Inside Our ‘Multicultural’ Church 4 a Faith to Die For: Martyrs Mirror Turns 350 18 Colombians May Get Compensation 23 2 Canadian Mennonite September 6, 2010
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September 6, 2010 Volume 14 Number 17 Seeking higher ground pg. 22 inside Our ‘multicultural’ church 4 A faith to die for: Martyrs Mirror turns 350 18 Colombians may get compensation 23 2 Canadian Mennonite September 6, 2010 Editorial electronic technology to stay in touch with our readers, we are launching a completely redesigned website with this How green is Canadian edition. It has much more capability for interaction and updated news. The home page will feature regularly updated news events, along with photos. Mennonite? Since we are limited by paper, ink Dick Benner and delivery costs in our print edition, Editor/Publisher we are using our website—which is not constrained by page counts—to include n a letter to Canadian Mennonite special film on our largely glass front, more features than we can put into print: on June 28, Angelika Dawson of reflecting—rather than absorbing—the features such as more book reviews; IAbbotsford, B.C., charged that when sun, to cut down on cooling costs. Other perhaps a new “sermons” feature down we challenged Mennonite Central than that, we are not sure what an the road; and a new subscription to Committee and congregations to energy audit would find. Ecumenical News International, raising be more environmentally re- How many of your staff use our awareness of important religious sponsible in a previous issue, we alternate transportation to get to happenings around the globe, espe- “failed to point the finger back at work or gather stories in the field? cially as news occurs in areas where our [ourselves].” Our managing editor has recently MC Canada Witness workers and our Here’s an attempt to answer her moved closer to the office and service agencies like Mennonite Central specific questions: walks to work as often as he can. Others Committee, Mennonite Economic Is your magazine printed on recycled live at a distance and have to use cars. Development Associates and Christian paper using soy-based inks? No. When Our correspondents work mostly from Peacemaker Teams are active. doing informal bids recently on printing home, using their phones/computers to And our blog, which now has a moder- with recycled paper and soy-based ink, gather stories. When onsite reporting at ated discussion, will be open to any and all I discovered we would likely double our a distance is required, we often sub-con- feedback without needing the approval of paper costs. tract the story to a local reporter. a moderator. Our blog writers are anxious Web printers are using only partially Since our 12-member board of directors for your comments to widen discussion of soy-based inks (up to only 30 percent— and six correspondents live in all parts the issues they thoughtfully raise. not enough for us to run the an environ- of the country, from east to west, we are mental logo with integrity). This presents increasingly holding video-conference Redacting historical a conflict of values: Do we increase the meetings. Our board chair holds executive information online costs to our subscribers, congregations committee meetings almost exclusively via We can no longer comply with requests and denominational partners—the lat- video conference. We still think it is im- to excise names from our website and our ter two of which are already struggling portant to hold our annual meetings in a online posted issues for two reasons: with diminishing contributions—and local community, where we invite pastors • First, as a publication of record in the “go green,” or hold the costs in line while to attend and hold an annual dinner for MC Canada world, such redaction makes Canadian paper mills and ink producers local interaction, but our overall carbon the record incomplete. Historians would get enough customer pressure to also “go footprint in this area is on the decrease. not find us a reliable source. green?” Suffice it to say, environmental pro- • Second, in the universe of the “world- Do we choose good stewardship or tection is a top priority for Canadian wide web,” complete with the omnipres- costly environmental changes? We are Mennonite. We are holding ourselves as ent Google and other service providers, open to counsel. accountable as we ask the church to be. excising information from Canadian Would your office hold up to an environ- Mennonite—a very, very small player in mental audit? Yes, very likely. My pre- Redesigned website this universe—will not solve the problem decessor went to the expense of installing To the end of using less paper and more of this information being public. About the cover: Circulation: Please contact Lisa Jacky toll-free at Floods have destroyed homes and livelihoods across much of Pakistan, 1-800-378-2524 ext. 221 or by e-mail at office@ including the Dera Ismail Khan District, pictured. See story on relief