight include your name place? Can places be holy?—Paul M. Schrock, years. That is only partly true because they talked and address. We will not print letters sent Harrisonburg, Va. to church leaders. To be sure they talked to an anonymously, extensive number of leaders, but “Joe and Jane though we may with- hold names at our Marlene Kropf responds Yoder” in the pew seem to have been largely left discretion.—Editors With regard to holy places: I actually prefer the out of the conversation.—Justin James King, term “thin places.” In the ancient Celtic Christian Elkhart, Ind. tradition, a thin place is where the intersection between the spiritual and material world is espe- Poisonous brew cially apparent. In such contexts, we more readily What possible benefit to the ministry of the true sense God’s presence—for example, near oceans Mennonite church or the stated mission of The or on mountains, at birth and death, or at the sites Mennonite was served by the article “A Poisonous where the saints of God lived and were faithful wit- Brew” (Speaking Out, Sept. 2)? The hateful, judg- nesses of God’s love and grace. One of the losses mental, ignorant rantings of Berry Friesen remind of modernity was that the world was desacralized; me too much of the now infamous Rev. Jeremiah Wright of Chicago. You gave [Friesen] a “soap IN THIS ISSUE box.”—Merle Mullet, Goshen, Ind.

on Sider calls for an expansion of Christian Peacemaker Resisting military recruiters Teams and asks historic peace churches such as ours to None of us are exempt from acculturation. As Ron R lead the way (page 8). We also introduce a new page 2 Hunsicker aptly observed, “We continue to lan- column in this issue: Titled “Mennonite Church USA,” it will guish in a culture that has blurred the boundaries feature executive director James Schrag in the first issue each between church and state” (Readers Say, July 22). month. This change is one result of conversations between The result is that even Mennonite youth are not board and staff members of The Mennonite and Executive able to resist the military recruiters’ dubious Board. We expect more changes in the future as part of our promises. It is good to see that congregations are participation in the six-year review mandated by the Delegate alerting parents of high school youth to opt out of Assembly in 2001; associate editor Gordon Houser’s report these high pressure consultations. Reading The (page 19) includes details of a Sept. 19 meeting of representa- Deserter’s Tale (Grove Press, 2007) by Joshua Key tives from The Mennonite and Executive Board. Finally, please (as told to Lawrence Hill) would assist all of us in note the new policy established for letters pertaining to the getting a clear, unvarnished picture of what hap- U.S. presidential election (page 5).—Editor pens to a soldier’s humanity when he is required to obey the killing orders of his commanders. The

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READERS SAY

consequences of such a decision are awesome. sion of receiving the Nobel Peace Prize. The After seven months in Iraq, Joshua discovered that Republican Party opposes legalized abortion. The his conscience would no longer allow him to con- Democratic Party supports it. Since both parties tinue a life of crime. He “followed the voice of his show a selective respect for the sanctity of human conscience and chose desertion rather than com- life, maybe many peaceful Mennonites who vote plicity” (Cine-Tele-Revue, France).—Donald D. Republican simply want to vote against the great- Kaufman, Newton, Kan. est threat to peace in the world instead of any of ONLINE POLL the lesser threats to peace, as important as they RESULTS Sharing space are.—Jerry C. Stanaway, Lombard, Ill. We read with interest the statements by Alissa Mennonite leaders Bender (“Single Family Housing Model Country first? should help Questioned,” July 22) that she is seeking “a living As a Christian, I was horrified by the themes and expand the work space where we’re not just sharing space but we’re placards of the Republican Convention. “Country of Christian Peacemaker Teams a part of each other’s lives.” We recently pur- First”? What about God and family? And doesn’t (67 votes) chased a large farm house with the intention of our family include everyone, not just our fellow providing an inexpensive housing facility for ser- Americans? “Prosperity”? When are we going to Yes (72%) vice-oriented, committed Christians. We would like realize that prosperity for some comes at a cost for No (21%) to talk with anyone living in or moving to the millions of others? Where is Jesus’ command to Not sure (7%) Lima, Ohio, area that would be interested in this take care of the poor, the sick and the orphan? type of shared living experience. Contact us at the And the mantra of “Drill, Baby, Drill.” This idea Check out the new following: 1002 Williams St., St. Marys, OH 46885; that we should take care of our own wants, not poll question at 419-394-3735; [email protected].—Brice needs, regardless of what it does to the earth in www. and Lydia Brenneman the long run is shortsighted and greedy. TheMennonite.org Jesus called us to love our neighbors as our- The greatest threat to peace selves and spoke of poverty and taking care of the I am a principled nonvoter. I especially don’t want poor more than any other single theme in the to vote for anyone who is going to function as the Bible. I hope Christians in this country are paying commander-in-chief of our army and navy. attention to the Republicans’ call to nationalism However, some Mennonites do vote. Some above all and their appeal to those who strive for Mennonites are baffled that so many other wealth and personal comfort rather than those Mennonites vote Republican and seem to imply who strive to make the world better for all. that it is self-evident that peaceful Mennonites —Rochele Beachy, Shaker Heights, Ohio should vote Democrat. But the late Mother Teresa, who was a pacifist and received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979, used to say that legalized Election season policy Effective with the Oct. 21 issue, we will observe the fol- abortion is the greatest threat to peace in the lowing policy for letters that pertain to the U.S. presi- world. Apparently many Mennonites consider dential election: Readers Say submissions that are in Mother Teresa to be a legitimate voice for peace. response to other letter-writers will not be published. She is pictured prominently on a “Peace Takes We also request that letter-writers offer positive com- Guts” T-shirt I’ve seen Mennonites wear; I agree ments about the party or candidate of their choice and refrain from making negative statements about the that it took guts for Mother Teresa to attack the party or candidate that is not their choice.—Editor whole concept of legalized abortion on the occa-

Pontius’ Puddle Joel Kauffmann

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IN BRIEF MCC cosponsors dialogue with Ahmadinejad people to make their own choices as to which reli- NEW YORK—About 300 international religious gion they will follow,” Klassen said. and political figures, including Iranian president The theme of the dialogue was “Has not one Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, attended a dialogue at a God created us? The significance of religious con- Manhattan hotel Sept. 25 to discuss the role of reli- tributions to peace.” A series of panelists shared gion in responding to global challenges and build- Jewish, Muslim and Christian perspectives on ing peace and understanding among societies. addressing poverty, injustice, environmental Speakers included President Ahmadinejad, the degradation and war. Rev. Kjell Bondevik, former prime minister of Robert J. Suderman, general secretary of Norway, and the Rev. Miguel d’Escoto Mennonite Church Canada, was among several Flores resigns, Brockmann, president of the United Nations Canadians who attended the dialogue. “It was a will work for WDC General Assembly. valuable thing in terms of the objectives, which Beginning in was to nurture peace by fostering understanding February 2009, The dialogue, which followed a meal, was spon- Gilberto Flores, sored by American Friends Service Committee, and human relationships,” he said.—MCC director of Denomi- Mennonite Central Committee (MCC), Quaker national Ministry United Nations Office, Religions for Peace and Community Solidarity Day begins at AMBS and Missional World Council of Churches in consultation with ELKHART, Ind.—More than 200 people walked Church for Executive through Elkhart on Sept. 13 for peace and unity. Leadership, will the Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of leave his post to Iran to the United Nations. The event, called Community Solidarity Day, was work with Western Arli Klassen, executive director of MCC, gave initiated by an Indianapolis-based group, Unity District Conference welcoming remarks on behalf of the sponsoring Being United (UBU). Several Elkhart and Goshen as associate confer- organizations. She lit an oil lamp as a symbol of organizations, including Associated Mennonite ence minister for Biblical Seminary (AMBS) and Mennonite Central Texas. Flores will faith and invited participants to reflect on peace- work alongside WDC making from their own faith perspectives. Committee Great Lakes, joined in the effort. conference minister “As a Christian, I believe we are following Jesus The organization works in communities where Dorothy Nickel Christ’s example and his teaching as we eat hate crimes have been committed. UBU contacted Friesen to provide together and hold this dialogue despite our many AMBS in early summer to request help in planning services to pastors a response to a cross-burning at the home of an and congregations differences,” Klassen said. in the mid-Texas Klassen noted several areas of high tension in interracial couple in Elkhart. region and give relations between Iran, the United States and other AMBS provided the beginning point for the two- overall leadership nations. Addressing President Ahmadinejad, mile walk that ended at the Civic Plaza in down- and direction to the Klassen raised concerns about his statements on town Elkhart. Walkers progressed through some church-planting pro- of the city’s lower-income neighborhoods.—AMBS grams and nurturing the Holocaust and Israel, Iran’s nuclear program of new congrega- and religious freedom in Iran. tions, all on behalf of “We ask you to find a way within your own Colombian Mennonite activist slandered WDC.—Mennonite country to allow for religious diversity and to allow CHICAGO—An Aug. 29 article in El Tiempo, Church USA Colombia’s national newspaper, claims that an Ice cap melting email to Hector Mondragon, a Colombian This summer, warm- Mennonite activist and economist, was found on ing temperatures the laptop of Revolutionary Armed Forces of melted more of the Colombia guerrilla leader Raul Reyes, who was Arctic ice cap than at assassinated by the Colombian government in any time since meas- March. Mondragon released a statement to urements were taken. This summer’s attempt to draw nonexistent links between the data indicate that social and political movements of which 2007’s melt was not Mondragon is a part and the guerrillas. “Those a one-year anomaly. who know me know very clearly that I am not part In as little as five of the FARC,” he wrote, “because I disagree with years, says NASA sci- entist Jay Zwally, the their strategy, their political line and their meth- North Pole in sum- ods.”—Chicagoans for a Peaceful Colombia Gina Walczak mer will be ice-free. “Climate warming is Youth groups partner for building project in Bolivia Israeli soldier beats Palestinian at checkpoint coming larger and Danika Saucedo (left) of Santa Cruz, Bolivia, and HEBRON—On Aug. 14, an Israeli soldier beat a faster than the mod- Amanda Hunsberger of Emma Mennonite Church in els are predicting,” Palestinian man near the Yatta Road checkpoint in Topeka, Ind., work together for a Youth Venture project he says.—New York Hebron, sending him to the hospital with a gash in in Bolivia in July.—Mennonite Mission Network Times his forehead, eyewitnesses said. The man’s broth-

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IN BRIEF

ed to use the church parking lot as an opportunity to raise community awareness to the plight of Iraqi refugees while also collecting relief kit items. Fairgoers donated $3,110 and 12 complete relief kits in exchange for parking spots in the church parking lot, which is nearly five times the dollar amount donated in a typical year.—Filer Mennonite Church Historical Committee announces essay winners GOSHEN, Ind.—Mutual aid emerged as a theme Kraybill, AMBS of the winning entries in this year’s John Horsch president, resigns Mennonite Historical Essay Contest. Nelson Kraybill, presi- Sarah Bergen from Mennonite Brethren dent of Associated Mennonite Biblical

