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| Waterloo North Reflections
Editorial Committee: Erica J. (sabbatical), Sam S., |
Table of Contents
Dreaming at
Waterloo North
Reflections... on Waterloo
North History
Destination: Kyrgyzstan
Profile: Audrey Disher
GLOSA: Psalm 27
How I Integrate Faith and
Work
Connecting Abroad: The
Cressman-Andersons
Congregational
Mission: Letting our Light Shine
Ode
to the Sunday School Teachers
Great Expectations:
Words Upon Our Departure
Youth Corner:
Peace-It-Together Conference
A Little Bit of
Conference Nitty-Gritty: MCEC
My View of Mennonite Church
Integration
Reflections on Death
From Your Church Library
Book Reviews
Dreaming is a necessary component of the creative process. The recently established Growth Task Force (GTF) at Waterloo North gives five of our members a one-year mandate to dream about our future growth and how we might best manage it. It was obvious from the report brought to the congregational meeting on Sunday, May 16, by chairperson Dale Brubacher-Cressman, that they are finding it an exciting challenge.
The guidelines for the GTF were laid out by the Church Ministries Council after WNMC's November IS, 1998 annual meeting. They are, briefly, to discern with the congregation: 1) feelings and attitudes towards growth; 2) possible options to consider over the next 3-5 years, for example, two services, building modifications or additions, church planting; 3) the most favoured options.
Roughly two and a half months into their mandate, the members of the Task Force have already met five times. They have shared with each other what attracted them to WNMC and found themselves to be a well-balanced group, with a variety of backgrounds, experiences and ages. They have surveyed literature on the topic of church growth and gained helpful insights from information published by such organizations as the Alban Institute. They have also met with Amzie Brubacher, conference Missions Minister, for input and inspiration. At the same time, they began gathering information from the congregation with their "Where-do-we-come-from?" survey, in order to understand the factors that fuel our growth.
With enthusiasm high and time ticking away, Task Force members have announced their intention to work through the summer. The next phase of activity planned is dialogue with our congregation about the values and traditions that define us and about issues of growth. To help facilitate this, they are planning a fall retreat at the church on Saturday, September 18 (-- child care provided). The retreat will be an attempt to work at self-understanding; it will not be a time for making major decisions. The Task Force is expecting us to be ready to make some decisions towards the end of the year.
After Dale's report, Pastor Sue shared some reflections about dreams and visions (Acts 2). She reminded us that dreams don't come out of nowhere; they are based on our past and on our values. Dreams need to be tested. She challenged us to enjoy this time of dreaming together at Waterloo North.
The next article reminds us about the threads that tie our past and present together.
-Esther Regehr (Editorial Committee)
Some time ago, I was asked to make a few comments at a Newcomer's Lunch regarding the history of Waterloo North. I am one of a number of people who was part of this congregation from the beginning in 1987. The opportunity to look back helped me realize very quickly that there are a number of "threads" in our congregational life that link the past with the present. I was invited to write these reflections into a format that could be used in our church newsletter.
The very first thread that can be identified is that we are participatory in our approach to congregational life. There are many examples of this but the one that for me continues to symbolize our intention to be participatory is the inclusion of children in the offering collection during Sunday worship. This practice began when we were in our infancy and I am pleased that we were able to carry this practice to our current setting.
We are also a congregation that values and practices the concept of shared leadership. Our congregation was built on this foundation. We have seen many people assume leadership roles during our history, especially on the Ministry Team. This has provided opportunities for individuals to give ministerial leadership as well as utilize gifts within the congregation. It would be of interest to have a count of the number of people who have served on the Ministry Team over the years. I think we would be surprised.
The third thread that is very evident is the deliberate way the congregation plans its future. This congregation has had to make many decisions along the way. As we have made those decisions, we have always tried to bring focus to where we are headed and why. For the most part we have tried to plan our future rather than have the future become our plan. A current example of our commitment to look ahead is the Growth Task Force. This is entirely in keeping with the way we have tried to develop as a congregation.
A fourth thread is a sense of congruence between who we are as a congregation and how we do things. This is somewhat hard to explain but I suggest that we have developed a personality and characteristics which are unique to our congregation. We both consciously and unconsciously express our congregational life centred on that personality. The way we act as a congregation fits our corporate personality.
Another thread that is very apparent is our intention to build community. We pay considerable attention to this aspect of our life together. The congregational covenant I believe has helped us stay focused on who we are as a people and our common purpose. This covenant has roots back to our first year of existence. It helps define and shape our community.
I continue to hear positive comments about the priority WNMC gives to worship. We are planful and intentional in our worship time together. I have been very appreciative of this over the years and can clearly attest to this being a solid thread through our history.
Finally, we are a Spirit-filled congregation. Our God centredness has held us together. We have always resisted the temptation to merely act like the church where we only go through the motions of being a Christ centred fellowship. Instead, we have wanted to be the church. Searching and waiting for the Spirit's leading has helped us develop as individuals and as a young congregation. I believe God has led us in many wonderful ways in our short history.
