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News archive
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| Diamonds are forever, Congo and U.S. Mennonites learn together |
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| Women of the Tshintshianku congregation prepared a meal for five members of the Mennonite Church USA delegation to Congo. Delegation members visited more than a dozen parishes of the Evangelical Mennonite Church (CEM) near Mbuji Mayi. CEM has 86 parishes and more than 23,000 members. The purpose of the delegation visit was to deepen church to church relationships between churches in Congo and the United States. |
By Ron Byler
MBUJI MAYI, Democratic Republic of Congo (Mennonite Church USA)On the road from Mbuji Mayi through the diamond fields, Reverend Benjamin Mubenga was asked by passersby if he was taking his white passengers to see diamonds.
Mubenga, president of the Communaute Evangelique Mennonite (CEM), said he was on his way to visit churches. Much later, his passengers, five members of the Mennonite Church USA delegation to Congo, agreed that Mubenga was helping to shape diamonds of a different kind – congregations in the Eastern Kasai province of CEM who love Jesus and serve him in their communities.
The group was part of a church-to-church visit in Congo, Feb. 2 through16, to help build new relationships between Mennonite denominations in Congo and the United States with the encouragement of Mennonite World Conference (MWC).
On the diamond trail, the delegation, accompanied by church leaders of CEM, traveled more than five hours in an SUV over rut-filled, washed-out roads to visit three Congolese congregations near Tshintshianku just 60 miles outside of Mbuji Mayi.
The group learned that adequate transportation – both appropriate vehicles and the lack of an infrastructure of roads – is one of the major obstacles to the growth of CEM churches.
The delegation visited nearly a dozen parishes often arriving at their intended destination hours later than expected. Church members were waiting to greet them as the vehicle approached each parish through a festive palm-leafed lined arch. Delegation members were joyfully escorted to seats of honor at the front of the church.
Children, youth and adults, numbering well more than 100 at each stop, sang of their love for Jesus, and delegation members offered greetings on behalf of the congregations of Mennonite Church USA.
“We want to learn more about how we can nurture our friendship with you, and we want to learn how to share our gifts with each other,” said Sharon Waltner, moderator-elect of Mennonite Church USA and a member of the delegation.
East Kasai is one of four provinces of CEM, the smallest of three Mennonite-related conferences in Congo, with 86 congregations and about 24,000 members. Just under two-thirds of its members and parishes are in the East Kasai province the delegation visited.
The delegation flew from Kinshasa to Mbuji Mayi, a city of about two million people and the headquarters of CEM. It met with CEM church leaders and congregation leaders as well as the provincial president of the Congolese Church of Christ (ECC), Mbaya Ciakanyi.
Like Mennonites in other parts of Congo, the CEM churches participate with ECC, the council of churches, for shared ministry and support. Ciakanyi told the visitors that the Christian churches in this community face three basic challenges – poverty, politics and education.
Mubenga said another challenge for CEM is keeping people together in one conference when they speak different languages. Members often need to travel hundreds of kilometers over poor roads to gather together. “But when the people get a taste of what it’s like to be together, they want more,” Mubenga said.
Mubenga and vice president Mattieu Shimatu said 25 evangelists are currently being trained to start new churches throughout the East Kasai province. When the training is completed each evangelist will be given $10 and sent out. The new pastors will need to find their own means of support in their new communities.
One day as the group traveled from one parish to another, it stopped to pray at an outdoor chapel with a pastor who has begun a new cell of believers. After prayers, the pastor jumped on the crowded vehicle to join the celebration at the next village parish a dozen kilometers away.
Delegation members later met with CEM officers to talk about the challenges they face. There has been serious conflict in the church and leaders have worked hard to resolve it with the help of MCC and MWC. Their task is made more difficult because none of the leaders receive payment for their denominational work.
CEM administers 60 schools with about 10,000 students. The church receives some payment from the government but it is far less support than is needed to run the schools effectively.
In addition to training 25 new evangelists, CEM leaders said their goals include expanding their office facilities and building a health center, primary and secondary schools and homes for some of their leaders on the land surrounding the Dipumba parish in Mbuyi Mayi.
The plans for the Dipumba parish are impeded, as they are in several other locations, until CEM can recover land from families who have unlawfully built their houses on land given to CEM by a former government.