Photo provided Biblical Seminary, Fresno, Calif., took top honors Seminary, Elkhart, in the graduate school/seminary category with Ind., since 1997, has her paper on “Re-Interpreting Mennonite Identity announced his intent in Mid-20th Century America: A Conversation to step down as presi- about Mutual Aid.” She examined dynamics dent of the seminary Bicycles fuel growth of Tanzania Mennonite Church behind the development of mutual aid, including in summer 2009. Kraybill explains that Tanzanian evangelist Daniel Marara poses with his new bike the organization of Mennonite Mutual Aid. purchased with funds from Eastern Mennonite Missions desig- he hopes to move nated for evangelism.—EMM Jonny Gerig Meyer from Goshen (Ind.) College into another assign- won first place in the undergraduate category with ment, although he “Sending Mixed Messages to Congress: Menno- has no specific plans nite Involvement in Proposed National Health at this time. “If God er, Ayman Karaki, asked the soldier what he was grants me health, I doing, and the soldier pushed him. A third broth- Care Reform 1992-1994.” He detailed conflicting hope to take on a er, Wisam, approached, and the soldier hit him in messages from Mennonite Mutual Aid and new assignment in the forehead with his gun. When Christian Mennonite Central Committee’s Washington the church to which I Peacemaker Teams members arrived 45 minutes Office as each lobbied Congress during President can dedicate a decade Clinton’s failed attempt to revamp the U.S. health- of my life,”he later, Wisam had just returned from the hospital says.—AMBS with stitches to his forehead. Ayman, who recently care system.—Mennonite Church USA lost most of his fingers in a work accident, com- Burkholder joins plained of pain in his hands from where the soldier Former Indiana pastor arrested in Ohio MEA staff had grabbed him.—Christian Peacemaker Teams GOSHEN, Ind.—The former pastor of a congrega- Timothy J. Burkholder tion that left Indiana-Michigan Mennonite of Goshen, Ind., joined Mennonite Crooked Creek Camp breaks ground for center Conference in 1995 was arrested in Lucas County, Education Agency as WASHINGTON, Iowa—Groundbreaking for Ohio, on Sept. 10. David E. Troyer, 65, reportedly associate director Shepherd’s Inn, a retreat center, was held Sept. 7 took approximately $40,000 from the Maple Grove with a focus on at Crooked Creek Christian Camp in Washington. Church in Topeka, Ind., before he disappeared. church relations and According to the Lucas County sheriff’s depart- development. With Shepherd’s Inn will be a small retreat center over 25 years experi- with a focus on providing space for personal ment, Troyer was charged with five counts of for- ence working in this retreats for pastors. Construction will begin this gery and was being held in the Lucas County jail area in a variety of fall and continue as funds are available. The cost of on felony charges. churchwide min- the project is $385,000, including an endowment to According to The Goshen News, Troyer was istries, Burkholder asked to step down as pastor by officials in the began working half- maintain the building. Just over half the funds time at the Goshen have been raised.—Crooked Creek Christian Camp congregation after they learned he had allegedly office on Oct. 1, misappropriated about $40,000 of church funds in increasing to full-time Church raises $3,000 for Iraqi refugees November 2007. While tracking the money, offi- on Jan. 1, 2009. He is FILER, Idaho—During the county fair in Filer, cials reportedly learned that Troyer was using interim executive con- aliases and fraudulent business fronts to conduct ference minister at Aug. 27-Sept. 2, Filer Mennonite Church members Indiana-Michigan took turns sitting at the church building to accept transactions. A spokesperson for Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Confer- donations from people wanting to park their vehi- Mennonite Conference said the congregation, for- ence and assists the cles in the church’s parking lot. This year the merly called Maple Grove Mennonite Church, left conference’s transi- county fair coincided with an urgent call from the conference in 1995 around the issue of homo- tion team. sexuality.—Everett Thomas —Mennonite Church Mennonite Central Committee for relief kits for USA Iraqi refugees. Members of Filer Mennonite decid- —compiled by Anna Groff

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by Ronald J. Sider

t is time for top Mennonite leaders to take a dramatic new step and issue a daring new call for a vast expansion of Christian Peacemaker Teams. With only modest resources and less institutional support, CPT’s activities—and a host of other successful nonviolent campaigns in the last few decades—have demonstrated that nonviolence frequently prevents bloodshed and promotes justice. It is time for the Christian church—for the first time ever in our history—to invest large resources to test the possibilities of large-scale nonviolent campaigns. © Creative Commons Attribution | Christian Peacemaker Teams Attribution Commons | Christian Peacemaker © Creative

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A plea to Mennonite leaders

I believe the top leaders of our Mennonite bod- them, they remained faithful to Gandhi’s nonvio- ies (along with the leaders of other historic peace lent vision. churches) should lead the way. The first step is to In Poland, Solidarity’s nonviolent campaign suc- expand dramatically the work of CPT. And the sec- cessfully defied and helped defeat the Soviet ond step is to issue an invitation to the leadership empire. In the Philippines, a million peaceful of all Christian denominations to join in a massive demonstrators overthrew the brutal dictatorship of exploration of the possibilities of promoting peace President Marcos. The list of successful 20th-cen- and justice through nonviolent direct action. tury nonviolent campaigns is long. It is important to recall the context for this Considering these successes, one wonders proposal. what might happen if the Christian world became The 20th century was the bloodiest in human really serious about exploring the full possibilities history. In Humanity: A Moral History of the of applying nonviolent methods of seeking peace Twentieth Century (Yale, 2000), Jonathan Glover in unjust, violent situations around the world. All estimates that 86 million people died in wars Christians claim to believe Jesus when he says, fought from 1900 to 1989. That means 2,500 peo- “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be ple every day, 100 people every hour, for 89 years. called children of God” (Matthew 5:9). But we In addition to those killed in war, genocide and have not made much use of one of the demonstra- mass murder by governments killed approximate- bly successful ways to make peace. ly 120 million people just in the 20th century— For about 20 years now, a tiny handful of daring perhaps more than 80 million alone in the two folk in a few Christian Peacemaker Teams (made Communist countries of China and the Soviet famous by the kidnapping of four team members Union, according to R. J. Rummel’s Statistics of in Iraq in late 2005) have been working to apply Democide (Rutgers, 1997). the nonviolent techniques of Gandhi and King in It is ironic, then, that the violent 20th century conflict situations around the world. At Hebron in also produced numerous, stunningly successful the West Bank, a few Jewish settlers live in the examples of nonviolent victories over injustice and midst of the overwhelmingly Palestinian city of oppression. Hebron. Taunts, anger, violence and death are fre-

It is ironic that the violent 20th century also produced numerous, stunningly successful examples of nonviolent victories over injustice and oppression.

The best-known examples are probably Gandhi quent on all sides. For 10 years, CPTers have lived and Martin Luther King Jr. King’s nonviolent in Hebron, seeking nonviolently to befriend both marchers changed American history. Gandhi’s sides, accompanying those threatened by violence, nonviolent campaign defeated the British Empire sitting in houses threatened with illegal demolition and won India’s independence. In contrast to and promoting understanding and peace. CPT Algeria’s violent independence campaign, in which teams have also intervened in Canada to defend one of every 10 Algerians died, only one in 400,000 the rights of Native Canadians. They are also seek- Indians died in India’s nonviolent struggle. ing to protect and support the just demands of One of the most amazing components of oppressed peasants in Latin America. Gandhi’s campaign was a huge nonviolent “army” One need not agree with all of CPT’s political (over 50,000 eventually) of Muslim Pathans in the and theological ideas to conclude that now is the northwestern section of India. These are the same time first for the Mennonite leadership and then people we now know as the Taliban in Afghanistan for the entire Christian community to ask, Could and the Pakistan border. Even when the British we vastly expand CPT’s use of nonviolent Continued

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Continued “Just war” Christians (the vast majority of all ment but also rejected U.S. funding of the Contras. from page 9 Christians since the fourth century) have always So in early 1985, I joined a team from Witness for claimed that war must be a last resort; before any- Peace that visited a Nicaraguan town under attack one is to go to war, we must have tried all reason- by the Contras. As we wound our way down the able nonviolent alternatives. But how can contempo- side of the mountain toward the town, we knew a rary just war Christians claim they have tried all rea- thousand guerrillas in the surrounding hills had sonable nonviolent alternatives in the face of two their binoculars (and perhaps their guns) on us. I hard facts: (1) even without much preparation, non- was scared but believed God had called me to that violent approaches have worked again and again; (2) moment. We arrived safely, and the townsfolk told we have never trained thousands of CPT-like teams us they slept peacefully that night, believing the that could explore the possibilities of nonviolence in Contras would not attack while a team of praying a serious, sustained way. In order to engage in an American Christians were there. honest, large-scale test of nonviolence, just war If top global Christian leaders (hopefully joined Christians do not have to believe that nonviolence by Jews, Muslims and others) led 1,000 trained, will always prevent war. All they must do is imple- praying, nonviolent peacemakers into the West ment their own rule that war must be a last resort. Bank, the eyes of the world would be on them. Hundreds of millions would be praying for peace and justice for both Israelis and Palestinians. In order to engage in an honest, large- Massive media coverage would pressure both sides to negotiate. The same would happen if scale test of nonviolence, just war Archbishop Tutu led a few thousand praying African Christians (joined by people from other Christians do not have to believe that continents) into Zimbabwe to demand that President Mugabe permit fair elections. nonviolence will always prevent war. So what should we do? Obviously we need to expand CPT a hundredfold, then a thousandfold. How can we do that? Pacifists have long claimed they have an alterna- Let’s be candid. The top leadership of the tive to war. But that claim remains empty unless Mennonite church seriously explored the idea of we are willing to risk death, as soldiers do, to stop CPT-type activity after the Mennonite World injustice and bring peace. Conference in Strasbourg in 1984. They wrestled The theological commitments of both just war with the question, Is this kind of nonviolent but and pacifist Christians demand that they invest activist peacemaking faithful to our Anabaptist serious time and resources in sustained nonviolent understanding? The leaders arrived at a clear peacemaking. answer: yes. But then the leadership of the Think of what might have happened before Mennonite church stepped back and left the imple- Bosnia or Kosovo exploded in carnage if the mentation of the concept to a small group of peace Archbishop of Canterbury, top Catholic Cardinals activists who were largely at the margins of the (or even the Pope) and leading Orthodox leaders Mennonite world. had invited Muslim leaders to join them in leading But a few daring folk did it. They launched one, a few thousand praying, peaceful Christian and then another small team. And it worked. They Muslim followers into those dangerous places to demonstrated that even small groups of coura- demand peace. A prominent Palestinian Christian geous peacemakers can insert themselves into vio- has said there ought to be 1,000 CPT teams spread lent situations and promote peace and justice. My all over the West Bank. hat is off with appreciation to these few, coura- I know from personal experience that this kind geous folk. That is not to say that I agree with all of nonviolent intervention feels—and often is— their political and theological judgments. But they dangerous. In the mid-1980s, the United States dared to do it and prove that it works. was secretly funding thousands of guerrillas Now is the time for a massive expansion of CPT. (called the Contras) who were killing hundreds of The leadership of our major Mennonite institu- Nicaraguan civilians in their attempt to overthrow tions should join to call the Mennonite community the Sandinista government. I opposed the Marxist, to expand CPT from a handful of teams to hun- repressive tendencies of the Sandinista govern- dreds of teams in the next few years. That would

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mean calling hundreds of people in our congrega- deployment. We cannot know ahead of time what tions to volunteer for CPT and urging our Menno- will happen. But we already know that unless we nite institutions and congregations to fund this do this, our Christian rhetoric about war—both expansion. It would mean prominent Mennonite pacifist and just war—will be both hypocritical and leaders joining CPT’s board. dishonest. It would also mean changes in CPT. It would It’s time to live what we preach. need to welcome a significant number of prominent church leaders into the heart of their deci- Ronald J. Sider is professor of theology and culture sion-making process. They would need to be will- at Palmer Seminary, Wynnewood, Pa. The leadership of our major Mennonite institutions should join to call the Mennonite community to expand CPT from a handful of teams to hundreds of teams in the next few years.

ing to change CPT’s internal culture and practices to make it more friendly to the center of the Mennonite church. (For example, CPT’s official policy is that it takes no stand on homosexual practice. But in practice, some of its actions demonstrate a clear pro-gay stand. That would have to change.) I have no doubt that the global Mennonite community has the willing volunteers and the economic resources to train and deploy several hundred CPT teams by the year 2010—if the Mennonite leadership will issue the call and lead the way. But that is only the first step. After a couple years of dramatic expansion of CPT by Mennonites and the other historic peace churches already engaged in CPT, the historic peace church leaders should issue a call to the leadership of the entire Christian world: “For the first time in two millennia of Christian history, we invite you to join us in exploring the possibilities of using large numbers of CPT-type teams to reduce bloodshed and promote justice.” For © Creative Commons Attribution | Christian Peacemaker Teams this call, we need not demand that just-war Christians become pacifists. We need only ask that they implement their own theory that war must be a last resort. Maybe we could resolve many dangerous conflicts through activist nonviolence if the The global Mennonite community Christian community (working with people of has the willing volunteers and other faiths as well) had 10,000 Gandhi-type peacemakers ready to intervene in violent, unjust situa- the economic resources to train tions. If Christians—both just-war Christians and paci- and deploy several hundred CPT teams fists—mean what they have been saying for cen- turies about war and peace, then we have no by the year 2010. choice. Nonviolence has worked. It’s time to invest tens of millions of dollars in serious training and