These are a few of the threads I have identified. I am sure there are many others. I am curious to know if these resonate with other "old timers" or "seasoned" members of WNMC. What threads do you think bind the past to the present?
-Leroy Shantz
Kyrgyzstan is one-fifth the size of Ontario, less than 200,000 sq. km. in area. This tiny country in Central Asia bordering on Kazakstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and China has high hopes of assuming an important place among the nations of the world. Since independence in 1991, the president of Kyrgyzstan has been looking for seven thousand English teachers to help develop his country through trade and tourism with the west.
Kyrgyzstan has been called the "Switzerland" of Central Asia. When God touched the earth's crust in that part of the world, mountains rose to dizzying heights--(the tallest in Kyrgyzstan is 7300 m / 24,000 ft.)--creating snow-capped peaks, majestic glaciers, mighty rushing streams, the fabled Lake Issyk-Kul, as well as rich alpine meadows in the valleys. Indeed, Kyrgyzstan is a mountain paradise surrounded by deserts.
My parents loved the mountains of Kyrgyzstan. They were born there and spoke the Kyrgyz language fluently. They called that country "unsere Heimat--our homeland," but it become their "Paradise Lost" when communism reached Central Asia in 1929. My parents fled for their lives and wandered the face of the earth for twenty years before settling in Canada.
I was born with a suitcase standing nearby! Moving and traveling have always been part of my life. Furthermore, I chose to teach English as a Second Language (ESL) which gave me the opportunity to live and work in many countries.
Now I am taking up the challenge being one of the seven thousand English teachers in Kyrgyzstan, a country that has a mere four and one-half million people. I offered to teach English in summer school, but word came back that "summer school" has not yet come into being. I received the message via e-mail. My father, who died eight years ago, would never have believed that Kyrgyzstan, at the far reaches of the world is now connected by instant communication!
I have accepted an invitation to teach English proficiency skills to high school students on the campus of the University of Bishkek during May and June--the last two months of this school year. I will be joining a group of about 35 professionals from Australia, USA, Canada, New Zealand and Great Britain - through the Christian organization INTERSERVE. Most of these people are already teaching in Bishkek on a three-year assignment.
I met a Canadian, returned from an INTERSERVE assignment and asked him what he had done when most of his university colleagues and students unrolled their prayer mats and knelt down, facing Mecca. "We had simultaneous prayer meetings in someone's office," he said. "And left the door wide open. Anyone was invited to join us."
Another couple from INTERSERVE told about their involvement with Christian churches in Bishkek, helping them set up youth activity programs - a great need after the collapse of the Soviet system.
"How?" I asked them. "Do you speak Russian or Kyrgyz?"
"We learned just enough to get by," they said. 'We took language training at the beginning of our three-year assignment." They added, "One learns on the job." The few words of Russian that I acquired during the last three months won't take me very far. However, I am looking forward to getting to know the country of my parents' birth--this beautiful mountainous country at the end of the world; an open, welcoming, Muslim country in need of English teachers.
-Erica Jantzen
Audrey Disher began attending Waterloo North just a few months before we moved out of the Lutherwood gym and into our current space. She came initially because good friends suggested it. She has stayed because she found shared values and a supportive community. She is an active member and participant here.
If you haven't met Audrey yet you will want to. Audrey appears to be a woman who knows who she is -- someone who is willing to take risks but with every intention to accomplish whatever she has taken on. After sharing tea at the Raintree Café I'm still convinced those first impressions are true, but it's also true that those attributes have been earned and learned.
Audrey grew up in the Niagara Peninsula but spent most of her adult life in Kitchener. She has raised two sons, Scott and Craig. During 28 years of marriage, several moves in Ontario and stints abroad, as well as work in journalism and publishing, Audrey remained committed to making a home and remaining adaptable.
When her marriage ended abruptly just a few months before her mother died of
cancer Audrey was suddenly alone and
forced to start over. Because Kitchener was familiar and there were friends
here, she moved back.
Some very difficult years, friends, lots of grace and Audrey's fierce determination have led her to where she is now. She is the mother of two adult young men who she enjoys. She is a businesswoman and an educator. She owns her own home and shares it with newcomers. She is a generous friend and an active member of this congregation. Audrey's primary work -- two things -- says a lot about her faith and the gifts she shares. Her business, "The Global Table," promotes "understanding through the international language of food." She provides events that combine a catered meal, a cooking class, community building, justice education, food exploration and fun all at one time. Her part-time work as cook at the House of Friendship challenges her creativity in different ways. She remains unflappable when faced with building meals out of whatever donated foods are available on that particular day!
Audrey has weathered some especially tough years. I asked her what she has learned. Primarily two things, she responded. "You have to ask for help when you need it and then accept it" and "I can do it".
Her life is a demonstration of both of those. She manages to be both deeply committed to promoting genuine community and connectedness and a strong individual. Her work is centred in breaking down barriers and walls. Even as a landlady. The newcomers who choose to move into her home get more than secure walls and good food. They get a cultural mentor, someone willing to help them find their way into their new home. She can speak intensely and passionately about her commitments and still be relaxed and make room for the passions of others.