efforts canadianmennonite.org for subscriptions and ad- by Mennonite Central Committee and the Canadian Foodgrains Bank on dress changes. Subscriptions can also be ordered at page 22. our web site. We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Publications PHOTO: ZAFAR WAZIR, CHURCH WORLD SERVICE Assistance Program towards our mailing costs. ISSN 1480-042X PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT NO. 40063104 REGISTRATION NO. 09613 Three views of our ‘multicultural’ church 4 RETURN UNDELIVERABLE ITEMS TO CANADIAN MENNONITE contentsEmmanuel Mennonite pastor April Yamasaki says her Abbotsford, 490 DUTTON DRIVE, UNIT C5 B.C., congregation has been deliberate in its embrace of ‘mak[ing] dis- WATERLOO ON N2L 6H7 ciples of all nations.’ MC Canada’s Samson Lo explains the biblical basis Phone: 519-884-3810 Toll-free: 1-800-378-2524 Fax: 519-884-3331 of ‘one church, many peoples.’ gives the church a Web site: canadianmennonite.org Joon-hyung Park bracing wake-up call to be ‘intentional’ about multicultural ministry or Please send all material to be considered for publication to: risk offering nothing more than ‘a landlord’s temporal charity’ to those General submission address: [email protected] not of German or Swiss background. Readers Write: [email protected] Milestones announcements: [email protected] MWC reports a good year 16 Obituaries: Lisa Metzger, [email protected] During meetings in Ethiopia, Mennonite World Conference hears Calendar announcements: [email protected] encouraging reports on its new commissions, efforts at engaging Material can also be sent “Attn: Submissions/Readers Write/Milestones/Obituaries/ young adults, inter-church dialogue and the growth of the worldwide Calendar” by postal mail or fax to our head office. Mennonite body of believers. Reprint requests: [email protected] Where will the children play? 21 Canadian Mennonite (CM) is a bi-weekly Anabaptist/ Mission statement: Saskatchewan correspondent Karin Fehderau reports that plans to Mennonite-oriented periodical which seeks to promote covenantal relationships within the church (Hebrews 10:23-25). It provides channels for sharing accurate expand Bethany Manor on public parkland has some members of the and fair information, faith profiles, inspirational/educational materials, and news local community concerned. and analyses of issues facing the church. In fulfilling its mission, the primary con- Canadian environmental advocates profiled 24 stituency of CM is the people and churches of Mennonite Church Canada and its Winnipeggers David Neufeld and Joanne Moyer, five related area churches.CM also welcomes readers from the broader inter-Men- the Canadian members of the Mennonite Creation Care nonite and inter-church scene. Editorial freedom is expressed through seeking and speaking the truth in love and by providing a balance of perspectives in news and Network, speak about their passion for God’s world. commentary. CM will be a vehicle through which mutual accountability can be Not a forecast of unseen things 26 exercised within the community of believers; the paper also encourages its readers In his new book, Nelson Kraybill writes that the Book to have open hearts and minds in the process of discerning God’s will. of Revelation is less about predicting the future than it is Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has prom- about worship, politics and devotion for believers in the ised is faithful. And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, first century and the 21st. and all the more as you see the Day approaching (Hebrews 10:23-25, NRSV). Regular features: Board of Directors (by appointing body): For discussion 8 Readers write 9 Milestones 12 MC Canada: , Ed Janzen, Les Klassen Hamm, Joon Hyoung Park, Doreen Martens; Pontius’ Puddle 13 Yellow Pages 28 Calendar 29 MC B.C.: Linda Matties; MC Alberta: James Moyer; Classifieds 30 MC Saskatchewan: Joe Neufeld; MC Manitoba: Al Friesen; MC Eastern Canada: Tim Reimer; How green is Canadian Mennonite? 2 CMPS: Carl DeGurse, Margaret Ewen Peters, Tobi Thiessen Dick Benner Board Chair: Tobi Thiessen, [email protected], 416-622-7850 Time to prioritize 9 Head Office Staff: Dick Benner, Editor/Publisher, [email protected] Lisa Carr-Pries Ross W. Muir, Managing Editor, [email protected] Joy and finances 10 Barb Draper, Editorial Assistant, [email protected] Dori Zerbe Cornelsen Dan Johnson, Graphic Designer, [email protected] Lisa Jacky, Circulation/Finance, [email protected] The grace of duty 11 Melissa Miller Advertising: Lisa Metzger, [email protected], toll-free voice mail: 1-800-378-2524 ext. 224 Correspondents: Rachel Bergen, National Correspondent, [email protected], 204-885- 2565 ext. 259; Amy Dueckman, B.C. Correspondent, [email protected], New blog postings 604-854-3735; Donita Wiebe-Neufeld, Alberta Correspondent, at canadianmennonite.org/blog/ [email protected], 780-436-3431; Karin Fehderau, Saskatchewan Correspondent, [email protected], 306-933-4209; Face to face, Pt.