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It’s no longer in the churches but in the p

by Michael J. Sharp

n the age of the professional military, it’s hard Christian outlook on the issues of war and peace. to know how to offer a relevant peace witness. What started as a Google search for “Christians We’re no longer called before draft boards. We and nonviolence” led to a reading list that could don’t have to do anything to avoid military have come straight out of a theology or peace and service. We just have to avoid signing up. In the justice course at a Mennonite college. meantime, we continue to fund wars in Iraq and Unfortunately for the Army, Weiss didn’t stop Afghanistan with our tax dollars. Does an all-volun- with reading. In June 2007, he applied for dis- teer military make our witness obsolete? Definitely charge from the military on the grounds of consci- not. The truth is, our peace stance is still relevant entious objection. As he wrote to his commanding and is a gift we can offer professional soldiers, if officer, “It is my deeply held belief that participa- we don’t keep it to ourselves. tion in warfare is immoral. This is built upon my Robert Weiss, a U.S. soldier stationed in feeling that war—and furthermore killing—is Germany, is one example of someone inspired by against the will of God.” He had come a long way what he learned about Mennonites. When he start- from loving his job as a combat soldier in his ed to question his participation in the military, he Stryker Brigade. turned to the writings of Mennonite theologians In August 2007, with his claim for conscientious and historians such as John Howard Yoder and objection still pending, Weiss was deployed to Iraq John D. Roth with his unit. While in Iraq, he refused to do any for a new combat-related duties but was told that if his claim were denied, he would be expected to go back to his normal job, doing patrols and “soldiering on,” as they say. Weiss made it clear, though, that soldiering on was not an option. In November 2007, he wrote: “As it stands, I am left with two possible options. The first is that my application is accepted and I will have my discharge. The second is that my application is rejected, they order me back to combat duties, I refuse orders [and] I am incarcerated.” He had made up his mind. He would go to jail before returning to combat operations. One month after writing those words, he was informed that the Department of the Army had denied his request for discharge for conscientious objection. With no remaining legal option to avoid returning to combat, Weiss went AWOL (absent without leave). In February, he turned himself back in to military control and is now awaiting court martial in Vilseck, Germany.

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e professional military.

Weiss is not the only professional soldier to not just from a theological or academic perspective come to this radical decision. Others have also but from firsthand knowledge of the tragic effects been transformed by war and training for war. of war. Soldiers like Weiss are helping make the argu- I am grateful to be part of a tradition of peaceful ment that the front line of peace witness is no witness in a violent world. I have had many oppor- longer in the churches but in the professional mili- tunities to tell the stories of our forbears, and I tary. And we have a lot to offer on the subject—if know from experience that those stories inspire we don’t compromise on our convictions. others. But let’s make it more than our history. The current trend seems to be that we are sepa- God is moving among some service members rating ourselves from such phrases as “principled today as vibrantly as God moved among the early pacifism” in order to be taken seriously in the disciples and early Anabaptists. Our task is to help wider debate on issues of war and peace. In our meld our historical understanding of Jesus’ call to need to seem modern, we are engaging such ideas peace with the fresh awakenings among those who as our “Responsibility to Protect” (R2P) and are once wielded weapons of war. coming out with less-than-faithful conclusions. In a We have opportunities today to apply this tradi- recent Mennonite Central Committee Peace Office tion and present an alternative understanding of Newsletter (Vol. 36, No. 4), one Mennonite leader Jesus’ message. It’s relevant, even if some call it went so far as to call for a “radically flexible inflexible; it’s responsible, even if it doesn’t use Christian pacifism” (emphasis mine). I’m not sure force to protect; and most importantly, it’s inspira- how flexible pacifism strengthens our peace wit- tional to soldiers like Robert Weiss, who are seek- ness, but I know guys like Robert Weiss aren’t ing a nonviolent Christian example. inspired by our forefathers because they were selective or flexible in their pacifism. It’s true that we live in a different context from that of our spiritual ancestors, but that doesn’t While we often see military mean we need to abandon the basic tenets of our faith to continue having an effect on society. It personnel as our opposites, means we need to be creative about the ways we I’ve learned that go about it. We must find new ways to apply those convictions. every soldier is a potential Growing up in a Mennonite home, I learned what a conscientious objector was. My father and conscientious objector. grandfather were Mennonite pastors, and I learned from them that COs don’t go to war, don’t bear arms and don’t join the military. Objectors understand Jesus’ teachings in the Sermon on the Michael J. Sharp has been working for the last three Mount to be a guide for our lives today, not for years with the Military Counseling Network in some time in the future. They understand Jesus’ Germany, where he counsels American troops who life to be normative. I am among these people who are seeking discharges from the military for reasons learned these lessons and refused to fight, but my such as conscientious objection. MCN is supported experience over the last three years has taught me by the German Mennonite Peace Committee, to look outside my historical roots for allies. Mennonite Mission Network and Mennonite Central While we often see military personnel as our Committee. More information is available at opposites, I’ve learned that every soldier is a www.mc-network.de. potential conscientious objector. Every service- member is a potential voice for peace, speaking

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by Katie Boyts Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you … ?—1 Corinthians Touch becomes 6:19 a form of prayer, ur relationship with our body often is a way to connect, a radical, wearisome, particularly in our “your- body-should-look-like-this” culture. And revolutionary act in this the idea of the body as a temple is prone to be purely theoretical, lacking any practical appli- violence-saturated world. cation in our daily lives. We may often leave connecting with God through a bodily experience to increase awareness not only of the body but the the mystics, finding ourselves uncomfortable with presence of God among us. We therapists are to the mystical experience in general. pray prior to touching the body and meditatively But I am fascinated with how to connect peace- thank the tissue, the body and the person afterward. making, bodywork and our personal relationship In these moments I see more clearly how the with Christ and community. body is a complex, God-created organism that In my peace studies thesis at Goshen (Ind.) shows me the magnitude of what violence and College in 2005, I focused on how helping people nonviolence means. The mechanism by which we cope with posttraumatic stress was a form of non- experience these clarifying moments may be violence. In my research I discovered a group called the release of endorphins or the presence of looking at trauma differently from the traditional Holy Spirit, but at its base this healing and shalom model. They argued that working directly with the is God within me. body, rather than solely with the psyche in talk The human body is how we experience con- therapy, was highly effective for healing. sciousness. Our hands, mouths, legs personify the Three years later I completed a massage therapy way we understand the world around us and are program in Portland, Ore., and earned a license to the tools by which we create our culture, context touch the human body. I continue to find that (1) the and experience. Thus, if we view our bodies as practice of touch is a form of nonviolence; (2) touch weapons, they will be weapons, and we will inter- has the capability to aid in the healing process, opti- act with the world as weapons. And if we view the mizing our self-healing capacity; (3) bodywork can body as a healer, we will be healers, engaging in be an integral part of our faith practice, a method life as agents of healing. of prayer, a practical way to connect with God. Our physical actions can only personify what we With these ideas in mind during my studies in believe, so shifting our perception of the body, and massage therapy, I felt drawn to Thai massage, thus our consciousness, will shift our tendency which has its origin in Thailand at least 1,000 toward violence. Violence is a sensual experience, years ago. It has the characteristics of yoga, medi- and Christ practiced and taught nonviolence tation and acupressure and is often described as because of the sensual violation violence exhibits. passive or lazy yoga for the recipient and active Nonviolence can also be a sensual act and at times yoga for the therapist. The inherent intimacy that should be. comes with these movements calls the giver to Bodywork challenges the common notions maintain a heightened awareness of intention, about the body that violence claims. The body is breathing, pace, rhythm, the recipient’s body lan- no longer an obstacle or collateral damage or a guage and energy movement in the body. tool of weaponry; it is no longer an ambiguous way As I practice this massage I see increasingly the of interacting with the world; it becomes a tool of ability of bodywork to exemplify nonviolence and healing, a symbol of safety and comfort. Touch service as we provide well-intentioned touch, calm becomes a form of prayer, a way to connect and and connectedness. In Thai massage the therapist relate. It becomes a radical, revolutionary act in prostrates to the client in humility, asking that we this violence-saturated world.

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How bodywork can be a way of nonviolence

For Mennonites, the practice of community is an essential piece of our understanding in living out our commitment to Christ. Our relationships are central to our experience. Bodywork is rooted in this belief. Intentional, healing touch only exists relationally, and viewing bodywork as a method of prayer or as a space created primarily for experi- encing God’s presence enhances this belief. Matthew 18:20 reads, “For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.” Jesus demonstrated this in his healing ministry; he created connections with people primarily through touch, healing their afflictions, turning Bodywork: Katie Boyts works on a client. violence on its head by providing a contradiction to violence. His relationship to body, his own and those he taught, was one of connection and healing, lacking awkwardness or fear. An example of this in our communities today is the laying-on-of-hands ritual. It remains a congre- The closer we are gational practice for which I am increasingly grateful. Not long ago my congregation in Portland par- to each other, ticipated in laying on of hands, and though during prayer, when I felt the well-intentioned touch, no the more we experience miracles occurred, and life remains a difficult task, nourishing touch, I did feel something beautiful move in me, a physical sensation that communicated caring and the closer we are Christ’s love. It is in this space of touch that the Holy Spirit of the Triune God is most tangible. I to God. invite God in. I invite the other in. I invite my whole self in. Katie Boyts attends Portland Kathleen Norris quotes the sixth-century monk (Ore.) Mennonite Church. Dorotheus of Gaza, who saw our world as a circle, For more information on with God at the center and our lives as lines drawn Katie and her work visit from the circumference toward the center. The www.katieboyts.com. closer the lines crowd in toward God, the closer they are to one another, and the closer they are to one another, the closer they are to God. | Dreamstime.com © Deborah Benbrook This is a profound depiction of life: the closer we are to each other, the more we experience nourishing touch, the closer we are to God. And the closer we are to God, the more difficult it becomes to see violence as a sensible and justifi- able act. These bodies, which are created in the image of God, hold God within them and act as tools of our agency, are magnificent, and so should be our relationship to them. Do we not know that our bodies are temples? Or do we know and simply choose not to understand?