Though Audrey's schedule at the House of Friendship means she gets to Waterloo North services less often, she is no less committed to the congregation. She co-leads a small group. She wishes we would all wear our name tag all of the time. If you haven't met her say hello next time you see her and tell her who you are!
-Gloria Martin Eby
One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek--
That I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life
To gaze upon the beauty of the Lord
And to inquire in his temple.
King David
No one, but no one, ever accuses me
of settling for less than I want.
I know the hound of heaven;
I pursue and am pursued.
I shall put the test of words to my feet
and run to the one
who seeks me.
I tell you I am not, going to be meek;
One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek--
A home. The draperies and cushions
of intimate time. Art on the walls
from which to picture life. Rest
in the everlasting arms.
Rooms well proportioned and long lived in,
filled with song, and rife
with laughter. I want the routine days
of meals around lamplight,
a gathering free of strife,
That I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life
When I look at a face I see eyes;
there is where I look for love.
One day out of the blue,
hanging out the sheets to dry,
my mother saw black specks.
Before she knew, looking toward
the sun, her eye went flat with blindness.
To me, her face was full of loving sight;
I saw, in her, Mary, who could afford
To gaze upon the beauty of the Lord
I am looking at her and him in loving gaze--
Filippino Lippi's red-haired donna and child--
she with the domed hands of heaven
and be, with love-locked eyes, throwing
kisses, to her and to strangers.
I know these two of the simple
heart (I the mother, I the child);
in such a gaze all shame within me
melts away...away...like residual snow
in the gullies of April. Theirs the example,
I, too, desire to inquire in. his temple.
-Miriam Maust
It is important for me to see my life's work as a vocation, something God has specifically called me to. I understand it as an act of worship, a commitment of my gifts to God, to be used for his purposes. Seeing work as vocation is, I believe, how faith and work come together and become one. This became real to me through an act of God's grace in my life.
With little soul searching and probably many mixed motives, I went from university into a teaching career. Later I switched to social work and am currently working at K-W Counselling Services. After a few years of attempting to find a permanent teaching position, I found myself at a very low point. I had no job and was seriously doubting myself, my gifts and God's faithfulness to me.
In the midst of this despair, I was reading some ads for social work positions, for want of teaching ads to read, when the thought of being a social worker seized hold of me quite inexplicably. It was not something to which I had given so much as a passing thought until then. Much to my astonishment, all the right doors opened and I found myself retraining and moving into a new career with considerable ease. There was no doubt in my mind that it was not I who had seized hold of a career, but God who had seized hold of me. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator later confirmed this to be an excellent choice for me. Perhaps God read their manuals.
Since then, I have had a sense of being where God wants me to be in my work and have attempted to keep Him in the centre of it. This has, of course, not always been easy, but I keep trying in spite of the challenges. I ask for Christ's presence in my office each day and for his love to flow through me. Although I am limited in how open I can be, the topic of faith is often broached by my clients. I have often been asked whether I am a Christian or have a faith in God, without my initiating the conversation. I have also been awed by accounts from individuals with very limited exposure to religion, about God's presence and intervention in their lives. How rich these conversations have been!
There are, however, issues that remain unresolved for me. For instance, I constantly struggle with the problem of budget cutbacks and how this affects the accessibility of our services for the most needy. I struggle with philosophies and styles of service delivery that are at times foisted upon me and that do not reflect my Christian values. At other times I am tempted to make a god of my profession, putting too much faith in skill development and statistical data, etc.
The demands of my work cause me to daily come to the end of my own resources and to daily seek God's help. In this way my work has in fact become the vehicle for deepening my faith and making me more Christ-like. I am gradually learning that it is, after all, not so much what work I do that matters, as who I am in it. I am learning to understand the words of Mother Theresa: "The work is not the vocation. The vocation is to belong to Jesus." The work flows out of this.
-Ruth Martin
I thought I'd take the tram. I like the effortlessness and sureness of the tram. When I don't want to try to communicate it's great! (Though by nature I'm quite talkative with folks I know, I NEVER strike up conversations on public transportation, even in my own language in settings I understand well.) With trams in Cairo all I need to do is decipher the colour-coded Arabic sign at the front, get on, and the tracks force it to go where I want. So I sat and waited. Knowing it could be a while until the right tram arrived, I took out my Arabic homework and started studying. This, of course, became the catalyst for a few brief stilted conversations with my neighbours.
When those next to me on the bench got up to board their tram a man slid down closer to me to fill the physical and verbal void. "You're from Canada?" he asked. He was an old man, with a white beard, and fewer than a mouthful of teeth. His black religious garb was quite tattered. And though I know nothing about sewing, it was pieced together in such a way that the large stitches in obvious seams immediately caught my eye. In only the third or fourth line in our dialogue I got lost and was soon into my routine of smiles, nods, gestures, and statements that I was sorry man, with a white beard, and fewer than a mouthful of teeth. His black religious garb was quite tattered. And though I know nothing about sewing, it was pieced together in such a way that the large stitches in obvious seams immediately caught my eye. In only the third or fourth line in our dialogue I got lost and was soon into my routine of smiles, nods, gestures, and statements that I was sorry I didn't understand.