Leaders from churches in both countries agreed it is difficult to build mature relationships where both churches can give and receive gifts. Mennonite Church USA delegation members repeatedly felt expectations in the parishes that the Americans had come to give them money, despite Congolese leaders’ assertions each time that the visit was about building friendships.
“Our people can be motivated to be self-sufficient,” Mubenga said. “Our problem is how to get there to motivate them.”
Throughout the visit, delegation members were shown economic generation projects including rabbit breeding, bread baking, palm oil and grain producing. Congolese leaders said their congregations need to generate sources of income within the church, rather than expect help to come from outside the church.
“We’ve seen a beautiful country and the people have been very gracious,” said James Wenger, pastor of the North Baltimore (Md.) Mennonite Church.
“We’ve had the opportunity to learn from each other as we’ve traveled together,” said Shimatu.
“Through your music and prayer, you’ve nurtured our spirits,” said Suzanne Lind, co-country leader for the Congo for MCC and a member of the delegation.
“You had the good will to visit your brothers and sisters, even in the far corners of our region, and that proves you care for us,” said Mubenga.
Leaders of both countries talked together about the gifts they think the other church has to offer them. The U.S. church delegation said the Congo churches have vitality in worship, an understanding of generosity and endurance to remain faithful when times are difficult to offer American churches. Congo leaders said their U.S. counterparts have political influence, experience in leadership training and resources to share.
On Sunday morning, Waltner preached at Mubenga’s congregation and Wenger preached in Shimatu’s congregation. Delegation member Keith Wilson, a young adult and deacon at Community Mennonite Church in Markham, Ill., was eager to visit Shimatu’s church since Wilson’s church hosted Shimatu in March 2006.
Following the MWC General Council meeting in Pasadena, Calif. in March 2006, Mennonite Church USA congregations hosted two of the seven Congo delegates for two weeks. The other five Congo delegates were denied visas to enter the United States.
On the road back from Luputa to Mbuji Mayi earlier in the week, the 15-member SUV entourage jumped out of the vehicle to visit a diamond merchant who was a member of one of the CEM congregations. He showed them a handful of small, uncut diamonds worth more than $1,500.
Like these diamonds, leaders agreed, the initial gift sharing efforts between Congo and U.S. churches are very small, but the potential can be very valuable.
“This can not be our last visit because we want to keep encouraging each other in the work we are doing,” said Shimatu. “For a long time to come, we have much to learn from each other and much to share.”
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| Fellowship, sacred moments and angelic singing highlight worship workshop in Portland |
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By Vada Snider
PORTLAND, Ore. (Mennonite Church USA)As Evening Prayer began, the pastor quietly introduced a candle-lighting and prayer ritual that would take place later in the service. “Then the light of your prayer will join the light of other prayers and we will pray with the light.”
Later, when it was time to light candles, many members of the congregation came forward. They were prepared, the prayers were authentic and the beautiful ritual flowed naturally.
This was only one of many sacred moments during “Extending the Table: A Worship Workshop” held at Portland Mennonite Church Feb. 2 and 3. Pastors, worship leaders and musicians from across the Pacific Northwest gathered to learn and share ideas on meaningful worship.
The workshop was led by Marlene Kropf, Ken Nafziger and Marilyn Houser Hamm. It was the fourth such workshop held in the past eight years.
“When I began my pastorate here in 1999, we thought about sending a group out to the Laurelville workshop,” said Rod Stafford, pastor of Portland Mennonite Church. “It didn’t take us long to do the math and figure out we should bring the presenters here. Then the whole church could participate.”
The Portland church extended an invitation to others and this year more than 80 people attended, representing 13 Mennonite Church USA congregations from five states. The two-day workshop was a time rich with fellowship, food, inspiration and angelic congregational singing.
“You’re surrounded by all the leaders of the congregations who sing so well. I sit in the midst and think, ‘OK, when I get to heaven this is how it will sound.’ I feel like I too can be part of the choir!” said Nancy Friesen, Albany, Ore.
Sue Glick, chairman of the Portland planning committee, discussed why it is important to stop and take time to think about worship. “Worship is not a dissertation on theology. Theology undergirds it, but worship is about the affect – trying to pull the heart and mind together.”
Worshiping in the “None Zone”
Rod Stafford opened the workshop Friday evening by painting a picture of the unique religious environment in the Pacific Northwest.