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Five steps of faithful living in the city

by Anita Hooley

y parents, grandparents (both sides) great- means you’re fighting for your neighborhood. grandparents and my great-great-grandpar- When your garbage isn’t picked up or your elec- ents all grew up on farms. But I grew up in tricity isn’t turned on, you notice and care, an urban area of a small city, and today I live because it’s happening to you. This adds empathy, in Pittsburgh, Pa., part of the 20th largest metro- reality and passion to one’s call for improvement in politan area in the United States. the city. The profile of Mennonite Church USA in Road 2. Be there and see. Signs for the Journey by Conrad L. Kanagy shows We’ve all heard the phrase “seeing is believing.” that in the last few decades Mennonites have been Unless I see (and interact with) urban people on a relocating from the agrarian dwelling places of daily basis, it becomes easy to forget about their their ancestors. suffering, rationalize their poverty and ignore my In 1972, 36 percent of Mennonites lived on and my culture’s part in shaping their versions of farms, while 26 percent did in 1989 and just 12 per- society. It is also easy to dismiss thoughts of how cent today. Twice as many Mennonites live in their ways of life and belief systems might (and large cities (of 250,000-plus) as did in 1989. should) challenge my theology. However, that number still accounts for only 10 In a novel by Salman Rushdie, a character There is percent of members of Mennonite Church USA. offers an expanded version of this axiom: “What something Being a Mennonite in a large city is still a fairly you believe depends on what you’ve seen—not unique experience. only what is visible but what you are prepared to wrong with These numbers and my own interest led me to look in the face.” the church if some questions: Is being a Mennonite (or a My beliefs about the city are not only influ- Christian) in the city different from being a enced by what I see but by the perspective I bring. the mafia is Mennonite anywhere else? What unique things do Being in a city with an understanding of God’s con- doing a Mennonites bring to the city, and what unique cern for the city prepares me to look the suffering, things does the city bring to us? How do we live oppression and hope of the city in the face. better job at most faithfully in urban areas? 3. Be there and know. serving the I am far from an expert on this subject, and I do You can be somewhere, even see things there, not have easy answers, but I suggest five steps of but not really know much about the situation. poor in our faithful living. These could be applicable any- Consider an example cited by Shane Claiborne in communities. where, but I focus on the city, especially areas with The Irresistible Revolution. people whose needs are ignored. He and some friends had moved into an aban- 1. Be there. doned cathedral with some homeless locals in I don’t necessarily advocate that all Christians Philadelphia. A church in the area heard about the move to the most poverty-stricken, crime-filled situation and donated a box of microwave popcorn parts of their cities (though I wonder what would to their cause. As they had no electricity or happen if we did). I have been too challenged by microwaves, the gift was useless. spiritually focused friends to think everyone who When the local mafia heard of the situation, is a “good Christian” is explicitly concerned with however, they sent over a bunch of bikes. The city issues. bikes proved invaluable for job transportation for In his book Encounter God in the City, Randy the adults and recreation for the kids. Knowing White explores the importance of locating yourself the needs, the people and the culture in the place among the people to whom you are trying to min- where you are is important. There is something ister so that you can perform the ministry of “suf- wrong with the church if the mafia is doing a bet- fering with” them. When you’re fighting for social ter job at serving the poor in our communities. improvement in a poor neighborhood, living there The apostle Paul provides an example of using

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© Jose Gil | Dreamstime.com situational and cultural knowledge for God’s purpos- ting yourself be transformed in that process. es. In Acts 17, Paul addresses people in Athens, one Transformation best happens through relation- of the most highly-cultured cities of his day. ships. I have witnessed the power and the struggle Paul shows knowledge of Athenian art and liter- of transformative urban relationships modeled by ature. He talks about touring the city and finding my parents in my growing-up years in Canton, Ohio. an altar with the inscription “to an unknown god.” I have memories of my mother going for runs He then claims that his God, the one true God, is with the tall basketball player from down the street, this unknown God the Athenians have been wor- doing jigsaw puzzles with the man from around the shiping, and he quotes one of their own poets to corner who suffered from schizophrenia or playing support his point. Paul uses the high culture of this piano to accompany the former opera singer who urban area to point its residents toward Christ. was living at the YMCA. I remember my father hav- 4. Be there and choose. ing what seemed like daily phone conversations In The Secret Life of Bees, a novel by Sue Monk with various people who would call just because Kidd, a precocious white teenager named Lily they had no one else to listen to them, or attend- goes to live with three strong and intelligent black ing Cleveland Indians baseball games with a work- women. One of the women reflects on “the real ing-class couple and a recovering alcoholic. problem with people.” Lily characteristically inter- I discovered later that my parents did not come Even brief rupts and says the problem is that people “don’t to Canton out of any deliberate social or spiritual encounters know what matters and what doesn’t.” The wise decision to minister in “the city.” When I think woman responds: “I was gonna say, The problem about how focused on urban ministry I consider with people is they know what matters, but they don’t choose their lives, I realize they have not only trans- different from it. You know how hard that is, Lily? … The hardest formed but have been transformed by the people thing on earth is choosing what matters.” and experiences there. us can trans- The Bible is filled with examples of people who Even brief encounters with people different form our chose what mattered, such as Daniel and Esther. from us can transform our understanding. In Both were engaged in the urban culture where Matthew 15, Jesus runs into a Canaanite woman understand- they lived in the time of Jewish exile (Daniel under who begs him to heal her daughter. Jesus tells her, ing. Babylonian rule and Esther under Persian). Both “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.” The had high positions in the foreign government. woman pleads and argues with him, and Jesus But when it came down to it, they were not afraid changes his mind, blesses the woman and heals to choose what mattered. Daniel refused to worship her daughter. It seems an encounter with someone the Babylonian king and was thrown into the lion’s of a different culture and gender transformed even den. Esther entered the king’s chamber without Jesus’ thinking about his own ministry. being summoned and risked her life to reverse the Opportunities to have relationships and encoun- order for the extermination of the Jews. ters with people from all walks of life are not limited Both Daniel and Esther had great gifts and to the city. But urban life provides a ripe abundance knowledge and had fully entered urban life. But of weird, needy, refreshing people, as well as cultur- what sets them apart is not their cultural or theo- al perspectives to challenge and surprise us. And as logical knowledge. Rather, they are honored for we are transformed by these people and experi- the strength of their choices to follow God’s way in ences, we can be engaged in transforming the peo- the midst of a city culture trying to force them in ple and places around us in more faithful ways. the opposite direction. 5. Be there and be transformed. Anita Hooley lives in Cleveland. She wrote this arti- The final step of living faithfully in the city is cle while a pastoral intern at Pittsburgh Mennonite working for the transformation of the city and let- Church.

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SPEAKING OUT

Why Mennonites play Halo

ow do you, as a pacifist Mennonite, justify you’ll find yourself up against a variety of aliens, playing a violent game like Halo? was the from half your size to three times as big, even H question I got through the telephone one zombie-like creatures, each with colorful blood. lazy afternoon. I stopped for a moment, nervously The single-player game is very difficult to justify chuckling. “Um, well, you see. …” for a Mennonite. And it should be. Many people Halo 101: After the editor of With (where this like to breeze over it with such phrases as, “It’s article originally appeared in the Winter 2007/08 just a game,” and, “It’s not real.” But I can’t. issue) hung up, I knew she expected me to write a Granted, I love playing Halo, and looking from small explanation or apology—I can’t remember the outside in I can see how easy it would be to which—on how some pacifist Mennonites justify call us Halo-playing Mennonites hypocrites. But in playing Halo. this case, the word is justified. How can we say we Prepare to be disappointed. dislike war when we are participating in digital bat- First, let me give you a little background. Halo tles ourselves? While it’s not outright hypocrisy— was released back in 2001 for the Xbox video that would be declaring you’re a pacifist but jump- game console. Since then, it has been released for ing at the chance to go to war—it is a form of it. Travis Duerksen is a member of PCs as well. It is rated M for mature, a rating simi- A kinder, gentler Halo: In the multiplayer-game Alexanderwohl lar to R for a movie, because of “blood and gore” mode, you and up to 15 of your friends can shoot it Mennonite and “violence.” out in a variety of matches, the two main ones Church, Goessel, The game revolves around a super-soldier being Deathmatch (where you see who can score Kan., and a stu- named Master Chief whose goal is to stop an alien the most kills in a set amount of time) and Capture dent at Hesston (Kan.) College. force, the Covenant, from destroying all humans. the Flag. The main problem here is that instead of During most of the game, you find yourself aiming your gun at computer-controlled opponents looking from the perspective of Master Chief. So if you’re gunning for an enemy that is controlled by he is holding a weapon, you see his back and his your buddy sitting next to you. hands holding it, and an aiming scope in the cen- But I view it as a competition between friends, ter of the screen. much like a game of basketball or football. Like You are expected to beat the game by deposit- those sports, it’s a place to show off what skills ing small fragments of lead—propelled at a high you love to brag about. And like those games, if rate of speed—into the bodies of your enemies you’re not a team player you’ll end up losing. until the entrance and residence of these frag- No big deal? ments impede the normal operation of any of their The thing is, to a lot of youth this moral dilem- primary biological processes. ma isn’t really a big deal at all. When I posed the In short, you shoot the aliens until they die. question that I was asked to some of my friends, This immediately poses a problem, as you are they all did the same thing I did. They chuckled. put on the forefront of a war, spearheading an Many of them simply admitted they hadn’t real- effort to rain destruction upon an alien race that ly thought of it or that it’s not that big of a deal. wants to do the same to you. And I believe them. To us, this stuff really isn’t No room for Anabaptists: Mennonites have that big of a deal. taken a stance of peace when two groups create Should it be? war with one another, but that is not possible in To me, at least, if I really want to belong to the Halo. Nowhere does it allow you participate in Mennonite church, and if I really want to live by peace negotiations or write up a truce. its beliefs, I need to at least think it over, talk it out Kill the aliens: In the single-player mode, killing with a variety of people and, most importantly, your enemies is the only way to reach the end. pray about it. While you are never pitted against other humans, Will it end with me giving up Halo and its ilk? I don’t know yet. Will I be weighing the morals that a game is impressing on me from now on? IN THE NEXT ISSUE Oh yes. TM • Do you have ‘pleonexia’?—Valerie Weaver-Zercher The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent the official positions of The Mennonite, the • Not politics as usual—Rod Stafford board for The Mennonite, Inc., or Mennonite Church USA.

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Executive Board OKs health-care plan Board encourages Spanish-language initiative, reviews The Mennonite. eeting Sept. 18-20 at Philadelphia Menno- an entity of Mennonite Church USA. TM’s execu- nite High School, the Executive Board tive committee (Susan Sommer, Gerald Mast and M (EB) of Mennonite Church USA gave its Barth Hague) and editor Everett Thomas joined OK to a plan to provide health insurance coverage the discussion. for all pastors and discussed an initiative to pro- TM board members said they want to be collab- vide more resources in Spanish to congregations. orative with EB “and promote the ministries of and Keith Harder, director of the Health Care support identity building for Mennonite Church Access Project, reported the results of 27 focus USA,” as the bylaws state, but they’ve been given groups in the past six months (see Sept. 2, page few opportunities to do so. 19) and brought a recommendation that a health- EB members continue to express that the TM insurance plan for pastors proceed. The plan, board should move from being a governance called the Corinthian Plan, is to be communicated board to being an editorial board, with The This is more to Mennonite Church USA members in the com- Mennonite being part of the communications and ing months and must be approved by delegates at development work of the church. about the Columbus 2009 next summer. If that happens, the In the end, the two boards agreed to form a kind of church plan should begin on Jan. 1, 2010, Harder said. task group to propose an editorial policy and how Project team members Karl Sommers and Greg the magazine will operate under the EB in line we want to Lacher offered their perspectives as well. with the purposes of The Mennonite as described be than Sommers said the plan emphasizes wellness. “This in the Mennonite Church USA bylaws. is more about the kind of church we want to be This EB meeting discussed leadership develop- [about] than [about] health insurance,” he said. ment, one of the board’s four priorities. Members health EB members asked clarifying questions, then reviewed responses from area conferences, agen- unanimously recommended that the Corinthian cies and schools about leadership development. insurance. Plan be adopted by congregations and agencies. The board liked the focus on competencies. —Karl In response to a request from EB, Iris de León- However, said EB member David Boshart, “we Hartshorn, director of intercultural relations, have a ways to go to understand leadership from a Sommers developed plans for a Spanish-language initiative in missional perspective.” He said we need to look at consultation with Iglesia Menonita Hispana. This the role of context in leadership formation and five-year initiative moves from developing a pool of close the gap between congregations’ expectations translators to creating material written in Spanish. of pastors and pastors’ expectations of themselves. A further goal is to catalog resources already avail- In other activity, EB members able in Spanish and make them available in one • asked staff to develop equitable employment place online and by phone. guidelines and human resources policies across EB members noted that Spanish speakers have Mennonite Church USA that further the priorities been frustrated when trying to find materials done of antiracism and leadership development; by different agencies. This needs coordination, • called for delegate materials to be available in they said. Moderator-elect Ed Diller asked, “How English and Spanish; can we make this happen faster?” • expressed support and prayers for the It also needs ownership, said Ron Rempel, Colombian Mennonite Church; This article is available as a director of Mennonite Publishing Network. “We • received a positive audit report for the fiscal podcast at have Spanish-language curriculum gathering dust year ending Jan. 31, 2008, and a balanced prelimi- www.The on the shelf.” nary budget for the fiscal year ending Jan. 31, 2010. Mennonite.org EB member Glen Guyton said the need goes The EB’s next meeting is Jan. 22-24, 2009, in beyond language. Materials he sees don’t fit his Glendale, Ariz.—Gordon Houser context as an African American in an urban area. EB member Addie Banks said racial-ethnic groups are not all alike. She is writing curriculum Executive Board meets local leaders, school staff herself, she said, because she hasn’t found any The Mennonite Church USA Executive Board held its meetings Sept. 18-20 that fit her context. at Philadelphia Mennonite High School. Principal Barbara Moses led a tour The board asked staff to work with churchwide of the school and introduced the school’s staff and four of its students. The agencies to reduce the five-year proposal to three. board also met with representatives from Oxford Circle, Abundant Life EB members review one of the churchwide Chinese, Vietnamese and West Philadelphia congregations in the city. These agencies every third meeting or so. At this meet- and other congregations build relationships so they can work together to ing the board reviewed The Mennonite, Inc. (TM), address common concerns and bear witness to Christ.—gh