He tried again and then pushed his sleeve up a bit and pointed at the cross tattooed there. I responded that 1, too, was a Christian. He said he lived or had lived in one of the monasteries at Wadi Natrun. He reiterated the part about Canada and added something about money. I continued my smiling and nodding. Then all of a sudden he stood and hiked his tattered robe very high and back and forth from left to right. His garment underneath, not being black to start with, showed it's wear and soil much more than the black robe meant to cover it. He struggled with his clothing for quite some time in a HUGE gesture that attracted the humourous attention of what was now a fair number of people waiting for the tram. I was embarrassed for us both and not sure where to look for quite some time. After a bit, his efforts produced a small bundle of old papers bound with a rubber band and protected by a plastic bag. As I suspected, or maybe would have known had I understood precisely what he'd said, he searched in various envelopes until he came up With a Canadian bill. I held it, looked at it, smiled and nodded. It was a five and I told him it was probably worth about eleven pounds. I suspected he wanted me to buy it from him and I didn't mind, but I also didn't want to be presumptuous in case he was merely showing me an item he valued that carried the same national label that I do. A few more gestures, a bit of Arabic, a bit of English, and I had given him 11 pounds and kept the Canadian five.
I thought about the fact that ordinarily I would have no idea of the Canadian exchange rate but only hours earlier we had talked about precisely that at the office. Others asked to look at the bill so we passed it up and down the bench. After a while a tram with the correct markings came but it was totally empty and shot by without stopping. This was the fourth tram to have passed. I looked at my watch and noted I'd been waiting just about 30 minutes to go a distance that is a 30 minute walk and very pleasant at this time of year. I decided to set off walking, knowing that just a bit ahead there would also be many possibilities for buses or taxis. I said goodbye to the others still waiting. My leaving confused them.
Usually when I set off walking with an intent to keep an eye out for a bus or mini-bus, I end up walking all the way home. I'm intimidated by buses because I don't know the system of routes or number, and can never be sure where one will go. And I not only have to talk (like in a tax!) but might need to understand a response. But this time, being late for supper, perhaps somewhat buoyed by 30 minutes of relatively painless if not altogether effective -- communication while waiting for the tram, and aware that circumstances seemed to be conspiring in my favour, I threw caution to the wind and stepped on a bus that arrived at the first intersection exactly as I did. The conductor wasn't at the back but several women responded affirmatively to my query, "Ismailia Square??" And, indeed, it went straight there. Eventually the conductor found me. He even had change for my 50 piastres (quarter). I didn't get a seat, but it wasn't crowded, the ride was short, and I didn't have to talk to a soul.
-Craig Cressman Anderson
(Craig and Karen with Zachary & Joshua Cressman Anderson are members of Waterloo North. Craig is the MCC Country Representative for Egypt.) Address: MCC Egypt, 14 El Sobki St. #1 Mansheyet El Bakri, Heliopolis, Cairo, Egypt
You are the light the world! Let your light shine so that when people observe your way of life they will praise God as the recognizable source of your deeds! (adapted from Mt. 5:16).
Among early Anabaptists this "light of the world" text was a call to virtuous action. A confession of faith in the Martyrs' mirror reads, "it is our duty to put on the new humanity with its good deeds, in righteousness and true holiness, and to let our light so shine."
Early Anabaptists heard the call to witness to their faith. G.H. Williams says the "turned with vehemence to the pentecostal task" and "every believer was a prophet in the land."
However, we know that after the first generations Mennonites became less zealous and earned the title "quiet in the land".
In our century we recognize that being "the quiet in the land" does not fulfil our calling to be the light of the world. But what about being "the quiet in the city"? In our pluralistic and individualistic culture everyone is encouraged to let their own light shine. The uniqueness of our Christian light is easily lost in our busy society.
Maybe this pluralistic busyness is the "bushel" we are tempted to hide our light under. The light of our actions shines hidden, not under a bushel, but in the blinding glare of our modern information and activity overload.
Is our congregational struggle to establish a corporate sense of mission perhaps a reflection of timid individual commitments to letting our light shine in the world so that others will notice us and come to praise God? Maybe we need to revisit and renew our personal calling to let our light invite others to God before our corporate light as a congregation will become clear.
"Let your light shine so that others will see your good works and praise God." This is not an invitation to a passive quiet-in-the-land-faith. It is a call to action, to engagement, to fulfilling our role for the coming of God's kingdom.
In his book SpiritScapes, Martin Parent points out that in our time there is an increasing interest and hunger for spirituality, but a decreasing attendance at organized worship. People are on a spiritual quest and traditional answers do not speak to them.