“The defining feature of religion in the Pacific Northwest is that most people claim none when asked about their religious affiliation,” said Stafford.
Indeed, the area has been labeled the “none zone” by religion writers. People don’t grow up learning the stories of Jesus. In this context, issues of worship style are not easy. Particularly when a congregation wants to reach out, extend the table and welcome newcomers.
“How can we be hospitable to people and at the same time be a transforming community?” asked Stafford.
Sharing the most powerful story
Focus on the only unique story we have, the Jesus story, advised Marlene Kropf, minister of worship for Mennonite Church USA Executive Leadership.
“Christianity is a story about someone who died and who lives again. It’s worth reflecting on how we tell that story in our worship. God is always bringing new life out of death. Everything, every action, in worship needs to reflect and serve the central story – music, drama, visual arts, preaching, dance.”
But worship is not just about God, it’s about us, said Kropf. “We set our stories next to the Christian story and bring them into conversation with each other. When we tell our stories we can see what we’re committed to, our values, what it is we live for.”
Telling the story in song
Worship music also helps tell the story. Several songs used in the workshop were taken from the upcoming hymnal supplement Sing the Story, which Nafziger called a “Jesus book.”
“By singing a variety of songs about the one we say we follow, we learn to imitate the way Jesus lived.”
Hymn singing at the workshop certainly reflected Nafziger’s belief that, “There is no music tradition, no ethnic tradition that has a corner on truth.”
Leading with his voice, Nafziger quietly began an old gospel tune. The congregation joined in unison, then broke into parts and smoothly followed the song leader into humming.
Next, all stood for a boisterous hymn full of lush harmonies, then sat for a contemplative tune. And, with hymnals put away, Nafziger led the rhythmic African song, “We will follow Jesus.” Intuitively the congregation began to add percussion, as feet started to tap. Then standing, swaying and clapping, the singers became one with the music and text as they repeated the simple tune over and over.
Marilyn Houser Hamm also exemplified this natural style of musical leadership. Her piano introductions to hymns set the mood in a way words could never do. And her lively prelude for communion prepared the congregation for a festive celebration.
There are many ways to celebrate communion – somber, introspective and celebrative. All have precedence in scripture, said Nafziger. It’s important for congregations to ask themselves why they practice rituals in certain ways.
The communion service that closed the workshop was anything but typical. It was active and noisy – an international picnic. Many voices talking together, telling their stories, as they shared breads from around the world.
Taking the wisdom home
Each congregation is a subculture, with unique characteristics of social connections, life stages, expressivity and spirituality.
“We must look at the community of faith we’ve been called to lead. Listen, watch, learn who these people are,” said Marlene Kropf. “If we try to become something we’re not or copy some other congregation down the street, it can be disastrous.”
Identity and hospitality intertwine. When a congregation has a clear sense of identity, that congregation more authentically embodies its vision of faith.
Said Kropf, “When we host worship for others, I think we must be ready to be who we are – the incarnation of Christ in this place.”
Vada Snider lives on a wooded lot in North Newton, Kan., in a house attached to a silo. Her career is a creative mix of photojournalism, writing and music. She is a member of Bethel College Mennonite Church, where she directs the bell choirs.
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| Workshop participants join in a special communion service using breads from around the world. (photo by Vada Snider) |
Vada Snider lives on a wooded lot in North Newton, Kan., in a house attached to a silo. Her career is a creative mix of photojournalism, writing and music. She is a member of Bethel College Mennonite Church, where she directs the bell choirs.
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| Mennonite Education Agency grants first-ever accreditation to three schools |
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By Gloria Y. Diener
GOSHEN, Ind.Mennonite Education Agency (MEA) has granted accreditation to four schools, Christopher Dock Mennonite High School, Lancaster Mennonite School, Warwick River Christian School and Western Mennonite School, following a review process designed to strengthen Anabaptist-Mennonite influence in Mennonite elementary, middle and secondary schools. Accreditation certificates were distributed at the recent Education Leaders Gathering 2007. Six additional schools are now engaging in the process.
Mennonite Education Agency is the education agency of Mennonite Church USA. Christopher Dock is located in Lansdale, Pa., Lancaster Mennonite in Lancaster, Pa.; Warwick River in Newport News, Va., and Western in Salem, Ore.