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Gather ‘Round connects ages hen Mennonite Publishing Network integrated its congregational worship W resources and Gather ‘Round Sunday school materials around a unified theme this past summer, Bonita Howard knew they were an o answer to her prayers for connecting generations. y Howard, superintendent at Eden Mennonite n Church in Moundridge, Kan., had been searching for ways to help youth and adults be less segregat- Peace hap- ed. When Sunday worship suggestions in Leader (a magazine for congregational leaders) connected pens when with Gather ‘Round Sunday school curriculum for connections ages 3 through senior high and adults—it was just the push she needed for taking a risk. are made that Howard formed two intergenerational Sunday help people school classes to focus on the unified theme, “The Things That Make for Peace” based on Matthew value others 5:43-45. Up to 40 adults and youth participated in a who are dif- class for senior high and one for junior high. When summer ended, Howard surveyed partici- ferent from pants, and many felt as positive as she. themselves. “I knew that [the resources] would be a wonderful intergenerational curriculum,” she says. —Bonita “Peace happens when connections are made that Howard help people value others who are different from themselves.” David Stevens—one of Eden’s pastors—and pastors of other Mennonite Church USA congregations say the resources brought cohesion and depth to a season disjointed by vacation schedules. “The consensus of all three pastors here was that the materials examined peace from angles that we hadn’t considered, or needed to reconsid- er,” he adds.—Laurie Oswald Robinson

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Pastors leaving for mostly good reasons Mennonite Church Canada survey finds that 36 percent of pastors will quit. ow can Mennonite Church Canada congre- Canada Mennonite Church gations encourage their current pastors, for- H mer pastors and past pastors? That was the question Dieter Schoenwetter asked delegates at Mennonite Church Canada’s annual assembly July 7 during the discernment session. A social psychologist by profession, Schoenwetter gathered and interpreted the data from a pastoral trends survey sponsored by Mennonite Church Canada in late 2007. Dieter Schoenwetter gave delegates an overview of the Schoenwetter shares results of a results, identified critical issues and linked the pastoral trends Mennonite Church Canada findings to similar find- survey. ings in a 2006 survey conducted within the Canadian Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches. More than 200 past and present pastors, or roughly 20 percent of people who were sent the survey, responded. While many pastors leave their position because of burnout, conflict or unclear expectations of their roles, Schoenwetter noted that more pastors leave for positive reasons, such as accomplishing their goals, advancing their career or changing roles, and continuing education. One critical issue Schoenwetter noted was the need for more pastors, as Mennonite Church Canada will lose 36 percent of survey respondents alone within the next five years—not to mention those who will leave who did not respond to the survey. “We are standing at the crossroads here,” Schoenwetter said. Role clarification, spiritual support, attrition, congregational support, educational support and training, and holistic support—including the way pastors are let go—were key issues Schoenwetter identified. He concluded his presentation by asking dele- Coming November 1 gates to ponder questions such as, “What makes fertile ground for pastoral formation?” Ernst Bergen, a Mennonite businessman, He encouraged delegates to write their ideas became the Finance Minister of Paraguay. regarding how they can encourage their pastors Boyhood in the Chaco. Tensions with on yellow sticky notes. Delegates then attached authority. Courtship. Incredible business the yellow sticky notes to posters lining the hall as success. Thrust into government with they exited the Canadian Mennonite University all of its problems. This is the story of Ernst Bergen, as told to New York Times gymnasium, where delegate sessions were taking bestselling author Phyllis Pellman Good. place. Linda Bjarnas, Mennonite Church Eastern Canada delegate, wondered if any consideration had been given by the Mennonite Church Canada Ernst Christian Formation Council to helping congrega- with tions nurture children by identifying and affirming Phyllis pastoral gifts early on.—Aaron Epp More than 140 pages. $11.95 (includes photos) www.GoodBooks.com

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MCC, MDS respond to hurricanes Mennonite Central Committee, Mennonite Disaster Service address disasters. ennonite Central Committee (MCC) and MCC is working through a partner organiza- Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) are tion, Sant Kretyen Developman Entegre (Christian M accepting donations for emergency Center for Integrated Development), to distribute response to the recent hurricanes and tropical water, food, medicine and health kits in northwest- storms in the Caribbean and the Gulf Coast area. ern Haiti. The northwestern city of Gonaïves MCC is responsible for organizing disaster remains flooded from hurricanes Gustav and response efforts in international settings. MDS is Hanna. MCC has committed $35,000 for the initial responsible to organize disaster response in Haiti response. Canada, the United States and their territories. According to Mark Epp, MCC’s associate direc- MCC is specifically accepting donations for the tor for Latin America and the Caribbean, MCC Caribbean country of Haiti, where the recent hur- workers have not been able to travel to the north ricanes and tropical storms have killed hundreds from headquarters in Port-au-Prince, the capital and left hundreds of thousands without shelter. city. Heavy rains on Sunday brought down a key bridge, severing the only viable land route to Gonaïves. MDS is actively responding to recent hurricanes that impacted Louisiana and Mississippi, and has an emergency response team working in Baton Rouge, La.. What makes us different? In Pass Christian, Miss., MDS project directors reported that the town and area look pretty good, Rebate for missions with some debris around. The MDS site is also fine. There is electricity but no phones. Financial We tithe 10% of our interchange income In conversation with FEMA, MDS is assessing services from Visa credit cards to church and mis- the damage and has begun an initial response “to sion activities and group. Since 1995, we give a few people a little hope in the midst of this for the have made close to $200,000 in mission disaster,” says Jerry Klassen, MDS disaster rebate grants. Anabaptist response coordinator. MDS will establish work sites in partnership community Rebate for missions: Just one more way our members put their values into practice with other agencies and their case work systems. through everyday financial transactions. Many, especially elderly, are stranded without food, power and the ability to move around. 800-451-5719 www.mennonitefinancial.com After the initial assessment, MDS hopes to know if the other crews can be invited to join and serve. MDS is also evaluating the next steps for Des Allemandes and Pointe Aux Chenes, La., while also standing at the ready in anticipation of • • travel with a purpose • • responding to the potential impacts of Hanna, Ike and Josephine. TOURS The full extent of damage is unknown in the Point Aux Chenes area, although initial reports are SPRING 2009 that damage is as bad or worse than damage from Katrina. In talks with the Louisiana Coastal Tribal Hawaii 4-Island Cruise/Tour Mexico & Copper Canyon Coalition, Chief Marlene Foret reports that she March 11-22, 2009 March 27 - April 7, 2009 cannot travel the whole way into her community x Polynesian Center & Luau x Railroad through canyons & because of water on the roads. x Fern Grotto/Waimea Canyon tunnels of Copper Canyon Chief Albert Naquin reports that because there Mennonites of Cuauhtemoc x Volcanoes National Park x is no water on Isle de Jean Charles they cannot Macadamia Nut Factory x Local Indian folklore x start clean up. There is mud everywhere. Only two x Int’l Market & Waikiki Beach x Cathedrals & Ancient Ruins families out of about 60 are on the island now. In x Dole Pineapple Center x Learn about Border Issues x Begins from Honolulu x Begins from Tucson, AZ the first quarter mile of the island there are eight unlivable houses.—Scott Sundberg of Mennonite MYW Tours • Box 425 • Landisville, PA 17538 • 717/653-9288 • 800/296-1991 Disaster Service and Cheryl Zehr Walker of Email: [email protected] • web: www.mywtours.com Mennonite Central Committee

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Delegation finds Philippine peace elusive Mennonite World Conference Executive Committee members pray for General. ar is easy. It can happen right now. All it Ferrer, the Mennonite delegation sat with leaders Delegation takes is a six-peso phone call to say ‘start of the MILF as they determined strategic reac- participants W fighting,’ “ said General Ferrer of the Sixth tions to the stalled agreement. MILF are members division in August. of the Mindanao Alliance for Peace. • Naomi Unger With 5,000 troops and 6,000 paramilitary per- Ferrer’s headline didn’t make it into the paper, • Peter Stucky sonnel under his command, General Ferrer was and he did not make a phone call to launch war. • Markus Rediger • Janet Plenert ready. But he does not want war; he wants peace. The MILF pulled back its troops. Since the • Irene and Robert The Aug. 7 delegation of members of the Mennonite delegation’s visit, however, peace talks J. Suderman Mennonite World Conference Executive between the government of the Republic of the Committee and of Mennonite Church Canada Philippines and the MILF have stalled. Serious found his remarks humbling. fighting has resulted, and 160,000 people have fled The delegation was visiting Mindanao, the their homes and villages.—Janet Plenert of southernmost and most troubled of the Philippine Mennonite Church Canada, with Peter Stucky Republic’s three major groups of islands. Three guerrilla groups are active there: the MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front), the NPA (New People’s Army—a Marxist-inspired group) and Abu Sayyaf (a small group with alleged al-Qaida ties). Because of a partial cease-fire for the past two years, the delegation was able to travel into the region where MILF activity has been strong. Two days earlier, the Philippine Supreme Court blocked the signing of an ancestral domain agreement between the government and the MILF. The agreement could have paved the way for the peace process to continue, potentially ending more than four decades of conflict in the south Philippines, but its delay only served to fuel tension. The delegation asked the General, a graduate of the Mindanao Peacebuilding Institute, supported now by Mennonite Church Canada, how he put his peace training into practice. 800.222.6695 www.mennohaven.org “I learned to listen and not just hear,” he said. “I Menno Haven is committed to providing equal housing for all. also send my men to train there. … They wonder how a warrior can also be a peace builder. It has created a bit of conflict within them.” General Ferrer confirmed reports that the government gave rebels 24 hours to end skirmishes In one year, almost $70,000 was given in the region or face intervention from govern- to Mennonite congregations at ment forces. He was frustrated by local petitions that delayed the signing of an ancestral domain giving.MennoniteUSA.org. agreement. He also expressed uncertainty about what immediate effect the government order How much went to your churc would have on regional conflict. “If you could write tomorrow morning’s newspaper headlines, what would you write?”asked a Take your giving online to delegation member. giving.MennoniteUSA.org His response was heart-wrenching: “General Ferrer ready for war.” He said the headline would let renegade MILF members know the army is serious, ready, organized, potentially halting further rebel assaults and reinstating peace talks. The delegation ended the visit by praying for Ferrer. Just three hours before meeting with General