This quest tells of spiritual darkness in our era. What authorities will offer light in the spiritual void? Will it be corporate consumerism? Will it be the cult of rights and freedoms of the individual? Or will darkness reign -- a sense of malaise and lack of purpose growing rampant?
God has a plan -- the gospel of Jesus is at work through us!
We are called to be a separate people, noticeable in a way that points to God in the midst of the glare and noise of our culture. We are called to let our WNMC light shine in the north of Waterloo.
-Ron Flaming
When you go to a church
you soon meet all the preachers
but no less important
are the Sunday School teachers.
The first hour has sermons
'cause only Catholics have Masses
and then comes the good part
our Sunday School classes
Whether you're six years or sixty
doesn't matter to them
but if you want a good lesson
they'll say "come on in!"
Some sit at a table
some sit on the floor
some teach for the cycle
and not one is a bore.
They don't do it for money
and we doubt it's for fame
still they show up each Sunday
cheerfully welcoming each name...
From classes on Moses
to one taught in a canoe
there was one in the Prayer room,
called the "The Enneagram and you".
To teach here on Sunday
takes time and devotion
for you can't master your subject
just by drinking a potion.
And that tells you something;
for unless you are jaded
you'll have to agree
they're all quite dedicated.
We don't think it's outrageous
like a bolt from the blue
to say that you matter...
lives are changed here by you.
It happens in smiles
and your welcoming faces;
it comes through your insights
in so many places.
Our lives you make richer
our faith you have nurtured
our world becomes clearer
our courage is strengthened.
So the Nurture Committee
is happy to say
our thanks to you warmly
on this special day.
May the rewards from your teaching
outweigh any tears
and may you think of us fondly
when we next seek volunteers!
-Len Friesen, Presented on behalf of the Nurture Committee
Waterloo North is the first church where I have really chosen to belong and
the first church where I am a
member but my parents are not. I can remember my first Sunday here. It was late
fall 1994, and Ralph Lebold was preaching about how God had led him through the
wilderness. At the time, I felt myself definitely in the wilderness too, and
Ralph's words - and I am sure God's message - were a balm in the midst of my
desolation.
When I arrived, I was part of a first wave of participants that found the place shortly after the new building was constructed. Now, almost five years later, I feel almost like an old timer here, having partaken in my share of committee work, worship leading, Sunday schooling, caregrouping, pot-lucking, and even preaching!
In the last five years I have grown significantly in my faith as a direct result of active participation in worship and church community. In that time I have come even to need the church; it has become for me a refreshing oasis in which I can be rejuvenated. It is also a place where faith and life meet, where I can dialogue with others about important issues of faith and practice, and where my own relationship with God is regularly challenged and strengthened.
I would be dishonest if I did not admit to complaining from time to time about the church. At times it has felt to me, not being of "ethnic-Mennonite" descent, that there are barriers to full participation in all that is "church". And our collective process-orientation (obsession?), though I have applauded it, has at times seemed to hinder our full expression of faith.
About a year ago, I complained about this to a mentor of mine, a professor at Conrad Grebel College. His response to me has become almost a litany to me as I participate in the church: (to paraphrase) "it is easy to complain about the church," he said, "for it is made up of fallen people, and no doubt has problems. But I attend church ritualistically as a discipline." "Invariably," he said, "God is revealed through a word, an action, a child playing. Without our knowing - indeed sometimes in spite of us - God breaks into our congregation and reveals himself."
Those words have transformed my living and my worshipping. I now spend my life - at church or away - waiting in expectation of God's next revelation.
Marlys and I both lament, even mourn, the loss that we feel as we leave this place - a place that has been so dear to us both. Though we will not be far away, we nonetheless are starting a new phase and will be developing new friendships and community. Yet we believe that God has led us in this course-change. In the spirit of expectation, we are leaving this community together to pursue a new and exciting phase of our lives.
Thank you all for the community that you have been to me, to Marlys, and the two of us as a couple.
-Alan Armstrong
When Al and I first considered leaving Waterloo to move to Toronto, we both knew that one of the most difficult things was going to be leaving our church. Waterloo North Mennonite Church feels like home, and it seems like I've been here longer than three and a half years!
I decided to attend WNMC in January 1996, after a year of sporadic visiting at WN and other K-W churches. It took me a while to find a place to worship, partly because I wasn't yet ready for a commitment to a new church, having just finished an intensive two-year Mennonite Voluntary Service term as assistant pastor at Hamilton's Welcome Inn Church and Community Centre. I was (and continue to be) challenged to keep connected to the poor and marginalized, and found the transition to middle-class churches to be a big leap. However, after going here and there on a Sunday morning, I realized that I really felt warmly welcomed at Waterloo North, and that I deeply appreciated the theology, worship style, and music - so I stayed.
When I felt ready, I offered to help and become involved in various aspects of church life, and this has drawn me closer to an understanding of WN's history, identity and vision. More importantly, these involvements have interwoven my life with strands of other people's lives, and the personal relationships which have grown through the years are deeply valued. The care groups Al and I have been in are almost like a surrogate family, where we've had fun and dynamic discussions, and where we've supported each other through difficulties, and where we've felt warmth and genuine care.