Schools receiving MEA accreditation must meet academic and Anabaptist-Mennonite value-based standards as outlined in The Mennonite Edition of Validating the Vision: An Assessment Protocol for Mission Effectiveness, Institutional Accreditation and Strategic Planning. The protocol was adapted from a research-based academic assessment instrument created by the National Catholic Education Association (NCEA).
The protocol can be used as the self-study document for a full accreditation review, a tool for strategic planning or an internal assessment of mission effectiveness. MEA implemented the protocol after Mennonite Schools Council (MSC) and its predecessors, Mennonite Elementary Education Council and Mennonite Secondary Education Council, requested the agency provide oversight to and ownership of the process. There are 34 MSC PreK-12 schools in the United States (including Puerto Rico) and Canada.
Carlos Romero, executive director of MEA, sees the accreditation process as a means of inviting each school to identify and strengthen its unique mission through Christ-centered programs that reflect educational excellence, teach peace and service and offer faith-infused opportunities in an authentic school community.
MSC, under the leadership of chair J. Richard Thomas, Lancaster, Pa., recognized the need for Mennonite accreditation during conversations with Elaine Moyer, principal of Christopher Dock, as she led the school through its most recent accreditation process. I was hoping to find a way to streamline our work by finding a protocol that would strengthen our faith perspective, said Moyer, who reviewed NCEAs Validating the Vision at that time.
While looking at the Catholic model, I realized the protocol would serve our Anabaptist-Mennonite schools well if adaptations were made to reflect the values and vision of Mennonite Church USA.
J. David Yoder, associate director of MEA, provides oversight to the process. He credits both NCEA and Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (MSA) with generous support and guidance during the process of adjusting Validating the Vision to create the Mennonite edition.
Yoder and Thomas pay tribute to Moyer for her leadership of the Christopher Dock faculty and staff as they rewrote materials and worked under the auspices of MEA to develop the Anabaptist-Mennonite protocol and did pioneering work with MSA.
Thomas says the council sees Validating the Vision as a tool to help Mennonite schools develop clear vision as missional centers of the church and to develop a greater sense of cohesion. As superintendent of Lancaster Mennonite, he saw the accreditation process as a real gift we updated our foundation documents, connected with our community in new ways and developed a unified plan for educational growth on all of our campuses.
The protocol states that Anabaptist-Mennonite education finds its center in Jesus Christ and the call to follow Jesus daily. Schools receiving MEA accreditation commit to a pattern of discipleship nurtured in the ordinary routines of school life and shaped by restorative discipline practices that respect students as individuals within a faith community.
Anabaptist-Mennonite distinctives identified in the protocol also include a vision of teaching reflecting an Anabaptist understanding of life together in community. In this vision, teachers, on behalf of the church, offer instruction that inspires students to commitments running counter to cultural expectations.
Before receiving final approval, schools seeking MEA accreditation must submit official documents to a review committee which includes Moyer, Yoder and Connie Stauffer of Lancaster, Pa., a member of the MEA Board of Directors. Committee recommendations go to the MEA Board of Directors for action.
Schools who have received MEA accreditation say their programs have been affected by the process. Christopher Dock has experienced a double blessing, says Moyer. In addition to providing a comprehensive review of our total school program, we have sharpened our school programs around Anabaptist-Mennonite beliefs about the person of Jesus.
Darrel White, administrator of Western Mennonite School, says his school has a new commitment to teaching and living out Anabaptist faith values since the MEA accreditation. The school was strongly affirmed for its spiritual life and for being true to its Anabaptist foundation. We now have relevant data and feedback to direct our visioning and goal-setting, and the practical advice for improvements was helpful.
MEA accreditation, according to Yoder, will continue to encourage Mennonite Church USA schools to produce graduates who thoughtfully engage missional questions inspired by Christ-living.
The mission of Mennonite Education Agency is to strengthen the life, witness and identity of Mennonite Church USA through education. MEA links schools of all levels, from PreK-12 through seminary, with the church and its missional vision nurturing servant leaders for families, communities and churches throughout the United States and beyond.