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FOR THE RECORD

WORKERS BIRTHS & ADOPTIONS Nofziger, Andre Daniel, Aug. 31, to Wendell and Melanie Byler Nofziger, Brouillette, Mike, was licensed as youth Bame, Grace Marcelle, Sept. 20, to Rich Stryker, Ohio. pastor at Alexanderwohl Mennonite and Julie Kuntz Bame, Wauseon, Ohio. Church, Goessel, Kan., on Aug. 22. Osborne, Iris Katherine, Aug. 14, to Troy Banman, Miles Elliot, July 20, to Aaron and Emma Osborne, Bluffton, Ohio. Cazares, Jaime, was licensed for special and Lindsay Smith Banman, Chicago, Ill. ministry as church planter at Iglesia Paulovich, Owen Reid, June 9, to Jon and Coblentz, Mia Claire, July 8, to Seth and Menonita Casa Betania, Newton, Kan., on Gretchen Stoltzfus Paulovich, Phoenix, Lindsey Burkholder Coblentz, Greentown, Ariz. Aug. 22. Ohio. , Sept. 4, Josh and Sarah Graber, Gail, was ordained as associate Shank, Laela Joy Ebright Zehr, Holden Eli, Aug. 28, to Roth Shank, Harrisonburg, Va. pastor of visitation at Eden Mennonite Marcus and Robin Ebright Zehr, Goshen, Church, Moundridge, Kan., on Aug. 22. Ind. Strausz, Samantha Marie, Sept. 11, to Jarrod and Jennifer Snyder Strausz, Hostetler, Marian Brendle, ended a term Gochenaur, Aubrey Irene, Sept 9, to Moundridge, Kan. as pastor to seniors at North Goshen Scott and Jennifer Mohler Gochenaur, Mennonite Church, Goshen, Ind., on Aug. Willow Street, Pa. Tolle, Adrianna Marie, Sept. 3, to George 31. and Kristian Sawyer Tolle, Wichita, Kan. Hendricks, Micaiah Emerson, Aug. 29, to Kanagy, Renee, was licensed as pastor at Matthew and Shelly Hendricks, Widrick, Winton Walter, May 25, to Kyle New Creation Mennonite Church, Newton, Minneapolis, Minn. and Jessica Zehr Widrick, Croghan, N.Y. Kan., on Aug. 22. , July 2, to Mike and Hipps, Hadley Margaret, July 18, to Winsor, Lela Marie Kaufmann, Lois Johns, began a position Shane and Andrea Berry Hipps, Phoenix, Vania Blough Winsor, Hesston, Kan. as conference minister for Central District Ariz. Conference, Goshen, Ind., on Sept. 1. Horne, Mara Ruth, Aug. 30, to Daniel and Ricketts, Carole, was licensed as pastor at MARRIAGES “For the Record” Jennifer McCullough Horne, Niverville, is available to Michigan State University Mennonite Manitoba. Adrian/Unruh: Sara Adrian, Butterfield, Fellowship, East Lansing, Mich., on Sept. Minn., and Nicholas Unruh, Newton, Kan., members of 14. Miller, Chelsea Nicole, Aug. 28, to Ryan Aug. 9, at Tabor Mennonite Church, Mennonite and Heidi Kauffman Miller, Hartville, Ohio. Yoder, Amanda “Mandy,”was installed as Newton. Church USA. To submit informa- associate pastor at Belmont Mennonite Moser, Seth Aaron, April 28, to Joshua Barnes/Unruh: Melissa Barnes and Daniel Church, Elkhart, Ind., on Sept. 7. and Lisa Akin Moser, Carthage, N.Y. Unruh, Peabody, Kan., July 25, at Rocky tion, log on to Mountain Mennonite Camp, Divide, Colo. www.TheMenno- nite.org and use Dobes/Shultz: Pete Dobes, Toledo, Ohio, the “For the Kristy Shultz, Dalton, Ohio, June 28, at Cornerstone Church, Dalton. Record” button to access our online Graber/Luty: Alex Graber, Crawfordsville, forms. You can Iowa, and Ashley Luty, Wichita, Kan., July also submit infor- INVITING 19, at Hope Mennonite Church, Wichita. mation by email, Graber/Petersen: Tracy Graber, Hurley, fax or mail: Mennonite/Anabaptist S.D., and Brett Petersen, Hurley, Aug. 9, at Pastors to Projects Salem Mennonite Church, Freeman, S.D. •Editor@TheMen- nonite.org Hansen/Musser: Erica Hansen, Kingston, Through a generous grant N.Y., and Greggory Musser, Mount Joy, Pa., •fax 574-535- MDS is offering travel cost reimbursement Aug. 10, at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran 6050 Church, Kingston. to constituent pastors •1700 S. Main St., Hershberger/Liechty: Ben Hershberger, Goshen, IN volunteering* at an MDS project site Sugarcreek, Ohio, and Beth Liechty, 46526-4794 for a week or more. Archbold, Ohio, Sept. 6, at Zion Mennonite Church, Archbold. For more details see Nussbaum/Ulery: Kendel Nussbaum, http://mds.mennonite.net/programs/pastors_projects/ Phoenix, Ariz., and Jacki Ulery, Phoenix, June 8, at Trinity Mennonite Church, or call Lois at 866-261-1274 Glendale, Ariz. Parker/Yoder: Margaret Parker, Wichita, Kan., and Nathaniel Yoder, Harrisonburg, *VOLUNTEERING: Va., Aug. 2, at Zion Mennonite Church, swinging a hammer Broadway, Va. with other short-term Pennington/Stauffer: Garrett crew members! Pennington, Hesston, Kan., and Erin Stauffer, Hesston, Kan., Sept 13, at Hesston Mennonite Church. Preheim/Sees: Stacy Preheim, Marion, S.D., and George Sees, Irene, S.D., Sept. 20, at St. Benedict Catholic Church, Yankton, S.D. Rupp/Steiner: Jennifer Rupp, Pettisville, Ohio, and LaMont Steiner, Dalton, Ohio, Sept. 13, at North Clinton Mennonite Church, Wauseon, Ohio.

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FOR THE RECORD

Schmidt/Shorthill: Luke Schmidt, Hoover, Charles “Chuck” Ellis, 58, Kanagy, Rachel Byler, 90, Belleville, Pa., Peabody, Kan., and Sarah Shorthill, July 5, Goshen, Ind., died Aug. 19. Spouse: Naomi died Aug.17. Spouse: Norman B. Kanagy at Bontanica Gardens, Wichita, Kan. Elaine Brubaker Hoover. Parents: Ned G. (deceased). Parents: John B. and Annie and Grace Geraldine Larsen Hoover. Yoder Byler. Children: Aquilla L., Norman Children: Rebecca Hoover, Laura Mathew, M., Salina A. Rhodes, John T., Irene J. DEATHS Rachel Hoover; five grandchildren. Kanagy, Floyd S., Adella S. Ozar, Joseph A., Funeral: Aug. 23 at College Mennonite Marvin R., Darvin J., Leonard R., Mary Beth Baer, Catherine Neuhauser, 85, Goshen, Church, Goshen. Rush, Jay; 25 grandchildren; 25 great- Ind., died Aug. 29. Spouse: Joseph F. Baer. grandchildren. Funeral: Aug. 20 at Locust Immel, Glenn, 85, Walnut Creek, Ohio, Parents: William and Anna Swartzentruber Grove Mennonite Church, Belleville. Neuhauser. Children: Joseph N., David L.; died Aug. 31. Spouse: Oneta Immel four grandchildren; four great-grandchil- (deceased). Parents: William and Elva Lehman, Gilbert J., 84, Croghan, N.Y., dren. Funeral: Sept. 6 at College Stutzman Immel. Children: Wayne, Gene, died April 27. Spouse: Esther M. Roggie Mennonite Church, Goshen. Nancy Strother, Betty Kandel, Charlotte Lehman. Parents: Elmer and Rosella Keim, Judy Yoder, Don, Carolyn Renner; 19 Roggie Lehman. Children: Paul, Timothy, Bishop, Jacob H., 92, Telford, Pa., died grandchildren; 19 great-grandchildren. David, Walter, Kathleen Widrick; nine Aug. 23. Spouse: Clara Thoms Bishop. Funeral: Sept. 3 at Walnut Creek grandchildren; six great-grandchildren. Spouse: Evelyn Freed Bishop (deceased). Mennonite Church. Funeral: May 2 at Croghan Mennonite Parents: Warren and Ida Hess Bishop. “For the Record” Church. Children: Ruth Ann Fite, Jacob, Craig, lists obituaries for Elizabeth Goad, Harry Sheets; two grand- Mennonite children; one great-grandchild. Funeral: Church USA Aug. 26 at Blooming Glen Mennonite members who Church, Blooming Glen, Pa. died during the Bishop, Luella H., 93, Quakertown, Pa., ‘Statement of Ownership, Management and Circulation’ filed Oct. 1, 2008, for The past three died Sept. 6. Parents: Warren and Ida Hess Mennonite, publication no. 17-2340, published twice-per-month (24 issues in preceding months. Ad- Bishop. Funeral: Sept. 14 at Blooming Glen 12 months) at 1700 S. Main St, Goshen, Elkhart County, IN 46526. Phone 574-535-6051. ditional informa- Mennonite Church, Blooming Glen, Pa. Annual subscription price, $43.95. Publisher, The Mennonite Magazine Board; editor, tion about the Everett J. Thomas, at above office address. Owned and published by The Mennonite, Inc., Boliver, Clara Martin, 71, Croghan, N.Y., Goshen, Ind. (above mailing address), a church-related non-profit organization, tax deceased may be 71 died July 29. Spouse: Lyle Boliver exempt under code section 501(c)(3). Stockholders owning 1 percent or more of total submitted to (deceased). Parents: Vernon and Katherine stock, none. (No stock issued.) Known bondholders, etc., none. The purpose, function The Mennonite at Zehr Martin. Children: Larry, Lynn, Loren, and nonprofit status of this organization and the exempt status for federal income tax www.TheMenno- Shawn, LuAnn Denise, Lynette Taylor, purposes has not changed during the preceding 12 months. Laurie Boliver; 12 grandchildren; one nite.org. We will Extent and Nature of Circulation forward all infor- great-grandchild. Funeral: Aug. 2 at Croghan Mennonite Church. A. Avg. total number of copies (net press run) each issue during preceding 12 months, mation to 10,750. B. Avg. paid and/or requested circulation: (1) Avg. paid/requested outside-coun- MennObits, the Chupp, Edward Ray, 89, La Fontaine, Ind., ty mail subscriptions stated on Form 3541, 9,794. C. Avg. total paid and/or requested cir- research Web site died Aug. 13. Spouse: Ardith Marie culation, 9,794. G. Avg. total distribution, 9,974. H. Copies not distributed, 525. I. Avg. sponsored by Johnston Chupp. Parents: Ira J. and Katie total copies, 10,499. J. Avg. percent paid and/or requested circulation, 98.20. the Historical Stutzman Chupp. Funeral: Aug. 18 at A. Total number of copies (net press run) each issue during preceding 12 months,10,500. North Main Street Mennonite Church, Committee of B. Paid and/or requested circulation: (1) Paid/requested outside-county mail subscrip- Nappanee, Ind. tions stated on Form 3541, 9,308. C. Total paid and/or requested circulation, 9,308. G. Mennonite Flaming, Vernon E., 82, Inman, Kan., died Total distribution, 10,164. H. Copies not distributed, 336. I. Total copies,10,500. J. Percent Church USA. To paid and/or requested circulation, 91.58. receive a paper Aug. 30. Spouse: Leola Zehr Flaming. Parents: John P. and Anna Ediger Flaming. copy of the obitu- I certify that all information furnished in this is true and complete. Children: John, Bill, Russell, Carol Hancock; Everett J. Thomas, Editor ary form, call 574- nine grandchildren. Memorial service: 535-6052. To Sept. 5 at Hoffnungsau Mennonite receive the obitu- Church, Inman. ary form as an Franz, Earl R., 92, Reedley, Calif., died MS Word docu- Sept. 5. Spouse: Bernice Borthwick Franz. ment, email Spouse: Estella Fast Franz (deceased). Editor@themen- Parents: John and Lena Franz. Children: nonite.org. Carolyn Peters, Darryl, Bonnie Runjavac; five grandchildren; 12 great-grandchil- Paraguay dren. Funeral: Sept. 9 at Reedley 2009 Cemetery. Gaeddert, Elmer L., 87, Inman, Kan., died Mennonite Sept. 7. Spouse: Elfrieda Duerksen World Gaeddert. Parents: P.R. and Lena Janzen Conference Gaeddert. Children: Lyle, Palmer; one grandchild; three great-grandchildren. Assembly Gathered Funeral: Sept. 12 at Hoffnungsau Asunción, Paraguay 14-19 July 2009 Mennonite Church, Inman.