I will even miss the physical place of WN. I've enjoyed the grace and simple beauty of our sanctuary, with light streaming in and dappling the surface of our rock mosaic. I have thrilled to the sound of 200+ voices swirling richly in our abundant acoustical space. This is a place of spiritual renewal and growth, which I've experienced through communal worship and my meetings with my spiritual director. I've also had piano student recitals here, and this is the special place where Alan and I married.
My eyes have been opened to see that Waterloo North Mennonite Church is a unique part of the body of Christ taking shape in this world: as we visit and care for each other over coffee and tea, as we are challenged by probing sermons to connect our faith and our life, as we nurture children's growth, as we worship God together in wonderful ways.
Yes, it will be hard to leave this June, but I know that God is leading Al and me as we move to Toronto, and that we will seek another part of the body of Christ to worship with there. Blessings and best wishes to all our friends at Waterloo North, as this church undergoes a chapter of change, and continues to be a vibrant place to worship, to grow in faith and care for each other. We'll keep in touch!
-Marlys Neufeldt
On March 9,1999, eight youth and two sponsors from our church pulled out of the Waterloo North parking lot with about 80 other youth and chaperones from southern Ontario, anticipating a long, but exciting bus ride to the Peace-It-Together conference at Canadian Mennonite Bible College in Winnipeg.
A few hours later, those dreams were put on hold when the other bus we were travelling with was involved in an accident. We waited by the side of the road, wondering how serious the accident was, and if it was still possible to travel to the Peace it Together Conference. Though shaken by the experience, our youth were fortunate to be on the first coach.
We were hosted by a church in Tilbury where we waited for news of the others. The hospitality we received during that afternoon was touching, and I only hope we could be as generous to others in a similar situation.
I feel that the bus ride and the traumatic accident brought us closer together with youth from other churches and allowed us the opportunity to share with each other.
Some from our group decided not to continue to Winnipeg; most of us felt able to get back on the road, but with dampened spirits. We were looking forward to this weekend conference and its emphasis on the environment and living in peace with all of God's creation.
When we arrived at CMBC (one day late!), we were greeted with hugs and clapping as we joined the strangers, who would soon become friends.
The sessions began almost immediately, and we were soon involved in singing -- which was led by a worship band and the CMBC choir -- Prayer, dramas and short (even interesting) sermons.
-Rachel Yordy
I have attended every fall and spring MCEC conference since I became a member of the Theological Concerns Council (TCC) for the Mennonite Conference of Eastern Canada three years ago. At this 12th Annual Session held at Rockway Mennonite Collegiate (April 9-10,1999), we were struck by the spirit of celebration and expectancy, in a way we have not experienced as strongly before.
Major restructuring of the Executive Council has been taking place since last fall's conference. The two positions most affected are: 1) Executive Secretary, being changed to Minister to the Conference, 2) Conference Minister, to become "Minister of Leadership Services". In addition, an administrative assistant is being added to help free the Minister to the Conference, who will lead the Executive team. Lester Kehl will continue as interim Conference Minister for another year. John Cornies, Chair of the Executive Board, said he was hopeful that within a month to six weeks the other two candidates will be confirmed and their names released. We bid farewell to the two people in interim positions: Mary Mae Schwartzentruber, Executive Secretary and Amzie Brubacher, Mission Minister, who complete their terms at the end of June.
During the conference, people came to us to express distress about the bombings and violence of "ethnic cleansings" taking place in Yugoslavia, particularly in Kosovo. We drafted a resolution, to express our disapproval of the violence being perpetrated by Canada and its allies and by the government of Yugoslavia. We urged all sides to seek non-violent ways to resolve the ongoing conflict. The conference delegates passed the resolution unanimously. It was sent to Prime Minister Jean Chrêtien, Foreign Affairs Minister Lloyd Axworthy, and Defence Minister, Art Eggleton.
To help draft this resolution and to see it passed was a good way for me to officially end my three year term on the TCC. I've enjoyed working with and getting to know my colleagues on the council and have come to appreciate the ministry, dedication and vision of the MCEC.
-Lorraine Peters
Conference is a great place to have discussions and make decisions as a larger church body. What follows is a brief outline of a few things discussed on which you may want to give your opinions to conference staff persons or commission members.
This year a new format was tried for commission reporting. After a very brief report by groups of two or three commissions, delegates and attendees divided into small "buzz groups" to discuss questions they posed. Conrad Grebel College, Leadership Commission, and Pastoral Leadership Training asked questions about the desirability of Grebel expanding the size of its residence, and the need to give formal recognition to (i.e. licence) youth pastors. The Christian Education and Nurture Commission, Student and Young Adults Commission, and Youth Commission questioned how we as churches are working towards being inter-generational in our worship and mission, and whether we are presenting scripture in a relevant way for all ages. Mission and Service Commission wondered whether, given our mandate of being a healing presence, we support the expansion of chaplaincy and service ministries as long-term support projects, rather than as church plants with a goal of long-term self-sustainability. The Peace, justice and Social Concerns Commission wondered how they as a commission could be of service to us as congregations.