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| Mennonite educators gather |
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By Gary Hiller, Lancaster Mennonite School
PITTSBURGHOn February 2 through 4, 196 educators from 42 Mennonite-related schools convened in Pittsburgh for Education Leaders Gathering 2007, sponsored by Mennonite Education Agency and Mennonite Schools Council. According to Mathew McMullen, chair of the events planning committee, the gathering was designed as a time to network with other schools and learn together around the theme of lengthening cords and strengthening stakes (Isaiah 54:2).
Education Leaders Gatherings are professional development events for board members and administrators of Mennonite educational institutions of all levels. The 2007 gathering focused on the PreK-12 schools of Mennonite Schools Council. Mennonite Education Agency is the education agency of Mennonite Church USA.
J. Nelson Kraybill, president of Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary, set the tone with his opening address on The Case for Mennonite Education. Kraybill encouraged the Mennonite educators to strengthen the stakes of core Anabaptist understandings regarding Scripture, Jesus, discipleship, two kingdoms, economics and mission. With these stakes strengthened, the Mennonite tent can expand to embrace others without collapsing, he said.
Kraybill noted the importance of Mennonite schools in transmitting Anabaptist understandings to future generations. However, he stated that he was not as concerned about having people wear the Mennonite label as he was about disseminating Christ-centered values, faithful discipleship and an alternative citizenship that transcends national boundaries.
Other speakers addressed how to lengthen the cords by enhancing the way in which the benefits of Mennonite education are communicated to the church and its families. Ron Headings, senior consumer and market knowledge manager of Procter and Gamble and a member of Cincinnati Mennonite Fellowship, stressed that being distinctive or different is an asset, not a liability, in attracting students. The task is to focus on those who value the difference, communicate the difference to them and match the media to the message.
One of the keys to communicating the value of Mennonite education is to better understand the expectations, experiences, learning styles and communication methods of the new generation of students and their parents. Mennonite educators, most of whom are baby boomers or older, tend to communicate in ways that were effective for them and their generation. However, Catherine Cook, CEO of Miller/Cook & Associates, helped the educators understand that younger generations are processing information differently in an era of vastly different communication technology.
Sociologist Conrad Kanagy followed Cooks insights by presenting his research on relationships among schools, parents and congregations. Kanagys data showed how Mennonite education affects a host of beliefs, attitudes, values and lifestyle issues.
For Sundays closing address, church leader and educator Peter Wiebe chose Genesis 49:22 as his text. In this passage, Jacob tells Joseph that he is a vine beside a well that will reach over walls to bless others. Applying this to Mennonite schools, he said, For over 100 years, Mennonites have been deeply involved in education. More than 10,000 children and young people are now drinking at the well [of Mennonite elementary and secondary education] and growing over the wall to bless the nations.
Based on his 55 years as a church leader and educator, Wiebe said, Students who go to Mennonite schools are head and shoulders above the public school students when it comes to exploring their faith. He noted that the church needs to recognize that a high percentage of Mennonite leaders have come down the Mennonite education path.
Wiebe shared his belief that Mennonite schools build Mennonite community, stressing that Mennonite schools are about building relationships and being a counter-culture community. According to Wiebe, Mennonite schools provide a Christian view of peoplehood rather than a nationalistic view.
During the conference, Mennonite Education Agency recognized the first four schools accredited through its Validating the Vision process that looks at spiritual issues as well as academic excellence. In presenting the accreditation certificates, Carlos Romero, executive director of MEA, said, We value academic excellence, but our commitment is to academic excellence within the Anabaptist context of understanding the world.
The four schools recognized were Christopher Dock Mennonite High School, Lancaster Mennonite School (four campuses), Warwick River Christian School and Western Mennonite School.
In a concluding hymn, Lord, We Bring to You our Children, the gathered educational leaders sang:
[We] give ourselves in true commitment to your service and your power,
To the task of Christian nurture;
Teaching, training, leading still
In the way of Christ-like living, till lifes purpose we fulfill.
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| MEA Board Chair Rosalind E. Andreas presents an accreditation certificate at Education Leaders Gathering 2007 to Lynn Showalter (center) and Greg Sommers of Warwick River Christian School. Christopher Dock Mennonite High School, Lancaster Mennonite School and Western Mennonite School also received certificates. |
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| Sociologist Conrad Kanagy, center, talks with Education Leaders Gathering 2007 participants John Rutt and Rose Baer from Lancaster Mennonite School |
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