Garges, Eva Wile, 96, Harleysville, Pa., Assembly Scattered God is calling us to Paraguay... died Sept. 1. Spouse: Vincent K. Garges across Latin America (deceased). Parents: Jacob S. and Mary and the Caribbean Landis Wile. Children: Henry W., Paul W.; before and after ¡Vamos! Assembly Gathered six grandchildren; six great-grandchildren. Funeral: Sept. 5 at Franconia Mennonite Church, Franconia, Pa. REGISTER NOW! “Come together in the way of Jesus Christ.” www.mwc-cmm.org —Philippians 2:1-11

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FOR THE RECORD

Lind, Miriam Sieber, 88, Goshen, Ind., Steria, Dorothy M. Gadbaw, 87, Croghan, died Aug. 24 of cancer. Spouse: Millard N.Y., died July 17. Spouse: Ernest W. Steria Charles Lind. Parents: Charles and Bertha (deceased). Parents: George and Mabel Shoemaker Sieber. Children: Dan, Coyer Gadbaw. Children: Verna Schack, Matthew, Dirk Vardaman, Jonathan, Betty Bush, Bessie Chartrand, Dorothy Timothy, James, Sarah Lind; 18 grandchil- Moser, Jane Widrick, Diane Steria, Gloria dren; nine great-grandchildren. Funeral: Zehr, Cindy Leaf; 17 grandchildren; many Aug. 31 at College Mennonite Church, great-grandchildren. Funeral: July 19 at Goshen. Croghan Mennonite Church. Miller, Melvin Ira, 87, South Bend, Ind., Unruh, C. Howard, 78, Goessel, Kan., died and Goshen, Ind., died Aug. 18. Spouse: Aug. 26 of an aortic aneurism. Spouse: Pauline Kenagy Miller. Parents: Ira S. and Esther Voth Unruh. Parents: Jacob E. and Fannie Mae Bender Miller. Children: David, Hannah Wedel Unruh. Children: Tom, Barbara Cote; four grandchildren. Funeral: John, Fred, Bill; seven grandchildren. Aug. 22 at Kern Road Mennonite Church, Funeral: Aug. 29 at Tabor Mennonite South Bend. Church, Newton, Kan. Miller, Ursula M. Swartzendruber, 91, Unternahrer, Noah, 90, Wayland, Iowa, Goshen, Ind., died Aug. 17. Spouse: Annas died Aug. 29. Spouse: Barbara Elizabeth Miller (deceased). Parents: John A. and Wenger Unternahrer. Parents: Christian Katie Yoder Swartzendruber. Children: and Anna Rediger Unternahrer. Children: Francis, Loren, Marcia E. Miller, Karen Kathryn Smith, Ronald, David, Rosetta Paraguay & Peru Ventura, Galen; 11 grandchildren; 19 Koerner, Esther Amstutz, Norman; 11 great-grandchildren. Funeral: Aug. 21 at grandchildren; five great-grandchildren. College Mennonite Church, Goshen. Funeral: Sept. 2 at Sugar Creek Mennonite Join Church, Wayland. Moyer, Sara G. Rice, 88, Hilltown, Pa., Everett and Barbara Thomas died Sept. 16 of coronary artery disease Voth, Paul R., 84, Inman, Kan., died Aug. and dementia. Spouse: Frank A. Moyer 14. Spouse: Eva Mae Pippett Voth. Parents: in Paraguay for (deceased). Children: Charles, Lamar, John C. and Anna Nickel Voth. Children: James, Richard, David, Dean, Susan Moyer Gary, Darrell, Michael; six grandchildren; Mennonite World Conference Freed; 16 grandchildren; 24 great-grand- three great-grandchildren. Funeral: Aug. children; one great-great-grandchild. 18 at Hoffnungsau Mennonite Church, Funeral: Sept. 20 at Plains Mennonite Inman. and then beautiful Peru Church, Hatfield, Pa. Wedel, Kenneth Eugene, 73, Rodgers, Ruth Virginia Green, 86, Iowa Moundridge, Kan., died Sept. 17 in a work City, Iowa, died Sept. 7 following a short related accident. Spouse: Mae Swanson illness. Spouse: Samuel C. Rodgers Wedel. Parents: Herman and Christina (deceased). Parents: Joseph Warren and Voran Wedel. Children: Charlene Mosier. Myrtle Mullinex Green. Children: Elnora Funeral: Sept. 22 at First Mennonite Smith, Esther Bickford; four grandchildren; Church of Christian, Moundridge. five great-grandchildren. Funeral: Sept. 10 Weichman, Robert Chris, 66, Flanagan, at First Mennonite Church, Iowa City. Ill., died Aug. 11 of a lung infection and Sharp, David D., 95, New Holland, Pa., blastomycosis. Spouse: Kethy Diane died Sept. 9. Spouse: Alta Stoltzfus Sharp Albrecht Weichman. Parents: Chris and (deceased). Parents: Joseph and Fannie Anna Folkerts Weichman. Children: Jackie Detweiler Sharp. Children: Merle, Donald, Iverson, Brad, Brent, Jeff; 11 grandchil- Dennis, Kenneth; seven grandchildren; dren. Funeral: Aug. 14 at Prairieview four great-grandchildren. Memorial: Sept. Mennonite Church, Gridley, Ill. 13 at Forest Hills Mennonite Church, Witmer, Vernon Daniel, 83, Columbiana, Leola, Pa. Ohio, Sept. 4. Spouse: Vera Horst Witmer. Showalter, Edith Virginia Rhodes, 87, Parents: Ezra and Lula Shaum Witmer. Harrisonburg, Va., died Aug. 31. Spouse: Children: Lois Sauder, Vernon, Richard, Owen Franklin Showalter, Sr. (deceased). Donald; 10 grandchildren; nine great- Parents: Webster Clay and Sara Mabel grandchildren. Funeral: Sept. 9 at Midway Showalter Rhodes. Children: Sharon S. Mennonite Church, Columbiana. Harman, Harley R., Stuart W., H.D. Hollis, O. Yoder, LaFerne Salome Brenneman, 91, Franklin, J.R., Ruel J., Welby C., Myron J., 15 Wellman, Iowa, died Aug. 23 following a grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren. lengthy illness. Spouse: Ray M. Yoder. Funeral: Sept. 3 at Trissels Mennonite Parents: Emery and Alice Bender Church, Broadway, Va. Brenneman. Children: Myrna Kaufman, Springer, Ada M. Stalter, 101, Chenoa, Charlene Rhodes, Katherine Leichty, Ill., and Flanagan, Ill., died Sept. 1. Spouse: Rosalyn Miller, Arlis; 11 grandchildren; 21 Homer Springer (deceased). Parents: great-grandchildren; two step-great- Henry and Mary Stalter Stalter. Children: grandchildren. Funeral: Aug. 26 at West Ruth Ann Rogers, Joyce S. Shafer, Wilma, Union Mennonite Church, Parnell, Iowa. two grandchildren; four great-grandchildren. Funeral: Prairieview Mennonite Church, Gridley, Ill.

Email: [email protected] Web site: www.mennotrav.com

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CLASSIFIED

Singles are invited to Spruce Lake Retreat Dec. 5-7, 2008, for a Director of nursing. Have a passion for providing senior care? So weekend of fellowship, worship and fun. Spruce Lake is located in do we. Landis Homes, a continuing-care retirement community the beautiful Pocono Mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania. in Lititz, Pa., is seeking a DON to work collaboratively with our Singles-friendly retreat package, $185/person. Call 800-822-7505 experienced team. Supervisory and long-term care experience are for reservations; www.sprucelake.org. required, DON experience preferred. Openness to change and flexibility are key as we strive to enable resident choice. Position is Pacific Northwest Mennonite Conference seeks a self-motivat- salaried and full-time: 1001 East Oregon Road, Lititz, PA 17543; ed, visionary and missional-minded executive conference minis- 717-581-3936; www.landishomes.org. EOE. ter who will help us live into a newly defined mission: promoting personal spiritual development, nurturing healthy congregations, Eastern Mennonite University, located in Virginia’s scenic making strong connections and calling each other to fulfill God’s Shenandoah Valley, seeks qualified candidates for the position of purpose. The successful candidate will be ordained, able to be provost. The provost serves as chief academic officer of the uni- ordained or have pastoral or chaplaincy experience. See the full versity and supervises numerous administrative offices. The job description at www.pnmc.org. Women and racial/ethnic peo- provost provides leadership and vision for internal functions of ple are encouraged to apply, bilingual proficiency is preferred the university and develops cooperative relationships among uni- (Spanish/English). Remuneration will be consistent with denomi- versity programs, departments and divisions. The provost assists national Salary Guidelines. Applicants should submit letter of the president in representing the university to church, community interest and completed Ministerial Leadership Information form and educational constituent groups. Qualifications include earned (http://www.mennoniteusa.org/Portals/0/MLI/) to PNMC Search doctorate; successful teaching, leadership, administrative and Committee, c/o David Hockman-Wert, 420 SE Richland Ave., interpersonal experience at the college or university level; mem- Corvallis, OR 97333, or [email protected]. Applications will be bership in or willingness to affiliate with an Anabaptist congrega- reviewed beginning Nov. 1. Expected start date: Feb. 1, 2009. tion; and knowledge of the Mennonite church with a commitment to the mission of Mennonite/Anabaptist higher education. Residential director: Peaceful Living, a small, Mennonite sponsored not-for-profit agency serving people with intellectual dis- To apply send a letter of application and curriculum vitae or abilities, located in Harleysville, Pa., seeks an individual with resumé to Loren Swartzendruber, President, Eastern Mennonite strong leadership and technical skills to lead the development of University, 1200 Park Road, Harrisonburg, VA 22802; email our residential services. Job responsibilities include recruitment, [email protected]. For more information, visit our Web site: training and retention of staff, coordinating all referrals and place- www.emu.edu/humanresources. ment activities, including intake, training and care of adults in Associate pastor for youth ministry, half-time position. Growing apartments and/or group home settings, serving as a liaison congregation, Rocky Mountains. For details contact Bruce Kuhns, between PL and state officials, and meeting all licensing stan- 719-596-1718. Beth-El Mennonite Church, Colorado Springs, dards. Requirements: proven experience of leading residential Colo. programs, master’s degree preferred. Full job description is available at: http://www.peacefulliving.org/docs/Employment.aspx. Submit resumé to [email protected] or fax 610-287-2171.

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CLASSIFIED

Germantown Mennonite Church seeks interim pastor for thriv- English conversation teachers needed. Connexus, a Korea ing urban congregation in Philadelphia for 12-18 months. With Anabaptist Center ministry, needs university grads for 12-month 100 regular members, GMC is an open and affirming congrega- terms. Variable start dates. Round-trip fare, salary, housing, train- tion, active in worship leadership, arts and peace/social action. ing, etc. provided. Visit www.connexus.co.kr/english for more Advertising space Seeking experienced pastor to lead in discipleship and spiritual information. in The Mennonite growth during a successful search for a permanent pastor. Language and literature vacancy. Eastern Mennonite University is available to www.germantownmennonite.org. Inquiries: 21 West Washington announces a full-time, ongoing faculty position in Spanish congregations, Lane, Germantown, PA 19144-2601; [email protected]. beginning Fall 2009. Ph.D. in Spanish, or related field, preferred; conferences, Ski youth retreat package, Timberline Four Seasons Resort, Teaching experience required. Native speaker preferred; near- businesses and W.Va., starting at $99 a night plus tax. Includes lodging, meals, native fluency required. Provide leadership for a robust Spanish churchwide lifts, skis, lesson. Info: www.timberlineresort.com; 800-392-0152. and Spanish education program offered within the context of a boards and West Virginia Wild and Wonderful. campus committed to “educating students to serve and lead in a agencies of global context” as well as lead in the further development of a Mennonite Publishing Network seeks a full-time director of foreign language program. Teaching areas include upper-level Mennonite marketing and sales to lead its marketing and customer service Church USA. team. Responsibilities include: managing all aspects of marketing Spanish with preference for candidates with expertise in linguis- tics, pedagogy and literature. Salary and rank determined by edu- Cost for one-time operations; overseeing and working with existing staff in congre- classified place- gational and trade sales; developing and leading new initiatives cation and experience. Send letter of application, curriculum in direct marketing (internet, email, exhibits); providing input into vitae, transcripts (unofficial acceptable) and three references to ment is $1.30 per product selection; overseeing customer service; serving on the Marie S. Morris, Vice President and Undergraduate Academic word, minimum management team. Qualifications: college degree in marketing Dean, Eastern Mennonite University, Harrisonburg, VA 22802. of $30. Display with three or more years of experience in marketing manage- http://www.emu.edu. Applicants will be acknowledged by letter. space is also ment; proven ability to carry out results-oriented marketing Review begins immediately. Applicants will be asked to respond available. To place strategies and to effectively lead staff; excellent interpersonal to questions specific to EMU’s mission after the initial inquiry. EMU reserves the right to fill the position at any time or keep the an ad in The relationship skills and ability to communicate well both orally and Mennonite, call in writing; good knowledge of electronic media in a sales and position open. AAEO employer. We seek applicants who bring gender, ethnic and cultural diversity. 800-790-2498 marketing strategy; enthusiasm about the mission of Mennonite and ask for Publishing Network; member of a congregation in Mennonite Dr. Tony Campolo will be leading men’s retreat at Spruce Lake Church USA or Mennonite Church Canada. Contact Ron Rempel, Retreat Jan. 8-9, 2009 (Pocono Mts., northeastern Pa.). To be chal- Rebecca Helmuth, executive director, Mennonite Publishing Network; lenged to deeper, active discipleship, call 800-822-7505. Package: or email [email protected]; 800-631-6535. $99/person (www.sprucelake.org). Advertising@The Mennonite.org.