In the spirit of "giving generously," the third draft of the Financial Revisioning Proposal was accepted as a means by which MCEC can raise money for the support of its ministries and those of the other levels of Conference. A number of short-, medium-, and long-term steps were proposed to address the substantial decline in congregational giving to conference, namely to explore two areas of stewardship thinking relatively new to conference, and attempt to introduce a greater measure of relationship and accountability into the process of conference asking for donations and deciding what to give.
The process agreed on is two-fold. The first thrust is a focus on increasing congregational awareness of MCEC's programs and ministries, through more effective informational materials, an increase in visits by commission members and conference staff, and through an attempt to get more people connected to and involved in conference ministries.
The second is the creation of a fund-raising committee which Will raise funds through special events, and the introduction of two new areas of stewardship: the leaving of bequests to conference and approaching individuals and corporations with significant financial means with an invitation to give some of their donations directly to conference. With this new proposal in place, it is hoped that enough funds can be raised to avoid making cuts to conference ministries.
If you have questions or thoughts on any of these issues, I'm sure MCEC staff or Commission members would be thrilled to hear from you. Please feel free to call them, or talk to one of Waterloo North's delegates for a fuller explanation of an issue you have particular interest in.
-Angie Koch
The work of leading the integration process in the wider church in North America is at the same time very exciting and most daunting. It is clear that we live in momentous times. The changes being proposed for the church have far-reaching consequences for the future of our family of faith.
In particular, I am pleased with the direction that has been taken by moving to a two-country model with Mennonite Church U.S. (MC U.S.) and Mennonite Church Canada (MC Canada). This concept, already approved by the Conference of Mennonites in Canada delegates in July 1998 in Stratford, represents a fundamental paradigm shift in our understanding of authority in the Mennonite Church in North America. Some people have asked why I think this is a good direction for the Mennonite Church in North America. Here are six specific responses:
Transforming three church bodies (Conference of Mennonites in Canada, General Conference, and Mennonite Church) into two (MC U.S. and MC Canada) simplifies our church-wide structures. In the new system, congregations will send delegates to only two conference sessions (area conference [e.g. MCEC] and the country church body) rather than three (or even four) as some congregations do currently. Note that there will be a binational, joint delegate assembly every four years.
Replacing North American denominational governance structures with two
parallel country church bodies removes a difficult overlap of church governance
in Canada. We, in Canada, are then freed to make decisions
that are much closer to the congregations and programs that are affected.
Parallel country bodies will allow for joint or cooperative, as well as separate, programs rather than overlapping programs. While overall efficiency is an important benefit, the possibility of a true partnership between the two country church bodies is significantly enhanced. This also clears the path for development of some jointly administered programs and institutions, which in turn encourages Canadian-based input in joint ventures.
Fund-raising and budgets will be simpler and better understood than has sometimes been the case in Canada. We expect this to promote a better sense of ownership of church programs by the Canadian church. For example, ".Canadian" dollars for missions would be routed to the MC Canada office. Canadian delegates to the MC Canada Assembly will make decisions on programs and budgets that affect the international mission work of the denomination. Some programs may be Canadian; some may be operated jointly with MC U.S.
Forming up in two country bodies will make it possible for the other churches of the international Mennonite World Conference (MWC) family to address us in our appropriate political contexts. We should remember that all of the other church bodies in MWC are formed as "national" groupings. Many of them have experienced the large North American Mennonite groupings (especially the joint Canada / US bodies) as further instances of North American dominance.
Forming a Mennonite church body within each country pushes each group to come to terms with their identity in the midst of a particular national context and circumstances. Being the church within one's own country need not lead to nationalism, as some have suggested. Rather, we must hear the call of our particular culture and context in each country so that we can bring a faithful witness, alongside other Christian churches, as the basis of our mission and vision as God's people.
-Ron Sawatsky
Waterloo North Mennonite Church has never experienced a death in the congregation. For that we give thanks to God. However, we cannot expect that will continue forever.
Because we have had no deaths, we have no history nor tradition at Waterloo North of how the events around death would be carried out. We have done virtually no pre-planning. We have not provided the facilities that make possible the choices which people in our church family may desire. It is time that we prepare. At some point we will need those provisions and plans to be in place.
One agenda item for our mid-year congregational meeting will be the consideration of some options which persons from our congregation have suggested.
In November and December a Sunday School class convened by Ralph Lebold and myself looked at options. Interest was shown in a number of these possibilities.
Erb Street Mennonite Church has graciously made their cemetery at the corner of Erb and Fisher-Hallman available to us. However, there are some persons who would like to see Waterloo North Mennonite Church have its own cemetery. Land is available adjacent to the St. Jacobs Mennonite cemetery either to rent or purchase. Would it be advantageous for us to have our own cemetery? Would the St. Jacobs location be the right location? Would a location closer to our meetinghouse be the right location?