RESOURCES

Family Violence: Reclaiming a Theology that all people are elect in Christ except cally, offering groundbreaking insight into of Nonviolence by Elizabeth Soto Albrecht those the Bible expressly declares will be their scriptural connections and theological (Orbis Books, 2008, $20) demonstrates how finally lost, namely, those who ultimately applications. a feminist theology of nonviolence rooted reject or remain indifferent to whatever rev- in the Anabaptist tradition can be effective elation God has given of himself to them. Resounding Truth: Christian Wisdom in in overcoming family violence. the World of Music by Jeremy S. Begbie Bully Bill by Joe Birky, illustrated by Chad (BakerAcademic, 2008, $22.99) examines Dancing Through Thistles in Bare Feet: A Thompson (Herald Press, 2008, $12.99), is a the connections between music and theolo- Pastoral Journey by Gary Harder (Herald children’s story for ages 6 and up that can gy by engaging Scripture, musical history Press, 2008, $15.99) creates a candid and serve as a springboard for parent-child con- and contemporary culture and exploring lively conversation between experience and versations on bullying, being kind to ene- how God’s truth sounds and how it might reflection, between the biblical witness and mies and using love to overcome evil. “re-sound” in the realm of music. the stark reality of conflict in the church, between crisis and opportunity for ministry. Reframing Theology and Film: New Focus What Would Jesus Deconstruct? The for an Emerging Discipline, edited by Good News of Postmodernism for the Changing Paradigms: Punishment and Robert K. Johnston (BakerAcademic, 2008, Church by John D. Caputo (BakerAcademic, Restorative Discipline by Paul Redekop $24.99) draws together more than a dozen 2008, $19.99) helps readers understand (Herald Press, 2008, $18.99) says the practice scholars who regularly write and teach on deconstruction as the hermeneutics of the of punishment is a major obstacle to healthy theology and film. kingdom of God and provides a glimpse of societies, families and schools and should be what this might look like in the hands of replaced with restorative discipline. Entertainment Theology: New-Edge Jesus as applied to the church. Spirituality in a Digital Democracy by Good Punishment? Christian Moral Barry Taylor (BakerAcademic, 2008, $18.99) Partakers of the Divine Nature: The Practice and U.S. Imprisonment by James envisions Christianity’s future as “spirituality History and Development of Deification Samuel Logan (Eerdmans, 2008, $20) cri- over religion” and believes Christians must in the Christian Traditions, edited by tiques the American obsession with impris- rethink the sacred in a democratized world. Michael J. Christensen and Jeffrey A. onment as punishment, calling it “retribu- Wittung (BakerAcademic, 2008, $29.99) is a tive degradation” of the incarcerated. Into the Dark: Seeing the Sacred in the panoramic collection of studies on the Top Films of the 21st Century by Craig theme of deification that will help deepen A Theology of Inclusivism by Neal Punt Detweiler (BakerAcademic, 2008, $18.99) the understanding and appreciation of sal- (Northland Books, 2008, $18.45) teaches examines 45 films that resonate theologi- vation as deification.

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REAL FAMILIES

Mid-journey parenting

t was the fifth time we had done this, share ebbs as children grow even older, but so far I don’t Denver as father and daughter. The spirits of see the signs. My heart still falls and leaps, some- I the younger girl, going back all the way to the times even more intensely than it once did. first trip when she was 13, hovered near, seeming Back then the task was to get my children safe- almost as present as the married woman now ly to adulthood. After that, I vaguely expected, par- plunging so quickly, to our mutual shock, toward ents rest. And in some ways we do. Diapers, ear age 30. This presence of my daughter as many dif- infections, school, driving lessons, first crush and ferent girls and women proved an opportunity to first crushed heart—all completed. Time for the ponder the parenting journey. hammock. I say ponder, not conquer. As a father now for Except now it’s questions such as, Will she nearly three decades, one thing I can see is that marry? Who? How will it go? Can she handle grad parenting involves an ever-shifting set of chal- school, part-time work, marriage and all that debt? lenges and opportunities, not merely tasks to be Is her health insurance good enough? What do I mastered on the way to a parenting diploma. So I do when she’s hurting and I can’t go with her like see more clearly than at the we used to for fast-food break- beginning how hard it is to fast before school? glimpse what lies ahead. Cherish the gift. I did manage, But I did hope I was learning Back then the task even as the utterly imperfect Michael A. King, a few things as I visited with all father of young children I was, Telford, Pa., is five versions of my daughter, was to get my to celebrate reasonably often the pastor, Spring Kristy. Actually more than five, gift my daughters were. Thank Mount (Pa.) Mennonite since I also could see many children safely to God I did, since we travel so Church; publish- other versions, from the baby quickly from the daughter er, Cascadia who dropped to the floor on adulthood. After selecting Misty out of the Publishing Christmas morning (I had Norwegian Elkhound litter to House LLC; and taught her to roll into my arms, that, I vaguely the daughter earning a degree in editor, DreamSeeker but she only got the rolling part; expected, parents environmental studies. Yet there Magazine. her mother was not pleased) can be more space to see our through the toddler who rest. children as the artwork they are crawled across papers on my once they leave home. We’re still desk before computers were implicated—seeing hints of our- invented to the stage manager of selves for better or worse in the her sisters (spied in home child before us. But our day-to- videos) who became a theater stage manager in day responsibility has faded. And being with a college days. child who lives far from home becomes a special Among the things I learned were these: occasion, no longer another routine along with Mark the journey. We didn’t know at the start of toasting the bagel. our Denver saga what a way to mark the journey it Now, instead of being almost within the painting would become. The first time came about because that is our child’s life, we can sit outside it, gaze at we thought she would enjoy accompanying me, a it, cherish it. Not because it’s flawless. True art book editor, to a book convention. It was so much never is; the greatest art is riven with flaws and fun we did it again. Then we mixed in our family tragedy even as sun dapples leaves in crystalline tradition of taking special parent-child trips at key air. But because it is what it is: our child, whom we junctures in their lives. Kristy asked me to take her love, in whom we are (to echo a Voice cherishing back to Denver for her “18 trip.” During that trip son Jesus) well-pleased. she hoped we’d return for her “21 trip.” Then at 21 We flew back to our separate coasts, Kristy and she wondered if we could still do it even if someday I. She was perfectly capable of doing this. But This article is available as a she got married. Six years later we did. And how since I had sponsored the trip, I felt while I await- podcast at we celebrated on the fifth trip the haunts and mem- ed confirmation of her safe arrival as if no time www.The ories and life stages marked by the prior four! had passed at all: She had just been born, she was Mennonite.org Grasp that parenting stays intense. The most in my arms and it was my calling to keep her safe. surprising learning is how intense parenting This is mid-journey parenting: holding a baby remains after children grow up. Maybe that feeling while the woman flies away. TM

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With the community divided, Nellie Mae Fisher is at a crossroads— and one decision could change her life forever. Will she follow her heart or stay true to her beloved Amish heritage? =

THE COURTSHIP OF NELLIE FISHER The Parting The Forbidden The Longing

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EDITORIAL

‘God is in control’

hen we gather each Sunday to worship the And if it means that whatever happens is God’s Triune God, we proclaim that God is in will, I don’t like it either. I don’t believe God gave W charge, which means that we are not. In Jeanne (my wife) cancer or caused her to be los- doing this we follow an early Anabaptist belief in ing her eyesight. I don’t believe God wills that self-surrender (“Gelassenheit”), offering ourselves 32,000 children die each day from hunger and pre- in service to God. ventable diseases. The implications of such worship can get lost in I also have to admit that I don’t have the power the maze of issues we encounter. Then comes a to fix those problems. I have abilities, and I need Gordon Houser witness that helps make it clear. to be responsible to practice those in a way that One evening at the Sept. 18-20 meetings of the glorifies God and shows love to all God’s creation. Executive Board of Mennonite Church USA (see Do I do that best by acting frantically, as if the page 19), we met with leaders from several world’s well-being depended on me? Or am I more Mennonite congregations in Philadelphia. faithful by practicing Gelassenheit, surrendering Someone asked Tuyen Nguyen, pastor of the local myself to God. Jesus exemplified this by emptying Vietnamese Mennonite Church, to tell about an himself, “taking the form of a slave, being born in experience he had some 15 years earlier, when he human likeness” (Philippians 2:7). wasn’t a pastor but a member of that congregation. Jesus shows us what it means to be human— During a worship service, he said, a man ran and it doesn’t mean being in control. It means giv- into the building, chased by another man, who caring oneself in love. And it may mean, as Pastor ried a gun. Tuyen saw that the man being chased Tuyen said, absorbing the violence of others in our could not escape, so he stepped between him and body. We can do this, he said, because God is in the man with the gun. He did this without much control. And God’s control is not one of domina- thought, but his action grew out of his understand- tion but of Self-giving love. ing that Jesus absorbed the violence of others in I spoke with Tuyen after the meeting, and he his own body, and we are to do the same. kept repeating this phrase. Rather than seeing that The man with the gun stopped and pointed the as a restriction on our freedom, he seemed to see gun at Tuyen a moment, then turned and left. it as a freeing notion. Seeing God, not ourselves, as in control frees us from fear, from the need to save ourselves. It helps us live in the reality that We can be peaceful because God is in control.—Tuyen Nguyen only God can save us—or anyone. Only God can bring ultimate good. Later he came back and talked to Tuyen. Some Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) has adopt- months later this man gave his life to Christ, was ed the slogan “Getting in the way,” which is exact- baptized and joined the congregation. The man he ly what Pastor Tuyen did. His wasn’t a well- had chased that day was his father. thought-out strategy (not that those aren’t useful). Tuyen told us, “We can be peaceful because He responded out of an ingrained belief—call it God is in control.” By control, it was clear, he did intuition—that our lives, and our deaths, are in not mean that God controlled every movement God’s hands, not ours. each person made. Each actor was free to act as Whether or not we follow Ronald Sider’s plea to he chose—the chaser, the chasee and Tuyen, who expand CPT (page 8), we can learn from the exam- This article is available as a chose to stand between them. He meant that we ple of its workers, who daily offer themselves— podcast at are not in charge; God is, and we do not have to their bodies and their safety—in service to others. www.The make things come out right. We are instead to sur- And we can offer ourselves to one another—to our Mennonite.org render ourselves to God’s Spirit and in the way friends, our neighbors, even our enemies— Jesus taught. because God is in charge. At least, that’s what we To be honest, we don’t like that word control. say when we worship.—gh

32 TheMennonite October 7,2008