There are some persons who will consider cremation. Increasingly, cremation
is used by Mennonites in our community. One person in the class shared the
meaningful experience of the death, cremation and memorial service for his
father. Another member of the class told how the Belmont Mennonite Church in
Goshen, Indiana has within its building a "columbarium," from the
Latin word for dove, columba. Columbarium thus literally means
"pigeon holes," a structure where the ashes of cremated members of
their faith community rest. He would like us to consider installing a
columbarium in our building. Can we consider making this option available at
Waterloo North?
Visitation and viewing of the body are important experiences in dealing with the reality of death, working at our grief, and supporting one another. They are important whether burial or cremation follow. While visitation and viewing often happen in the funeral home, many of us feel that a more appropriate place for this to happen is in our church home. Our fellowship room is where we care for each other and celebrate our relationship at other moments of our life together. Can we consider using our fellowship room in this way?
Some plans are already under way. In anticipation of a congregational death the ministry team has begun looking at pastoral care plans around death and at plans for funeral or memorial services. Ministry team plans to develop a document which members of our church family can use to record their wishes regarding funeral, visitation, and other plans in anticipation of their own death. These documents would be placed on file in the church office. Ministry Team has developed a phone tree (not a prayer chain) for the express purpose of notifying members of our church family in the event of a death. Ministry Team and Fellowship Committee have also discussed preliminary plans for a fellowship time to follow a funeral or memorial service. Although we have had no death within our church family, deaths of near relatives have occurred on a regular basis. Ministry team is developing a policy regarding the pastoral care when such a death occurs.
I hope that we can now provide the options for which people are asking, so that they are available when needed.
-Jim Reusser, Ministry Team
Come visit the library and check out the new books added because of our successful book fair.
And new videos ...
Are You My Neighbor? (Veggie Tale for Kids of all Ages) Contains two hilarious, fully computer-animated stories that teach kids a biblical perspective on loving others. "The Story of Flibber-o-loo" is a delightful, storybook adaptation of the biblical tale of the Good Samaritan. "The Gourds Must Be Crazy!", a hilarious sci-fi spoof helps kids appreciate those who are different, instead of making fun.
God Wants Me to Forgive Them?!? (Veggie Tale) "The Grapes of Wrath" - What do you get when a bunch of very cranky grapes make fun of five-year-old Jr. Asparagus? One sad asparagus, and one big problem! Can Jr.'s dad show the grapes the error of their ways? Will Jr. ever be able to forgive them? "Larry's Lagoon" is about a boat tour that takes a turn for the worse when the boat crashes into an uncharted tropical island!
Captured (The Story Keepers Series - Ages 6-12) The year is A.D. 64 ... and in Rome the church faces fierce persecution. Driven into hiding, Christians gather wherever it is safe. Cyrus' acrobatic talent turns him from Roman captive to the star of the show in the mansion of Flavian the merchant. At last, it's the big time ... the spotlight ... FAME So what if Flavian abuses his slaves? At least Cyrus has a life of luxury in the home of his new "friend" - until the slaves revolt. Suddenly Cyrus Wishes he'd cooperated when Ben and his family tried to smuggle him home. Now it's too late - or is it?
Duncan And The Donut Repair Club (The Donut Man Series - Ages 2-8) Taking care of a farm is lots of hard work, but it can be fun too! When Uncle Jim hurts his leg and can't take care of his farm, the Donut Repair Club comes to the rescue. The Donut Man teaches children how to complete a task and the importance of a job well-done as they plant seeds in a field, milk the cows, tend to the animals and a lot more! Live action and songs.
My first introduction to the writings of lean Vanier occurred many years ago,
when at a retreat his book Tears of Silence was
used as the theme of the retreat. I was deeply moved by Vanier's ability to look
right into people's souls and express their deepest longings.
In Vanier's latest book, Becoming Human, he has done it again, Vanier believes that we cannot grow spiritually if we ignore our humanness, and we cannot become fully human if we ignore our spirituality. For Vanier becoming human occurred most profoundly when he started living with men and women with intellectual disabilities, i.e., people who are not very capable on the intellectual or practical level, but who are very gifted in relationships. They are people of the heart, people of trust.
As Vanier continues to define humanness, you wonder what the world could be like if everyone truly embraced humanness. This book lays down the foundations of wholeness, holiness and a world vision. The book can be found in the church library.
-Helen Isaak
We hear daily in the media about the atrocities and inhuman activities in Kosovo. The stories in The Silence Echoes are not invented fiction. The events actually took place. Read individually, they reveal insights into human cruelty and frailty, courage and faith. Read in sequence, they offer a haunting picture of a long and tragic period of human history. Will someone years hence write about the horrific events now taking place in Kosovo? Does humankind not learn from history?
There are persons in our congregation whose families have been affected by, and heard similar stories from grandparents or other ancestors, as are recounted in the book. You will understand some of the Russian Mennonite history better after reading this book.
The editor lives in the same apartment building as Ralph and I and has autographed the book.
-Eileen Lebold